The New Story of Lona Falldin

Chapter 1

- Hey, man. Wake up. - I heard a man's voice through the veil of sleep. I felt so comfortable that I didn't want to open my eyes at all. And considering that I've had chronic insomnia for the last 4 years, then even more so.

- Listen, I know perfectly well that you're not sleeping, come on, open your eyes already and let's talk about where you'll go next. - the stranger said patiently.

- Oh, "YAWN" okay. - I sadly agreed to open my eyes, yawning sweetly.

However, when I opened my eyes, all my sleep disappeared. After all, I realized that I had slept so comfortably while sitting at a table in front of a creature that resembled an angel right in the middle of space.

- Great, now let's see how you spent this life. - the angel said, opening a white book, although when I tried to read its title, the inscription seemed to glitch and became unreadable.

- You didn't live a particularly interesting life. Minor offenses were easily covered by periodic acts of spontaneous generosity. You believed in the Almighty, followed the Orthodox religion for most of your life. You were unlucky with hereditary diseases and died quietly in your sleep from cardiac arrest. - the angel summed up, flipping through page after page.

- Well, everything is clear here. - the angel closed the book with a bang and looked at me. And I looked at him with bated breath, not knowing what to do. Throw a tantrum? Why would I want to do that? I have long since come to terms with the fact that I will not live long and the period of depression due to my disabled condition passed two years ago, when I found the strength to seriously take up remote work, which was the only option for me to get money. But I can't help but admit that there is a hidden hope for what was in countless fan fiction, ranobe, anime, etc. Hope for reincarnation with memory retention, or better yet, with some kind of cheat. Meanwhile, the angel continued.

- I can make you happy, you won't go to hell, so there are 2 options.

Rebirth, naturally with all memory reset, in your old world, or you can go to heaven.

- Can I think for a while? - I asked.

- Of course. We have quite a lot of time. - the angel nodded graciously.

- And won't I delay the meeting with other dead? - I decided to be curious.

- Oh, don't worry, at the moment more than 100000000000000 of my copies are meeting with the dead in individual time bubbles.

- Um, but there aren't nearly that many people dying on earth every day.

- Of course, but in this universe, not only in your universe are there intelligent races.

- the angel answered, and I caught on to one extremely important point.

- In "your universe"? So there are other universes? - I quickly asked.

- Heh, who would doubt that someone like you would grab onto this. - the man grinned.

- Yes, it's exactly what you thought, universes from anime, books, etc. really exist, some of them are even in this universe. - the angel said, waving his hand towards the space surrounding us.

- Or, perhaps, instead of heaven and reincarnation in this universe...

- Wait, you don't have to continue. Reborn in another world with some cheats, or even better, with the ability to travel between worlds. That's what you wanted to ask, right?

- Um, well, yes. - I confirmed, feeling rather awkward.

- And what should I do with you like that? - the angel asked a rhetorical question. Picking up another book, this time in a gray cover.

- Too simple, no, no, definitely not, and how did this get here. - turning the page, the angel said, - we need to find out who added Warhammer 40,000 to the options.

- Oh, that's a great option. - the man said happily and put the book on the table and looked at me.

- You will be reborn. Even with small cheats. And if you can get used to it normally, then we will give you the opportunity to travel between worlds, naturally with nuances in the form of working for the good of the universe, but I'm sure you will like it.

- And where will I be reincarnated, if it's not a secret? - after mentioning the hammer of war, I already began to be a little afraid of what awaits me.

- You will be reincarnated in the world known to you from the game LonaRPG. And as you could have guessed, you will become that very Lona. As for your "cheats", you will be affected by the mods you downloaded for the game, and before you ask, the game system was a feature of Lona itself, and the inventory is a feature of the inhabitants of this world.

The poor girl, even when she managed to leave this terrible island after death, returned to the sewers, starting the whole way from the beginning. This time you will take her place, and her tired soul will go on a well-deserved rest.

- So I will become a girl???

