New Friends I Guess

"Since the last time, you all have been on the Isle it has been one year in the time progression of Earth"

"Your species is resilient but losing ground to planes of Grafon. A cluster of dimensions constantly at war and seeking the adoption and enslavement of your planet."

"Some of the beasts and monsters you have faced on the Isle resemble Grafiks. Your goal is to ensure that does not happen. You all were selected at random but have proven yourselves superior to those that have died."

"Currently you should be the most powerful on your planet, However, there are strong entities on your planet that have survived all that Grafon has thrown at them. YOU CAN BE REPLACED"

That last part sounded like thunder

"Being defeated or killed in battle by a challenger means you can be replaced. Not only your number but your title and benefits of your position"

"Now GOOD LUCK!" the blue circle shouted

Without any warning or preparation...

I started falling through a void, just infinite blackness with a growing number of bright dots. It felt like hours as I kept waiting to arrive. My eye was growing tired and weary. I finally conceded, blinked, and landed in a forest.

The trees were large and it looked like fall was about to start. The orange hue briefly relaxed me and calmed me down. I looked around and noticed that no trees, rocks, or dirt were out of place. Somehow that alien tech teleported me to the middle of nowhere. The chipmunks and squirrels scurried through the trees and for a moment it felt like life was normal again. Until a hawk swooped through and snagged lunch.

"Damn, a two-minute exposition and NO question answered, what a shitty blue circle!" I yelled in anger

"Why are you yelling?" A female voice asked me

I turned and saw a caramel-skinned girl about 6 feet with the most athletic legs I have ever seen in my life. She wasn't wearing shoes or socks, just some Adidas running shorts, and a sweatshirt that looked like it had been through stuff.

"Who are you and why are you staring, perv?" she looked down at me

"Oh Nah, I just didn't expect to see someone, hi I'm Rod" I stood up and extended my hand

"Uhh, my name is… you can call me Fanalis," she said with a nervous smile

"Oh, Fanalis?! I didn't know we were doing fake names. Ok, you can call me Inertia."

"YOU'RE NUMBER 3?!" she shouted incredulously

"Uhh yeah, I didn't expect to meet any of the 12 out here, do you think they teleported us back to Earth in pairs?"

"How strong are you?" She asked in a serious expression

"Uhh I don't know I'm number 3, so pretty strong I gu-" I didn't get to respond before she disappeared and reappeared to my left with a flying roundhouse kick. I was able to shield my head with my left arm and prepared for impact.

I was able to absorb 70% of the kinetic energy through my arm and rebound the rest. Despite taking most of the kinetic force out of the kick, my arm still stung. There was a reason she was in the 12. If she did that on regular Earth she would be able to knock a truck on its side. The assault didn't stop as she blitzed me in a whirlwind of kicks. It was clear she wasn't trying to kill me but she was not holding back. The skin-to-skin contact between my hands and her feet was getting pretty loud. I could have slowed her down without touching her but I learned a new way to fight because of her crazy kicks. Skin-to-skin contact dramatically reduces the cost to drain kinetic energy. So much so, that I could sustain myself just on the KE I absorbed. The trick is waiting for the KE to be expelled before absorbing.

The fight only lasted for 30 seconds but I learned a lot about my power. After a powerful sidekick that pushed me back a step, she finally stopped.

"HEY WHY ARE TRYING TO KILL ME?!" I yelled

"How did you take that kick?! How did you even see me coming?! What is with that stupid eye patch?!"

"I sensed it I guess, and I didn't get to choose what eye patch I got. how did you get such powerful legs?!"

"It's the ability I got on the Isle, what about you?" She squinted

"I got the ability to take heavy hits. So are you done trying to roundhouse me into the void?"

"Maybe, depends on how I feel"

I looked around and noticed all around me the trees looked the same and I had no idea where to go

"What do we do now? How do we find civilization and actual humans?" I asked

"No clue… maybe we sh-"

She couldn't finish speaking as a LITERAL tiger pounced out of the bushes. It was fast but nothing compared to the blur or anything past wave 15 on the Isle. It was blood red and had the most menacing gaze that was definitely not from Earth. I guess even the animals are more deadly. Before I was able to respond, Fanalis cracked the ground leaping at the tiger.

She exploded off the ground like a rocket. While in midair, a single spinning hook kick was all it took. Not only was the side of its face mush, but its neck was at a 90-degree angle. All that was keeping its head on its body was muscle and fat.

My jaw dropped as I stared at the monster

Not the tiger

Fanalis

She started fake dusting her hands as she turned to me smiling.

"Wasn't that a bit overkill?!" I asked in a high pitched voice

"I didn't mean to, it was an accident. I haven't fought a monster that weak in a while, I thought I could go all out" she paused

" and I guess it had friends" she responded while turning to the forest.