《Axiom Zero》


 Yep It Sucks

    Huh? Where am I?


    I rubbed my eyes, trying to process my surroundings. A paved road stretched it''s way in front of me, lined with street lamps. Wooden stalls formed a narrow marketplace, their owners shouting over one another, trying to sell goods to travelers.


    Huh? This doesn''t seem like Toyko, is this a convention?


    The people around me wore cloaks and leather boots. Like where the hell am I? This must surely be a cosplay convention. I was up all night playing that shitty game, so how did I got here?


    "Uh... excuse me?" I said as I approached a grumpy old man who was selling knives?


    "Not sellin'' to kids. Piss off." The guy barely spared a glance.


    "No, uh... actually can you tell me where this is?"


    He sighed, putting his knife down. He glanced at me with a tired look.


    "You lost kid?"


    "Uh... Yeah."


    The old guy takes a deep breath, shaking his head.


    "Brats these days, Wanderin'' into places they don''t even know." He pauses, as he leans on the counter. "Listen up this is the city of Kaldor, also known as the city of wolves. You''d better find your way back or find a place to stay, night isn''t a safe place here."


    Kaldor? Where is this place supposed to be?


    "Now move from my stall, find another one to kill time, I got none to spare here."


    I ducked into a nearby alleyway, trying to piece all the information together.


    So this place is called Kaldor.


    My surroundings doesn''t seems like japan. Neither is this a convention. So... did I got transported into another world? Wait that seems stupid... but if I remember correctly, when you get transported, there''s this cool thing called a system that helps you level up right?


    "System!"


    Huh?


    "Stats!"


    Pure Silence.


    What? Why isn''t it opening?


    Wait a minute! I haven''t considered the fact that this could be a dream!


    I slapped myself hard in the face, I shouldn''t have done that.


    Ouch! That hurt! This isn''t a dream? Huh, you gotta be lying... This must be a dream! Like it''s not possible to get transported to another world right? That only happens in fiction right?...


    "Where is the damn goddess that will guide me!? I shouted, frustrated.


    "Stop shouting will ya?" A voice reached me, hm... that didn''t sounded like a goddess''s.


    The voice reached me again, "I am right here you fucking idiot."


    I turned my head to my left, and noticed a guy that leaned against the brick wall, arms crossed, looking at me like I was the dumbest person alive. He wore a cloak, and a leather boot, seemed like one of the guy that could blend into the crowd in a matter of time.


    "Let me guess," he said, pushing off the wall. "You''re the ''chosen one'' right?"


    "Shouting at the sky, looking lost as shit, yeah, you''re either a lost noble''s bastard or some poor bastard who is mentally unstable."


    His eyes turned to my clothes,


    "And you don''t even look rich."


    "The hell''s your problem?" It''s true I am not rich, but neither is it true that I am fucking poor as well.


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    "My problem," He steps closer "is that you''re about five minutes away from getting robbed, and I''m debating whether I should bother warning you."


    As if they''d get something from robbing me


    "Look this city isn''t the kinda place where you stand around looking confused. Either you''ve a plan or you''re a target. So which, are you?"


    His question was cut short.


    The ground rumbled, creating large cracks. The chatter of the marketplace went to silence.


    *BOOM!*


    Then loud shouting panicking voices were carried over from the streets to the alleyway.


    "The hell was that?" I spoke in confusion.


    He exhaled, pinching the tip of his nose. "Tch. Fucking great."


    Then he grabbed my wrist and dragged me deeper into the alley.


    Where is this guy trying to drag me?


    "Where are you taking me to-?" I tried to pull my hands but he kept walking, gripping tight.


    He took a turn into another alley, moving away from the main road.


    I pulled my hands away, "You mind explaining what the hell is happening!?"


    He gave me a side glance, as he replied "Some dumbass must have really done it."


    "Done what?"


    Before he could answer, a massive gust of wind blasted through the alleyway along with the sound of a loud explosion. I shielded my face as dust and trash were sent flying.


    "The explosion, that we heard earlier came from the north east, but this shit came from the north west! This is bad!"


    "What do you mean?" I spoke as I covered my mouth with my arms from the dust.


    Covering his mouth, "There are two major problems here, the dumbass and Phantom."


