All I wanted to do was have a quiet picnic in a scenic location. How was I supposed to know a reality bending hell hole would be there? It seemed far enough away to not affect me. Then the wind kicked up and made me chase after my blanket, right into the danger zone! Now half my body is a fucking tree! — Statement from Jacob Chase after he was rescued.
Stay too close to a
Reality Rift for too long and you'll either perish or walk away with at least one aspect of your body drastically changed. The effects are unpredictable and at current, irreversible. This condition affects both organic and inorganic matter with varying results.
Effects
The mutation and distortion types are essentially limitless. Anything could happen in such unstable areas. It typically boils down to how an individual's body reacts to such things, if an object or creature is resistant, and the strength of the specific area of effect. Many people affected by this became disabled in some fashion.
Examples of Possible Effects
Thick scales grow over the skin
The hair or skin changes color
An extra limb grows from a random spot
Soil turns to stone and other similar transmutations
Plant matter instantly opalizes
Living tissue dissolves
Part or all of a body transforms into a plant or tree
Gravity changes
An isolated storm covers the area
Water turns to slime or alcohol
Treatment
Due to the nature of the sickness, treatment is handled on an individual basis. If they cannot leave the area on their own, a team will assist them to prevent further damage. A doctor will assess the person and prescribe treatments to any effects that can be dealt with. Otherwise, palliative care is given along with working out a personalized care plan the affected individual can ease in to.
It's been really damn rough after I was freed from the ground when my legs grew roots that pushed deep into the soil. My lower limbs fused together and everything turned into wood from the waist down. Thankfully it barely missed my important organs in that area.
I didn't expect much to be honest. The doctors poked at me and attempted to scale away the wood to see how thick it was. It was solid all the way through. I agreed it would be best to amputate. The recovery was long, but I'm adjusting the best I can. — Jacob Chase
Here's a teeny question: IF they can't leave the area on their own how does a team/doctor know to get to that place & individual to even recognize they need to help the someone? But that sounds both fun and scary. Like a russian roulette with nature >.<
Ah, good point. This and the reality rift article were the first ones I wrote about in the "series" related to it and I've yet to update them further. When the portals first appeared, the sickness was definitely more fatal. Now there's research groups and the rescue teams that keep a better eye on it. Still potentially deadly if no one's around to help anyone who can't leave. Now there's a group called Rift Watchers who patrol known portal sites on the regular and try to look for others. So there's a better chance of people in trouble being discovered / seen if that makes sense.
Fair :) If the patrol sees patrol can help - or call for help. .