Chapter Text
Wh- Where am I…?
Jessica Sigurdson’s eyes shot open, and she found herself lying spread-eagled on the ground, staring up at the leafy canopy above her. She was pretty sure that she had been asleep just a moment earlier, and yet she felt wide awake, if a little confused. The sky was a pleasant blue color, the trees were swaying in a gentle breeze, and she could hear the sounds of birds and other small forest creatures around her…
…Soooo… why the hell am I in a forest? Jessica sat up, and tried to remember what she had been doing the night before, but was momentarily distracted by how heavy her clothes felt. Looking down, she suddenly realized that she was wearing leather armor—the kind you’d see on a mostly-historically-accurate-but-with-some-exaggerations Viking documentary, or maybe being worn by particularly dedicated cosplayers or LARPers. Her torso was fully protected by the brown, somewhat-cheap-looking material, and she was also wearing bracers and greaves over a long-sleeve shirt and matching set of pants and boots…
…Though Jessica was much more concerned by the small arsenal of weaponry she was apparently carrying on her person, especially because it took her a few seconds just to find everything. Twin hatchets and four throwing daggers were attached to her belt; four additional knives were strapped to her arms and legs; and when she turned to glance at the weight on her back, she found a large, round, wooden shield, and also two more daggers, because apparently eight wasn’t already enough.
Okay… Oooooooookay. What the fuck is going on here? It took everything Jessica had to fight off her surging panic as dozens of questions clashed in her head. Where was she? Why on earth was she armed so heavily? And most importantly…
…Why the fuck couldn’t she remember anything?!?
Jessica Sigurdson was a slightly-chubby thirty-one year old woman, whose pale skin, long blonde ponytail, and above-average height were all sure signs of her Icelandic heritage. That said, she hadn’t grown up in Iceland, though for the life of her she couldn’t remember anything about where she lived. Or even the first fact about Iceland, for that matter, other than the name. Her parents were… Well, she could remember their faces, and she was pretty sure that she had no siblings, and as for her current job, she remembered doing a LOT of math, and something about clients needing her help with their taxes and other financial concerns… But other than that, nothing.
Jessica’s panic only grew as she realized just how blank her memories were. She could remember emotions—specifically loneliness, dissatisfaction, and an undefinable feeling of ‘wrongness’ that permeated everything in her life—and she recalled enjoying video games, anime, comic books, and other geeky stuff like that… but no other details were coming to her, and she had absolutely no idea how she could’ve ended up here, nor why she was dressed so strangely.
OK then… Don’t panic. Don’t. Panic. This is… This is fine! I’m probably just dreaming or something. Jessica did her best to reassure herself, but frankly, this all felt way more real than any dream she had ever had. In fact, now that she thought about it, Jessica vaguely remembered having a dream just before she woke up, seeing a blue flag before her eyes with text on it… Something about ‘woods,’ though she had been too disoriented to take in anything else the banner had said.
W- Well… I guess there’re two options here. Either I’m dreaming right now, and none of this matters, or this is all extremely real, in which case I am alone, in the middle of the woods, and it looks like the sun is going to go down in a few hours. Great. Fantastic! Absolutely incredible! Just… Just a wonderful situation to find myself in, all around.
Jessica paused to take several deep breaths, then slowly rose to her feet. Still… the plus side is I’m not tired or hungry or anything. And I AM armed, so I guess that means I can defend myself if I need to. Kinda. I mean, assuming I can figure out how to use these things. But in any case, standing around here isn’t going to solve anything. I should probably just pick a direction and start walking, and hope that I find someone who can help me, or maybe even a highway or a city or some other sign of civilization.
…Right! That sounds like as good a gameplan as anything! And since I don’t want to end up walking in circles, I’ll keep moving towards the sun! …And hopefully I'll run into someone before I die of exhaustion or starvation or something!
And so, after doing a small fist pump in a failed attempt to psych herself up, Jessica Sigurdson set off towards the horizon, and unknowingly took her first steps towards her brand-new life in a brand-new world.
An hour or so later, Jessica felt oddly relaxed as she continued her trek through the woods; despite her general stress, she couldn’t help but smile as she took in the sights and sounds around her. Occasional birdsong rang in her ears, the sunlight was beautiful as it filtered through the leaves above her, the weather couldn’t be more perfect, and the breeze was so wonderfully pleasant…
Man… If I knew nature walks could be this peaceful, I’d go out a lot more… Jessica had never been the most athletic person in the world, but now, even with all her armor and gear, she found she still wasn’t getting tired or hungry. As such, though she occasionally stopped to admire an unusual looking flower, cool bug, or passing wildlife like deer and squirrels, she continued onwards, never pausing for more than a minute or two.
