Ethan Mitchell, in the closet, but not THAT one
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I awake again, hoping it was all a dream, or a stroke. Preferably a stroke, so I know that this is a drug induced stupidity while I am being operated on, rather than something that can come up in my regular sleep schedule. I open one eye, and see the stone floor.
"It must be Isekai," I mumble to myself. "Great, the one genre I only read 4 stories of. I probably could have pulled a better attempt at living in the Roman era or the 1800s, but of course, it's isekai.
So from the 4 stories I ever read about this, I have 2 main concerns, this is either going to get me into a major hero complex of a land of snake people or dragons, or into a "definitely not a harem" of mostly platonic relationships with a lot of girls on a halo ring, or a "base defense with your elven lover and a swarm of orphans whilst the powers that be want to go to war". I am not sure which is more terrifying, being the hero, or having to talk to women! I could not do either on Earth! How can I be expected to do either here?! And being around kids?! I can't stand squeaky voices!
First things first, from the little known of this topic, whatever pulled me here is probably mad. Both from just spending an ungodly amount of energy to get me here, and that I am in the janitor's closet and not doing their bidding already. Considering that is where the "hero" path lies and probably the highest chance of death, I need to skedaddle out of here immediately. Second, due to the large door for a janitor closet, and that I bend stuff from leaning on it, I am short. They are tall. They are probably lighter too if they think this is enough door to stop anything.
I stand up again, still with a sore head, but less sore than it was last time. I try to just take a light jump, and end up over a meter off the ground.
"And gravity is low. Great, now I have to exercise just in case the magic bullshit that pulled me here is on a timer or something".
Let's see what I have with me. Lunch pail with no lunch. Scratch that, 2 old granola bars in it. Still in date at least. 1 generic brand ibuprofen, in a snack ziploc. 2 plastic containers that contained my lunch. 1 pepsi can (empty). 1 large tupperware water bottle (empty), a leather paper holder, 1 notebook. 3 pens, 1 working from heights training manual. 1 pair of winter boots (dress). 1 set of regular clothes I am wearing. 1 winter coat with tuque and mittens. (I like having fingers more than having access to individual fingers). 2 phones (1 personal 56% battery, 1 work 71% battery). 1 laptop (personal 100% battery). 2 USB cords
Jumping up and peering out the window in the back of the janitor's closet, I see that it is still snowing, so no luck on being in a "temperate but never snows" biome like the other 4 isekais I've read. Great.
Ok, main plan. Get out of this building. Odds are I am in the dungeon, which is the basement due to all the animals here that they don't want. Step one. Flee upwards. Step 2: do not get eaten, maimed, bitten, stung, etc. Step 3: If given chance, look at animals on way out to see what type of world this is. Maybe these are the animals they keep for being hungry for a gladiator arena? I hope not. If so I am DEFINITELY on the wrong level.
By the way, considering some form of bullshit pulled me into this place, should I not have some form of connection to it? I should be getting a system prompt or magic voice in my head about "welcome to fantasyia" "choose your stats" or "you are a secret being that has access to stupendously over leveled spells, and here they are!" No, nothing?! So, just to be clear, I have been summoned, dumped in a bucket, stuck in the closet, and have either hero or death as my 2 main options right now?! I vote nay on that logic!
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
I storm to the door, and then, stealthily turn the handle. Well. as stealthily one can turn an orange made of way too thin brass. The door opens, and using the light of my work phone, I see that many of the animals are asleep. Looking across them, some look like things that would fit right into Avatar the Last Airbender, while the one in the back looks like a toy version of an illithid, but the size of the bean bag stuffed animals that sit on the floor.
Walking quietly, I get about half way across the room, before I hear a snarl.
"Sabre-tooth tiger?! Really?!"
No sudden inspiration on how to fight it appears, so I run as quick as I can to the far end of the hall and plow my way through the door, not taking chances on having time to open it properly. Coming through the door, the sabre tooth tiger that is way too big for the room paws at the door the same way Tom paws at Jerry through the mouse holes. Seeing that mostly dealt with, I see that I am in another animal room, but this one is filled with things closer to sizes I expect. The room is still massive, but the animals are at least the right scale, and I think I see a deer in the background. Moving over from the door, I realize that me barging in did not go without consequences. These animals seem docile, but it seems like I squished what could only be described as the mathematically assumed spherical rat. Instantly it reminds me of another HFY story containing something about busy rats, zizi rats? I can't remember, just that they go squish real easy and are supposedly good to eat. Considering I just killed this one, it counts as fresh, so as soon as I get outside I can start cooking, smoking, or freezing it depending on what I find.
Walking out of the room, towards a spiral staircase, I suddenly feel warm breath on my shoulder. Carefully looking back, its the tiger again!
I run with the zizi rat in my hand being squished and turned into ground beef in seconds. Seeing no use for it now, I drop it as I run as fast as I can. I turn to climb up the stairs and pause on the curve. Looking back just long enough to see that the sabre-tooth tiger stopped to eat what ever the zizi rat was.
Climbing up, I notice that I can jump and take 2 steps at a time. Given the tread height, and depth, these must be some very tall people. I notice it getting brighter, and with the glow of sunlight ahead, I scramble up the steps faster and faster. until suddenly I am in bright daylight.
I look around the room. It is circular, and has massive windows that overlook the area around. The carving of the walls is nonexistent, seeming quite plain. Looking at the floor though, it is the most intricately carved anything I have seen. I quickly take a picture of the floor, and scan for more doors. Finding no obvious doors, I walk to a window.
WHY ARE WE 50 STORIES OFF THE GROUND?! Suddenly overcome with nausea from the sheer height we are at, I sit down on the floor, only to get a static shock off of the floor.
Stone does not shock normally, so I look closer at the floor. Now that I spend some time with it, I get deeply entranced and hyperfocus on the sigils and runes carved into the floor, that are sealed below the surface.
"Itheca dynaewn haode heafeas thesda"
Startled I quickly stand up and pivot towards the sounds of what seems like speech. In front of me is a 12 foot tall rake of a green old man. Like someone put an ork through a stretcher in kidpix. He starts swirling his hands and pulling stuff out of his pockets, and sensing that this is either the summoner or the cleanup crew, I bolt.
Suddenly, my face hurts. Looking down at my nose, I already am bleeding red. Trying to see what hit me, my right arm and hand suddenly really hurt. Realizing that I was just shocked, I bolt for the stairwell, and start descending as quick as possible. I should have really exercied sooner as I now have a 50 story spiral staircase to descend.
As I pass the 10th landing, I hear yelling, followed by more sounds of spells richocheting off the walls. I see a number of guards ahead, on alert with blades drawn. Quickly taking my options, I hurl myself at the window. It cracks, but does not shatter. Stupid magical glass! I crash into it again, and this time the glass turns to dust, like tempered glass. I feel the wind of something pass near my neck, but I jump out of the window before I can find out what that was.
I then realized that these stories are quite tall. And trees are weak as well. Crashing through the window, I am greeted by the vast nothingness of open air, and a terrifying drop of 20m to go.
"So this is how this ends. Huh. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh"
THis is taking a lot longer than normal, right low gravity.
I faceplant the landing, leaving a cartoon splat shape in the freshly fallen snow just passed the door, surrounded by broken branches and tree limbs. Hurt, but not broken, I run. Not being an idiot, I run around to the back of the building, and run the opposite way of the road. Somewhat obvious? yes, but still better than being picked up by any shmuck coming down the road, and alerting everyone there.