An Otherworldly Stage (3)

“Haah… haah…” I quietly gasped, trying to catch my breath. How many stairs are there?!? The large oubliette led to a staircase, spiraling upwards counterclockwise. I thought it would only be a floor or two to the exit, but ten minutes later and there was still no end in sight! Sure, I had the mental fortitude of a gorilla, but my limbs were made of noodles! If I were an exercising man, you’d think I would have this belly bulge? Nada, nope, zilch.

Basically, I was tired. A bit mad too.

My only distraction was the balls of light illuminating this repeating hallway. From what I could tell, they were actually balls of light, but encased in some sort of medieval-era lamp fixture. It seemed to be powered by mana originating from stones of varying sizes, like one of those dot batteries. Though, unlike these stones, you didn’t need to spend a couple hours deducing which stupid CR2032 or CR2025 or whatever worked. Otherworld 1, My World 3.

Another ten minutes after that, and some sore legs acquired, I reached an open door. Finally! A trail of sweat ran down my forehead as I pumped my fist in the air – silently, of course. Unlike that dreary summoning room, its opulence was on full display, leaving me flabbergasted. Polished marble lined the floors and walls, accented with enough gold to live off of for more than a millennia. A clean red carpet strode down the center, creating an air of elegance. The bright blue expanse, filled with moving clouds, was painted onto the roof, as if stealing the sky ceilings from the Venetian.

I followed one of the clouds as it floated off the ceiling and through one of the many windows letting in the afternoon… suns? Two of them: one white and the other brown, both much smaller than the yellow sun I remembered. However, above the semi-industrialized city, with billowing smoke and sounds of unknown construction, it really took my breath away. I already knew I was in another world, but seeing it forced me to accept, still none the wiser of what I was supposed to do. What was that distinctly familiar voice anyway?

Well, I could find out later. First, I needed to escape this place. The fake teleport spell was still working its magic, so I sneakily made my way down the hall, staying close to the doors side. Every time I came to an intersection, I just picked one at random. Not like I had any better options without jumping off a twenty-story canopy. I preferred to keep my bones intact.

Of course, even in these gigantic halls, I was bound to run into others eventually. Maids, butlers, and knights galore marched past, but none of them noticed me skulking. That further cemented the people in this world didn’t have good control, instead relying on their large mana… capacity? If I recall, video games call it mana pools. Rolls off the tongue easier, so I’ll go with that.

With them so close by, I was able to catch pieces of their conversations:

“Did you hear?”

“About the hero summoning?”

“Yeah, I saw Duke Engres – I mean His Majesty – storming down the halls. It probably failed again.”

“What does that make it? The fifth failure?”

“Maybe you can only have one hero at a time.”

“So many wasted spellstones.”

“Right? They’re already a thousand reale for the size of a pumpkin seed, and they keep going up!”

“Well, it’s not like those damned demis are going to sell us more than normal.”

“Do you think the Duke – I mean His Majesty – will try again?”

“Who knows, but at least he’s trying to do something, unlike that supposed ruler of ours.”

“What do you expect from a near century old lady? I’m just surprised she’s still alive.”

“You there! Please do not insult Her Majesty out loud. I know it is hard, but we have to remain united against our enemies. Such words would only throw the palace into chaos.”

“““Okaaayyy.”””

So, the king(?) is a (not) king, the queen is an old hag, and a thousand reale is a lot of money. Also, something about demis.

…how does that help me again? I was certain it had some clue, but I couldn’t just go up and ask them about it. I would either be lauded as a hero or thrown in jail and executed. And judging by the (not) king “storming down the halls”, I wasn’t going to take any chances.

The knight continued on… Oh crap. He suddenly stopped with a brief, “Huh?” I quickly slid into the closest room, closing the door behind me. My heartbeat rose as I kept an ear to the door.

Thump, thump, thump, thump.

A second passed.

Thump, thump, thump, thump.

Then two.

Thump, thump, thump, thump.

…

“...maybe I’m just seeing things,” I barely heard the knight say as the thumping boots retreated. That was too close. It seemed like while the majority of people couldn’t see past my creation (illusion) magic, there were still a select few that could. The easiest way to break the spell was to perceive it, so that would’ve been trouble. My instinct saved me once again!

Thump, thump, thump, thump.

Geez, be still my beating–

“Oh? I never would’ve expected an assassin to walk in through the front door. How curious.”

I felt my heart stop the moment I heard that low, raspy voice. Although it wasn’t loud, each word was clear and crisp, as if she spoke directly into my ear. As if compelled by some unknown force, my body turned around to face the source.

“Usually you lot break through my window, so I am rather pleased at your civility.”

The room turned out to be a bedroom filled with the bare minimum: a bed to my right, a closet to the left, and a small circular table underneath a window, sans the window. In one of the two chairs sat an old woman wearing a gown the color of dull sapphires, casually sipping a cup of what looked to be tea from a strainer and kettle. She was quite literally a bag of bones, wrinkles running down her loose fitting, emaciated skin. And yet, every movement overflowed with grace, pressuring me into taking a knee. The unsheathed, bloodied greatsword lying against her chair only served to further my forced reverence. There was no doubt in my mind.

She was the queen, and I had just broken into her bedroom.

And with a smile both warm and terrifying, she said,

“Now, please take a seat. There is much to talk about.”