Location: Unkown forest, Khemi Province, Stygia.

Time: Lunchtime.

......

At the stream stood Ramun who was quickly pulling the woven contraption onshore with some effort.

He stared fervently at the basket in anticipation and hunger, while muttering crazily with wild feverish eyes.

Ramun peered impatiently into it the basket, as he did not know what to expect of the normal-ish creatures in this world.

Sighing in relief, when all he saw were two large, apparently normal franticly waving fishtails, he dragged the basket away from the stream and tossed it unto the ground.

Carelessly leaving the beached fish within the woven basket, he went looking for tinder to start a fire, and this didn't take very long.

After finding them, he set about arranging a campfire using a well-known method of friction between two dry sticks, right by the stream.

Getting the fire going, Ramun then went back looking for a spit to spear the fish with, finding a few good ones, he set them close to the now raging fire. Now done with that, he then went towards the still struggling fish.

Pulling them out of the conical basket took some effort, but they eventually came out.

Ramun still delirious with hunger, pulled out one of the fishes, with its eyes facing him.

Looking at it, he prepared to say a few words of consolation to it in guilt, when he noticed an anomaly on the dangling struggling fish.

Blinking his eyes once, and then another for confirmation on the absurdity of what he was looking at, he stared dumbfoundedly at the three blinking eyes of the fish, as well as its mouth that was making "kissy" noises.

He blinked once more to make sure it wasn't the hunger or smoke from the fire making him see things.

"Nope, no.....pe, I ain't dealing with this shit," Ramun said, confirming that what he was seeing was really true and not a hallucination.

He then proceeded to start slapping the fish silly in frustration and anger.

"Stop, [slap]."

"Making,[slap]."

"Kissy,[slap]."

"Faces,[slap]."

When he felt that he had vented enough of his frustration on the poor fish, he ended both fishes with a stake through their heads, clean and efficient, right?

Anyways cleaning both fish, he staked them and set them on the fire to roast, while waiting, he threw the fish trap back into the stream to catch more of their brethren.

An hour and 5 roasted fish later, had Ramun lying on the ground, sated and feeling happy.

His back to the ground, with legs, crossed high up and arms supporting his head, he stared contentedly at the darkening sky, watching as the sun gradually made its descent into the sunset.

"Haaah," sighing in regret, and reflecting on how this day had only been spent on sating his hunger, Ramun stood up, preparing to return back to the small clearing where the Hut was located.

Walking briskly towards the stream, well-fed and full of energy, he bent down to pick up the twine only to see something very shocking.

Floating in the stream where two will 'o' wisps.

Keeping his mouth shut and backpedaling quickly, he moved away from the edge of the stream, after getting sufficient distance away from it, only then did he scream.

"Aaaaaaaaah,

"Gg...,"

"Ghoooooost," rattled and screaming in fright, Ramun turned to flee.

Stopping suddenly, he remembered his fish and the trap still by the stream, thinking to himself for a moment, and then coming to the righteous conclusion, that he sure as hell wasn't gonna repeat the events of today again, he decidedly rushed towards the fish trap.

Upon getting to the stream he looked in dread for the accursed apparition, only to find it missing, quickly bending down to pick the trap he once more saw the floating wisp.

And once again without a word, he ran, top speed, away from the stream, but this time he had with him his fish trap and nary a word from his trembling mouth.

When Ramun was halfway through the bushes, almost entering the forest, he paused for a moment, backing up, while panting heavily he stood in front of the bushes, a thoughtful look on his face.

His eyes unsure, he went towards the stream, dragging the fish trap on the ground behind him, upon reaching the edge of the stream, he stood there hesitant.

Taking a deep breath, and keeping aside his fears he walked into the stream.

With his feet wet and his body trembling slightly, he bent and looked at his reflection in the stream.

"Gasp," Ramun looked at his reflection in shock, as this was the first time he had actually seen his features since he had transmigrated.

His memories detailed a plump, averaged height, dusky-skinned young adult, with a bald head and deep dark eyes outlined with kohl set within an expressive face.

His normal looks were still there, the only difference was that in his eyes, embers of white flame had sprouted.

The flames had added a demonic feel to his appearance, as he knelt by the stream, he stared despondently at his face and bald head, bemoaning and questioning his pitiful existence.

He looked lethargically at the dancing flame within his eyes, not surprised at all at seeing the flame, he had a strong unique soul within a young mortal body, it was a wonder he wasn't already dead.

On some scale, he was aware that his soul was affecting reality in some way.

The fact that he traversed a jungle, he knew for a fact teemed with dangerous wildlife, and that he hadn't met a single one of them?

"Yeah, not very likely."

Although the system had reigned in his soul with countless millennia worth of memories, that was just a stop-gap measure.

As it was evident, that measure was already failing, and a steady rate at that.

Now he had two more very important reasons to add to the plethora of reasons to cultivate.

"Ugh!," grunting as he stood up, donning a serious face, Ramun knew that he quickly had to make that cultivation technique.

