I woke up to see an unfamiliar wooden ceiling, the sound of creaking wood rang in my ear as I sat up. The room was dimly lit and the only lights in the room were small glowing yellow stones, the bed I woke up in was up against a wall from my left, from my right was a small end table and across from it was the door probably leading out of the room.
Gisou
[(Ugh, my head.)]
My head felt like someone was driving a nail into it, I had a stuffy nose and my body suddenly felt cold when I removed my bed sheets to leave, but even after feeling like crap I still forced myself up out of bed trying to find some who knows where I am currently at but when then the room starts to spin. I tried to keep going but the room keeps spinning and spinning with each step I take eventually I find the door knob and turn it.
Maid 1
[Dear Guest why are you out of bed?]
When I open the door a young girl in a maid outfit appears from the front of it. She had short black hair with white streaks tied in a nice ponytail, her eyes shone like a beautiful sapphire gems and finally she had a small very pleasant smile.
Gisou
[(Until I find out her name I will) dub you Maid 1!!!!!!!!]
Author Note {yes this is my way of showing you when a character is thinking out loud.}
I replied in my mind with a serious expression on my face.
Gisou
[(Well the name sounds like a perfect fit, I mean it’s not like I’m said it to her face right?)]
Maid 1
[Excuse me?!?!]
Gisou
[(OH SHIT!!!!)]
Gisou
[Ah!!! Nothing, nothing {laughs awkwardly}]
I put emphasis on my words out of embarrassment.
Maid 1 stares at me with a blank expression on her face for a few seconds then starts to speak.
Maid 1
[“Dear Guest” could you please get head to bed before anything bad happens ok.]
She turns me around and leads me back to the bed as she is saying this.
Gisou
[Wait, wait, wait hold on before you send me back to bed tell me where I am.]
I was about halfway there before I react to her words.
Maid 1
[You're in the Kingdom of Stilou Balaur, in the world of Flugur.]
she nonchalantly tells me this like it was something that I should already know.
Gisou
[Thats not what I meant WHY AM I HERE!?!?!?!]
Maid 1
[You were summon here thats why.]
She says this as if it was something obvious
Gisou
[NOT THAT!!! Why am I here when I didn’t even give my answer yet.]
I was getting really irritated by this it was almost like talking a tape recorder and getting it to stop repeating my words.
Maid 1
[You shouldn't yell like that when you are sick. Also to answer your question I’ll just say this, I don’t know why you are here, I am just here to take care of you while you are sick.]
Gisou
[What, really?]
Maid 1
[Yes. I’m sorry but I can’t answer your questions.]
Maid 1
[For now could you please head back to bed, I’m sure Michael will come to see if you are ok, when he does you can ask him your questions ok.]
Gisou
[Ok]
I compile to her request and get under the bedsheets, it felt nice while I was up and out of bed I felt like the entire room was a freezer box, but under the cover I felt really warm.
Maid 1
[Now then time for treatment.]
She says this in a cheerful voice then almost on queue two maids come into my room carrying a large white briefcase with a large red cross on it.
Gisou
[(Strange don’t they all look alike.)]
That wasn’t a joke they all look exactly alike right down to white streaks in her hair the only thing that was different. They had name tags that had a number on the right side of their chests. The two Maid look-a-likes placed the large briefcase on the ground and proceeded to open the lid, not showing me the contents of what is inside it.
Gisou
[W-What is that!]
Maid 2
[What, isn’t it obvious it’s a medical kit.]
Gisou
[But why is it so big.]
It was bigger than any other medical kit i’ve seen before, it practically covered most of the floor.
Maid 3
[Well, we have a lot of medical equipment that we need to use on you.]
Gisou
[HOLD ON!!, c-can’t you use some healing spells to cure me, I-I-I mean it’s just a simple cold right?]
Maid 1
[Dear Guest, healing magic doesn’t work that way, there is no magic beam of light that will cure you cold.]
Gisou
[But isn't that definition of a healing spell!!!]
She ignored my retort and snapped her fingers again signaling more of the Maid Look-A-Likes to come rushing into the room, they quickly stood behind Maid 1 in a line like a bunch of soldiers taking their positions.
Gisou
[what the hell are you doing!!!]
Maid 1
[In the past many other "Champions" screamed in horror from the treatment we use to cure them.]
Gisou
[THEN I DON’T WANT IT!!!!!!!!]
Maid 1
[And that’s why we have to hold you down.]
She replies this while keeping her signature smile but now something seems off about it like theres some sort of sinister air resurfaced from it, I’m kinda scared of it now. Then with a straight face I utter one single sentence.
Gisou
[You are enjoying this aren’t you.]
