Jayr POV - Tortus, Orcus Great Labyrinth - 2013

  After crashing against many roy way down toward the sed half of the Orcus Great Labyrinth, I finally stop falling as I hit a body of water and start to sink, but soon I feel the water's currents pushing my body toward pears to be a waterfall, and I ot do anything to prevent that, as I still have my Cloth on, and without my o, I'm uo move us weight, and so I brace myself ahe current lead me while holding my breath.

  Soon, I see that I'm getting close to the edge, so I try to slowly move my body so that I protect the girl in my arms better, and the moment I start to plunge dowerfall, and feel my body colliding against many hard roy way down, and after a few seds of smming around like flipper ball, once again I find myself pushed uer by the waterfall's currents, I unequip and put my Cloth bato my Territory and start to swim away from the fall's whirlpool immediately, even before breaking the surface.

  Once I reach the shore the first thing I do is check the girl, and I quickly tilt her head bad look, listen and feel for breaths, 'Shit! She isn't breathing! Too much time in water!', notig that she isn't breathing I quickly act, I tilt her head back, sealing my mouth over hers, pinch her nose and blow into her mouth, I repeat this five times, then I start to give 30 chest pressions, I push firmly in the middle of her chest and then release.

  I again seal her mouth and give two rescue breaths then tih cycles of 30 chest pressions, and luckily she soon she spits some water and starts breathing normally, there are also signs that she is regaining her senses but after tellio rest she calms down, and she ys on the ground then it looks like she fell asleep, 'Now she is out of immediate danger, but I have to treat her hypothermia...', and so I remove her wet clothes while apologizing to her, then I quickly wring them and y them on the ground, and after that, I cover her naked body in a big warm bhat I pull out from my Territory to keep her warm.

  Once I'm sure she is safe, I finally give a careful look at her, she is a cute young woman with short bck hair that is kept in a tiny bob, brown eyes, and is wearing gsses that are strangely still on her face even after everything we just have gohough, something about her seems familiar, and as I once again study her features, it finally clicks in 'Hory Shiet! Isn't she one of the antagonists of Arifureta!? If I remember well, she is the one obsessed with hero-wannabe, and also the one who killed Kaori and a bunch of other people! I don't remember her surname, but her name should be Eri...'.

  (Image Here - Eri Nakamura)

  Spoiler

  [colpse]I look at her with a slight panic as I think 'And now, what should I do with her? Kill her for something she still didn't do? No way! Try to make her ge her mind about her pns? Fat ce... If I remember well she is basically a psycho capable of doing just about anything to have what she wants, in faow that I think about when I read Arifureta the first time, she gave me some strong Yandere vibes... What if I help her get hero-wannabe in a non-evil way homicidal way...'.

  While I was thinking that, I also remove my wet clothes leaving only my underwear, and pulling out some dry pieces of wood and some rocks, I start a fire, to keep the Yandere whose name I fot warm and dry our clothes, then I start to study my surroundings, even though the cave is dim, thanks to the emission from the green light stones, it was not like I am blinded by the darkness.

  In front of me, there is a river about 5 meters in width, with many protruding rocks located at the side of the river, I also notice that there are tless waterfalls here, and there is also a waterslide-like tunnel further in the distance, moreover, I notice that there is a body sliding down that tunnel and seeing it, I let out a sigh of relief 'Ahh... That is Hajime... So the plot isn't pletely fucked...', then I look something that was only a myth happening right before my very eyes,

  Hajime's body falls into the water, and then is slowly pushed by the currents geed by the waterfalls' whirlpool in such a way that he is able to dodge all the sharp rocks and dangerous currents, and slowly his body moves closer and safely to the shore, and then his upper body seems to have been caught and stranded by one of the protruding rocks located at the side of the river a few hundred meters away from me, keeping him safely there.

