[Carrie] Chapter 2: Into the New World

Throndir · January 10, 2019, 02:14:05 PM

《Chapter 2: Into the New World》

Location: ???
Date: ???

When you woke up, you found yourself floating seemingly in midair. You were clothed in civilian clothing, and you soon realized it was your own clothes. The memories of what had just happened flooded into you then, but there were no wounds at all. You were surrounded in complete darkness, save for a glowing sphere-like structure was in front of you. It looked like an eye of some sort, and eventually, it began to speak.

"Welcome to the afterlife, Carrie."

Erynn · January 10, 2019, 03:35:28 PM

Carrie looked on for a moment, not quite believing what she was seeing. Perhaps seeing wasn't the right word. Given the lack of wounds, it was clear to her that the images weren't being perceived through a set of eyes. She wondered then briefly just how she was seeing before the weight of the words the orb had apparently spoken finally sunk in. This was the afterlife. Carrie had died.

On the one hand, she had known what the outcome of the battle was going to be. She had called in a massive airstrike on her own position, after all. On the other, she now had a chance to think back on her choices with the benefit of hindsight. Her family was going to be devastated by the news of her demise. For all they had worried about her while she had been deployed overseas on highly classified operations, to lose her after she had been brought back state-side to train new recruits would be a particularly harsh blow.

She knew that her Father would take the news particularly hard. While her mother had been dead-set against Carrie joining the Marine Corps, her father had been exceptionally proud of her decision to follow the same set of ideals that had led him to enlist when he had been her age. She knew that he would likely blame himself to some degree for setting her on the path that he had. The fact that it was unlikely there would be much left of her to bury wasn't going to help matters. She only hoped that whatever accolades she had earned during her final day on earth would give the retired gunnery sergeant that was her father enough solace to carry on. Carrie knew that there would be no consoling her mother though. Even if she had gone out of the world in about as spectacular a fashion as it was possible to, the simple fact was that no parent is ever meant to bury their child.

Strangely, Carrie herself felt little sorrow concerning the end of her life. What little she did feel was reserved for those who cared about her, and would no doubt suffer greatly for her loss. Carrie had enjoyed life to the fullest while she was alive. Even though her time had been relatively short, she didn't have any regrets. Only fond memories remained. Carrie realized that she hadn't left anything unfinished. She had no loose ends to tie up. She was at peace. It was with this understanding of the situation that she finally responded to the blue glowing ball before her.

"That was one hell of a ride.", she commented, then inquired with mild confusion, "What exactly am I looking at here?"

Throndir · January 10, 2019, 08:29:00 PM

The being spoke, but in a very monotone voice. When it spoke, the glow that made it up seemed to flash. It was much like seeing a person move his mouth to speak, but instead of movement, the glow of light would either get brighter or dimmer.

"This is my domain. To others, it is a void. But for you, it's a simple stop until your next destination. This is a place between worlds, where there is nothing but what I will to be here."

Right next to it, a projection of some sort appeared, it was a recording of what looked to be the metallic creatures who seemed to be in some sort of dark void, similar to space but without stars, bashing into something, forming cracks on it. Eventually the cracks gave way, showcasing a view of your hone planet in between the cracks.

"Their presence. A mistake."

Next, the image on the projection changed. It was now one of you succumbing to your bleeding wounds the moment you had killed the metallic creature.

"Your death. A mistake."

Next the images changed again, and this time it show-cased many flashing images of destruction one after another, on every part of the world.

"3,583,233,843 human lives lost. A mistake."

The being willed you to move closer, and you found yourself drifting closer to it, it seemed to loom over you, almost staring into your eyes, if it even had one.

"Your presence here. A mistake." It paused for a few seconds.

"A second chance you will be given. Reparations must be granted."

Erynn · January 11, 2019, 07:18:41 AM

As Carrie watched and listened, in abject horror at the images flashing before her, she finally found her voice as she began to question one of the core values that had comprised her world view.

"Three point five billion lives lost because of some colossal cosmic fuckup?", she spat acerbically, "So much for the idea of an all knowing, all powerful god running the show."

Carrie then realized in that moment that one of the common phrases she had uttered over the course of her life wasn't actually true.

"So not everything is part of a big master plan after all........", she notes with growing disappointment, "I feel like a complete idiot."

While Carrie had heard the mention of a second chance, her focus remained firmly planted on the gravity of the preceding revelation that nearly half the human population had been wiped out, and the fact that her entire world view, indeed the very foundation upon which her core values had been built, had just been completely upended.

