Surviving The Myriad Worlds (A Multiplanar LitRPG)

"Don't be shy, sit down!" Sūnva pulled a chair from a neighboring table and placed it between hers and Urvun's. Dante carefully molded his aura so it hovered close to the ceiling, then plopped into the chair. This excertation of aura did not help his headache and Dante resolved to find a quiet, solitary place to rest after this.

"I didn't know everyone was on board or else I would have visited sooner. Ren didn't mention it when we talked." Dante looked around as he said this, gauging the squad's reactions. Sūnva was beaming while Svōl gave him a single stoic nod, which he returned. That was as much acknowledgment as the man had ever given him, so Dante guessed Svōl was at least pleased to see him. Everyone else didn't seem happy so much as interested.

"Bah, doesn't surprise me. Ren always has her head in the clouds", Sūnva said, then frowned at him. "Sure you should be up and moving? You are so pale and have lost what little weight you built up. Here, eat." She pushed her empty plate at him and nabbed several of Svōl's cutlets, to which the man offered a displeased grumble. "Fill your belly, then tell us your tale."

Dante was not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, so he cut a piece off with a knife Sūnva proferred to him and took a bite. An explosion of flavor washed away any misgivings Dante had about the strange meat and he inadvertently groaned. This was the best thing he had eaten for a long time, earth included. It was a perfect medium-rare and practically melted in his mouth. It was slightly different from beef, more gamey with a hint of sweetness. A distinctly citrus taste came from the sauce which, though certainly unusual, paired perfectly with the meat. Dante quickly devoured what was on his plate and Varvi kindly collected more for him.

"Good, isn't it?" Commented Sūnva, stealing a bite from Rēva's plate. "The First Princess, may her generosity be known for generations, ordered her personal stores opened for us. We are eating the same food that the royal family does."

Dante could only offer an enthusiastic nod while stuffing his face. He idly wondered how many of his paychecks all of the food he had eaten was worth. The thought made him eat past his normal comfort level. At the end of it, he was uncomfortably full and more than a little drowsy. Dante finished the last bite with some difficulty and placed his knife down with a contented sigh, a little sad that it was over. Who knew when the next time he could eat fare like this would be?

Seeing the look on his face, Sūnva chuckled and said: "Don't worry, we still have the rest of today and the night until we arrive at the capital. There are still a few meals left between now and then. Good news for you, because you look like you need it." Sūnva cupped one hand around his arm and squeezed. Her fingers were able to make it around the entirety of his bicep and touch. Dante fought not to flinch, though he must have failed because Sūnva removed her hand shortly after.

That is one habit that I don't think I can ever quell, no matter how long I live here. How odd I must seem to them. It would be like going for a hug instead of a handshake for introductions back on Earth.

"So, tell us what happened when we were separated by that accursed Black Wind." Asked Sūnva, leaning in with a shrewd look in her eyes. "I heard that you survived for a week in the heart of the swarm. How did you ever manage that?"

Dante gazed around the table and found all of his companion's eyes on him. Not just them either, soldiers for a good area around were not so subtly giving him their attention. He swallowed nervously. Dante had never been good with crowds. In his past profession, attracting attention was fatal. He supposed, in their culture, they were paying him great respect, which was something at least.

Am I allowed to talk about this? The news is not good and I don't want to spread panic among the ranks. But no one ever told me not to talk about it, so why not?

"It … ahem … it was nothing special." Dante's throat was very dry and Svōl passed him a flagon which he gulped down, hoping to buy time. He nearly spit it up in surprise as the taste of something like beer hit him. It was his first confirmation that alcohol existed in this world. The taste was similar to Earth's, which wasn't surprising as he spotted something akin to wheat out the window earlier. He wiped the foam off his lip and took another, more measured sip. It wouldn't do to impair his judgment now.

