Another Worlds Monster

[3233 Words]

I don't think I've ever seen this many people in one place before. The roads are packed, filled with people of all different shapes, races, and personalities. I'm so glad I read those info books about the diversity of Orario on the way here.

The city of Orario is clearly around the same size as Ramsgate, but the populations are not even comparable. 10,000 people live in Ramsgate all year around. Another 15,000 do business or schooling in Ramsgate and live there during specific seasons. 5,000 are researchers and barely spend time in Ramsgate at all because they island hop all the time. The last 2,000 are slayers that call Ramsgate home, but mostly island hop and only go home to refuel and heal.

So if everyone that lives in Ramsgate throughout the year was counted then around 32,000 people. That's probably a tenth of the total population of Orario.

I've seen thousands of people already and we've just been walking on the same street. We pass street vendors and stores with people trying to get others' attention. We pass people that are clearly 'adventurers' that are heading home from being in the tower. And it doesn't take long for Tsubaki to point to a tall woman and tell me she's a god.

She's tall and well built. Her hair was almost like vines that stretched to her legs. 'Demeter' was apparently her name. She's the one that runs the farms on the outskirts of the city and supplies 80% of the food.

We kept walking past her and her group without a second thought. I really can't understand these people. Tsubaki told me that people can feel the aura of a god. That's how everyone can tell that they're not just immortal humans. The feeling I'm getting from them was not that of something I would call a 'god'.

I almost wanted to vomit when we went past her. She reeked like the most dense [aether vent] I've ever encountered. We kept walking until we reached a large red mansion. It looked more industrial and built than the others I saw on the way here. Most importantly however, it smells like one big smithy.

"Ahh, home sweet home." Tsubaki says. The rest of the group sigh in relief as well and make their ways inside. Once everyone goes their own ways Tsubaki turns to me and has me follow her.

We walk through the mansion, which was really just a huge collection of workshops and forges. Some people that notice us wave to Tsubaki and welcome her back. It makes sense since she's their captain I guess.

No one pays me any attention as we reach the top floor and come to a red door. Tsubaki straightens her clothes and hair before knocking. After a moment of silence a voice calls for us to enter.

"Hey boss." Tsubaki says. As soon as we walk in I'm met with a regular office. It was clean and organized, but really nothing more than a regular office. The woman sitting at the desk was obviously the god that Tsubaki works for.

Hephaestus had shorter red hair and an eyepatch opposite Tsubakis. She's pale as hell and clearly not built the best because her arms are so thin.

'How the hell is she a god of the forge?' No way she can pick up a hammer for hours at a time. She looked at me for a moment before turning to Tsubaki.

"This is?"

"Shai Priyani. We came across him on our way to the village. It may be hard to believe, but Shai here is-"

"Not from this world."

Hephaestus suddenly blurred and appeared in front of her captain. Tsubaki's eyes widen before her body falls limp. The goddess catches her and places her on a small couch in the corner of the room. The red haired woman doesn't even turn back to me.

"Is she the only one who knows?" She asks.

"...Yes."

The woman sighs and turns toward me. I stare back at her. My hand already holding a weapon that I never really like using. She eyes the spear that I'm holding and gives a small whistle. [The Apocalypse Needle] thrums in anticipation as it senses the dense mass of [aether] that is in front of it.

"That's a scary thing you got there." She remarks as she takes a seat at her desk. The needle thrums again before turning more fleshy and seemingly getting absorbed into my body in purple masses of flesh. She whistles again at the display. "How'd you get here?"

"...A behemoth called a [chronovore] threw me into a portal as a last ditch effort." I explain. She nods along and presses a button on the side of her desk. "What's that?" She rubs the bridge of her nose and sighs.

"A button that will call off my meetings for the day. I usually use it when I'm forging and don't want to be interrupted." She sighs again and looks at me. "What do you need from me?" I stare at her for a moment.

"Can you send me home?"

She looks at me for a moment before shaking her head. For the first time since I got here I feel sick to my stomach. My reality comes crashing down all around me and I'm stuck here. I stand up, trying my best not to fall over as a horrible dizzy feeling hits me.

I crash into the wall as my breathing becomes heavier. I can feel the [aether] in my body start to tremble and cry out. Hephaestus appears next to me trying to calm me down but I can't hear her. I push past her and into the hall. I stumble my way down the stairs. A few worried looking people try to stop me but I just shove them out of the way.

As soon as I burst through the front door, completely destroying it, Hephaestus appears in front of me again. Before I can react she grabs me and with a burst of energy, vanish from where we were a moment ago.

----

[Unknown]

I don't know how long I've been asleep. I opened my eyes and was met with a bizarre sight. I was in a gray colored forest. The trees looked drained of color. The sky wasn't a sky at all and was actually an enormous number of large crystals.

