...Where am I?
I eliminated my target, then I left the house and..
I fell. Why on earth was there a fucking hole in front of the back door? It wasn't even there when I scouted the place. I felt myself falling, and all I saw was black.
Falling for an eternity.
My eyes were heavy, and I could hardly lift them. I see someone, a hazy image standing above me. A girl? Where's my glasses?
..real...sorry!..mistake...
"Wha..?" I sat up, getting myself into a seated position on the dirt. There's my glasses. Black, rectangular and slightly bent. I picked them up and put it back on my face, as my eyesight began to clear.
Before me, was a little girl. 7 years old, at the most. She had long, flowing hair that went up to her midsection, it was pure white, aside from them taking on a greenish blue colour at the ends. Her eyes were bright yellow, looking upon me with worry and relief.
If she were a threat, I highly doubt she'd be looking at me like that. No need to panic, for now.
She was dressed in a expensive looking robe, pure white and glowing slightly with an ethereal light. I could hear her clearly now, like as if I was submerged with water and just put my head up.
"-again, I apologize so much for all the trouble I caused you! Is there anything I can do to help you with?" She said, looking at me, unaware I was only half listening to her. What the hell is she talking about? Was she responsible for the hole?
"Where am I? Who are you? Why am I here?" I pressed, all traces of sluggishness gone. Hitman need to be alert immediately when they wake up, after all.
"OH! I'm so sorry! This is the world of Durandal, this is different from the world you were in previously. Earth, I believe? As for why you're here.." She looked sheepish, rubbing the back of her head as she laughed nervously.
What the hell is this? Am I in a role playing convention? I looked around me, and it was nothing but grasslands. Noone here besides us.
"I'm new to this whole God thing, so when I was messing around, I might've ripped a hole into your dimension and you fell in before I could fix it. Teehee!" She got up, as I remained still, wondering if I'm hallucinating.
I'm trying to connect how messing around leads to ripping holes into dimensions. Or the fact that I believed her. The little girl's body language indicated no sign of lying, whatsoever.
"I'm Quetzalcoatl! I'm the God of this dimension, and responsible for making sure the world remains balanced and to supervise Durandal. Just like how Elder God Forbuncle, is in charge of your Earth, i'm in charge of Durandal!" She muttered something, but all I could hear was something about how Forbuncle was going to scold her for this.
"Wait." Huh? This is a little bit too much for me to handle. "..so God's real, and there's more than one, and that the one in my..dimension.. is named Forbuncle? PFFFFFTT!" I burst into laughter. If this was true, that'd be hilarious.
What type of name is Forbuncle? Ha! That's fuckin' stupid! Sounds like the name of some old Scottish lady's cat!
She looked at me in amusement. "You're taking this fairly well, considering the circumstances."
I was shocked. But I think it's just that I'm so flabbergasted that it'll take a couple of hours to sink in I'm in a new world. A different place from Earth, huh? I looked around, and noticed my self in a valley of grass, as I had my back to a stone wall. Behind the so called God, there was a giant forest, only half a kilometre away. This wasn't anywhere near New York, or the States, for that matter.
If this was a new world, then that means I wouldn't have to deal with stupid dad anymore. No more assassinations, no more training with that old bastard Romanoff. This was a fresh start, in a way.
Just me and my gun- Wait, WHERE are my guns?
I patted my pockets, only to sign in relief, that yes, I still have my glock from the last mission I did. There's a couple extra rounds in my left pocket, just in case. I deflated. How the hell am I gonna get my collection back on Earth? My weapons collection! Gone forever!
She continued on, despite my internal rambings. “It would make a real commotion if I were to rip time and space again to take you back into your world, and Forbuncle might report it to the All Father cuz he's such a stick up the ass. I was lucky he didn't notice it this time. Which would mean me getting demoted and/or punished severely for creating more work for the All Father. ”
Not really understanding any of that, I nodded. “Right. Then what do I do?”
