"Let's just hope that tomorrow I can get a full night's rest."
…
I woke up to an unexpected sight, different than the norm, but this has become a common occurrence for a while now. Looking around, I found myself floating, gazing down upon what appeared to be my room. Upon closer inspection, I noticed my chair turned on its side on the floor, and my computer flashing bright lights rapidly.
My lack of confusion can probably be attributed to the fact that this has been happening almost every other day or so in my sleep ever since I got transported—or, to put it better, kidnapped—to another world. I still don't know why or how exactly, but my worldview on fiction and make-believe has been turned on its head because of it. There's no point in dwelling on it now, I suppose. I'm dreaming, after all, so I just have to wait for it to play out.
Refocusing on my room, I couldn't see anything particularly different, except for the odd shape and coloring. Everything else seemed normal. Then suddenly, the view became hazy before changing scenery again. This time, it cut to my parents walking from corner to corner, nailing missing flyers with my face on them.
Well, I assumed it was my face since I couldn't really see the exact details of the image. But who else would they do it for? Still, though, this is just one of the many scenarios that my brain has apparently made and decided to play out in my dreams, reminding me of what I left behind. While I was annoyed at first, I now feel a sense of sadness about what could be happening back in my world.
Once again, the scenery changed, this time to the hallway where Brandan, Tyler, and I usually hang out. I was able to see what I assumed to be the silhouettes of Branden and Tyler. Moving somewhat closer—well, as close as I could while playing the role of a spectator or ghost of sorts—I could hear their conversation.
"Hey, did you hear?" a voice that sounded similar to Tyler asked.
"Hear what?" another voice, which I assumed to be Branden, responded.
"How Alex has apparently gone missing," Tyler's voice said.
"He has?! I just thought he was sick!" Branden's voice exclaimed.
"Have you even bothered calling or texting him?" Tyler's voice said.
"No... but it's not like you have either!" Branden's voice spat back.
"Shut it, you two are always the ones chatting it up!" Tyler angrily responded.
Before the conversation could conclude, the scenery shifted back to my room. This time, everything seemed to be back to normal. My monitor was turned off, and my chair was picked up and back in its usual position. Judging from this, either time had passed or something else had happened.
The feelings I experience from witnessing these scenes are both helpful and unhelpful at the same time. They remind me of why I can't give up, but they also serve as a reminder of what I left behind. Even in this seemingly hostile world filled with fantasy or geometry-shaped monsters, I am reminded of home.
It's actually kind of funny; I wonder if this is what soldiers at war also have to deal with. Dreaming of home, their families, and friends while fighting for their lives. While I'm not going to be so rude as to compare myself and war veterans one to one, perhaps they would agree that there are similarities.
At least, while I'm here, I can enjoy the calm silence and tranquility of my thoughts. Even if those thoughts aren't exactly what I want to see, it's better than dealing with the two uncooperative companions I have. Actually, that does beg the question of when I fell asleep and why. I remember getting into a fight with something and...
...
"It looks like he's finally waking up," I heard a voice say.
My vision was very blurry, and I struggled to even move. I tried to rub my eyes, but doing so made my muscles ache whenever I attempted to raise my arms.
"Took him long enough; we've already wasted a good amount of time just waiting for him to wake up," I heard a more feminine voice say.
If my intuition is correct, then Nickoli and Faith are both talking about me.
"Shut it, I got badly injured; I should at least enjoy a little rest after not sleeping and then getting into a fight," I spat back groggily.
After hesitating for a bit due to the aching, I began to rub my eyes. My body was very stiff, and I also had a headache that seemed to persist even after I fell asleep.
"Well, maybe you should learn how to dodge, then?" she mockingly remarked.
There was no point in arguing; this would just devolve into insults.
"Whatever, how long was I out?" I asked. However, my question seemed to answer itself as I was forced to cover my eyes from the glare of the sun.
"Well, long enough for the sun to come back out; it's not like I have a watch on me," Faith told me.
I decided to check my wave timer to get a general idea of how much time had passed.
[Willowing Fields: 18:19:43:29]
So, around 2 hours or so. A crazy amount of time hasn't passed yet, but still. I quickly gathered my bearings and got up from the tree I was leaning against. My pants were pretty muddy and still moist, which felt really uncomfortable. However, that wasn't as weird as finally noticing the bandages wrapped around the bleeding parts where I got injured.