Jessica was fully aware that she should be worried about… well, everything that was happening to her, but spending a little time alone in the wilderness was doing good things for her soul, and she actually found herself enjoying it. After I figure out what’s going on and find my way back home, maybe I should come back here sometime. It’d be nice to-
“AAAAAAAH!!!”
Suddenly, Jessica’s ruminations were interrupted by a distant scream, and her whole body tensed as she whipped her head around to find its source. There were no threats immediately around her, but just as she started to think she might’ve imagined it, Jessica heard more shouts off to her right, and her mind was soon racing with conflicting thoughts.
…Wh- What should I do? Shouts mean people, and I’m trying to find people, right? But if they’re in danger, maybe they’re running from a fire or something, which means I should steer clear? But if they need my help…
D- Damnit… Jessica knew that she had plenty of problems of her own—she still had no idea where she was and who had dressed and armed her this way, not to mention the plethora of other questions that were still unanswered—but she also knew that she couldn’t just turn away if someone was in danger. Thus resolved, Jessica turned to sprint towards the screams, and it wasn’t long before she could make out what the voices were saying…
“N- No! Stay back! I- I’m not afraid to hurt you!”
“Ha! Sure you aren’t…” A shiver passed through Jessica’s spine as this second voice grated against her ears. Most of the shouts sounded normal, but this one… it was unnaturally high pitched and raspy, and positively dripped with cruelty. “Just try it, then! See if you can even scratch me, human scum!”
“H- Haaaaaa!!!” The sound of metal clashing with metal rang in Jessica’s ears as she got closer, followed by a scream of pain, and then more laughter from the inhuman voice. Realizing at the last second that she should probably pause to assess what she was running into, Jessica dove behind a bush at the edge of the clearing that seemed to be the source of the commotion. At some point, she had unconsciously grabbed the hatchets from her belt, and now held one in each hand… and that grip only tightened as she took in the scene in front of her.
Wh- What is… What the hell am I looking at?!? Jessica stared, wide eyed, as she struggled to process everything she was seeing. About a dozen people—all dressed like they were on their way to some sort of ren faire—were bound in rope inside of wooden cages… no, prison carts, as three others dressed in armor lay on the ground, either unconscious or dead. Worse, one unarmored woman held a sword loosely in her hand, clearly fighting to stay conscious as her neck was gripped by… by…
“Pahahahahaha! You really thought you could take me? What a fucking joke…” The creature looked like some kind of lizard, but it was standing on two legs, and was easily eight feet tall. Its green scales glinted in the fading sunlight, its long tail flicked back and forth, cruelty danced in its reptilian eyes, and its clawed hand tightened around the windpipe of the woman it was holding aloft. The monster was unarmored, but its scales looked hard enough to make up for that fact, and it held a crudely made scimitar in its free hand.
“Nggggh… p- please…” The human woman struggled to breathe as she hung in the lizard’s grasp. “T- Take me if you must… but my family… l- let them-”
“Ha! And what makes you think you’re in any position to make demands, little girl?” The lizard pulled its captive close and bared its fangs. “Why should I settle for fewer slaves than I’ve already caught? No, we’ll find good uses for all of- GAH!”
Suddenly, the lizard recoiled as the woman’s blade dug into its side. Somehow, she had managed to rally her strength for one last attack, but it quickly proved to be a futile effort. Within a moment, the lizard had knocked her sword out of her hand, and slammed her into the ground as it roared with rage.
“Wrong move, jackass! I was planning on making this painless, but if you’re going to force my hand, maybe I’ll take a limb off of you first!” With these words, the lizard raised its sword high in the air, and let out one last merciless laugh. “Hope you enjoy your new life as a-”
The woman had shut her eyes in preparation for the coming blow, but suddenly, her assailant went quiet, its grip on her neck loosened… and just a moment later, the lizard collapsed to its side, motionless, with a hatchet buried deep in the very center of its back.
