Lin was walking home. It was a thing she had done a million times. The grey clouds above were like old friends, Lin had grown up in the UK. The weather was one of those things you got used to an complained about to strangers.
It was when she was crossing the street that things went differently. Lin was almost home, her local college a reasonable distance and Lin didn't mind a good walk to get her thoughts going.
She did, however, mind the strange glowing circle that exploded across the street as she was crossing. It caught her and some boy holding a map, the air of 'tourist' so thick on him that Lin could have bottled it and sold as a brand.
The boy screamed, a thick accent coming out and Lin screamed as well. Her arms flailed and Lin's fist smacked the boy as she panicked. The boy's head rocked back and he stumbled out the circle which tried to narrow around his form.
When it wasn't fast enough, the glowing circle turned back onto Lin. It snapped tightly around her feet and then the ground ripped open and Lin fell through a tunnel, still screaming.
When the flash was gone, the boy looked up in alarm.
The street was now empty besides himself and the girl's bag. The ground where she had stood now only bore a burned circle that burned hotly.
----
H-heRo Sum-m-monIng S-s-s-sUcceSsful
----
The air felt thick with heavy perfume and smells that Lin had never smelt before. The slight spice and herbal mix made her wrinkle her nose.
"My dear, please take your time," a kind voice said and Lin opened one eye with great effort. An old woman smiled serenely down at her.
Lin forced the other eye open and sat up abruptly. Her head swam suddenly and when she blinked again, she was on her back again. The ceiling of the room was a large arched dome with murals of warriors and people with glowy hands fighting a large shadow with many red eyes in the darkness.
It was weird, the sun was right there. Why were the symbolic demons still in darknes-. Lin squinted her eyes as a rational thought came back. Symbology, she chided herself. Demons suck and don't get to enjoy the sun. Now, where was Jesus in this piece?
There was an epic robed guy firing a laser beam from a staff, maybe that was him? Lin like the twist the artist took with the image.
Very fantasy.
Lin sat up slowly and looked around. About ten people were sitting on the floor next to her, Lin sat at the very far left of the line.
They wore jeans, wore t-shirts, and one girl was typing furiously on an iPhone. They all looked frazzled as if they all had travelled through a very charged storm. One girl's hair stood almost in a shocked manner.
Lin gingerly touched her own head and her blonde hair was swept back. Slightly drier than she was used to but everything seemed intact.
Lin jumped as the old woman from before offered her a cup.
"Drink, the journey couldn't have been easy," she smiled and Lin took the cup and water sloshed out at her shaking hands. The.. nun wore grey robes with an odd sun motif on the front, her hair was free and Lin saw that she a collection of scars on her neck and hands.
"T-thank you," Lin managed to find her manners and the woman looked at with some odd expression, Lin almost swore she looked guilty.
"I wasn't expecting children," she said sadly and moved off to help another girl. Lin frowned.
She wasn't offended at the comment, anyone over the age of 60 most likely saw anyone under the age of 20 as children. Just a fact that Lin learned. Lin just didn't expect the sadness that followed the words.
Lin slowly pulled the cup away from her lips, the cold refreshing water dripping down the side of the clay cup. Lin's mind was now reaching some semblance of working order.
Lin didn't know where she was. Lin didn't know how she got inside some Sun nunnery, and she had no idea how long she had been out.
Panic clawed at her throat and Lin put the cup down quickly. She stood on very shaky legs but looked around. The room was a small hall, now that Lin could see the size.
It was also not a nunnery. Men bustled around with excited tones and almost sunken faces. Everyone in the room looked exhausted, like none of them had slept for days.
Lin saw a door and moved towards it. She didn't even get off the large stone altar before a wall appeared.
A wall made of shimmer light. Lin ran into it and it stopped her cold. Sparks of energy travelled over her face and she had the sense of heat and pain.
Lin stopped cold and the other people who looked normal all went silent at the display. A woman came over, someone different from the water woman.
"Hero, please, the barrier is still up," she gestured for Lin to sit back down but Lin backed away, her eyes wide.
"Let me out, let me go!" Lin demanded and the woman froze. Lin's gaze darted about, everyone was looking at her. She was about to try the barrier again when a very old man approached the altar and touched the barrier with a single finger, the light fell and the old man gestured towards the door.