- True. - the angel nodded, and then added. - Well, of course, you can refuse, the previous options are still valid, but there will be no such offer again. It's also a pity for poor Lona, she had much fewer good endings than bad ones. - the man shook his head sadly.

- And will my mod for 3 stats per level be with me? - I asked, licking my lips nervously.

- Yes, even the mods you recently downloaded for cat ears and a tail and a mod for additional perks.

- And will my race be human or? - Human in principle would not be bad, the main thing is not to end up as a mixed race or even worse an abomination. Ideally, it would be better to become a deep one, then you could gradually turn into a parody of a sea goddess, when I can turn into a sea witch.

- Hah, don't worry, the race will be your favorite, namely seaborn or deep, as you like better. - the angel grinned.

- In that case, I agree. - If I could keep Lona's virginity on DOOM difficulty without mods, then I think I can handle them in real life too.

- In that case, good luck. And don't be too scared when you start catching flashbacks about the black darkness.

- What do you m...

Before I could finish speaking, my vision went dark.

***

When I woke up, the first thing I noticed was the disgusting smell of excrement, as well as the figure in a black cloak standing in front of me, against the background of the surrounding darkness, it was quite creepy, and my calm seemed unnatural.

- Ah... Finally, you're here! - a pleasant baritone rang out. - I've been waiting for your arrival for a long time. The Guild sent you to get rid of the stinking giant rats, right?

- Parasites have filled this area and have been mutating since January... - the figure shook its head.

- Follow me. - having said this, the unknown person went around the corner, and I finally felt like I could move.

"Wait, did I just start mentally addressing myself as a girl like that???" - This thought struck me so much that I froze in place after taking just one step forward.

- Hurry up. - a male voice urged me on.

- I'm already on my way. - I said quickly, at the same time mentally noting that I shouldn't worry about such a quick adoption of gender, in case the angel had arranged such a rush.

Turning the corner, I saw a small room illuminated by a torch on the wall. Meanwhile, the stranger seemed to be trying to remember something.

- So... What was the name of this child? ... Right, Feyra!

- Such a sweet girl... I wanted her to be my messenger. But rage consumed her and clouded her mind. I thought I could enlighten Feyra, but it seemed it was too late. - the stranger said sadly before looking at me. - Now that you're here, I hope you'll be the one who finally helps me solve the pest problem.

- Look around, child. - I did as he said. It turned out that there were two more people in this dark room. Two men in dirty, tattered clothes, sleeping on dirty rags laid out on the floor.

- What a sad, cruel world around here, isn't it? These poor souls fled from Sybaris and lost their homes, just like you. But you are different, you did not give up and did not abandon hope. Right? - I nodded firmly at his question. After all, not only did I not abandon hope, but I was literally overwhelmed with it. After all, despite how dark and cruel this world is, I have a chance to become strong, and if you believe the words of the angel, then in the future, I will be able to go to another, more pleasant world.

- Let's go. - seeing my nod, the stranger said and went into another unlit room.

As soon as I followed him into the room, the torch in the previous room suddenly went out, and we found ourselves in pitch darkness.

- It's a bit dark here, isn't it? Almost like that time when the Black Mist appeared on that terrible night... - the unknown man spoke again, and after his words, it seemed like scenes of people being torn apart by flesh demons flashed before my eyes. How disgusting creatures grabbed women and raped them right on the spot, and parasites penetrated all of some of their orifices, forcing them to scream from being devoured from the inside. From these scenes and the screams that I heard as if in reality, I began to breathe faster, looking around in panic as if expecting that a flesh demon could jump out at me right now.

- Sorry, I didn't mean to remind you of that terrible catastrophe. - apologizing, the unknown man lit a fire in the brazier standing in front of him. Having received at least a little light, I was able to overcome the beginning panic attack, I suppose this is what the angel warned me about.

- Remember, Justice will serve you as a light shining in the darkness, driving out all evil and sin. Do not doubt, the darkness of that night will not happen again. Never.

