Jon struggled with the angry medieval man in the tight cave, dodging swipes of his dagger. Jon managed to grab the man's wrist and deliver a swift chop to his neck, sending him slumping down unconscious.
Jon took a second to catch his breath. He couldn't keep running and fighting aimlessly. He needed answers - about where and when he was, and the true nature of the glowing maple leaf.
First things first though, he had to get clear of the ravine before more men came searching. Hugging the cave walls, Jon crept out and scanned for signs of pursuit.
Seeing the coast was clear, he hurried along the rocky canyon floor. But he kept the magical leaf close, hoping it could somehow guide him.
Soon, Jon came across a small clearing with a rippling pond fed by a waterfall. It seemed like a peaceful place to rest and think.
Kneeling by the shimmering pool, Jon again retrieved the leaf, its surface shimmering in the sunlight. This was no radiation...it was energy of a kind Jon struggled to understand.
As he focused on the shifting symbols along the leaf's veins, they opened his mind to visions beyond his own world...lush valleys filled with fantastic creatures...a great walls sealing off kingdoms...riveting battles of sword, spell and stealth.
Jon gasped and dropped the leaf as the visions ceased. This was no time from his history...it was a mythic age of magic and monsters. Had the portal sent him not through time, but to a whole other reality somehow?
His shock was cut short by a sword tip suddenly pressed to his back. "Do not move, stranger," came a stern woman's voice.
Jon raised his hands slowly. "I'm just passing through. I mean you no ill will."
The pressure of the blade lessened slightly as the woman picked up the maple leaf, examining it curiously. "Come with me if you want answers about this relic," she commanded.
Unsure if he could trust this unknown warrior woman, but desperate for knowledge, Jon complied. She led him further down the ravine to a hidden cave sealed by magic runes. Who was this woman, and would she be friend or foe?