"Please, I shall take you outside. We mean no harm," he bowed and turned, waving a hand at the large stone door. It opened soundlessly and the woman in front of Lin smiled, backing away so Lin had space.
Lin nodded in thanks, relief flowing through her. She moved off the altar and she heard people following her, turning she saw the other normal people following, a large guy in the lead. Shaved head and camo gear made it obvious where he was when he... woke up here?
Lin walked faster. Questions burned on her tongue but she would wait until she got home. Away from this place and their... wall of light.
Wall of light. Light... solid light.
Lin choked on her words and she almost burst into a run.
--
The urge to scream was real. Lin had never experienced it before.
It rose up in her chest like a wild animal trying to break free. Lin stared out over the flat planes. The castle was a giant central figure in a circular city. It was like a pie the city seemed dissected by more walls. Three rivers flowed through the city, under its large walls like long blue snakes through several sectors, each going their own way.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
"The fuck?" the camo wearing man whispered. Another girl, wearing jeans and some panda hoodie, clutched at the war, muttering to herself.
"I don't have signal, where are we?" she asked aloud and another guy, wearing a leather jacket and torn jeans, gestured to the old man.
"He can tell us, right?" he suggested and his voice like a dark growl. The old man, his almost bald head and comedic long beard twitched.
"I can indeed. Heros of another world, welcome to Calamer, home of the late King Aumon and reigning Queen, Jelena," he gestured far and wide to the buildings. Lin felt the raw terror replaced by a sick feeling.
"Another world?" she repeated and the man nodded.
"You are longer home. We, the royal mage court and Royal house of priests, have summoned you all here," he explained and one of the other guys, a thin person with dark bags under his eyes, turned red.
"You kidnapped us!" he accused and his pointing finger was shaking. The old man paused.
"We did. We pulled you here with selfish intentions, I shall not deny this, although..." he paused as he looked over the group of 6 girls and 4 boys.
"I was expecting an equal group and perhaps... I hoped for an older group, people who's lives may have been less than satisfactory and would see this as an opportunity," he spoke, mostly to himself.
The group shuffled and Lin gawked at the man. Her life had been great! Had.
The clawing feeling came back. The panda girl shrugged.
"Not wrong. I wasn't happy but I like to have a choice," she spoke and Lin noticed that so far the group members that had spoken had all been American. Odd that.
"I... " the thin guy licked his lips and stopped speaking. Even the army guy had gone quiet. The others, a perky looking girl, a slightly chubby guy, a tall muscular man, other faces.
None of them denied the man's words. Len pushed forward to stand in front of the man.
"My life is good, put me back, grab someone else," Lin tried to sound pleading instead of demanding. This guy set off all the 'powerful old man' stereotypes and Lin didn't want to die from rudeness. The man looked pained and didn't meet her eyes.
"Please?" she whispered and the silence was her only answer.
Lin screamed.
------
"-brave heroes must push the darkness back. Our kingdom is cursed and the demon blight will not end until we act or perish. Only people of my blood and my late husband can slay the demon king and bring balance to the dungeons. I cannot leave, I alone power the shield that keeps my city safe and my son..." she trailed over and the man in jacket raised a brow.
"You have a son but summoned us?" he asked, a little snidely and the gleaming knights around the throne shivered ever so slightly.
The queen looked down.
"He is only three," she replied and Lin watched as the Earth group, as she dubbed them, all went quiet. Lin didn't say anything. She was worried that she might be locked up when the mage almost had to put her to sleep with a spell when she didn't stop screaming.
A fucking spell.
The amazement mixed with the bubbling sick feeling in her stomach to make her bloated. She looked around the white throne room.
White walls, red banners, white floor, red carpet, white throne, red queen.
The army guy held his cap this side and frowned.
"So you want us to... stall for time?" he translated and the queen looked at him with a sad smile. She gestured to the windows where the cities tallest buildings could barely be seen.
"I'd do anything for my people. State your price and I will do it. I shall make you lords, richer than you can imagine, grant you access to knowledge that mage academies would kill for, grant you the money to run far away from here in any direction, I will get on my hands and knees and beg." The queens face cracked for just a moment, a deep look of grief and pleading before she forced composure on herself.
Leather jacket guy shrugged.
"Kay," he said before going quiet and the queen's jaw dropped open. The chubby guy nodded hard.
"M-me too." Lin was starting to feel a little odd as he was also American. A girl wearing tight running clothes nodded as well.
