Summoned to a New World

I hit the ground. Hard. I groan in pain as my face hits the cold floor, my chest and legs taking most of the brunt of the fall. I lay there, moaning and groaning for a few seconds, collecting myself and picking myself up. I open my eyes, seeing that the floor I had laded on was not in fact the street I had been crossing, but rather a stone floor, with misshaped bricks forming a symbol of some kind. I looked around the room, seeing six other people similar to me yet different, and other people wearing what I could only describe as dresses from the lighting. The people in the dresses were all men however, based on their collective noises of surprise. I sigh, pushing my right had against the floor to push myself up, stopping when I realized my hand was not feeling the cold. I look to my hand and see my hand encased in a metal gauntlet. The same gauntlet from my dream.

"Wonderful. The summoning was a success." A voice said in the darkness. One of the men approached, his figure coming into the light that surrounded the seven of us. I looked up towards the man and saw him clearly. What I thought to have been a dress was in actuality a toga, similar to what the ancient Romans had worn. Over the white cloth the man had a blue sash going across his shoulder, and he had a long beard growing from his chin. "Please, save our world from the Swarms of Darkness!"

What? My mind raced as I tried to register what exactly this man was saying to us. I looked to my left, seeing the six other people with me. Directly next to me was a man that looked to be of Asian decent, from where exactly, I was unsure. He was rather small in size, almost a head smaller than myself, but the looked rather strong, he had to be if he was holding that solid looking shield. The shield he was holding had a green gem placed in the center of it, with a gold ring which I assumed held the gem in place, similar to the red gem on my gauntlet. He wore what looked like a green track suit, and his short black hair seemed disheveled.

Next to him was the outlier out of the seven of us: a girl. She was wearing some sort of outfit a farmer would wear, with jean overalls hugging her moderately curvy form. She may have had curves, but it was her musculature that caught me off guard. I'm certain those thighs could crush skulls. Her brown hair reached just above her shoulder and she looked Caucasian. In her hands was a rather small hammer with a blue gem placed on the side. Looking closer at the hammer, it kind of looked like a mallet, but then again, it appeared to be made of the same material that the shield and my gauntlet was made out of, so maybe it was more powerful than it appeared.

Third after me was some strange dude holding a bow, which after taking a few looks at it was way to fancy to actually be useful. Near where he was holding the bow was a yellow gem, acting as a hand guard. He wore something that was similar to a private school uniform, but I had never seen a private school that gave medals to their students, like military medals that adorned the breast of accomplished soldiers. There was also the odd color of his uniform: A fait yellow. It was kind of weird to look at, to be honest. Let's just say if I wore a suit, that color would not be seen on me ever. Maybe as a tie or the undershirt, but as the base uniform itself? Odd choice of a uniform, strange private school. He looked like he might be the youngest out of all of us standing there, with how boyish and friendly his face was.

Next to the bow man was an even stranger looking man who wore clothing similar to the people who stood staring at us. He was a bald man with intricate markings covering his head, and the robes he was wearing were a deep blue, but they appeared to be shifting around his body. He was holding a staff weapon, one that was taller than himself. Near where he was holding the staff, there was a gem that was the same intricate teal as his outfit. Out of all of us standing in that strange glowing circle, he seemed to be the most calm.

Second to last person who was confused about what was going on was a blond hair and blue eyed man, wearing a suit and tie. It looked black, but with the help of the light, it was actually a deep purple. He was holding a spear with a purple gem connecting the shaft to the blade itself.

Finally was another young man, who was holding a sword in his hand. The sword had an orange gem that rested where the hilt met the blade, and it was a very simple blade. The ma was wearing an orange hoodie, with a basic black t-shirt underneath.

After looking over my six fellow confused Individuals, I turned to study the people who were in front of us. As more light entered from the ceiling, the figures became visible. They were all wearing togas with blue sashes, but not all were old men like the one who had addressed us. There were young, old, me, women, all astonished at the seven figures standing in front of them. "Please, our world is on the brink of collapse. We have summoned you from your worlds to save us from calamity. Please heroes, save us from the Darkness!"

The first to say anything was the one holding the spear, who held his hand up and calmed the strange crowd down. "Now, hold on. I could help you, if the reward for doing so is adequate." He said, his German accent lacing his words with a strange hint of superiority.

The next to speak up was the one holding the sword. "Yes, you pull us from our own worlds and just expect us to do what you say? There better be a reward for sticking our necks out for you all." He said, his voice bland and monotone, lacking any life as if it was a pain just to be here.

