Falling
The sound of air rushing by made me crack open my eyes to see clouds…passing by? This automatically woke me up, causing me to flip my body and find myself falling towards the ground. A forest was below me and approaching fast. With little time to prepare I reached for my sword on my back only to find my hand grabbing air.
"Son of –"I said letting out a groan of annoyance. I would need to find it later but first I had to focus on landing, seeing no lakes or water sources nearby, I knew that I had only one option and I wasn't going to like it.
I waited till I was about to land and brace myself, positioning my body straight down, I aimed towards a clearing. I hit the ground hard enough to cause a crater to form underneath me. My crash had kicked up a plume of dust making it hard to see. I did quick check on my body and found that I had my MP3 with me which is good in case I need something to listen to later.
The dust began to settle and soon I saw where I landed. A clearing with a … temple? We'll I say temple but it's mostly abandoned with what looks like gold and black chess pieces scattered on the ground, though just might have been from me landing. Turning around, I let out a whistle.
"What the hell happened here?" I said as look around the area. A giant pillar of ice was sticking out of the ground, small bits of ice were scatter across the ground meaning that was holding something and now it was loose, I knew that with my luck I probably run into, scatter around across the ground was giant feathers that must been about ten feet high. That's when my ears caught the sound of something all too familiar, gun fire, and where there's gun fire there's a fight. I look in the direction I heard it and notice a trail of knock over trees. They were following one in front of one another like something big had come on through.
I quickly followed the trail. As I got closer I could hear gun fire more and other sounds, like something roaring, something big. Soon the area open to a grassy area with what look like more ruins. I notice a giant scorpion up ahead, or what I could assume is a scorpion, if the tail wasn't a dead giveaway.
"Well… I'm certainly no longer home" I mumble to myself. I know that the rules forbid me from interfering with populace of any given world. That's a rule they drilled into us and one I knew personally, but I wasn't about to stand by and watch. With my mind made up I took off towards it.
I soon approach it to see a boy or girl? I couldn't tell with the long hair get thrown into one of the pillars and fall to the ground. I didn't have time to check on them and quickly jump into the air, grabbing its tail, I landed on the ground and began to pulling.
The beast let out a roar and tried to pull back but my grip was tight, digging my feet into ground, I channel mana into my arms, and hurled the beast over me. The beast flew about twenty-feet landing on its back.
"Damn! He flew!" I said watching the beast struggle to get up. The sound of something dropping made my turn around to see three teenagers, maybe about my age or younger, I don't know I wasn't very good at telling ages. There were two girls and one boy. There was a girl with short orange hair and turquoise eyes holding what look like a hammer in her hands, her outfit compose of what look like armor starting from her shoulder and ending at her waist where a pink skirt. In the middle of her chest was the cut out of a heat with a bolt of lightning going through it.
The next was the boy who had blond hair and blue eyes, he wore armor over what appear to be a short sleeve hoodie and blue jeans. His weapons were a sword and shield though it looks like he drops his sword on the ground.
Lastly was the other girl. She had red that was worn in a pony-tail with green eyes. The outfit she had on reminded me of a gladiator, if it were meant for a female that is.
I notice that she had only a shield.
'Dose she only fights with a shield?' I thought before I notice something lying on the ground near my feet, picking it up, it was javelin with gold and red trimming. I gave it a look before tossing it to pony-tai
"Catch" I said to which she caught it.
The sound of roar made me remember that I was in the middle of battle, turning around I saw that it had righted itself and was making its way towards me.
"Alright you got this" I mumble to myself as the giant scorpion made its way towards me.
The giant scorpion reach me and threw its left claw at me but I quickly dash forward and punch it in the face pushing it back a couple of feet stunning it. I quickly followed up with a series of punches that push it back before it tried to stab me with its tail but I dodge it and grabbed hold of it, focusing my mana into my arms, I began to pull on it.
The scorpion began to pull back and soon began a game of tug of war. I felt my grip slipping and quickly pump more mana into my arms it was just enough for me to get the upper hand, with a growl of frustration, I threw the scorpion over me into the columns causing them to fall on top of it.
I began to feel the strain of using the mana and found myself falling on to my knees. The world around me felt distorted and out of focus, using to my much mana will mess you up if your body isn't up to take the repercussion. My breathing was labor and could barely find the strength to stand.