How… How did I just do that?!? Jessica was panting as she stood in front of the bush she had been hiding in, her arm still outstretched after throwing her weapon as hard as she could. It had been the strangest feeling; no sooner had she realized what she needed to do than her body had practically moved on its own, and she had launched the hatchet with all the power, skill, and precision of a seasoned warrior. B- But… I’m not a seasoned warrior, am I? I mean, I don’t remember anything, but I’m pretty sure I-
“Who the-?!? Where did you come from?!?” Jessica’s panicked thoughts were interrupted by a high-pitched voice to her right, and she suddenly spotted another lizard standing at the edge of the clearing, holding a rope that was binding the arms of two captive human children… and Jessica’s body responded long before her mind had a chance to.
“Ngah!” The lizard stumbled backwards as a dagger flew into its chest—Jessica’s free hand had darted to her belt and thrown the weapon faster than she could think. “Human filth! You’ll die for that!”
The lizard let out a roar as it dropped the rope and drew its own sword. The monster was very fast, and was on top of its adversary within three seconds… But Jessica responded even quicker. Still holding a hatchet in one hand, she grabbed her shield off her back, and used it to knock away the first swing of her foe’s blade… Though it soon became clear that this lizard was far from done.
Metal slammed into metal as the two fighters clashed, Jessica deflecting blows with her shield and hatchet, and the lizard dodging or parrying swings with its surprising agility, but it quickly became clear that the human was the better warrior. Jessica couldn’t even begin to describe what she was feeling as she fought; it was almost like everything was moving in slow motion, and she could see her opponent’s attacks coming from a mile away. Moreover, she had more control over her body than she would’ve ever thought possible, and instinctually knew just how to position herself to maximize the strength of her swings and avoid harm. It was almost like her muscles were on autopilot, except she was fully aware of what she was doing, even if she had absolutely no idea how she was doing it.
“NGRAAAH!!! Stand still, damnit!!!” As Jessica continued her skillful movements, nicking the lizard’s scales with several attacks even while dodging its counters, her adversary was getting more frustrated and careless by the second. The lizard started to positively wail on her shield, trying to find any opening it could, but that aggression left it defenseless, and as Jessica’s eyes darted downwards, it wasn’t long before she had her next steps planned.
“JUST DIE ALREADY!!!” Drawing its sword high above its head, the lizard swung downwards, hoping to cleave Jessica’s shield in two… but this time, it found nothing but air. Jessica pivoted out of the way of the strike, and just as the lizard—who had expected to meet some resistance—started to stumble forward, she went low, hooking its ankle with the back of her hatchet before sweeping its leg…
…And no sooner had her foe hit the ground then the blade of her axe slammed into the back of its head, and the lizard went still.
“…Haaaaa… Haaaaa… Haaaaa…” Jessica stood there, watching her adversary for any signs of life, for what felt an eternity. Pure adrenaline was coursing through her veins, and she was fully aware of every movement of every blade of grass in her vision. The monster was clearly dead, but somehow, she had the distinct feeling that this fight was far from-
“Behind you!” The woman from earlier cried out, and Jessica whipped her body around just in time for a new foe to slam into her, knocking her to the ground. Whatever this new adversary was, it was much faster, stronger, and more feral than the other two lizards had been, and since it was now on top of her, Jessica didn’t have an angle to swing at it with her hatchet. Still, if I can just-
“GAH!” Jessica let out a scream of pain as the monster’s jaw closed around her shoulder, and its sharp teeth cut through her armor and dug into her flesh. She needed to get this thing off of her, now, and so she pulled her right arm around, wedged her shield between herself and her adversary, and let out a yell of determination as she pushed with all her might…
…And as soon as it was forced off of her, Jessica leapt to her feet, took up her battle stance, and for the first time, got a good look at what she was now facing.
This latest foe was another lizard creature, but where the other two had clearly been sentient, this one moved and acted like a rabies-infected wolf. Its scales were a sickening shade of yellow, it stood on all fours as it snarled at her, drool fell from its open mouth, and there was nothing but madness and hunger in its eyes. It couldn’t have been more obvious that this beast had enjoyed getting a small taste of human flesh…
…But Jessica was not going to be this monster’s meal, and though her shoulder still stung, she knew that her best chance was to go on the offence. With a mighty battlecry, Jessica charged forwards, but the beast simply leapt out of the way of her swing, swiping at her ankles with its claws as it moved. Thankfully, her greaves absorbed the hit, but as the battle continued, it quickly became apparent that Jessica was outmatched.