Maid 1
[{Laughs} Oh hell yeah!!!!!]
As she says that Maid 1 snaps her fingers a third time and all of the other maids standing behind her charge at me, grabbing my arms and forcing me down on the bed. I tried to break free, I was failing my arms around, kick my legs and practically biting one of the maids hands like some rabid animal, but none of them budge hell each one of these maids were exerting strenght beyond anything a normal human being could, no should have. While I was doing this Maid 1 pulled out a small syringe from the medical kit, the syringe had some unknown black liquid inside it, the black liquid looked like it was boiling hot and was about to burst from the syringe.
Gisou
[What the hell is that!!!!!]
Maid 1
[Medicine]
Gisou
[Get away from me!!!!!]
Maid 1
[But if I do that you won’t get better.]
Gisou
[I-I’m fine, I-I don’t need it.]
Maid 1 just kept ignoring me and slowly walk closer to me with the syringe in hand. Step by step, inch by inch she got a little closer to me and I just more and more afraid of her.
Gisou
[Get away from me!, don't come any closer.
Maid 1 was standing right beside me and without a moment to lose she injected the black bubbling liquid into my neck.
Gisou
[NO NO NO NOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!]
The liquid pooled into my bloodstream and my vision started to get blurry, the room started to spun again. My vision kept getting blurrier with each second I was conscious until I finally blacked out.
__________________________________________________________________________
I woke up again to see the same wooden ceiling.
Gisou
[What the hell.]
My head’s throbbing again but this time my head feels like someone stuck a hose into my brain and started pumping air into it slowly making it bigger, It hurt so much that I just want the little digger to finally pop my brain.
Maid 1
[Did you have a nice sleep Dear Guest?]
Maid 1 spoke in a calm voice to get my attention, but the moment I heard her voice I jumped out of my bed and push the bed to it’s side to use as a cover to hide from the demon standing right in front of me.
Maid 1
[How rude!! Why do you have to act that way to little old me.]
She puffs out her cheeks in a way that makes her look cute but I was not gonna let her fool me again.
Gisou
[Just stay away from me, don’t get any closer!!]
Maid 1
[Now what did I do to deserve this treatment.]
Gisou
[YOU DRUGGED ME!!!!]
I can’t believe that she can act so innocent after she did that.As she says this she puts her hands on her hips and lets out a grunt and says.
Maid 1
[Oh come on! you act like a little medicine is gonna kill you.]
Maid 1
[Beside it’s not like you can do anything to stop me right.]
She was right, I didn’t have the strength to break from her look-a-likes hold and I have no idea if she just as strong.
Maid 1
[If it makes you feel better there was another reason why I had to administer the drug so quickly.]
Her expression had changed the once calm, almost carefree smile that she had disappeared and was left with a somber, more grim expression
Maid 1
[If we left as you were, you would have died.]
Gisou
[{laughs}What?]
I said jokingly, as you can see I didn’t believe that I was in any danger, I mean I’ve had colds before and nothing life threatening happened to me, even after going to school and work, having to deal with my mother and doing the cleaning around the house I was still fine.
Maid 1
[It may not sound like it but I am serious.]
Gisou
[Then explain to me how I was gonna die from a simple cold.]
Maid 1
[{Sigh} what you experienced was a side-effect people who get sent to our world.]
Maid 1
[The cold you experience was caused by the sudden change in environment.]
Gisou
[Change in environment?]
Maid 1
[Yes, this world carries many different bacteria then your world, plus our world has illnesses that could be fatal to people from your world.]
While talking maid 1 goes towards the window that was beside the bed and opens it letting light into the once dark room.
Dragon
[RAAAAAGGWWWWW!!!!!]
Suddenly I heard a large ear splitting roar coming from the window, Maid 1 as if on queue covered her ears from the loud roar.
Gisou
[THE HELL WAS THAT!?!?!]
Maid 1
[Oh, thats probably the King playing with Pochi.]
I edged myself closer to the window and peek outside to see Pochi.
Gisou
[(THATS POCHI!!!!!)]
What I saw was a giant 10 mater(25ft) white dragon. The dragon stood on all four with feet covered with pretty white scales along with large pitch black dagger like talons protruding from them. His wings were folded and quite large, each were 20 ft in length. The wings were covered in the the pretty white scales covering the back and even the digits of each wings. His belly was grey in color as if a mixture of the pretty white and the pitch black talons. The head had a pair of black horns and a large set of sharp black teeth. The beast eye’s shown a beautiful gold color. I was of course surprised by the beast but I wasn’t frighten, this was because the dragon was running around trying to catch and large metal pole as if it a dog playing fetch with it’s owner. The dragon had an expression of joy, panting from exhaustion and the beast’s tongue was hanging from it’s mouth, flopping around like a rag doll. Maid 1 was able to somehow muster enough strength to lift the bed up place it back on it’s legs.
