Chapter Text
This all started because of Choromatsu.
“Oi, Choromatsu. Would you turn the light off already? We’re trying to sleep.” Osomatsu said with a loud yawn as he stared over in his brother’s direction.
“Just one more chapter.” he muttered, sticking his nose farther into the book. Todomatsu sat up, looking at the book he was so engrossed in. Normally, Choromatsu would be reading light novels about cute girls going on adventures, but this book seemed different. The cover was much darker, had a picture of an orc and a human knight going toe to toe in battle.
“That’s not what you normally read.” said Todomatsu. “What’s that book about?”
Choromatsu glanced up from the book, looking back over the cover. “Oh, this? My friend let me borrow it. It’s a book about a war-torn world that’s dying and it’s up to the heroes to save it while waging a war on the opposing faction.”
“Picking up a new genre?” Karamatsu said, closing his eyes and crossing his arms. “Sounds like a grand adventure, it’s good to broaden your interests.”
“I wasn’t gonna read it,” Choromatsu snorted out. “but my friend insisted it was a good book. Plus it’s really starting to grow on me.”
“Well whatever, finish it up so we can go to bed.” Osomatsu grunted out, turning around so his back was facing the light.
“Alright, alright.” sighed Choromatsu, closing the book and getting up so he could turn off the light. Once he was settled back into bed, he closed his eyes, but his thoughts kept drifting back to the book.
It really was weird, this kind of fantasy adventure wasn’t something he normally read, but he couldn’t help but keep his eyes glued to the book. What a magical world it sounded like, Azeroth. Full of elves and orcs, magical battles and treasures to collect. He almost wished he could experience the adventure for himself. Anything that was better than sitting at home all day trying to figure out what to do.
As he began to drift off to sleep, the last thoughts on his mind were the stories told of a powerful mage, Jaina Proudmore.
“Our world's dyin', Choromatsu. I can hear Azeroth's voice, but she needs more than her speaker. She needs her champion. Ye' need ta' wake up, lad. Please . . . save our world!”
Choromatsu’s eyes snapped open as he gasped out, staring at the ceiling as he broke into a cold sweat. What the hell was all that about? Who’s voice was that? Wait-- His eyes shifted around the room, realizing that. . . this wasn’t his bedroom. Quickly he sat up, looking around at the sights around him. It looked like he was in some kind of infirmary, five other beds surrounding him, all occupied. He squinted his eyes, trying to make sense of where he was.
“Oh good, you’re finally awake.” a voice spoke out, causing Choromatsu to jerk in surprise.
“A-Awake? W-Who--” he began, until his eyes fell on the sight of a woman sitting beside his bed. She looked like she’d rather be anywhere else but there, honey colored eyes hooded as she stared at him. She had long golden hair, and wore robes of white and gold.
“It’s alright.” she sighed out, suddenly coming to a stand. “I’ll tell you who I am later. Right now we need to wake up your friends so we can get this party going.”
Choromatsu looked over to the beds beside him again, squinting once more once he started recognizing the others. It was his brothers, thought they weren’t dressed in their pajamas like they had gone to bed in, instead they wore different kinds of armor. Osomatsu and Karamatsu were dressed in plate armor, which probably was really uncomfortable. Ichimatsu, Jyushimatsu, and Todomatsu’s armor was a little more lighter, Ichimatsu and Jyushimatsu looking to be wearing leather while Todomatsu’s armor seemed to be made of metals but still light.
Finally, he looked down at himself, seeing himself wearing robes that seemed to shimmer slightly with magical power. What the . . . where were they? What happened?
“Um, excuse me . . . miss?” Choromatsu began, tugging at his robe. The woman had wandered over to Osomatsu’s bed, starting to shake him with an even more irritated look.
“Hmm?” she responded, looking over towards Choromatsu.
“What . . . where is this place?”
“Where is. . .” she started to speak, standing upright fully and squinting slightly at the male before turning her head away as he expression struggled to remain neutral. Five gold this guy was from another world. First that one kid and now these guys. Well, that was a story best told in another time, really.
Now that she was turned away, Choromatsu’s eyes were starting to wander. She was muttering to herself about something while he looked her over, taking in the sight of those shapely hips and a perfect figure. So maybe he didn’t know where he was but this was okay, if he got to be around such a beautiful woman.
“Alright.” The woman suddenly turned around to face him once more, hands on her hips. “I guess I owe you a name, and then you gotta answer some questions for me. I swear if Anduin did this on purpose. . .”
Anduin? Choromatsu had heard that name before, or at least he thought he did. His mind was still in a fog, and he was struggling just to keep up with what was going on here.
“My name is Aoife, it’s not pronounced the way it’s spelled. Ee-fah. Alright? I am a mage of the Alliance and right now you and your friends are recovering in the infirmary at Stormwind keep. According to some witnesses, you guys passed out when trying to contain the powers of Azerite in Azeroth’s wound. Not sure how six champions can’t handle a little Azerite but maybe it was a big dose, I don’t know.”
