“Are you fucking crazy, mate?” The man wearing the makeshift mask asked, his tone rather harsh. “What the fuck were you doing, getting so close to god knows what that explosion was! Do you want a direct pass to hell, you idiot?!”
Achylys smiled wryly as he dismissed the notifications, not sure how to react to the man’s words. He had a pretty good idea what had happened- it seemed like the Forest King’s body was toxic to breathe in. Or maybe some other part of the forest was toxic, and due to the Forest King exploding, the poisonous smoke of that part spread throughout the forest. He, naturally, must have ingested it.
That is actually quite accurate, Host.
Right, that’s nice, System. Is there a reason you didn’t warn me about the toxic smoke? Then again, he did admit he had gotten too careless and reckless these days, after getting time reversal. He didn’t even think about the possibility of poisonous fumes, when it would be a basic thing to assume.
Since the toxic smoke wasn’t a possibility you considered at all, Host, it would be hardcore rule breaking if I alerted you of it. Besides, I can’t access the Core without you explicitly wanting to, so I cannot guess such possibilities beforehand.
In summary, you weren’t paranoid enough, Host.
Achylys’s smile turned self mocking. However, before he could reply to the System, the man waved his hand in front of Achylys’s face.
"Hello?" The man exclaimed, just a second away from cupping Achylys's face in his hands. His voice was deep and reassuring, filled with a warmth that would melt ice. "Are you fine? Did you perhaps damage your brain?"
Despite how insulting it sounded, it seemed like a genuine concern the man had. Achylys could see the worry etched across his face, his eyes scanning Achylys’s face for any signs of damage or traces of confusion.
“I- I’m fine.” Achylys replied, flashing a polite smile at the man.
“That’s good.” The man let out a heavy sigh of relief, his shoulders sagging as the tension drained out of him like water from a punctured wineskin.
But it was a fleeting moment of respite, for the man quickly snapped back into lecture mode, his voice rising in pitch and volume as he launched into a tirade. It was as if he couldn't help himself - like a switch had been flipped in his brain, and he was powerless to stop the words from spilling out.
"How could you enter the forest so recklessly?" he demanded, his eyes flashing with a mixture of anger and concern. "Without a gas mask, at that! This is a high rank danger zone! Are you in your right mind? Just why didn't you wear a mask?"
He looked in Achylys’s direction, as if genuinely waiting for an answer. Realizing that the man genuinely would not continue speaking if he didn’t reply to him, Achylys blinked a few times and muttered, “I don’t have one.”
The man seemed to have a revelation at Achylys’s words, as his expression had several changes. From frustration to sympathy, sympathy to anger once more, and then pity once more. In the end, his expression became neutral as he sighed and shook his head. “A scavenger, huh? I see. I understand your circumstances, but don’t… be this reckless.”
He then patted Achylys on his back before looking at Achylys’s feet.
“You don’t even have shoes…” He sighed, his eyes turning somewhat red and teary. “I… I… I can’t help you monetarily, but… I can’t let you continue to roam this forest. I’ll lend you a mask. Follow me. Let’s head back to the town, get a few drinks, and I’ll give you a drink and… a pair of shoes.”
Then, he seemed to realize he hadn’t yet given Achylys any means to protect himself from the poison gas, and tore off a piece of his robe. He then handed Achylys the piece of cloth, which Achylys dutifully tied around his face. It was pretty useless to him, since he did have resistance against the poison gas that was currently present in the forest, but he was not the type of person who would reject goodwill offered to him.
Achylys blinked twice before looking down at his feet, and to his surprise, he realized that he wasn't wearing any shoes. He probably did notice before, but with the whole Forest King fiasco, his mind was much too occupied to think about such a minor thing.
He cast a quick glance at his limbs and torso, breathing a sigh of relief as he realized that his modesty was preserved. While he wasn't particularly concerned about what others thought of him, he couldn't deny that the thought of wandering around in the buff was more than a little unsettling, even for him. He wasn’t into naturism.
“Okay.” Achylys replied to the man, nodding silently. Either way, following this man seemed like the best option for now. He’d take him to the nearest town, and Achylys would also be able to extract some information for him.
After all, without even consciously trying to, Achylys had already gotten to know multiple useful terms from the man: scavenger, high rank danger zone… that seemed about it, but still. Two new terms was better than nothing!
The man nodded back at Achylys before turning in the opposite direction. With measured and calculated movements, every step taken with a precision that spoke of years of training and discipline, he began walking. His long, flowing cloak trailed behind him like the tail of a comet.
And then, after taking a few steps, the man turned once to see whether Achylys was following him, his eyes now vivid with intensity. His previous kindness was nowhere to be seen. However, that only made Achylys trust him more—a hunter ought to act like a hunter. Someone whose personality was too much of a contrast to their profession was most definitely scheming something.
Host, what is your plan for now?
It depends, System. Achylys replied, more than glad to quench the System’s thirst. I do have three providence points, so that’s an endless array of opportunities in of itself. I’m assuming I need to know the name of someone or something to find them in the Core, yes?
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
Yes. You can stumble upon them, sure, but to use the [Search] feature, you need to know their name and that they exist.
Wait, [Search] feature? Achylys questioned. You never told me such a feature existed when I was searching for the Forest King.
You didn’t ask. Besides, it only unlocks after you cross level 20.
I see. What does it do?
It brings you to any thread you want to find instantly, as long as you know that the thread exists and what the thread might be named. I was about to find more information regarding Demise using the [Search] feature, but you know how that ended, Host.
So you mean there might be more viruses?
I highly doubt it.