Despite her impressive reflexes, Jessica just couldn’t hit the much faster creature, and though she managed to keep her shield up and block its own pounces, it kept slashing at her limbs, causing her small pangs of pain whenever it got lucky and hit an unarmored piece of flesh. At best, the situation could be called a stalemate, given that neither combatant was able to land any decisive blows… but unless she changed tactics, Jessica knew that the creature could likely keep this up for much longer than she could.
But damnit! What other options do I have? Jessica raised her shield slightly and swung her axe low, but the beast simply jumped out of the way of the leg sweep. It takes me too long to wind up for a big hit with a weapon like this, and my smaller swings aren’t enough to dent its scales, but I don’t have any other-
…Wait, yes I do! As she deflected another of the creature’s pounces with her shield, Jessica quickly shoved her hatchet back into its holster—again, noting how her body performed this action as smoothly as if she had practiced it hundreds of times—and grabbed one of the two knives from her back. If I can’t get a good swing in, maybe I can stab! At the very least, it’ll take less windup…
…Well, it’s worth a shot! Once again, Jessica raised her shield as she braced for her opponent’s charge, and to her delight, her weapon adjustment immediately paid off. This time, when the beast slammed into her shield, Jessica held her knife hand immediately behind her defenses, and used her shield arm to push her opponent upwards and to the side, until its belly was exposed…
…And though the thrust didn’t have as much power as she would’ve like, she still managed to plunge the knife between two of the lizard’s scales before it could jump back.
Yes! Jessica couldn’t help but grin as the creature stumbled backwards, roaring at her in rage. Got ya, ya big jerk! Now I just have to keep this up until you eventually fall over dead! No probl-
…Wait, what is it doing…?
Jessica had been standing in a defensive position, waiting for the lizard to lunge at her again, but instead the creature opened its mouth wide… and a small spark was the only warning Jessica got before her entire body was enveloped in a massive blast of lightning.
“A- AAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!” Jessica screamed as pain erupted through her veins; pain unlike anything she had ever felt before. She knew that getting struck by lightning could be lethal even in regular circumstances, and this attack was much larger than any bolt from any natural storm, so she knew that there was no way she could possibly…
…survive?
As the beast closed its mouth, and the flow of energy stopped… Jessica was still standing there. Her whole body burned with pain, her muscles tensed and untensed as electricity pulsed through them, and her vision was more than a little fuzzy… but she was still alive, still had her weapon and shield in her grasp, and still-
W- Wait, my shield! After getting over her initial shock at not being dead, Jessica suddenly realized that her wooden shield was very much on fire now, and she quickly threw it to the ground in a panic. N- Not good! Without that, I won’t be able to-
“Ggg!” As if on cue, the lizard-beast lunged at her, and now that she had nothing to put between them, she had no real defenses against its onslaught. Once again, Jessica’s body went into autopilot, and she grabbed a second knife as she frantically stabbed up at her assailant with both hands… But the monster just kept biting her wherever it could, and what was left of Jessica’s consciousness began to-
“G- Get off of her, mongrel!” Suddenly, the beast let out a yelp of pain, and leapt off of Jessica’s body. Staring upwards, Jessica’s eyes were met by that woman from earlier, still holding her sword in her hand despite clearly being exhausted and injured. She wasn’t dressed for battle, and the way she was wielding the blade betrayed her lack of training… but she had managed to get a slice in on the distracted beast, and that gave Jessica enough of an opening to get back to her feet.
“Th- Thank you…” Jessica groaned as she stood back up, her chest heaving even as she fell back into a battle stance with a dagger in each hand.
“D- D- Don’t, mention it…” The woman gasped back, clearly in no better shape than Jessica was. “L- Let’s just finish this bast-”
“Down!” Electricity had begun to build in the lizard’s mouth again, but Jessica knew what was coming this time, so she managed to dive to the side, pulling her new ally out of the way as the bolt of energy zoomed past. Jessica rolled and jumped back to her feet, but the woman wasn’t nearly as agile as she was, and was struggling to get up.