Mage of the Alliance, Azeroth, Anduin. . . these words were starting to string memories together. Choromatsu’s eyes suddenly widened. He . . . They were in the world in his book! But how!? He must have been dreaming, this had to have been a dream! He wasn’t a mage, he was just a normal human adult that lived in Japan with his five brothers. He must of looked in deep concentration, because Aoife was suddenly snapping her fingers in his face to get his attention.
“Answer my questions now.” she demanded, and Choromatsu sat up ridged, smiling nervously as sweat began to pour out from every pore on his body. He forgot he’d have to answer anything she wanted. Oh, what did she want to know?!
“A-Alright!” he squeaked out.
“What’s the last thing you remember?”
Choromatsu lowered his gaze as he tried to remember. He . . . he went to bed. But Aoife said that they had been trying to contain some power. Should he just go along with that story? Or should he tell the truth. If this was a dream, he wanted to live it out as long as he could! Maybe he shouldn’t mingle reality with his fantasy world. He drew in a low breath, ready to speak.
“I remember--”
“I can’t move. I CAN’T MOVE! HELP!”
Choromatsu whipped his head towards the sound of Osomatsu’s voice, watching as his eldest brother was struggling to sit upright in his suit of armor. Aoife watched as well, looking like a mixture between irritated and amused.
“Looks like number two is awake.” she said. Osomatsu continued to struggle, obviously not used to the weight of the armor he was wearing.
“Idiot, just sit up!” Choromatsu snapped out.
“I can’t! It feels like my body is being held down by a pair of--” Osomatsu started, but before he could even get anything else out, Choromatsu rocketed off the bed and slapped his hand over his brother’s mouth, grabbing at his shoulder and helping him sit up. Aoife’s gaze continued to watch them, once again her mind pointing out there was no way these guys were from here. And she got stuck with displaced people again. How fun.
“Ugh, my head.” The shifting of chain mail was heard as Todomatsu sat up, holding his head, and one by one, the brothers were starting to emerge from their slumbers.
“What’s going on?” asked Karamatsu, easily sitting up and running his hand down his plate armor. Aoife gave them a half lidded stare. Yeah, this wasn’t the first time she’s had to deal with this. Time to start from the beginning.
“Okay all of you.” she sighed. “Line up over there and I’ll try to explain things. Quickly now, we don’t have much time.”
The brothers all looked at each other, then soon urged themselves off of the beds, lining up in their normal formation. Aoife placed her hands behind her back, starting to walk back and forth in front of them as if she was a drill sergeant. Finally, she stopped at the head of the line, Osomatsu.
“What’s your name?” she asked.
“Osomatsu.”
“Osomatsu, you are part of a class called a Warrior. Depending on what you prefer, you can either hit things with a sword or block them with a shield. It’s a fairly simple class, really.”
“Woah! I get to hit things?!” Osomatsu gasped out, smiling wide and feeling at his side for a weapon. Fortunately, it didn’t seem like he had one at the moment.
“Yes.” Aoife continued. “Your weapons have all been put aside for now while you recover, you’ll get them later.”
Next, Aoife stepped in front of Karamatsu, and was immediately greeted with bishonen eyes and a smoldering look. She almost couldn’t believe this guy already and they had just met.
“Name.”
“My name floats on the breeze of a cool summer’s day. It is whispered, gently caress--”
“She said your name, Shittymatsu.” Ichimatsu hissed out, glaring down the line at him.
“Of course, I’m just giving a presentation to a lady of utmost beauty.” Karamatsu said, grinning back at his brother before turning his attention back to the mage. She was glaring at him in almost the same manner Ichimatsu had.
“A-Ah, Karamatsu.”
“Karamatsu . . . you all have similar names don’t you?” she snorted out. “Anyway, you are known as a class called Paladin. You are a champion of the Light, and very versatile. You can aid your allies by protecting them with a shield, healing their wounds with the power of the Light. Or, you can be like barbarian over here and hit things with a sword too.”
“Karamatsu! We can hit things with a sword together!” Osomatsu called out, practically beaming. Both Aoife and Choromatsu just stared at the two of them as Karamatsu nodded with a small “Heh.”
Aoife moved down the line, in front of Choromatsu, who’s attention went directly to her.
“A-Ah. My n-name is C-Choromatsu.” he stammered out, already getting nervous in her presence. Gosh she was so beautiful. It was amazing that he was still able to speak normally in front of her.
“Choromatsu, you are known as a class called Mage, we are powerful wielders of magic, our knowledge of the arcane allows us to cast simple and complicated spells, and our focuses can go either into Frost, Fire, or pure Arcane.”
Choromatsu nodded quickly in understanding, but in reality, he didn’t know the first thing about casting any magic! He was too afraid to ask at the moment. She probably already thought they were a bunch of idiots! Aoife moved down the line again, stopping in front of the leather clad Ichimatsu, who seemed to shrink down under her gaze.