"Just me run and I'll help out. I was in a lot of debt so... I can't go back," she shrugged and her brown hair was tied up in a pony tail.
Another American. Lin swallowed a question. This spell only aimed at Americans? Lin had a fleeting image of a screaming boy on the street, his accent...
Lin felt cold.
The last three girls spoke up. 4 boys, 6 girls. It should have been 5 and 5.
But Lin wasn't supposed to be here. This made her stomach shrink in panic.
The queen was smiling weakly, life coming back to her face, her eyes landed on Lin. She seemed to be waiting on something.
Lin stared back, unsure of what was going on. The army guy cleared his throat.
"She wants to know if you'll help out," he whispered and Lin opened her mouth. Then she just nodded when her voice wouldn't come.
The queen stood and did a very low bow. Almost instantly everyone else in the room bowed as well.
"Thank you, Heroes, I am forever in your debt," the queen spoke with a thick voice, barely contained emotion. Lin felt sorry for her. The woman sorta did have it tough...
"But why us?" the thin guy, Lin really needed their names, asked aloud and the queen gestured to the old wizard from before.
"Malavan?" she invited and the mage bowed before turning to them all.
"In this world, people have a special power known as a [Class]. Each class grants a different power and gift each person that gains it. I am [Archmage], an evolution of the [Mage] class. Along with classes, there are also skills. These gifts enhance a class or a spefic thing you may be good at or practising. A mage may be a class but a mage may have a [Sword] skill or an [Ice] skill compared to a mage that may just have the [Fire] skill," Malavan explained and Lin felt another twinge of mad giggles run through her body.
Classes and traits? What next? Le-
"Classes and skills can level into more powerful versions of themselves," the wizard... Archmage went on. Lin felt a noise escape her. It felt like a cry now, not a laugh.
Not one reacted, the Earth group was also digesting this. The thin guy was wide eyed and smiling, the chubby guy was looking like he just found the meaning of life.
Lin felt like throwing up.
"If everything went according to plan, then you should all have the [Hero] skill. It's a very rare skill, one in a million people obtain it under very extreme circumstances," Malavan explained. Lin looked at her hands if they just told her they implanted a bomb under her skin.
This was all moving too fast.
"How do we check? Is there a phrase or something?" the thin guy almost demanded and the Archmage nodded.
"Simple chant status in your mind with intent," he instructed. Everyone looked unsure but one of the girls, the small preppy one gasped.
"It's true, It has my name and everything! I even have a class, [Archer]!" she almost squealed and Lin blinked. She hesitated before thinking 'Status' in her head, trying to imagine a screen or something.
It was almost a screen but it appeared almost on her eye, the words in perfect alignment that she could read the list without having to scroll.
Gweydonlin Harper
HP: 30
MP: 10
Class: Wild Mage
Skills:
HeRo: GAin SKiLls OuTsiDe youR ClaSs. @Q%%^"!!"$ HErO?
Lin barely heard as everyone agreed that they saw their screens. Malavan looked excited and another robe woman appeared at his side. A young petite woman with red hair. She approached Lin with a smile as Malavan stared at the other side of the line.
"Greetings, Hero. May I inquire about your class? I can help you find the best teacher and resources to help your training," she smiled with enthusiasm and Lin smiled in return weakly
"Uh... WIld Mage," she muttered and the woman froze. Smile fading.
"Please, repeat that," she asked stiffly and Lin did.
The woman took 5 large steps back. Her face still in terror.
"Master!" she called and Malavan looked up, surprised at the woman's calling. He shuffled over and stood before Lin. The woman leaned in and looked nervous as a rabbit.
"Master, she is a wild mage," she gasped loudly and Malavan turned to her, face white. He smiled weakly after a moment.
"A... powerful class, we will need to discuss this in detail. Dayla? Please take the young miss to the training room activate the anti-magic defences as best you can," he commanded and Dayla nodded, she walked around Lin in a large circle.
Lin looked around, everyone was looking at her like she was on fire.
It made her feel more homesick.
In her mind, she touched the class and another box appeared.
[Wild Mage: Every time magic is cast, there is a chance that a random effect will affect the world around the caster. The mage cannot control these effects]
Lin followed Dayla in an odd mood.
She closed the status screen and for a moment the word [HeRO] remained, bright orange in her vision.
Lin felt warm when she looked at the colour.