Kingdom Come Ch. 02

Blair waits until she's out of sight and then makes a break for it, booking it down the halls in a way that's very unbecoming of nobility, or anyone wearing a ridiculously flowy skirt for that matter.

She's not used to such feminine clothing, having always opted for more casual stuff back home. Sweats, tennis shoes, and the everyday teenage girl outfits. But now, her heels claw at her feet, and she wobbles as she tries to keep pace with Sophie.

The girl is a natural; she's leaning against the door when Blair arrives, red in the face and out of breath, unlike Sophie. She stoops over and braces her hands on her knees as her lungs cry out in agony. That was the most exercise she's gotten in a while.

"Why didn't you let yourself in?" She looks up at Sophie, trying to sound less pathetic than she actually is, and just failing. Back home, she was slightly more athletic than the blonde, though admittedly not by much. Here, Sophie is the taller and the stronger of the two, and it feels unnatural. Though despite her innate strength, Sophie still manages to hold her head high with dignity and grace. That is, until she grabs Blair's now petite body and pushes her towards the door.

"It's locked." She deadpans, jerking her chin towards the stuck door.

"Ah."

Blair unlocks it and then forces the rickety thing open. It creaks and groans, getting stuck a few times for good measure. Blair has no idea how Sophie managed to open it so easily earlier.

They pile into her room, and after Blair shuts and locks the door, Sophie immediately pounces on her. Shaking her shoulders vigorously, still not aware of how easily she dwarfs Blair, nor how easy it is for the blonde villainess to manhandle her. "Did you see how hot Duncan looked?" She squeals, and they begin fangirling, as if they weren't at risk of being exposed as usurpers.

"He's a lot better looking in person." Blair muses, never having been one for the more stuck-up types. Sophie, on the other hand, has to wipe saliva from her mouth as she tries not to drool, still giggling and fawning over how angry he looked, how he dared hit her.

"I didn't think you were into stuff that hardcore," Blair murmurs, prying Sophie off of her and meandering over to the bed, plopping down on it and thinking through their previous game playthroughs. They always had their tastes, sure, but Blair assumed that fiction would stay fictional, and that in a real life situation, neither would genuinely want a stuck up asshole like Duncan.

"You realize the game has worse endings than getting back-handed in front of the cafeteria, right?" Sophie places a hand on her hip, looking effortlessly poised and proper. It's weird how one's appearance can so easily change their entire persona. Blair hears her friend beneath the surface, but no longer sees her.

"About that." Blair huffs, placing her head in her hands, the reality of the situation again dawning on her. "What do we do? We can't bend the rules too much; they obviously won't accept us becoming buddy-buddy randomly."

"So, we need to play along?" Sophie tilts her head to the side, chewing on her bottom lip as she looks rather thoughtful. She was always into the more strategic games, with Blair being more interested in social deduction. Together they're dangerous, but only in theory. Testing it in this universe is a bit worrying.

"As much as I want to fuck off and go see all the leads immediately, I think we are genuinely stuck."

"Like in isekai manga? We have to play through the route so we don't cause issues?"

"I guess." Blair raises her head as her shoulders slump down. It's a difficult line to walk, knowing what rules they can break, and which ones ought just to be bent. This is their universe now, their whole world. They have residual memories of their past lives, but it means nothing in the face of real mortal danger, or being slapped silly by handsome anime men with Scottish names (for some reason.)

Sophie makes her way over to the bed, plopping down next to Blair and letting her head rest on her shoulder, as they'd done a million times back home while watching nonsense on TV or a YouTube video on their phones.

Blair winces as she thinks about the modern amenities she will miss. Luckily, fantasy settings always magically have working plumbing facilities, so that shouldn't be too much of an issue. They still keep the aesthetic without all the grime and problems, so there's that small comfort.

The lack of overt feminism is a bit worrying, but then again, when isn't that an issue?

Now that she thinks about it, racism is still going to be a thing, but with different species, which is not something she's ever had to deal with. "Normal racism," is a thing of the past, and she's not sure how to reconcile that fact.

"We're doomed." Blair moans and Sophie sighs, patting her hand as she keeps her head on Blair's shoulder, lost in thought.

