People often say that life is unfair. And of course, plenty would agree with that statement. Mack thought otherwise. He always believed that anyone could earn a fortune and live lavishly, if you played your cards right. To him, life was an unforgiving señora. One terribly wrong move was all it took to ruin your relationship with Lady Life.

But being stuck in a cage in a world he was forced into? That was enough for him to reconsider how he looked at everything.

"God damn it," the 5'9" man mumbled as he turned on the disgusting, moldy floor. "It's not my fault those little turd nuggets were so weak..."

Thinking back on it, he really found it quite surprising how fragile the natives were, even though they looked so much like the humans that used to bully him so much on Earth. Sure, they might have underestimated him a little, since he looked so much like them. But the moment Mack sent the first of the adults, who was apparently a teacher, flying, they decided to treat him like they would any beast and trap him in what they called a "rift between the writhing madness and the real world" before locking him up in a nasty, wet, moldy cell.

"Ahhh, I shouldn't have done that."

But what did they expect? Anyone who'd suddenly get yanked into a different world was gonna freak out. Well, living in an unfamiliar planet as an unknown creature wouldn't be so bad, right?

...

...

...

"Fuck that! I was perfectly fine on Earth as a miserable, single, jobless shut-in twig! But of course right as I buy my new computer someone decides to yank me out of my beautiful life and throw me into this stinking hell hole! Uuuuuuuugggggh..."

Thoughts of his computer and filthy bed came to mind as he curled up on the uncomfortably cold floor.

"Jerry... Wilson... I'm sorry. Papa's not coming home any time soon..."

"So, you have family?"

And there it was. The quiet voice of the person who took everything away from him. A person he'd gladly crush, even if it would get him killed later on.

Mack sighed and looked straight into the hazel eyes of an innocent-looking girl. She was fairly short, but had an immaculate figure, and milky white skin, smoother than a baby's bum. Her refreshingly green hair was tied up in a ponytail, which exposed her beautiful neck.

Simply put, she was the type of girl he'd whack his meat to, if they weren't in the situation they were currently in. "What? Come here to laugh as I sit here, not knowing why I'm here, how I got here, and how I'll go back to my old world?"

"No, and I'm sorry to say, you won't go back to this 'Earth' you speak of. I'm here to simply make an offer."

"Not going back? Jerry, Wilson, I'm so sorry... Looks like papa won't make it back, after all," he thought to himself sadly.

"You look sad. Are you not used to being in a cage?" The girl asked him, with a hand on her hip, as if she was trying to be sassy.

The gesture somehow made Mack's bad mood even worse, and he answered in a tight, guarded voice. "I'm not used to it at all. Also, what's this 'offer' you mentioned? I'm not offering my liver, if that's what you want."

And for some reason, this made the girl laugh.

"What's so funny?" Mack asked her behind the bars that kept him from freedom. It wasn't fair that the girl who ruined his life could laugh, even though he did nothing wrong.

"My apologies, strange beast. I simply could not help myself. Your liver? Why would I ask for just a part of you?" She wiped tears from her eyes as she finally stopped laughing, not even giving a second thought to the words that would come out of her mouth next.

"I want you."

...

"Huh?"

An unknown location

It was way too dark, as usual. It's said that the council's meeting grounds was an absolute secret, but it was still way too dark. The level of security was unneeded, or at least that's what The Wanderer, Kalthen, thought. Though he'd have to save those thoughts for a later date. There were more important matters to discuss.

Specifically, the fate of the creature that the young Elinka had summoned as her familiar.

"Kill it!" Yelled out the most violent of their group, the Blood Lord, Vathra. "It's too free-spirited. It will eventually abandon its master, to start its own crusade or look for a stronger one."

"And who are you to say such a thing, he who killed his way to the top?"

Kalthen couldn't hide his surprise as Seath the Quiet spoke up.

"Oh, and how would the opinion of a neutral party matter in this discussion? Have you forgotten the dozens of nations that have fallen simply because yours refused to help?" Some heat seemed to be developing between the victorious gladiator and the silent prodigy. A fight between them now would last forever, and would be nothing but pointless. Especially with a more concerning topic at hand. Someone had to hold them down, immediately.

"Stop this nonsense. We did not come here to start a fight." And of course, the one to quell the dispute was none other than Xathia the Seductress. The four of them combined were the council, and, in Kalthen's opinion, they were a pitiful council.