Michael
[My oh my, it seems that our guest has finally woken up from his long rest.]
While I was watching the dragon play keep away with the pole, Michael snuck into the room.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
Michael
[Gisou how are you feeling today, Your body must be really sore after sleeping for two weeks.]
Gisou
[Two weeks!!!]
Gisou
[(How was I sleeping for two weeks.)]
Maid 1
[{clears throat} I'll explain the drug I used on you was something that helps cure ailments but the side effects are drowsiness.]
Gisou
[I thought you said that healing magic didn't work that way.]
Maid 1
[Yes, it doesn’t work like a beam of light but we can use it to improve the effect on medicine.]
Gisou
[I see.]
Michael
[{coughs} Anyways Munin could you let me and Gisou talk for a bit please. Theres some things I like to talk about in private.]
Munin
[Ah sure anyways I’ll be on my way then, bye Dear Guest.]
Giosu
[Bye bye~, Maid 1~]
Munin
[Oh by the way could not call me that, like what Michael said my name is Munin.]
Gisou
[Eh~ but from the looks of it you don’t seem to mind calling the other maids in a smilar fashion right.]
Munin
[I see]
Gisou
[besides I like the name.]
Munin
[{Sigh} I guess so.]
{Door shuts}
Gisou
[....]
Michael
[......]
{Cool wind breeze}
The fresh air was nice it was almost like when you finally able to smell the fresh spring air after many many months of winter, however I was unable to enjoy such a feeling because of the tense atmosphere that filled the room.
Gisou
[....]
Michael
[......]
Well this was awkward, we just kept like this for a while, neither wanting to speak to other. Eventually someone spoke up and that person was me.
Gisou
[What happened.]
I said this in a apathetic, almost hostile voice.
Michael
[....]
Michael continued to stay silent, which made my impatient
Gisou
[Answer me!!!]
I was considered an even tempered kid, when you have to juggle school, work, chores and trying to avoid making Mom angry you could say that it was something I developed over time. But if Michael gonna keep quite like this, the I’m not gonna keep calm. After hearing my demands Michael pulled something out of his tailcoat and placed it on the end table beside my bed a small wooden cylinder with a metal cap screwed on one end.
Michael
[Please look at this and then I’ll start explaining things.]
I took it off the end table and removed the cap, bunch of papers slid out of the cylinder and on to the bed. The paper were rolled up and tied together by a small blue ribbon, what quickly caught my attention was the writing on the outside of the paper, the handwriting was neat and pretty telling me it was written by someone very sophisticated. I picked up the papers and removed the ribbon, but I was surprise to find out that both sides of the paper had something written on it and checking the individual pages I find that all of the pages were the same not just the front page.
Gisou
[Do I really have to read all of this.]
Michael
[{laugh} no there’s just one article you need to see.]
Gisou
[Ok]
Michael
[Anyways, these are rules and regulations that need to be followed in order to summon a “champion”]
Gisou
[“champion”?]
Michael
[Thats what we call the people who come to this world, well not everyone only the ones that came to serve as our hero.]
Michael
[Anyways, thats not important right now, what’s important is the one rule you need to see here let me see.]
I hand the rules over to Michael and then he starts skimming through them, eventually he stops at one of the pages and hands me the page over to me and points at a specific clause.
Contract rules
[Number_ Must get the consent of the champion or a legal guardian.]
Gisou
[Wha…?]
Michael
[Excuse me I’ll explain, when someone wishes to be a champion we have them sign a contract to complete the arrangement, this contract act as a sort of waiver preparing them for what’s to come.]
Gisou
[Ok I get that part, but where does my mom fit into all of this, no more like why is the legal guardian part even in there.]
Michael
[There’s a procedure we have to follow in order to finalize the deal, first we come to them, the champions, and ask for there help if they say yes we would ask for them to wait as we settle some matters and if they say no we leave them alone and never bother them again, third if they gave me something similar to your answer Gisou then will leave them alone and settle the matters ahead of time.]
Gisou
[What matters?]
Michael
[Matters like telling their parents and or other people that might wonder if they were to suddenly disappear.]
Michael
[Now then, the second thing we do for a procedure was like I said earlier tell their parents, since they will start wondering if their child were to suddenly vanish. However there’s another reason for telling their parents, the other reason is for the parents to sign a release form telling them to keep quiet about the summoning.]
Gisou
[Why go through the trouble of doing that?]
Michael
[That is something beyond my knowledge.]