"Maybe it's not all bad, if we survive this year and complete everyone's routes, we can transfer to a new school and start over next year so that we won't be beholden to the game's rules."

Blair stills, eyes going wide as she assesses her words. Blair just realized that she has no idea what happens after the game. The developers always had some bullshit "open to interpretation" end for the true route, so it was hotly debated in the fandom. But if they get to decide, then...?

"Doesn't that require the true route, though?" Blaire asks, her face growing hot as she fully understands what Sophie is suggesting they do.

"You're going to have to take one for the team." Sophie grins, giggling to herself as Blair swats her head.

"Ow."

"Can't we divide and conquer?" Blair groans. She's not opposed to fucking a whole host of hot men, it's any girl who was raised on wattpads dream, but in one singular year? The time crunch weighs on her mind heavily.

"You won't be alone this time, though." Sophie turns to her, eagerly bouncing up and down on the bed as she animatedly explains her idea, using her hands to illustrate her points as she speaks. "You'll have me in your corner, so I won't actively be a threat this playthrough." Blair snorts upon hearing her refer to their new lives as a playthrough, but otherwise lets it slide. "If we both work towards the same end goal, you won't have nearly as many issues."

Blair holds up a finger. "Except for the mortal danger stuff."

"Yeah, yeah, just avoid the bad ends."

They both gulp, being far too aware of what they entail. It's hot when it's fictional, but not so much when it's real.

"It's the start of the game, and we can't leave considering what's about to happen. So I don't see why not." Blair sighs, reviewing the requirements for the true route quietly in her mind. It's the only way they can progress through the game unscathed, while deflecting the suitors towards their optimal paths and then leaving them. Multiple things need to happen in this world to allow them to lead comfortable lives without being attacked by nobles constantly, and they likely won't be able to weasel their way out of it alone.

The world has already shown that it doesn't like them playing their own game, so they'll have no choice but to capitulate and adhere to the new life set up for them. If Blair chooses a single suitor and gets the wrong end, she could easily end one of their lives due to the lore surrounding the game (fantasy bullshit, rocks fall someone gets fucked and then tragically dies.) But living happily ever after at the expense of Sophie's autonomy wouldn't be fair, leaving only one option.

The true ending is their safest bet to redirect the issues that will inevitably arise, and survive the turmoil of the upcoming school year. It's the only way for them to have their cake and eat it too.

Sophie begins to squirm, bashful as her cheeks become dusted with a faint pink hue. "So, does this mean I can have the guys who aren't part of the game's harem?"

Blair rolls her eyes, never having understood Sophie's tastes in the background characters, but to each their own, she supposes. "Knock yourself out."

Sophie squeals and hugs Blair, practically throwing them off the bed with the force she uses. "You're the best!"

Blair hugs her back and shakes her head, red locks falling into her eyes momentarily. "Don't thank me yet, we still have to survive the first chapter."

"It'll be fine, we can probably seduce our way out of most situations."

Blair hums, wondering how true that is. What rules can they break? What lines can they skirt around? This morning was a rude awakening for sure; they can't simply bounce into the arms of their favorite love interests. But with Blair taking up offense, and Sophie as her defense, they might be able to con their way out of becoming brides, while still having fun.

An alarm begins to blare as if on cue, reminding them of how precarious their situation is. The girls immediately jump to their feet, dashing over to the dorm window and peering curiously at the grounds before them. The college campus is being swarmed with members of the royal guard, and it seems they've landed in medias res of the first chapter.

"So it's already happening." Sophie murmurs, and Blair nods quietly, her stomach twitching as her excitement becomes a bit cooler.

"Looks like it." She agrees, lamenting that the plot must progress before she can get to the sex scenes.

They figure that their exact positioning in time and space doesn't matter much, as long as they stay in character somewhat in public, and hit most of the plot beats well enough. They can't remember every nitty gritty detail, nor do they have a way of looking up a walkthrough, so they decide to split up and begin the first chapter, looking for ways to breeze through it, or otherwise help their situations independently, and then meet up at night to share their findings.