…Damnit… DAMNIT! This was getting bad, and fast. The lizard-beast was clearly injured, but now it was keeping its distance while catching its breath for another electric attack, and Jessica wasn’t sure how long she could keep her inexperienced ally safe. This is better than fighting alone, but I need to do some serious damage and take it out before it has the chance to finish one of us off! If only it had a weak point or something I could-
…W- Wait, that could work! Desperate hope surged through Jessica’s mind as she charged the beast again, and she hurled one of her daggers in its direction… but it simply jumped out of the way. Crap! Should’ve known that’d be too easy… Have to wait for the right moment, have to wait for…
Drawing yet another blade, Jessica repositioned herself so she was in front of her comrade, who had gotten back to her feet. “W- Well? Come on, then!” Jessica yelled with as much confidence as she could muster. “We’re- We’re both right here! Take your best shot!”
It was an obvious bait, but thankfully, this lizard-beast didn’t seem to have the intelligence not to take it. As such, it planted its feet, reared its head back, opened its mouth wide…
…And let out a choking cough as a knife suddenly flew down its throat.
FUCK YES!!! Jessica still had absolutely no idea how she was aiming so well, but she didn't have time to question that; she had to finish this now, and so she didn’t hesitate to charge the startled beast. Grabbing the dagger that was sheathed on her left arm, Jessica leapt at her staggered foe, raised both her blades above her head…
…And the beast went silent as she stabbed downwards with all the force she could muster.
Jessica’s chest heaved as the lizard collapsed underneath her, but she wasn’t going to make the same mistake twice. As soon as she was sure it was dead, Jessica rose back into her battle stance, head whirling around as she searched for her next opponent…
“You… You did it! Thank you!!!” …But was instead greeted by a flying tackle-hug from the human woman, who had dropped her own sword on the ground.
“U- Uh, are you sure there aren’t-”
“Yes, that’s the last of them.” The woman replied, pulling her head back to smile in relief at her savior. “It was just the two Greenscales and their Thunder Beast that ambushed us earlier… I was so worried about my folks, thank you for saving everyone!”
Jessica’s heart skipped a beat as she took in this woman’s grateful expression. She had always liked girls, and now that she was actually paying attention, there was no denying that this one was very cute. She looked to be in her mid-twenties, if Jessica had to guess, and had dark skin, short-and-straight black hair, and somewhat sharp features. Her clothes, meanwhile, were modest and loose, though Jessica could still feel the woman’s sizable breasts pressing into her, which was admittedly a little distracting.
“Uh, y- yeah…” Jessica eventually managed to reply, her voice coming out slightly giddy thanks to the adrenaline still pumping through her veins. “N- no problem…”
“Ah, apologies.” The woman suddenly disengaged the hug, and began to hurry away. “I have to see to the others. Feel free to take what you want from the Greenscales!”
“Take what I…?” Jessica watched as the woman ran off to free the other humans, seemingly unconcerned with her near-death experience and how much pain she had been in just seconds earlier. It’s honestly impressive that she’s still able to move like that after…
…Wait. Come to think of it, how am I still standing? Jessica glanced down at her own body, and though she was in a lot of pain, she was shocked to find no wounds nor even blood. Her armor was torn in several places, and her shield had burnt to a crisp, but otherwise, Jessica looked completely unharmed, at least externally.
…B- But that’s not possible, is it? That thing bit me, like, five times! I should have teeth marks or bloody wounds or… or something! Not to mention burns from getting hit by fucking lighting! Jessica adjusted her clothes, checking every spot where she knew for a fact she had been hit… but despite her pain, she couldn’t see any outward signs of the battle; her skin was a little dirty, but otherwise pristine and undamaged. B- But how is that… What the hell is going on here…?
“Ah, there you are!” Jessica’s increasingly-chaotic thoughts were interrupted by a new, male voice, and she looked up to see the woman from earlier approaching again, accompanied by an old man leaning on a cane. Said man had light brown skin and a bald head, and was wearing slightly-more-expensive looking clothes than the rest of the group. “Find anything good on the Greenscales?”
“…Um…” Jessica glanced around her; she hadn’t moved since the woman ran off, so she was a little confused why this old man thought she had already searched them. “I, uh, haven’t gotten the chance to check yet.”
“Ah, well, you should always be sure to LOOT any adversaries you defeat, you never know what you might find.”
…Huh? Jessica stared at the old man—for some reason, the word ‘loot’ had echoed slightly when he spoke it—but neither he nor the woman acted like he had said anything odd, so Jessica assumed she must have misheard.
“In any case,” the old man continued, “My name is Javoki Sarlow, leader of this merchant caravan. And the young woman you fought alongside is Karlen, my daughter.”