“Ichimatsu.” he spilled out before she even had a chance to ask.
“Right, Ichimatsu. You are known to be part of the class called Rogue. While most of your fellow class tend to stick to the shadows and fight unnoticed, sometimes Rogues will take a head on approach. Daggers, swords, whatever you feel comfortable using, use it to stabby stab at people from the dark.”
Ichimatsu looked down at his hands. He’d have to actually fight? He gulped a little, giving a small nod in understanding. Like the rest of his brothers, he really had no idea how to use weapons. Sure he could throw punches, but this was different, it was dangerous! Aoife stepped in front of the next brother, Jyushimatsu, who suddenly gave her a salute.
“Jyushimatsu!” he rang out, before she could even ask. This seemed to be a pattern. Aoife blinked when she noticed the sleeves of his outfit were far too long, so she quietly reached out to try and roll them up. She did each arm, then stood back with a smile as she looked over her work.
The sleeves just fell back over his hands again.
“. . . Jyushimatsu. You are known as a Monk. This is a very hands on, physical class. They are masters of martial arts, and can aid their allies by healing with the power of Chi, protecting them with their body, or adding to the fight with their powerful attacks. You basically punch and kick things.”
“Ah! I can do that!” Jyushimatsu bounced on his feet.
“Good.”
Finally, she stopped in front of Todomatsu, who seemed mildly concerned about his armor. He looked up when the mage was in front of him, and quickly fell into line.
“My name is Todomatsu.” he proclaimed.
“Todomatsu, geeze you guys actually have the same names almost, what are you, bothers?”
“Oh absolutely no--” he began, only to wither under the intense stare of his brothers.
“Right.” Aoife continued. “Last but not least, you are part of a class known as Hunter. With their animal companions, Hunters are great allies. They can fight with either a gun or a bow, or for the ones who prefer to get up close and personal, a polearm will do the trick too.”
“I have a pet?” asked Todomatsu.
“I’m sure you do.” Aoife responded, stepping away from them finally. “Most likely it’s at the stables right now. You can look for it later.”
“Do I have to take care of it?” Todomatsu said almost with a look of disgust. Aoife just gave him a blank stare. How were these guys even real? Come to think of it, they were all pretty calm for someone who just woke up in another world. Maybe she was wrong? Had they actually been in Azeroth the entire time?
“Anyway, if you are all feeling well enough, King Anduin has requested your presence in the throne room to discuss our next steps.” said, Aoife, turning around and starting to walk towards the door. “I suggest you all learn how to handle yourselves in front of royalty because if you do anything I will castrate you. On. The. Spot.”
Each of them looked back at her with fear, covering their crotches.
“Don’t keep my king waiting.” she grumbled out, heading out of the infirmary. “You’ll have to answer to me, personally.”
“. . . She’s a little scary.” said Ichimatsu, and Jyushimatsu nodded rapidly in agreement.
“How are you all not freaking out right now?” Choromatsu finally said. “Did you hear what she said? We’re on Azeroth!”
“That’s that world you talked about in your book last night, right?” Osomatsu asked while searching around the room. “This place is cool! Why would I freak out?”
“Because this “world” is a fictional world from a BOOK!” snapped Choromatsu. “We shouldn’t even be here!”
“Relax, this is probably a big dream.” said Karamatsu, following after the eldest brother. They were looking for their weapons. “I say we take this opportunity to go on a grand adventure!”
So they all thought this was a dream too. That helped Choromatsu calm down a bit. It wasn’t just him. “Yeah, you’re right. This could be fun.”
“Look guys! I found our stuff!” Jyushimatsu called out from the other side of the room. He stood beside a large trunk that was full of various weapons, taller ones leaning against the wall. Each of them headed over, looking over what was inside.
Osomatsu reached for a large sword, underestimating it’s weight and nearly losing it to the floor. Karamatsu of course grabbed a short sword and shield that matched the colors of his armor, while Choromatsu grabbed the only staff leaning against the wall. It glowed with arcane power, and he had to stop and marvel at it for a moment. Wow, would he even be able to wield such power?
Ichimatsu reached into the chest to pull out two daggers, searching his person for a place to put them, while Jyushimatsu was already slipping on a pair of fist weapons, flexing his fingers in them before those sleeves covered his hands once more. Finally, Todomatsu pulled a bow from against the wall, looking it over. There was a quiver of arrows next to it, and he looked over the weapons as if he was trying to figure out how to properly use them on his own.
Once they were all equipped, Choromatsu looked towards the exit.
“We should probably head out to see the king, then.” he said, only to take a quick step backwards when Osomatsu carelessly swung his sword through the air. “OI! WOULD YOU WATCH IT?!”
“Alright! Lets go meet the king! I wanna see Aoife again!” Osomatsu called out, slinging the weapon over his shoulder and marching for the door. The rest of the brothers followed, all except Choromatsu, who was finally starting to realize something.
“. . . We’re all gonna die here, aren’t we?”