Harper was shaking Alex's body with all his might. Unlike the medieval world, where they were free to do whatever they wanted, in this world they would know instantly that they weren't citizens, and they would probably arrest them. He could not tolerate such a thing.
Even though they weren't doing anything wrong, just the fact that they are foreigners in what seems like a futuristic Nazi Germany could put them in danger. They wouldn't have to care much if they had learned magic control, but right now, they can't just sit there and wait for who knows what.
"ALEX, WE AREN'T IN A GAME! WAKE FUCKING UP, DO YOU WANT US TO DIE? WE NEED TO RETURN TO EARTH NOW!"
"Aahhh, why are you so bright?"
Alex was having trouble focusing his eyes. This world was too bright for him, and for an instant, he thought Harper was a girl and he was sleeping in her arms. Even though he had a wife, that girl was surely cute. When he finally focused on her face, Alex instantly sobbed. How the fuck did he see Harper, his long-term friend, in such a way? Alex was the first one to beat up bullies who targeted Harper because of his feminine look. Harper was his first friend; only a year later they would meet Michael, but still, Harper was his friend, and he couldn't forgive himself for thinking Harper was a girl at that moment.
"What the fuck have I even thought of?"
"Are you sober, Alex? I don't know what happened, but we have to get out of here NOW!"
Harper was extremely affirmative in his words. There was no room for excuses.
Even though Harper was extremely reluctant to stay in this world, Alex couldn't help but think of it as an opportunity to explore a new place. This world seems way more advanced than Earth. Just seeing the drones, flying vehicles, and neon lights in all, they could profit a lot here.
"Alex, we must go now. This place is bad news for us!"
"What do you mean? We need to find a way to exploit this world as we are doing with that medieval place."
"No Alex. NO. This place is a dictatorship. There's no freedom here. I just saw police officers shoot a guy in the head. Look at the people in the streets; they are dead inside!"
"Hmm, now that I think about it, you are right, Harper. But even though we have to find shelter and a free zone for us to deploy our portal and leave,"
Alex was still drunk, but sober enough to have decent critical thinking. He knew that they could just summon a portal in that random alley in that futuristic world. It's good that the portals were opened inside a pile of trash, so the cameras didn't see them. But they still have to find their way out.
"You are right, Alex. The cameras saw us, so we better play around a little and then find a safe place to deploy the portal."
"I think that we may be able to disappear in a forest. If we escape the city, we can freely think about what we can do there."
"Or, we can just forget about this world and open the portal. We simply ignore the fact that they will know the portal exists."
Harper said it. Alex understood his concern, but he still couldn't abandon the idea of exploiting this world.
They still had a problem they forgot about. Without Comoron here, they couldn't communicate with people. They have to get away in their own way. There's no way they can just use magic like Comoron. They better run; there are drones that have started to fly in their direction.
"Harper, I think you noticed, but since I've gained the portal skill, I can run much faster and punch much stronger; everything about my physique got better. Even my brain got better; this is incredible. I have a plan."
Alex said he really had gotten sharper than before.
"If we jump the trash can, we can get above the wall in this alley, then we run towards that building roof. From there, we climb that crane, and we get a view of the city. And don't forget, hide your face."
"Alright, I'll follow you."
Harper said. He was somehow amazed by Alex. Alex wasn't the leader for nothing. Back in the day, he had the quickest thoughts and plans, yet the best. They truly trusted Alex for this.
As Harper accepted the plan, they both used their t-shirts to hide their faces and started to run. It was clear that the drones were after them and probably weren't following them to say hello.
Alex and Harper climbed the trash can and the wall. They did it incredible fast; they started to run above the wall towards the building roof. The drones were following them, and a robotic voice came from them.
"Identify yourselves! This is the Germanium police department! You are under suspicion of being spies from the Unified Republics. Stop running; it is useless."
They couldn't understand that robot; it was another language, one they had never heard before. The very same happened in the demonic forest with Comoron, but there they had magic to communicate, but here they can't.
Alex and Harper jumped on the building roof, according to the plan. But the drones were following them, so they couldn't climb the crane like planned. Harper shouts out
"ALEX, YOU DECIDE! I'LL FOLLOW YOU IN WHATEVER YOU DECIDE!"
"ALRIGHT, I HAVE A PLAN!"
Alex shouted back. He jumped the building. It was a 120-foot build, and they jumped straight. Alex could gaze at something from afar, probably 5 miles. The slums. This is a fucking futuristic dictatorship; of course there would be slums, and that would be the perfect place to hide.
After Alex jumped, Harper followed him. They grabbed the power wires and jumped again in some kind of corridor between buildings. They ran as fast as they could. For 20 minutes, they ran and finally lost the drones. The slums could be seen, and it was a horrible place. People were eating trash, the river was extremely polluted, and there were people selling insect skewers. Well, they couldn't afford to be disgusted by the sight. They had to enter. Just when they had these thoughts, three drones caught them and started to fly in their direction.