  Seeing what just happened, I 't help but excim in silence 'Plot Armor! That is clearly Plot Armor!! What the fuck! We fell from the same bridge! I crashed against tless sharp rocks, fought strong currents, fell from a really high waterfall, and almost drowned, while an unscious Hajime, safely slid down a natural waterslide tunnel, and is gently pushed by the currents to safety on the shore!'.

  While g injusti my mind, I move closer to Hajime and che him, 'He is also fine... Yes, exhausted and knocked out, but still fine... Oh well, I'll leave him here then, he should wake up in a few hours...', aurn back to the temporary camp, ohere I see that the girl is up and awake, and is intensely looking at the fire with her eyes unfocused like she is in some deep thought, but as soon as she hears me ing, she turns her head to look at me, and see her eyes spark to life as she shyly asks "A... Are you the oha... That saved me?".

  Seeing her like that, I let out a sigh and think, 'What to do now? Well... Let's improvise', then I sit in front of her before looking straight into her eyes and start speaking in fluent Japanese "Yes, I'm the ohat saved you, Jayr Pucci...", and I see her eyes widening a little as she immediately realizes that I'm speaking in Japanese and not in the nguage of Tortus, meanwhile, I think 'Well at least she is smart enough to realize the effects of the skill Language prehension...', meanwhile, I tinue "... o meet you".

  Eri POV - Tortus, Great Orcus Labyrinth - 2013

  I'm falling down this bottomless abyss and looking at the back of the only person that matter to me as he totally ignores my plight while all his attention is on Kaori, Shizuku, and Ryutaro, 'A bridge again... Only this time, he isn't going to save me... In fact, he doesn't even notice that I'm falling... Ever after all I have doo try to get closer to him and make him mine... The mask I had to put on... The things I had to endure... The people I had to manipute, included my mother and the only girl that only now I realize truly treated me as a true friend, Suzu...', and reag that clusion I realize 'Maybe things would have been way different if the one I meet that day was Suzu instead of Kouki... But it is too te now...'.

  As I tinue falling looking towards the light that gradually bees dimmer as despair and rage and resignation swirl around my mind 'Why!? Why!? I realized some time ago that Kouki's first act of kiowards me had not been a romantic gesture, but rather a general sense of chivalry, and that he had treated all the girls he entered the same way... But why does he cares more for those two bitches... they clearly take being Kouki's friend franted and they feel like it is a burden to be his friend... While I had to work hard just in hope of getting closer to him... But in the end is all useless... I'm about to die and no one cares about me... In the end, Kouki saving my life that day was a mistake, a cruel joke of god to make me suffer more... Five years ago I was right, all the hardships I endured over the years had been for nothing... I should just accept to die and stop suffering...'.

  But all of the sudden, I see in the distahat someone jumped down the bridge and is quickly approag me, and as he grows closer I reize him as the strange adventurer named Jayr, at the same time, I hear the wrathful roar of the Behemoth, and in malicious glee, I think 'Kouki's attack failed... Serves him well, I hope that everyone dies... Well not everyone, I hope that Kaori and Shizuku are caught by some monster and used as a breeding tool until they break... But at least I hope Suzu is able to escape... Among all that useless trash, she is the only ohat is worth saving... Someone so pure, shouldn't die in such a dark pce like me!'

  Then looking at the handsome young man, 'Did he see that there is no hope and choose to end his life... Oh well, nothing matters anymore... Eh?', but while I was thinking that, I see that he is fog all his attention on me, and soon to my immense surprise, I feel his arms around my body, and as his body grows closer to mine, I notice that he is using his body to cover as muine as possible, and at that moment, I bnk out, and the only thing I feel is the heat of his body that seems to warm not only my body but my whole being, and then I have a feeling of being safe and protected of the likes I've never felt before.

  I suddenly feel tears falling from my eyes as I realize 'This feeling... Like no matter what happens, I'll be safe... It's exactly what I longed for so long... I thought that only Kouki could give me that... At least I finally felt it before I die...', then all of the sudden, I start to feel many impacts but no pain ahat my sight is spinning around, a clear sign that we are hitting some of the rocks I saw protruding from the wall, but he is using his body to protect me, at the same time, I notice that I 't hear even a single sound from him, as he silently endures everything as his body crashes against the rocks.