“Nice to meet you, formally.” Karlen smiled as she gave a small curtsy. “You were quite skilled with those blades of yours, its rare to find such a strong warrior around these parts. What’s your name?”
“O- Oh, uh, yeah…” Jessica started, still a little thrown off by how casually they were talking given what they had just gone through. For a moment, she wondered if Karlen was flirting with her, but the question had come out far too casually for that to be true. “…My name is Jessica Sigurdson.”
“Do you prefer Lady Jessica or Lady Sigurdson?” Javoki asked, without missing a beat.
“…Uhhh…” Jessica found this question a little odd, but the two Sarlows acted like it was the most normal thing to ask in the world, so Jessica took a moment to think about it. In truth, she had never really liked her first name much, but going by ‘Lady Sigurdson’ would almost certainly be weirder. “I guess… L- Lady Jessica?”
“Very good then. Lady Jessica…” Javoki smiled up at her. “We are in your debt for your help this day. Tialdo is making some soup to help revive our fallen bodyguards; you are welcome to as much as you need to RESTORE YOUR HEALTH.”
…The fuck? There it is again! Jessica was getting more weirded out by the second, especially as she glanced over at the downed bodyguards. All three were splayed out on the ground, not moving save for their uneven breaths. Is soup really going to be enough to-
“Ah, looks like Tialdo’s done, come on!” Suddenly, Karlen grabbed Jessica’s hand, and pulled her towards a large cauldron that a tall and lanky pale skinned man with frizzy grey hair—presumably Tialdo—had set up in the middle of the clearing. Jessica had absolutely no idea how he had filled the thing with fully-cooked soup so fast—I’m like ninety-percent sure that this wasn’t here while I was fighting—but in any case, it smelled delicious, and though she still wasn’t hungry, the thought of a nice warm meal was very appealing.
“Well then, eat up!” Karlen smiled again as she scooped some of the soup into a bowl, and passed it to Jessica, who took a seat on a nearby log. “It might take a few servings to GET YOUR HEALTH BACK TO FULL, so don’t be shy now.”
OK, why is her voice doing it now too?!? Jessica began to seriously worry that her hearing had somehow been damaged in the fight… but she did have some amazing looking soup now, and figured filling her belly could only help. As such, she picked up the spoon Karlen had given her, took a big gulp…
…And gasped as she felt a wonderfully warm sensation pass through her whole body.
“W- Wow! This is great, Tialdo! Thank you!”
“Hey, don’t mention it.” Tialdo replied, even as he continued to stir. “Old family recipe. Any old food stuff will do you good, but THE QUALITY OF THE MEAL DETERMINES THE QUALITY OF THE HEALING, so I used the best ingredients we had.”
By this point, Jessica was just… done being surprised by the weird echo-voice that no one else seemed to notice, but it was odd that they all kept talking about this delicious-but-fairly-generic soup somehow having healing properties…
…Though now that I think about it… Jessica turned her thoughts inwards as she continued to eat. …I do feel like I’m in less pain now than I was before… Am I just imagining it, or…
“There you go, good as new!”
Jessica jumped slightly as she glanced over at the three unconscious bodyguards… who were now rising to their feet one-by-one as another merchant poured some soup in their mouths. Soon enough, they had each casually walked over to Tialdo and gotten a bowl for themselves, which they were now happily sipping down as Jessica stared up at them, open mouthed.
“Feeling better?” Karlen’s voice snapped Jessica out of her stunned haze, but by this point, the utterly confused woman couldn’t even begin to form words, so her new companion eventually continued.
“I must say, I was surprised to see someone out here all alone. These lands are dangerous if you don’t have protection of some form. How many monsters did you have to defeat before you found us?”
“How many…?” Jessica was still eyeing the bowl in her hands with a combination of confusion and awe, but she somehow managed to respond. “I- I didn’t fight anything until those… what did you call them? …Greenscales that were attacking you.”
“Oh wow…” an impressed look crossed Karlen’s face. “…So you’re strong and stealthy! It must’ve taken quite some patience to avoid all the monsters in these woods.”
“All the…” As images of her peaceful and completely uneventful walk from earlier that day flashed before Jessica’s eyes, her bewilderment finally boiled over. She had absolutely no idea what the fuck was going on here, and she needed to get at least a few of her questions answered before her head exploded. “L- Look, Karlen. I’m… not from around here, and I think I’m a little confused?”