    "Phantom?" I questioned.


    "Don''t tell me you have never heard of Phantom now-"


    His reply being interrupted by the loud shouting, but this time it wasn''t just some random panic.


    Orders?


    Metals clanked, boots marching, and orders were shouted.


    "Great," He muttered.


    He turned his head to me, with a smirk. "Dumbass you''re on your own!"


    Huh?


    The sound of the metal boots clanked louder, I turned my head towards where the sound were coming from, and saw soldiers in front of me.


    I looked back at that guy, he had disappeared.


    "Where did he go?" I muttered


    "You there, don''t move." The voice came from one of the soldiers.


    "Eh?" I muttered in confusion.


    He came closer, "You match the description of the wanted man."


    For fuck''s sake, am I deemed to be caught up in misunderstandings?


    "Uh... You must have got the wrong guy."


    "Where are you from?"


    "Tokyo."


    "Never heard of it, another lie."


    I pressed his response, "Hey! You having not heard of it doesn''t means it''s a lie."


    "Arrest him! He is suspicious!"


    They walk closer, preparing to arrest me.


    "For fuck''s sake I am the wrong guy!"


    Where the hell did that guy disappear?


    A voice reached me from behind, "Ah, there you are, dumbass." I turned to see the owner of the voice.


    Ah, it was the bastard that had left me.


    Why is he back?


    The soldiers looked at him, the same one who questioned me asked "Who are you?"


    "Listen, you guys are looking for Phantom right?" He continued, "We''re travelers. My buddy here just got too excited exploring."


    "And do you expect us to buy that?"


    They sure want to find a culprit.


    "Look, if he was Phantom you all would have been dead by now."


    I decided to play along, "Ventasis! I was looking for you!"


    The soldier glared at me, "Tch. We got the wrong-"


    Just as the soldier was about to speak, the ground trembled. Another explosion erupted, but this time, right in front of us. Two blurry figures had crashed into the streets, the impact alone sent the us along with the soldiers flying back, hitting the walls. The entire street fell into chaos.


    Ouch! That hurts, what the hell was that?


    I coughed as dust filled my lungs. Through the dust, two figures appeared. The smoke was slowly clearing off, one of the figures were a guy in a black uniform, holding a blade. And the other, a man with a long coat, and long messy hair, with bright red daggers in his hands.


    "The Phantom has been sighted!" One of the soldier screamed,


    Which one? The one with the long coat?


    The guy with the daggers slashed his daggers towards the one with the uniform.


    He barely dodged it, cutting his chest plate. If he had been even a second slower, his torso would have been split in two.


    "Fight against Phantom along with the Knight!" Came a command from the soldiers as they marched towards the guy with the daggers.


    It is clear by now who Phantom is.


    The knight''s blade ignited with a dark blue glow. The knight sliced through the smoke, with a relatively fast speed that created after images. Phantom in response, dodged by sidestepping effortlessly.


    Then he vanished into the smoke. There was no sound, no motion. He was just gone.


    Where did he vanished to?


    From the knight''s blind spot appeared Phantom. His hand gripped the knight''s face, slamming him into the wall. The wall shattered due to the impact, and large debris were sent flying.


    Shit!


    I shielded myself against the debris. The knight coughed, and swung his legs up, twisting his body mid air, kicking Phantom away. Or did he? Phantom tilted his head, as he dodged his kick. He lifted the knight from the ground by gripping tight his hair.


    "I expected more."


    "...Tch." The knight coughed blood as it spat into the ground.


    "Protect Commander Cedric!" The command came from the one that questioned me, as he stepped forward leading the rest.


    "Release him, Phantom! Or we''ll cut you down where you stand!"


    "Enough." Said Phantom, he glanced at my direction and gave a smirk.


    He let go of the Knight, as the knight fell to the ground. He vanished, leaving no trace.


    The soldiers rushed to the Knight to aid him.


    What the fuck just happened?


    "Well that was one hell of a pain." A familiar voice muttered behind me, the bastard was still here. He stretched his arms, as if he woke up from a nap, then gave me a smirk.


    "Anyway, ya owe me one," he said, "I came back out of pity."


    I glared at him, he chuckled.


    "Rael Varian."


    I sighed.