  After a while, I'm totally disoriented, I do not know how many times we crashed against a rock, but the moment, I feel surrounded by a cold, wet sensation, we crashed in some very turbulent waters and I don't have the time to do anything as the water enters my mouth for a few seds but luckily I instinctively read y mouth and that mouthful of water didn't go into the wrong pipe, I hold my breath and feel as we are spun around by the strong currents, I'm now not even sure if he is still alive but even then he doesn't let me go, but still with all this movement, I 't hold my breath for much longer, and soon I start to suffocate, and desperate for air, I open my mouth and the water enters my lungs, but even so I tio feel his warm body as he keeps holding me and as I start to lose scioushink, 'Well, this isn't a bad way to go...', thehink bnks out.

  I suddenly feel someone's lips on mine, as he breaths some very needed air in me as I 't breathe, then I feel a strong pair of hands painful pressing my chest, at the same time, I feel some liquid raising from my throat and on instinct, I throw it out and start coughing and finally I breathe again, then I hear his voice as he gently says "Stay still, it is still too soon for you to move...', hearing that, I stop moving and y eyes, calming my breath making look it like I feel asleep.

  After a few seds, I hear him say "Sorry, but I have to strip those wet clothes from you to avoid the risk of hypothermia...", and I feel my heart beating strongly as he slowly undresses me, so much that I almost feel like it's about to beat out of my chest, once I'm fully naked, I feel as he carefully s my body in a big warm bhen I hear him shuffling around and after some time I hear the sound of rocks g against oher, and after a few seds, I hear the sound of a fire crag, ahe heat ing from it.

  Then I hear the sound of my savior undressing, and uo tain myself, I sneakily open my eyes and take a look, and what greets me is the sight of my savior fully undressed, with only his wet underwear on, he is handsome tall young man, he is 1,84 meters tall, he has slightly tan skin and the body of a greek god, medium length dark blue messy hair, and charming green eyes, moreover, I see the wet underwear stig to his body, leaving nothing to the imagination, 'Big...'.

  After some time, my savior's attention is caught by something else, and soon he moves away to che something, so I get up and look at what he is doing, and notice that he is cheg on the body of someone else, and with a quick look I reize him as Nagumo Hajime, then I look at the fire and think 'If he is still alive... Would he join us...? Do I have to secretly get rid of him in some way? What would he think?'.

  While I was having some random thoughts, I hear his footsteps getting closer, so I look up at him and nervously say the first thing that came to my mind "A... Are you the oha... That saved me?", thes in front of me and looking straight into my eyes with his captivating green eyes, he says "Yes, I'm the ohat saved you, Jayr Pucci...", and immediately realize that he is speaking in Japanese and not in the nguage of Tortus, 'What? That is clearly Japanese! What is going on!?', meanwhile, he tinues "... o meet you".

  Jayr POV - Tortus, Great Orcus Labyrinth - 2013

  She looks at me with clear shod fusion and asks "Y... You... That... What is going on?", since I have nothing to hide and eveo fear, I decide to be ho and tell her the truth, "Well, you see like you and your cssmates, I'm not from this world... But unlike you guys, I wasn't summoned by some shitty God so that he py with my life because he is too bored... In fact, I'm not even from this Universe...".

  I'm surprised to find out that after hearing what I just said, instead of showing more fusion, she calms down and asks "What do you mean by saying that you aren't from this Universe?", I do not immediately answer her question, but after thinking about what I remember about this Universe for a few seds I give her a simple expnation "You see think of this as the Universe in which you lived...", at the same time I draw a small circle on the ground and tinue "... In it, you will find your homeworld the ph with everything in it as you know...".

