Shelly opens her eyes to a wooden ceiling above her, realizing she was now back in the real world. And to her surprise, there wasn't a shred of pain in her body. Not an ache in her head, nor a pulsating pain in her arm.

  She had tumbled down the side of a mountain and smacked her head on a stone, yet she was fine. It was the opposite of pain, she was in comfort.

  The soft cushiony feeling beneath her, followed by the warm cover provided by a nicely woven blanket. She realized that she was lying in a bed. And that this room that she examined was a wood and stone shack.

  Three small windows on each wall, a small fireplace in the wall with a wooden chair in front of it. A wooden desk on the other side of the room, and a man’s gaze set upon her, leaning back against a counter.

  ?: Ah, look who finally decided to wake.

  Shelly: Huh? Who are you?!

  Shelly asked in a nervous voice.

  ?: Relax, I'm the guy who saved you from death.

  The guy said as he approached her slowly, clacking his loud boots on the wooden floor.

  ?: You were hurt bad, so I used healing magic to fix you up. You're good as new now.

  Shelly: Hm? Oh, thanks...wait, you aren't angry at all right? And I know you aren't scared.

  ?: Don't worry, I know you're not a hybrid. I can see souls. Yours is as normal as can be. I don't know why you thought it'd be a good idea to paint that on your arms though

  Shelly: Hold on, you can see people's souls?! And use magic?!

  ?: Yes, of course I can. It's part of the diverse abilities that mages have to offer.

  Shelly: So you're a mage? I thought mages would have been those people who wear pointy hats with long coats or capes and carry big wands

  The man crosses his arms, smirking.

  ?: Heh, you'd be right. But I'm not a mage, I'm actually a mix between a mage and an expert swordsman

  Shelly: Woah, really?

  ?: Yeah, it's pretty cool

  Shelly: Yeah, that sounds cool...

  ?: So, I need to know...how did you end up at the bottom of a mountain like that?

  Shelly: Uh—I fell...

  ?: Obviously, but how'd you manage that when the city above has ten meter high walls surrounding all sides?

  Shelly: Mmh...I was chased down by a mob. They cornered me in a building, so I jumped out the window...

  The guy smirks and responds sarcastically.

  ?: Heh...well that was a smart idea.

  Shelly: I-It's not like I knew it was there! It was a split-second decision...

  The guy pulls out a flask, looking down at it in his hand as he responds before drinking from it.

  ?: No, you're fine. I would have done the same thing if I was in your position

  Shelly: I want to know...what does "Hybrid" mean? And why is everyone saying it whenever they get freaked out? I remember someone shouting it right before everyone chased after me

  The guy tilts his head.

  ?: You don't know?

  Shelly: Duh. That's why I'm asking.

  ?: Mm, got ya.

  Shelly:. . .

  ?: Anyways, I'm ready to head out. Got a long day ahead of me

  The man said as he put on a rugged cropped jacket made from brown leather. Tattered and torn at its base. It was a jacket that really showed its years of service to the man.

  Shelly: Really? What about my question?!

  ?: It's a long story, I'll answer it for you if you come with me though.

  Right there, Shelly stops. Staring at this man's smirking face.

  Shelly: If I come with him? I don't even know his name yet! Though, he did save my life. If anything, I owe him for pulling me out of there and giving me a place to rest.

  Without anymore thoughts, Shelly removed the blanket. A sudden chilling gust of air hits her entire body. Watching the guy blush for a moment before suddenly looking away. She looks down and realizes that she was completely naked!

  Shelly: H-HUH?! AH!!!

  She shrieks and covers herself frantically with the blanket as her entire face becomes as red as a cherry.

  Shelly: WHAT THE HELL?!

  She shouted at the man, even insulting him in Russian.

  Shelly: Ivrashchenets!

  "Pervert!"

  He responds in an awkward tone while scratching the back of his head, still looking away from her.

  ?: Eheheh, sorry about that, I noticed how dirty your clothes were, so I washed them. I didn't know how to get them back on while trying to look away, so I just covered you up with a blanket instead...

  Shelly: WELL THEN GIVE ME MY CLOTHES, DAMNIT!!!

  ?: Yeah, on it!

  He grabs her dry clothes from the counter behind him and hands them to her. She snatches her clothes back while he continued to look away and quickly put them back on.

