Across The Realms

Chapter 18 (Holly Vendetta Chapter 5)

Retracing our steps to our protagonist's previous whereabouts.

Kairo's vision remained dark. The fact was known that he had already jumped to the following world, yet nothing could be seen. He could not feel the ground, but he was not falling. He was just floating about in the darkness, as though there was no presence of gravity in his midst.

"Where am I?"

A monotonous woman's voice echoed around him "Do you wish to allocate your skills?"

"What?"

"Answer is unorthodox, activating countermeasure sequence."

After a short pause, the monotonous voice continued "Scan completed. You lack the observational skills towards danger, putting your life at risk at all times. Unique Skill Acquired, Oblivious. Oblivious will enable the player to be immune from all forms of debuffs."

"Hey, that's pretty rude to just call me out like that! I have a decent judgement of..."

Almost simultaneously, Kairo was standing on his own two feet on unfamiliar grounds, his vision was clear and all he could see was four walls in a room with torches hanging on each of them.

"... Things. Okay, what just happened?"

Patting his body down to ensure he arrived in one piece, ending off by looking down at his hands.
With confusion piling on by the second, Kairo remained ignorant of the abrupt sound of large doors opening in the distance as he attempted to quickly gather his thoughts. Though, it was short lived as he sensed the presences of another near him. Turning his body, he spotted a woman. With the intent to satisfy his queries, he lifted his right hand in an attempt to greet. Instead, the woman charged at him and jabbed through his raised hand with a long sword.

Time froze with the world shrouded in a faded color of blue as the monotonous voice returned again "Battle mode engaged. System Error! You will not be entitled to the tutorial mode."

"What?!" Kairo yelled as the color reverted and everything began to move once more

The attacker screamed at Kairo "You! You are all that stand between me and the salvation this world deserves! You have to die!"

Attacked right off the bat? Kairo could not believe how consistent he was attracting violence. In a state of panic, he stretched his leg forward and kicked his attacker in the stomach. The hit forced her to back off, pulling the sword out of his hand.

Readying himself for a follow up attack from the woman, he mentally prepped himself to dodge it. Without a second to lose, she leaped at him once more as she swung her blade down center. Taking a step back, Kairo dodged it by the skin of his teeth.
Thinking he was out of harm's way, she surprised him by grabbing the wrist of his right arm and whispered something under her breath. Standing there, Kairo was predicting the possible terrible outcomes in his head. Instead, the two stood there for a decent few seconds in awkward silence, before the women's expression of confidence turned into fear.

Frowning, the woman yelled "Mist of Fear!"

As those words left her mouth, a thick yellow mist encumbered them whole. Kairo stood there unaffected by the effects of the mist, ruining its entire purpose. Realizing that dragging this misunderstanding on any longer would do him no good, Kairo instinctively pulled the woman towards him and tossed her upside down. Kairo froze as he was applauding himself in his head, for experimenting a grapple toss on his attacker for the first time after only watching it on television during his days in college. As she landed on her back, she stared blankly at Kairo.

"Can we talk now?" Kairo asked awkwardly

"I will not entertain your trickery. I'm not sure how you are resisting all my attacks, but I will kill you."

"Okay. Do you mind turning off that kill crazy attitude for just a moment? I don't know who you think I am, but I am no threat. All I want is answers."

"Answers?"

"Hmm... Where do I begin? Where are we? Why are you attacking me? Who are you?"

Jumping up onto her feet, Holly guard was still up.
"You are the protector of the artifact, are you not?"

"Woman, you be crazy."

Pointing her sword at him, she responded "You speak funny. Why is that?"

"What do you mean I talk funny. You sound like a medieval era fanatic."

After going back and forth for the next couple of minutes, Kairo sorted out the extravagant misunderstanding Holly was going through.

"Anyways. So, I'm gonna assume that the thing you were looking for is that sword over there?"

"What sword?"

Sitting above an altar laid a sword made out of stone pierced into the very center.

"Yes!" Holly exclaimed as she bolted for it

Placing her two hands onto the hilt, she pulled with all her might. To her dismay, it would not budge. Not an inch. Not a single millimeter.

"Having an issue with Mjolnir?" Kairo joking said as he walked up beside her

"I'd help, but my right hand is about to go numb from all the bleeding."

Facepalming herself, Holly passed Kairo an elixir that appeared out of thin air. With hand gestures, she signaled him to drink it. As he followed suit, the wound on his hand covered itself up till it was as good as new.

"What the bongos! The pain is gone and so is the wound. This world is really something."

Pointing at the sword, Kairo asked "You told me you came here to find this to avenge your family, but what exactly would removing this thing do?"

"According to the knowledge I'd gathered about this dungeon, it would..." Holly tried to explain as her words grew soft

"Pardon?"

"It would... destroy the world." She purposely muttered

"Now, you're just messing with me. What would it do?"

"It would destroy the world!" Holly yelled out as shr continued pulling at the sword

Kairo fell on his buttock upon hearing the response.