Travel through time and space was difficult without a TARDIS, to say the very least. Coordinates were finicky, things didn’t always quite line up the way they needed to, technology made mistakes. A misplaced decimal could separate freezing to death on an ice planet or ending up on planet-wide volcano that was just about ready to blow and somewhere safe, somewhere a little more tame. After all, even a Timelord had his limitations as far as survival went, and he wasn’t eager to regenerate, to lose this version of himself.
Which made the situation at hand both fortunate, and unfortunate, all at the same time. Half of him was relieved; he wasn’t dead. Wherever he was, he was alive, his hearts were still beating and within his chest. The sound of the drums had come along, but that was only ever to be expected; madness didn’t change from realm to realm. Speaking of realms; where was he exactly? In the middle of the forest, that seemed clear, but... Which forest? What planet, what system? What was this place? The vortex manipulator didn’t give quite that much information, and even as he searched his mind nothing came to the front of it.
He hissed, air escaping pursed lips. He literally had not the slightest idea of where to start here, to go left or right or North or South. There were subtle differences, of course, but in terms of the big picture, everything looked the same. No path, no indication of where he might find a.... Well, whatever the dwelling places of this place where, if there was civilization. For all he knew, he was trapped on a planet in the middle of Who-Knows with not a single other soul around.
No, falling to those wasn’t the answer, not the way to get out. Not yet had he gotten his revenge, and he wasn’t going to give in because something had gone wrong. The Master had pulled himself from the end of the universe, from death, from all sorts of horrid places that were worse than a forest.He would find out where he was, and get back to Earth. Couldn’t be too hard.
Feet crinkling on the leafs beneath them, he turned in a circle. Which was the clearest path? Which gave indication that the forest ended? The latter he never found, but the former was Northwest. Alright. Lips sealing into a hard, determined line, eyes raised ahead, he set to trampling along... Only to notice black through the trees. An animal? Animals didn’t wear leather coats. A person. Perfect! Someone to answer his questions. Making no effort to hide, he peered through the greenery. Chin raised, arms crossed. He would pursue, if the other ran. But he wouldn’t go practically crawling into the arms of a trap, he wouldn’t forfeit his dignity for the sake of help.