I sat up slowly and looked around. My armor was still on and my [Sahvyt's Cutlass] was resting against a nearby tree. Deciding to just put it back in my inventory I walked around a little more to look for Hephaestus.

She was sitting on a rock a little outside the forest I was in. As soon as I walked out of the woods she looked at me, her eyes were filled with worry. She stood up.

"Are you alright?" She asks.

"....Not really."

Walking past her I just sit on the rock. The hill we were on let me finally realize where we were. The distance abruptly ended in large stone walls that surrounded us on all sides. The dungeon was much larger than I thought it would be.

"We're on the 50th floor." Hephaestus explained. "I wished to take you to a safe zone to speak. The only one private enough to do it is this deep."

I nod at her words and just stare into the distance. I sat there for I don't even know how long and just stared. The forest that covered the majority of this area was absolutely silent. There was no wind, no animals, bugs, anything. I read about the other safe zones. The one on the 18th floor called Rivira had small peaceful monsters that avoided humans. But this area clearly didn't.

"I'm sure I caused quite the commotion." All I could hear was Hephaestus sigh.

"Well, you tore apart my office door, the front door, a few walls you collided with, and sent a few of my children through some walls. But not too bad. The worst problem was what they started calling you, but that was already dealt with." She explains. I turn to her with a questioning gaze.

"What do you mean?"

"*sigh* Well, you, in your duress, started to emit a large amount of your internal aether. That parasite weapon and a similar looking white one even began to manifest themselves around you. You looked a bit angelic." I stared at her. "In the biblical monstrous way where your form shifts and people go insane looking at you."

Oh.

"They felt your energy and began to think you were a god. I ended that train of thought a little forcefully. No rumors have been spread, but I did have to change quite a few people's memories."

I do my best to take in what she's said to me so far. I caused quite a bit of havoc it seems. Honestly to hear that both the [Chronovore] and [Thrax] living weapons manifested while I wasn't fully there was a bit concerning.

Both weapons were far stronger than any other weapon even in the history of my home. There's no telling what they could do if they were left unchecked in this world.

"It might sound weird, but I have an idea on how to allow you to stay in Orario." I look at her. "The energy you have within yourself. It's basically a bastardized form of the energy gods give off. I'm sure you already know what I mean when I say that it's the same energy that I currently possess."

I nodded, as she walks over and takes a seat next to me.

"Well. I can spin your story to one where you were an actual child of mine from a different world. It would explain your energy, forging skills, strength, everything."

"Wouldn't the other gods know the truth?" I asked.

"Nope. Believe it or not this situation has happened quite a few times. In different worlds of course, but usually the demi-gods are young and arrogant and dont last long, so you being smart and composed would be a good change in pace for a time."

Thinking about her plan for a moment I couldn't help but think that it couldn't be that easy. I mean, would lying to a bunch of 'gods' really work? I know that they partially sealed themselves into more mortal bodies, but still. Even if my energy matched their restricted states I can't help but think it would work.

"What about the behemoths? I know you at least have a [lesser embermane], how would you explain my knowledge on them if more are down here?" She smiled and stared at me for a moment. ".....Let me guess, it would help explain why I got dragged into this world."

"Bingo!"

I can only sigh as she explains something called 'the will of the world' will sometimes call upon heralds to help people in times of crisis. And its favorite targets, children of gods. And since I would act as a child of a forge god it would allow me to help the people here counter the growing number of behemoths in the dungeon. Without having to storm through the dungeon on my own. Something that apparently the god that leads the others here would appreciate.

"aaugh.. "

"Hey I get your frustration and everything but this is the only way to go about this. If some of the gods found out about you being just a random world hopper they would stop at nothing to get their hands on you." I nod again while holding my own head.

"I got it, it's just-" *RUMBLE*

I quickly stood up as the ground shook violently. Trees fell and the hill we were on shifted as the walls cracked. I grabbed Hephaestus and leapt away as a large crystal fell from the ceiling and crushed where we stood. It only lasted for a moment but once we settled we could tell that the landscape had changed drastically.

"The hell was that?!" Hephaestus cried.

Hephaestus looked around and panicked slightly since I'm sure nothing like this has happened before. If even I can sense something has changed within the dungeon then she should as well. The aether coming from below us has gotten more violent, and no doubt that the shifting we felt was the dungeon below and above us changing.

*!!!!!*

Suddenly a familiar energy appeared near us. Snapping right to it I didn't even bother waiting for the goddess and leapt right to it. I landed on a large crystal that used to be on the ceiling that overlooked a large clearing. The wall at the far side was cracked and covered in rocks, but every few seconds a huge rumble would collide with it making it begin to fall apart.

"What in the…" I didn't answer as Hephaestus appeared next to me.

We stood and watched as the banging eventually stopped. Only for an absurd amount of aether to suddenly burst through the rocks. I calmly held up a [recruits lantern] and shielded us from the rocks that were sent at us from nearly two hundred meters away.

