Several hours later, we began to see buildings pass by below us.
On the horizon, was probably the largest city I had ever seen.
It spread out before us and towards the center, we could see huge towers reaching into the sky.
"What...is all of this?" Isabella said curiously.
"This is the biggest city I've ever seen..." I said quietly.
"Do you still want to jump out of this thing, Mizik?"
"I think so. I'm not sure where these people could be taking us. I'm feeling a bit paranoid. That girl keeps staring at me for some reason..." I said as I glanced at the woman.
She had been watching me for some time and I wasn't sure why.
Not in a perverted sort of way... But it's almost like she expected me to do something. I didn't like it.
"Then we're agreed. Let's get out of here as soon as we pass over the city."
We waited a while longer until we were above the city and then decided it was time to go.
Isabella stepped towards the door and slid it open. As soon as she did the machine stopped moving and the two people stood up.
"...!!!!"
"....!?"
"Sorry," I began. "You can't understand us, but we're leaving."
I waved at them as Isabella wrapped her arms around me and jumped backwards out of the flying machine.
As we fell, Isabella prepared herself to land.
"Aegis barrier!"
A magical force field deployed around both of us just before we slammed into the ground.
We landed on one of the painted stone roads within the city. At least we thought it was stone...
People had stumbled back in shock and were staring at us in fear after we landed.
"...!!!!"
Several people were screaming as well.
After we stood up, Isabella turned and looked down the road.
"Ah! Wait!" Isabella shouted.
I turned just in time to see a large machine slam into Isabella and come to a dead stop as she caught it.
Someone flew out of the front window and I caught them.
It was a young woman.
She was panicking but as soon as I looked down at her, she stared at me in awe.
"Hello? Are you okay...?" I asked.
It was obviously a silly question since she probably couldn't understand me... But...I felt like asking anyway...
"......!....?"
The woman said something to me as her cheeks flushed red and I sat her down.
Isabella walked over to me and the woman started rapidly pointing and shouting at her.
"Is she okay, Mizik?"
"I think so. She flew out of that machine when it hit you. Speaking of which, are you hurt?" I asked.
"No. I feel a bit stiff like someone slapped me, but I'm not hurt."
"Good," I said as I walked close to Isabella and smiled. "Your defense is getting really crazy lately. I hope it stays that way."
Isabella smiled and we went on our way.
Several people were panicking and pointing at us, but we just kept going.
Honestly...we weren't even sure why we were here. We wanted to find civilization so that we could get food and proper shelter, but this was more than what we expected.
This city felt even more massive than the jungle we just came from!
A couple of minutes after we started walking, several more machines with wheels showed up. There were red and blue lights flashing on top of them.
Soon after that, we were surrounded.
Men and women wearing dark blue uniforms and hats came out and pointed devices reminiscent of the dwarven firearms from Geldekairn at us.
"Great...what now!?" I shouted.
"...!!!!"
One of them shouted.
"Mizik, get behind me. Ready your sword!"
I stepped behind Isabella as she pulled out Bravery and activated her armor. The pink runes shone brilliantly as the armor appeared. She had her shield at the ready, and I activated dual wield for Vengeance.
All of the men and women stepped back and ducked down behind the strange machines they rode in on.
One man slowly stepped forward with his hands raised.
He started talking to us.
"...?....??"
Isabella quickly began speaking to the man in several languages. He did the same.
The two of them rapidly switched between many different languages until he shook his head.
He pulled out a small device and spoke into it as he stepped back.
"I hope they aren't planning to shoot. I won't attack but...if they do, I plan to shoot back," I said.
After that, I changed one of my swords into a dwarven pistol and held it at the ready. As soon as I did, one of the men in uniform shouted at me and fired his weapon.
Isabella blocked the attack and I shot back...
The magic bullet found itself in his neck and the man fell to the ground.
As soon as that happened, the man that tried to talk to us started yelling something at his comrades and they stepped back.
Far back.
Suddenly...the air became heavy.
"What...is this feeling?" Isabella said suddenly.
I could feel it too...
An incredible pressure was now upon us.
Then, Isabella turned her shield to the side and held it up as a beam of light slammed into her.