"I don't remember bandaging myself...?" I questioned while looking at the bandages.
"Nickoli insisted on bandaging you up, even though most of the really bad bleeding had already stopped," Faith stated.
I looked toward Nickoli; he seemed a little shy as he turned away from my gaze.
"Thanks. I assume you guys didn't need to bandage yourselves," I said, as I didn't notice any bandages on their bodies.
Both of them nodded in agreement. I guess I was the only one who got badly injured. Whatever, though, we should really get a move on now since we're already behind in pacing.
"Alright, did anything interesting happen while I was asleep?" I asked both of them.
I did the exact same thing I did for the submachine gun: I clicked on one of the O's, and a little "Actually, that does remind me," I looked at my hand to see that I was holding the Dire Wolf Submachine Gun. Unlike the Ore Viper body, it's actually a submachine gun, though it looks like a small Uzi, if anything. Speaking of the Ore Viper...
I quickly checked my tech tree-looking menu to see that the previously locked weapon form I got from absorbing the core was now unlocked, so I decided to check it out.
Ore Viper Core Revolver LV 1
Abilities Locked Equip Bonus: +7 Attack
Equip Effect: Paralyzing Poison Bullet (Weak)
[O, O]
Looking at its stats, it already gave the highest attack bonus of all my weapon forms, so that is good. It also gave a special equip effect of Paralyzing Poison Bullet. I'm not sure exactly what it does, but I can assume that it's a poison that paralyzes opponents after a while. Actually, that does explain why one of the lizard men was holding his arm weirdly after being bitten by an Ore Viper. I guess they have some sort of paralyzing poison.
Switching to the weapon form itself, it seemed to be similar in design to the Ore Viper body, as it also had a sort of snakeskin design on its body. However, compared to the Ore Viper body, it had small cracks of yellow sticking out from sections. It also had a small snakehead sort of attached to its barrel, but its eyes were the color of its core, so that was kind of cool.
"Are you done inspecting your new toys, Alex?" Faith asked in an annoyed tone.
"Oh, right, my bad. I keep getting stuck in my own thoughts," I said while rubbing the back of my head with my free hand.
"Be careful; that can get you killed one day," Faith said, sort of ominously.
There was a brief moment of silence as the three of us just looked at each other. Nickoli, seeing the awkwardness, closed the hatch inside his small tankette and started driving away.
I decided to follow along, as there was no point in trying to continue the conversation. Instead, I focused on my own things while catching up to Nickoli's tankette while walking.
First, a checkup on my stuff. I first checked my weapon EXP, and to my surprise, I had quite a bit.
Available Weapon EXP: 723
I still couldn't be bothered to check how much EXP was needed to level up a weapon or test it out. So, I could assume this is enough to level up a weapon to maybe 15 or something. But which weapon? I mean, the new Uzi I got seems pretty nifty; however, I was saving the EXP originally for my previously locked Ore Viper Core Revolver.
I could also just split it between the two, and that would solve the issue. Hm, I'll just come back to that later. First, I want to use the double synthesis slots these weapons come with. I can probably get some cool combinations going with them.
I decided to pull up my new submachine gun first to get started.
Dire Wolf Submachine Gun LV 1
Abilities Locked Equip Bonus: +5 Agility
Equip Effect: Night Vision (Weak)
[O, O]
Next, I clicked on O, which opened up a small menu with all my weapon forms along with their corresponding special equip effects. Now, to decide which two would be best for this.
Well, a no-brainer would be to get the paralyzing poison bullet from my Ore Viper Core Revolver. I'm not sure if it's that as long as I get 1 shot, they get paralyzed, or if I have to hit them a certain number of times for it to work. But either way, this submachine gun would be useful for that, so I synthesized it.
Dire Wolf Submachine Gun LV 1
Abilities Locked Equip Bonus: +5 Agility
Equip Effect: Night Vision (Weak)
[Paralyzing Poison Bullet (Weak), O]
Sweet, now for the next one. I guess I could probably get the armor-piercing effect. While I was confused at first about how it would work, I assume it could pierce through armor and hit the skin of the target compared to defense piercing, which would somehow pierce defense.