Carrie had already begun to consider the many different ways her life could have potentially unfolded had she known what she now understood to be true. Faith, it seemed, could not be the answer to any of life's questions, even if there was some form of cosmic entity waiting to greet her at the end. Clearly, fallibility was not the exclusive domain of mankind. She now wondered if a cosmic being like the glowing blue orb before her was capable of learning from a mistake as any human being would. Finally, after a great deal of introspection in a very short time, Carrie responded to its last utterance.

"What exactly is involved with this second chance?", she inquired warily. While she didn't know if this specific being was responsible for the error that had left half the human race dead or not, she wasn't about to simply trust it blindly. Not after that sort of disclosure.

Throndir · January 11, 2019, 10:13:30 AM

"Correction. There are 486 beings known as gods. Your race's faith in predestination is an incorrect assumption. Levels of sovereignty affect probability, and upon equal measures there is no guaranteed continuity."

"Your second chance will involve a new world. Your old world is an invalid target. Complications arise. Binding laws forbid it."

"As reparations. I will grant boons to ensure life is satisfactory in the next world."

His next words didn't come off as a question.

"Accept."

Erynn · January 11, 2019, 12:38:30 PM

"I suppose that would create something of a paradox if I suddenly reappeared after that mess.", Carrie replied a bit disappointed she couldn't simply pick up where she had left off. The revelation that no deity controlled her fate was at once both mollifying and yet liberating. Regardless of the disappointment Carrie felt over not being able to go back where she came from, the prospect of starting over with this new knowledge seemed more than trivially appealing. It would be, after all, better than staying dead. With a sigh, Carrie responds to the monotone entity. Despite still having a great deal of thinking to do, she could at least give the being her answer.

"Fine. Just try not to drop me in whatever world those things came from, would ya?"

Carrie couldn't help but crack wise at the cosmic entity, knowing now that they were no more perfect than she was.

Throndir · January 11, 2019, 02:53:36 PM

"Arguable, the source of the metallum. However, your request is granted to the limitations of their nature."

A glow of light suddenly appeared next to you. It was bright to look at, but for some reason, it wasn't hurting your eyes at all. You also were gently lowered, and you found that you were able to stand on your two feet. The ground though, was invisible, it was as if you were stepping on the air itself somehow.

"Step through the portal. State your final requests or comments."

Erynn · January 11, 2019, 04:07:40 PM

As Carrie eyed the portal warily, a thought occurred to her, given that the being didn't actually know with certainty where the creatures, Metallum it had called them, had come from. She decided that it would be worth a try to take the being up on its offer to state a final request.

"When I step out the other side, I'd like to be decked out in a fresh set of my standard issue gear.", Carrie tentatively requested, "If that's not possible, at least let me keep what I'm wearing. As much as that could even apply in this situation..... I'd just rather not be stepping through a portal to who knows where with literally nothing. You follow?"

Carrie makes this request as she approaches the portal. Regardless of the answer, favorable or not, she would walk through once it was known.

Throndir · January 11, 2019, 04:39:57 PM

The light around you started to get brighter and brighter, overpowering anything else. Finally when the being was almost out of sight, you heard it's response.

"Your request. Granted."

Location: New World - ???
Date: Day 1

When the light disappeared, you found yourself standing, in your arms was your standard issue M4 Carbine. Double checking everything else, you seemed to be fully equipped. You even had a fairly heavy backpack on as well.

All of a sudden, a stream of notifications appeared in a translucent green window.

You have gained a new title『Summoned Hero』
You have gained『Quick Learner』
You have gained『Mana Sensitivity』
You have gained『Translate All』
You have gained『Personal Status』
You have gained『Magic Reflect』
You have gained a new title『Magicless』
You have gained『Program』
You have gained a new title『Programmer』
You leveled up.
You leveled up.
You leveled up.
You are now level 26. Spend your unallocated points.

At that moment, some sort of snake-lady called out to you.

"Hero! Please liberate us from the humans!"

There were other snakewomen in there, and they all had bowed their heads.

Erynn · January 11, 2019, 07:28:34 PM

Carrie's first sight as she entered the new world being some sort of translucent green window like would be found in a game thoroughly confused her. The list of notifications puzzled her as well but was relatively informative. Summoned hero for one, made a bit of sense given how she had just entered the world. Translate all was plain as day. It also left her thoroughly annoyed. A linguist who didn't need to make use of foreign languages to communicate wasn't going to have any fun learning new ones. Magic reflect and magicless left Carrie more curious than confused. If the world she had just entered did indeed have some form of actual magic, reflecting it would be an incredible boon for someone that didn't know the first thing about it. Program and programmer seemed to indicate that the world she had just entered had at least some level of technology involving computers. Otherwise, she reasoned, what good would anything having to do with programming be? The final few lines were the ones that left Carrie somewhat in disbelief. Level up. Level 26. She didn't have any time to express herself on the point though as a voice suddenly caught her attention. Turning to see that the speaker wasn't exactly human, and the snake-like visage wasn't some trick of the light or a fluke, Carrie utters the first words of her time in the new world.