  Shelly: I can't believe a guy really saw me naked!!!

  She thought to herself as she continued to blush uncontrollably, embarrassed, while buttoning up her pants.

  Shelly: Okay, I-I'm done...

  She said as she put her cross necklace back on. The guy turns his head back and looks Shelly up and down. She looked away as if she was still embarrassed, her face still blushing like crazy. Seeing Shelly not passed out this time, he couldn't help but turn a little red.

  ?: Wow, I saw her passed out...but now I'm seeing her in full consciousness. Such unique clothing, she's...beautiful.

  Shelly glances back at the guy and notices him gazing at her continuously. She crosses her arms and takes a step back.

  Shelly: H-Hey! W-Why are you staring at me like that?

  ?: Ah-! I'm sorry...

  An awkward moment of silence falls between the two. The flames of the fireplace crackling faintly is the loudest thing in the room.

  Shelly:...

  ?:...

  This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  Shelly: It's Shelly...

  ?: Hm?

  Shelly: Shelly Kuznetsov, that's my name...

  ?: O-Oh! I'm Jerrim. Jerrim Aerialheardt

  Shelly: Huh? Aerialheardt...?

  Jerrim: Oh, also...

  Jerrim turned to the counter and picked up something else. When he turns back to Shelly, he reveals her M18 in his hand, which he pointed right at her.

  Jerrim: I don't know what this is. But I almost forgot to give it back.

  Shelly: A-Ah!!!

  In a sudden panic, Shelly quickly moves out of the way and quickly but carefully grabs the gun from his hand and takes it from him.

  Shelly: Don't point that at people! Geese! Didn't anyone ever teach you how to handle a gun?!

  Jerrim: A gun? What's that?

  Shelly: Seriously? You don't know what—...oh

  Shelly: Guns don't exist in this world...well, he's curious, might as well teach him something about it later I guess

  —————

  Birds chirp joyfully in the presence of Shelly and Jerrim as they both walk down a narrow dirt pathway through the woods. It was a similar feeling to Shelly, yet it felt so different at the same time. Not a peep of tires rolling in the distance. No houses, structures, nothing. Just the surrounding presence of plain nature.

  Shelly: It's incredible out here. Everywhere I go seems to be just trees and hills for miles. It was almost impossible to find a place like this without manmade objects getting in the way

  Jerrim: So, how often do you venture off into the wilderness?

  Jerrim asked as he looked over at her.

  Shelly: Hm? Oh, all the time! I used to go rock climbing almost every day, and went hunting often too

  Jerrim: Really? Wow, you must be very experienced then. You ever hunt with a partner?

  Shelly: Uh...

  Shelly looks away from Jerrim and tilted her head forward.

  Shelly: No...

  Jerrim: Really? How so?

  Shelly: Well...mmh...to be honest, I'm kind of an outcast... No friends, siblings...and just an inconvenience to my parents. So, hunting has always been a solo sport

  Jerrim: Really? Not a single person?

  Shelly: Well, there's this one guy...

  Jerrim: Huh?

  Shelly: But, he wasn't really a friend...just someone who talked to me every once in a while

  Jerrim: Oh, I see...

  Jerrim said as he looked ahead of him and put his hand on his chin.

  Jerrim: Say... I got a job that needs completing so I can pay off some debt I owe to someone...and, it's a hunting job too. How would you feel about joining me?

  Shelly: Hm? A hunting trip? Really?

  Shelly asked as she looked up at Jerrim with big sparkling eyes.

  Jerrim: Yeah, you can be my hunting partner for today

  Shelly: Alright! I'm down!

  Jerrim tilted his head in slight confusion.

  Jerrim: What does that mean?

  Shelly: Huh? Oh! "I'm down" is just another way of saying that I'm happy to do it!

  Jerrim: Heh, alright! Now that's what I like to hear!

  —————

  Still walking down the pathway, Shelly glances over at Jerrim again.

  Shelly: Hey

  Jerrim: Yeah? What is it?

  Shelly: You still haven't answered my question

  Jerrim: Hm? What question?

  Shelly: My question about "Hybrid!"

  Jerrim's tone of voice drops.

  Jerrim: Ah, alright, alright. You see... Hybrids are, well...they're evil.

  Jerrim's voice gets deeper as he goes into detail.

