The wind howled through the trees like an ancient beast, the leaves rattling overhead like maracas being shaken by an invisible hand. It was way too loud. I opened my eyes into a canopy of green.
Wait a minute, leaves? Why the hell are there leaves? That didn't make any sense. The last thing I remembered was crawling through the floor of my yacht, blood racing out of my neck like the current of Ganges. I was dead. Or at least, I was supposed to be? I reflexively reached for my throat while slowly tilting my head downwards, expecting a scene out of Bloody Mary. There was no wound. No blood. Not even the faintest mark. "What the actual hell.." I muttered, my voice hoarse. And then it hit me, my lack of clothes. "WHY am I completely naked?!" My voice echoed into the forest, startling some unseen animal into scurrying away. I scrambled to my feet and began scanning the area. As far as my eyes could see – I was surrounded by dense forest, trees the size I didn't even think possible, thick underbrush and irregular plants. There were no signs of pavement, cell towers or even the faint hum of distant cars. No sirens, no helicopters rushing to airlift me to a hospital. I began pacing while trying to piece things together. All right, time to regroup.
My name is Reed Grant. Officially an "entrepreneur" according to my social media accounts, but in reality a spoon fed trust-fund kid whose life had been nothing but endless gatherings, expensive things and meaningless power plays. The night had started like any other – another party courtesy of yours truly. One of those pointlessly extravagant gatherings we hold because, what's more entertaining than flaunting your wealth in front of other rich people who want to do the exact same thing? The crowd didn't betray the usual mix: heirs and heiresses who'd inherited fortunes like myself, social climbers whose main skill was backstabbing with a smile and the occasional self-made anomaly – The "came from nothing" Eminem types who fit in anyway because they'd learned how to play the game. I was halfway through a glass of champagne when my fathers oldest friend along with his daughter waltzed over to greet me. After spilling red wine on both of our outfits. His daughter and I slipped into one of the guest rooms to change, though just as I was expecting things to take a turn for something straight out of a certain adult website.. She pulled a blade out and sliced my throat open. No hesitation, no warning, just cold steel and colder eyes. I don't recall doing anything that would breed such enmity. Sure, I'd insulted her intelligence a few times but that's not something to kill over. Anyway, now I'm naked in the middle of a forest…
As I tried to make sense of it all, the sound of crunching leaves pulled me out of my thoughts. Movement. I froze. Through the trees, a small group was approaching. Three figures. Two men and one woman. They marched forward with a dignified purpose, showing off the wary readiness of a group expecting trouble. The first man was a brute. Easily six foot eight, built like a medieval linebacker, his muscles straining against armor that looked both ornate and battle-worn. In his right hand, he carried a sword as long as I was tall. The second man, slightly shorter but still imposing, had a leaner build. His hair was tied back, right hand rested on the hilt of his sword, ready to unsheathe if provoked. His eyes scanned the area with the precision of someone professionally trained.
The woman was harder to read with her guarded approach. Slender, hooded cloak, but what really caught my attention was the staff she carried. The weapons the three of them carried were definitely not the firearms you would expect in our modern world.
They stopped about twenty feet from me. The brute stepped forward. Shouting something, his voice boomed through the clearing, deep and commanding. I jumped. Not because of the words – as I didn't understand what he said – but because the sound of it hit me like a physical shove. He spoke again, his tone deliberate but I just couldn't understand him.
"My name is Brutas Lautrect of the Noble Lautrect Household. I am also the leader of the Prominent Adventurers Party – The Tragic Artists. With me are my trusted colleagues and party members: Edward Lautrect and Frida Mencht. On summons from our nation's King, we have been searching this nearby Forest for a strange, uncommon-looking man not from our land. On that note, you will be coming with us." Of course that's not what I actually heard, to my ears it was just a string of unfamiliar syllables. But from his posture, the pointing sword and the way the other two flanked him, the meaning was clear enough. It's only natural I look weird while aimlessly wandering around a forest naked, talking to myself. I sighed.
Just what is going on here? I wondered. How did I end up in a forest and who are these 3 idiots dressed in costumes? Anyway, I could probably use them to help find my way back. Though that language they spoke in seemed unfamiliar and their weapons did not look like props, they could be dangerous. I decided to proceed with caution. I smiled – the kind of smile I used at shareholder meetings while pretending to like someone – and nodded. Then I tried speaking slowly.
"Hello. My name is Reed." If I told them the truth – about the murder, about waking up here – they would think I was insane, dangerous, or both. So I lied. "I was attacked by thugs two days ago and have been wandering ever since. They.. literally took everything." I gestured down at myself. "Everything." I could see the woman, Frida visibly shudder. "Oh no.. that was stupid, what was I thinking!" I thought internally. Brutas tilted his head, expression unreadable. Of course they didn't understand a word I was saying. I put my arms up and took a small step forward, hoping they would understand the gesture. The woman, Frida abruptly raised her staff, murmured something in that language I couldn't understand; making the air around her vibrate? I could see faint particles circling around her as the staff began to emit a dull glow. Before I could even react, the empty space between my wrists birthed a clump of tree that began to sprout out towards my wrists. I felt a tingling sensation before my arms were bound together in some form of DIY handcuff set. "No way… What did she just do?!" Brutas stepped forward and threw a worn piece of cloth over my body before shoving me in the direction they'd come from. I stumbled, still trying to process the fact that I had just watched someone create handcuffs out of thin air.
And just like that, without ceremony or explanation, my journey in another world began.