The two exited the portal to a metal-gray room filled with more soldiers pointing guns towards them from behind a clear barrier. Kai immediately tensed up at the sight of them, but Artyom put a calming hand on his shoulder.

“Hey everyone, say hello to our newest recruit!” exclaimed Artyom while waving at the soldiers with his free hand.

“Artyom! If you’re here, I can only assume the mission was a success?” asked one of the soldiers, in a thick German accent.

“It hurts that you would doubt me like that, Frederik,” said Artyom, feigning heartbreak. “Of course it was, and we even got everyone back home.”

“I didn’t doubt you for a second, but it’s that last part I was concerned about. Though it looks like one person stayed behind?”

Artyom nudged Kai’s shoulder, and asked him to introduce himself.

“Uh, hi. I’m Kai Freeman… from Earth.” He felt ridiculous saying that last bit, but what else was he supposed to say? All of the others besides Frederik kept their guns trained on the two.

“Hello Kai! I’m guessing you’re American from that accent? Now I wonder which America you’re from. Perhaps the one where you lost the revolutionary war?”

Kai froze at Frederik’s response. Which America? He supposed it had to do with multiverse theory, since there were multiple fantasy worlds out there teleporting people from earth, there could also be multiple earths being drawn from.

“I’m just messing with you!” said Frederik, interrupting Kai’s thoughts. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a version of Earth where America lost that war. Now the Civil War…”

“Oh, leave him alone, Frederik!” said Artyom in a playful tone. “I’ve never heard of a version of Earth where Germany won either of the World Wars!”

“So the dog does have a bark to go along with his bite!” laughed Frederik. “Anyway, welcome to the team, Kai. Both of you will need to be checked over before you can continue into the rest of the facility. Security and all that. So please, step forward into the marked yellow zone and state your names and affiliations.”

The two did as was asked of them and made their way to the yellow square that was spray-painted onto the concrete floor.

“I am Artyom Choi, Captain of the Terran Defense Force, member of the Terran Otherworldly Advocacy League’s executive council. This base is where I keep my things, I guess. I can’t really call it a home with how much I’m out and about.”

“I’m Kai Freeman. Student at Walkerman High School in New Jersey. That’s also where I live, New Jersey, not the high school. Yeah.”

A light above the two flashed green for several seconds, and then a spray of strong-smelling clear liquid lightly doused the two. Kai hadn’t expected that latter part.

“It’s a security measure,” explained Artyom. “You never know if a doppelganger or someone disguised as one of us came through, unless you check! And that’s not to mention any biologicals hitching a ride on your clothes or skin. Thus the truth spell, bioscanner, and disinfectant.”

Kai simply nodded along, too ignorant as of yet of everything to even know what questions to ask. A pair of thick metal doors in front of them slid open and they made their way into the heart of the building.

“A word of warning, Frederik,” began Artyom. “It looks like Abhi is recruiting one of the locals for help on magic. Keep an eye on her, I don’t trust anyone from that world, especially that stupid king’s court.”

“Will do. But really, Artyom, you need to stop being so cynical all the time. Maybe you’re due a mission in a Fairytale World?”

“As if that’ll happen. Only newbies get sent there, if at all. I’d better show Kai here around first, talk to you later.”

“Ja, see you around.”

Before the duo could exit the room, another figure walked through the portal, brandishing a sword and covered in plate armor branded with the Valenloft Kingdom’s insignia.

“For King Reginald!” he shouted, as his sights turned to Artyom and Kai. He made a mad dash for the duo with his weapon raised, ready to avenge his fallen liege. He didn’t make it more than three steps.

“Fire!” shouted Frederik, and the men and women behind him trained their guns at the soldier and unleashed a storm of bullets. The supernaturally resilient bits of metal pierced his steel armor through both sides, carrying trails of blood and viscera as they collided with the far wall of the room. The walls’ magical lining arrested the bullets’ momentum like a baseball hitting a catcher’s mitt.

The noise from the weapons discharge left a ringing in Kai’s ears, and he couldn’t hear what the group was saying after the extreme show of force. It didn’t matter anyway, because as soon as the initial shock cleared, Kai ran out the open steel door and hid around the first corner he could find.

Kai was hunched over on the balls of his feet, keeping his head behind the wall and attempting to listen out for anyone approaching despite the ringing in his ears making it quite difficult. His face had an almost vacant expression that belied the single directive in his mind- survive. He felt a hand felt on his shoulder, making him jump forward and turn around to face them. It was a lady with dark red hair wearing a thick, white coat with a large, red plus symbol plastered on the center. There was a small group of people in similar uniforms behind her.

“Do you have any other injuries?” asked the lady. Kai’s hearing immediately cleared up and he could hear exactly what she said.

Kai, still in a state of fight-or-flight, jumped back and raised his fists in a defensive gesture.

“He’s going through shock. One of you stay back and sedate him if necessary.”

“Kai, Kai!” shouted Artyom from behind him. He ran up while waving a hand, trying to get the medical staff to not take any drastic action with him.

Kai turned around again, ready to throw a punch, but eased up after seeing Artyom with his hands raised in supplication. He lowered his own hands until they were by his side again.

“You alright, there?” asked Artyom. “That’s honestly never happened before, and I’m sure after the security team hears about this, it’ll be the last.”

“What have I gotten myself into?” asked Kai.

“Hopefully a better life,” replied Artyom. “Sorry that this had to be your first impression, we’re usually better than this, but we’re not perfect.”

“Artyom, we’re headed to portal room 3, what’s the status?” asked the lady who had healed Kai.

“Everything’s under control, Claire,” replied Artyom. “One of the enemy soldiers snuck through the portal and tried to jump us, but the guards were able to stop him. None of us are injured and there’s probably not much left of the soldier to work on.”

Claire nodded in response and motioned the small group behind her to follow as she made her way towards the carnage. After they’d left, Kai was still taking deep breaths in order to calm himself.

“Listen Kai, I know that this isn’t what you had in mind for a ‘magical isekai adventure’, but truth be told, neither did anyone else here when they were shanghaied from Earth. How about if we grab some hot chocolate and calm our nerves?”

“Yeah…” said Kai, letting out most of his tension in a heavy sigh. “I could go for some some hot chocolate.”