So…what happened?

Oh right, I’m falling through the air with a tall and masked archer next to me who doesn’t seem to be moving at all which totally doesn't concern me.

Oh and the weirdo old people who threw me into the Land of Shadows or something.

Fun. Fun.

You know, for falling, no, plummeting to my probable death for the first time I’m kind of calm so that’s new. Or maybe my magnificent humor is drowning out the terror.

“Hey! You alright!” I shout at my falling companion but there’s no response

She’s probably out cold or in a trance or something. I’ve got street smarts not technical smarts so don’t judge me, I'm not written like that.

I do hope that the little thing I left behind will get into Kua’s hands specifically, she knows what it is and how it works. But on another note, I’ve been falling for a while now.

Hmm

Let’s see what I’m working with

Glancing around this Land of Shadows all I can see is grey skies and dead land which takes on an almost black look to it. Guess it is just a land of shadows. Evil and it’s puns. Diabolical I tell you.

So, being a weeb and watching and reading enough fantasy Isekai I can safely guess that it’s probably some reverse world or something.

Maybe not though which will be awkward…

“Yo! What was your name again? Avarina it was, yeah? Could you wake up!”

Still no response which is kind of odd. Maybe she’s not hearing me through us flying. I air swim towards her slowly, but glance down a few times

Yup, still kind of far. I guess that was the plan, kill me with gravity and if that doesn’t work whatever lurks here might kill me and her, but let’s be honest I’m the target here sadly.

So, I’ve got cultists who can open portals to deal with as well. Great. Just great..

I grab Avarina by the shoulder and pull myself closer to her, reaching forward I throw her hood back. Huh, short hair, didn’t expect that. She’s got much darker skin than the rest of the Elves I’ve seen. Oh, she must be a dark elf probably, skin is grey so that would make sense. Didn’t know they were that good in archery.

“Yo!” I yell but still nothing

Oh come on! I’m stretching my pipes here! Wait.

I get a bit closer, wrapping my legs around her waist and just look her face, there’s…something in her mouth which is moving.

Right, that’s fucking disgusting.

I try to open her mouth, but whatever is inside just moves out of sight.

Oh don’t tell..don’t fucking tell me I have to do that…

I gag looking away from my unconscious friend here.

I’ll hurl if I think more about it.

But I’ve got to do it so fuck it.

Opening her mouth I plant a kiss on her and hold her there for a minute before I manage to bite whatever is inside her.

I yank it out as fast as I can and just let go of it.

“You..ugly motherfucker.” I say as I look at the demonic parasite I pulled out of Avarina

God it’s fucking ugly. It’s got the face of an ugly bastard and those legs. Christ just fucking censor it!

I summon my bow and pierce the thing with about five arrows and it just crumbles to dust.

Fuck me that was disgusting.

I glance back to Avarina who slowly seems to be getting back consciousness which is certainly a good sign

Seems that parasite was a backup in case something like this happened. Let’s be glad that it wasn’t a midair boss fight. Phew.

Her eyes start moving about before she finally opens them to see good ole me falling alongside her. She doesn’t react at first, so I do the sensible thing.

I reached out and placed my hand on her shoulder.

“Hey.” I’d say before coughing into my fist “So, we’re falling in the Land of Shadows and I just pulled out a parasite out of your mouth by kissing so sorry for that.” I explain

She just looks at me for a good ten seconds before sighing.

“I get beaten by a human in what I’m considered the best at and now I’m saved by one. Life is full of surprises.” Avarina would say

“You know I expected screaming and flailing.” I’d reply

“Oh, I’m absolutely terrified at the moment, but remaining calm is important in situations like this.”

“Huh, so..what was the mysterious and strong get up for?”

“I’m not allowed to show my face around the town. I am a dark elf, we aren’t really seen above ground or in highly populated areas.”

“So the unity stuff most Elves talk about isn’t that true is it?”

“Depending on the area.”

“And you’ve never thought to leave? You’d probably make a killing as a mercenary or even go back to your own homeland.”

She shook her head.

“I was bound by an Oath to stay there and I’m…” she sighed “…terrible with directions.”

I chuckled a little.

“Don’t laugh human.” She said

“I’m not, I’m not. It’s just cute.”

“Pardon?”

“Yeah, it’s cute. You’re this really cool warrior who just has a little fear of traveling because of bad sense of direction. It’s cute.”

She’d lightly blush before stammering then focusing.

“It would be best to turn your energy to figure how we won’t perish once we’ve landed.”

“All work no play yeah?” I chuckle

But she was right, we needed a plan to actually survive, then a plan to actually get back. I’m guessing they’re worried about me, but the little device I gave them needs 24 hours to activate so I hope time moves normally here.

“Well. Hmm. Just grab onto me.”

“Pardon?” she asks

“Just grab onto me.”

She looks confused but reaches around my waist to hold me.

“What is your plan?”

“Oh you know.” I glance away

“I’m going to die aren’t I?”

“No! Not at all.”

I summon my bow and look down, right, spiky lands, that should work. I pull back the string as hard as I can and summon a reinforced rope arrow and fire it.

The arrow flies fast and would eventually stop. Alright, now we wait as we fall.

“Hold a bit more tightly.” I tell Avarina

She’d do as requested and as we fell the rope arrow started tightening. And so we swung from the sky down and now we can’t stop which I just realized.

I should have thought this through a bit more.

But as we swung forth I felt something odd about the bow, it felt lighter. I sighed and looked to my dark elf companion.

“It broke, so, look for a place to land.”

“You are unnervingly carefree about this.”

“You get used to it I like to think.” I chuckle

As we were swung forward, being held by nothing Avarina pointed out a cave and with minor movements in the air we changed our general landing position until impact.

