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My heart races as I sprint through this alien forest, the towering trees clawing at the blue-reddish sky. The World knows me as Ronin, Earth's deadliest hitman. Right now, though, I'm but a prey.
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I keep running for a while trying to see if I can find a tree with branches lower enough to climb onto. I remember about the radio that was hung on my waist's left side.
"Frey! Anyone!" I shout into my radio. Static. Great. I curse under my breath and hurl the radio at one of the creatures, hoping to slow it down. It doesn't.
Ahead, I spot a massive tree, but smaller compared to those around it, some branches seemed low enough for me to climb onto. High ground was my best shot. My legs scream in protest as I push harder, leaping for the trunk. I climb, my hands scraping against rough bark. For a moment, perched on a branch, I catch my breath and take in the surreal, twisted landscape below, any physical activity seem to be difficult for me for some reason.
Suddenly The beasts decide to ram the tree trunk in perfect sync. The impact sends vibrations through the wood. Splinters fly, the tree groaning under the assault. Once, then twice and on the 3rd time the tree starts to topple, I leap for a branch on a nearby tree. My hands find their grip, but my heart feels like it's about to explode. Whatever brought me here, survival is going to demand every skill I've got.
The beasts stop abruptly, their glowing eyes dimming. I clutch the tree, panting, my heart still hammering in my chest. Something isn't right. My instincts scream at me to move, but the forest is eerily still now, as if behold of greater threat.
"Why did they stop?" I mutter, my voice barely audible over the rush of blood in my ears. I scan the shadows, the unease in my gut twisting tighter.
The silence feels like a prelude, I look at the book I found when I wake up in this forest but before I can process further, I hear it: slow, deliberate footsteps, heavy enough to vibrate the ground. My throat tightens as I spot the massive wolf stepping into the clearing.
It's huge—easily the size of a small car. Its fur ripples like smoke, and its glowing eyes met mine and there was a haunting air around it, it seemed to assess me with its eyes like intelligent being, but that soon disappears as it bares its fangs revealing its predatory nature But something isn't right about its face, its smiling at me, almost as if it's happy to find me It sends shivers down my spine as my face distort into that of a baffled and terrified look under my mask.182Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG7l6YEeP2r
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The retreat of the zombie sheep suddenly makes sense.
"Out of the frying pan and into the fire," I mutter, gripping the tree tighter.
The wolf's gaze doesn't waver. This isn't just some mindless beast. There's something deeper behind those eyes, unnervingly calculating.
First it licks its mouth then, It lunges. Massive jaws snap shut inches from my face as I dive to the ground, its jaw rips the bark out of the tree. The impact knocks the wind out of me, but I'm already scrambling to my feet. The forest feels claustrophobic now, the once-towering trees pressing in like a death trap.
"Nice doggy," I say, my voice steady despite my racing heart. "I'm just a tall, lost squirrel. Surely you've eaten enough for today?"
The wolf crouches, muscles coiling. My hand brushes against something in my pocket—a high-frequency emitter, meant for disabling security systems. It's a gamble, but it's all I've got. I activate it. A piercing whine fills the air. The wolf's ears flatten, and it recoils with a pained growl.
I don't wait to see if it'll work for long. I sprint toward a cluster of dense trees, my lungs burning. The wolf's enraged howls echo behind me as I weave through the forest, dodging branches and roots. I burst into a small clearing and skid to a halt.
Then the wind changes. It's subtle at first, but then it builds, carrying a strange pressure. Without warning, I'm lifted off my feet and slammed into a tree. Pain radiates through my ribs as I gasp for air. Dazed, I look up to see the wolf standing over me. Its eyes now glow with an eerie greenish-blue light, swirling with energy that feels... Magical. Otherworldly.
Magic? No, that's ridiculous. But whatever this is, it's far beyond anything I've ever encountered. A burning sensation spreads through my left arm. I glance down to see faint, shimmering Branch with Redish glowing veins under my hand. My chest tightens with panic, but I shove it down. Survive first, freak out later.
The wolf lunges again. I twist to the side, my hand closing around the sturdy branch. My grandfather's voice echoes in my head: "Even a small stone can turn a stick into a deadly weapon." Muscle memory takes over. I hurl the branch with all my strength. It luckily strikes the wolf's eye, and the beast howls, staggering back as it rubs the stick out of its eye and it falls near me again.
