It's freezing.
That's the first thought that comes to his mind as Kent's consciousness slowly returns. His body feels as if it's been thrown into a snowfield — or something just as cold. And there are other scents too — smoke, the stench of burning and… steel?
No — more like the metallic tang of blood.
Kent opens his eyes, and his suspicion is confirmed.
It is the smell of blood.
-----
It was an ordinary weekend.
At least, that's what Kent thought. A weekend spent doing nothing but sleeping, eating, and playing games. His mother would have disagreed that it was anything close to "ordinary" but well, that's just how parents are. They can never seem to come to terms with the fact that their son is a lazy ass who enjoys staying home playing games more than going on their arranged blind dates.
It was for that very reason that Kent rented an apartment to live on his own, far away from the nagging of his parents and sister. Why couldn't a man simply enjoy his days off without having to "find a relationship"? He refused to waste money on women — money that was better spent on buying new games on sale. And somehow, there were always games on his wishlist that went on sale. Kent blamed a certain fat guy for that.
It's not like Kent isn't interested in girls. On the contrary, he's very interested. Sadly, the feeling isn't mutual. Every time a girl asks him about his hobbies and he replies with "games," the conversation quickly turns into something like, "Ah, I forgot to feed my cat…" — which roughly translates to, "Oops, I suddenly have the urge to get out of here." And just like that, no further contact.
That's why Kent decided to stop trying and focus on things that would never reject him — games. That's also why he doesn't play masocore action games because, just like girls, they reject him hard.
No, Kent is a strategy man. Only strategy games for him.
And so, on that ordinary weekend, he once again booted up his favorite strategy game — the one he'd already sunk more than a few thousand hours into.
"If only I spent that much time chasing girls," Kent sighed. He almost sounded like his mother just now.
The forecast had warned of a storm that night and sure enough, by afternoon the sky was already pitch-black. Not that it mattered to Kent. With a cup of hot cocoa by his side and his favorite game running on his PC, he could weather any storm.
He couldn't have been more wrong.
Can't blame him, though. Unlike "ordinary" people, he didn't have any reason to go outside. He had all his snacks and drinks ready. He didn't even need the internet — he only play offline games anyway. The worst thing that could happen would be a power outage. And even then, Kent had invested in a ridiculously pricey UPS with an external battery pack that cost him an arm and a leg. He simply hated losing his game progress that much. Even if the power went out, his UPS could keep his PC running for another forty to sixty minutes — usually enough time for the power to come back on.
He was ready for everything. Or at least, that's what he thought.
Kent was about to start a new run in his game. He paused for a moment, thinking.
Hmn… which origin should I play this time?
He'd already played all the origins before, so now it was just a matter of deciding which one to replay.
Lone Wolf? Nah, that twelve-member limit is a real pain in the ass. Same for Gladiators. Or maybe Oathtakers… who am I trying to fool? Definitely another Northern Raiders run!
It was like a ritual for Kent — the same process every time he started a new run. Pretend to think, then choose Northern Raiders anyway. He couldn't help it, he just enjoyed playing them. The brutal early game, the balanced starting roster, and especially that fat bonus to loot chance were things he simply couldn't say no to.
It was raining outside, and thunder roared across the sky.
"Ironman mode… checked! Unexplored map… checked!"
Kent happily selected his favorite play settings. Strategy games had to be played in Ironman mode if possible — that was his motto. Every decision counted, every mistake hurt, and every victory felt earned. Add that to an unexplored map with the whole world waiting for him to discover, that was the makings of a great adventure.
The thunder grew louder and closer.
"And… START!"
After one last check, Kent clicked the Start button.
A blinding flash tore through the room as a bolt of lightning struck the apartment building. The sound hit a split second later — a deafening crack that rattled the windows and shook the floor beneath him. For an instant, the world was nothing but white light and roaring thunder.
Then everything went black.
That was the last thing Kent remembered.
-----
What the hell is going on here?
The moment Kent opened his eyes, the world hit him like a nightmare made real.
The air was thick with smoke and the stench of blood. Flames devoured the wooden houses, their embers dancing like dying fireflies in the choking haze. Charred bodies and butchered corpses lay scattered across the ground, limbs twisted in ways no living thing should bend.
Screams tore through the crackle of fire. Men — huge, bare-chested, covered in crude tattoos — roared with laughter as they slaughtered the helpless.
Kent stood there, frozen, his mind refusing to catch up with what his eyes were seeing. Every sound felt too loud, every breath too hot, every second too real.
Then one of the tattooed men — a raider, no doubt — turned to him and spoke, his voice casual amid the chaos.
"They finally submitted after we killed about half of them…"
A chill crawled down Kent's spine. He didn't need to hear the rest — he already knew, and the certainty scared him more than the massacre around him.
"…just like you said, Chief."