“Oh, where are you from then?”
“New York. The state, not the city.” The words fell out of Jessica’s mouth before she could think, and she spoke them in one breath, like the clarification was one she always had to make. Jessica paused as her mind reeled with this new information; just hours earlier she had had no idea where she was from, but now that she had said the name, it felt true.
So then, I’m from a place called New York, huh? Which is a state? And not a city, apparently? That’s… oddly specific while still being frustratingly vague. Uggggh, why can’t I remember anything else?
“Hmmm… New York? Can’t say I’ve heard of it.” Karlen replied casually. “You must’ve travelled a long way to get here.”
“Y- Yeah, I guess so…” Jessica absentmindedly went back to her soup as her thoughts raced a mile a minute. …So my home is either so insignificant or so far away that she hasn’t heard of it. Great. I guess the next question is… “So then… where are we now? Your father said you were merchants, right? Where are you headed?”
“Oh, we’re in the Bidarja Woods, on our way to Ableasifa Town. We’ve got some fine wares from Grotimi Fortress and Mekalo City that we think will-
“L- Lady Jessica! Are you alright?” Karlen rose to her feet as her companion’s spoon clattered into her bowl. Jessica’s face was pale, her breathing was heavy, and her eyes were wide… but that was all nothing compared to the absolute chaos that was now raging through her mind.
I… Surely I misheard that. SURELY. I mean… Jessica’s thoughts raced with the names Karlen had just listed, even as the younger woman hurried to her side and tried to shake her out of her stupor. Bidarja, Ableasifa, Grotimi, Mekalo…? There’s… There’s no way. There’s just…
“-essica? What’s wrong? Is there anything I can do to-”
“U- Uh, quick question, Karlen?” Jessica’s face was unreadable as she finally found the nerve to speak. “Y- You said you’re headed for Ableasifa Town, right? That’s in the Hirsaquay Kingdom… right?”
“Y- Yes…”
“…And then Grotimi and Mekalo… those are a part of the Ghiavoith Empire?”
“Yes, they are…” Karlen replied. “So you know the area, then?”
“Oh…” Jessica’s voice came out extremely high pitched and fluttery as her panic continued to rise. “…Yeah. Yeah I guess you could say I know it.”
“Well then, what brings you here?”
“…That’s the million-dollar question, isn’t it…”
“I’m sorry, what did you say?”
“N- Nothing!” Jessica put on the best smile she could; she needed time to think, and Karlen’s questions, though polite and well-meaning, were very distracting. “B- But I’d really like to get back to eating my food now, if that’s ok with you.”
“Oh, yes, of course. My apologies, Lady Jessica. I’ll be here if you need anything else.”
With those words, Karlen got up, and sat back down on another log… but now that Jessica was paying attention, she noticed something odd about every merchant in the camp. Each of them was going about some task or another—whether they were cooking like Tialdo, eating like Karlen, conversing like Javoki, running and playing like the children, or patrolling like the bodyguards—but their motions were repetitive, like they were just playing the same animation on a long loop. Moreover, the conversations were muttered, and didn’t seem to include any real words. And on top of all of that, though Javoki, Karlen, and Tialdo had all seemed lively and expressive when they were talking to Jessica, now their faces were stagnant, almost blank, as they held on one emotion for far too long…
What the fuck, what the fuck, WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK. With no other way to assuage the chaos in her mind, Jessica went back to shoveling the soup into her mouth, but froze when she once again noticed that this perfectly normal food was somehow diluting her pain. Then there were also her wounds that didn’t show up on her body, her unexplainable mastery of weaponry, the merchants’ unnervingly blasé attitude about almost being taken into slavery or worse…
…And just as everything started to click into place, Jessica let out a quiet gasp as scattered and disconnected snippets of her own life began to play before her eyes…
Jessica Sigurdson was eight years old, and practically sprinted the whole way home from the game store. She had waited almost a year for this release, replaying the demo CD over and over and over again, and now it was finally here, and she couldn’t wait to play the game that all her favorite magazines had hyped up so much. After all, MMORPGs were still a brand-new genre, and this one was the most polished and graphically advanced to date! And as soon as she inserted the disk, the young girl knew that she was not going to be disappointed.