"This whole thing was my fault, I'll admit that. Otherwise, I wouldn't have interfered. I'll give you anything you want, that's within reason. So no immortality, unlimited power or anything of that sort."
I pondered over her offer. What could I get that would help me here? A world where God shows herself so easily, I need more information about this place.
"What's this world like, if you don't mind me asking? Does magic exist?"
She crossed her arms, thinking of what to say.
"Well, unlike Earth, we're not very advanced here. We only have swords, bows and stuff like that around here. However, we have magic. I'm pretty sure you guys don't have that in Forbuncle's dimension."
"What about where we are right now, and if there are any places I should know? Do humans exist in here?" I questioned.
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She shrugged, saying, "You're in the continent Tarvell, right now. This is the continent of humans, and there's 12 of them. 3 of which are ruled by Elder Dragons, so don't go there. There's a kingdom nearby, going north from here and about half a day by walking."
So magic exists. I know damn well I wasn't going to turn into a wizard anytime soon, so if I wanted to avoid getting burnt into a crisp by a fucking dragon or a mage, I'll need something to defend myself with.
I made my choice.
“Can I get my old equipment from back home?”
She looked befuddled. Unsure of what I requested.
“Unlike the All-Father, I'm not omniscient. You'll need to either specify, or I can extract the knowledge form your head.” I wasn't sure how to describe a hitman's equipment to a little girl, regardless of the fact that they were actually a god.
"Read my mind, or however you do it, then." She nodded. I closed my eyes, unsure of what to expect, and all I could feel was her fingers resting softly on my forehead. I tried to bring up images of my equipment. Like my M4A1, Colt, tactical commando knife and combat armor with holsters to my mind. Maybe I should get a bag too, so I can get the more extensive equipment I have.
"Alright, I can recreate those. Anything else you need to add?"
"Is there a way you can make it so it I don't have to reload it?"
She held out her palm and she closed her eyes in concentration. I heard a loud pop, like the sound effects for popping a bubble in cartoons, and voila! The classic Colt M-1911A1 in the palm of her hands.
"I can make it so the gun doesn't use any real bullets, but instead converts your mana into bullets. Other than that, it's almost exactly the same." She nodded in satisfaction, observing the gun for any inconsistencies.
“Hm, that’s good thinking. After all, this world does not have the technology to mass produce bullets for weapons like these."
"How am I going to use my guns when I don't have any magic?" I know I didn't have any secret abilities, and neither mom or dad had any special powers they could've passed on to me.
"Mana is the concentrated power of the mind. The smarter you are, the more you have. Every being has it. Not to worry, the cost of bullets will be negligible."
She placed both her hands in the air, as the ethereal glow around her grew brighter for a couple seconds, until I had to close my eyes. Multiple pops, and something heavy landing on the ground could be heard.
I opened my eyes, clearing out the spots dancing in my vision. In front of me was a black rifle, a commando knife, and my one piece leather combat armor, almost identical to the ones I had back on Earth. Every piece was pure black, suitable for assassins like me. However, one had a intricate carving that dimly glowed a blue light. The one being on the rifle's handle.
She traced her finger along the grip of the Colt in her hand, as her finger left a bright blue trail. Creating letters that I could not understand or comprehend. What's she doing?
Sensing my confusion, she talked as she worked.
“These are runes, Andrew. It makes it easier for me to make my mana and shape it to do what I wish. This is to make the empty rounds take your mana and covert it into bullets.”
How did she know my name?
Once it was done, the blue runes stopped glowing as brightly, leaving dark, distinct blue letters across the handle.
Seemingly satisfied with a job well done, she handed it over to me.
The Colt was beautiful. A shiny black coated the gun, giving it a premium look. The handle was covered in black leather, with blue magical runes marking it.
“There. Your request has been granted.” Quetzalcoatl looked ready to depart, standing as she stretched her arms out. "I really do need to keep track of the world and submit the report to the All Father soon."
“What is the difference between this world and mine? Also, can you point me to the nearest building so I can start building a base?”
