The light was almost blinding me, so I kept my eyes tightly closed. I could no longer feel the ground beneath my feet, but I didn't feel like I was falling into a void, but rather that I was being gently pulled somewhere. I opened my eyes when I felt the ground beneath my feet again.
"Heroes, welcome to the kingdom of Galanthia," said a woman whose robes sparkled with gems. "Let's not waste time. We will evaluate your abilities now".
I was confused. There were eight other people next to me, equally puzzled. However, I had a vague suspicion of what was happening, because I had seen it too many times in manga and anime. But it didn't reassure me. There was something about the faces of those priests, shaded by dark hoods, that gave me chills. The very atmosphere in the great hall was charged with a gloomy and cold aura.
I glanced at each of the "heroes" individually. Two people were dressed in ordinary suits, probably simple employees, a man was dirty and dressed in rags, but seemed quite strong, a woman looked like she had just stepped off a fashion runway, another was a teenager with some problems, as he was trying to cover hid bare arms so that the rest wouldn't see the scars on his wrists, there were two twins, one dressed in a doctor's white robe, the other in a chef's, and a priest. Strangely, they all seemed calm, and so was I. Something was definitely wrong. I couldn't have remained so calm in such a circumstance, and the others couldn't all have reacted the same way either. I checked the room and my attention was drawn to a fine powder like mist that flowed almost imperceptibly from the ceiling. Was there some kind of drug that kept them... us under control?
"I am the priestess of the goddess Namsamal, the Lady of the Stars. My name is Bezmal and I will be your guide in this world."
The priestess made a subtle nod to one of her companions and he came with a huge black mirror, full of gems and unknown signs that seemed to me to be both hieroglyphs and runes. The companion brought the mirror closer to the man in rags and it began to glow.
"Incredible brute strength, immense defense ability, unique skill: Adamant. We have a Protector of the kingdom now", Bezmal declared and her voice boomed throughout the hall.
I realized that the message was not intended for those in the hall, but for someone who was waiting hidden and watching us from another room or something. I did not give in to the temptation to look around again, because I did not want to draw attention to myself. They then pointed the mirror at the twins, their unique skills being Killing Blades and Butcher, which I truly didn't expect it from a doctor. The teenager was a rank A Wizard, with power over the four elements, which apparently delighted him, as he smiled with superiority. The two employees were a Healer and an Alchemist. The priest was a Holy Sword wielder, and the supermodel a Charmer. The hosts seemed extremely pleased.
Then came my turn, but as soon as they looked past my status, they frowned, and the priestess forced a smile.
"Now we are blessed with a Storyteller as well." She turned to the others. "After this night of rest, tomorrow we will present you to the king and queen. I wish you a pleasant rest and may your stay here bring us only benefits."
It was damn strange what this dame had said. What kind of "benefits" was she referring to, and whose were they? Certainly not mine. I didn't like the way she looked at me. All my instincts were screaming to run away from there. But how could I? We were surrounded from all sides.
The priests led us to our rooms, not letting us talk to each other. In fact, it wouldn't have been to any use. We could understand and speak this new language, but when these heroes tried to talk to each other, all I could hear was a buzzing in my ears and bits of syllables from different languages that made no sense. No, apparently, this effect only applied to me. Only the twins understood each other at first, but then the teenager joined them, then the model, and the employees at last. The hero-priest chose to get a grip on the whole situation instead, probably... I could sense his overwhelming unease. Did our hosts have a reason to prevent us from talking to each other... or to prevent just me to talk to the others? This was one bad sign among many that I could foresee for the moment. I followed them in silence. The heroes didn't seem to notice me either. This situation would have driven me crazy because of the uncertainty and not knowing why I had been torn from my world and thrown here. What was I even against? I wasn't ready to deal with this new world when I had barely adjusted to mine. I could only keep my composure thanks to that fine, delicately floral-scented powder that still shimmered lightly on my skin and in my hair. It was a cool, pleasant sensation.
I took a deep breath and payed attention to the corridors. The lights were coming from some glowing crystals, but they were all faint and that made all the halls look alike. So they thought about everything to make our escape route impossible, being so easy to get lost in that maze-palace. I tried to focus at the other heroes. I couldn't hear them, but I could clearly read some words from their lips when they were turning their heads.
"...beggar to noble... lucky..." said the dirty man.
"...rich..." said an employee, smiling.
"It's magical," said the teenager.
They all suddenly looked behind with anger at the priest and I turned my head towards him just to catch the word: kill.
Was that my imagination? Did I get that right? But... I already knew that I couldn't have more trust into these strangers than into these weird otherworlders.
I was given the last room at the end of the hall. As the door closed, after a few seconds I checked it again, and I wasn't surprised that it was blocked. I had a feeling that that night would be a very long one.