Feeling like I had been chewed by, digested and then ‘processed’ by a giant I was roused from delightful unconsciousness. The only reason I did so was due to the scream that could be heard from close by. It was a scream loud enough that it could have easily awakened the dead.

The scream died out and I could just barely make out the sound of a young voice cursing like a sailor. In reality I have never heard a sailor curse, so I will admit I was leaning hard on stereotypes when I described it as such.

With more effort than should be necessary, I forced my eye open a smidge and the only thing I could see was the colour purple. A purple I knew far too well, and with understanding of what I was seeing I felt myself gag.

With muscles that felt like they were on fire and with a thousand needles stabbing into them I pushed myself to my knees and started retching. I spat and coughed with tears streaming down my eyes. I tried to wipe the thick goo that had semi hardened all over my body without much luck at all.

It was HORRIBLE, and only with luck did I remember my storage and pulled out a water skin which I first rinsed my mouth with and then poured all over my face. I pulled out a small towel I had brought from my apartment and somehow managed to get most of the goo off my face. The towel was ruined but I could suddenly see.

“It is an honour to meet you Champion.” Said a prepubescent boy in what I presume, had at some point been a pristine white priest robe. Now said robe was filthy with mud, purple goo, red blood and other things I could not easily identify.

“Um… eh, hello?” I asked confused, I looked over the Priest with short golden blond hair and bright blue eyes. The priest smiled and I have to admit that his androgynous face was rather cute. He was a child just before the early stages of adulthood.

“I would love to make a more formal introduction but have yet to finish the treatment.” The boys said and promptly turned around and put his hands on a dirty and immobile Kiyara.

“Kiyara!” I shouted and tried to stand, only to immediately faceplant in the goo. “I want to cry.”

“Just wait over there. You have yet to recover from the healing.” The priest said with what sounded like thinly veiled exasperation.

“You healed me?” My entire body hurt so I was somewhat doubting her words.

“I did, I made sure that you wouldn’t die from internal bleeding. I also aligned your ribs so they could heal properly…” The priest glanced back and for a moment I was sure I saw a very unhappy expression that almost instantly turned back to a neutral smile. “… Might have to set the ribs again.” I heard the priest mutter and I blushed and carefully pushed my aching body into a sitting position.

There was a rather long silence as the priest worked on Kiyara. As she did so, a silvery green light seeped into Kiyara and I think her breathing became less laboured. After I collected myself a little, the memory of seeing Kiyara fly off into the bog had left its marks. I noticed Gilana fainted by the same tree that she had crashed into after taking the hit from the troll.

Gilana’s eyes had rolled back into her head leaving her eyes creepily opened. Her expression of pain was clear as day to see, and she looked to have been holding her no once again straight left leg. I concluded that it had been Gilana’s scream that had awoken me, and I winced imagining how painful it must have been to have her leg forcefully straightened.

“… Done…” The priest said and fell backwards onto the troll stained dirt. He looked exhausted and I was almost afraid to ask but I did so anyway.

“Are they going to be alright?” I feared the answer.

“The human will live. She won’t be walking for a day or two. The elf is still up in the air, but she felt stubborn so she will probably survive.”

“What about Franz? The dwarf, did you…” He cut me off with a tired wave.

“The dwarf will live. He almost drowned in a puddle but he was lucky. Out of the four of you he was the least hurt.” He looked at me tiredly and I felt very ashamed having worked someone so young that hard because of our failing.

“I’m sorry.” I said and lowered my head as much as I could without causing myself too much pain. “And thank you for saving us.”

“Damn right you should be… Ehmm…” He spoke gruffly but stopped himself and after plastering a fake smile on his face he continued. “I’m just glad I made it in time Champion.” He too bowed his head and I wonder if the rougher glimpses I saw were the boy’s real personality. But now was not the time to find out. I glossed over the ‘Champion’ part for now and asked about Franz

“Um…” I looked around. “Where is Franz, I mean the dwarf?..”

“Do you really think that a girl my size would be able to move a grown dwarf?” He sounded incredulous. “Ehee I mean she…” I looked over the Priestess once more and came to a simple and rather rude conclusion. “I can’t tell.”

There was a lull in the conversation and we just sat there in awkward (and my case, painful) silence. So I decided to check my status and winced, then I smiled.

Name: Victor Lynth, lvl 4* Human.