  Then I draw a bigger circle that includes the one from before and then draw eight other smaller circles within and expin "What you do not know is that your Universe is a small part of a bigger Universe known by the rue Astral World, which tains nine parallel but different Universes... One of which is the one we are currently in...", and I point at one small cirear the one on where Earth is located, then I draw anger cirext to the True Astral World one and say "Now, about me... I'm not from any of the 9 Parallel Universes, and not even the main one... I'm from aotally different Universe... And these two aren't the only ohere are many Universes out there some with simir structure and rule as your own, others, totally different and alien, and the colle of all these different Universes is called the Omniverse... Is everything until this point clear, Eri?".

  Eri nods and says "I see... So you are someone from a totally different Universe... Wait! How do you know my name? I'm sure that I didn't tell you my name...", I smile and say "I could lie to you and say that I heard one of your cssmates said your name before and I heard it... But the truth is that the Omniverse is infinitely big... But from time to time some people are able to gaze upon different Universes in their dreams, and some of them write, draw or simply tell stories about what they saw... And I've read a story about this Universe... But with my presence here some things already ged from what I knew...".

  Eri immediately realizes what I mean and so she asks "So I was meant to die in that fall and you choose to save me?", hearing her misuanding, I shake my head and decide to tell her the whole truth as I do not want to fool her "No, you shouldn't have fallen in the first pce... The only one who should have fallen is Hajime over there... You would have returned back with the rest of the css...", I stop for a few seds unsure if I really what to tell her everything, but in the end, I chose to be ho, even if she is truly evil to the core and tries to do something, I'm strong enough to deal with it, so I tinue "...Then you would have bckmailed the cssmate who caused Hajime to fall, all so that you could use him to get hero-wannabe... basically you became one of the vilns of the story, and you ended up being a puppet of the God of this world dying without reag yoal...".

  I see that tears start falling from her eyes, theters "Then... What should I do now?" then she snaps, looks at a me, and yells "If that is my destiny why did you save me? If I'm a viliio die why did you gh so much just to save me!? This piece of trash that has wasted 5 years trying to get noticed by a piece of shit with the head so high up his ass that he doesn't even notice what is going on around him!!? I k!! I should just die and make everyone happy... I already lost everything important to me many years ago!", while she was yelling that, seeing her in that state, I unsciously move o her and start to hug her to fort her.

  And while caressing her back I say in the most geone I muster "I saved you because you still didn't do anything wrong... Until this moment, you didn't hurt anyone... You are i... You still ge your future... And you haven't lost everything, you still have life in you! The most precious gift that every creature has... You must never give up, not as long as you still have life, for if you live you bring about Miracles... Don't ever give up!!", it seems that my words have a substantial effe her as sooarts to cry in my arms for a few minutes, so much she colpses and starts to sleep in my embrace.

  At the same time, I notice that Hajime is also about to wake up, and since I do not want to interfere with his transformation and his new outlook in life, I quickly pick up our clothes, extinguish the fire, and put everything, Eri included, in my Territory, then I hide and watch over Hajime, to make sure that he survives what's to e.

  I look as Hajime releases a groan as he woke up and absentmindedly sits upright while his body throbs with pain and mutters "Ow, This is…For sure I…", and holds his unsteady head with one hand, as he studies the viity and says as he remembers what happened "Yeah… I fell down the broken bridge… thereupon… Anyway, I was saved… Achoo! I-It's cold".

  Then he finally notices that the lower half of his body is still submerged and so Hajime quickly picks himself up, trembling and shivering he also takes off his clothes and wrings them, then I look as he uses his transmutation to create a single sheet of paper and on it, he starts to engrave a magic circle while saying "It's too cold to trate…", and after struggling for a few minutes he finally succeeds and starts a long t "I seek fire, The power of light, Ma, Spark! …Why is there su exaggerated t just to create an ordinary fme? So embarrassing… Haa", and invokes a fist-sized fme to warm himself.

