Ep1: Another Isekai

"Lalu, nice you got out!" Leana said, shuffling through her notes while talking to him over the phone. "So, did you get Virto out?"

"No, but he said to keep the portal open while I look for him," he responded back. Although, he had a bit of a robotic tone to it. "As for me, I am perfectly fine. No scratches and no changes."

"Cool cool, say did you hear about the power that went out in his neighborhood? I think it happened last night."

"Really?" His eyes widened as he walked around in a circle, occasionally glancing back at the chair. "What happened..friend?"

"Pfff, you know my name is Leana!" Also, basically, a bunch of houses got tripped. Your brother is the one with the smarts in computers, so I wouldn't know.

"Yes, yes he is…" Lao, or what was left of him, was taking in the information that had gone missing, absorbing everything around him and going into his ear like a sponge. "Say, would you like to talk more, Leana? I am feeling bored."

"Look at you, mister cool under pressure. Look I would, but I have a test coming up, and Jaylen wants me to go out with Brad so…"

"That, that is fine." Lao cleared his throat, getting a sudden remembering of how he talked. "I'll….see you later….my n-"

"Don't, don't finish that sentence. Jeez, is like you've lost your memory or something." She hung up immediately, leaving Lao alone to ponder in the room. "No slurs I see….oh….oh yes no slurs. I must get more of me back," he said, going back upstairs to start his rehabilitation to all things Lao, while the real Lao was who knows where…

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Screams of a man flooded the darkness that enveloped him, as he fell endlessly through what felt like where you went when you died. His voice gave out before gravity had even gotten close to slamming him into the ground if there even was one. He had enough time to recollect himself and stare into the ever abyss that had no gift for him.

But then something happened. A twinkle in the darkness that dots his view like the first star in the night. It got brighter exponentially, Lao forced to cover his eyes as his endgame gets covered in the blinding glare...

"Welcome child…" goes a voice. "I do apologize for the light, but it is important that you keep your faith in the chief god. Now then, what has brought you to heaven?"

"Heaven?" Lao starts to uncover his eyes, but small, cool hands force them back over his pupils. "Am I dead?"

"If you were dead, would I have you lock away your view? A ghastly, pure you would be able to handle the light of our covenant with no issue. You, however, seem how a different soul than usual Kline. It's….more innocent and fresh. Have you up'ed your prayers?"

"Prayers?" Lao thought back to the last time he had prayed. It was last Sunday, but he only does that….

"No, no...kline was your old name. This name, is Lao. A strange fate awaits you Lao…"

"Can you please tell me where I am!?"

Even though he couldn't see it, he could feel the glow emanating off her smile. Wait, her? "I would, but even then you will have to have your mind erased. Not that it would need to happen, since it is already being taken away at this moment."

She wasn't wrong. He was feeling lighter by the moment, as his brain unpacked everything it had stored inside it like a son after coming back from vacation. He couldn't even remember the name of someone….someone important….

"Our time is running short Lao. When you wake up, you may not remember anything in your past, but remember three things. Stay true to your roots, your mission, and the lord that serves above you. That, is the key to your salvation dearest. I bless you with my power, and my angels will watch as your journey unfolds..."

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"Unfolds….unfolds!" Lao woke up with a thunk, feeling his head hit something above him. He almost swore, but found no words to swear with besides "holy spirits." It was off like he had intended something else. No matter, it started to hurt his mind to think about it anyways. He started his day as he always started it - with an early morning prayer to the Chief God in front of the window in his attic. She is the provider of his life, after all.

After, he bathed in the bathwater he prepared the night before. As he looked down, he saw his reflection in his eyes. His leaf red hair flowed over his white complexion. His eyes were the color of honey, complementing his hair well. He had a few freckles here and there, but none to the point where they were noticeable immediately. As he patted his hair, he got the feeling that something was off, and that his color wasn't what it was meant to be….agh, the headache again!

After washing himself, he went down from his attic to greet his parents. His father did the majority of breadmaking with his job at the lumber mill, while his mother took care of him and his 3 younger siblings. Well no more, as Lao was finally of age to join the military ranks of the Order! He had been going with his father to work with him, building his stature to be able to bring down even the most aggressive of mamono. It was paying off, as each day he would wake up with more and more physique until he had surpassed even the most hardworking and burly people that would cut down trees. If it was what he had to do to become a legendary knight, then so be it.

Remembering his special day, he started loading up his essentials in a cloth. A pocket watch - a gift from his grandfather. A folded portrait painting of him with his mother and father, and a doll that his sister gave him, so they would always be connected. His mother kissed him, and his father hugged him one last time with all the strength he could muster. By the time the family had eaten breakfast, he was already on his way, ready to cover the journey to the Orderite camp by foot. It would be a grueling run across five entire stretches of farmland, but he was prepared for it. It would be fitting he thought, a start to his ascent up the holy land.