Class: None

Title*: Troll slayer*.

HP: 23/120*

E: 81/118

MP: 72/182*

Will: 113/299*

Attributes: Str: 9*, Agi: 10*, Dex:12*, Vit:11*, End:12*, Int:14*, Wis: 11, Cha:9.

Skills:

Special: Interface, Skill point system, True familiar (Simon), Sixthsense, Telekinesis

Passive: Mind palace 1, Mind 3*, Mana perception 2, Dissection 1*, Swords 2*,

Active: Storage 3, Soul weapon 8, Dimensional magic 3,

Resistances: Magic resistance 3, Pain mitigation 3*, Charm resistance 1, Curse resistance 1,

Boons: Esper

Skill points: 19*

“23 hp left… and that is apparently after being healed, Jesus.” I shivered and checked my log. Something I almost wish I hadn’t.

00.1.4 11:23,21: You have slain a Gruver, essence gain.

00.1.4 11:23,26: You have slain a Gruver, essence gain.

……

00.1.4 11:24,52: You have slain a Gruver, essence gain.

00.1.4 11:24,53: You have accumulated enough essence to reach Level 3. You have gained: 1 Agi, 1 Dex, 2 End. 5 Skill points awarded.

00.1.4 11:24,53: Due to level up, the following effects have expired: Unknown magic, Unknown magic, Unknown magic...... Unknown curse, Unknown curse, Unknown curse……

I stopped reading at that point and just sat there.

Everything hurt, and I do mean everything. I wanted to throw up, I felt sick to my very core. Everything stank and I felt dirty, and it had nothing to do with the copious amount of filth that was stuck to me. I wanted to get away from here, to find a place far, far away. A place without trolls and without FUCKING WITCHES! I was shaking and pulled my legs close and tried to calm myself without much success.

“I almost died… no I was almost made into a toy for that thing…” I had to fight hard to control my breathing. I had been afraid and a bit revolted to the witch before but now… Every time that ‘thing’ appeared in my mind I wanted to scream and run away from those thoughts, and somehow I did.

In the next moment I found myself seated in an old leather-bound chair next to an old lamp that was most certainly not from Savani. I took a deep breath and opened my eyes. The distinct smell of an old library filled my nose and rows of bookshelves filled my view.

“My Mind palace...” I leaned back into the chair and looked up at the high ceiling and was surprised when my neck did not complain at the slight movement. “… I-it doesn’t hurt…” I looked at my arms and almost laughed in relief.

I sensed a slight weight in my lap, looking down I saw a sleeping Simon, he was just like I remembered him, before all this. I gently ran a finger over his back and felt far calmer by this oh-so familiar action.

I opened my mouth to speak but didn’t even know what to say, so I just closed my mouth. I did not know if I wanted to cry or laugh at this moment. “I am alive!..” I drew a shuddering breath. Surviving sure was something to celebrate, but having to celebrate surviving at all was… “For all the things I didn’t have on earth and all the things I yearned for… I never had to worry about survival.” I rubbed my arms, but the goosebumps did not go away.

I had only been in this world for four days but more had happened here than in my entire life back home. I had seen wonders and met people that were so far removed from the world I knew, that I had been riding a wave of youthful excitement until now.

The whole thing was so like a game that I, quite frankly, had a really hard time accepting it as reality. Yet, the pain, the absolute sense of fatigue and the abject terror I had now experienced made everything quite clear. “This world is real and there are things here that are worse than death…” The mere thought of the witch almost made me hyperventilate.

As I sat there falling into panic, Simon rubbed his head against my hand and almost by instinct I petted my tiny snake. That calmed me down a lot and in a few moments my eyes could focus once more and I leaned back into the extremely comfortable chair.

“Fuck this world.” Everything in this world was so fucked up. The people were odd and at least a little insane. The ‘wildlife’ was far too dangerous and every populated area was far too crowded and smelled like actual shit. “And supposedly I have yet to meet the worst this world has to offer.” I spoke bitterly as I remembered the story about the abomination. Just retelling the story had shaken my companions and I wondered how you were supposed to survive such a thing. “Why are there even people left in this world if such things stalk the night?” I took a deep breath and closed my eyes.

“Balls. I want to read something…”As soon as I thought that a thin and worn book just sort of materialized in my hand. “The hare and the tortoise?” I looked down at the worn book and the childish and faded drawing on the cover. “I am pretty sure that cover didn’t look like this…” I turned the book around and saw a blank back-cover. I opened the book confused and read the oddly segmented and hard to write story.

