I wake up with a jolt and grunt in pain when something hard hits my stomach a few times in rapid succession. The pain is unmistakable, the same I have endured almost daily during high school.
“What the fuck?” I shout, opening eyes the size of saucers. I scowl at the man standing above me. “Did you just kick me?”
A warm smile and a pair of curious eyes greet me. The man seems completely ignorant he’s done something wrong when his foot rearranged my insides. “Stranger, are you alive?”
“Barely,” I mutter under my breath, the urge to retaliate still strong.
I count to ten to calm down and assess my injuries. What hurts the most is my stomach, where the meager fellow hit me. For someone so thin, he sure has some strong kicks. My skin tingles all over, but it’s uncomfortable, not painful. I’m feeling groggy. A shadow of a headache pulsates at both temples. Did I forget to eat again?
I get on my feet. My brain registers different things at the same time. They’re related to the state I’m in, the place where I’m standing, and the weird clothing the man who woke me up is wearing.
It’s almost dark, but I can still see that my clothes are close to nonexistent. What’s left of my pants is everything I own. I have no shoes whatsoever and no blouse. The burnt hand-sized sleeve doesn’t count as clothing. Nor do the pants, since they reach one leg to the knee and the other only mid-thigh. Covered in grime and ash, I’m unrecognizable and in serious need of a bath.
I look left and then right, still hoping to be near my apartment. Hell, I’d appreciate being anywhere near modern bathing facilities. I sigh when I realize I have no such luck. I must be in a rural area because all I see around me are wooden sheds worn down by time. A square stone structure is in front of me. In the open air, the complex has four massive pillars that support burning torches.
Before I can take a better look, the man waves a hand in front of my eyes. My focus turns to him.
“Where are you at?” he asks.
His hands go on his hips as if he’s striking a pose. If this is the indignant look on him, he still has some work to do. My fourth-grade friend, Melanie, had more class when she did it.
“I’m still here, you know?” he huffs and puffs.
His attitude leaves me cold while his clothing turns my blood into ice. He’s dressed in black, the tunic covering his shoulders and the upper part of his chest. There are more holes in that clothing item than I have ever seen in my life. The bottom half of his ensemble is a shocker. Is he wearing a skirt? Yep, it’s a skirt. Two grey snakes decorate the front of the knee-length material. When my gaze falls on the forked tongues of the snakes, I notice he’s wearing a thick rope bound around his midsection, supporting an item. I cock my head to the right and see a worn-out iron sword. Fingerless gloves that have seen better days cover his hands. His toes are wiggling at me from a pair of sandals. Is this some sort of joke that I don’t get?
“Where the fuck am I?” I ask aloud, completely ignoring his questions.
He chuckles. “You’re in the land of Ledmer, you dullard.”
“And that is…” I prompt him.
Probably in the middle of nowhere.
He sighs when I don’t give any sign of recognizing the name. “You’re in the village of Ankbigets, near the town of Iddyn, and closer to the Iddyn castle. If you head east, you should reach the castle by sundown.”
Yeah, it doesn’t ring a bell.
A sudden thought crosses my mind. “What year is it?”
The man looks at me as if I have lost my mind.
“It’s the year of our lord protector one thousand five hundred twenty-three.”
I gawk at him for a few long seconds, then I blink, but the fog that seems to have settled over my brain doesn’t dissipate. I take it all in—my clothes, the surroundings, and the man’s costume—while I try to understand where and when I have landed. I need as much information as possible to get the hell out of here and back in my cozy apartment. Whatever details he’s been providing me are not very helpful.
“Okay,” I finally say. “Can you point me in the direction of a person who can answer my questions and help me get out of here?”
The man nods and turns to point to a building behind him. “If you look for Raglin, he’ll help you out. He’s usually patrolling in front of the inn.”
“Okay. I’ll do that. Thanks, mate.”
I lean forward to take a better look at the building the man indicated. That’s when bold white letters display in front of my eyes.
Congratulations! You have now accepted a quest. You may access the system menu.
I stand frozen for a few two seconds, my eyes locked on the message. I blink with the hope that I’m not hallucinating things and the phrases will disappear. After they’re gone, I notice three straight horizontal parallel lines on my right side, close to my hand. I try to brush them away as if they’re some bothersome tiny bug. When my hand hovers over them, other icons with names show up in a list. I quickly read everything—status, inventory, quests, and skills.
What the fuck is this?
I ponder the possibilities. If this is a dream, it’s a great one. If it’s not, then I’m doomed. I don’t think that pinching myself like in the movies would enlighten me more. I should try it. When I put pressure on my flesh, it hurts. Does that mean this is real?
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
I raise my eyes heavenward as if I would receive an answer from there. When I do that, I notice a man close to one of the buildings—it must be the inn—with a tiny rolled papyrus scroll above his head. He can be the one to enlighten me, not like the obnoxious fellow who woke me up. Speaking of that man, he seems to have vanished. Unfortunately, he dropped his sword. Guess who won’t be going hunting anytime soon. Well, either that or whatever he was doing with the sword. I bend to pick it up, and as soon as I grab the handle, another message flickers in front of me.
Item acquired [Rusty Sword] – one-handed. [Rusty Sword] equipped.
That’s brilliant information, genius. As if I didn’t know I have a sword, and it’s rusty. Unsure whether I should keep it or not, I finally decide to carry it with me. I don’t have a clue where I am. Having a weapon in my possession in these circumstances is vital, no matter its condition.