He didn't keep himself to a steady jog either. His legs were made before better, full stretches of sprinting until his body had to go down to just a run to get more energy back. He passed carriages, other people walking and working. He waved to them all, looking like a blur as he kicked up a small dust trail behind him. He felt in his element, reaching the grounds of the camp before the sun can reach it's highest part in the sky. He saw others milling in and joined the line, being directed to the trainees quarters once in.

The first thing he did was collapse on his bed, the redness finally leaving his face as his body calmed down from the running he did. Others got into beds around him, chatting with other inductees, but he was feeling too tired to talk. His head swam with futuristic thoughts, wondering what he would be like in a full suit of armor, standing ontop a pill of purified corpses. His dreams were interrupted by the clanging of a pot at the entrance.

With that pot clang, the inductees were immediately thrown into conditioning. There was no welcoming, only training into the future nights of the order. Breaks were short, leaving only spans to catch their breath before a new skill was practiced. Lao pushed through all of them but started running out of steam like the rest of his fellow trainees. It didn't help that his body was starting to cry out at him for running so hard, but he ignored it to the best of his ability. Time seemed to lose his hold throughout the day, the morning lasting the longest while the afternoon flew by like a comet sent by god.

While morning left like a child reluctant to leave his mother, the realization of night time hit him like a child running back to her at full speed. Suddenly, everyone was released, and let go to do whatever they wished on the promise of orientation being tomorrow. Lanterns replaced the sky as the light source. The gates closed around the camp to keep any prodding mamono out, and guards exchange positions on the post. Everything seemed so efficient, so fast, so orderly, Lao thought as he went back to sleep. His body had become the representation of sore, refusing to move once he had fallen back into the bed. His eyes drifted closed, the sounds of snoring swaying him to sleep.

He dreamt of his home, his father staring up to the sky with a proud and tired grin on his face. The one he always did when he saw Lao cutting down a tree with ferocity. "Thanks dad," he said out loud in his sleep, a dark shaded hand landing on his hand to ruffle his hair. "Dad, stop that's embarrassing…"

"Yes, it is embarrassing that you think I'm your daddy~" A voice whispered in his ear. "Don't worry dear, we can fix that right up~"

"D-dad, you sound weird…s-should I punch you?" He said next, snuggling into the small pillow under his head. "Punch me? Why would you punch your future w-" The mystery voice that was over him suddenly caught his fist in her face, sending her falling backward onto the floor with a groan and a thud. Lao suddenly sat up, looking for his assailant, but finding something much worse. Dark elves had somehow gotten into the quarters, most of them subduing the new recruits while a few try to fight small groups of them off. His dark elf was on the ground, clutching her nose as it leaked blood. "D-damn you! I didn't even get to get off from that!~" she said, more dark elves seeing Lao and coming over to take him down. He didn't have time to pack up, but he was at least able to push a bed to buy him escaping time. He dashed out of the quarters, with only his pants on and his shirt.

The entire place was being overrun with monsters, running around as even the night guards were being brought down. As he had just gotten here, he had no idea how to get out, besides the gate the entered. He ran to it, praying to the Chief God it was at least open. He wasn't ready yet! He hadn't even received a rank.

To his worry, it was closed as tight as it was when the camp was locked down, but a second, more painful option was there. The ladder to the posts was out, and he could use it to scale the wall and jump over. His adrenaline kept him going, grunting as he pulled the ladder up to the wall and started climbing for his purity. He dared a look to his back, seeing mamono closing in on him. Notably, a hellhound, which had darted over with the speed of a cheetah and started scaling up.

She had the advantage of not being on her last legs, but Lao had enough height to give himself time. He scaled the ladder and pushed it away, hopping the 40-foot drop. Luckily he had just done an exercise from the camp on climbing and knew to roll into the landing to take away stress on his legs. Even still, a sharp pain went through them, as if someone had torn the legs in half. He turned around, seeing no one following behind him. Either the ladder worked, or they had gone after easier prey.

He still wasn't safe, however. If there were that many inside, he could only imagine how many were outside. He was fighting with his body to not rest, standing up on weakened knees and dragging himself further away from the site of mass monsterization. He walked and walked under the moon, avoiding the main path and diving into bushes at the drop of a pin. Each time he got up, his legs ached more, and his vision faded. He needed sleep, and he wasn't letting his body get it. The adrenaline was wearing off, and he once again felt the sting in not just his legs. His joints, the hand he used to clock the dark elf, everything was hurting again. Even when going downhill, keeping himself upright was an uphill battle that was getting steeper. He wasn't running on gas anymore, just willpower, and a refusal to allow his body to rest. Even then, that could last long. He took two last looks around him before his legs finally gave out. Nothing on his right, and smoke rising on his left. He chuckled once, his chest hurting as he fell into the bush in front of him. He couldn't feel the thorns scraping his face and chest, only the hands of rest forcing him back into his slumber.