Once the dust finally settled a familiar sight entered my vision.

[Hephaestus POV]

"AH!" I quickly held my hands up to shield myself from the wall, suddenly becoming a freaking projectile!

I felt myself collide with Shai in my panic, but he didn't even budge. A moment later I open my eyes and see what happened. Shai stood there silently staring across the clearing. I stepped back from him and saw him holding a lantern that apparently made a shield.

Without saying anything he just hands me the lantern and hops of the crystal were standing on.

"WAIT SHAI!" He didn't even hesitate and kept walking toward the dust cloud.

Feeling it myself I look at the cloud and finally notice what's standing there. Its silhouette was like a boar, and for a moment I thought that's what it was. It was massive, Shai himself was probably only a third of one of its massive legs. Most notably was the two absolutely colossal horns on its head. Its body rippled with power beneath the thickest hide/ exoskeleton I've seen in this world.

I don't ever remember seeing this thing before, but when Shai had his meltdown I could partially read his mind. [Valomyr] was its name. Admittedly panicked, I look back at Shai who was still calmly walking toward this monster.

"Shai! Let's just go!"

I know he heard me, but he just kept walking. I couldn't do anything but grit my teeth and hide behind this stupid shield.

"CARAAAAAAAAH!"

I was forced to cover my ears as the [Valomyr] suddenly roars violently towards Shai. His reaction was laughable as he slightly moves his head but keeps walking straight towards it. Suddenly however he just stops and slightly turns back to me. Due to the distance and the noises the monster in front of us made I couldn't hear him, but reading his lips.

"Get ready for a light show."

Before even understanding his words his body suddenly becomes covered in a bright light. His form shifts for a moment before stopping and revealing him wearing an armor made of a recognizable material.

The creature seemingly recognized it as well as it roared once again and actually took a step back. Shai began to walk forward once again, this time wearing armor made out of the very creature he's facing.

He didn't stop there though. As casually as I've ever seen anyone do something he slightly puts his hands to his sides and another light covers them. This time it shapes into a pair of large gauntlets seemingly made of a purple and black membrane like material. The energy they gave off though was a direct opposite of the more bright aether that the [Valomyr] gave off.

It recognized this as well and cried out again. Without warning suddenly dozens of motes of light appeared around its body and began to orbit around its colossal body. It cried again and pulsed with energy as six segments of its body floated off and started glowing in the air.

Realizing what it was doing I couldn't help but be gobsmacked. 'IT'S A CASTER?!'

*VRUMMM*

That was the only warning as the first beam of energy suddenly shot straight towards Shai. I tried to call out but my words stopped dead in this crappy body's throat at what I saw. Shai's form suddenly blurred and he appeared only a meter or so away from the beam.

He just kept walking forward.

Another beam revved up and fired only for the same thing to happen. He just stepped aside. The beast cried out causing all the beams to activate one after the other to try and hit him. I didn't even blink as I watched his form blur and appear just outside where the beams struck. Sometimes he had to blur backwards, but then he would appear closer to the [Valomyr].

It clearly got nervous as it roared once again. I had to take a step back as suddenly the ground rumbled. Looking forward, I see Shai stopped and just staring straight ahead. The [Valomyr] screams again and the beams of light suddenly surround him and charge up.

Shai just slightly crouches, and then blurs once again.

*KRABOOOOOOOM*

*KRAAAAAAAAAH!*

It was maybe half a second. A hundred meters, maybe a little more. The [Valomyr] couldn't even react as Shai just appeared right on top of it with his arm raised. With his left hand he held the horn at the top of its head, and then he just punched it. It just shattered and broke off.

The next moment Shai appeared right behind the squirming behemoth. With its horn in hand he slammed it down right in the center of its tail, literally nailing it to the ground.

It took him three seconds. To absolutely overwhelm this monster. He didn't stop there. He blurred next to one of its legs, grabbed a plate of its armor, and tore it off. Over and over again. It cried and tried to redirect the orbiting lights around it, but it didn't matter. Shai would randomly just punch behind him blowing the lights away and creating small black motes of light for himself.

Two minutes in total. The creature finally slumped down and all traces of life in its eyes vanished. Its main body flaked away leaving only the dismembered parts Shai had torn from its body. I finally took a breath.

Shai silently stood in the midst of his kill. The pure anger I could feel dripping from his figure barely being subdued. He let himself lose it. I know I've only interacted with him for a short period of time, but I could tell what kind of person he was. He was put together, a serious person when it came to killing his own monsters. He probably never allowed himself to play with something weaker than him. This time he did.

His body flashed as his armor and weapons vanished. His face was back to stoic, calm. He just walked up to each piece of the [Valomyr] and placed them within his storage.

'I need to find a way to send him home.'