Nora stared through her keyhole with an intensity only found from apex predators observing their prey. Her eyelids felt heavy, and yet she refused them any chance of rest. Today was the day she caught whichever delinquent kept stealing her deliveries. For too long had this mysterious porch pirate terrorized her apartment complex, it was up too her to put a stop too it.
She had recently ordered a new set of wine glasses to tempt the thief... Nora didn't even drink, the young woman just thought the fragile wrapping on the box might tempt them further. And yet the clock kept ticking without any sign from the man.
Sighing Nora left her post as guard and begun moving deeper into her apartment with thoughts of coffee and ice-cream on her mind. It was only natural that she kept herself well fed and full of energy for this brave endeavour.
It was only when she had taken several steps away from the door when her ears detected a faint rustling from outside. Immediately her body tensed up like a leopard ready to pounce on top of an antelope. Craning her head, Nora's eyes narrowed slightly onto the door handle. Her ears tuning out all other sounds within her apartment.
After confirming another rustle, she was quickly moving towards the door and flinging it open with a mad grin on her face.
"There we are! I've been waiting all ni-"
Nora watched as a hooded figure quickly took off down the corridor in response to her appearance. Not even giving the woman a chance to monologue.
Nora sprang into the chase without hesitation, bare feet slapping against the cold hallway tiles. Her prey was far faster than she expected for someone who made a living stealing boxes of kitchenware.
Nora's grin sharpened. You can run, but I am inevitable.
Her hunter's focus narrowed in on her quarry. She saw them slam shoulder-first into the iron fence separating the corridor from the stairwell landing, the clang ringing out like a starting bell. With surprising grace, the thief rebounded off the bars and vanished down the next corner.
Nora didn't even hesitate, she would match them move for move.
She tucked her shoulder, launched herself forward-
-And immediately regretted it.
Instead of bouncing off with the cinematic flair she had expected from herself, Nora blasted through the rusted bars as though they were made of tinfoil. The woman shrieked, her limbs pinwheeled, and for the briefest instant, she hung in the air, a wide-eyed predator who'd just realized the antelope had led her off a cliff.
"Oh you cheap bastard," she snarled at her absent landlord, then the world went black.
<===[--------->
Nora found herself regaining a semblance on consciousness in an unfamiliar black void. She couldn't quite form a whole thought, almost like she was still half asleep. It was as if the usual path between one idea and the next was shrouded in fog, and she had to step carefully to avoid getting lost.
"..Deeper And Yet... Free Soul... Wheel... Fated Chance..."
Nora groaned, someone was saying something to her, and yet she couldn't catch a single word. Not that it mattered, she had to many other thoughts on her mind. She had already taken all the sick leave she could when that new mobile game came out... So she would probably get a lecture from her boss while she recovered in the hospital.
That was if recovery was even an option, after all she had fallen from the 6th floor of her building. Is she could keep functioning as a regular human that would be nothing short of a miracle. On the other hand, even if Nora didn't want to admit it, she was more than happy to play the bedridden card for a long while just to give herself an excuse to relax and catch up on the various novels.
Nora tried sitting up but found herself unable too. Her face begun to twist into a concerned frown, but she quickly realised she was incapable of that too. Panic gripped at her heart, was she paralysed? Could she fail to even summon enough strength required to blink?
Cutting through her worries, a calm voice spoke once again, although this time clear enough for her to understand. "You needn't worry, little lamb. While your shell is long expired, I have taken effort to preserve your spirit."
Shell expired? Preserve my spirit? That sounded an awful lot like… death.
Like most of your kind, you died a regretful death," the voice continued, a faint chuckle curling through the void. "But unlike most, your soul caught my eye. Just the right amount of immaturity, not too smart where you're only logical, but not dumb enough too act without purpose. On a whim, I have chosen to grant you… another chance."
Nora wanted to laugh, but she couldn't even twitch her lips. Another chance? That sounded great on paper, but gods didn't usually play fair, at least not in the kind of novels and games she'd wasted half her salary on. They were usually scheming tricksters or prideful beasts...
Her suspicion was proven right when the voice went on:
"Unfortunately, nuance is… not my strong suit. Wishes are slippery things, and forms even more so. Still, rejoice your spirit is bound anew. Rejoice in the world your kind so adores… though you may find your role to be… unconventional."
A sick feeling washed over Nora as reality bent around her, did that voice just chuckle at the end of it's sentence. Like it was telling a joke and was keeping in it's chuckles before the punchline.
The void cracked and she felt herself tumble forwards, through blinding brilliance, until-
"Ow!" Nora cried, her head aching like she had just crashed into a wall. But this feeling of pain was quickly tossed aside as she realised. "I can talk!"
The words slipped out in shock, but when she tried to move her arms, her legs, even so much as a finger… nothing happened. Her relief soured into dread.
Then she caught her reflection in a puddle nearby.
"...No. Oh no. No, no, no!"
A jagged blade of iron stared back at her, its edge chipped, rust crawling along the fuller, and cracks spiderwebbing the hilt. The reflection gleamed faintly, but there was no mistaking it.
She wasn't a woman anymore.
She was an old sword.
"Of all the things… I didn't even get to be a hero, or a villain, or even one of those background characters who exist just to die dramatically! I'm-" she wheezed out, if a sword could wheeze, "-an item!"
A bitter laugh rang inside her mind. "A chipped, rusted, forgotten piece of junk… this is my second chance?"
Trying to get a hold of herself, Nora tried to think despite her dire circumstances. If she really had been isekaid like she suspected, then there should be some kind of silver lining. Maybe a hidden skill or even a powerful bloodline laying dormant within her... Ah, swords don't have blood do they?
Speaking aloud, Nora begun trying out the key phases she had watched countless characters perform before.
"System?"
No response.
"...Status?"
Nothing. For a moment she became worried, this would of been a potential lifeline to Nora, but for the life of her she couldn't remember any more key terms. After much thinking, she briefly remembered that one mobile games unique code, and tried it out.
"Request state ."
If she wasn't a sword, Nora would of flinched in response to the purple translucent screen popping up in front of her. She quickly felt elated, there was no longer any fear clutching at her heart (not that she had one).
Name: ??? (Lost to time), Nora (Former)
Condition: Battered (Dire Need Of Repair)
Rarity: Common Sword (8 ATK)
Skill(s): Contact-based telepathy
Quest 1: Bind yourself to an owner
--> Reward: Random Skill
Quest 2: Recover from 'Battered' condition
--> Reward: Name
Nora stared at the glowing purple screen in silence.
"…Eight attack? Eight?!"
Her voice cracked with outrage. "I've pulled daggers with better stats than this! And common? That's the same ranking as fruit you buy from the crappy market vendor!"
Her indignation echoed uselessly through the empty clearing where she lay. The puddle's surface rippled, reflecting her chipped body back at her with all the grace of a broken kitchen knife.
"Fine. Fine! Maybe this is a slow-burn character arc. Quest one: bind yourself to an owner. That's easy. Heroes pick up random junk weapons all the time. I'll just… sparkle a little. Or hum. Or… telepathically yell until someone notices me."
She paused. "…Right, contact-based telepathy. Which means they actually have to touch me first."
A wave of dread washed over her. What if no one ever picked her up? What if she rusted away here until she was just a pile of flakes? The thought alone was enough to send her spiralling.
"No, no, no. This isn't how these games go. Someone always finds the starter sword. Probably some plucky orphan boy or overconfident farm kid. Then I get dragged along to fight rats and slimes until I awaken my true potential. Yes. That's it. Classic underdog plot."
So for now Nora waited, studying herself in the reflection of a puddle.