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(Perspective of Samantha)
Before I realized it, everything was plunged into absolute darkness. Where am I...? I tried to move, but something was crushing me, preventing any movement. I couldn't see anything, only feel the oppression of whatever had me trapped.
I struggled for what felt like an eternity, trying to free myself, but my efforts were in vain. Just when I was about to give up, a whispering, dark voice broke the silence.
Unknown: Get out already...
Suddenly, a wave of power surged through my body. With all my strength, I managed to reach the surface, gasping and trembling. My heart pounded as I tried to understand what had happened. I looked around, trying to calm myself... What was this place? I could only see ruins and debris scattered everywhere along with many bodies. My memories were fragmented and confusing.
How on earth had I ended up under this rubble?
My armor was shattered, barely covering me. I only had a few tattered clothes left. It was nighttime, and the ground was covered with puddles everywhere; it must have rained recently. I straightened up as best I could and began to explore the ruins. As I advanced, I recognized them. This was the camp. How had it ended up like this? The Sorcerer... had he defeated us in the end?
As my thoughts wandered, the whispering, dark voice echoed again.
Unknown: Hahaha... You don't understand anything, Sam.
I looked around, searching for its owner, but I saw no one.
Samantha: Who are you? Where are you?
I shouted, a mix of fury and fear in my voice. I tried to draw my sword, but it wasn't in its place. Quickly, I grabbed one of the hands of a nearby corpse.
Unknown: It's been a long time since we last saw each other, my dear Sam.
Something moved in the corner of my eye. I turned, but again, there was no one.
Unknown: That annoying seal is really strong.
Seal? What was she talking about?
Samantha: I'll ask you once more, who are you?
I insisted, my voice trembling with frustration and distrust.
Unknown: Mmm... I see. Don't worry, in time you'll know. For now, I'll enjoy this little freedom.
A chill ran down my spine. I turned abruptly and saw her. She was a woman, but the instant I looked at her, her figure began to distort, creating illusions that danced around her, blurring reality.
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The unknown woman whispered softly, with a dark voice that seemed to slide over my skin like a snake.
Unknown: What's the matter? Do I have something on my face, Sam?
The woman let out a low laugh, a sound that resonated in my head like a disturbing echo.
Unknown: Relax.
Snapping her fingers. Instantly, the illusions dissipated like smoke in the wind.
Unknown: You've certainly weakened; I didn't expect my natural aura to impact you so much.
I didn't understand anything that was happening, but my survival instinct told me that this being would bring nothing good. I launched an attack with my sword, only to see it pass through the woman as if she had no physical body, then hit the ground without causing her any harm. It was as if she were some kind of specter...
Unknown: It's rude of you to attack an old friend, Sam...
Samantha: You're not my friend. I don't know who you are.
Unknown: If you say so... I wonder why I look like this...
The woman seemed completely absorbed in her own thoughts, ignoring me completely. Despite her apparent indifference, I could feel the stench of death emanating from her. I decided to move away quickly, without letting my guard down.
When I thought I had left her behind, I found her again. She was there, waiting for me, as I passed through a destroyed wall. The scare of seeing her there, when just a few seconds ago I had left her behind, made me fall to the ground.
Unknown: I'm not so ugly that you'd be scared like that, Sam. By the way, what is this camp? I destroyed it because it caught my attention, but now that I see it, I don't really know what it is. It doesn't seem to belong to the Empire.
Did she destroy the camp? That made no sense. I'm sure it had to be The Sorcerer. Where on earth did she come from? Does she work with the Sorcerer? I tried to attack her again, but my sword just passed through her like she was a specter.
Samantha: What the heck are you? Some kind of specter?
Unknown: Hey, don't be so rude. Even though I can manifest, I'm only in your mind. I'm not in the physical world.
Nothing she said made any sense. In my mind? What did that mean? I tried to ignore her and kept moving away.
I reached the entrance of the camp, and the scene was desolate: bodies everywhere and scavenger beasts devouring the remains. I quickly hid, managing to avoid being seen.
How many days have it taken for there to be beasts eating the bodies? Is everyone dead? How long was I unconscious? Where were Saga and Alba? I had too many questions, but there was no time to answer them. The beasts would soon enter the ruins in search of more food. I decided to head to my old room to gather my things.
After gathering my things, I passed by the destroyed armory. I took a moment to move the debris and grab one of the armors that only captains could wear. I put on a new armor and tunic. I exited through the back of the camp just as the beasts began to enter. Three of them attacked me immediately. With a quick turn, I slashed the throat of two and lunged at the third to finally end its life. How strange, I remember having almost no magic left when I was fighting The Sorcerer, but oddly, I don't feel tired nor do I have any injuries. Something had happened to me... Maybe that specter has some information.