"Aegis barrier! Defense support!"
Isabella cloaked herself and me in defensive power to protect us.
If she hadn't moved in front of the beam, it likely would have hit me.
A moment later, someone fell from the sky and crashed into the ground. Light was flashing all around the man as he shot towards us.
Isabella caught him on her shield and bashed him away.
In mid-air, several beams of light shot towards me from the man and I evaded them.
I switched Vengeance back into a sword and prepared to strike him.
"Flames of Rage! Vanguard Assault!!!"
I cloaked my swords in crimson flames and shot towards the man. He moved his hands up and was shrouded in darkness as my swords impacted him.
After that, I decided to try something new.
During wrath possession, I could throw my swords to attack from a distance. The type of control I had in that state was something I desired all the time.
I threw one of my swords and it spun somewhat quickly as it nearly took the man's head off. He deflected it with the same darkness from before and the sword planted itself in the wheel of one of the carrige-like machines.
Right after that, I shifted my remaining sword into a pistol and shot at him.
"The hell!?" He said.
My eyes went wide for a moment as I heard him speak.
He blocked the magic bullets with the shadowy aura surrounding him.
Then, I summoned my sword back to my hand and lunged forward to attack.
"Get away from me, you psycho!" Light exploded from him and sent me flying backwards.
Luckily, Isabella caught me.
That attack hurt...
This guy was REALLY strong.
Without a doubt, around our level. Maybe higher.
"What is going on here!?" I shouted.
The man looked at us as both light and darkness swirled around him.
His hair was medium-length and blonde. His eyes were dark blue and he looked to be in his late twenties.
"You two are under arrest. Your charges are vandalism, murder, and also...hey... What is going on here anyway? Why does this chick have pink hair? Seriously!"
Chick...? She's a woman, not a bird!
"That's my wife you're talking about! She was born with it! She isn't a bird, either!" I shouted.
"Why are you trying to kill us!?" Isabella shouted.
"Umm...it's kind of my job...? I am an Enforcer, after all! Also...you two aren't normal, so it's kind of necessary. Hey you two aren't Overlords, right? Man that would suck..." the man said.
Overlords...?
"Can we talk this out?" I asked.
"Well, sure! I was hoping you'd wanna resolve this peacefully! Why did you kill that guy? And why did you break the road? Also, you destroyed that sweet young lady's truck!"
"We...what? What's a truck?" I said.
"You two aren't from around here, are you?"
"We're from a place called Avernia. Where are we?" Isabella asked.
"Aw shit...otherworlders too!? Dammit... Well now I have to take you in. There's no getting out of this one."
"I believe I asked you a question! Where are we!?" Isabella shouted angrily.
"This is Ignitus. I don't know what the hell an Avernia is, but you can't be here. You gotta go back."
"We can't leave. Our world...can't be accessed..." I said.
I didn't want to mention the Ooze in case he would be suspicious of our intentions.
"Mizik?" Isabella said.
"We can't go back to Avernia, right, Isabella?"
Please understand me!
"Ah...of course. We can't access our world and we're stranded here."
"Answer me this then: are you here to do harm to our world?" He asked.
"No! We didn't come here on purpose!" I shouted.
"Well...then why are you causing so much trouble? You just committed murder and vandalized our road!"
"That asshole tried to shoot me, so I shot him back!" I said.
"Of course he shot at you! You pulled out a gun, right!? They're trained to do that, you idiot! What did you think would happen!?" The man shouted.
He...has a good point. But we're kind of new here...
"I didn't know that! I was just getting ready in case one of the bastards tried to kill us for no reason!
"Seriously? Don't tell me they don't have guns where you come from. You just tried to shoot me!"
"We don't have guns! At least most places don't, anyway..." I said.
"Oh boy...this is getting confusing...* the man said.
"Sir, none of this was on purpose. So if you could please calm down, I won't have to break your arms!" Isabella said.
"And now you're threatening an Enforcer? You're kinda cute though, so I'll let it slide. Nice hair, by the way! I didn't realize pink hair could be natural for otherworlders!" He said cheerfully.
"Only Mizik can call me cute! Take it back!" She said angrily.