He was treating this world with no small amount of levity, and that couldn't be anymore suicidal.

Through a series of coincidences, that could almost be labeled plot armor, he was still living and breathing.

If he ever got into a situation that, he couldn't get out by luck or some other means, he was dead!

It was that simple.

Lifting the fish trap and its contents he prepared to return to the hut.

....

Walking into the small clearing which was dimly illuminated by the setting sun was Ramun with his catch slung over his shoulder.

He had not found it difficult locating the clearing this time, experience, and all that.

Ramun as if he owned the place, walked confidently with long strides into the clearing, only to stop dead in his tracks, when he saw an unfamiliar figure bent over some plants by the hut.

Dropping the woven basket silently and fearing the worst, he picked up a large rock nearby his feet and crept forward silently.

Stealthily moving towards the man or woman, he prepared to do them in, when suddenly, he heard the crouching individual speaking without turning their head.

"Is that how you treat your savior boy?" turning around slowly, the mysterious figure revealed its appearance to Ramun.

Ramun couldn't count how many times he had been shocked senselessly in one day, but this, this right here would take the cake.

Staring at him in amusement and a with a slight shit-eating grin on his face, was a legend from his earth he didn't expect to cross paths with anytime soon.

" S...tan -Lee?" Ramun stuttered, standing there slack-jawed, the stone in his grasp falling to the ground already forgotten.

"Who?"

"Where?"

"What?"

"How?"

Ramun stood there frozen, his brain temporarily fried.

"How the hell was this possible?"Ramun almost yelled out, waking up from his stupor, the last he knew, the Old man had died.

"We are so far back from the 21st century, how and why the hell is it possible for this man to be here," he thought, his mind reeling from shock.

Pausing for a moment, he also came to another frightening conclusion, if he considered that this was not the Stan-lee he was familiar with, then things might just get interesting, and not in a good way.

" Greetings, young one," the Stan-Lee look-alike replied in amusement, " Who is this Stan-lee you speak of?" he inquired, I am Zahur, an herb-picker of this here forest and Mountains," he continued gesturing at their surroundings.

Ramun could have sworn he saw the brilliant suspiciously child-like eyes of aged man wink for a second.

"Are you aware young one, that you have been lost to the world for three days now?" I stumbled on your fallen corpse nearby some herbs I've had my eyes on for a while now, thinking to liberate your corpse of some if its valuables, as seeing you were in no need of it, instead of gold, I found to my surprise a young living man.

"What say you, how did you a dead man by rights, come back to the realm of the living?" Zahur asked in interest.

"Are you, an undead creature, or perchance a black magician from that mad city filled with sorcery, Kheshatta?" he further inquired.

"You can't possibly be a thief or beggar, clothes are too nice, and you are too fat to have suffered as they have." he continued, stroking his chin.

"Are you perchance a foreigner, or a merchant, or some beggar or thief, is that why you were thrown away like common trash?" he asked, looking at Ramun's apparent disheveled countenance in amusement.

"You are either a member of [ Black ring ] or some rich noble or a merchant", Zahur nodded sagely, having come to his perfect conclusion.

Listening to the old man rattle on, firing questions left and right, Ramun still stood there foolishly, confused, and shaken up by the surreal encounter.

"Wait, wait, hold on, old man," Ramun stammered, trying to stop the man from drowning him with questions, he knew neither head nor tail of.

"Who are you?"

"What is Kheshatta?"

"Where am I?" Ramun fired back rapidly, asking these questions as quickly as he could before the man went off on another tangent.

The old man looked at Ramun like he had parted ways with not a small amount of common sense.

"Come, young one, don't be playing with me now."

"How can you not know where you are, when you....?" he said pointing at his fine, but torn silk garb, are dressed like that".

Ramun's eyes on the other hand showed apparent loss and confusion.

"I...I seem to have lost a few of my memories sir, or most of them, all I can remember is my name and age sir," answered Ramun, playing the amnesia card.

Silence ensued as the old man looked at Ramun with his eyes that looked as if they could see through him and all things.

For a moment it was as if a brilliant golden glow shone through the old man's eyes for a moment, but then it was gone within less than a second, too quick for Ramun to notice.

If the old man saw anything, he didn't say. And it was if he had conveniently ignored the burning flame within Ramun's eyes, or maybe he just couldn't see it.

"I see, hmmn," Zahur looked thoughtfully at Ramun.

"Well if that be the case, then we have ourselves a problem young one, which will also have to be remedied, immediately!" Zahur hustled and bustled setting up a fire by the hut.

"I see you have dinner with you? He said looking at the fish that had been dropped carelessly behind Ramun.

"Well that will be your wages for the tale, that I, Zahur, am about to tell you." he sat on one side while gesturing towards the other side of the bonfire for Ramun to settle in.

[Welcome]

[To the World of Hyboria!!]

With a flourish and wild gesticulation, the old man Stan- Lee, Jack Kirby, or Zahur, or whatever his name is, started a tale of the world, its inhabitants as well as all the things that go bump in the night.