“This can’t be how this book was supposed to be like.” My mother had read me this story many times when I was a child so… “Are they based on my memories? Or are they maybe my memories themselves?” I wondered and thought of another book that I had read when I was little. It was similarly worn and childish. I thought of the primer on Anatomy that I had purchased to bring with me.

“Yeah these are like the day I got them.” The covers were spotless and without any errors I could spot. The text was neat and precise, exactly what you would expect from educational literature. I opened the book and started reading the rather dry text.

I don’t really know how long I just sat there and read. Normally it would be inconceivable for me to lose myself in such a book. But right now, I think I needed the boring and mundane activity more than I could ever have grasped. By the time I was pulled out of my Mind palace I had calmed down a lot.

“Are you alright?” The priestess spoke in alarm. I had just been sitting there hugging my legs motionless for gods know how long.

“… Yeah, I think so.” I chuckled humorlessly. “Curses sure are scary…” I didn’t get to finish my sentence as the Priestess scrambled over to me in near panic. “eh, um…” I stammered as she pressed her hands to the side of my face and brought her androgynous face to mere inches of mine while she peered into my eyes.

A silvery green light started to shine from her eyes and hands and I was transfixed by the beauty and soothing feeling of the light. So much so that I felt my entire body relax and for this brief time I felt completely relaxed.

“By Amoria’s glorious breasts!” The Priestess said and pulled away from me fast enough that she landed on her backside. “H-how are you still sane?” She asked wide-eyed.

“Eehh… what?” I asked, feeling all the stress that had previously started to fade flare up again.

“Y-you were affected by a shitload of Magical effects and curses that affect your resistances and your mind!” She exclaimed.

“D-did you remove them?”

“N-no, they are already expired, I could just sense the residual power…” She looked at me confused and a bit afraid. “I have never even heard of someone retaining their mind after being affected by too many curses and effects that target the mind…”

“I mean…” I started laughing as I looked at the purple stained ground. “I think I was pretty insane, I mean I doubt any sane person would fight a troll like I did.” I laughed, it felt nice to laugh. The look I got from those bright blue eyes, was both a bit concerned and disgusted. This just made me laugh more, at least until I convulsed in pain. I laid back on the dirty ground and looked up at the sky. “Were the others cursed as well?!” I asked the Priestess, concerned.

“I didn’t check.” She answered after a beat. I could hear her walk over to Gilana chant something.

There were a few moments then the Priestess hissed, I looked up and saw the short girl stumble back from Gilana while cursing up a storm and shaking her hand. On her left hand a blackish fog-like substance clung to her small fingers. With every shake of her hand some of the ‘fog’ slid off and soon the Priestess just stood there rubbing her unblemished hand. And yes she was still swearing like a sailor. “Maybe I should call it swearing like a Priestess instead?”

“What cursed you?” She asked me after she had calmed down a bit. Her face was red and she looked at me accusingly.

“A, um witch?” I answered and swallowed hard. She hissed and started pacing while muttering under her breath. Her pacing lasted for a rather long while and when she stopped she looked at me seriously.

“We should leave them and head back to Yallow right now.” She said harshly and eyed the women like they were vipers.

“W-what?”

“They are marked by a Binding curse.” She said slowly. “For all I know they could be the ‘witch’s servants.” She spat, her ‘perfect’ Priestess act had long since faded.

“You can’t remove it?” I asked concerned as I looked over at my unconscious companions.

“I can’t. No one can.” She shook her head. “At least not without killing them or by getting consent from the witch. A Binding curse can only be formed and removed with the consent of both parties.” She almost growled, which was almost cute due to her small stature.

“What does the curse do then?” I asked, thinking back on what little I had been told.

“No clue.” The Priestess stated flatly. “Could literally be anything. The only way to tell is for them to tell you, if they are even able to do so.”

“… So, you just want to leave them?”

“Yes. That would be the easiest way. They simply cannot be trusted.”

“And you can be?” I asked, almost angry. The Priestess looked at me with an unhappy expression. Then she sighed.