    "Yuma Tanaka."

 Twilight

    "...So what the hell was that?" I turned towards the chaos that has been created.


    Rael brushes off the dirt from his cloak as he responds with, "A mess."


    "That Phantom guy, disappeared without leaving a trace." Surprised I was.


    "Yeah, that''s kind of his thing." Rael responded.


    First of all, how did I get transported to this world? And why? In a moment I was in my room, and the other moment, I found myself in the market...


    This doesn''t make sense, not to mention I have zero survival skills!


    "What are ya spacing out for?" He glared at me as I was dumbfounded.


    "Nothing."


    "Let''s get outta here."


    "Huh? Why should I follow you?"


    "Stop being unappreciative, let''s be real. You dunno a thing ''bout this place right?"


    Fuck.


    The bastard''s right on that.


    "Stop spacin'' out." He started walking ahead, and flicked his wrist, signaling me to follow.


    "Let''s get outta here before we get caught up in another mess."


    Without waiting for my answer, he kept moving.


    I got nowhere to go anyway, I guess... I''ll follow.


    The alley was a total mess, trash were scattered probably due to the gust of wind that had hit earlier. Rael took a smooth turn back to the alley where we had met.


    "You dunno a thing about this place," He stated as we walked forward, "so where did ya came from?"


    To his question, I responded, "A country called Japan."


    "Japan? Hm..." He stopped, "Never heard of it." He responded as he started moving again.


    I wonder why he hasn''t heard of a place called Japan in this world.


    Hehe.


    The main road where the marketplace was located, was near. "I ain''t an expert ''bout this city, I have only been here for a few days," He paused as he observed the market which was left empty due to the chaos. "This shit''s empty now, anyway this place''s supposed to be the main trade center of Kaldor."


    "Trade center? I heard that this place''s also known as city of wolves?" I questioned, we had exited the alley, the marketplace was a mess as well.


    "City of wolves? Probably cuz it ain''t safe at night."


    That''s what I heard from that old guy as well.


    He continued, "If you stick alone, you''re probably gettin'' robbed or even worse."


    "It''s a mess here." I muttered.


    He heard me, "Of course it is, you dumbass"


    The market''s coming to an end?


    It had gotten a bit more livelier, more people could be spotted compared to the empty streets from before.


    "Just to make it clear I ain''t your tour guide." He said.


    "Yeah, yeah, I get it." I scoffed.


    I noticed a sign, which read ''Vertheris'',


    Heh? This isn''t Japanese, doesn''t seems like it''s english either... I can read it?


    This doesn''t make any sense... Come to think of it, I can also understand their languages.


    I read another sign to confirm it wasn''t a fluke, I could read it.


    What the fuck?


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    Due to me being lost in thoughts, I hadn''t noticed my surroundings beforehand, where now I found myself with crowd again, footsteps and chatters. But the people had a different vibe compared to the people I saw in the town previously.


    He stopped, "Here we are," he took a deep breath, "Vertheris the center of the town, also known as the hub of passerby."


    Hub of passerby? A common place where travelers cross paths? Possibly.


    "So exactly, why did you brought me here?"


    He headed forward, "There ain''t no particular reason, I just got business to do."


    "Business?"


    "I made it clear I ain''t your tour guide," He paused, "you follow me around cuz you dunno where to go." he said as he approached a guy that seemed like he was in his mid 20s, "Not to mention ya owe me one."


    The man he approached was just a little taller than me, who wore a green cloak under his long black coat. His face seemed tired and had a messy brown hair that seemed overgrown.


    It''s hot in here, how can he wear such clothing? He earned my respect, what a dedication, trying to look mysterious as possible!


    "I haven''t see ya in a while, Dain!" Exclaimed Rael.


    The guy glared at Rael as if he was annoyed to his presence, "We just met a few days ago."


    To his response, Rael stated "Ya dumbass that was about several days ago." No response came back from Dain, "Anyway how long are we gonna stay in this town?"


    "Don''t know, but probably for more days."


    Rael put his hand on his chin, "I see..." He continued, "Anyway, I met this broke ass who got lost."


    I was not satisfied with that description of me, "That''s a rude way to put it bastard."


