The Next Story... ?

After being sent through the portal, Alesha expected to end up somewhere. Instead, she ended up nowhere at all.

She felt all sensation stripped away at once in a shocking wave of numbness -- sight, sound, feeling, even the subtle taste of her own mouth, all of it was suddenly missing. Even her thoughts felt somehow muted. 

What had happened to bring her here, exactly?

How had she come to be in this non-place?

… Who even was she?

She couldn't recall.

Some part of her dully seemed to think that she should know the answer to these questions, but at the same time, this numbness was somehow enticing. Maybe she should just embrace it?

No! There was some reason she was here! Something she had to do… but what was it? Why did she feel this desperate urge to return to sensation? Why did she feel like she absolutely must go back?

{{Ding!}} A high-pitched sound rang, resounding like a music triangle struck in a room with excellent acoustics.

A dirty, translucent screen appeared in front of her, words written in blood:

*****

{{Do you wish to return to life?}}

*****

"Yes," she answered without hesitation. Though she may have forgotten who she was and why she wanted to live, she knew for a fact that she wouldn't get answers if she stayed here.

*****

{{Conditions met. Choose your Savior from the list below:

~~Jetlagged Greenvine

~~Yarn-Fingered Tula

~~Swift Heron

~~Mule-Headed Joker

~~Deer Doctor Hyde

~~Illicit Dreamer

~~Gold-Lipped Crocodile

~~Zealous Amphibian

~~Plague Shepherd

~~Charming Fairy

~~Ironclad Inventor

~~Tendon-Skinned Horse

~~Seer of the Soul

~~Bellicose Viper

…}}

*****

As she watched, "Swift Heron" and "Seer of the Soul" were struck through. There were many other names crossed out on the list, as well as dozens of regular names that she hadn't had the chance to read. Judging by the fact that Savior names were disappearing, perhaps she wasn't the only one seeing this? If not, then she would need to choose quickly.

With that in mind, how much did her choice matter? The fact that she could choose at all felt off to begin with. Why could she choose her benefactor, instead of the other way around, and what did that imply about their relationship? What would happen if she took too long to choose, and all the Saviors were taken? 

Feeling a sense of foreboding, she pondered her choice. She didn't want to choose a Savior whose name (or was it a title, as opposed to a name?) seemed ominous, but then again, the names could be misleading. Perhaps an ominous-sounding Savior such as "Plague Shepherd" was actually a safer pick than the benign-sounding "Ironclad Inventor" or the seemingly innocent "Charming Fairy." She simply had no way to know.

Since there was no way for her to gather clues, and more names were continually being crossed out, she eventually decided to choose based on her instincts. If her choice ended up being bad, then so be it.

Her instincts told her to choose something that sounded neutral but had a bit of backbone to it. If the choice of her Savior mattered, then having a powerful Savior could only benefit her. 

"Bellicose Viper" stood out as sounding strong, but she didn't like the connotations of either word in the name. To redefine the Savior's name using synonyms, that one was probably a "vicious, traitorous warmonger," and that was a definite no. "Ironclad Inventor" sounded decent, but as she watched, that one got crossed out. Well, that was no longer an option. "Jetlagged Greenvine" sounded too ambiguous, "Yarn-Fingered Tula" felt somehow unnerving, and "Gold-Lipped Crocodile" sounded like more bad news. 

She was now down to two options: "Illicit Dreamer" and "Deer Doctor Hyde." Each of these had a mysterious feel to which she felt drawn. 

While she pondered, "Illicit Dreamer" was struck through, and, fearing that her remaining favorite option would be claimed, she quickly selected "Deer Doctor Hyde."

The display changed, the list of Saviors disappearing to be replaced with a message, which said:

*****

{{Congratulations! You have selected Savior: Deer Doctor Hyde. Contract confirmed. You will be returned to life momentarily, at which time your end of the contract will be explained. Happy Harvesting!}}

*****

Contract confirmed? My end of the contract will be explained, when I didn't realize I was signing a contract to begin with? Happy Harvesting? She thought, feeling that something was off. Had she just been scammed?

----

Derek coughed, blood sputtering past his lips and onto the ground on which he lay. Groaning, his head pounding, he sat up and clutched his stomach. His suit was in tatters and bloody all over, but… his torso underneath was fine? What had happened? 

A wave of memories hit him. Right, his younger brother Peter, overcome by jealousy, had paid mercenaries to take him to these woods so that he could kill him himself. That disloyal, stupid brat! Doing something like this would only expose the Remington family to harsh public scrutiny, and thereby risk unearthing their secret dealings with the Red Fox Coalition. He could have at least had the wisdom to bury him! Instead, his idiot brother had left his body out under the stars. Seriously, could that good-for-nothing do anything right?!

Just what was this floating, translucent screen in front of him, though? He waved a hand and it passed through it. Damn, had Peter beaten him so hard that he was hallucinating? His head was definitely pounding enough for that.

Taking a closer look at the screen out of curiosity, he paled. Oh… that's right. He remembered now.

*****

{{Congratulations on returning from death! Your contract with the Savior: Deer Doctor Hyde has been finalized. In return for your revival, you will now serve them as their Apostle in your world!}}

*****