Chapter 3:

Chapter 3

I Got Trapped In a Fantasy World As A Literal Anime Girl And I'm Really Not Taking It Well

There was a loud bang, and suddenly, the carriage jerked sideways. A moment later, it tipped over, and the two giant birds landed heavily on the dirt beside us.

Lori yelped and clutched onto my arm, pulling me close to her chest. For a split second, there was silence.

A second explosion rang out beneath us, and suddenly my head spun as I was thrown into a tumble with the cart. It went off right beneath us and separated us. Dimly, I had the presence of mind to latch onto my fragment of the cart for dear life as I fell into a roll down a hill.

Then I heard Lori scream.

"AAAAAAAH!!"

I flinched involuntarily as a tremendous roar filled my ears. It was followed immediately by another sound: a high-pitched shriek of pain that sounded like it came from some animals, then another, and another.

The scene was surreal; the sun shone brightly overhead, but I couldn't feel its warmth through my clothing. Everything seemed so distant.

Then everything went quiet.

A shadow loomed over me.

Was that...a monster...?

My brain took longer to process what had happened than my body, which reacted instinctively.

It was a beastman. He wore nothing but rags and leather armor and carried an enormous axe. His face was obscured by his helmet, but his muscular frame suggested he was pretty large.

His weapon glowed with light, and his eyes flashed dangerously red. Somehow, the background faded away, and all I could see was an orange and black background.

Oh god. I'm going to die! Already! Why the hell did I agree to come along for this?!

A word printed in this world - or rather, the country's script I recognized as 'Death' loomed overhead, and he swung his ax down towards us. I braced myself for the impact.

At the last possible second, Lori appeared between us out of thin air.

She deflected the blow effortlessly with her bare hand, and the man roared angrily at her.

What the hell?!

"Get away from my sister you piece of trash!" she yelled furiously.

"Who the fuck are you?!" the beast man spat.

"I'm the Azure Wind!" she growled, "and you better fucking stay away from her!"

The beastman narrowed his eyes suspiciously, "What the bloody blazes are you talking about?"

"If you touch one hair on her head, I swear to ALL the gods I make you wish you were dead," she warned. "Got it!?"

The beastman grunted noncommittally and swung his ax again. This time, Lori drew her sword and parried it effortlessly, but instead of retreating, she advanced on him.

"This is gonna hurt, asshole," she smirked. "So get ready."

She lunged forwards and disappeared before reappearing at the beastman's side.

Several wounds opened up on his legs, causing blood to spill freely. He screamed loudly in surprise, stumbling backward and clutching his wound. Lori followed up with a return stroke, severing the tendons in his right forearm.

"Shit!" he cursed, dropping his weapon.

"Run!" she barked, grabbing me by the arm and dragging me along.

I hurried along and looked back to see a pile of seven men. One of them was human, but the others were beastmen that had the heads of dogs, jackals, and a lion.

We ran for all we were worth. I stumbled several times and fell twice. Each time, Lori pulled me back up and kept moving. I carried the box with the magic gem we were tasked with delivering close to my chest.

Stupid. SHORT. UNATHLETIC LEGS!

We reached the edge of the clearing before the Beastmen attacked, and we skidded to a halt. I gasped for breath and collapsed onto my knees. My lungs were burning, and I was sure my heart would explode any minute now. I made sure to go to the gym three or four days a week before, and I hadn't felt this out of shape in a very long time.

"Can you walk?" Lori asked anxiously.

I nodded weakly and managed to stand up using her shoulder. I wobbled unsteadily for a second and almost fell over again. Fortunately, Lori caught hold of my shoulders, steadying me.

I frowned, looking around. I definitely hadn't expected things to turn south so quickly.

"Thanks," I whispered gratefully. "Where are we headed anyway?"

"To the town of Rivershire Crossing," she replied confidently. "They've got food there that doesn't taste like cardboard, and we can restock supplies. Erm, find transportation as well."