  Jerrim: There's no other way to describe it. They prowl the lands, seeking prey...to torture and kill as slow as possible. And that's thing... They don't do it to eat and survive...they do it for a sick, twisted form of fun. Killing their prey in any creatively painful way they can think of... Dismemberment, mutilation, skinning, gutting, eating...whatever you can think of, a hybrid has done it.

  Chills are sent down Shelly's spine.

  Shelly: W-What?!

  Jerrim: They've been around for over five-thousand years. And will do anything they can to get the sick, twisted pleasure they seek. They're lanky, bald, and have pitch black, fleshy skin that looks as shiny as polish...but the thing that makes them most distinctive, is their unsettling snow white face that smiles constantly... their long, sharp fingers...and their black eyes with tiny white pupils...they can take on the form of any human who falls victim to their brutality, and blend in with society. Picking and surveilling their next victim to slay. The only thing that makes them noticeable, is that they all have "insignias" on their skin. Mostly around the arm area

  Shelly: Uh—

  Jerrim glances at Shelly.

  Jerrim: That's why everyone tried to kill you. They mistook you for a hybrid.

  Shelly: But, I didn't paint them on anyway...they're just tattoos.

  Jerrim smiles.

  Jerrim: Tattoos? Is that what you call it?

  Shelly: You don't have those in this world?

  Jerrim: Heheh, I'm not sure what you mean by that. You must have hit your head harder than I thought

  Shelly: Oh yeah, that's right...no one here knows I came from a different world

  Shelly: So, do Hybrids have a "favorite" victim?

  Jerrim: They'll go after whoever they want...but they almost always go after women and children because they put up less resistance...they're unfathomably strong, intelligent, silent...

  Shelly: They're intelligent?

  Jerrim: Very...their favorite tactic is mimicking the voices of their most recent victims. Yelling things like "help me" and "hello?" in hopes of luring another victim...

  Shelly: W-What?! They can do that?! W-Where are they even found?!

  Jerrim: They used to be confined to a single continent, known as the Demon Continent. But during wartime between the Holy Aunoss Empire and the Demonic Empire of Geralt...the Emporer of Geralt used them as weapons of war on our lands...and because of that, now they lurk in the woods at night...waiting, watching.

  Shelly: Mmh...so not only do I have to worry about zombies and wyverns...now I have to worry about a terrifying cryptid that will most likely target me. Kvaris was right, my chance of dying in this world soon is extremely high

  Shelly: Hm? Wait! W-We're in a forest right now!

  Jerrim: Hehe, relax. There aren't any hybrids in these parts. They might have skin and flesh as strong as wyvern scales, but they're no match for the harsh humidity and heat out here. They're most common in colder climates. The further North you go, the more you'll find. The coldest village in the entire Aunoss Empire is Lindette village. And as you can imagine...that area is also crawling with hybrids

  Shelly breathes a sigh of relief and looks down at the ground.

  Shelly: And yet, those people still attacked me...

  Jerrim: It's not common knowledge. Surprisingly, few people know that. Most think hybrids are everywhere...no matter where you go.

  Shelly: I see.

  The sound of wind breezing through trees became a blur to Shelly. Unable to tell if it was the wind, or something lurking in the woods around them.

  Shelly: Eek! Now I'm paranoid...

  Jerrim: We should be deep enough in the forest now

  Shelly: Hold on, I forgot to ask. What exactly is it that we're hunting?

  Jerrim: Fiends

  Shelly: What are fiends?

  Jerrim: You don't know what fiends are either? Wow, you come from a different continent, don't you?

  Shelly: Yeah, I do.

  Jerrim: Well, fiends are walking demi-human corpses that feed on the live flesh of other people

  Shelly: W-W-WHAT?!

  Jerrim: Hehe, I didn't think I'd provoke that big of a reaction out of you

  Shelly: This guy is insane! I thought we'd be hunting actual animals. But no, we're hunting god damn zombies!!!

  *rustle*

  *groan*

  Suddenly, emerging from the woods ahead. There they were. Bearing a striking appearance. Moldy-colored skin that looks like it had been melted. Revealing their slowly decaying flesh and bones beneath. Jagged teeth as sharp as razor blades. Balding heads with few strands of white hair, and tattered, torn, dirty clothing. Some had elven ears, and some had shattered horns. They had no eyeballs, nothing more than dark holes in their faces, yet they clumsily sprinted at Shelly and Jerrim like they could see them as clear as day. Moaning, groaning, and screaming aloud. Needless to say, Shelly was terrified.