Either way, I moved towards it on the little menu after clicking the O and selecting it.
Dire Wolf Submachine Gun LV 1
Abilities Locked Equip Bonus: +5 Agility
Equip Effect: Night Vision (Weak)
[Paralyzing Poison Bullet (Weak), Armor Piercing Rounds (Weak)]
Switching to the weapon form, nothing changed. I guess this just confirms that it's only a stat change and not anything visual. Anyways, it's time to mess around with my revolver form. I opened up its stats to see its specifics.
Ore Viper Core Revolver LV 1
Abilities Locked Equip Bonus: +7 Attack
Equip Effect: Paralyzing Poison Bullet (Weak)
[O, O]
I decided to give it armor piercing for the same reason I gave it to the Uzi. So then it will be able to connect its hits easily and pierce through any armor if that's what this equip effect supposedly does.
Ore Viper Core Revolver LV 1
Abilities Locked Equip Bonus: +7 Attack
Equip Effect: Paralyzing Poison Bullet (Weak)
[Armor Piercing Rounds (Weak), O]
I guess I should probably give it defense piercing as well. If it ignores defense or something along those lines, it's always good. As usual, I opened the menu after clicking the O and saw the options for what to synthesize. I selected the Defense Piercing Rounds. The number on its side was now reduced to 1; I'm not sure what that meant, but there's no point dwelling on it.
Ore Viper Core Revolver LV 1
Abilities Locked Equip Bonus: +7 Attack
Equip Effect: Paralyzing Poison Bullet (Weak)
[Armor Piercing Rounds (Weak), Defense Piercing Rounds (Weak)]
I swear, every time I look at my status for my weapon forms, it seems to get bigger and bigger. Not that I'm complaining, of course, as this means I'm getting stronger, or at least I think so. Now, to decide on the weapon levels...
"Augh, are you going to help, Alex, or are you just going to stand there!" I heard Faith yell.
Looking forward, I saw her fighting some Ore Vipers that were trying to bite her. She was holding two of them by their bodies with her hand, while the rest of them tried to attack Nickoli's tankette to no avail.
"Oh, my bad," I said sheepishly as I began to get closer to get a better angle on the vipers. I aimed down with my Dire Wolf submachine gun and fired a quick burst. However, as this was a new weapon, my recoil was out of control, and I had to take a second to readjust my aim.
I was able to easily take them out with a small burst, which was enough to kill them. They turned their attention to me, but whenever they tried to lunge, I just smacked them with the body of the gun, sending them tumbling back down.
My reaction speed is probably pretty decent due to my hand-eye coordination from video games. If I didn't land a kill in one or two shots, I would lose. Well, in this case, I would just get injured or die if I'm not careful enough.
We were able to easily dispatch the remaining few who were stubbornly trying to bite Nickoli while he was inside his tankette, to no effect. Faith just pinned down the two she was holding, waiting for me to finish them off.
I decided to take the opportunity to switch to my Ore Viper Core Revolver and test it out. I aimed in and shot only once. If the weapon was not attached to me, I surely would have lost my grip on it, as it was sent flying backward, almost making me hit myself with it.
"Okay, maybe I should anticipate the recoil a bit more," I said, regaining my balance.
Faith just grabbed her bi-plane with her free hand and shot the other one she was pinning down.
She glared at me before speaking, "So, are you just going to take your sweet time in any situation now?"
"Listen, I just got these weapon forms, so I'm only doing my best to adjust to them," I angrily responded.
She just turned her head and continued walking, with Nickoli following behind her.
"Every day, you seem to get more and more irritating to be around," I whispered to myself before following behind them.
Reopening my menu again, I went back to contemplating what to invest my weapon EXP into. I could play it safe and just split it 50/50 between my submachine gun and revolver. While this isn't bad per se, it isn't exactly great either, as this means I can't specialize that well.
Still, though, if I end up regretting my invested points, I can't exactly take them back, can I? Hmm, I can already tell that the revolver is pretty strong for single targets as long as I can adjust to the recoil. While the submachine gun seems to have a faster fire rate than my Ore Viper body, the recoil also increases alongside it.
I can't tell if the recoil is so high due to either me not being exactly strong in my upper body or as a consequence of the weapon having little weight and launching with practically any recoil. Then again, this is a new fantasy eshe world where logic seems to be thrown out the window, so I wouldn't be surprised if there was some other third reason.
