Isekai For Hire Chapter 51: The Return

Read chapter 51 of Isekai For Hire by wk_rust on NovelPedia.

The Return Lorena sat at the table in the safe house, staring at her level in the interface. Level 50 Yours or mine? Mine, that’s real. We did it, peach. Ren’s voice was soft but Lorena still flinched when she felt Ren curl up beside her. Lorena stared at the level again in disbelief. It had taken every last second of the three years, but apparently she had done it. She played with her daggers as she looked around the room, it looked exactly the same. Three years and not one thing had changed. The broken chair was still in the corner, Harkyn’s game pieces were still scattered around the table, and Noodle still had his little bed in the corner. She looked at the faces of the people around her, not a hair out of place, no signs of age. She had told herself that the timescale was a lie as a way to cope. That she’d come out and they’d be long gone, the forest overgrown to the point of consuming the portal. She’d emerge to find a whole new city with new people and no one would remember her. But that didn’t happen, it really had only been an hour. So she sat there, silent, staring at her crowning achievement. Level 50. “She hasn’t said a word, or put her daggers down,” Naith said. “Do you think something went wrong with the portal?” Weaver asked, both of them staring at Harkyn. She opened her mouth to speak, but it ached. Her throat burned and scratched and what came out was raspy and incomprehensible, years of not using her voice for anything but screams of pain and rage would do that. She cleared her throat and tried again. “I’m… F- f- fifty. Now… What?” She coughed and Harkyn handed her some water. Naith shot her a bewildered look, then stared at Weaver. “She needs rest.” Naith’s voice was adamant. “I agree,” Weaver said. “We went with the timescale we did so that she could afford to have time to recover, assuming Lord Shade does not change the deal,” Harkyn said. “He won’t,” Weaver said in a definitive tone, ending the argument before it had a chance to start. She stared at the Exit Everwind countdown in her interface, just 45 minutes left. It was practically sprinting toward zero now that she was out of the portal, or maybe she just got used to its slow crawl for the past three years. The exhaustion was hitting her now that she didn’t have a constant stream of willpower to keep her going. Her eyes fell shut, she just needed a minute. She smelled burning flesh as a tendril of fire wrapped around her leg. She jolted awake and stood, the chair under her flying across the room. Her eyes were wide and crazed, daggers outstretched around her. Yyy-yours or mine? Yours or mine? Yours, yours. This isn’t real. Everything is fine. “Are you okay, Lorena?” Harkyn asked, his voice had a slight tremor in it. Her gaze shot to him, the look of concern on his face. Then she saw the dagger inches from his eye. Her arms fell to her sides, still clutching each dagger. She lifted her pant leg and saw no scars, no burning flesh, no tendrils of fire. Mine. Yours. There are no delirants here. I promise. Nothing will attack your mind here. You’re safe now. “Sleep.” She rasped, then went to her room and locked the door. She laid down in bed, but she couldn’t close her eyes, she was never going to close her eyes again. How much time do we have? Lorena glanced at the timer. We should do it now. Okay. I’ll see you on the other side? Yes. Lorena pulled the blankets over herself, her focus hovering on the Exit Everwind button. Ren. Yes? Whatever happens… Thanks for being my friend. Always. She selected the button, then blackness clouded her vision. * * * Pain. Searing, white hot pain shot through Lorena’s back. Her shoulder screamed as metal scraped against bone. Her head throbbed and the world tilted. Ren? Silence. “He’s back!” The word stabbed at her like an accusation. He. “Asher, are you okay?” Lorena heard shuffling feet. She opened her eyes and saw a sea of faces, all trained on her. “Someone get vitals on him.” She looked down, her neck flaring with pa