"Right. Now I've seen fuckin' everything."

Carrie sighs, briefly face-palming at the perceived absurdity of the whole scene. She had expected a different world, but hadn't stopped to wonder just how different it was going to be. Realizing that this was her new reality, Carrie takes a moment to mentally compose herself before responding, electing not to immediately answer the snake-woman's plea but to inquire about the cause.

"You're going to have to be a bit more specific than that.", she informs one upright reptillian woman, "Which humans are you referring to, and what exactly are they doing that you're seeking to be liberated from?"

Carrie was certainly no friend to any tyrant or bully anywhere, but when it came to giving anybody the benefit of the doubt, today was simply not the day for it. Carrie would be more than happy to aid the beings that had apparently summoned her, if they turned out to be forthright with her about the situation. Carrie was, however, very aware of the fact that she had been brought to this world specifically because this group wanted something from her. She sincerely hoped that she wouldn't discover an attempt at manipulation.

Throndir · January 11, 2019, 08:13:44 PM

"I'm sorry hero... Let me explain." Synithise said. You noticed when she talked, her mouths moved differently than the sounds you were hearing in your head.

"I am the clan matriarch of my people, my name is Synithise. You are in the kingdom of Darmona. The humans call this the 'Monsterkin Kingdom', and they don't... they don't really treat us like people." She sighed. "There's a lot to go through... We could serve you some food then we can continue talking?" She asked.

"I wouldn't mind something to eat..."

Erynn · January 11, 2019, 09:16:00 PM

Seeing a complete lack of hostility followed by a proper introduction, Carrie reciprocates and removes her helmet before introducing herself as well.

"My name's Carrie.", she answers, momentarily puzzled by the appearance of a 'bad dub' when speaking with someone face to face before recalling the notification about a 'translate all', "I won't turn down your hospitality, but I hope you won't be offended if I don't have much of an appetite. After what I've seen already today, I'm not sure a full meal would stay put. I could very much go for a stiff drink right about now though."

Carrie's voice at the moment begins to convey the full weight of the day's events beginning to catch up with her, as well as a haunting sense of the sheer abject madness that she had not so long ago been caught up in. She was beginning to suffer from a case of mental and emotional overload, and for the first time in her life the idea of dulling her wits actually had a certain appeal to it. Well, second life anyway. That thought wouldn't get out of Carrie's mind and it was really starting to bother her. She hoped that an opportunity to relax and unwind while learning a thing or two about a new culture would help to calm her gradually fraying nerves. Even if that new culture happened to be some sort of snake people.

Carrie muttered under her breath, "This is my new normal now isn't it?"

Throndir · January 12, 2019, 12:16:28 AM

The snake lady, Synithise, nodded as she beckoned you forward. She then started to lead the way as the other snakewomen moved out of the way.

"Hero Carrie. Well, that's fine! I like both food and drink." She said, perhaps a little too eagerly. "But... Yes, I suppose this is your new life..." Synithise said staring carefully at you watching your reactions, and gauging how you'll react. She continued to speak before you could interrupt however.

"But you'll have food! So don't worry about that! We are also prepared to give you anything you desire, if we can provide it... Our country is rather fragmented after our queen left us, but we, the Lamia Priestesses, have treasures that we've gathered over the hundreds of years..." Eventually the two of you made it to a room a short distance away from where you were first brought here. She pointed over to a well-adorned long table, with two chairs on it. On the table were all sorts of different food stuffs, primarily meats, but there were things that looked like salads and bread as well. There were some goblets that were filled with a red wine of some sort as well. Two other snakewomen had followed behind, the two of them holding guard at the door.

"These are human food... One of the things I like about your people is actually the food." She licked her lips out of habit as she stared at the table. "But, please, come and enjoy yourself."

One of the guards who had followed spoke next.

"It's because of Synthise that we learned all of this... But truth be told, the ritual to summon hero was foretold to always be a human, so it's our custom to prepare dishes like these." The guard explained while Synithise herself seemed to be staring at the food perhaps too fondly.

Whether or not you chose to eat the food, Synithise would start gorging herself on the foodstuff. Often times, speaking with her mouth still full.

"These underground tunnels you are in now, and the summoning ritual you came out of is a treasure that we, the Lamia Priestesses- Oh, you should try this chicken, it's really good." She absentmindedly handed you the stick she was eating, then paused. "Oh, right, humans have things called manners..."