It feels somewhat anticlimactic, as there's no welcoming ceremony. They're just plopped into the bodies of first years and sent on their way with a proverbial pat on their asses and the presence of dozens of warm bodies in medieval suits.

Blair grumbles as she makes her way out to the front lawn along with various other students, limbs trembling as the warning blares. She was a second year in the real world, and now she's been reduced to a freshman once more. She gives her seniors bitter looks, only realizing after the fact that being a year younger is likely the least of her worries in this situation. Still, she can't help the jealousy that simmers beneath the surface. Not only is she a freshman (again), but she's also a head shorter than most people. She was much taller in her old body. Shoujo beauty standards are impossible.

A student who looks to be about her age leans over to whisper to her as the crowd grows larger. They are all watching the guard wearily as they scour the school's perimeter. "What do you think is happening?"

"No idea," Blair murmurs, trying to look as confused as those around her. She grimaces as the boy nods curtly once, eyes wide with fear. She doesn't like lying, but she can't tell the truth either; it wouldn't do her any good for people to believe she's a psychic.

She plays along, clutching her pearls and murmuring with other students, each giving their theories under their breath, but never taking their weary eyes off the guard. As the tension grows and reaches a breaking point, the alarm suddenly shuts off, and the students gasp in unison as a shimmering force stretches sky high and covers the grounds, encasing them under a glimmering dome.

Blair recognizes it for what it is, of course: a barrier. Nobody will be able to enter or leave without the guards' permission. If they try, the barrier will keep them out and comically cover them in silver glitter from having touched it.

A high-status guard adorned in decorative sashes and pins makes his way forward, hopping off his horse to address the students. "May we have students' and faculty's attention, please?" The crowd's murmurs die down, holding their breath for further instruction.

Blair looks around anxiously, trying to see if she can spot Sophie somewhere amongst the chaos, but she's nowhere to be found. The campus is far too big, and most people are gathered right here, close to the front gates.

Hopefully, she's having a better time gathering clues than Blair. As it stands right now, all she feels like she's done is enter an unskippable cutscene.

She knows everything that's about to be explained, so she decides to do some recon work. She keeps herself pressed close to the group she accidentally ended up with earlier, trauma-bonded through the shared stress of waiting for an announcement to be made. She grabs the girl's hand standing next to her and squeezes it once, smiling tightly, trying to reassure her, even as her hands feel clammy, beginning to shiver from fear.

The girl smiles back, appreciative of her comfort.

Blair in the game didn't have any real friends (save for a childhood friend who becomes a problem later), always relying on the love interest for companionship or, worse yet, safety. If Blair can quietly make a few allies, she'll probably be better off for it.

She opens her mouth to speak, but gets cut off by the knight beating her to it. She huffs, but otherwise listens to his explanation.

"Please do not panic. The royal guard has secured the perimeter, but we will need everybody's cooperation as we continue our investigation."

"What investigation?" the girl next to Blair trembles, her lip quivering as she murmurs to herself.

"Unfortunately, there has been an incident, and the school must remain on lockdown until further notice. You may return to your daily lives as you see fit, but please await further instruction for when it is safe to leave campus grounds."

There's a loud murmur, and a brave student pipes up, voicing questions others are too afraid to ask.

"What kind of incident? What are we not being told?"

Blair holds her breath, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

The guard grimaces, lips turning downward as his explanation is reluctantly forced from him. "Unfortunately, the royal guard has been made aware of a second murder on school grounds-"

"Second?" Someone shrieks, and the crowd gasps as outrage quickly begins replacing the tangible fear from just moments before.

"Why weren't we made aware of this sooner?"

"There was a first, and we didn't know?"

A cacophony of voices swallows the guard whole, and he tenses, backing up as the crowd begins to panic. Blair sighs, it would seem that bureaucratic incompetence transcends time and space, as even here, the guard didn't think to be more transparent with the fucking murders taking place on school grounds, because of course not.

Blair glances next to the disheveled guard and sees more men approaching, decorated differently than the royal guard. These men are not military, nor are they the enforcers of the law.

Detectives, as they'd be known back home.

She locks eyes with one particularly boyish one. His eyes are piercing, wine-dark, and sharp as glass.

Her first romance option in this new game of life she's been forced into.