I managed to leave the camp, but two more beasts followed me. I quickly killed them and continued running. The night was dark, but I knew this forest well.
Those beasts should stop following me as soon as I enter the forest because they have a feast of bodies in the camp.
Unknown: Not bad, Sam. You still have your determination to kill.
That woman was getting on my nerves.
Samantha: Look, specter, I don't know what you are, but leave me alone. Go bother someone else.
Before I knew it, she was floating beside me as I ran.
Unknown: How mean. You forgot my name. I'm Lilith. I hope you won't forget it again, Sam.
I tried to ignore her and check my things. I had a small replica of Robert's map... I never thought that making a replica of his map would be so useful in this situation, although maybe it didn't turn out that well since I didn't have much time back then. I didn't know exactly what had happened at the camp nor where to go, but I would stick to my original plan. The problem was that I didn't know how to guide myself in this world.
Lilith: Where are we going?
Samantha: "Where are we going?" Your words sound like we're both going to travel together, but I will go somewhere alone. You can stay in the camp with those monsters.
Lilith: Those beasts are boring. I'd destroy them just like the camp... Too bad that person showed up at the most inconvenient time.
Samantha: Who are you talking about?
Lilith: No one important.
I had so many questions, but I decided to stay focused.
Samantha: Who are you and where do you come from? Why are you in my... mind?
Lilith smiled.
Lilith: Oh, you have a lot of questions, Sam. I thought you wanted me gone. I always knew you were still my best friend.
Samantha: Best friend?
Lilith: Just kidding. For now, it's better we stay this way. In time, you'll know who I am and where I come from.
Samantha: Are you an enemy?
Lilith smiled maliciously.
Lilith: Who knows...
That comment gave me a bad feeling. I will try to understand the situation on my own with my memories. The last thing I remembered was facing the Dark Sorcerer before losing consciousness. But now, the camp was destroyed and everyone was dead. Did Saga and Alba die in the attack?
I stopped and looked back. If they really died, their bodies would be devoured by those beasts. My head hurt, and I felt a mix of rage and despair. Everything had gone wrong because of my stupid decision. I wanted to cry, to scream, but I was alone. Again.
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It wouldn't make sense to go back; if they survived, they must have left a long time ago. I'm not sure how much time has passed, but I think it's been a few days.
Lilith: Relax. If you want to cry, I'm here for you to do it.
Samantha: Shut up. Just go away.
Lilith: Sometimes I think you don't value me enough.
Samantha: We have nothing to do with each other. I don't know who you are. Disappear from my sight.
Lilith: Fine... I'll go wherever I want.
I continued on my way, but Lilith kept following me.
Samantha: Didn't you say you'd disappear from my sight and leave?
Lilith: I'm going wherever I want and I'm not crossing your sight. Is there something wrong?
Samantha: Argh!
Ignoring her, I ran furiously away from her. Her presence made me uneasy. After distancing myself enough from the camp, I took a route I had never taken before, but according to my drawing on the map, I was on the right path... I think. I walked until I reached a small hill. From there, I saw a quite large farm.
Lilith: You shouldn't let your guard down, Sam.
Suddenly, something charged at me from behind, and I rolled down the hill.
Damn... I think I hurt myself pretty badly.
While I was recovering from the fall on the ground, the beast that pushed me lunged at me. I grabbed my sword as best I could, raised it, and plunged it into the beast's stomach as it fell on me. The creature writhed violently on top of me, causing me some scratches and wounds. In a swift motion, I took its muzzle in my hands and tried to force it open to break it, but I couldn't. I strengthened my body with my magic to gain more strength and tried again. The sound of something tearing left everything silent for a moment. I had a somewhat grotesque image of its muzzle, which was split open over me.
Finally, the beast stopped moving.
It seems it was a gray wolf, a species of beasts about half the size of a person that hunt in small groups. I didn't think they lived in these forests.
Incredible that a single creature managed to hurt me so much. I stood up with effort, catching my breath, but the sound of more wolfs coming down the hill put me back on guard.
Damn... Those things had been following me since the camp.
Lilith: I was wondering when you would realize you were being followed, Sam.
It was really annoying to hear his disgusting voice.
I quickly pulled my sword from the first wolf's body and prepared to fight.
There were six gray wolves.
But I was feeling quite tired for some reason. How strange, one of the wolves that came down first jumped towards me. I tried to use my "Electromagnetic Aura," but it didn't activate.
Why isn't my magic working?!
The beast was already too close for me to raise my sword. I was knocked to the ground. I managed to stop its bite by grabbing its muzzle as I fell, but it was quite strong. Gradually, I was losing my grip strength and couldn't get it off me.