Gisou
[Yeeeet your the one doing these procedures in the first place.]
Michael
[I am sorry for my inability to help you.]
Gisou
[Ok I kinda get what you're implying here, so one of my legal guardians signed the consent form and thats why I’m here. But there’s one thing I don’t get, why am I here when I didn’t make the agreement.]
Michael
[That..well thats because of a loophole in the contract.]
Gisou
[loophole?]
Michael
[Here, take a look at the clause again please.]
Michael points at the same clause that I saw before.
Contract Rules
[Number_ Must get the consent of the champion or a legal guardian.]
Gisou
[(Ok I still don’t get it, maybe if I look a little bit closer.)]
Contract Rules
[Number _ Must get the consent of the champion “or” a legal guardian.]
Gisou
[So~ this maybe a shot in the dark here but could the loophole be this “or” in the clause?]
Micheal
[Yes, the clause doesn’t technically say that we need to have both parties consent in order to complete the contract, all we need is someone to sign the contract and then it would be complete.]
Michael
[Because of this, most of the “Champions” had something in common. It was their “families”. Orphans, people with terrible home life, people that didn’t have the attachment to them.]
Gisou
[I see but wait why were you in middle of the road when we first meet?]
Michael
[Ah that, well that on the other hand is a little complicated, if I had to explain it then I would have to explain magic as well, So let’s just save that for another time ok.]
Gisou
[{Sighs} Fine.]
Michael
[.......]
This all felt bleak, even if I know why I’m here that doesn’t mean that I can go back.
Gisou
[Is there anyway for me to return home.]
Michael
[Yes there is a way to send you back.]
Gisou
[!!!!]
Gisou
[Really!?!? there is a way back!]
I was elated, if there was way home then there’s no problem if I were to head back home right?
Michael
[Yes, the rules state that if the “Hero” desires it then we are obligated to comple.]
When he said that the smile on my face disappeared, those words alone shot all hope of me leaving anytime soon.
Gisou
[If the “Hero” desires it.]
Michael quietly nodded and I pretty much died right there. I thought it was weird why was I called a champion…no why were we called “champions” instead of “hero”. (I’m assuming there are more people beside me who took up this since Michael said that Champions had something in common)
Michael
[The reason we call you “Champion” is because of this clause, since your not consider the “Hero” yet the clause doesn’t apply to you.]
Gisou
[Is this another one of your “loopholes” Michael.]
Michael
[.......]
Would this still be consider a loophole, I mean all they did was just changed the title from Hero to Champion.
Michael
[Technically you are consider a Hero the moment you signed the contract but this countries King has done everything in his power so that people think differently.]
Gisou
[What the..]
Hearing Michael’s words was painful, it was almost like he was stabbing me in the heart over, and over again, and the pain just kept growing in intensity.
Michael
[However In order to be consider a “Hero” in the eyes of everyone else you must kill the King of Teufel.]
Gisou
[!!!!!!]
Suddenly Michael’s words that once gave me nothing but pain instead gave me hope and joy.
Gisou
[What really, there’s a way back!!!]
Michael
[Ahhh, y-y-yes you will become the “Hero” the moment the king dies. When that happens there should be nothing that could keep you from returning home.]
Gisou
[Really.]
After hearing this, I started grinning from ear to ear. My only chance at returning home was right there, right in front of me, and all I had to do was become the hero. I may not be able to go home this instant; but, it’s a whole lot better than never returning.
Michael
[Well anyways, Gisou. I swear on my good name, that I’ll do everything in my power to help you return home. So please rest assured you will reunite with your family again.]
Michael spoke this, and held his hand out, telling me to shake it.
Gisou
[....]
Gisou
[Yeah, thank you.]
While keeping a wry smile on my face; I finally shook his hand.
Michael
[I hope we can get along.]
Michael smiles back at me, but his smile is much more pleasant than mine.
Gisou
[If it’s ok with you, can I be alone for a while? I need to sort my thoughts out a bit.]
Michael
[Then I’ll take my leave, please don’t push yourself ok.]
Gisou
[Ok]
Michael
[One last thing, your training will start the moment you're starts improving.]
Gisou
[Then I’ll start tomorrow, the sooner I get started, the sooner I can stop.]
Michael
[Didn’t I just say not to push yourself.]
Gisou
[Don’t sweat the little things.]
Michael
[Bu… fine but if something happens to you during the training then you will immediately stop, ok.]
Gisou
[Ok~]
We said our farewells and then Michael left the room.
{Wind breezes}
Gisou
[Ahhh, the wind feels nice.]
On that day I became a “Champion”. But the thing was; no matter how hard I tried I couldn’t see where this journey was gonna lead me.