*An idea that popped up in my head a little while ago as an alternative to the hero-summoned-to-a-fantasy-game-world theme that's popular nowadays.
What if someone accidentally ends up being summoned but doesn't keep his own body? And his abilities are nothing ever seen before? Nor the effects on the first woman he met.
Is it interesting enough to make it into a regular update?
*
01 - New World
Something shiny flashed through the grey fog in Ulric's mind. He was vaguely aware that he moved around, although it seemed he wasn't consciously doing it. He suspected he fell asleep while reading on the couch but it didn't explain the sensation of using his arms and legs. It made even less sense than his usual dreams and it worried him.
Willing himself to wake up, the fog lifted slowly while another flash went through it and he jerked backwards. His vision became a little more clear and vague shapes appeared with one moving in front of him while swinging a long shiny object at him. His mind registered danger and he jumped back in a reflex.
'Oy!' he said but heard a snarl.
His vision cleared up more and he recognised the shiny object as a straight sword. And the hooded person in a cloak wielding it thrust it at him again.
'Hey! Stop that!' he shouted but once more he only heard sharp snarls.
The person backed off quickly and he took the opportunity to glance around in the medieval style large room. The sight of an open doorway made him think of escaping and he rushed towards it but a large black and red canine monster rushing at him startled him into jumping back and crashing into a couple of small tables with books, jars, candles, and assorted magical props. He grabbed the large and heavy candlestick that fell on the floor beside him and swung it at the monster.
Except there was no monster.
Panting hard he crawled away from the doorway while aiming the candlestick at it and hit a wall with his back. He glanced left and right for a sign of the monster but all he saw was that cloaked person standing on the other side of the room. 'Where'd it go!?' he said, heard a growl and whine this time and looked quickly in all directions to see where it came from. There was still only that one person present, who pulled back the hood of the cloak.
Ulric stared with open mouth at a young woman with short brown hair looking as wild as if it had never been touched by comb or brush. She frowned at him as if he was something she'd never seen before. He surely didn't feel like he belonged wherever he was now and understood her expression.
'Where am I?' he said which turned into a half growl, half whine.
Another nagging sensation went up in the back of his mind. His whole body felt weird and his heart stopped when he noticed his hand holding the candle stick. He thrust it away from him and stared at the paw with longer digits and sharp claws in front of his eyes. He turned it around, looked at his other hand which was now a paw as well, then looked down to see the body he had occupied since birth was gone and had been replaced by a canine body.
A whine escaped him and he reached out to a polished silver tray, and whined more at the reflection of the monster that scared him. He looked at the woman. 'Why? What happened to me?' he whined.
Iphigenia watched the bloodwolf with greater puzzlement as he held out his paws to her, then pat all over his body whining like a lost puppy. She approached him carefully with her sword aimed at him. He held up his paws like a man would in surrender and recognised despair in his eyes. The demonic killing intent from before was gone without a trace.
She pondered killing him or not, knowing how deceitful demons could be, but she had never seen his kind reacting other than aggressive. The doubt made her groan in frustration but she had to be sure and the only way to do that was through a familiar bond so they'd understand each other. She didn't want to get close to such a dangerous creature or be linked to it's savage mind but she could always break the bond again.
He reeled back and stared at her sword as she took a step closer. She held up her hand, lowered her sword a little, gestured for him to stay put and shook her head while placing her hand on the blade. She gestured at him and growled, and pointed her sword upwards. He gazed at her for a moment and nodded once. She was glad he understood, lowered her sword far enough so that she could still stab him, went down on one knee at his side, touched her forehead, gestured at his, and leaned her head forwards. He understood again and carefully touched her forehead with his. She spoke the incantation and as she concentrated on him the mind link opened. His fear and anguish nearly overwhelmed her.
Ulric caught the young woman before she fell on the floor. 'Are you okay?' he asked as she blinked at him.
She nodded. 'It's nothing.'
'You understand me now!?'
She sat down on the floor. 'Yes. Through the mind link from the familiar bond that I made with you. We don't need to speak directly either if we focus on who we want to talk to.
He nodded. 'Where am I?'
'This is a dark wizard's lair. You don't know how you got here? Where did you come from?'
He sighed. 'Last thing I remember was reading an old fantasy book that I picked up at a used book shop.' he said and looked around. 'And it seems I'm stuck in this dream.'
She raised an eyebrow. 'You think you're dreaming?'
He held out his paws. 'How else would you explain this medieval environment and whatever this body is that I have now?'
She stared at him for a moment while his behaviour started to make sense to her. 'You're not really a bloodwolf from the demon realm?'
'I'm human for real! And where on Earth would a demon realm exist?'
She frowned slightly again. 'Ehmm, what is Earth?'
He gestured around him. 'The planet. This planet?'
She sat upright. 'This is Leandria.'
It was his turn to stare at her for a moment while a realisation nagged in the back of his mind. 'This isn't Earth? And I suppose it's not the twenty-first century either?'
'The common year is seven hundred and sixty-eight. More precisely, it's the forty-second day of the fourth month.'
His jaw dropped. 'This has to be a dream.'
She shook her head.
He grabbed a large book from the floor, weighed it in his paws, and hit his head as hard as he could with it.
She snatched the bent book away from him. 'What are you doing!?'
He shook his head and sighed. Although he was a lot stronger now, so was his skull. 'I wanted to wake myself up.'
She noticed the title of the book and skimmed through it. 'This explains it.' she said and showed him a page with a magic circle. 'The wizard tried to summon a demon but something must have gone wrong and you were summoned here at the same time.'
He groaned. 'So where is he? Make him send me back.'
She looked away. 'About that.' she said and cleared her throat. 'I don't think he'll be able to do that.'
His eyes went wide. 'What!? Why!? He must!'
She glanced at a corner and he looked. The blood soaked robe covering the body was enough of an answer. 'You killed him after he summoned me?'
'I'm sorry! I thought he hadn't completed the ritual! And I didn't expect something like this to happen!'
He put his face in his paws hanging on barely to his sanity and logic. 'Does it say in the book how to send me back?'