"What...? What kind of...who's Mizik? Is it that guy?" The man said confusingly.
"This is Mizik and I'm Isabella. Who are you?"
"I am Enforcer Michael. Seat 5...or technically 4 now... Official title, Investigator. Code name designation: The Eclipse. You two are under...you know what..." Michael turned to the man who had previously tried to talk to us. "Hey dude, keep your guys in line. That trigger-happy ass-hat tried to shoot Mack, here. That's why he killed him. They don't mean any harm. They're otherworlders."
Who the hell is Mack!?
The man shouted something at Michael that we couldn't understand.
"I don't freakin' know, man! The report says they jumped out of a helicopter, right? Maybe that's how they got here!"
".....?"
"Oh...no, they don't know how they got to Ignitus. They didn't say how they ended up here, just that it wasn't on purpose. Apparently, guns ain't common where they're from. They don't know the rules and uh...that guy says he was only getting ready to defend himself."
".....?"
"No. Read the room! Don't just shoot on impulse! Geez, having a sword in hand is the same as holding a gun for them! You don't swing at someone in medieval times just for holding a dagger, right? Let me spell it out for ya. Do not open fire on otherworlders! Now get these guys out of here, things might still get messy."
"We don't mean you any harm! Seriously!" I shouted.
"I believe you, but you still killed a police officer. I can't just let you walk. Especially since you're otherworlders."
"Mizik, maybe we should go quietly? This guy is really strong and he might not be the only one of his kind."
"Michael, are you going to hurt us?" I asked.
"Nah! Well, probably not. As long as you put those swords away. Mr...Green eyed fella?"
"It's Mizik."
"Weird name. And she's Isabella, right?"
You remember her name but not mine!?
"His name isn't weird! It's perfectly normal! And kind of cool...also really se-"
"Thank you, Isabella!" I shouted.
She smiled at me and Michael laughed.
"Okay, you two are pretty funny. Let's go!"
Michael motioned us to follow him and we put our weapons away.
* * *
After a short while, we were sitting within a plain white room that had a black window, three chairs, and a table. It was a sort of gathering place for this world's guards. Although, Michael called it a 'police station'.
We sat down as he motioned for us to and he sat on the other side of the table.
As we did, two cups with a pitcher of water were brought in.
"Thirsty?" Michael asked.
"We're...good..." I said as I seemed to recall a very similar situation in the past.
I shuddered.
Isabella, however, took a drink without hesitation.
"Oh...this water is delicious!" She said with a smile.
She has too much courage for her own good...I swear...
"Alright Magic, tell me about yourself!" Michael said as he looked at me.
"It's Mizik!" I said angrily.
"Oh. Mizik and Isabella. Pretty neat. Now answer my question, dirtbag!" He said with a half-smile.
"What the hell is wrong with you!?" I said suddenly.
Is this guy insane!?
"Nothing's wrong. I just always wanted to do that to an otherworlder. But seriously, you should probably start talking, you know?"
I sighed and began explaining a few things about how we got here.
After about an hour of talking, Michael put his hand up.
"So let me get this straight...Avernia is a medieval world full of magic and other cool things. You two were adventurers and got yourselves lost? And that how you ended up here?" He said.
"Yeah...sounds about right..." I said.
It was a bald-faced lie. There were other reasons, but I didn't even have time to think about it.
"Sounds like a load of dogshit. Why don't you tell me the truth?" Michael said nonchalantly.
"Ehm...maybe I should explain then?" Isabella said.
Isabella explained the situation much better than I did. Her acting was far more believable than mine was and Michael didn't doubt the story she told at all. Isabella mostly told him the truth, except that she left out the part about the Ooze.
Instead, she mentioned a Demon King taking over our world and that we failed to save it.
I didn't know what a Demon King was, but that seemed to resonate with Michael.
"Demon King? Well, that makes sense. This kind of thing happens from time to time. Sucks that your world got taken over though. You should be safe on Ignitus for the time being."
"Yes, it's very unfortunate," Isabella said. "Avernia was our home..."
"Well, that's certainly interesting. So...is the part about you being a Princess true? And if it is, where is this hot sister of yours?" Michael asked with a cheerful smile.