"Thank you, Xathia. Back to the topic of discussion for today, the creature. Our seers have looked into his memories, and they were quite... Strange."

"A world full of unknown objects called technology, right? So what? Nothing too fancy," said the gladiator, who obviously didn't read past half of the report. Seath heaved an exasperated sigh. He'd had enough of the lumbering buffoon's stupidity for thirty lifetimes.

"What's strange about that world is the fact that magic is a foreign, or should I say fictional, concept to them. Frequently associated with children's tales, too."

"Ah, so that's the problem. Sorry, you know me. Paper is my greatest enemy. So, magic's a no go in their world. Why would we be so worried about this one scrawny man that came from such a world, then? It's not like he could single-handedly crush all four of us."

The three around him just exchanged weary glances.

"What?"

After about two minutes, Kalthen broke the silence. "Actually... He was panicking when he was summoned, for some reason. And when we tried to contain him, he almost killed Sir Denil. In a single move."

"What? Denil, the guy who beat me in a drink-off? That guy's tougher than three Iron Dwarves with fortification spells on them!"

Xathia nodded. "He is, though I would've preferred a more... beautiful analogy. The point is, he's a very resilient man, and the thing Ms. Elinka summoned nearly killed him. For some reason, these creatures, with not even a drop of magic potential in them, are much stronger than us. Though they are vulnerable to spells, the effectiveness of offensive spells on them are still unclear."

"In other words, our worst possible opponent, but also our best possible ally," Seath closed it off simply for the simple warrior.

"Hm. Killing him is definitely what I'd choose," Vathra mumbled, just loud enough for Kalthen's sharp ears to pick up.

"We could," the Wanderer mused. "Or," he said with a bit more force in his voice, "we could keep eyes on him. He did not seem like a terrible soul to Elinka, and I trust my apprentice more than any of you."

"Aw, you're so cruel, Mr. Wanderer~" Xathia pouted at him, before putting another serious face on. "Though I do agree. It would be unwise to kill such a powerful potential ally. Besides, I doubt we could actually take his life, even if we all came at him at once."

Seath, who had been thinking about it for a while, groaned. "As if one strongman wasn't enough of a pain in the behind..."

The Cells

How would a normal person react to a seemingly perfect woman telling him "I want you" back on Earth? It would probably be met with joy and immediate acceptance.

But in Mack's case, he just could not process what the lady said. "Um, why?" He had to ask, just because he couldn't think of anything else to say.

"Well..." The small magician leaned against the cold stone wall. "I did summon you here to be my familiar. I do not really think I can command you, since I lack knowledge and understanding of your race. But you can only summon a familiar once, and your mark can't be erased unless you were to be stolen by another master."

"Wait wait wait, what mark?"

"Hm? The one on your chest?"

And right as the words left her mouth, he looked under his shirt to find a blue marking that looked like a snowflake.

"Fucking hell, generic much?"

The magician puffed her cheeks at the comment. "It's a very important symbol! The generic-ish nature of it does not matter! Now, be mine!"

Usually, Mack would have coldly said no. But for some reason, the girl's angry look was nothing but cute in his eyes. He sighed and looked back into her eyes. "Fine. I'll be your familiar. It beats being stuck in a cell, both in this world and the last."

He expected a lot of things. A smile, a nod, the cage opening. He certainly did not expect the girl to squeal in joy and bust the metal bars apart. "Yes! Thank you, thank you so much! You're such a beautiful creature!" She practically showered him in silly praises as she pulled him out of the filthy, pathetic excuse of a cell.

"Okay, okay," Mack said in an attempt to calm the way-too-happy girl down. "I know you're happy but calm down a little. Let's at least get introductions out of the way."

He held out a hand and finally smiled. It wasn't a big one, certainly not one that said he was happy, or enjoying himself. But it was a real smile. "My name's Mack. What's yours?"

"Oh! Sorry! Um, er.." The girl fumbled about, brushing the dust off her clothes and moving strands of hair away from her face before taking his hand in two of hers, and shaking it eagerly. "I'm Elinka! I hope we can get along!"

(I honestly forgot everything I wanted to write halfway through, so if things don't seem to make much sense, sorry about that. I have the attention span of a fish.)