Zoey was face to face with what could only be described as a gorilla fused with a rhino. How did she get here? Well, the answer to that is she just picked a random direction and started walking. Hours later she entered into a wooded area that happened to be the territory of the creature facing her down. Up to this point she had been walking in a perpetual daze as she tried to take in the exotic sights, smells and sounds of this new world. The encounter she was in served as a reminder that she should be very careful about her surroundings. Who knows how many dangers were lurking around her.

Zoey could tell that this creature was the territorial type and would not let her off until she fled, or became its food. So she did the only advisable thing, which was beating a hasty retreat. Surprisingly, the gorilla-rhino didn't chase her, sending a warning roar after her instead as she rapidly left the area. Zoey felt that this creature was quite intelligent, but she definitely did not want to encounter it again. From then on she was far more alert to her surroundings as she continued on, this time skirting around the gorilla-rhino's territory.

The flora and fauna around her was captivating. She was definitely getting the novel experience of setting foot on a new world for the first time. Naturally the ecosystem of this world was not even close to Gaia. Although there were similarities, there were countless fascinating new creatures and plants she could see.

The flying creatures she could spot had up to 8 legs with some sporting fur, and some had scales. Of course the usual feathers could also be seen, but there was a remarkable variety of combinations that never would have evolved on Gaia. The ground dwelling creatures she saw had a similar amount of diversity. She saw animals that looked like insect-mammal hybrids as well as reptilian-insect and just about every combination of those and more. It truly was fascinating to see.

Aside from admiring the scenery, Zoey was actively looking for a safe place she could take some time to gather her thoughts. She traveled through the wilderness forest for most of the day, cautiously admiring the scenery as she went, before she found a rocky section of hills that had some hidden holes higher off the ground just big enough for her to squeeze into. After some searching she found one that would accommodated her nicely for a night and was quite safe. It was a short climb from the ground and not inhabited by any wildlife she could find. She gathered up some soft, thick grasses she found growing nearby for a floor pad, and settled in just as the sun slipped beneath the horizon.

By the time she had settled in, night had fallen. She had to spend some time simply listening to the sounds of the night creatures coming to life. On Gaia the nights were cold and empty with only the wind howling its horror across the empty landscape. This place was alive, and that reminded her that she was also alive. The sounds of the night filled her with an unspeakable sense of vitality and life. She was truly thankful in her heart that she had been given a second chance. She made a promise to herself to live her life to the fullest in this world.

Eventually Zoey focused her attention on her new tattoo. As the woman had said, she focused her senses and thoughts on the tattoo. As she did she felt a cool sensation flowing from the tattoo and spreading through her bloodstream. It was uncomfortable at first but eventually became quite pleasant. She could feel the chill moving through her blood, gradually reaching her heart, then spreading through her system. When it reached her head, Zoey felt like her entire conscious mind was suddenly dunked into water, then pulled back out abruptly. She gasped and opened her eyes after it happened, and suddenly realized that the tattoo on her arm was glowing a cold icy blue. In the darkness of the night it was quite pretty.

Before she had time to admire it, the blue light from the tattoo seemed to separate itself from her arm and hover in the air in front of her, slowly forming into a softly glowing cold blue ball of light. Zoey felt a child-like wonder take hold of her as she reached out to touch the floating light. The instant she made contact with the light, she felt a stream of information enter her brain.

[CONNECTION ESTABLISHED

NODE OWNER: SETHRII

VALIDATING ACCESS...

ACCESS APPROVED

ACTIVATING NODE...

PROGRESS:

5%

25%

47%

78%

99%

NODE ACTIVATION COMPLETE

HOST "ZOEY" ADDED AS AUTHORIZED USER

WELCOME ZOEY

PLEASE STATE A COMMAND_ ]

Uhhh... Zoey was slightly stunned by the sudden information that was dumped into her mind. While she tried to process the information the blue ball of light transformed itself into an interface and hovered in front of her, waiting for input. As she gathered her thoughts she realized the info she recieved was mostly related to the interface. She knew that she could use her mental intent as well as physical interaction to manipulate the display. The interface was familiar to her as it resembled the ones from Gaia and the virtual environment she had used before and at the same time had some alien elements she was not familiar with. Zoey wondered if this was all the mystery woman's doing.

The instant she thought the question, the display twinkled and some information appeared.

[This display is a hybrid interface designed to fit your memories and merge with the laws of this universe.

[This was designed by Goddess Sethrii for your benefit as per her agreement with Pfortner.

[The display is adaptive and will use your thoughts and actions to assist you.

[Please see the required reading prepared by Mistress Sethrii.

Well, that answered that question. Zoey relaxed back on her grass mattress and opened the documents her benefactor had prepared.

It would be a long night.