He needed to be careful here. There were many secrets about himself that Dante couldn't accidentally reveal, like how he had grown in power during his stranding. The general overview should be enough. "My specialty is weak but long-lasting barrier magic, which happens to be a good match against the Chausus Spawn."

"Chausus?" Asked Rēva, confusion flashing across her face. "I am unfamiliar with this word, though it sounds foreign."

… Godsdammit. It barely took two sentences before I messed up. Man, I should have leveled charisma more. Especially since I am soon going to be in front of high society. A situation that will make this situation look quaint. I need an explanation … Oh, I suppose I can rely on that excuse again.

"Ah excuse me, it's a word from my homeland. It means … Gem."

"Where is your homeland?" called a random soldier in the crowd.

Out of the frying pan and into the fire.

And so Dante was forced to give the same roundabout explanation he had explained. He had gotten here through a teleportation accident and his home was called America. The same questions were asked of him again.

Where is America located?

He didn't know.

Why did he have an accent?

Wʉlian was not his native language.

Why did he have elderly hair?

That last one threw him for a loop, then he realized she was talking about his blonde hair. Dante explained that his hair color was common in his nation. This led to him explaining the spectrum of eye, hair, and skin colors from his nation. The amount of time that he spent explaining this to the Sūnsians and the degree to which it mattered to them made him uncomfortable. Dante began to wonder if they had certain … proclivities. It wouldn't surprise him with what he had learned about this nation so far.

The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

Eventually, Sūnva managed to quell the questions so that he could tell the rest of his tale. Which he did. Carefully. He said little about the time in the canyon, instead stating that the reason they waited so long was so that Ren could recover. No, most of his tale had about their journey back, which was what his audience was most interested in anyway. Dante had to stop every couple of seconds to answer questions.

"So that's the fate that awaits our fallen? The monsters cast them together as soil from which they grow more spawn?" Asked Rēva with real heat in her voice. An anger that was reflected in the eyes around him.

Yeah, I suppose no one would be happy to hear that's how their dead are treated. I wonder what funerary rites are like in this culture? It's strange that I have been around so much death and have not seen a burial.

"So it seems, though I am ultimately not sure what they use it for."

"Never mind that," Rēva waved that aside, "You said that they mix our bodies with the Ahsmati? Savages." A murmur of agreement went throughout the room, some using much harsher language. Dante was speechless.

That's what they are upset about? I hate this place. Is their anger so great that they don't care that they are being buried in massive graves, but are furious they are mixed with their enemies remains? I guess this is what a multi-generational war does. I can't understand it. I don't want to understand it.

Skipping the part where they hid inside the slurry of dead — he had a feeling that wouldn't be received well, Dante described meeting the intelligent Chausus and this triggered another round of questions.

"You are saying there are more kinds of these monsters?" Asked Sūnva. She had stayed mostly quiet up to this point and the rest of the soldiers quieted down when she spoke up. Dante got it. As a leader, she needed to know how to fight these things. In fact, he may have underestimated how high in the command structure she was. Everyone in the room treated her with respect, which he gauged based on the amount of attention she received.

"We only met the three types. The small insects, the giants, and these talking ones. Have you not seen the last during your fights?"

"No, only the first two and the insects did not have the number you described. What would you say that these new types can do?"

Dante hesitated, reviewing his encounters with them. Those memories were hazy, given the fear and the sheer amount of adrenaline coursing his system at the time, but he did remember some key points. "They are physically weak. Even I was able to pull a weapon out of their hands and I … do not focus on strength." That much was probably obvious given his musculature. "They do seem to be resilient. They survived Ren's light magic at full power for a few seconds before dying, though they were bad opponents for her type of magic. They can use some strange type of crystal magic. The strength of which is comparable to our mages. However, their most dangerous aspect is that they can coordinate."

"Are you sure about that?" asked Rēva doubtfully. "The others seem dumb as shit. They keep charging at us no matter how many we kill. The only reason they are a problem is their number."