I shuddered upon remembering Cassandra. Seeing the terror on her face as she was taken by the Ooze was something I wanted to forget.
Isabella looked over at me and placed her finger on the scar under my eye.
"See this? My sister locked Mizik in a dungeon for nearly two weeks and tortured him. He has scars all over his body. Unfortunately, she was also eaten alive by this Demon King's minions."
"Hmm...that's kinky. I can do psycho girls if they're hot enough, but...that's a little far... Sorry about your loss, though. Anyways back on subject."
I'll add you to my list of people I'm certain are crazy.
Michael got deadly serious for a moment.
"Now then... You have entered our world and caused a disturbance. You don't belong here. Since we don't have the technology to force you to leave, you can stay. But be warned, I am one of six...no...five Enforcers. All of which are around my level of strength or greater. We are the sworn protectors of Ignitus under the order of Iris, goddess of balance. If you cause any more issues, you will face our wrath. Is that clear?"
"Crystal clear. Now, how about you tell us what we're supposed to do?" I said.
"Well, shit. I didn't think I'd get this far. Usually, otherworlders show up and assume there entitled to something like fame, fortune, glory, power, women...men...etcetera. We usually have to kill those people or Iris has them deported. Although, you two seem pretty cool!"
"And what does that mean?" Isabella asked.
"It means you get to keep living. However difficult that may be..."
"Well, we're not sure what we can do to survive. There's a pretty severe language barrier here. Speaking of which, why can we understand you but no one else?" I said.
"That's easy. I'm an Enforcer. Imbued with the blessing of Iris. I possess the Elemental Aspects of light and darkness. The blessing of the goddess allows for the bypassing of language barriers. It let's us talk to otherworlders when they inevitably show up."
"So you can try to reason with them?" I asked.
"Yeah, something like that. Sure. They're usually not very compliant with us though. Unlike you two."
Just give me a straight answer!
"Well, unless you send us back to our treehouse in the jungle, we can't do much to survive here. We left because winter was approaching. That'll make it harder to fish and hunt, you know?" I said.
"Yeah...that is a problem, ain't it? You can't live in the city because you don't speak the language, but you don't wanna live in the forest, because you might starve or freeze to death. Sucks to be you."
"Listen here, you bastard, my husband and I need help! Is there nothing you can do!?" Isabella said angrily.
"Woah...calm down sweetie, I'm trying to-"
"Shut up! My name is Isabella! Do not refer to me with filthy pet names!"
Michael was somewhat taken back.
"I'm very sorry. Please forgive me for the offense. I assure you that it won't happen again," Michael said with genuine remorse.
Isabella was surprised at this and calmed down immediately.
I was also surprised at her outburst, but realized that Bravery was probably affecting her again. I decided to ignore it.
"Moving on...is there anything you can do to help?" I asked.
"Well...I'll have to talk to Iris. But before that, I need permission from Dante to keep you two. After that, who knows."
"Dante? Who's that?" Isabella asked.
"Dante is the head Enforcer. Seat 1. He's the most badass guy you'll ever meet. Pretty cool dude, too. Just make sure you avoid seats 2 and 4...no, 3. Leiso and Gavin. They're assholes...mostly."
"....of course....we aren't planning on meeting these people. We just want to survive," I said.
"Well, to do that, you'll have to talk to Dante. And if you talk to Dante, you might encounter Leiso or Gavin. I'm just trying to be a pal and warn you two. Leiso doesn't tolerate otherworlders and is in charge of the military. She's really mean. Gavin pretty much hates everyone. Especially otherworlders. He's a dick."
"A...what?" Isabella asked.
"Ehm...you probably don't understand what I mean by that, so I'll drop it. We talk differently here, just so you know. Not all proper like you two. Or at least not like Isabella."
What's that supposed to mean!?
"So what should we do in the meantime?" I asked.
"You'll be staying in jail for a couple of days. Since you went and murdered someone, that is. Even if you can easily break out, I suggest you don't. We will find you. And if Leiso or Gavin gets to you before I can...they won't be merciful. Regardless, welcome to Ignitus."