The wolf shakes its head, the glow in its eye undiminished. It snarls. I ready myself for the next attack as I pick up the stick again.
Before it can strike, the ground beneath us erupts. Massive roots, thicker than tree trunks, burst from the earth. They try to twirl around the wolf who dodges some of them as it closes in on me some twirl around me and raise me up high, tightening like a giant fist., I throw the stick again but it almost misses the eye of the wolf this time as it shakes its head mid-air, The wolf bites off my arm as it jumps but it too gets caught by the vines.182Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoAVOs6IKR0
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"No!! Urgh" I try to shout in pain with the little strength I have left but my body just won't listen.182Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWPgBVnBRFM
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The beast's snarls turn to whimpers before being silenced entirely as it is torn in half.182Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡre8BTlCuv1
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Seeing what I saw, another wave of energy rushes in me, I try my best to free myself from the vines, but they just won't let go.
The sight is so horrifying that I puke, but it's not over. My body freeze as in blur of my suffering I see a massive, spiderlike entity descends from the roots. Its skeletal frame glints in the dim light, its bony limbs tapping against the bark of the tree with an eerie rhythm. It has no eyes, I don't particularly hate arachnids but I certainly don't like this one. My chest tightens as it steps closer. Each tap of its limbs feels deliberate, like it's savouring the moment. I'm frozen in place, unable to look away as it finally stops a few feet from me, I feel dizzy but losing consciousness here would mean my doom.
For a moment, its head stays looking towards me. Then, it starts turning into something human-like. My breath catches in my throat. I can barely make out its features as the sun's rays casts shadow on it.
"You..." it rasps. Its voice is low, grating, and it feels like it's speaking directly into my mind.
I will myself to move, to flee—but my body remains frozen, trapped in pain's cruel grip. The spiderlike creature advances, its limb stretching toward me. A wave of nausea hits, twisting the world around me. My vision wavers, the air thick with an unnatural stillness. Before the darkness swallows me whole, I catch a final, unsettling glimpse—the creature's bones crack and shift, its form warping into something no longer monstrous... but disturbingly human.182Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfeSCldWzzv
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In the void, I find myself in a dreamlike haze. Floating in an endless white expanse, I'm drawn to a colossal black sphere, its surface rippling with liquid shadows. A blood-red symbol—a 'T'—pulses at its centre, I have seen it somewhere for sure, but where. As I stare, the spiderlike creature reappears, its humanoid form taking shape. Though its limbs are now folded and more humanlike, its grotesque, bony structure remains.182Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLhVxOBZjE2
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"Interesting, to think that a human's mind can be so complex." It says in English.182Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdfniUExgz0
"Who are you?" I ask "Where is here?"182Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoHXOnnUB2u
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"So a human who speaks demon tongue, interesting? *Laughs* I will have you know my name as a reward of letting me have your body." The humanoid replies182Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf5zRjtera8
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"Are you trying to sexually harass me? That won't work on me. Enough scientist, I don't know how you are doing this, but get me out of this world." I demand182Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡImdVNgHsaB
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"I don't know what you are talking about, but I guess its only natural to be baffled about one's death on such a short note." The humanoid says, which doesn't make sense to me at all.182Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSgEaHrIcE5
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"I am Geolard." it says, its voice resonating in the emptiness.182Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEw75pfqllU
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"Geo who?" I ask in a passive way thinking its just some psychopathic scientists way of torturing his victims.182Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuqaprtOX5V
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"The 126th demon lord, and the only Bone-Demon to claim such a title. You witnessed my weakest form... but even that was enough to end the beast that hunted you."182Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0CRPJjMGbB
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I ignore him while wandering around. "I see, a demon lord huh? Seems like someone is into fantasy a lot." I say as I look up at the sphere hanging in the space above, as if watching me.
"You want it don't you? Power to survive in this world?" he says which catches my attention.182Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZCVVKKBup5
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"This world?" I ask182Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRMoWNnqSA4
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"At this very moment, I am trying to take over your body, and as we speak, I am also taking your memories, it comes as a surprise that you are an assassin called hitman named Ronin, the most feared individual in the world. But this world is way worse than where you come from."182Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzYTErihIYQ
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It circles me slowly, its crimson eyes studying me with an unnerving intensity. "You are... intriguing. A human, yet not bound by this world's laws. Your body... it will serve me well."