Whatever, no point in getting sidetracked. Back to the weapon EXP. I mean, I could also take the safe route and split the EXP three ways, saving a third for any new weapon form I unlock down the line. From what it seems, the weapon EXP mirrors my normal EXP, and considering the amount we seem to get, I think it's rather safe to keep a stash available whenever.
Well, first I have to divide the current amount of EXP I have by 3. So, let me check how much I have.
Available Weapon EXP: 773
Alright, breaking it down, I guess I can assume that a third of 700 would be something above 200, at least due to 600 being split into three 200s. That would make the remaining 100 be split into 33, so 233. This would leave a 1 sitting out randomly.
Now for the 73, it would fall upon something similar with 20 being the minimum, due to 60 being split the same way. 13 would be left, which can be split by 4s... leaving a 1 as well, annoyingly. So, if I add this all up correctly, then 233 + 20 + 4 would equal 257. I can invest this in both my new weapon forms and keep the other third.
Ore Viper Core Revolver LV 9
Abilities Locked Equip Bonus: +7 Attack
Equip Effect: Paralyzing Poison Bullet (Weak)
[Armor Piercing Rounds (Weak), Defense Piercing Rounds (Weak)]
Dire Wolf Submachine Gun LV 9
Abilities Locked Equip Bonus: +5 Agility
Equip Effect: Night Vision (Weak)
[Paralyzing Poison Bullet (Weak), Armor Piercing Rounds (Weak)]
I guess this also confirms that all the weapon levels are the same since I invested an equal amount into both and they are at the same level. At least this means if I unlock some crazy weapon form, I won't have to invest three times the EXP to level it up, so that's a relief.
Again, inspecting the weapon forms, nothing on their designs or physical attributes changed. So, that confirms another question of whether leveling up a weapon may change it. Then again, it could also just be a weapon milestone thing where it changes after a certain threshold.
I swear, the more I listen to my inner thoughts, the more it sounds like I'm just an avid gamer trying to min-max my stats. Then again, it's not like I have many other options considering this world is like a super realistic RPG I was thrown into. And especially with my circumstances, I have to do my best.
Even then, I do feel a little bad that the other two only have one power-up method compared to my four. But eh, what can you do about it? I guess I can be grateful for that at least.
"You having fun back there? I can see you grinning a little," Faith remarked mockingly.
"Less fun and more trying to make the best of my situation, unlike you who is negative all the time," I spat back.
Nickoli, seeing us begin to argue, closed the hatch on his tankette to block out the noise, I guess.
"I'm not negative all the time. I just prefer to do my own thing, but instead, I'm stuck working with you two," she said while walking backward and facing me.
"Well, you aren't stuck. You can leave at any time. Luckily, you seem to understand that it would probably be suicide considering our circumstances," I said irritated.
"I mean, being hunted down and forced to live day by day isn't exactly a new thing for me. I've been through worse, and I'll get through this," she said before turning around and continuing walking.
"Who said I was done talking? You literally respond with hostility or annoyance to anything I propose. I would assume you would understand that cooperation is the best thing we could do to survive," I angrily said.
"Like I said, I've been through worse. I've been doing this for the last five years. I can do another five," she said, still not bothering to face me.
"I don't care how long you've been doing this. Also, if you have so much experience, then why don't you just leave now? Nothing is stopping you," I pointed out in an annoyed tone.
She finally turned around again, looking angrier than before. "You seem to be just repeating what you said earlier. It's stupid, and it would get me killed. It's not like I can apply all the skills I've learned, especially considering the different environments. Along with that, this world is different than my own, and yours too, well, I assume at least. It's not like I can apply all my skills in this world that clearly operates on different logic than what's normal for us," she angrily snarled.
This, in turn, angered me, so I responded, "This still does not solve the core issue. We have to cooperate. You're so angry about working together and how you dislike it, yet you also seem to recognize that if we don't, it will end badly!" I angrily exclaimed, pointing at her.
"Listen, I don't care what you think. I do my thing, and you do you. Whenever we get into a situation where I can split up with you without dying in the long term, I'm taking it," she angrily yelled before turning around and quickening her pace.