"Anyways! We've have long guarded these ruins. We're the keepers of these ruins. To keep close guard and watch over the summoning runes. But truth be told... According to the human countries around us, summoning you is illegal. But... You're not going to tell them that, right? If they even found out about us, the next thing that'll happen is an army of them marching down into these ruins..." She shivered.

Erynn · January 12, 2019, 02:59:13 PM

Carrie's gaze suddenly shifted as she heard Synithise respond to the sentence she had muttered, surprised that she had managed to understand it.

"It seems you've quite a keen sense of hearing.", Carrie comments, as she unslings her rifle from her shoulder and rests it against the table next to her, "Most of the time, nobody even notices me thinking aloud like that." Carrie eyes the assembled feast for a few moments before reaching for the simplest food item on the table, bread, and a goblet. Not being keen on testing her stomach quite yet, she sips the wine first taking the time to savor the flavors of whatever it was made from, all while she listens to her host explain the situation to her. A single sentence that Synithise spoke stood out to Carrie as being extremely odd.

"Illegal?", Carrie inquired, "Do you mean to tell me that another country is currently governing Darmona? Are you not an independent nation?"

The mention of an army marching into what she now knew were underground ruins also struck her as an odd thing to say, not necessarily because she disbelieved it, but because she could think of more than one way to turn such an event to the advantage of the inhabitants. The lack of a recognized ruler for the people of the land to unite behind was, at least in Carrie's view, far more problematic. A fractured nation that functioned as many small fiefdoms would inevitably have far more issues with its neighbors taking advantage of them than would a unified people. Carrie believed that she was beginning to piece together the puzzle behind her being summoned by those present. If the information she was currently being fed proved true, Carrie knew already exactly the best way to deal with these people's enemies.

"More importantly,", Carrie further inquired, "Where did your queen go, and why? Is there any chance she'll return?"

Throndir · January 12, 2019, 03:41:29 PM

Synithise's appetite was insatiable as she continued to eat the feast. The guards at the door stared almost disapprovingly, but they chose not to say anything.

The snake lady nodded.

"The human kingdom... Well, they're not really a kingdom... Actually, thinking about it, Darmona isn't really a kingdom either! Without a queen or anything... But they call themselves the Felencorp United Alliance. They have the reigns now of our country... Oh it's a long story... Where to begin..."

She paused for a few seconds, then as she grabbed another large steak of some sort of unidentifiable meat, she continued.

"Hero Carrie you really should try this." She said drooling. "Yes... Anyways! The Darmona kingdom was lead by our proud and gentle queen. Life was normal back then. But then two years ago, something weird happened. The people of this world call it the 'Shifting', but... All of a sudden a large chunk of our kingdom suddenly vanished. The royal city, hundreds of other tribes... And instead all that was left was a couple of cities and villages, along with these tunnels that we protect. Our queen was a strong one. It was through ler leadership that she united the many races of our country into one. Unfortunately... When the Shifting occured, our queen disappeared too. The land of Darmona, or rather... What's left of it, is far from its former glory. We were a country that spanned hundreds upon hundreds of miles! But now..." She shook her head sadly. Though, biting into a piece of bread seemed to cheer her right up.

"Now all that's left are a tribe leaders, or, ones they've chosen amongst themselves. And to make matters worse, the human neighbors we had suddenly marched into our cities, and demanded reparations! As I recall... They said something about losing their sovereign lands, people, and infrastructure for their war-effort."

"Naturally, we didn't take kind to this of course. But without a standing army of any sort, they easily subjugated us. We're forced into slavery to the humans, as part of the reparations, and are sent to the front lines of the war they are fighting. That said... I do agree with the war in the fact that demon countries are attacking the civilized nations of this world, but..." She sighed. "We never wanted to be a part of this 'Shifting'. Our people has had enough of it."

"It's said that the hero summoned from the summoning ritual would aid us in our time of need. We thought long and hard about it... But us, the Lamia Priestesses, decided that this was a time to do it. The only problem is... The humans don't really know that we've summoned you. They are aware that most of the other countries in this world have their own summoning ritual, and at least within their sphere of influence, the summoning of heroes is something done that is closely monitored. Thankfully, not a lot of my other people know about the Lamia Priestesses, it was one of the secrets of the royal family line, in case a hero is ever needed."

She slowed down her eating to look up at you.

"Umm... I know this is kinda late, but..." with a slight blush, she stood up from the chair, and began to bow down towards you, with her forehead touching the floor.

"On behalf of the Lamia Priestesses and the Darmona Kingdom, we ask forgiveness from taking you from your world, but also to please save us from the humans of this one!" She peeked up slightly.