"Fuck."

Not the most ladylike language for a goddess, but I never claimed to be a lady, either.

Frankly, I hadn't known what to expect out of this summoning ritual, but I certainly hadn't expected to get nothing. Nothing, however, is exactly what I got, assuming the empty summoning circle at my feet were any indication.

Fear rose in my throat like bile. Did this happen because my powers are waning...? No, the ritual isn't supposed to require any components except a blood sacrifice, which I did. The whole point is to be able to summon help in when you need it, right? I'm sure I did it correctly! Maybe...maybe the spell didn't actually finish?

That was at least one question I could answer for myself. I fumbled with my hands, my movements halting and shaky, so it took longer than it should have to open my status window. As much as I really did not want to be reminded of my current powerless state, I needed to see whether or not my mana had been depleted. Missing mana would mean that the spell had come to fruition.

After a few false starts and one hell of a sigh, I finally managed to open my status window.

Yvinne

LVL ??? Goddess

EXP: MAX | HP: 100% | MP: 39%

[ Patron Goddess of Xael ] [ Great Hero ] [ Eternally Bereaved ] Status Sealed

There it is; undeniable proof that the spell had indeed completed.

As I watched my mana pool slowly regenerate, ticking up a percent at a time, I couldn't decide whether to laugh or cry. On one hand, the summoning had clearly done its job and there was now, theoretically, a brand new hero running around Xael somewhere. On the other hand, I had no damned clue where "around Xael somewhere" was, precisely.

"Why can't something, just one thing, go my way? Just once?" I pleaded out loud while dismissing my status before walking slowly to the room's edge to peer outside through the open-sky windows. The stone railing felt cold under my fingertips and made a soft tik tik as I rapped my nails against it, trying to figure out what to do next. Still talking out loud to myself, I began to pace around the perimeter of the room clockwise, working through this whole situation in my head.

"Alright. I know the spell completed thanks to my missing mana, so I can be pretty certain the hero arrived on Xael. What I need to know now is where exactly they landed, and whether or not they landed in one piece."

The image of a would-be hero, liquefied and splatted in a very unflattering puddle, zipped through my mind, making me shudder from head to toe. That's...not a very comforting thought. I've never heard of a hero summoning going so far awry that the hero was killed in the process, but then again, I've never heard of hero going missing in transit, either.

The problem is that the list of relevant things I did hear about was depressingly short. As much as it bothered me to admit it, I was completely out of my element here. I had no idea what I was doing and no one I could turn to for help; just like always, I could only rely on myself.

"Right then. Let's assume the summoning worked, at least up to a point," I posed to the empty air. "Let's also assume the soul resurrected correctly, because I'm not sure my sanity could handle anything else. That would mean that whatever went wrong happened during the final step, when the reincarnated person is teleported to the location of the summoner's circle. And if that's true, then..."

I ceased my pacing and turned to once again face the windows. Night had long ended; somehow, I had managed to spend more than half a day in this tower without realizing it.

"...Then the hero is definitely here on Xael. I just need to find them." Easier said than done, though. Exactly how do you find a specific person without knowing their name, or even having any idea what they look like? And it's not like we have any handy-dandy communication method that could send out a message to every major city at once...that really would be magical, eh?

This was really not going to be an easy task, but I didn't have any choice, and I knew it. There was very little time and I had no power of my own with which to do anything. And if the signs are telling the truth, then the Great Calamity has likely already started and is in full swing this very moment...!

I'll just have to do this the old-fashioned way. I used to be the best tracker in the village back on my original world, and my time as a Hero certainly helped to improve my skills. I may not have access to my powers right now, but I hadn't had any when I vanquished a Demon Lord, either, yet I still managed to succeed.

I began to feel a little better now that I had a solution, but I had always preferred action over talk. My feet were already taking me back down the tower's spiral staircase, moving automatically while my brain focused on piecing together the whole plan.

If I can't track the hero by normal means, then I'll track the gossip. A strange person popping up out of nowhere, possibly in strange clothes and speaking an unknown language, with no memory of how they got there? There's no way lips won't wag about something like that. I'll just have to go from one place to another, checking for loose lips, until I pick up the trail.