    The guy took a glance, "I am Dain Rutherford." He said in an expressionless tone, his name sounded European. "Yuma Tanaka, nice to meet you."


    Rael''s eyes locked towards one a raw of wooden stalls, the scent of sizzling meat and fresh bread carried through the air. "My stomach''s been growling, save your yap exchange for later."


    We seated in one of the rows, "You''re broke ass right?" Questioned Rael.


    Yeah, do you a guy who got transported here against his will to be a rich as fuck?


    "I got ya, just don''t expect much." He said to me, as he went to order the food at the stall.


    "Strange clothes you got there." Dain''s eyes turned to my clothes.


    Track-pants and a black t-shirt with a brand logo on it, of course it''d look strange to people in this world. I probably look suspicious.


    "Yeah, I am not from around here."


    His face had a look which felt like he was not buying it. "You see, I was robbed and it lead to me being broke."


    "Oh, I see." He replied keeping his response calm.


    Rael came back to the table, along with a waiter who had brought the food.


    "This shit''s delicious! I hadn''t eaten for the whole day!" Rael exclaimed, after taking a bite of the sizzling meat.


    I took a bite,


    Fuck.


    It taste good, what kind of meat is this? (Side note: Paragraph commenters please refrain from commenting here please.)


    By the time we had finished out meal, it was about time for night. On the other table I overheard some people, "You know how Phantom appeared here today right?" said one of the people in the table, he continued. "I actually saw him today, he single handily defeat the knight Cedric."


    "Didn''t Phantom made a wreck? Why didn''t the Umbrals appear?" Questioned one of them.


    He responded with, "I heard they only appear at night."


    "Umbrals?" I muttered.


    "It''s not worth of a much thought into it, I heard they are sacred beings that protect the city at night." Rael spoke out to my concern.


    Sacred beings that appear at night?


    "Unless you''re some crazy bastard, who has done some crazy shit to piss them off, they won''t target you."


    He got up from the table to pay the bill, night was already here.


    "Well then, I got to go." Dain headed back as he blended into the crowd.


    Rael came back as he paid the bill, "That guy already left?" He looked at me, "C''mon we gotta search for an inn."


    "... So uh, Rael. Why are you exactly helping me out?"


    He went forward, "Stop being unappreciative will ya? I owe you twice now. I just pity you."


    I scoffed, shoving my hands into my pockets. "Pity huh?"


    The dark sky had grown all over the city, the street lamps were flickered. Rael walked ahead searching for Inns, the chatter around us had faded, people kept their heads low as if they were trying to avoid something.


    And then I noticed a figure at the far end of the street.


    What the hell is that? It looks like a wolf?


    Rael kept walking unconcerned. Then I noticed another up at the rooftop, it felt like it was deeply glaring at me.


    "Hey... is that what they call the Umbral?"


    Rael turned to the wolf like figure, his expression barely shifted, "Possibly."


    The Umbral descended down from the roof, "Hey what the hell?" I spoke out in confusion.


    Another one appeared from the back, and the one at the far end of the street from the front had started moving closer.


    "Shit, what''s going on here?" Rael was confused as I was.


    The nearest Umbrals lunged.


    I dodged it, barely. My body moving before my brain could process it. I turned, another one leaped. I ducked, legs nearly giving out as I stumble back, narrowly avoiding its claws.


    The fuck? They are only targeting me? What have I done?


    I got no time to think, move!


    I ran.


    Fast as I could, I got an adrenaline boost, the sound of footsteps, no something faster, but it was not theirs but mine. They didn''t create any sound.


    I dodged left and right continuously.


    Fuck! Shit! Shit! I will be dead at this point!


    Another leaped, slashing it''s claws if I had been a second late, my head would''ve been cut off by now.


    Too fast. Too many.


    I can''t keep this shit up!


    A blur to my side, one of them cut me off. I got no way out.


    I hit the ground hard, there was no escape. The weight of the Umbral pressed down, its smoky, shifting claws ready to tear me. I stared into its hollow, glowing eyes.


    I am dead.


    It was a fun time living.


    Then, I saw a flash of silver, and a sound of metal which hit the ground.


    *Clank~!*


    A knife fell onto the ground.


    From above Rael''s voice rang out, "Pick it up or you''ll die, dumbass!"


    ---