Silence, after what felt like an eternity for me. Once the agonizing screams were over, a wave of cheers and laughter took over, then came the sound of horses galloping away. Without leaving my hiding place, I tried to follow their movements, where they were going, and when they all left. A few more minutes—probably half an hour—was when I could leave and go check out what was left behind.
The scenery was enough to turn my stomach upside down, trampling all over it. More bodies than one would expect to see in a movie, some of them burned, others covered in wounds and lying in puddles of their own blood.Others, poor souls, had their guts spilling outside. My legs were shaking like twigs; my breath heavy. Any noise was more than enough to make me want to run away in fear. I walked beside the sea of corpses, not wanting to loot the dead.
Luckily for me, I found a backpack of sorts, less flashy, but big enough to fit some resources in it. My weapon of choice became a sword, similar to those long European ones I’ve seen before in movies and games, placing the scabbard on the side of my trousers. As for armor, I picked up a leather chestplate that was left behind. My rumbling stomach demanded some food as well, which wasn’t that difficult to find. The only place where fire was supposed to be was underneath a pot placed in the center of it all. My legs took me there on their own, fueled by my hunger. The smell of burning flesh was, in the most twisted of ways, making me crave food even worse than before.
Sitting down, I poured myself some soup in a bowl. The bland food had a bit of meat in it, which I made sure to enjoy. Dying here felt like a faraway nightmare, yet glancing around was enough to remind me that it’s way closer than I thought. Having finished my meal, I decided on moving, getting as far away from this place as possible, all while heading in the opposite direction those brutes went. Backpack on my back, sword at my waist, and chestplate on, I left the murder scene behind after saying a silent prayer for the fallen.
By the time I was at a safe distance, that of at least a kilometer, the sun was slowly rising on the horizon. Tiredness was not fond of me, yet I was expecting it to hit me like a truck by the end of that day. The way was the same: an endless sea of green, colorful points painted across, like stars in the night sky. Boredom settled in my mind, tired of walking aimlessly, yet what else could I have done? Bored out of my wits, I took out my sword and started swinging it around, getting a feel for it. Who knew if I might need to use it.
My legs ached again. How many more times was I going to be in this situation? I glanced around, and my jaw dropped when I noticed something different than sheer grass. I was right at the edge of a cliff, facing a small village, with a giant forest arching around it on one side. Needless to say, I made my way to that place in that instance, forgetting all about my pain.
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Upon closer inspection, the houses were built out of logs, like wooden cabins, with stone used for the foundation, keeping the building leveled. I made my way inside the village, trying not to alarm any of the residents. They looked at me with eyes full of questions, and I believe my clothes were to blame. An old man, with long gray hair and deep green eyes approached me.
"Good day, traveler. Is there something we could be of help with? It's not everyday that we have someone coming here."
His voice was calm, yet it had some kind of intensity to it, something I couldn’t quite recognize.
"Oh, good day, mister. Erh, I’m not from here and I got lost on the way. Could you please tell me where I am?"
The old man scoffed at me, thinking. "This village of ours has no name, yet I can tell you that you’re at the edge of our kingdom. Head north-east to reach the capital, yet I’m telling you, there’s a long way ahead of you."
My mind paused. Kingdom, nameless village... just where the hell was I? None could tell. Reality hit me again, making the option of me getting transported to another world seem more plausible than I thought. "Young man, are you alright? Perhaps you need a place to rest. Come with me."
I came back to reality. "Oh, yeah, thank you very much."
The walk to the elder’s house was silent, with everyone giving me weird looks and people asking the old man about where he’d found me. After a stroll through the whole place, we arrived in front of a small house, the same as the others, yet a word was written above the door: chief. He opened the door, inviting me inside. I followed him to a round wooden table, where he poured me a glass of tea.
"Here, son, drink this. I know your voyage was a rough one from what happened to you, so regaining your strength should be your first priority."
"T-thanks."
Fear dwelled up inside me, seeing how people in this world range from cold blooded killers to nice elderly peo- yeah, now that I think about it, my old world was the same. Not a wrong statement, yet an incomplete one. Sipping the tea was one big mistake. The taste was enough to make me want to vomit, even more than the scene of dead people killed in brutal ways did. The old man noticed my reaction, his laugh making it evident.
"I guess this is the first time you've drunk this sort of tea. Well, check your notebook; it should let you know what changed."
I stared at him with a dumbfounded look and asked, "Uhm, what notebook?"
His face froze, eyes opened wide, making me feel like he was looking through my very being.
"You... just like that boy, no notebook. Just what..."
My notebook missing was enough to drive this old man into a state of confusion, his legs almost giving out. He sat down on a small, three-legged chair, mumbling to himself.
"Great! Even more trouble..." I thought to myself, finding myself once again in a pinch.