"Of course, our ruler should be able to accommodate you all accordingly, and provide each and every one of you with supplies and-" The one holding the staff raised his hand, stopping the old ma.

"That's just fine. Take us to your leader and we shall discuss aiding you in your plight." The bald man said, his voice smooth and soft as if it were the one thing that could comfort you after a hard week of dealing with society. He was like the calm in the storm, soothing your woes with a few words. I rolled my shoulders and stretched, groaning as I did so, attracting a few glances from the other six.

"Sure thing, no harm in seeing what you people need us to do." I said, sighing slightly, holding my hands up and placing them against the back of my head. The other heroes were still giving me an odd look, and I returned my own. "Well, if they went out of their way to summon us, they must be real desperate to fight these 'Dark Swarms' back or something." The people in blue sashes all gave noises of agreement, opening a large door to reveal an extravagant hall bathed in sunlight.

"The Gauntlet speaks true. We shall reward you greatly for helping us. Please, follow me and I shall bring you to our Emperor." The old man then began to walk away, and we were ushered to follow him. I walked casually through the marbled wall way, noticing that the decorative wall murals were very similar to what would have been on the walls in Ancient Rome, during the Roman Empire. I looked out the massive windows that lined the hall where the sun light came from and saw that the landscape was similar to the region Rome was based in.

"Look at all that green. Beautiful." I said, admiring the land that the city was not covering. A few of the heroes that had been summoned with me hummed in agreement, staring out towards the new yet familiar world.

"Yes, It appears to be similar to a European climate. Either Greece or Italy." The sword hero said, his voice showing no life, similar to earlier. Did this guy have any personality, or was he just a bland board?

"Compared to the Himalayas, I would as that this location would not require so much clothing. I am going to find it pleasant to let my skin breath." The staff hero commented, walking smoothly. It was almost like he was sliding across the floor. The more this ma spoke, the more intriguing he became. He looked like a monk of some kind, but what he believed in wasn't so clear. Monks wore the kind of stuff he was wearing, but I have never seen something that teal or that vibrant. He turned his head towards me, his smile unmoving, coming off as more creepy than friendly. "What thoughts flow through your mind, young one?"

"I'm curious on what you believe it, sir." I replied, respecting him as my elder. "Your markings are intriguing and your robes are magnificent, but I've ever seen anything like it. What do you worship, if you don't mind my asking?"

He laughed, moving back in the line and next to me. "Young one, I wouldn't exactly call what I do worship. I merely give thanks to the Earth Mother for allowing my people to live in a destroyed world." My eyebrows raised in confusion, not sure I followed. As far as I was aware, the planet hadn't been destroyed or what ever, but maybe he was a part of some cult which secluded itself during the Cold War or something.

"Earth Mother, right." I replied, turning away once more and looking back outside. We walked through this marble palace for a time, guards saluting us as we moved through. Similar to our environment and the people, these soldiers looked like they belonged in ancient Rome, their faces covered by a helmet with a face engraved on it. Their armor was a shiny material and ended at their waist, where it turned into a belt holding a short sword. They were more armored below their waist compared to the Romans I was familiar with, having armor encasing their legs completely. These men wore tunics underneath their armor that were a fine and defining purple, and if this place was like Rome, it meant that they were of nobility, or they were specifically the guards of the nobility.

Based on the density of these soldiers, I assumed that we were nearing the room the Emperor was in, and decided to shift my stance to be more presentable. The monk man decided to follow behind me, his expression still unchanging. The seven of us were asked to stop in front of a massive door; its surface carved with intricate designs of people bowing down towards a woman in a throe. Two of the guards pushed the door open and revealed the throne room to us, leaving us in awe.

It was a magnificent chamber, with marble pillars holding up a balcony for people to watch the meeting that was about to occur. Both walls were made of glass, revealing a marvelous city below us. The room ended in an arch, and waiting at the end of the room, sitting in one of three thrones, was a man wearing a golden crown similar to a laurel wreath, only solidifying the similarities. He looked like he was middle aged, almost the same age as the monk, but his head had a full head of greying hair with side burns encroaching onto his cheeks. He sat up once the seven of us were led into the throne and placed out evenly in front of him, his face full of excitement.

"Ah, Excellent! Good work, Head Magi, you've done the impossible." The Emperor the focused o the seven of us, but it felt as if he was more focused on three heroes specifically. "Heroes of legend, please, heed my call and fight the Swarms of Darkness!"