"... Yes, very sure. They were clearly communicating to each other and worked together to head us off."

"But even Lauffen can do that!" Called out a soldier from a neighboring table.

I am guessing that's some kind of pack animal like wolves or something. I am not getting why this is such a sticking point.

"They were wielding spears, used magic, and sowed crystal seeds. Ren can —" Dante paused, then reconsidered. Ren had been knocked out for most of the time they had interacted with these beings except for at the end when she had vaporized them. That was inconvenient, likely she would have more sway with these soldiers than him or Pauwna. "I mean Pauwna can confirm my words. Speaking of her, have you heard anything about her condition?" This last part was at a lower volume and to Sūnva.

Sūnva's expression turned grim. "I have heard that she is resting. That last hit broke just about every bone in her body. She would have died had the First Princess, may her name reign forever, not intervened moments after the incident. Knowing her, she will be walking around before you know it. Never was one for wasting time. Much like someone else I know." She gave him a meaningful look and Dante shifted uncomfortably.

The tale continued, though there wasn't much left to tell. "After the giant struck us, Pauwna shielded us all and saved our lives. We were cast far over the battlefield and snatched up by Lightbringer. That would have been the end of us had the First Princess not saved us. Next thing I knew, I was here". There was a moment of silence after he finished the table, then everyone erupted in cheers. Dante reddened and took a swig from his cup to hide it. It seemed like every single one of the Sūnsians was determined it give him a pat on the back or a conciliatory arm nudge. Dante endured, but all of the attention and the press of bodies was just too much. He was feeling lightheaded.

Dante stood up and the screech of his chair quieted them for the moment. "Sorry, but I should go rest. I am not supposed to be up anyway and my head is killing me. I can answer more questions at dinner." He hoped that no one would take him up on that.

At his pronouncement, there were groans and objections all around but Sūnva quieted them down. "Hush now! Don't you see how pale he is?"

"I thought that was how he always is!" Someone in the crowd shouted and caused a roar of laughter. Dante's blush deepened.

"Go on," said Sunva, also chuckling, and nudged him towards the door. "Get your rest. We will catch up more later."

Dante fled the room and another peal of laughter followed him from another joke that he didn't quite catch. After he turned the corner, Dante leaned against the wall and took a breather.

In and out.

He had grown somewhat numb to the Sūnsian's proclivity to touch, though Dante had never liked it. Having all of those people all around him had nearly triggered a fight or flight response. It was almost as bad as being in battle. At least win a battle.

After he caught his breath, Dante contemplated where to go. The obvious answer was his room, but Ren would be there and he wanted to be alone right now. So, the only other place he could think of was the sparing room. Dante began retracing his steps.

Please be empty.

It was. He shut the door behind him and leaned against a wall, excluded it with [Aura Molding] and then let loose. His aura flooded over the room and settled to its natural size. It was like a cramp that Dante didn't know he had unclenched and he let out a satisfied sigh.

When was the last time I was alone? Was it that one time soon after I arrived in the trenches when I took a midnight walk? That was pretty dangerous in hindsight. On one hand, I am proud that I spend so much time around people now. I was kind of a loner back on Earth. But I do need more of these moments.

Dante luxuriated in the feeling, not realizing his eyes were drooping lower and lower until he was already asleep.

An indeterminate amount of time later, Dante was awakened by a familiar prodding. He groaned and opened bleary eyes to see who had disturbed him. Dante didn't immediately recognize the heavily bandaged figure clad in a robe above, but the ears gave it away.

"Pauwna?" Dante asked, a thrill of relief passing through him. "I am so glad that you are ok." Then the extent of her injuries hit him. She had splints on nearly every limb and the bandages were dotted with blood. "Should you be moving around?"

"Not exactly," Pauwna sat down, a process made awkward by her encumbered limbs. "I do not doubt that my healers will soon search for me. But this couldn't wait." All four of her eyes found his.

"We need to talk."