I glared at her as she quickened her pace. Normally, Nickoli would jump in, but I guess he just gave up, which, in all honesty, I would too if our lives weren't on the line. He followed suit in speeding up, which left me in the hypothetical dust.
"I'm not wrong for being mad, am I?" I quietly whispered to myself.
Normally, I would talk to someone else, like my dad or my friends, to ask if I'm handling a situation well or not. Though considering how the locals are treating us, I doubt I can ask for help. Still, though, I'm not 100% certain if I'm being too pushy and, in turn, forcing Faith to dislike me, or if she is just being aggressive for no reason.
While normally I could piece together that Faith is probably the one being aggressive, these are different circumstances. We were taken from where we originally were and transported to an unknown world, I through a video game, not sure about those two, though probably through something similar.
Either way, I just don't like being forced to save a world that clearly hates us, but what can you do? In the end, I can just keep moving forward-
I was looking down at the ground, mentally talking to myself with my inner dialogue. However, when I looked ahead, I could see that both Nickoli and Faith were far ahead of me. I really have to watch my surroundings more often. I guess I can take Faith's one-word advice seriously and observe my surroundings.
Actually, now speaking of my surroundings, it seems that the trees are thinning even more than before. I'm still pretty nervous about whether this means that enemies are nearby, especially those guards. Speaking of which, I still have their weapons in my storage or whatever.
I opened my storage to view where they were. They seemed to have not changed at all since last absorbed, so that's a relief. I can assume that everything stored in the gem is just safe in an undisclosed space of sorts. Speaking of stuff from the enemy...
I took out the pouches I had been carrying, which were supposedly containing the Lizardmen's money. I still couldn't make any sense of how much money this was or if it was very little or too much. I took a couple of them out to see if I could recognize any shapes or patterns that could indicate their value.
To be completely frank, it all seemed like unknown gibberish, even when looking closer. I can make no sense of it. There is this one symbol that is similar to a circle, yet it's bumpy and missing sections in some spots. Not sure what it means, but I can assume it gives the value or is of some significance.
I lazily put them back into their pouches before increasing my pace to catch up with the other two. While I was a bit anxious about the trees starting to thin out in density, I can hopefully assume that this time we can hold our own against any threats. Then again, I just hit level 25, so it's not like I got a massive power-up or anything.
I moved hurriedly across the forest floor. Luckily, there was also a lack of shrubbery due to the lack of trees in general, so I paid little mind to it. However, I began to slow down as I heard the tempo of my feet running being mimicked by something in the distance.
I slowed down and turned around quickly, only to see nothing surprisingly. I was a little suspicious, but I just assumed it was a small animal, maybe scurrying around, which I cared little about. So, I continued my run. However, it happened again.
This time I slowed down to a jog, maybe out of anticipation for something. This world has plenty of surprises, so it never hurts to be cautious. I checked my HP at the top left, and my bar was approaching full, so at least the bandages did help, I guess.
The movements seemed to adjust to my pace as I continued to alternate between walking and jogging, trying to reconfirm my suspicions. It couldn't adjust in time, so I decided to fully slow down to a stop and began looking around my surroundings.
Everything seemed... normal. The sun was still high in the sky, and the trees were wavering in the wind. Surprisingly, there was no chirping of birds or anything of that nature. I'm not sure if this world even has birds or something similar. However, it was not the time to dwell on that. I continued searching for anything off or weird.
There were random large clumps of shrubbery in between the trees; however, I doubted anything big could hide in them. Well, unless they had a shrinking ability or something. I wouldn't even be surprised, to be honest. I continued to look for a good minute but found nothing off...
I untensed my muscles and turned around. "I must be tripping or something," I said to myself before beginning to walk toward where Nickoli and Faith were.
They got out of my field of vision, probably went through a clump of shrubbery that makes them-
I heard the sound of rapid movement behind me. I quickly turned around only to see what I can best describe as a saber-toothed tiger running straight towards me. I aimed with the weapon form I currently had in my hand, the ore viper core revolver.
I took aim and was able to land one good shot on its body. However, before I could recover from the recoil to take another shot, it had already closed the distance and was right in my face. It opened its mouth and bared its two large fangs at me, preparing to bite. Luckily, in a panic, I was able to slam my revolver down on its head, making it close its mouth, probably from the small concussion I gave it.
