Aura's vision of her familiar room faded into darkness, and she was surrounded by a deafening silence. She couldn't feel her body or even hear her own breathing.
Before panic could set in, a warm feeling washed over her. Her consciousness slipped away…what's happening…a single weak thought flickered before fading…time passed.
Suddenly, sight and sound returned, and her body registered that she was standing on solid ground.
However, before she could form any coherent thought, she was overcome by dizziness and nausea. She collapsed and threw up.
It took several moments for her head to clear and her stomach to settle. As she started to recover, memories flooded back, and the first thought, since the so-called teleportation, entered her mind.
What the hell was that message…Galaxy Alliance…teleportation. A sense of foreboding filled Aura. Her head snapped up, taking in the surroundings.
She was greeted by a dark sky filled with black clouds that flickered with purple lightning, accompanied by loud peals of thunder, but no rainfall. Gusts of wind occasionally blowing across the landscape.
Thoughts raced through Aura's mind again…Don't panic…Don't panic…panicking will get you killed…Observe, learn, plan, and then react…she recited in an effort to remain calm. It was advice her Sword-master, Tedrick, always told her during practice.
Taking a deep breath, Aura refocused on her surroundings. The ground seemed to be littered with small pebbles, and when the lightning lit up the area, she noticed that the landscape was covered in different-sized, sphere-shaped rocks, almost like a giant had thrown a large bucket of marbles everywhere.
The smallest ones were about a meter high; the larger ones were like small hills, bordering on becoming tiny mountains but not quite, their shapes casting eerie shadows when the lightning flashed.
Some of the boulders had what appeared to be luminescent crystals of various colors growing on them, which offered some light in the dark landscape, allowing her to see further than one normally would in such an environment.
Before she could take in any more details about her surroundings, she heard a familiar voice in her head.
[Welcome, Aura, to the Galaxy Alliance Recruitment Trial. You are one of the lucky few chosen for the privilege of participating in this Trial.]
[Assigned Mission]
[Goal 1: Reunite with your teammates.]
[Goal 2: With your teammates, head to the Rendezvous point while surviving attacks from void spawn.]
[You have 24 hours to complete the mission. Time can be displayed on the left wrist of your combat suit. Please say "Display timer" to make it appear.]
Mission…teammates…void spawn monsters from the game…thought Aura as she tried to take in everything the Voice was saying.
Huh…combat suit…she quickly examined herself and realized that she was dressed in a tight-fitting black combat suit made out of strange, flexible material.
So not only have I been teleported against my will but also undressed and redressed…whoever is responsible is dead…she thought as anger and embarrassment coursed through her. Aura's thoughts were interrupted by the voice repeating the same message insistently.
[Waiting for participant to say "display timer."]
"Fine." Aura raised her left wrist. "Display timer," she snapped. Immediately, a blue-lit, twenty-four-hour display appeared on the inner left wrist armor of her suit.
[24:00:00]
As soon as the countdown appeared, she heard the voice again.
[While you have 24 hours to complete the mission, it is advised that you get to the pickup point as soon as possible. You have 1 hour of preparation before the timer for the trial starts. During this time, you are confined to a 10-meter safe zone. You will receive a verbal warning when you have 1 minute of the preparation hour left.]
[You and your team will be awarded points depending on your personal and team performance during the Trial. These points will benefit you later.]
[It is strongly suggested that you familiarize yourself with the combat suit's manual during this time. Double-tap your left wrist to make the manual appear.]
[Good Luck. We hope you perform well.]
"So, summing up the predicament I'm in," muttered Aura to herself, while attempting to keep calm, as she stood up and moved to sit on a medium-sized boulder decorated with several glowing crystals.
"I've been teleported to God knows where, undressed and redressed by people who, for all intents and purposes, are now walking corpses, am being forced to participate in a recruitment trial for some Alliance, have to fight void spawn that should only exist in a game, and a stupid voice tells me I'm lucky to be here…hmm, hate to see what they call bad luck." Her words dripped with sarcasm as she finished her rant.
"What the hell have I fallen into…a novel?" continued Aura, only to suddenly freeze as a thought entered her mind…Navi, Kai, and Lucas…they all saw the same message as me…shit, they most likely have been teleported too…probably my teammates mentioned in the trial missions…Navi…Damn, I need to find them…no, stop, don't panic…Observe, learn, plan, and then react…I have 1 hour till the trial starts…less now…let's start with the suit's manual…she decided, as she fought to suppress her worry and concerns about the current situation she and, very likely, people important to her were in.