“As long as you do not stray from the path of good, or bring harm to me or the Goddess of birth Amoria. I, Lizzandra, Priestess of Amoria, will never act against you or your interests, I will also aid and support you to the best of my abilities for as long as the Goddess wills it.” The Priestess every word reverberated with power. The silvery green power that she had used before flowed out of her and resolved itself into the words she spoke before sinking into her body as she finished. “There, now you know you can trust me.” She might not have hesitated in doing what she had, whatever it was. But she sure as hell did not seem to like it.

“Um… what did you do?” I asked embarrassed. The VERY indignant look she gave me made me explain myself. “I am new to this! I have only been in this world for 4 days!” At my words the Priestess bit back her angry response and sighed.

“I made a divine pledge.” She looked to deflate. “If I break it I will be subject to divine retribution.” She looked at me without expecting me to get it and was about to explain further but I got the point so I stopped her.

“Okey, um… thanks?” I was unsure of how to respond. “Should I do anything?” I asked embarrassed.

“You could pledge to serve the Goddess Amoria, or at the very least to follow her teachings.” She grunted. “That’d be the least her ‘Champion’ could do.” The last part was added with more than a little annoyance.

“So, um… once again I am new, what are eh, Amoria’s teachings?” I asked, trying to sound respectful.

“There are a few, but the core tenets are to protect all new life, to not do evil and to bring life to the world.” She answered with a happy smile that suited her young face.

“There is nothing about devotion or missionary work or anything?” I asked sceptical.

“I don’t know what ‘missionary work’ refers to, but for common followers of the Goddess bringing new life into the world is enough to show their devotion, as long as they do so with thoughts of the Goddess.”

“So you want me to have children?” I asked thinking about a ‘cult’ that ‘communed’ with their goddess by having sex while thinking of said Goddess.

“…” She looked at me confused, then she turned a very bright shade of red. “NO! Well yes, but no!” She sounded more than a little frustrated. “Just planting trees and other plants or breeding chickens is enough!” She said more than a little flustered.

I just laughed, there was such a stark difference between the young girl before me and the Priestess. The girl growled like a small cat then, when I didn’t stop she pouted. I felt a little bad and spoke with a smile.

“Sorry…” I forced down my laughter. “I could swear to that.” I said with a smile that paled when a silvery green light poured out of the Priestess and flowed into me.

I have received your oath, my Champion.

The overwhelming and thoroughly amused female voice rang in my mind and I almost passed out. As my consciousness almost fled me, my vision blurred and for a split second I could see an absolutely gorgeous woman smiling at me mischievously.

The next moment I was looking at the Priestess, she looked just as astonished as I felt and for the longest time we simply stared at one another.

“What the fuck just happened?” I asked finally.

“I-I, I mean… ehh… that is not how that is supposed to work…” The Priestess was utterly flabbergasted and stuttered more than a little. As we were looking at one another, Gilana groaned in her unconsciousness. This returned the Priestess to her senses and a rather stern expression appeared on her face.

“We should leave before any of them wakes up.” She said and began walking. She stopped when I didn’t move. “Come on we should hurry.” I looked at the two women, the two of the people I had spent the most time with in this world. “What are you waiting for?” The Priestess asked with obvious agitation.

“… I… I’m not leaving them.” I said, after thinking it over. I looked at the astonished Priestess.

“W-what?... w-why?” She asked, when I did not immediately respond she stepped towards me almost desperate. “They are cursed! For all we know they might be simple puppets of that witch!” She half shouted.

“And they might not be.” I looked from Gilana to Kiyara over to the Priestess. The Priestess was surrounded in a colourless aura. “She is not concerned for me, but for whatever mission she has or, maybe she just wants me to leave the others behind for some reason. She might not even want to help me, she could have lied. Although, she does have a rather ‘Holy’ feeling to her. Even with all the filth and cursing. Perhaps the clergy of this world can’t lie?”

I was filled with doubt, but one thing was clear.

“I’m not leaving them.” I stated flatly.

“Are you insane?” The Priestess growled. “Or maybe you have a death wish?” I looked over at Gilana and Kiyara once more. “Blue.” I looked back at the colourless Priestess.

“I. Am. Not. Leaving. Them.” I pronounced every word harshly. “You are welcome to leave.” I walked off towards where Franz had bounced off to.

“… you have got to be kidding me…” The Priestess muttered exhaustedly, then she hurried after me. “I can’t leave you! The Goddess gave me an oracle, telling me to guide you! So you should listen to me!” She almost sounded like she was about to throw a tantrum as I waded out into the bog as carefully as I could, in search of Franz.