  Shelly: AH!!!

  Jerrim: Here we go, up ahead in this clearing. This is your hunting blade

  Jerrim said as he handed her a sheathed short sword of 12 inches in length. He draws is longsword and takes off ahead of her.

  Shelly: Huh?! Wait a second!!! I don't know how to use this!!!

  She trembles in fear, holding the sheathed blade in her hands while she watched Jerrim charge into combat by himself.

  Jerrim: Heh! Yeah, come on you ugly bastards!

  Watching him as he confidently swung his sword, delivering powerful strikes that destroy their decaying skin and flesh on contact. Throwing blood and chunks of flesh everywhere. His strikes were effortless against a formidable foe with a deceiving appearance. The blade of his longsword sliced through them like big blocks of soft butter. Shelly's fear slowly dwindled down as she watched in mesmerization as this man she barely knew took on large numbers of sprinting corpses that were looking to bite into some live flesh. But at the same time, watching it wall made her clench with the slight fear that something bad could happen to him.

  Shelly: Woah...I've never seen someone this skilled before. There's so many of them, but he takes down so many at such a quick pace...it's like he's a one man army!

  *SHING*

  She watches as Jerrim swings his blade one final time, effortlessly decapitating the last fiend in the horde.

  Jerrim: Woo! That's the last of 'em I think.

  Jerrim said as he turned to Shelly. She stood still in awe, gazing at him in silence.

  Shelly: Incredible...

  *rustle*

  Suddenly, from behind Shelly, emerging from the trees is yet another fiend, with elf ears and a ruby red amulet around its neck. Shrieking and screaming as it charged at her from behind. Jerrim, who stood from afar, looked at the dead-eyed ghoul with wide eyes, knowing there wasn't enough time for him to even get close with his sword.

  Jerrim: SHELLY! BEHIND YOU!!!

  Time slows down as the fiend makes its way to her, reaching its sharp-nailed hands out to her as she turned her head back, looking at the fiend with terrified eyes. Shelly's breath trembled in fear. Time slows down.

  Shelly: No! I was so fixated on him, now there's one behind me! It's already so close!

  In that moment, Shelly had a number questions that she had only a second to answer.

  "Do I have enough time to react?"

  "How do I fight back?"

  "Do I attempt to dodge it and run to Jerrim?"

  "Will I lose if I fight back?"

  "What if I dodge it, but it still gets me anyway?"

  "Am I about to die?"

  It was all too much for her to figure out in such a short amount of time. It kept her in place. In the back of her head, she wanted to do something, but the forefront of her mind was so distracted on one point.

  Shelly: Kvaris was right, I'm not long for this world...and here, this is where my short journey ends.

  It felt like she'd been frozen in ice. Her hands grasped the sword in its sheath with maximum grip strength as if she thought it were going to do something for her.

  Shelly: I'm too afraid to do anything. This is it. I'm going to die a long, brutal death...the only way I didn't want to die, was being eaten alive. And now, I'm about to experience it...this fiend is going to eat me alive...all because I can't figure out how to respond to this situation

  Jerrim felt helpless, reaching his hand out to Shelly like he was going to grab her from a hundred yards away. All he could do was run to her even if too late. In that moment, Shelly's entire life flashed before her, not just the few memories from this world, but everything from her last life as well.

  Shelly: All my past life, I was a nobody...just a cog in the system that worked a low-income job. I was told by so many, that I had the looks and the personality...and yet, no one liked me. Bullied through all twelve years of school, neglected by my alcoholic parents...and avoided by everyone I approached. And now, this is the only opportunity I have to change all of that...

  Shelly gripped the sheathed sword even tighter and gritted her teeth as her emotion started to take a sudden turn.

  Shelly: What the hell am I doing...? I can't let that go to waste...not yet! Kvaris...I will prove you wrong! If I can't figure out what to do, then I'll just do whatever my body decides to do!

  Suddenly, it felt like something took over. A sudden driving force that drove her to whip around and raise the blade in its sheath. Barely enough time to put up a resistance as the fiend put its hands on the sheath of the blade and tackle her to the ground.