The sound of rumbling caught my attention, looking over I saw the scorpion beginning to makes its way out of the rubble. I slowly stood and prepare myself for another round. It let out a roar before charging at me, going to move was a bad mistake, a wave of nausea hit me causing me to stumble. It threw its claw at me and all I could do was throw my arms up and block the incoming attack. I felt the attack hit me and send me tumbling back across the ground.
I landed on my back knocking the air out of me. My whole body hurt all over and I couldn't find the strength to try and stand up.
'Alright doesn't look like we got this' I thought before trying to stand up.
"Nora, distract it!" I heard a voice yell
"Okay!" a voice replied before a serious of explosion flew over me and hit the scorpion causing it to scream out in pain.
"Ren help Nora! Pyrrha help me grab him!" I heard before the boy with blond hair and pony-tail came over to me. They began to pick me up and hoisting me onto their shoulders, quickly moving me away from the battle, I soon found myself being set down against a stone column.
"Easy now Juan" the girl said. She had a lovely voice and it reminded me of my grandma Unguis such a sweet old lady.
"Ok" the boy replied
The cold stone felt good through the fabric of my t-shirt.
"Pyrrha go help Ren and Nora. I'll make sure that he's ok" I heard the boy say. The girl nodded in return and took off towards the battle. The boy turn back towards me.
"My name is Juan Arc" the boy said "Can you tell me yours?"
"Talon" I croak barley finding the strength to talk.
"Talon?" the boy replied and I just nodded in response "Well Talon you look fine besides a few cuts and bruises. I'm going to leave you here and go help my friends but I promise I'll be back to help you ok?" The only thing I could do was nod. He seems content with that and went to go help his friends.
'If only Blair was here… she could give me one of her potion' I thought. Just than a thought accord to me, digging into the pockets of my shorts I found what I was looking for, pulling out a small cylinder glass jar with red little pills inside. I went to pull the corked and found myself struggling with it.
"Son of –"I said before the corked came out with a pop causing me to almost spill out the contents within. I poured out one of the pills and look at it. It had red see through outer with the inside being a deep dark crimson color.
I sat on top of my roof starting up at the moon and the stars. My body covered in bandages from my recent fight with Darrick.
"Arogant prick" I mumble to myself.
"I knew I find you here" I heard a voice say turning around I could see Blair flying down on her broom towards me. She was wearing her usual black hoodie and that cover up her
"And what do you want" I said a bit of malice in my words. She paid no mind to my tone and walk over and sat down next to me. She
"I heard that you met Darrick at the mall" she said
"Yeah"
"Are you ok?"
"I don't really know to tell you the truth" I said "To see him go that far and then just"
I punch the top of the roof hurting my already injure hand but I didn't care at this point.
"Look I know that seeing Darrick like that wasn't the most pleasant thing to see" she said "But I want to know that I- We! Are there for you whenever need someone to talk to ok?"
"Ok" I replied
"Oh! I made you something" She said before begging to dig around in her bag "Now where did I put it?"
I watch as she dug around in her back for a bit before finally pulling out a small cylinder jar with red pills inside of it.
"Found ya!" she exclaims before handing me the bottle. I took it and look at it.
"What is it?" I ask shaking it.
"It's a new type of pill that my family created. We call it Saving Grace"
"Saving Grace?" I said looking shaking the bottle.
"I name them myself" she said with confidents "They can help restore your mana just in case your low in the middle of a fight. We haven't started mass producing them yet cause the ingredients are a little hard to fine."
"So, you gave me the only bottle you have?"
"Well... I know how much you like to just run to the fight so I thought of something to help you" she said looking down at the ground. I just shrug at it and stuff the bottle in my pocket.
"Thanks Blair" I said "You're always looking out for me" She just look at me and smiled
"Your welcome" she replied "Oh! Before I forget remember that these are a last resort ONLY. If take to many at one time it could overload your mana reserves and kill you"
"I completely forgot that I had these" I said as threw the pill into my mouth and swallowed it. At first nothing happens but soon I felt a burning sensation in my stomach. It soon travels throughout my body and I had to fight the feeling to throw up. I could feel the bile wanting to come out of me but I held strong.
"That's a lot better" I said feeling Saving Grace work through my system
"Nora!" a voice shouted causing me to look up and see the red head with a hammer get thrown towards the ledge. I acted quickly and took off running for her.