I glare at it, Defiant. "I couldn't care less about whatever schemes you've got, just get me out of here!" I say, my voice sharp despite the confusion swirling in my mind.
Geolard paused, its head tilting again. "Such Defiance. How quaint. But futile. And here I was trying to make it easier for you." In a blink, it was on me. Its clawed hand wrapped around my throat, and I was lifted off the ground. My vision dimmed as I clawed at its grip, desperation flooding my senses. But as he tried to snap my neck with force I saw The red 'T' flared on the sphere, bathing the space in crimson light. A beam shot out, striking Geolard. It howled in agony, releasing me as it staggered back.
"You... are no ordinary human, How does a human possess his authority?" it rasped, its form flickering as though struggling to hold itself together.
"Seems like the tables have turned huh? Now speak, what's all this about needing power to survive in this world?"182Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡToDLORh6LY
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"You don't realise it? You think some scientist sent you here, but this is actually another world form your perspective. From what is know so far, you are from Earth, a mythological world from the perspective of people of this world." Geolard says as if resisting pain.182Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKHjwATBzyU
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"Why tell me all this?, Why would I trust you?" I ask182Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBviXcwhEht
"That black sphere, it's a lost artifact of the late creator of our planet. He once ruled the multicosmo.." he is interrupted as he glitches.182Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm5PjQMfuzv
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"Ronin, from what your memories show me, you take up contracts don't you? we may not be able to meet again. My soul is being decimated by this black sphere. However, I can still offer you my powers. So please hear my request."
"Power? I still find everything you said hard to believe" I say with suspicion evident.
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"The image you have of demons on Earth is not wrong, but even we demons are prideful beings, I wouldn't be begging you if I could force you right now." Geolard replies, which almost tricks me into believing that he may not be lying.
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"Powers you said, huh? What's the catch?" I ask182Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKkNFbfKUnJ
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Geolard's eyes glinted with a mix of desperation and resolve. "You must kill the evil elven king of the Royal Clodian family. He is the source of much suffering in this world, and his reign must end. In return, I will grant you the strength you need to survive. To think, that I would be bested by a single human.......who just happened to have authority of...the great one.." Geolard goes on to explain a few things to me, how he was friends with one of the former generation heroes and the previous elven king but his son killed him and pushed the blame on Geolard for being a filthy demon responsible of killing him all so he could become king, even using a special poison to weaken his powers to great extent meant only for his kind of demons. He told me some basic things about how my powers may work when I wake up and how the world operates teaching me some basic things about magic and how I cannot use it.182Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡweXVNY6Mzn
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Sunlight filters through the canopy above as I wake up. My left arm and eye burn, and as I pull back my sleeve, faint scales glint in the light.
"What the hell is happening to me?" I think. My mind races as I try to make sense of everything.
"That...was a dream?" I blurt out loud, blinking away the lingering vestiges of sleep although my head feels heavy. "Well, I don't know what's even real anymore."
As I shift, trying to free myself from the vines' grip, a sharp pain lances through my left arm and my left eye. I crane my neck to look and freeze, my heart skipping a beat. Where my normal arm should be, there's now something else—black scales like obsidian and golden veins passing through it glinting in the morning light, and its as if I am wearing an expensive gauntlet.
"What the hell?" I whisper, a mix of fascination and horror washing over me.
Geolard's words rush back: "...consider this new body of yours as a payment of mine. It should be of great use to you in this world. If you absorb enough things—be it a tree's pulp or the flesh and bones of a living being—you can get stronger..."
I let out a bitter laugh. "Great. Not only am I stranded in some nightmare world, but now I'm part demon? perfect."
As I struggle against the vines, they suddenly loosen their grip. For a moment, I feel relief—until I realize I'm plummeting toward the ground. I crash through several thick branches, each impact sending shockwaves of pain through my body.
I hit the forest floor with a sickening thud, my left collarbone snapping on impact. Pain explodes through my chest, stealing my breath away.
"F**k, Great, now collarbone broken as well." I groan, gritting my teeth against the agony. I yank the bone back inside and align it where it should be and thankfully it stick enough to not cause numbness. I drag myself near the tree blood flowing slowly from the torn skin around the collar bone, resting with my back against it.
