Electrifying tendrils of sensation began to spread across my body, the hairs on my skin rising up in anticipation.
Hrnggghhh!
I could've swore I heard the clattering of teeth as myself and the surrounding heroes all emitted sounds of deep, primal grunts, our legs and arms violently shaking but not moving further than an inch.
As the forced irresponsiveness of my body continued, the surrounding summoned all seemed to slow down, each action of mine seeming as if I were travelling through molasses.
My arousal was at an all-time high, and yet, it felt as if there were nothing I could do as each attempted movement was rendered more and more futile.
Seconds began to feel like hours as I struggled in vain to move, a welling feeling of red, hot frustration broiling and engulfing my entire psyche.
A force, perceptible but not conspicuous, began to hang over me as dark tendrils slowly slithered across my skin, then into my bone, eventually coming back up through my brain to darken my conscious.
"Sorry, this is not typically how I do introductions, but seeing as your red-haired friend here was practically burning through me with killing intent, even knocking out one of the kingdom's best mages, I feel it's necessary to quell you folks, first."
The man stood at a rather modest 5'6, his hair silver with a beard several inches long that reached out to connect to a mustache.
He was clearly physically able and experienced, scars with varying size and shape spanning all across the skin visible through his vibrant armor.
Accompanied by this was a body with such muscular tone that if I were in my previous world, I would've assumed him to be a body builder.
He raised his hand before positioning his thumb below his middle finger, finally using it to produce a 'snap' that resounded across the eerie room where we'd been summoned.
In contrast to the impossibly constraining atmosphere that had made speaking virtually impossible, it was almost surreal how quickly sound returned, the collective heavy breathing of us summoned dispelling the dreary.
Testing the newfound normalcy, I move my arm up and down, my cheeks folding to show my teeth through a smile.
"Well, then, have we all calmed down--"
Slam!
The man was forced to raise his hand, his palm meeting the end of another's fist.
However, what was most surprising was who attacked him.
All at the same time, the red-head and the other two guys all rushed towards him with a devastating blow, the still air transitioning into a violent storm of bellowing hails as my feet began to lift, the air just barely resisting earth's influence on my body.
Fwoosh!
The storm grew with such intensity that the four were made entirely inconspicuous. The sounds of the pounding of flesh could be heard, but by no means could I tell what was going on.
Only after their clash ended and the winds began to retract was the result made most evident.
"Hahhhh... hahhhh..."
The one heaving was the woman, her legs folded and her arms slack.
She exhibited a profuse wobble, the spontaneity of her movements striking in such a manner that one could've imagined she would tip over from a light breeze.
Standing perfectly upright was the man, seemingly unharmed as he held onto what looked like a book.
The stormy winds hadn't yet disappeared, but still I looked on in pursuit of the other two who'd been fighting with the lady.
"Oh~ you're quite the feisty one. I'm sure you'll be transcendent in Koudo, seeing as you've already naturally adopted the art of physical enhancement."
The winds finally quelled as the area surrounding the man began to become distinguishable.
Looking on at two slumps positioned in opposing sides to the man, I see the already familiar black and yellow hair forming a contrast to their mainly bland clothing.
"However, I would like to emphasize that I am not the ene--"
"You two, get out of here!"
The red-head turned towards me and the other girl who were both still in the previously dark room, eyes wide as our mouths hung open.
I was the first to break out of my stupor, reaching out my hand to grab the purple-haired girl's.
As soon as I made contact, I began a single-minded escape, bolting it out of the room and to the left of the hallway away from the corridor the four had been fighting in.
Making it just past the corner, I look back on the red-head, the convulsions of her body growing even more in intensity.
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, I'll be fine!"
Hm, quite the bravado, but even I'm not nice enough to help someone throwing down their life if it means saving my own.
"Wait, I really am your guys' friend here--"
"Don't believe his lies, he's just trying to coax us into allowing him to kill us."
The black-haired guy on the ground spoke up, interrupting the man's speech as he reached out to grab the man's leg, keeping him from stepping forward and almost tripping him.
"Yeah, you all felt it, right? The aura leaking from this guy was so dangerous that it felt as if just being near him would kill me."
The other guy spoke up, also grabbing the man's leg.
Both of them pulled at him, a thud echoing across the corridor as the clattering of hard metal impacted.
"Hey, I'm really just trying to help you guys here--"
Again, the man is interrupted by the slamming of stone, the red-head jumping into a forward punch that prompted the man to just barely weave his head to the side.
"Okay, that's enough!"
As soon as the words escaped the man's mouth, cracks and smears began to run across the walls, a wind again propping forth from his book.
This time, however, it was different. It felt different, as if whatever the man was doing were something foreign.
All five of us summoned present in the corridor flew back, the sheer force of his outburst slamming me and the girl I'm holding into the far end of the corridor, almost back to where the red-head had created the hole.
"I do not wish to harm you, heroes, but I am simply the chosen messenger sent to escort you to king Viral."