How can he be so calm in this place when he looks to be around my age?
Not wanting to miss any sudden movement, Amelia’s guarded gaze was glued to Jack, her eyes traveling up and down him several times as she wondered whether this stranger was a danger to her or not.
The portal she had entered was unknown to her, and that uncertainty extended to whatever, or whoever, might be inside it. Despite Jack looking as human as could be, she wasn’t sure if he was real or merely a danger sent by the portal as some sort of trial.
Perhaps he was neither, and something entirely beyond her realm of understanding was happening. Since she couldn’t tell which it was, she tucked the thought away in her mind.
However, she had to admit that seeing someone, even if that person was fake, greatly reduced the panic and despair she felt.
To her, he was like a beacon of light, driving away the darkness that was quickly spreading in her mind.
At least now, with some clarity of mind and an “enemy” in front of her, she could identify a possible threat and interact with it, whereas earlier she had felt stranded in a prison she believed impossible to escape.
Seconds ticked by. After the initial introduction Jack didn’t ask anything or try to start a conversation. He could feel that Amelia wasn’t truly at ease and he chalked it up to his presence. Thus, he waited quietly with his hands in his pockets for the portal to reveal the next mission.
Then, exactly ten seconds after Amelia entered the portal and five seconds after Jack did, a notification rang in both their minds.
[Select a weapon]
[Mission starts in 05:00]
“Ah!”
The sudden voice in her head startled Amelia so badly that she cried out.
Jack quickly looked over and asked, “What’s wrong?”
He had just gone through a portal, but to say he was familiar with this place would be a huge overstatement. Anything could happen here that hadn’t happened in the previous portal, and the sudden cry had his nerves stretched taut.
She took a few calming breaths and, once she was sure the voice was gone, said, “I… just heard someone speak in my head.”
When she realized that what she’d said sounded like the ravings of a madwoman, she hastily waved her hands in front of her and added, “I know it sounds strange, if not crazy, but it really happened!”
Noticing that Jack remained calm, she thought he didn’t believe her. “Please b—”
It was then that he chimed in calmly, “I believe you.”
“Eh? Really?!” Amelia’s eyes shone brightly. She couldn’t believe that someone, a stranger she’d met only seconds ago, was willing to believe her, especially when what she’d said bordered on the absurd.
“Yeah, because I heard that voice too.” Jack nodded and continued, “What you need to do now is think of a weapon, picture it with as many details as you can, and it will appear in front of you.”
Amelia was sent into a daze. Is he making fun of me, or does he truly believe a weapon will appear just because I think about it? Was my earlier impression wrong and I ran into a weirdo instead? What if he tries to do anything to me?
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
It wasn’t known how Jack, who was currently smiling at her with a slight, encouraging expression, would have reacted if he’d known her thoughts, but one thing was certain: his smile would have stiffened to the point it looked as though he were about to cry.
But when Amelia remembered that he had believed her without a shred of doubt and saw the genuineness in his smile, she felt she was being a tad unreasonable. She expected him to believe her, but she wouldn’t extend the same trust to him.
Alright, since you believed me earlier then, the least I can do is believe you now.
Closing her eyes, she thought about what weapon she wanted. As she went through her options, she realized that the only weapon she could picture with any real detail was a sword.
Can I really not fill in the details of any weapon other than a sword? What about a knife? Or a bow? No, knowing myself and my aim, having a bow or not might as well be the same.
Pushing aside the idea of a bow, she tried to imagine a knife. But, when she pictured herself fighting at such close range, she rejected it without hesitation. She didn’t feel good at being so close to the enemy.
I have no other choice but to pick a sword… The only consolation is its range is bigger than a knife and I only need to swing it around. I should be okay… I hope.
How could she be blamed for having so few options? After all, who on Earth ever trained with the expectation that an apocalypse would descend and modern weapons would become useless?
It was so far-fetched that even mentioning it to a friend would earn funny looks at best and being labeled a crazy person at worst.
Amelia took a deep breath and focused her mind on the swords she’d seen in the various shows she’d watched. Slowly, the silhouette of a sword took form, and with every passing moment, a new detail was added.
First came the hilt and that included the pommel, grip, and guard. Then came the blade, and she spent most of her time imagining it as sharp as possible.
Minutes later, when the sword’s image in her mind was as vivid as she could make it, she heard the mechanical voice from before ring through her thoughts once again.
[Sword selected]
[Are you sure?]
Being questioned, she said out loud, “Yes, I’m sure!”
Then she felt a weight suddenly appear in her hand. It was so abrupt that she almost tripped, but the sword acted like a cane at the last moment, allowing her to stay on her feet.
Gasp.
“That was close…”
Amelia’s heart beat fast from the multitude of emotions she was experiencing. It felt as though she had lived through more feelings in the past few minutes than in the last several years of her life, and she wasn’t sure whether that was a good thing or a bad one.
It was real, I can’t believe this is even happening. She looked at the sword in a daze despite her ragged breath.
Her breathing slowly evened out, and when she finally looked back at Jack, who was staring at a saber with sparkling eyes, she felt ashamed for having doubted him, when all he had done since arriving here was help her with no ulterior motives.
Watching his sincerity made her guard gradually melt away like snow under a summer sun.
Opening her mouth, she said, “I’m sorry for doubting you, Jack.”
“Hmm?” Jack reluctantly tore his gaze away from the saber and when, he saw her state, he smiled at her. “Don’t worry. It’s only normal not to trust strangers, even more so during a time like this.”
Amelia considered his words and nodded.
“When the mission starts, do your best to avoid taking any hits and only attack if you feel confident. Don’t force yourself. I’ll try to take care of as many enemies as I can.” Jack said sternly, his tone vastly different from his earlier calmness, catching her by surprise.
To Jack it was obvious this was Amelia’s first portal, and having already gone through one himself, he felt a sense of responsibility to make sure she stayed alive, even if she was a stranger.
“Mission?” Amelia echoed, having completely forgotten about the words that had earlier rung in her mind.
She had barely finished speaking when another notification rang out, this time much longer than the last.
[Mission starts in 00:02]
[Mission starts in 00:01]
[Mission started]
[Mission: Kill all the Orcs in the village]
Rewards:
Primary Reward:
o Gold: 80 coins
o EXP: 40
o Title: Orcs Exterminator
This title enhances your reputation in towns and cities, increasing rewards for future quests involving monster extermination.
2. Special Reward: (If the mission is completed without losing any body parts)
o Weapon of choice (Attributes will be assigned based on the weapon picked)
The white fog slowly dispersed, and in front of them appeared a village guarded by orcs.
Amelia’s eyes shrank to pinpoints as she stared at creatures that should have existed only in fantasy books. If the voice ringing in her head had made her seem crazy, then the sight before her completely shattered her understanding of the world.
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