Chapter 3: Chapter 3 – Into the city

"How come we don't see the magic circles?" James asked.

Casa lowered his hand, dispelling the magic light. "It's because you don't have any magic. If you do, it's going to appear like a faint outline of the circle."

"..."

While they were waiting for the patrol group to come back. Noah and James kept pestering the mage about magic, but he only gave vague answers. Instead, they just asked about Transported people.

“When a bright dot comes down from above, that is when a Transported will appear. Fortunately, you guys appeared near the city, and one of my teammates saw your pods and informed our captain. Otherwise, you would have already become the food of those street rats.”

Indeed, they were lucky. He continued. "Some Transported can directly land on a monster den. While some won’t even land—they will fall from the sky and splat on the ground."

The two went quiet at the sudden realization... Dead. They could have died.

He then faced Noah and James. “You’re also lucky that you were a Transported. Normal people don’t survive against a peak Soldier-level monster.”

Seeing their confused faces, Casa smiled.

“A Transported usually have enhanced strength and senses. For example, it wouldn’t be weird if they can lift three people or run as fast as a Soldier-level monster like you two.” He said.

“Ah, so that’s why it couldn’t catch up to me before I became exhausted.” James smiled. It would also explain why he could see through the night.

So that is why I could hear them clearly when they were conversing earlier, huh? I would have been famous if I was like this yesterday.

Noah’s face became gloomy as his mind wandered back to his family.

“What happens to us now? Will we be able to come back to our families?” He turned to Casa, who was now standing.

Casa stayed silent, pondering what he should say. Soon, he decided.

“I can’t answer that, so you will have to wait for someone more knowledgeable.” He sat down on the pavement and checked the equipment in his right hand.

Feeling the somber environment, James became quiet and his thoughts drifted to the stars in the night sky.

“All I know is that many Transported became powerful mages, so you will probably be more amazing than me in the future.” Casa said.

“Yeah, I can’t wait to fly.” James put his hands behind his back and laughed.

“Same. That would be amazing.” Noah said and laughed with him.

 

---

 

“My group is almost here. Let’s wait for them.” Casa stood up and came to Noah, who was still sitting after taking the pill. James also came closer to them.

“What will we do next? I don’t think we have any relatives still alive.” Noah asked, grabbing Casa's stretched hand.

“Don’t worry, I remember Earth Council has a program for those who are Transported,” Casa said.

“Earth Council? They’re still alive? Amazing.” James became silent. He wondered how they managed to survive over these years.

A thousand years have passed, but the council remained unbroken.

Does that mean humans still have control all over the planet? Noah thought. As expected of the organization created by Sir Alex.

“Yes. In fact, the Earth Council has always been the one deciding the future of humanity. Along with the Mage Association, that is.” Casa tucked his shoulder under Noah and raised him up.

He looked at the road west of their position. “Oh, here they come.” He smiled.

Following his gaze, Noah and James noticed shadows appearing in the dimly light environment.

Closer, they became several silhouettes in the shape of humans walk towards their general direction. Ahead of them, a human silhouette, clearer, more distinct than the others, led the group.

“Here!” Casa waved his hand up.

The closest officer stopped as if to look at the source of the voice. They found the trio, paused and started making a beeline towards them.

As the steps neared, they could now see someone's silhouette in the back carrying another person.

The captain in the middle approached Casa and then stared at the two Transported. Specifically, to the injured Noah.

"What happened?" He asked.

Casa saluted the captain. “They are Noah and James.” He pointed to the two and continued.

“The Spike-Tailed Chameleon was smart and hid close to their building. When they came out, the monster attacked. It was very fortunate that Noah stalled the monster for me to arrive. Because of him, I was able to sneak into the monster and kill it. However, Noah was injured on his back and needed healing treatment.” Casa helped Noah walk to the captain, who gave a sigh of relief.

Noah looked at him in confusion. He wanted to ask why Casa lied, while James had a puzzled expression on his face.

“I am the captain of the 23rd Cusco Patrol Squad, Javier. It was very fortunate that I sent Casa to guard both of you.” His beard moved as he laughed.

“However, don’t be relieved yet. We’re still in the danger zone. And both you and Rudolph need treatment, so let’s not waste time and head back to the gate.” Javier inspected Noah’s covered wounds before turning to one of his comrades.