I looked around, taking stock of our surroundings. There were trees everywhere but no buildings nearby. In fact, the only things I could see apart from the grassy fields and forests were a small mountain range far off in the distance and a few mountains rising up behind them.

After a quick glance around, I saw a road leading into the distance. We turned left, following it slowly.

"Do you think we should warn anyone?" I asked hesitantly.

"Warn who?" she snorted dismissively. "Everyone knows about the Picaroso Gang out here already."

"Oh..."

"Besides," she continued, "there aren't enough townsfolk to spread the word to everyone. If anything happens, we'll hear about it soon enough."

"Yeah..." I agreed reluctantly. "But we might as well try."

"Good point," she conceded. "Let's hurry then. We need to reach town before nightfall. I've been on this road before!"

Our journey passed uneventfully after that. After about three hours of walking, we finally arrived at a tiny village nestled among the rolling green hills with a river running through its center. It was quaint and peaceful looking, and plenty of people were milling about outside their homes.

In the center of town was a huge building surrounded by a stone wall, probably a temple. Several other houses stood scattered around the outskirts. It reminded me of a medieval European settlement.

As we walked closer, I noticed that most villagers were women. All of them were dressed in decent-looking clothes, all things considered, chatting happily amongst themselves. Some men also wandered past, occasionally rough-housing with each other, but none of the girls paid them any mind.

Instead, they watched us curiously as we approached. This place must have been reasonably well off.

"Wow," I murmured quietly to myself. "These guys are really friendly."

"Yes, they are good folk," Lori agreed. "A lot of traders and adventurers alike pass through here, so let's make ourselves comfortable in a tavern."

"Alright," I sighed agreeably.

Alice's soles were painfully, and I mean painfully soft. A hike that really wouldn't have bothered me before I wound up here now felt like death, and I was pretty sure I'd already picked up some blisters. At least I wasn't limping anymore, though, so I guess that's something.

Still, I was glad when we finally found a proper tavern. The locals seemed happy to serve us, and we spent a couple of hours just eating fresh fruit and meats and relaxing until the sun finished setting. It was just nice to finally get some food of substance in me after such a confusing day. Then, Lorina went off to talk to the mayor.

Now that I had time to actually get my bearings, I began reassessing my situation. I crossed my hands as I warmed up at a bonfire near the town square.

I had somehow woken up in another world.

How?

Why?

And more importantly, how do I get home?!

I thought hard for a while, trying to remember what had happened before I woke up, but I couldn't recall much beyond the initial shock of waking up. Everything was a blur of pain, confusion, anger, and heartbreak.

Who am I? What kind of world is this?! Is it even real?! Am I dreaming!?

No, I know I'm not asleep. I've been in this too long, and everything is too clear. Too vivid. But... why is everything in my mind distorted?

Did I go mad? Maybe I'm having delusions brought on by stress and fatigue. That would explain why I recognize the language spoken here as English. Or perhaps it's something completely different…

Maybe I died...

I remembered being a fully three-dimensional flesh and blood human. Softer details came to mind. I had a budding career. I was well-read.

I had flashes of memories, from winning the state spelling bee at twelve years old to placing second place in a regional science Olympiad, to graduating from Columbia University. The constant tears of a single mother crying softly into late nights when she thought I was asleep. She'd died thinking I didn't know or appreciate how much she sacrificed for me. She had never been the same after my father perished in the World Trade Center attack.

Regret. Pain. More images flashed by. Where did I live? What were my specializations? What did I do?

I was in a live-in relationship with...someone. For four years. Five years? Was it six?

I did all the cooking, laundry, and cleaning. I did their take-home exams and graduate thesis. In a field I had no right dabbling in, but they got their doctorate. We fought.

I was someone. Someone capable. Someone who used to be strong. My soul and dignity had been beaten down and crushed. I stormed away. Something happened. Pain, confusion, anger, and heartbreak.

And suddenly, I woke up in this weird, surreal anime world in this girl's body.

I was confused. Very confused. Everything was so very, very disorienting...

My thoughts drifted elsewhere as I sat alone in front of the fire.