And man was it an impact. She let go of me before we hit the cold black stone and we rolled and stumbled until we both hit wall. Both of us bruised, both of our clothes torn, both of us tired.

“The one time I don’t where armor…” I said annoyed

Avarina was already getting up while I still laid there.

“What’s the hurry?” I’d ask

“We need to get back, human. The village is in trouble.”

“I’m Dantes, not human Ava.”

She’d glance back

“Ava?”

“Avarina. Ava, seems like a good nickname doesn’t it.”

“Don’t mistake my admiration for your skills an invitation of friendship.”

“Fine, fine. Jeez don’t have a rock up your ass, but seriously. What’s the hurry?”

“How could you say that? Aren’t your own companions back there?”

“Yes, but I trust them enough to handle things and just take a minute to think. One, we’re in a different dimension. Two, even if we know which plane were on, we don’t know where we are inside it. Three, we have no idea how to get back.”

She continued moving, but stopped once I brought up my points.

“You…aren’t wrong, human.”

“Dantes. I’ll have you write it down to remember. Now, just kick back.” I say, getting up to lean against the wall “Whether we’ve got beasts or food or water we can find a little later, we just fell from the sky.”

She’d sigh, she was frustrated probably. She wasn’t one to sit idly by, I can understand that.

“Just rest like an hour, Ava.”

She glanced back to me.

“I told you, human. To not-“ I’d cut her off

“And I told you to call me Dantes. So, despite the racial difference we have which shouldn't matter in the slightest I’m going to make us get along. So just sit down.” I’d say, my tone was quite forward

I think she saw no point in arguing and so she sat down against one of the cave walls. She took off her quiver and placed it and her bow to the side.

“You have a plan for this?” she asked me

“I always have a plan.”

That is a lie.

“And what might that plan be?”

“Scout out the area, make this drab of a cave into our temporary home.”

“You say that like the tasks you’ve proposed are simple.”

“They are.” I laugh

“Do explain to me. It looks to me that your brilliance has no end.”

“Well naturally.” I’m the main character duh “Do you know how to use anything besides a bow?”

She’d nod

“Good, so you don’t need to worry about arrows, I can handle that. We’ll make you a sword or something. Just rest a bit then we can go hunting and actually rest properly.”

She sighed

“if..that is what you believe is best..then I shall follow..”

“Don’t worry. I’ll get you home.” I’d nod

But I need to figure out how first of all, but putting my future plans aside me and Avarina did indeed rest for the next hour or so. After that both us stepped out of the cave to see this Land of Shadows.

From our view down on the ground the skies were darker than before, the land was different, it seemed to be mostly stone, but there was dirt and surprisingly water and some odd form of wildlife.

In a sense it did mimic the world we knew, but it was much more hollow. Everything had an odd aura to it. The creatures that roamed it had similar appearances to boars, but they lacked any sort of life in their eyes.

I have no idea how the hell this place got made. So there’s got to be a lord of shadows or something. And I wonder if I’ll get another dream from her..

But she isn’t in this place I know that, damn it, why'd there have to be multiple dimensions and shit? So annoying.

The last few hours had been a blank really, all I know is that we went hunting, gathered dead wood, Avarina is good in close quarters and has some minor magic she can use, though right before we started a fire we went out hunting once more before resting.

We weren’t far from the cave, I had a clear sight of it.

“I know we’ve took down three of those shadow boars, but why aren’t we setting up the fire?” I asked her

“River.” She replied

“What?”

“I spotted a river, observing the fish and water is important.” She explained

“Alright…so…you can fish?”

She’d nod. I guess she was focusing.

We walked for a few more minutes without getting lost luckily before we actually saw the river. It was a bit wide if you get me. You’d need to swim for like a minute or two to get across I think.

She moved forward suddenly without waiting for me and I had to move to catch up to her. What’s with the hurry? Seriously? She stopped right before the water and knelled down. I caught up soon after.

“So,” I coughed into my fist “Anything you can figure out?”

She’d dip her hand into the water, leaving it there for a little before leaning in to drink some.

“You know that’s kind of dangerous right?”

“Drinkable, no traces of any harmful substances.”

“Alright then.” I sigh

I kneel down next to her and take a drink myself and she was right, it just tasted like plain old river water. I guess you can find things that help life wherever. Good to know.

“Can you swim?” I ask her

“I don’t believe that is important to know.” She replies

“So you can’t?”

“I did not say that.”

“Didn’t say you could either.” I chuckle

She didn’t reply and I gently nudged her.

“You don’t need to have a stick up your ass Ava, I’m just teasing.”

Before she could speak both of us felt a rumble and then another right after. We both glanced back to see a mammoth sized beast charging at us. The thing had hollow eyes and four tusks and it was fast.

Neither of us had any time to react properly and the next thing we knew the creature flung us into the deep waters and it was chasing us in the water as well.

Avarina swam forth and latched onto one of the tusks while I summoned my bow and shot a few especially strong piercing shots. I shot towards the tusk Avarina was hanging off of. Once it was separated she flung it around and managed to drive the separated tusk into the head of the beast.

With it beginning to sink she pulled it out and began swimming upwards, I followed behind. Both of us got back onto land and both of us were clearly tired.

“Well..” I chuckled “I didn’t expect to have my clothes ruined even more that fast.”

“How can you be so carefree? I cannot comprehend it.” She said

Slowly getting up I simply smiled.

“Is that really the first thing you’re asking right after killing something like that?”

She sighed and got up as well. She glanced over the large tusk she now had.

“You’re welcome by the way.” I commented and started moving forward “Let’s get back before all the meat goes bad, we still need to start that fire and now skin the things.”

She didn’t reply, but did follow.

With us making our way to the cave marked the first night we spent in the Land of Shadows.

The First night of many I’m guessing. I’ll say again, fuck old people.