I could already tell that my current speed wasn't fast enough to catch her, so using some of restored mana, I center it around my feet and jump into the air catching her before she went over.
"I've got you" I said to her. She just looks up at me with a bewilder look. We landed back down on the ground and I sat her back down "You ok?" I ask her and she just gave nodded her head.
"Good"
I look back towards the others and saw the scorpion was slowly pushing them back to where we are.
"What's your name?" I ask
"N-n-nora" she stutters
"Well Nora" I said not paying any attention to her stutter "Shouldn't we help out your friends?" This seem to bring out of her confuse state and she shook her head.
"Yea!" she said before taking off running towards her friends. I just let out a chuckle and took off running after her.
We made it just in time for the beast to knock Pyrrha down on her back, Nora seeing this quickly shot at the claw deflecting it, Pyrrha soon recover and backflip away which was quite a spectacle to see.
"Round two ass hole!" I yelled as leap up into the air before coming back down with a drop kick. I hit the beast straight on and cause a crack to form on the top of its head. The creature let out roar of pain and tried to grab me with one of its claws but I jump backwards and landed with everyone else.
"Man, that thing is tough" I said as watch the beast wither in pain
"Were not going to last much longer at this rate" Pyrrha said which I had to agree with. Just using that little bit of mana and I could already feel myself already starting to get tired. That's when an idea came to mind.
"Cover your ears" I said to them
"What?" Juan replied
"I said cover your ears now!" I yelled back
They all quickly covered their ears and I took a deep breath, before letting out an ear-piercing scream that cause the beast to howl in pain. After I stop the beast was too much in pain and was withering back and forth.
"Your turn" I said in a raspy voice my throat hurting from the scream. Juan just nodded back to me.
"Pyrrha!" he called out to her
"Done!" she said before throwing her shield at its stinger which was hanging loose from me pulling on it earlier. The shield cut it with ease and bounce off a pillar before coming back to her, which I thought was some good aiming, it landed on the creature head but it wasn't dead.
"Nora nailed" Juan called out
"Heads up" she said before jumping up into the air and landed on Pyrrha shield. She than launch Nora up into the air causing the ground beneath her to crack from the force. Nora flew high into the air before falling back down, as she fell she shot from her hammer propelling her faster down. She hit the stinger straight on and sent it through its skull the creature. I watch as the creature let out a small roar and before disappearing in a mist of black smoke.
"Oh wow! Looks like he was self-cleaning and all magical" I said before taking a seat on the ground "Man I'm tired" just than a roar cause me to turn around and I remember the giant bird flying in the sky.
"I completely forgot about that" I said before standing up and stretching my legs "Well no time like the present" before anybody could say anything to me I took off running towards the ledge and boosted myself across the gap landing on the other side.
I began to leap from pillar to pillar making my way higher and higher until I landed as high I could go. I watch as the girl with blond hair shot at the beast with her gauntlets. The beast let out a roar and turn direction a head towards her.
I was expecting her to dodge out of the way but she did the exact opposite and jump towards the beast landing in its beak, with one hand holding the top of its beak from closing, she began to fire into its mouth. This sent the beast craning into the cliff. Than a white haired with a rapier jump forward and stabbed near its tail causing ice to trap its tail before jumping back.
The beast struggle to get its tail out of the ice as I watch. The girls than form what I would like think is a sling as the girl with the red hood scythe was pulled back by the white haired and aim at the bird. She than release sending her flying into the beast, catching the neck of the beast with her scythe, a series of symbols appear up the cliff, she began to make her way up with it in tow.
As soon as she reaches the top she pulled and pop its head off letting its body fall into the canyon down below. I was impressed that she could pulled it off despite her size.
"Talon!" I heard someone called out to me. I look in the direction to see Juan waving his arm at me.
I knew he was probably calling me over but I've intervene in this world far enough. The one thing I learn about being accidentally sent to other worlds is you DO NOT engage with the locals. A lesson that I learn all too well, knowing that I channel mana into my legs and jump landing on the side of the cliff I began to run up, reaching the top I landed in front of the red hooded girl who gave me a confuse look. I just gave her a thumb up. She deserves it especially with that stunt she pulled off.
In the blink of an eye I took off running into the forest and try to distance myself. The first thing I need to do was to locate my sword and then a way home. With that thought in mind I began to make my journey into the wilderness.