But to do that without revealing who I really am, I would have to do so in disguise.

If my people find out I've lost my powers, all hell might break loose. I can't afford any distractions, even if it means pretending to be a human for a while. I used to be human, so how hard could it be, anyway?

* * * * *

Zachary King

LVL 1 Human Villager Age: 19

Location: Unknown Village

EXP: 0 / 100% to LVL 2

HP: 100% | MP: 100% Error: Status cannot be displayed.

A few days have gone by since I first walked into this half-built village (which I now know is called Stillwater, named after the river I followed to get here) and I was beginning to question the nature of this "dream" I was having. Or, to be more precise, I'd begun to accept that this was likely not a dream at all.

It may surprise you to hear this, but the idea that this might be my new reality doesn't bother me that much. It's not my nature to get upset at things I can't change or worry about stuff I can't control. I think about my family back home all the time, of course, and I really do miss them. It's absolutely my intention to get back to them...but without an understanding of what exactly was going on, how could I possibly find a way to fix any of it? I need information, and a lot of it. So...

Step Three: blend in and observe!

Stillwater was as good a place as any to start my reconnaissance, perhaps even the best place because of this village's unique purpose. Maude had given the run-down last night.

"See, this here spot is situated on the edge o' the Witchwood," she'd explained. "There's been reports off an' on about critters comin' out from the 'wood and attackin' people. Credible reports, with witnesses 'n' everything. Casualties are startin' to pile up. Nobody had any idea what ter do about it, cuz they were stronger than jus' 'bout anything we ever seen before. They coulda sent the army here, I s'pose, but don't got enough army to cover all the border we got. So then Queen Janella went 'n' consulted with the, err, Lighty-tighty whosits..."

"...the Lightbearer," Torri corrected helpfully. And by helpfully, I mean sarcastically.

"Yeah, yeah, like I said, Lightburger," Maude grumped, waving her hand dismissively as Torri shrugged. "Anyway, the Queen went 'n' saw the old goat. Asked 'im what we ought ter do, yeah? An' the goat says to her that Yvinne her-fuckin'-self told him what ter do." From her tone, I got the distinct impression that Maude was not this Lightbearer fellow's biggest fan.

The short version of the whole thing is that a goddess, Yvinne, had told this Lightbearer guy that the best way to lessen the numbers of monsters coming out of the (literal) woodwork was to establish an Adventurer's Guild. Put a Guild Hall in each town near where the reports were coming from, and then offer to pay people to, you know, go hunt the things down. And somehow, this is a novel idea?

That's what really confused me. How had they not already set up an Adventurer's Guild, let alone never heard of one? I mean, isn't it Fantasy 101 that adventurers belong to guilds, take quests to right wrongs, and collect epic loot? I thought it was common sense, but apparently I was mistaken.

Maude had explained to me gently and in small words, like I was a kid or something, that all humanoids tended to reach the max level of 5 before becoming an adult. Remember what I explained before? None of the monsters had ever been a threat since they'd all been stuck at level one. Someone dying from a monster attack was literally unheard of; it just did not happen up until now.

Okay, I guess that makes sense. There'd be no need for infrastructure to cull a population of dangerous monsters if there simply were no dangerous monsters to begin with.

Anyway, Maude said the Queen then issued several royal proclamations, officially founding the Guild and commissioning the construction of this village, the first of many so-called "border towns" meant to be a defensive perimeter around the nation. Which means it'll be perfect for gathering information! Not only will this place flourish from royal support, but it will also attract people from all over the world seeking to try out this new "adventuring" thing. A wealth of gossip, knowledge, and opportunity is about to start pouring in and there is one sure-fire way to put myself in the middle of it all.

The future Guild hall building is nearing completion and I saw yesterday morning that someone had already hung up a 'Help Wanted' sign. Written hastily in red ink and hanging partially askew from a nail in the door, it read:

Help Wanted: Receptionist

No experience needed

Cute girls encouraged to apply immediately!*

[ *Written in incredibly tiny print at the bottom, in obviously different handwriting ]

In one smooth motion, I tore the paper off the nail as I pushed open the door, carrying it with me inside. Time to initiate step three!