Seeing that the System didn’t ask anything else, Achylys turned his focus back onto the man. Honestly, he wanted to test out Sole Thunder as soon as possible, but it was not something he could do with the man present.
“So, who’re you scavenging for?” The man suddenly asked, breaking the silence that had accumulated in between them. It was rather unexpected, too. Achylys hadn’t thought that he would be the one to break the silence first.
In an instant, Achylys's mind raced as he searched for a suitable loved one to use as a shield. His first thought was to choose his sister or mother, but as he mulled it over, he realized that his wife-like companion, Neveah, would be the perfect choice. Not only would it be more natural for him to explain if the man did decide to dig deeper, using her as a shield for all sorts of questions had already become somewhat instinctive for Achylys. And besides, he’d never felt motherly or sisterly love.
“My wife.” Achylys replied, his voice barely over a whisper.
The man turned towards Achylys, his eyebrows raised ever so slightly. A hint of sadness was etched on his face, as he seemed to grapple with memories long past.
The wind too blew softly right at that moment, rustling the leaves of the trees, as if trying to console the man. The man took a deep breath, his voice hoarse with emotion as he muttered, “A wife, huh...?" The mention of the word seemed to have struck a chord within him, for he placed his hand on Achylys’s shoulder and continued, "You're a loyal man. I keep liking you more and more."
Suddenly, however, the man froze in his tracks, his eyes transfixed on the sky above. Achylys, too, looked up, trying to see what had caused the man's sudden fear, but she could see nothing out of the ordinary. The trees were beginning to part, allowing more light to stream through the canopy, and the sky was now visible through the branches. It had been blue and clear just moments before, but now, it seemed to be changing, turning slightly grey.
Nothing of great importance, right? Then again, his gut instinct did tell him that this matter was nowhere near ordinary, nor something of minor importance.
The man, for his part, looked like he had seen a ghost, his eyes wide and unblinking, his breathing shallow and quick. His hands were clenched into fists at his sides, and he seemed to be struggling to catch his breath.
The man turned towards him, his black eyes trembling, and muttered, “Do you have a teleport ticket?”
“A teleport… ticket?” Achylys replied, not sure how to reply. He didn’t have one, no. He didn’t even know what it was beyond the information its rather direct name conveyed- that it could probably teleport someone.
The man grasped onto his forehead, muttering, “Oh holy Origin, this man doesn’t even know what a teleport ticket is. They’re coming, though… Should I give him one…? But they’re…”
The man then looked back at Achylys and the sky, before letting out a deep, guttural groan. “You know what, fuck it. You’re going to have to work for me for this, though. This.. fuck. What the fuck am I even doing? Fuck, fuck, fuck.”
As the man continued to mutter the expletive, the intensity in his voice rose with each repetition until it seemed as though the word had taken on a life of its own. It echoed through the empty forest, bouncing off the walls of the trees with a ferocity that was almost palpable. It was as if the very fabric of the universe was vibrating in response to his rage.
But then, just as suddenly as it had begun, the man's tirade came to an abrupt halt. With a swift motion, he reached into his pocket, his fingers deftly searching for something that seemed to be of great importance. Finally, he seemed to have found what he was looking for, since he pulled out two crumpled blue pieces of paper.
The sun's rays reflected off the shiny surface of the parchment, casting a dazzling array of sparkles across the landscape. And as the man held them up to the light, Achylys couldn't help but marvel at the two golden stars that adorned them, shimmering in the sunlight like precious jewels.
The man instinctively traced his fingers over the two golden stars before he handed one of them to Achylys. “Repeatedly chant Bruss’s name, alright?” He hurriedly muttered. “We’ll be there in a second. Don’t be afraid. The sentinels can’t harm us if we’re there.”
Achylys nodded solemnly, his fingers clutched tightly around the ticket that he had given him. He could feel the rough edges of the paper biting into his skin, but the sensation felt almost satisfying. He followed the man’s instructions diligently and began chanting, “Bruss. Bruss. Bruss. Bruss. Bruss.”
As Achylys followed the instructions with utmost care and precision, a faint blue aura started to envelop him, emanating from his feet and gradually spreading throughout his entire body. He could feel the energy coursing through him, filling him with a sense of… nausea. The energy was weird, and it felt like it was intentionally clashing with the very order of his body.
Achylys could hear the man continually muttering something under his breath, mostly a series of ‘Bruss’s. However, he did divert from the usual formula occasionally, muttering various expletives and saying, “Curse my luck,” repeatedly.
At this point, the sound of the word ‘Bruss’ seemed to echo in Achylys’s mind, as if it held some deep and profound meaning that he couldn't quite grasp. He would honestly believe it if someone told him the word ‘Bruss’ was the core of all magic, and the key to unlocking unknown and eldritch powers. He knew it just felt foreign because of how many times he was repeating it, but goddamn.
Despite the overwhelming sensation of nausea that Achylys felt, he had to admit that there was an underlying sense of wonder about this whole teleportation thing that he couldn't quite shake off. Sure, teleportation did exist in his past life, but he didn’t really trust the DMHA so he never dared to actually use it as a serious method of travel.
You trust a random man wearing a mask in a poisonous forest more than you trust the DMHA?
Yes. Achylys simply replied and turned to the man next to him.
The man's hyperventilating and panicked demeanor was a stark contrast to how calm he’d been till now, which made Achylys realize once more that whatever was coming… It was big.
As the blue light continued to pulsate, Achylys closed his eyes and focused his mind, trying to make out just what this foreign energy was. Of course, he still continued to chant Brussel. No, Bruss. He could feel the power building within him steadily, like a dam waiting to burst. It was then that the energy suddenly changed.