Justice. He is definitely one of the local deities, though it is strange that the one who calls himself justice in the game fought like a necromancer who got hold of modern weapons.

- Hmmm? Wait a second.... Right. It seems you forgot something here.

- Come on, pick up everything here. These are your things after all.

After examining the room for the things "I" left behind, I saw dried fruits lying in the corner on a rather neat handkerchief. And I must admit, there were more of them than it seemed in the game. Although there were 3 units of dry food, 1.5 kg each, so everything is logical.

Meanwhile, justice continued to broadcast.

- I thought that these two had a fight and spilled something in my abode. But I didn't expect that when I returned I would be greeted by such a tragic picture.

Approaching the dried fruits, I took a couple of pieces, then an idea came to me. "And where should I put them?" Carefully examining the food I had taken, I decided to try something.

- Inventory? - I whispered uncertainly and as if by magic, the dried fruits in my hand and those on the ground simply disappeared. It seems to have worked?

- And yet, I am sure that I know which of them is to blame... Hmmm? Have you collected all your things? Okay, then follow me. - Justice said and went into the next room. Deciding to hope that the local inventory worked, I rushed after him.

- So, what was I talking about? Oh, right! I just hate it when new problems arise that require my attention when I'm already too busy. - He continued speaking and lit another brazier. - Why should I clean up what they've done? Maybe they did it all on purpose? - It was clear that Justice was angry, but having calmed down a bit, he looked around and turned to me again.

- Are you sure you've collected all your belongings? It seems you forgot something else. - Following his words, a lit lantern and a sturdy-looking stick appeared as if by magic in different corners.

Without waiting long, knowing that this would be my weapon for the near future, I took the lantern in my left hand and the stick in my right.

- They did everything to make my house like this. AND NOW WHAT? They left it with me and ran away?! It's just laughable! - the local god continued to complain, moving into the next room and lighting a brazier.

- Hey, look at this. - Justice turned to me as soon as I approached. - It seems that these barricades were put here by Fayre. It must be so that the homeless do not enter her territory. But the irony is that she herself is homeless. As cruel as it may sound, but this is her fate. And what about you? What does fate have in store for you?

- Okay, it doesn't matter. You know how to handle the weapon in your hands, right? Destroy these barricades.

- Okay? - I agreed hesitantly and walked around the figure and headed towards the barricade made of sharp sticks.

Any fool can understand how to hit with a stick, but I am more interested in the lantern. In the game, it could briefly set fire to the ground in front of you and, of course, to enemies too. I was wondering how it works in reality? That's why I started to examine it carefully. At first glance, it was an absolutely ordinary lantern with a burning wick inside, only this wick didn't get any smaller, and there was no fuel visible inside. Turning the lantern back and forth, I saw a small button on the handle. I decided to hold on to this very handle for safety just in case. I pulled the lantern away from me and pressed the button. The next moment, I felt something being pulled out of me, and clots of flame flew out of the lower part of the lantern, reminiscent of burning oil.

True, after 3 seconds the flame disappeared.

- So that's how it works. I wonder what he pulled out of me? - I muttered.

- Ahem, ahem. Please hurry. - Justice's voice was heard behind me.

- Yes, of course. - Having answered hastily, I focused on the barricade in front of me. Coming closer and using the lantern, I watched with curiosity as the strange liquid flame set the wooden barricade on fire. And what's interesting is that, like in the game, after the lantern's fire disappeared, the barricade continued to burn. Deciding that it was not worth making them wait too long, I looked at the burning barricade for a while and hit it with my club, completely destroying the barrier with one blow.

However, I did not have time to rejoice at my success, because the next second I literally fell to the ground feeling as if all my strength had left me.

- Remember child, before each battle you should make sure that you have enough strength for it. - said the local god, and the next moment I was covered in a green glow and I felt full of strength.

- Go Child! - he pointed to the passage that opened behind the destroyed Barricade. - Your destiny... Waits ahead... Meet her.