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Once he was under, nothing could wake his body up. Thankfully, he survived the night untouched, exactly as he had fallen the night before. He opened his eyes to small dots of light, coming in from above him into the bush where his face was looking. The beams of light beamed down on his neck, pushing him to arise until he rolled out and off of the bush bed onto the ground. Sounds of trees rustling filled his ears as he started up to the foliage above.

Everything still hurt, but now the adrenaline was completely out of him. It was terrible, but he had pushed his body way too hard on the first day….groaning at the thought, he shuffled over to a tree to use it to stand himself up. His knees hit the dirt a couple more times before he was able to stand up, using the tree to help support his weight. A thin line of smoke still bloomed in the same direction. There was a chance that location had mamono as well, but it was a chance he had to take.

Step by step, he worked his way to the smoke. Smoke meant a bed, other people, somewhere other than a bush to recuperate his sore form. Sleep wouldn't come to him this time, not in the light that was bearing down on him. The smoke didn't seem to be getting closer at all, remaining a sliver in his range of sight as he moved. But he had nowhere else to go now.

Finally, the smoke started getting larger, more detailed. He was arriving at his destination, after just one more incline to go up before he can see the structure in all his glory….

But of course, it couldn't have been that easy. He knew from the start there should be at least one mamono milling around, and his worries were reinforced. A weight talked him from behind. On a normal day, he would have tanked it, as if an apple had the gaul to bonk him in the back. Today, he was weakened and still in recovery. He went down, collapsing on his front before willing himself on his back under his captor. It was the same dark elf from before, her white straight hair drooping over her as she sat on his belly. If not for the looks, the nose was definitely an indication, with dried up blood from the earlier windup. "You know, Queen Headen requires that we get all the men in this camp before they attack us…"

"You...attacked them first…" Lao said, with a look of resolve on his face. "Oh did we? The only ones that know for sure would be the higher-ups, but let's not concern ourselves with who shot the first arrow, dear~" She took a knife out of her clothing, licking its flat side. "It's not like you are in any condition to argue!"

The knife went down on his chest, cutting skin deep before his late reaction stopped it. His arms shook as he held the knife back, the dark elf cackling as he resisted. "Oh, this is wonderful! You think you can get out of this? No one, is coming for you. No one but me~"

"I can't lose here!" He fought back with everything he had, but the knife was bearing into him bit after bit. It wasn't painful; painful would have been honorable. It made his chest feel tingly, hotter than the everlasting light in the sky could ever. "Give up alright, the blade is already sinking into your body…" She had a smug grin, assured of victory over her presumed new sub. His mind flashed back to his family at first, the only people he ever wanted to make proud, especially his father. But something else, another source of willpower came to him. The silhouette flashed in his mind for only a split second, but there was something important about it...something he couldn't find out if he was collared up by some monster!

The knife had broken through the skin, as clear liquid with a white glow was slowly leaking out through the incision. However, it was rising out of his body. The dark elf noticed quickly and started putting more weight and force behind the handle, but her arms were getting pushed back. He had found a new surge to tap into. A new battery of life to use to his fullest potential. He couldn't see it himself, but the dark elf's eyes widened as an aura formed around Lao. It radiated the smell of spirit energy, but it was yellow instead of white. It was pure determination, and it was powering him up like a senzu bean.

Like a crashing wave, he turned the tide of the battle, grabbing the blade itself, he pointed it towards the elf's chest instead of his, more spirit energy leaking out of him, more lust building. But it was being snuffed out by resolve and a drive that was tenfold. "S-stop! You can't do this-aaaah!~" The knife had been sunk into her to the hilt. Her face turned red as her own weapon had done damage to her, the silver arousing her with its full potential.

"P-please….b-before I ah!~" It was dragged across her chest in a slash, her own mana spilling out of her as she fell back onto the ground, limp as her crotch glistened with femcum. The man that had escaped then turned away, refusing to indulge her any longer. "W-wait!" she called out to him. "P-please, give me my knife back! Use me as your own cocksleeve! We both know the effects, you can't leave me like this!~"

He paused his walk, just standing there as cool as a cucumber. "The only reason I'm leaving you," Lao said without turning. "Is because this blade wouldn't finish the job."

"No, no, so cruel…" she whimpered, jilling herself off as she watched her source of reprieve continue on his journey. Lao kept up his imposing walk, until the power that had propelled him up faded, and he went back to leaning against a wall. He looked up, seeing the smoke that he was following being released into the sky. It didn't smell like lust, but food, and beverage. Some poking around found a sign, with two mugs engraved into it. It was a Tavern.

He had reached his destination.