I head toward the man with the papyrus above his head. He is with his back toward me, and he’s gesturing as if he’s talking to someone, but I don’t see another living soul nearby.
Is everyone around here a runaway from the loony bin?
When I’m close enough, I raise my arm and tap him with my forefinger on the shoulder. He jumps before turning as if I’ve startled him. When he looks at me, the frown on his face evaporates, and then he smiles as if he’s just seen an old friend.
“Hi. Are you Raglin?”
Please let him be the one who can help me get back home.
He nods. “I sure am.”
I wait a few seconds for him to add something else. He glares at me and doesn’t utter another word. Still waiting, I raise my eyebrows. He ignores my gesture completely. Silence surrounds us. At this rate, I’m going to be old and gray before I find out anything useful from him.
I sigh. “Can you answer a few questions for me?”
“Ask away, adventurer.”
Raglin’s choice of words strikes me as odd. I don’t ask him why he wanted to address me like that. I don’t need explanations on why he called me an adventurer. Right now, I want answers on how to get back home.
“Okay. I would like to know a few things. First, where am I? Second, what year is it? Third, what do I need to do to get out of here and go home?”
He smirks at me. “You’re in the land of Ledmer during the year of our lord protector one thousand five hundred and twenty-three.”
He recites the same bullshit that I have heard before. I grab the bridge of my nose between my thumb and forefinger, close my eyes tight, and fight to stifle a sigh.
“As for how to get back home,” he continues, oblivious to my reaction, “that is a path you must find on your own. If you are here now, the fates have ordained it so.”
Absentmindedly, I nod.
“Since you joined us, wouldn’t it be better if you stopped hiding what you are and try to reach your full potential?”
“Huh, full potential…. What do you mean by that?”
He shrugs. “Learn to accept your new life and live it the way we do here. Grasp the meaning of your true power and wield it to your advantage.”
I rub one hand on my head and sigh again. I hear the words he’s saying. They muddle my head. My brain picks up certain parts only of what he said, and I don’t get the full meaning. “Yeah, yeah…I get it,” I snap. “How do I get out of here?”
“Hit the wooden dummy over there a few times,” he says, pointing toward his right, “and I’ll tell you.”
I huff.
Fine, I’d do anything to get out of here.
I tighten my grip on the handle of the sword and head in the direction he pointed. I hit the dummy with all I have. I need six well-placed strikes to shatter it. I stand next to the wooden pieces panting like I do after I finish running a few miles. I must have gotten out of practice when it comes to staying fit with my daily gym routine.
I turn toward Raglin and tilt my head to the side.
“Satisfied now?”
“You did all right. But…”
I cringe on the inside, and I still nod, waiting for him to continue.
“You lack finesse.” He grins. “You need to shape up your fighting skills. How about you do some more training?”
I nod like the fool I am. As soon as I do that, a notification flickers in front of me. My focus switches for a few seconds to the message.
Congratulations! You have now accepted a quest.
For crying out loud! Why do I keep seeing these messages, and how do I get rid of them?
Another message flickers in front of me.
Would you like to continue accessing the menu and displaying system information?
What menu are we talking about here? I don’t pay too much attention to it. With the risk of sounding like a two-year-old throwing a temper tantrum, the answer is a big fat no.
I don’t want anything. I just want to go back home.
There goes another message.
Preferences saved.
I don’t even know what this is all about, so whatever.
“Good,” Raglin says. “Fighting wooden dummies won’t help you become a true knight. You need real opponents to become better.” That draws my attention back to him. His grin widens, and he’s rubbing his hands together. “There are some creatures at the outskirts of the village. They’re wreaking havoc for the travelers. How about you kill twelve of them, bring me the necklaces they’re wearing as proof, and I’ll give you a little reward?”
I need twenty seconds to process the information. The results are not in my favor. If I didn’t know any better, I’d swear I was playing a game with a quest ending and another one starting. Raglin is sending me on a wild goose chase without giving me the smallest hint on how to get back home. There’s no one else around here to ask how I could do that. Until I meet other people, I might as well do what Raglin asked. Besides, I have to kill some creatures. How hard can it be?
Without uttering another word, I turn my back to Raglin and start walking. I have no clue where the creatures are, so walking away was a bad idea. I sigh, then take a deep breath, and finally turn my head toward him again. His smile is wide when he points toward the village gates—exactly where I was going.
No one speaks with me while I head out. The guards at the gates glare at me, and that’s all. I go down the steep stairs praying I won’t fall and break my neck. Built on a hilltop as the castles were during the Middle Ages, the village most likely had its strategic purpose.
I take three steps when the sun rays pierce my eyes, making me blink fast. I stop to watch as the sun goes down. Its last rays sneak between the few grey and white clouds, giving an eerie sight to the landscape ahead. The leafless trees look as if someone sifted ashes over them.
The place seems deserted. I shiver involuntarily. I’m waiting for the creepy music to start playing in the next few seconds like in the horror movies. If it does, then I’m going to tuck my tails between my legs and run back inside the village. I calm down after a couple of minutes of waiting and continue my way down the stairs.
As I get closer to the ground, more and more details unfold. When I finally see the creatures, I want to shriek. I bite my tongue until it almost bleeds to keep the scream in.
Wait. Wait a damn minute.
Are those skeletons?
Someone, please tell me I am not supposed to kill skeletons!