"You are under serious suspicion of being spies from the Unified Republics! Surrender now!"
Harper and Alex started to run. They ran fast enough to reach the slum outskirts; they finally entered there. Just as Alex thought, the slums didn't have any cameras, and illegal activities could be done with ease.
The drones entered the slums. The people there started to throw stones at the drones. They were supporting the duo. Well, these people were probably oppressed by the government; there was no way they wouldn't help those in the same situation.
Harper and Alex ran towards the polluted river, and the drones had finally reached them. There was no one around, and the drones said that same robotic line, but now it was more menacing, as it meant it was the last warning.
"It is your last warning! Surrender now or suffer the consequences!"
The drone voice said it, and then as the drone was irradiating a red light, a laser bean was fired and burned close to them. It was a warning shot; they couldn't let these drones enter Las Vegas, or the situation could get worse. Harper had warned Alex about this, but now it was too late.
Alex started to remember the feeling he had that time he touched the power crystal in the capital city. That feeling was similar to activating the portal, but somehow different. The portal gave Alex the sensation of using something, and the crystals were the same yet infinitely inferior. Alex focused on that feeling.
He focused on that energy; he could move it in his body. Alex focused that energy on his right hand, and the energy started to accumulate in his fingers. He focused the energy more, and it was in his nail. The nail started to glow with white energy, and Alex imagined that energy being released.
*Bam
The energy bean Alex shot through his finger hit the drone, and it exploded. That shot was effective, for sure.
"Alex, what did you do?"
"I don't know. I just felt like I could."
"Well, can you do it again?"
"Dunno, maybe?"
Alex said it with a smile on his face, and he killed the other two drones easily. He grabbed these drones and opened the portal; they were in the basement of Alex's house.
"Wait, we weren't in Las Vegas? How can we be in LA now?"
Harper asked.
"After I opened the portal in that other world, I understood that the portal could be opened in different places, so I thought that we could be in my basement. It worked."
"Well, you just turned the worm hole theory into reality; congratulations!"
Harper answered Alex. He used an ironic tone, but inside he was amazed. Alex could travel everywhere.
Harper's thoughts stopped as Alex showed him the destroyed drones.
"Why did you bring these machines here?
"We can find a way to copy these weapons and become truly powerful."
"You are right. Well, leave these drones here. We have to go back to Las Vegas and pick up Comoron and Michael."
This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
"Good thing we received the money in our bank accounts, not in cash... Well, let's go."
Alex opened the portal, and they were back in the alley they were in before. Both of them entered the casino and picked up Comoron and Michael. They went to the dorms the Gold Digger had prepared for them.
The four of them slept. They surely had a hard day.
...
..
Harper was the first one to wake up; a good night of sleep was enough for him, and in this spectacular penthouse, there was no way he had slept so well. He was fully recovered and full of vigor. He still had things to clear up. He woke Alex. They still had things to talk about.
"Good day, Alex. Come with me; we still have things to clear up."
"Ahh, fuck. Alright, let's go; just wait; I'll brush my teeth."
Alex went to the restroom and washed his face. He also brushed his teeth, and now he was ready. He and Harper took the elevator and went to the roof.
"What happened yesterday?"
Harper asked.
"I don't know. I was drunk, and somehow I was teleported to that cyberpunk world."
Alex answered. He was thinking really hard about yesterday.
"I am talking about that laser bean you launched using your fingers!"
"Oh, that?"
Alex shot another one of them straight into the sky.
"I didn't say you had to... Whatever, just what is it?"
"This bean is magic. Somehow, I was able to feel the magic power within me, and I concentrated this power in my arm, then in my hand, and finally in my fingers, and I imagined that energy being shot."
"Alex, there's no doubt that you are our leader. You just used something you never knew before with ease."
"Yes, I am also amazed with myself. Let's learn magic properly now and go back to that world. We can communicate with the people in the slums. They are probably the best allies we could wish for. People who lost everything and hold immense anger towards their oppressive country."
Alex noted. They could surely become great allies in the future, and with magic powers, they could have a fair game in that far more technologically advanced world.
"Alright. Let's ask Comoron to help us!"
Alex said it. Both he and Harper took the elevator and reached their penthouse. They could see it clearly now. That place was luxurious. The Gold Digger prepared them for that amazing room, and he even said they could spend a week there if they wished. That man paid the gold a fair price but still prepared that place for them; it seems like his fame isn't for nothing.
They woke Michael and Comoron. They had an entire day of work ahead; they couldn't spend their time sleeping.
"Wake up, guys! We have to move forward!"
"Aaah, just more than five minutes."