Jessica Sigurdson was nine years old, and sitting in front of a very bulky desktop computer. She had already logged a crazy number of hours in this game, but the developers came out with updates every month, so there was always something new to discover, and a reason to start over again with a new character at level one. She was a big fan of the Fighter class specifically—it was simple, and she always felt badass as a frontline tank—though she did also experiment with other classes on occasion. After all, though she was still young, and a bit of a button masher, she was starting to get the hang of the strategy of the game, and how a party’s composition could make the difference in battle… Though that said, she always made her characters male. She just liked the look of the male armor better, and didn’t question the oddly pleasant feeling that would build in her chest whenever NPCs or other players would call her ‘he’ and ‘sir’ in the text chat.
Jessica Sigurdson was ten years old, and just like she did every day, logged in to the game to chat with her guild buddies. She didn’t have time to do any raids that day thanks to the soccer club her parents had forced her to sign up for, but it still felt nice just to talk with everyone. Jessica had so much trouble getting along with her classmates, and felt so uncomfortable in her own skin, but when she was online, none of that was true. No one knew her age or gender; she was just another player, and everyone called her whatever her current character’s name was. On this server, she was Gregor Valbari, the guild's strongest Fighter who had all the confidence she could never muster in her real life, and a kind, heroic man who had friends who genuinely liked him. Her parents always told her they were ‘concerned’ about her ‘addiction,’ but in truth, she saw the game as a chance to escape, a chance to be somewhere else… A chance to be someone else.
Jessica Sigurdson was eleven years old, and was one of the last remaining players on any of the servers. Newer, shinier games had come out, and most of the playerbase had migrated over… but Jessica just couldn’t get herself to leave. After so many years of playing, she knew the mechanics front to back, and wasn’t thrilled by the idea of learning some new game, especially because the market was now saturated with new MMOs, most of which didn’t last more than a year or two. Better to get a little more time out of this game, then move over once it became clear which of the others was going to last… Though frankly, the impermanence of the fantasy that had kept her going for four years had the girl more than a little depressed.
Jessica Sigurdson was twelve years old, and sighed a disappointed sigh as she ejected the disk for the last time. Monthly subscriptions had dried up, and the developers had been forced to close the servers. She had already migrated over to a new game which was objectively better in basically every way, but it still felt pretty shitty to know that she’d never get to play this one again. It was her first obsession, her first gaming love… And though she knew she had plenty of other fun games to play, this still felt like she was leaving a small part of herself behind…
Jessica Sigurdson was eighteen years old, and busy packing for college, when she spotted the game buried under several others in her bedroom. She smiled to herself as she looked it over, and tucked it away in one of her bags. She suspected her parents would throw away or sell any random geek stuff she left behind, and knew that this was something she wanted to keep safe, at least for nostalgia’s sake…
Jessica Sigurdson was twenty-two years old, and for the first time, she was moving into her own place. She had a job now, and tons of other games she liked, but she still smiled as she pulled this one out of its box and placed it prominently on her bedroom shelf. It was nice to be reminded of simpler times, before she had responsibilities, before puberty had hit her like a truck, leaving her vaguely dissatisfied with everything… Back when she could just be Gregor Valbari, or Emanuel Scarcoff, or Wilston Moonhallow… Back before integrated voice chat had made it impossible to be anyone other than Jessica Sigurdson… Back before saying even one word through her mic would cause everyone in the server to start calling her ‘she,’ and ‘her,’ among other, far-less-polite terms…
Jessica Sigurdson was thirty-one years old, and laying in a hospital bed, her breathing heavy. Her parents were by her side, but she almost wished they weren’t. She had always felt like they were judging her, keeping her in line, holding her back from being her true self, whoever that really was…
Jessica Sigurdson didn’t want to be Jessica Sigurdson. Jessica Sigurdson wanted to go back to simpler times, when she could be anyone she dreamed up. And as her eyes fluttered closed for the last time, Jessica Sigurdson once again found herself reminiscing on her time playing the game that had served as her first consistent source of happiness in life…
…And now, here Jessica Sigurdson was, inside that game, inside the Hirsaquay Kingdom, and she had conveniently stumbled into a group that was headed for Ableasifa Town, the starting zone where she had created so many characters a full two decades earlier… This was everything Jessica had wanted, everything she hadn’t dared to dream would ever happen to her…
…Jessica Sigurdson had been fucking isekai’d… And as a result, Jessica Sigurdson was FUCKING PANICKING.