“Well, the building is right behind you.” She pointed behind me. I completely forgot that there was a stone wall that I rested myself on.
The building spanned a great distance, probably 3 or 4 kilometres in width and about 20 feet tall. The walls looked aged, covered in moss.
She continued on as I looked at the giant stone building. “ The nearest civilization is half a day away, and but you can make yourself a temporary base here. This, is a dungeon. One of dozens in Tarvell. You can make a home near the entrance, and the worst you’ll have to deal with are goblins and slimes, maybe skeletons if you venture too deep. I wish you luck. Please refrain from dying, as I will be unable to revive you. I give you my blessing, to increase your chances of survival. The system in Durandal should take hold of you soon. Toodles!” She vanished, with no special effects or flashy teleportation. Blink, she’s gone.
I shrugged. I grabbed the combat armor and wore it over my jacket. I slung the rifle over my shoulder, and both my handguns in the holsters. I stuck the knife between my shoe and feet, and ran off, trying to find the entrance. I'll set up camp here, and then maybe I'll think of going to the kingdom once I get my bearings together.
I found the entrance to the dungeon, only a couple hundred metres in the form of a large empty tunnel as I pondered over what she said. What's the Durandal system? Why would it take hold of me? What am I gonna do?
The inside of the dungeon was dark, and rather empty. It smelled of stale air. The hallway led deeper into the dungeon, as I reached what was seemingly a large, empty room. There were three identical pathways that led to who knows where. This seems like a good place to set up camp, at least temporarily.
PING
You have received: Quetzalcoatl's Colt, Quetzalcoatl's Greater Blessing (15% boost to all stats, ability to allocate stat points freely)
You have entered the [Stone Cell]!
"Huh?"
Before I could comprehend what just popped up in front of me, a voice erupted from the pathway down the middle.
"HELP!"
Huh. There were people here?
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"I truly hope he does survive. All but one dungeon in Tarvell is truly dangerous, after all. The dungeon I sent him to.. What was it again?" She mused, wondering which dungeon had she sent him to.
She was currently flying, doing a quick check up on Durandal to see if all is well. Currently appraising the land of the demons, Amdahl. Seeing nothing of note, she moved on to the next continent.
"OH, right! It's the Stone Cell! The one..with the....eldritch monsters.....the most infamous dungeon in the world....." The goddess' face slowly contorted into an expression of horror, as it sank in as to where she pointed him towards. She rocketed towards the opposite direction, back to where she left the unaware hitman and hoping she got there in time. She cursed herself for being so airheaded regarding things like this.
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The hallway seemed to have stretched on for a couple dozen metres as I ran through the hallway, my newly-named Quetzalcoatl's Colt in my hand.
The voice sounded vaguely feminine. I hope she's hot. Maybe she'll be so grateful for my rescue that maybe i'll even get some..action..
Imagine, a girl ready to die at the hands of a goblin, then a hot 20 year old man taking the monsters out and nursing them back to health. Sounds like the beggining of a perfect love story.
Maybe after 20 years of being alive, I could lose my virginity. In this stale, grimy dungeon.
Awesome.
Enough dawdling. The next room is right there. There was a dim light as I rapidly approached.
Bodies littered the room, blood and gore and missing limbs strewn about. Gruesome enough to make me grimace. The one who called for help was backed up to the wall on the left, blood staining their face. A young one, easily in her mid teens and covered in blood splattered armor. Brown eyes, and very long eyelashes. Red hair that went down to their shoulders and a slightly damaged sword held in one hand, trembling violently. I could see grim resignation on her face.
Then there was the thing.
A vaguely humanoid shape, fleshy tentacles that wriythed and pulsed. Mouths spread throughout it's body, stuck in a permanent scream. It's skin was a sickly grey, and really wrinkly; like a ballsack. It turned to look at me.
It didn't seem very pleased.
Level 826 Eldritch Abomination, Nyarlothep
Oh.
Shit.