Now, the force of the flying animal slammed into me as it practically headbutted me and sent me off my feet, pinning me onto the ground with its body.
"Shit, you're heavier than I expected," I said while attempting to push the body of the saber-toothed tiger off of me.
The only noticeable difference from a normal saber-toothed tiger is maybe its larger size and the spiky mane it has for some odd reason. Not sure why or how it has that, but that's not important. It's starting to move again.
It quickly got on its feet after a bit, giving me the opportunity to put some space between us again by quickly crawling away. I was considering changing my weapon form to my dire wolf submachine gun, but I just decided to stick with what I was using.
I quickly focused on the saber-toothed tiger lookalike to confirm if it truly was what I thought.
Saber-Toothed Tiger
Guess I was correct in that analysis. However, the tiger did not give me much time to celebrate as it began to move towards me hastily. Luckily, I was able to get on my feet again by that time, so I fired two shots at it before it got too close. I think one of them missed, and another hit its legs as it seemed unaffected and continued its assault.
This time, it tried to slash at me, but I knew it was coming due to its raised hindlegs. So, I switched to my dire wolf submachine gun for that little agility boost to dodge. I was able to narrowly move to the side as it attempted its attack. I quickly aimed in its general direction and shot a flurry of bullets toward it, which had an immediate effect.
The bullets, unlike before, didn't just evaporate after hitting their target. They acted like normal bullets, piercing through its skin. This made the tiger leap back multiple times to create some distance. However, I wasn't letting it get away that easily.
I continued firing as many controlled rounds of bullets as I could. While I was limited to short bursts, it seemed to be more than enough, considering the large beast began to slow in its movement. I was confused at first; however, I saw how the spots that I shot on its legs with my revolver had a yellow outline.
I was unsure what that was about, but then I remembered it having a paralyzing poison bullet, so that must be why its movements had begun to slow. The tiger, in turn, suddenly began to run straight towards me. In a panic, I just began to run backward while shooting as best as I could. However, this was ineffective as the tiger was closing in fast and was about to be within biting distance. Then it suddenly stopped moving.
It locked up its legs and began to spasm uncontrollably before stopping completely.
I was still in shock from the ambush, so in a shaky voice, I said, "The hell?"
I moved a little closer and nudged it with the muzzle of my gun, but there was no effect.
"Is it dead?"
EXP +100
"I guess that answers that..."
I was still pretty shaky from the whole ordeal, but I did not have much of a choice but to dwell on it. I couldn't let myself get separated from Nickoli and Faith, no matter how much they annoyed me for now. I quickly grabbed some materials from it and unlocked a new weapon form while I began to quickly jog to where they were heading.
Saber-Tooth Tiger Double Barrel Shotgun LV 1
Abilities Locked Equip Bonus: +5 Attack
Equip Effect: Hearing Improvement (Small), Sight Improvement (Small)
[O,O]
"A shotgun? Okay, now that's a first," I said to myself while running.
I'm not sure what sight and hearing improvement does, but I assume it just improves them in some way. Though I'm not sure if it just makes me more sensitive or what. I guess I can see a little clearer, I suppose. I decided to hold off changing to my new weapon form as I'd rather keep the submachine gun on hand in case another one tries to attack.
After a minute of running, I came across where Nickoli and Faith were. They were hiding in some foliage.
"Where the hell were you?" Faith quietly cursed at me.
"I was busy fighting for my life, that's what," I said, irritated.
"Lower your voices, please," I heard Nickoli whisper from his tankette.
"What's going on?" I asked him.
"We found another village."
End of Chapter 9
[Other World Index]
[Holy Ranged Weapons Stats]
The Holy Ranged Weapons unlike its two vassals, has a more balanced set of stats. The only two outliers are its higher attack in exchange for some lower defense. This in turn makes the Holy Ranged Weapons more of a multirole with some exceptions.
Authors Note:
Hello everyone, firstly I wish to apologize for the slightly delayed post, I was caught up with some stuff so I hope you all can understand. This chapter was also fairly slower-paced compared to the previous one, with a small action sequence at the end. The relationship between Faith and Alex remains strained, will it stay like that, however? Find out next…well, I guess later this week in Locked and Loaded in Another World!