He called the trio, and they followed Javier back to the centre of the formation.

Then, a female patrol went ahead of the group and started walking to the east. The rest followed her.

While they were walking, Noah and James learned the names of the patrols. The woman leading the group is called Allie.

He also found out that she was the one who noticed their light pods come down from the sky and reported it to her superiors.

That leads to their search and rescue for him and James.

He had to thank her for saving their lives. Without her, he and James would already be eaten and turned into fertilizer after today.

Casa is their offensive mage and intelligence agent. Javier ordered Casa to watch over them in any case they went out and rope themselves into trouble.

And sure enough, they did.

Ivan is a brown-haired man with high energy, who was carrying the injured Rudolph on his shoulders.

Daniel is their communication specialist. And Mich is a defensive mage.

Their eighth man, that was their healer, was not available today because he was overseeing his wife on her pregnancy. So, they had to reach the base for the healing treatment.

Throughout the travel, Noah wondered why they were going east when the city lights were somewhere in the north. His question was soon answered as they noticed two vehicles which were guarded by another group of patrols.

It turned out they still use vehicles for transportation. Noah wondered what modern military vehicles would look like with magic.

“Do these vehicles still operate on gas for fuel or with magic?” Noah had to ask to satisfy his curiosity.

“Some still operate in gas; however, most use magic as fuel because gas is not renewable, while magic is seemingly endless.” Javier smiled at him and continued.

“I don’t know why that is, so you’ll have to visit one of the libraries in the city.” He said.

“Hm.” Noah nodded. Javier totally figured out what he was thinking. So, he made a note to visit the city at a later date.

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At this moment, they reached the other group.

Javier ordered most of the guard group to use the second vehicle, along with Mich, to protect their rear. While he and the rest went to the first vehicle with Casa and Allie leading the group using their magic.

As they got ready, the Humvee-looking vehicles and the two scouts strode to the north.

With nothing to do, Noah and James asked about the danger zone. They learned that a horde of monsters attacked the city. It all came out of a sudden. Fortunately, the human response was fast, and their mages were soon sent out.

The strongest mages defeated the ruler of the horde, but they could not wipe out all the underlings.

That was why this part of the city was abandoned just two weeks ago. Later, they would retake it once their battalion has recovered.

Throughout the trip, they also encountered the mutated dogs that chased James. They were called dark-dwelling Jackal-Dogs according to Javier.

“These beings are usually the bottom feeders in the city or in a community of monsters. However, they can show pack-like behavior when hunting on some occasions.” Javier glanced at Casa as he killed another Jackal-Dog with a light needle in its head.

That was why James felt that there was no end to these abominations. They were coordinated and waited patiently for James to appear before they pounced.

He shuddered at the thought that if he didn’t run with all his might back then. He would have been cornered by the Jackal-Dogs and became food and fertilizer soon after.

“Do all the monsters want to eat us?” James sighed.

“I don’t know. You’re going to have to ask Alex Miller for that.” Javier said.

“Sir Alex? Why? Did he do something?” James was puzzled. What did Alex Miller do?

“I take it you did not watch Sir Alex’s last event, did you?” Noah gave a sigh as he recalled what had happened.

“Sir Alex created magic. Then he sent people like us to the future. That’s why we are called Transported.” He made a bitter smile.

“Oh.” James couldn’t believe it. His hero, everyone’s hero, sent them to the future. He didn’t know whether to be angry or rejoice at the man’s actions. The same man who united the world and brought peace suddenly sent them into the future without consent. There will definitely be people angry at his decision.

It didn’t take long for the group to reach the gate. Once the two vehicles stopped, a man’s voice on the left wall of the steel gate resounded.

“Identities.” The guard above spoke to the group. Then, a patrol from the second vehicle came closer and pressed his hand to a circular pattern embedded in the wall.

“Twenty-third Cusco Patrol Squad, Commanding Officer Javier.” Javier’s voice came out.

Sometime later, the guard spoke once more after confirming their identities. “Granted.”

As the patrol removed his hand from the wall, the gate bagan to open and emitted light.

