<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0080FF">Jake Patel</span></div><br/><br/>“Uh… ah –! Wait!”<br/><br/>Jake flicked his head back and forth between the otherworldly men, the strange orb given to him still weighing heavily in his hand. The shorter man had only just provided a set of nonsensical instructions, and the other two simply… obliged. “Hold on just a second!” His words were lost to the men. Two of them stepped past the gate and into the very cavern that Jake had been wandering earlier, ignoring his protests.<br/><br/>“Damn it,” he muttered under his breath. Jake faced the shorter man, since he seemed to be in charge. “Hey, wait, could you please just tell me what’s going on?”<br/><br/>The man glanced at him for a moment before indicating the gate with a cold finger. “The exit. Escape, and your questions may be answered.”<br/><br/>“But –!”<br/><br/>“Companions are hard to find on this floor, child,” the man interrupted him, grinning slightly. “Such an advantage against the Sand Worm may not come again so easily.”<br/><br/>Jake glanced over at the others, who were quickly trekking away from him. It was clear that this man wouldn’t help him, but those two seemed to know what they were doing as well. Jake didn’t know what a Sand Worm was, but the last thing he wanted was to be left alone in a giant desert cavern again.<br/><br/>“Hey, wait up!” Jake called, running after them. He caught up in time to hear the larger man speak.<br/><br/>“Interesting,” the man said, observing Jake for a moment. “What are your names?”<br/><br/>“I’m… Jake. Jake Patel,” he replied after a moment’s hesitation. “Um… you guys don’t happen to know what’s going on, do you?”