  While Hajime is slowly trying to cheer himself up, I tio watch around searg for any monster but I 't feel anything nearby 'With all the otion that we caused... This pce should already be swarmed with monsters but in fact, there is nothing... Could this be a hidden safe zone prepared by Orcus?'.

  Meanwhile, Hajime is about to give up, but the moment, he wipes away the tears that were about to fall from his eyes, sps his own cheeks, and says "Got no other choice, I have to find a way back. It's fine, I'm sure it will be fine", and look as Hajime's face develops into a determined oer he muttered encements to himself, all while staring at the fmes.

  After about 20 minutes, his clothes are dry and warm, and so Hajime set off, he carefully proceeded to walk down into a huge passage that lead into the depths, and I follow him while still hiding my presehe passage feels like a cave, rather than a low-rise square passage, the passage had rocks and walls protruding in many pces and it winds around plicatedly, it is simir to the st room oh floor, the only difference was the size.

  The plicated passage full of obstacles is 20 meters in diameter, and even the more narrow pces are still 10 meters in diameter, it isn't an easy path to tread for Hajime, but there are a lot of pces to hide, so Hajime is able to advaealthily from hiding area to hiding area, and I easily follow him without being found.

  He tihis way for a while until he finally reaches a fork for the first time, a huge crossroad is preseo him, and as he hides behind a boulder, Hajime is clearly unsure of which path he should take, but right at that moment, I feel a few presenearby, and indeed a white fur ball hopped into my and Hajime view, it has long ears, and it looks like a rabbit, however, it is about the size of a mid-sized dog and its hind legs are heavily muscled.

  The "rabbit" also has several dark red lines running along its body like blood vessels, these lines also pulsate like a heart, Hajime quickly decides to avoid it by goi, he holds his breath and waits for the time to move, and soon the moments he is waiting for e, as the rabbit turns around and starts to sniff the ground, so he tries to move.

  But the rabbit seems to react to the sound he produced and it quickly straightens its back to stand up as its vigint ears rustle, 'Nope... The rabbit isn't aware of Hajime... He is reag to another newer...', and the moment, a wolf-like monster with white fur jumps out and growled at the rabbit.

  The white wolf has two tails and was about the size of a rge dog, just like the rabbit, the wolf has the same palpitating dark red lines all over its body, and after that wolf appeared, two more wolves jumps out from behind different stoo join it, but soon the rabbit acts "Kyu!", and with a cute cry, it jumps into the air with a rotation and gives a roundhouse kick with its massive legs smashing the head of the first wolf.

  There was a resounding echo I clearly see that the wolf's neck had bee in the wrong direeanwhile, using the trifugal force from the roundhouse kick, the rabbit rotates in the air until it was in an upside-down state, then the rabbit stomps the air and falls towards the ground like a meteor and just before nding, it rotates itself perpendicur to it and gave a powerful heel drop to the wolves close to the nding point.

  Without eveing the ce to give off death throes, both the wolves' heads are pulverized, but awo wolves appear to jump at the rabbit when it is about to nd, but the rabbit is able to do a handstand while rotating his legs, just like a break dancer, sending both of the wolves were flying towards the wall and soon they sm against the rock dying on the spot.

  The st wolf ruffles its tails as it growls, and sooails start to discharge electricity, 'Hoo... It's trying to cast a Special Magic...', and with a howl, it releases lightning which flies at the rabbit, but it is able to dodge it splendidly by perf zigzagging steps.

  When the lightning dissipated the rabbit, who is already in front of the wolf, hit it in the jaw with a somersault kick breaking its ned sending it flying, "Kyu!", then the rabbit raises its forelimbs and brushed off its ears, letting out a victory cry, meanwhile the rabbit fighting style reminds me of someone from a particur game franchise and so I 't help but shout in my mind, 'Perfect! Eddie Gordon wins!', at the same time, I notice that Hajime is about to succumb to fear and do a fatal error.

  Odyin