“Welcome to Cusco.” Javier said with a smile to Noah and James. The gate opened completely, revealing a warm atmosphere. The two saw people, many buildings, and an enormous tower in the middle. Some people are walking on the sidewalk, some are flying in the sky, and some are using vehicle transportation. They were wearing similar clothes as the two of them, however, their garments have lines and marks on them. Some even wore cosplay-like clothing.

As expected of a magic world, some are bound to wear armor straight from an RPG.

The buildings were also similar in a sense. Some have a futuristic feel, while others were very normal looking. However, they all had marks around them.

“Why do buildings have lines or marks?” Noah tapped Javier.

“Those marks are called magic formations. There are different types of magic formations, but buildings usually use a defensive formation. When activated, they can help increase the building’s defense. However, they cost magic stones and ambient mana, so we only use them for emergencies.” Javier explained to the two.

“Hm.”

They kept their eyes glued to the scenery. Sometimes, they would see children playing around. Other times, they would see two people throwing items at each other, and guards coming to apprehend them.

As they came closer to their destination, the two stuck out their heads to find out that it was a hospital. When the vehicle stopped, two nurses came out of the building and placed Noah on a stretcher. Javier and James followed them, while the rest waited in the vehicles.

The waiting time for the treatment wasn’t that long. After they came into the building, a doctor showed up to heal him.

The doctor inspected his wounds and then faced Noah.

“The wounds aren’t too serious. I just need to use disinfect it and apply healing magic after that.” The doctor placed his palm on Noah’s waist. Then he called one nurse to place Noah in one room.

Once they were in the room, Noah was flipped over, his back faced the ceiling.

The doctor’s voice resounded once more. “I’m going to disinfect the wound and apply healing magic. Are you ready?”

“Yes.” Noah gulped.

The doctor added anesthetic in and around the wounds, which caused Noah to grit his teeth. Then he proceeded to disinfect the wound with magic. Noah felt something touch his wounds for a second and then it disappeared.

Next, the doctor's hand glowed on the open wounds.

Woah. Noah felt his wounds move on their own as if it was fixing themselves. He glanced at the doctor, who was too focused to notice his stare.

“Done.” The doctor's voice came out. Then he patted Noah, who faced the ground.

“Hm.” Noah turned around and raised his upper body to sit. I thought it would be a lot worse and more painful.

However, it was fast and painless.

The doctor's voice came out once more. “Remember this young man, don’t get injured too often. Especially when society is several days away.” The doctor had a worried look and continued.

“Young men like you always want to be the hero, and then get themselves killed.” He scoffed and began to arrange his tools.

“I will remember that.” He said.

Not that he will leave the city, though. He had enough of the Spike-Tailed Chameleon. Maybe I'll do that once I have powerful magic. But for now, I'm going to enjoy it here. Noah smiled.

Leaving the room, he saw Javier and James conversing. James placed his arms on Noah’s shoulders once he came closer. “Guess what? Javier said we'll stay with the squad for tonight.”

“I guess I’ll be troubling Sir Javier one more time.” Noah signaled a thank you to Javier.

“It’s fine. We can talk more about you two old grandpas that way.” Javier laughed.

“Haha. Please don’t call me that.” Both were uncomfortable with the joke.

Can’t you see I’m just a twenty-two year old, while James is only around 30s? You’re being disrespectful to your elders. Oh, wait…

They boarded the vehicle once more and had another trip to the city. Then they came to the barracks, which were filled mostly by blue-wearing soldiers.

“Let’s go to your rooms.” Javier toured the two first around the barracks. Pointing to the bathrooms in the east of the compound, the training area in the south, and the living quarters and food distribution in the north, while the west was the vehicle storage and the entrance.

“Tomorrow, we’ll go to the Mage Association in the center of the city. For now, you can rest here.” Javier welcomed them to their room.

The white double-decker bed lay in the farthest corner on the right. A closed drawer and table opposite its direction. While the toilet is stuck in the left wall hidden from prying eyes, but still the nearest to the door. And the moonlight shining on the room and window at the end. They looked around for a bit. The two checked the window and then tried out the beds before they went to grab something to eat in the food distribution area.

Once they finished, Javier went back to his squad, and the two immediately headed to their room and quickly fell asleep.

They did not even talk to each other. Both had enough for the day and were very tired of getting chased around by a lizard they didn’t even know could exist in the world.

And so, their first night on the magic world came to pass.

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