“These people have been with me almost since I got to this world.” I looked back over my shoulder and Saw the Priestess pacing around the edge of the foul water I was now wading through. “I don’t know why they brought me to the witch, but I doubt they had any malicious intent.”

“They brought you to the witch?!” She shouted.

“Um, yeah they um…”

“And you are still trying to save them?!” She screamed face red with outrage.

“… Well, yes. But I don’t think…”

“You don’t think what? That they did not understand the danger? That they did not think you’d get cursed? They brought you, a Champion, to the domain of a witch!” She was far beyond upset at this point.

“I don’t think they expected me to be cursed, no. Also they only went to the witch since we were late because of me.” I thought back at how displeased Kiyara had looked. “In fact they did not seem pleased about the prospects at all.”

“That could all be an act!”

“And you could be just as bad as everything else in this world for all I know!” I snapped at the Priestess. I regretted my words immediately. The Priestess looked at me both offended and hurt as she stood there in her virtually ruined robes, all alone amongst the stunted trees.

“I-I’m sorry.” I said and had to fight to meet her hurt eyes. “I have only been in this world for 4 days. In that time I have seen a witch who I’m sure could have broken me like a twig. Faced a horde of otter monkeys, had to fight AND cut the HEARTS out of a troll.” I took a deep break and bowed my head respectfully. “In my old world I never had to worry about my own safety. I never had to come face to face with the kind of horrors that my own world would have written off as figments of fiction.” I shook my head and looked up, making my resolve.

“I was however alone, I didn’t have any family, no lover.” I chuckled humorlessly. “I didn’t even have any real friends.” I gave her a half smile and gestured at the dwarf that I had spotted on his back by a small dirt island. “Yet, here I was given a new chance. I was even given a ‘skill’ that allows me to see what people think of me… at least I think it does. And thus I can tell. These people despite dragging me to this hellhole and to that ‘monster’ do not hate me. They are not even ambivalent like the people I met in my old world. No, they actually consider me a friend.” I looked at Franz and the residual blue aura around the dwarf. The Priestess glared at me and I shrugged moving over to Franz.

Franz, it turns out, was very heavy. With my battered body I had some serious concerns about dropping him in the water if I had tried to drag him. I remembered that we had 7 medium grad potions remaining and pulled out two hoping that it would help.

“Don’t do that!” The Priestess snarled and stomped over to me in an angry huff. Well saying that she stomped over was more in the sense of her state. Not her actual style of movement, which was far more like slow wading than stomping. When she reached me, she glared up at me.

“If I’m going to help you with this absurdity, you will have to promise me three things.” She held up three fingers. “One: As soon as we get out of this mess” She gestured around herself disgustedly. “you must go to a temple with me. AND if your companions refuse to go with us, YOU must cut all contact with them.” She glared at me.

“Why?”

“Because an oath before the Gods is the only way to ensure that the three of them aren’t going to betray us for the witch.”

“Us… are you really coming with me?”

“Do you really think I would be here if I had any choice?” She glowered at me and I acquiesced. “Second: You must promise me personally that you will not bring shame or harm to Amoria as her Champion.”

“I’m not sure I can promise that… I know far too little about the world and I’m not some kind of hero or something. I’m sure I will fail and fall short of both yours and the Goddess’s expectations more than once…” I trailed off with a self-decrepit smile.

“… Fine, then you will promise me to at least expend every effort not to shame or bring harm to the Goddess.” I nodded and the Priestess took a deep breath, fear and reluctance clear on her face. “Lastly: You must protect me.”

“Huh?” I was very confused.

“I’m neither a paladin nor even a warrior.” She looked at Franz. “Any one of the three should they choose to, will be able to kill me without much effort.” She looked at me resolved. “If you are asking me to take such a risk for three… no four people I don’t even know you must swear that you will do everything within your power to protect me.”

I looked down at the tiny and frail looking Priestess that had come all the way into the bog on the words of her Goddess. She had likely saved us, all of us and I stood here forcing her to help us even more. If I didn’t agree to protect such a person, ungrateful would be far too mild a word to describe me.

“I hardly have the strength to protect myself, but to the best of my abilities I swear that I will protect you.” As soon as the words had left my mouth my hand burned and a line of iridescent text shone through the gloves I wore. It hurt.