I decided to sit with my head bowed low and wait patiently for Lori to go around and finish whatever business she had. As I waited, I took inventory of my surroundings.

Apparently, this area didn't have streetlights yet, although they did exist in this world because once darkness descended upon us, we still had trouble seeing where we were going. Lori eventually returned to me with a smile and a fresh fruit basket. I scowled at her as I silently grabbed a fruit that reminded me of a pear or apple.

Thankfully, the innkeeper provided lanterns for us to carry around with us.

When we entered our room, it was surprisingly spacious. We each had our own bed, and the entire room was easily big enough for five people. Even more surprising was the price tag attached to the bill; it cost us more than six silvers a piece. I'd picked up on the conversion rates very quickly - one gold piece was worth ten silvers, and a silver piece was worth a hundred bronze pieces.

That meant this trip alone was worth several thousands of dollars or euros' worth of purchasing power. That sinking feeling I had at the bulletin board earlier came back to the front of my mind. I was starting to wonder if I was making a mistake coming here and taking up the job. Then again, that was virtually every second since I'd woken up here.

"Ahhh, that feels great," I sighed as I tossed off my boots and flopped onto the bed, flexing my aching toes.

I looked all over my body. I could feel damp sweat against my body, but I could only see a bunch of large droplets. This was incredibly surreal.

Suddenly, someone knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" Lori shouted from inside.

"Room service!" answered a voice muffled by the thick wood.

"Okay come in," Lori responded.

The door opened, and a young woman stepped inside carrying a basket full of bread rolls. Her skin was dark brown, and she had golden eyes. She was wearing a white dress with blue trimming, and she smiled warmly as she set down the basket next to the table.

"Thank you for your patronage," she said politely. "May I bring you anything else while you're staying at our establishment?"

Lori glanced at me uncertainly. "Err…sure. What do you recommend?"

"Anything from our menu will suffice," the barmaid assured her. "And if you don't want food, perhaps drinks would suit you better? Our ale tastes particularly nice tonight."

Lori pondered for a moment. "Hmm…"

"Well, what kind of drink would you prefer?" the barmaid prompted. "Beer? Wine?"

"Um, actually," I interjected nervously. "I haven't tried ale before. Can I have a glass of that?"

I'd stopped drinking for a while before wound up here, but I felt like I needed it right now.

Her smile widened slightly. "Of course, milady."

She returned to the counter with a tall mug containing a frothy amber liquid. I guess drinking ages weren't really a thing here.

"Here you are, miss," she handed it to me.

I raised it to my lips and sniffed carefully. It smelled sweet and fruity, but I decided to take a sip first to test its flavor.

It was smooth, crisp, and refreshing.

I took another gulp. This stuff was actually delicious!

Then it dawned on me.

Why was I having fun drinking this? Wasn't I worried about getting drunk? Or maybe I just liked the way it felt on my tongue?

Wait, does alcohol affect people differently depending on their race, species, or whatever? Ah, whatever.

However, no matter what I thought about it, the ale went down smoothly. I finished my cup rather quickly and ordered two more. I started to sip my second mug.

Then, my brain started spinning wildly. Everything seemed clearer, sharper, and easier to understand. Suddenly, everything became clear to me: how the world worked and how to solve problems. I understood the reason for the war between humans and demons and knew exactly what to do about it.

"Hey Loriiiii!" I exclaimed excitedly. "I figuuuuuuurrrrrrrrred it out!"

"You did?" Lori asked incredulously.

"Yeah!" I grinned triumphantly. "I know how ta end the war!"

I scooted over and gave her the deepest, most affectionate hug. She was such a good sister! She was so beautiful, and she was so brave earlier.

"What!?" she cried in shock.

I gulped hard and forced myself to calm down. "Caaaaaalllllm down, Lori," I told her. "Take a deep breath. Now, repeat after miiiiiine."

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

Calm, cool, collected.

Just relax and breathe.

Slow and steady.

Relax your muscles.

Focus.