"Not even one! Wake up."
Michael was a bit lazy today. He still suffered from the hangover last night offered him. He was partying a lot yesterday, and he drank lots of alcohol. They had spent at least 2,000. Well, that money hasn't even scratched their wallet now. They were rich because of the gold, and they would open their shell company soon. They also have to find a new state to live in, as California's gun laws are horrible, and they have to buy tons of bullets and guns to continue their business in the new world.
"Hi guys. This 'penthouse' is incredible! I really wish I could buy one of these.
Comoron said
"Hahaha, everyone wishes to buy one of these! Be glad that you are in America, the land of the free."
Alex laughed. As they were leaving the penthouse, Alex said
"Guys, let's go to that alley close to the casino. We will teleport from there."
"Wait, what?"
Michael asked; he was confused.
"Yes, yesterday I accidentally discovered that I could choose where I put that portal. Now, let's go back to LA."
Alex said.
They both left the casino, went to the alley where Alex and Harper were yesterday, and Alex opened the portal.
They are now in Alex's basement. Michael and Comoron saw the three drones that Alex shot down. It was a metallic sphere in the center with four propellers on each of the sides. The sphere had a red hole with burn marks, as it probably spilled fire through there.
"Hey, Alex, what are these things?"
Comoron asked. Michael was also curious, but the drone concept for him wasn't an alien one, so he just didn't bother to ask, but he was still curious.
"These are called drones, Comoron. They fly around with ease. These guys here are foreign drones that were following me and Harper yesterday.
"Wait, what were you guys doing last night?"
"Long story, we will tell you the details later, Michael, but I was helping Alex, as he was almost vomiting the beer he drank yesterday, and all of a sudden, he opened a portal that led to a third world, and that place looked like the third Reich, but futuristic. Just know that these drones here caught us, and because they didn't recognize our faces, they started to follow us. Luckily, Alex discovered how to use magic in time, and he shot down these metallic flies."
"HE WHAT?"
Comoron shouted out. He spent 5 years learning how to cast his first spell of pure mana, and Alex did it when he just learned about magic.
"Well, I imagined the feeling I had opening the portal and the feeling I had when I touched that crystal in the capital. I just concentrated that power in my arm, then in my hands, then in my finger, and finally imagined the sensation of this energy leaving my body at high speed. It worked..."
"Alex... What you did is called 'Mana Bean'. It is the most primitive magic someone can use, yet it is one of the most effective out there."
Comoron said. He was amazed by the fact that Alex could use magic so easily. Well, he had to teach these guys at least a proper way to use it. It would be no good if these guys got caught in a situation where they don't have their guns, like the one they were just now.
"Alright, let's enter the way of magic." I'll teach you guys a basic spell."
Comoron then started.
"This spell is called Fire Ball. It is a low-level fire spell that launches a fireball; that's why it received that name. The formation of this spell is quite easy. Imagine your mana rubbing at extreme speed. The mana is energy. Use that energy to heat the air around you, and trap this heat inside a shell made of mana. It will prevent you from burning yourself. Imagine liberating that heat in the direction you want to shoot, and then try to visualize the ball flying towards the target."
Comoron said it. In his world, people didn't know the laws of physics, mechanics, and thermodynamics like on Earth. But somehow, they could understand that the particles could be heated by the friction between Mana and the environment. The very foundations of magic were nothing but the way you use a new form of energy, the way you convert that energy, and other things.
Alex did as Comoron said, and a small fireball was shot.
Good thing they were in the basement shooting range. Alex shot three of these balls. Michael and Harper couldn't do it. They had yet to feel their mana, like Alex did.
Alex was happy; he could launch fireballs, like in any novel, but they weren't stronger or weaker than the mana bean he launched. It was almost the same, but the color and the temperature changed. Alex then tried to adjust his power and try something new.
He visualized the mana turning itself into heat, not the mana rubbing the environment to generate heat. The mana started to glow. It was glowing red, yellow, green, then blue. The blue fire was extremely hot. He made the mana shell to keep the heat in. And instead of liberating the ball from the shell, he shot the shell itself, and it collided with the target, breaking up the shell and liberating heat under extreme pressure. An explosion happened, and the target was fully destroyed.
"No way... You already know advanced magic."
Comoron started to mutter. Alex thought that even though the spell wasn't stronger than an RPG, having infinite of these around would help them a lot.
"Alex, do you want to try spatial magic?"
Comoron said it. Alex instantly agreed with his head.
"Then I'll teach you the concept of spatial magic. Try to imagine a cube. This cube is solid and can hold all your items. For example, let me show you my own spatial magic."
Comoron then cast the spell, and a cube appeared in front of him. It was full of magical items, and even his scepter from the forest was there. This guy stores everything there. He then made the cube disappear. Alex couldn't find a way to visualize such a thing.