  Shelly: I don't care how dangerous this world is. As long as my heart's beating, I've got a chance!!!

  She thought to herself as she suddenly changed her expression. Breathing heavily through her gritting teeth as she started glaring at the fiend. A blend of emotions started to overwhelm her. Fear was no longer piloting her anymore, now she seemed to be driven by a desire to survive, and rage from untold years of bad luck and suffering. Jerrim notices the sudden turn of events, realizing there's a window of opportunity for him to take control of this already dire situation.

  Jerrim: Shelly!!! Hold on!!!

  He shouts to her as he rushes to her rescue with his longsword in hand. Shelly's hands and arms struggle and shake under the sheer strength of the fiend as it does everything in its power, snapping its teeth, dripping blood on her face as it tries to bite her.

  Shelly: Rgh! Y-You're just a corpse! You're already dead!!!

  All of the sudden, Shelly manages to conjure an unknown amount of strength. Barely enough to take control and flip the fiend over. Kicking at its legs and forcing the blade upward with her arms. The next thing she knew, she was now on top of the fiend. Looking down upon its decaying, boney face.

  Shelly: I already died once to a burglar with a rifle. There's no way in hell, I'm letting some dead-walking corpse kill me a second time!!!

  She shouts as she forces the sheathed blade down onto the fiend's decaying neck. The fiend fights back however, swiping one of its sharp-nailed hands across Shelly's right cheek, brutally slicing the side of her face with three deep cuts that leave her bleeding.

  Shelly: Ah!!!

  The fiend then forces Shelly off of it and violently throws her into the trunk of a tree behind her, causing her to drop the blade and fall onto her butt.

  Shelly: Gah!!!

  She looks up at the fiend and watches as it prepares to pounce on her. More than ready to dig into her and tear her apart. But just in the nick of time...

  *stomp stomp stomp*

  Jerrim: YAH!!!

  Jerrim comes running up from behind with stomping footsteps and swings his longsword with all his strength, cutting the fiend's head clean off and throwing its blood everywhere. A shockwave of wind explodes outward from the force of the blade, sending leaves, dirt, and other small debris flying everywhere. The fiend's headless body collapses to the ground, and Shelly looks up at Jerrim in relief. Her gleaming eyes gaze up at him as he reaches his hand down to her. The two stare at each other, their breaths heavy.

  Jerrim: That was close. Are you gonna be alright?

  Even though she felt fine, despite the bleeding, Shelly didn't know what to say. She was left speechless. Without saying anything, she catches Jerrim off guard as she jumps up and wraps her arms around him, hugging him as tight as she could.

  Shelly: Thank you~

  Jerrim: Mmh...yeah, no problem...

  While the two stood there hugging in silence, a sudden, odd, swirling trail of glowing red particles appears from the red amulet around the neck of the dead fiend. Like the trail of particles was attracted to Shelly, it traveled to the freshly cut bleeding wound on her cheek. Making its way inside of the wound without her even noticing.

  In just a few seconds of standing there, the particles disappear into the wound, and the ruby red coloring in the amulet fades to black. Like it had just died.

  Jerrim and Shelly let go of each other, and the two lock eyes with each other. Jerrim notices that her fresh wound has now healed into a scar.

  Jerrim: Hey, your wound is healed already

  Shelly: Huh?

  Shelly feels her cheek with her right hand, running her fingers over the rough surface of the new scar. Not a trace of blood left behind.

  Shelly: It healed already? But how? Did Jerrim use his healing magic?

  Jerrim: Well, shall we get what we came for then?

  Shelly: Uh...yeah. I guess so

  Shelly: Never mind that. The sooner we get whatever it is that he needs, the sooner we can get out of here...what was that anyway...? That sudden rush of emotions that drove me to do, that... For the first time, I fought for my life and survived!

  Jerrim turns back to the field of dead fiends in the clearing and begins walking back over to it, with Shelly following close behind, only for her to trip on the corpse of that decapitated fiend.

  Shelly: Wah!

  She looks back at the body of the fiend as Jerrim stops to look back at her.

  Jerrim: Heheh, watch your step

  Shelly: Yeah, my bad.

  She said as she got back up and rushed over to him, leaving behind the dead corpse of the fiend with the blackened amulet.