Lying there, trying to catch my breath and assess the damage, my mind races. A demonic contract, a transformed arm, and now more broken bones than I care to count. This world seems determined to kill me at every turn.
As I struggle to sit up, leaning against the tree trunk for support, I feel something hard digging into my backside. Wincing, I reach around with my right hand, careful not to jostle my broken collarbone. My fingers brush against something metallic, tucked into my belt and partially trapped beneath me.
With a bit of awkward twisting and a few choice curses, I manage to free the object. As I bring it in front of me, my eyes widen.
"No way," I breathe, staring at the sleek device in my hand. "How could I forget about this?"
It's my plasma spear, a piece of cutting-edge technology I'd completely overlooked in the chaos of the past day. The weapon's potential floods back to me—its blade, when activated, burns at over 3000°C, capable of slicing through most carbon-based matter like it's nothing.
A humorless chuckle escapes my lips. "Some hitman I am, forgetting about my weapon when I needed it most." But I guess even this would do little against magical demonic creatures.
As I sit there, I become acutely aware of how uncomfortably tight my suit has become. It's stretched in odd places, no doubt a result of my recent transformation.
My eyes are drawn to the wolf's corpse, a grisly reminder of the night's battle. Despite my years as a hitman, the sight turns my stomach. Human targets were one thing, but this... this is something else entirely, I mostly like to keep things precise and clean. The sheer brutality of it all catches me off guard, livers, intestines all spread out, and some other bluish liquid other than blood is also there.
"Pull it together, man" I whisper to myself, forcing my feet to move. I approach the carcass cautiously, each step calculated to minimize the pain in my collarbone.
As I near the torn upper half of the beast, something catches my eye—a faint, otherworldly glimmer emanating from its belly region. Curiosity overrides my revulsion, and I find myself reaching toward the source of the light using the spear's miniature form to gut the useless regions.
My hand plunges into the wolf's chest cavity, and I immediately feel something solid and warm. With a grimace, I get a grip on the object and pull.
What emerges nearly makes me drop my plasma spear in shock. It's the wolf's heart—but it's massive, almost the size of my Torso. The organ pulses with an unnatural light, and there seems to be some kind of shiny object inside the heart, but it soon loses its glow, I feel like the carcase was becoming squishy and I start feeling less in pain, I look at my collarbone and am baffled to see my flesh and bone joining back although slowly but noticeably.182Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpi7TPeSEwu
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"Did I gain some regenerative power? This feels so...Amazing and uncomfortable at the same time." I think
I notice something else on the ground nearby—the book I found when I came to this world, now covered in dirt. But it's not the book that catches my interest; it's what's lying next to it. I see a strange fruit, and my stomach groans. I'm both thirsty and hungry.
At this point, I figure I might as well take my chances. After all, I've already absorbed a demonic entity and a giant wolf heart. How much stranger could things get?
I bring the fruit to my lips, ready to take a bite, when suddenly something unexpected happens. The skin of my right hand begins to ripple and change, taking on a texture similar to my transformed left arm. Before I can react, the fruit starts to dissolve, being absorbed directly into my palm.
"What the—" I exclaim, dropping the half-absorbed fruit in shock. I stare at my right hand, watching as the scales and strange texture recede, leaving behind normal human skin once more. "Oh, come on! Now both arms are getting in on this absorption act?"
I flex my fingers, feeling a surge of energy course through my body. The hunger and thirst that were gnawing at me moments ago have subsided, replaced by a feeling of renewed strength. Even my wound starts to heal more.182Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFzzksXGJ1d
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I look around and notice something wrong with my sight. I can also see strange things from my left eye, its uncomfortable, as if I am on some heavy drugs.
I look down at the remainder of the fruit, then at the book lying in the dirt. With a sigh, I pick up the book, brushing off the soil as best I can. Who knows—in this world of magic and monsters, even a dirty old book might hold some crucial information.
As I tuck the book into what's left of my stretched-out suit, I can't help but wonder what other surprises my body has in store for me. It seems that with each passing moment in this realm, I become less human and more... something else.
"Alright, gods." I think, gathering my plasma spear and what's left of my wits. "What's next on the menu? Because at this rate, I wouldn't be surprised if I start breathing fire or growing wings." I start to aimlessly walk through the forest, ok not clueless though, I walk toward the direction in which it looks like the sun of this world will to set.
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