"I created this cube from pure mana. I solidified the mana to hold the items there. I also visualized that cube moving toward me and touching me. But at the same time, it isn't here anymore."
Comoron continued
"The original creator of this spell was my grandfather, the first noble of my house. He earned his noble title because of this spell. The concept behind it is quite complex, so I use the spell he created. The only downside to it is its size. As no one after my grand-grandfather managed to understand perfectly his spell, only little changes occurred over time."
Comoron said it. The story was way deeper than it was. His family, after creating that spell, didn't create anything after that. Because of that, other nobles started to dislike them, and his father was killed by one of those bastards. He was in a serious situation, and these guys would help him out. Little did he know that something was to come.
"I don't understand it. Can I see the spell?"
Alex said.
"Alright. I have the grimoire with lots of spells I know. Let's go there."
"Alright."
Alex agreed. Michael and Harper were also interested in the items Comoron's house had. Alex opened the portal that led them into the inn room. They left that room, and Comoron led the way towards his home.
As 30 minutes passed and they were walking by, they saw that the landscape changed. The full-crowded city was now calmer, and it was extremely similar to an American suburb, but without technology. The mansions were quite old-fashioned, like the ones in Victorian Britain. They were in the noble district now.
After 10 minutes of walking in the noble district, they reached Comoron's home.
Something was off. The house was always quite silent, but now it was even more so.
They opened the gates and entered the home. Alex, Michael, and Harper didn't understand the situation in front of them, but they understood that something was off. They entered the mansion and...
There was nobody there. No employees, no maids, nothing. The house was empty. I find that strange; there's no way it was something normal that happened every day; something was behind it. Comoron knew what it meant, yet he did not want to admit it.
"Guys, I am sorry. I think that they finally did it."
Comoron said. He really wished that it could have been done in another way.
"The mansion is empty, but I think that the grimoires are well hidden. Let me show you guys."
Comoron climbed the stairs. The three followed him; they were cautious. Comoron was always energetic, but now he was melancholic. Something had happened. Comoron opened a hidden door behind a painting in the main room. He entered that room, and there it was: all the grimoires, power stones, and magical items.
"Alex. Can you open your portal and transport everything in this room to your basement?"
"Yes, I can."
Alex then opened the portal. The portal was at a different angle. Everything in the room entered the portal quickly, and we were in the basement in no time.
"Thank you very much, Alex."
Comoron said it in a sad tone.
"You're welcome, my friend. Now, mind to tell us what happened?"
Alex asked. Comoron said everything he knew then. Everything about his family being targeted since decades ago, the nobles disliking him, the king doing shady things to destroy his nobility. His family was a commoner one, and they owned their title during the reign of the last king. But since the new king took power, his house had started to be threatened, and nobles started to harass them. Everything started to decline. And now they have made their final step. They striped Comoron from his nobility, and they would probably kill him after.
"Wow. It is surely heavy."
Alex said.
Comoron wasn't directly confronted, but his employees in the mansion went missing, and it only meant one thing: The king had retrieved them. Mansion employees and maids in the noble district are directly given by the King himself as a gift and a bond between the kingdom and the nobles.
This retrieval means that the kingdom doesn't hold a bond between itself and Comoron anymore. Comoron looked at his guild card, and it wasn't as golden as always. Just a plain cyan, representing his level. If the golden border disappeared, so did his nobility. The kingdom betrayed him. He's stateless now.
Every noble holds a coat of arms in its own soul, and that coat is linked to the King, who can wipe it out at anytime.
"Alex..."
Comoron started to cry. He tried hard to keep himself and hold his tears, but it was impossible given his situation.
"Please, Alex... sob. Let me join your group... sob."
Comoron said it, crying. He lost everything. Even though he was already prepared to lose his nobility, he never thought it would be now. It still hurts.
"We were already planning to ask you to join us. But as you are a noble there, we hold ourselves. But now that you are asking, welcome, Comoron."
Alex said it. Harper and Michael agreed with their expressions. Comoron had lost his family name, the very same name he was proud of. Losing his coat of arms didn't mean only losing his nobility, but also his family name.
"Alex, please. I chose a new surname for me. I have lost my previous."
Comoron asked Alex to choose his new surname. He knew what it meant: he would gain a new coat of arms and form a bond between him and Alex.
"Wait, why me?"
"Because if you do so, I'll gain a new coat of arms, so I can become a noble again. You will be my king, though."
"Alright... It is nothing like I would mind either, so let's do it. How it works?"
Comoron explained to Alex that he would have to create his own coat of arms. He knew the spell he had to use. He also needed to create a vassal one that he would give to Comoron, and he had to accept it and become Alex's new vassal.
Alex started to read about the spell to create it. As he started to read, he had an idea that he would try.