Aura raised her wrist and double-tapped the armor. A holographic screen about thirteen inches in height appeared above her lower left arm, and a voice in her head spoke.
[Welcome to the Galaxy Alliance Combat Suit. I am the suit's built-in AI. Please select a name for me to respond to when needed.]
"Hang on…how have you and that other AI that introduced the Trial been talking in my head?" asked Aura, irritated, worried that while she had been unconscious, they had implanted something in her head, but also slightly curious.
[All Galaxy Alliance Combat Suit AIs have telepathic communication capabilities.]
Aura was momentarily stunned…telepathic AI…how does that even work…the AI's voice interrupted her thoughts.
[Please choose a name.]
A name…let's see…"Chloe," voiced Aura with the first name she could think of.
[Pleasure to meet you. My name is now Chloe. How can I assist you?]
"Can you give me a brief outline of the suit's capabilities and how it works?" Aura immediately replied.
[Yes. The Galaxy Alliance basic combat suit was created using Mana technology for the sole purpose of training recruits.]
[The suit is powered by a basic artificial Mana core designed by the Galaxy Alliance.]
"Wait, wait, wait," Aura interrupted the AI. "Did you just say mana, as in energy that lets you do magic, like spells?" A mix of disbelief, shock, and surprise was evident in her voice.
[Yes. For this trial, the suit is equipped to provide 3 spells of your choosing from a list of available stored spells.]
[Please be aware that, as you cannot wield mana, the suit will provide the mana needed for the spells. However, the suit's mana is limited; please use it wisely.]
Aura's thoughts churned…so yes to magic in some form…spells are mentioned…but vastly different from the game…hmm…let's check…"Chloe, can you explain how mana works and the cost of spells?"
[Mana is the energy or fuel that is responsible for creating everything. Most people can't sense it unless exposed to very high concentrations and remain oblivious to its existence, apart from a few selected races that are born with mana and those with a mana-related talent. A person can train to feel it, but it can take more time to master than most are willing to spend learning.]
[The cost of mana for spells varies depending on mana talent and the spell being cast; higher-tier spells will naturally cost more mana.]
[The basic combat suit uses mana at Tier 1 and only provides Tier 1 spells. Most spells at this level can be cast approximately 15 times with the suit's current mana stored.]
Aura was silent as she absorbed the information the AI had just revealed. Magic…real magic…she was always fascinated by magic…it would be a challenge, yes, but if she could learn it…the rewards would be worth it…the magic system was different from the game, though…at the moment, the only thing similar to the game was the void spawn threat and the combat suit's style…hmm…the suit offers 3 spells and 15 casts with the suit's current stored mana…so 5 casts per spell…need to be careful what spells I pick…a combination of attack and defense…wait, attack…"Chloe, can the suit provide a weapon?"
[Yes. The suit can also provide you with 1 weapon of your choice from the stored weapons list. Would you like to view the list and choose one?]
"Does the list contain twin short swords as an option?"
[Yes.]
"I choose twin short swords, then," Aura stated decisively.
[Affirmative. Generating weapon choice.]
In front of Aura, blue light gathered and got brighter, taking on the shape of two short swords that slowly solidified and then remained hovering in front of her.
The holographic screen on Aura's wrist disappeared as she reached out to grip a blade handle in each hand. Slowly, and then faster, as if performing a graceful dance, she executed a few sword techniques.
Nice…she thought as she finished the last move…they are well-balanced and perfect for my build. "Chloe, what other features does the suit have?" But this time, she was not just asking out of necessity for the trial, but because she was also genuinely interested.
[The suit's other features include a short-range telepathic communications mana crystal, a lifeform sensor, two meal rations, and a basic med kit. The suit is also capable of self repair]
"Huh…a communication crystal…Chloe, can I use it now?" Her voice laced with hope at the possibility of contacting Navi, Kai, and Lucas.
[Negative. All communications are blocked until the start of the trial.]
"Of course it is…damn," Aura swore in frustration. "Chloe, how long have we been talking?"
[27 minutes.]
So, thirty-three minutes till the trial starts…let's see what spells are on offer…"Chloe, display the available spells list," Aura ordered, feeling some excitement despite the situation.
[Displaying spells list.]
The holographic screen above her arm appeared again. As she skimmed through the names and descriptions in the list, Aura's eyes widened and lit up…Now I wonder what I should choose…