For some strange reason, these gray wolves were stronger than the first one that attacked me
The other wolves were closing in, and if they managed to overwhelm me, I would be dead. In an act of desperation, I grabbed the wolf's tongue with one hand and held part of its muzzle up with my other hand to keep it from descending towards my face. I pulled its tongue as hard as I could. The beast began to thrash violently. Seeing the other wolves getting closer, I pulled with all the strength I had. Its tongue tore from its mouth, causing it to get off me due to the pain.
I quickly got up, dodging a wolf that was trying to charge at me. I backed away swiftly, keeping an eye on the wolves.
I tried to use some of my magic while dodging the wolves, but it didn't work. Damn... Why was my magic drained? I didn't recall using it so much before. I would have to fight these wolves relying solely on physical strength.
Lilith: That's strange, those wolves seem to have something in their fangs and claws that can neutralize your magic, Sam.
What!? How did she know that?
Without giving me time to think.
The remaining five wolves ran towards me. In a swift motion, I pulled out a knife I had hidden. The first wolf came at me, but I threw its companion's tongue, which I still held in my hand, at its face, momentarily distracting it as blood from the tongue entered its eyes. The second wolf attacked my legs, but I jumped over it, allowing it to continue straight ahead due to its momentum. As I fell, the third wolf jumped towards me. We collided in mid-air, and in that moment, I stabbed it in the eye with the knife. We crashed heavily to the ground. I quickly pulled the knife from its eye and then stabbed it in the neck, pulling the knife downward to make it bleed out. I pushed its body away from me with my legs, using the momentum gained from pushing the wolf's body to dodge the other two wolves that had jumped towards me with a spin on the ground.
There were four wolves left alive... Not counting the tongueless wolf still writhing on the ground in pain and bleeding.
My sword and knife were far away... Damn it...
With few options and seeing the furious wolves coming at me simultaneously, I opted for brute force. I decided to run towards them. They jumped at me, but I slid underneath their bodies. As I slid, I grabbed the tail of one of the four wolves in mid-air. I quickly got up and with all my strength, I slammed it repeatedly on the ground to inflict internal injuries and kill it. While doing this, the other three wolves ran towards me. I seized the moment and threw the wolf's body towards one of the three wolves charging at me.
I managed to hit one of the three with the body of its companion.
I ran towards the remaining two wolves. The first one jumped at me, so I quickly removed my tunic and threw it at him, temporarily blinding him. As a result, he fell heavily to the ground. I dodged the bite from the other wolf and delivered a strong punch near his eye. Grabbing his head, I brought him down and then stomped on his skull with all my strength until his blood and skin flattened on the ground. There were only two wolves left, but without realizing it, one of them attacked me from behind. I managed to move my head in time, causing it to bite into the armor on my shoulder.
Then it tried to bite my head, but I put my forearm to make it bite the armor. I elbowed him and, in a quick movement, I threw him down, I put on it, hitting her with both hands together with all my strength in her head until she stopped moving.
Only one left...
When I was about to check the last one, it attacked me head-on. Out of reflex, I raised my arm. It managed to get on top of me, biting strongly into my arm that I was using to shield myself. I couldn't manage to get it off me; I was very exhausted.
Without many ideas, I glanced down a bit of its body... I stretched out my hand and grabbed its reproductive organ, squeezing it as tightly as I could. It screamed in pain, stopping its bite on my arm. Quickly, I grabbed its neck with my other now-free hand to keep it away from my face. It began to thrash in rage as I held it by the neck; I stabbed one of his eyes with my finger. The wolf backed away a bit, and I seized that moment to get on top of it. With the last of my strength, I began to strangle it...
Samantha: Damn it... Just die already!
I screamed with all my might... Until the wolf stopped moving.
After that, total silence enveloped me, broken only by my labored breathing. I was exhausted. Despite gray wolves being somewhat small compared to other beasts, they attack in packs, tearing their prey apart. I would say I was lucky; if they had an Alpha leading them, they might have attacked me with more intelligence. I still don't understand how these wolves can neutralize magic; that should be impossible. I took my sword and knife, put on my tunic, and headed towards the farmhouse. I arrived, and with the little strength I had left, I opened the door and secured it with objects. Climbing up a set of ladders, I reached the last room on the second floor, which seemed somewhat different from the rest of the farmhouse. My legs gave way, and I fell to my knees.
I think I'll take a little rest...
(Perspective of Lilith)
Interesting... the wolves didn't become stronger; it's Samantha who became weaker. Being injured by the wolves, she lost her magic and some of her strength...
I crouched down to see her better.
It's curious how fate brought us back together, Sam. Maybe you have bad luck or you're destined to destroy everything around you... It would be fun to see your desperation up close again...
As I said this, I looked at Sam with a big smile.
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(Perspective of Samantha)
A loud crash woke me from my deep sleep. Dawn had already arrived, flooding the room with its light. I couldn't believe how much I'd slept; it felt like I'd just closed my eyes for a moment. Last night, exhaustion had completely overtaken me.
