I'm sitting on the hard ground in a dark and dangerous place. Well at least I presume it is a dangerous place. I can't see much expect my conversation partner, who sat across of me leaned against a stone wall. Only a torch in a rusted holder gave of some light. Currently I feel weak. Really ,really weak.
„But let's think about what happened today.“
„I woke up at 5 am. As every other day I prepared for my workout before the lectures. People always said the only ones that train so early are nutjobs. Maybe they were right, but for me it was quiet logical. When's the time you can use all the weights? When no ones there, of course. As I was on my way to the university my environment began to shift like fog, the street around me was sucked away and I stood in a white void. In front of me stood 4 asian kids in school uniforms. Pardon me, I meant young teenagers with a slight tan and with bodily features, which you would find in the far eastern parts of the eurasian continent. I mean I don't know if they are chinese,japanese, taiwanese, american or even european like myself. Of course I am not racist.“
„They looked quite perplexed at me, which makes sense. I didn't expect two guys and two girls in highschool uniforms with lunchboxes in their hands, and they sure as hell didn't expect a 6 feet, brown haired, blue eyed adonis at the tender age of 22. I mean, I know that I'm quite a looker with bodyfat at 13% and above average muscle mass. Who said you couldn't study at an university and have a daily workout routine? Anyway I asked them if they knew what was going on but we had a tiny, little issue. It's called a language barrier. It seemed that they only knew their mother tongue. Which was not my mother tongue by the way. I was quite disappointed because at their age I already knew three languages and that's the standart where I come from. The taller of the two boys did ask me about the wheater in broken english though. I'm still proud of him. 5 points for Griffindor buddy. I mean at least he tried right?“
„As I frowned they shuddered and looked at me with anxious eyes. Oy, now you are even afraid of me? For the next five minutes we just stared at each other. Each of the four had a blue uniform. The boys and what people would call more 'endowed' girl had black hair. The more average girl had a stronger tan than the other three and obviously dyed her hair blond. Why I knew that? Because her her grew already out.“
„The tall one of the boys looked like he did lots of endurance sports and he seemed to be quite popular.I mean the girls holded onto his arms. He also had a stern face against me just like he wanted to protect them from me. Yeah, I also thought that that ws rude.“
„The second one was just slightly shorter, so roughly like 5'8? He also had the stature of a true academian with glasses. The blond girl was more like a hyperactive child and was constantly blabbering something, but the other was far more calm and had a 'bigger sister' attitude. Or it looked like that at least. That's when we heard a bell like, high pitched noise with a rather nice vibrato, if you ask me. Our heads were filled with knowledge. If I have to describe it, it felt like someone presses stuff in a small hole on your forehead. It was quite painful, like having a bad headache. What the content was? A complete new language, different from anything I had ever seen and something like a quarter of an encyclopaedia. The second 'thing' I felt was a stream of warmth flushing inside my body. I felt immeaditly stronger and I was calmed by 'it'. Right after we had gathered ourselfs there was a Plop! Not really though, but still there was a woman with brown hair floating in front of us.“
„She smile radiantly at us and without opening her mouth and we 'heard' her in our heads. She said she was a so called 'Goddess' of another world. The essence of what she told us was, that we were so called champions, or 'heroes', summoned in a time of great need. She also talked about an 'evil' demonical king who threathens the righteous human populus and we were the only hope for mankind in her world. Paragons of Justice. That's what she called us.“
„If you ask me she just guilt tripped the girls with broken familys and crying children. The boys were smiling and staring at her cleavage. I mean are they only thinking with that thing? Nobody doubted her? Ah, it was not my place to berate them. Only through mistakes you learn and gain valuable experience.“
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„She also explained that we were in the 'Inbetween' of their world and our reality. We were currently at the dead end of a 'Tunnel' created through the whole might of a mage legion on the other side. The last barrier can only be overcome with the help of a god. Or so she said. I still asked this so called 'Goddess' if I could go back, because I don't want to interfere in their struggle. I mean, I am not wrong right? For me it is like cheating, you know.“
I lift my lift my hands and make ridiculous gestures.
„[Oh, jolly! We are losing a war that we may have started. Take responsibility? No, no, no we can't do that because we were never meant to lose. Best thing we can do is kidnap people that fight for us. Destroy their lifes? Not at all, they should be happy that we let them fight for us.]“
I let out a long sigh.
„The 'Goddess' just smiled at me and said it was not possible right now, but after the war she could send us back immediately. How convenient right? We didn't even have a choice and we were dependent on her goodwill.“
„'I gave you knowledge and power so that you can safely achieve your quest. I will send you now on your way great heroes.'
After that she whisked one after the other children away until I remained, then her face got really nasty. Funny how certain women can deceive others, ey?“
„'What are you doing here?'
'Didn't you explain just that a moment ago?'
'No. The ritual should only gather four young children with weak souls. As you have nothing to do with my world I take my blessing back and some more.'“
„It felt like someone would rip out your intestines out of your torso. It was so displeasing that I nearly vomited.“
„'I can't let you come and interfere so I will let you stay here. Goodbye.'
With that she vanished and the realm too. After that I just felt unbearable pain, like some sadist poured gasoline over me and set it aflame. I really thought that's it, you know? Luckily I woke up here. Unluckily I saw in front of me, no wait, I didn't see it, I somehow knew or could feel. It's hard to describe, maybe just like a personal HUD?“
„[The Mana input has been aborted during the Summoning of the last person. To counteract death in the void bodily might has been substituted. Targetpoint is the weakest place of the veil.]“
„I can understand the kidnapping. I can understand the attempted murder, that's life you know? It could happen any day, all around the world are people like this. But I can never forgive that. Now I have lost all my gains over the last two years. Now I am just above average muscular, and you know what the best part is? Not only was I in a dark, dungeon like passage with only one torch, no there was also a living skeleton.“
„With a sword.“
„Running straight at me.“
„Good thing I am such a levelheaded person. You want to now how I got out of this situation? Grab the arm with the sword and smash the skeleton with your whole body in the wall. Hey, I said I was weaker, not weak like a baby. You just have to use your hips. And your legs. AND your torso. That's how I got here, quite interesting huh?“
The fragments of a once quite lively skeleton, now arranged in a lotus position in front of a wall doesn't answer.
„Well thanks for your time.“
I stood up, grabbed my gymbag and my new friends sword.
„I'm just gonna borrow that for a while. You sure you don't need it?“
Silence. I laughed.
„Hah. Thanks, you are a real lifesaver. Ah, before I forget. Do you now in which direction the exit is?“
Silence.
„Come on, you can sleep when you are dead.“
I patted the skeleton on his shoulder and his skull fell right on the stone.
„Left huh? Well I have to go now, see you later.“
I take the torch from the iron holder and proceed in the dark.