I got up and felt my normal strength returning. I attempted to use some magic and succeeded, so Lilith was right; those wolves had something that neutralizes magic.
Lilith: What kind of people do you invite to your house, Sam?
Lilith yawned as she said that... Her sarcasm was starting to irritate me.
I quickly ran to look down the stairs.
Peering down the stairs, I saw a group of wizards entering. Damn it! How did they know I was here? Without warning, they started attacking through the windows on the first floor, heading towards something.
I looked out the window of the floor I was on and saw they were attacking a house behind the farm. I hadn't noticed it the night before. From that house, a group was firing back. They weren't using magic, but weapons that lit up when fired. They must be the weapons from Robert's world.
Lilith: What are those things that shine so brightly?
I decided to ignore Lilith and focus.
Against magic, they didn't stand much of a chance. I had to leave; any moment now, one of the wizards would come up here for a better shooting position. A thought crossed my mind: these people in this world might have a refuge related to the one Robert was heading to. Perhaps I could head there or ask them for help if I made them owe me a favor. If they were from this world, they should know their own hiding places if they were a related group.
As I considered this, I remembered something crucial. Legally, I didn't belong to this world and, moreover, I was a wizard. My clothing didn't help much either... and I didn't speak their language because I didn't have my bracelet. But there was a simple solution: I had to kill a wizard, take his bracelet, and try to communicate with they. Yes, that could work. Without further ado, I decided to go help them.
(Unknown Perspective)
Unknown: Fire!
Shouted the leader of our group.
We were running out of ammunition. We couldn't use the special bullets, as we had few left. While thinking about this, a great spell exploded part of the house where we were.
Unknown: Damn it...
My leg was badly injured.
Unknown 2: Eliot!
Jess approached me, worried.
Jessica: Marcus, cover me. I'm going to bandage Eliot.
Jessica said with determination.
Marcus: We have to get out of here, they'll surround us very soon!
Marcus kept shooting along with the others from a window at the wizards.
Suddenly, a spell pierced the window and killed one of the boys. At this rate, we would die. We couldn't get out because they could fly; it would be suicide. After a while, we ran out of ammunition. We only had knives and a few pistols left.
The wizards, seeing we had stopped shooting, began to approach. They entered through the windows and took some of the boys hostage. I was about to shoot them when, suddenly, the wall behind us collapsed, and more wizards appeared. They attacked us from behind. Marcus managed to cover me and Jess, stabbing a wizard. The others, seeing this, decided to fight hand-to-hand with the wizards holding them.
They started killing our entire group. With their suits and strength, they were much superior to us. We used the few special bullets we had and killed a few, but soon we ran out of ammunition. When everything seemed lost, a flash passed near Marcus, and the wizard who was about to kill him lost his head.
The flash began to bounce off the walls and ceiling, killing all the wizards. When everyone was dead, it stopped. It was a knight with somewhat worn armor and a dark blue tunic. I couldn't see his face, but his presence was imposing.
We stayed alert. The knight began to speak, but we didn't understand anything; he was speaking another language. Suddenly, he became nervous and shouted into the air... or so I thought, then he started hitting near his hand. After that, he began to speak again.
Knight: Hello, strangers.
His voice was the same as all the wizards' due to the tunic. Keeping our weapons pointed at him, I decided to ask.
Eliot: Who are you and why did you help us?
If he wanted, he could kill us, so he must want something. He hesitated for a moment before answering.
Knight: I'm looking for a person.
Eliot: I think you've got the wrong place, buddy. The person you're looking for isn't here.
The knight remained thoughtful, which was uncomfortable. After a moment, he pulled out some kind of poorly made map and handed it to me.
Knight: The person I'm looking for is heading to this point, but I don't know how to get there.
I could see a point on the map. Although rough, it was similar to ours but somewhat different. Is this knight a wizard? Why would he be looking for a human from this world? Something wasn't right here.
Eliot: Why are you looking for someone from our world?
He tensed up and started pacing back and forth. Was it so difficult to tell us the reason? After a while, he approached Jess. I got on guard, but he told me to calm down. The two of them walked away, then, he whispered something in her ear. We couldn't hear from our position.
When they returned, Jess had a look of disbelief. I approached her and spoke softly.
Eliot: Did he threaten you?
Jess looked at me and replied.
Jessica: Eh... No, not really. He just told me the reason why he's looking for that person...
Eliot: And? What's the reason?
Jess looked at me with doubt.
Jessica: I can't tell you; I promised him I wouldn't. But don't worry, he's not someone dangerous... I think...
What? Clearly, this wasn't right. How could someone from another world who just killed people from his world in seconds not be a threat? I insisted, but Jess got upset, so I decided to believe her for now..