It was one of those lazy afternoons in the schoolyard, the kind where everyone is too tired to pay attention to the lessons but too wired to sit still. My friends and I were lounging around, discussing whatever random topics popped into our heads. It was a pretty typical day—until someone threw out an interesting question.

"What would you do if you got transported to another world?" one of my friends asked, a mischievous grin on his face. It was the kind of question that instantly grabbed everyone’s attention.

One guy piped up immediately, "I’d study magic, of course! Imagine all the cool spells you could learn! Fireballs, lightning bolts—everything!"

Another one, not to be outdone, chimed in, "I’d become a hero, save the princess, and defeat the dark lord. You know, all that epic stuff!" He waved his hands around dramatically, as if casting some grand spell or swinging an imaginary sword.

Everyone laughed, nodding along. It was all very "knights in shining armor" and "damsels in distress" kind of talk—classic fantasy daydreams.

Then, finally, they turned to me. "Nate, what would you do?"

I remember pausing for a moment, thinking it over. And then, just as I was about to answer, the memory faded, pulling me back to the present.

I blinked against the bright sunlight, the memory dissipating like mist in the morning. The sun hung high in the sky, casting long shadows and making the carriage ride just a bit more unbearable.

"What’s wrong with building a sewer system in another world anyway?" I muttered under my breath, watching the countryside roll by. 'Seriously, whether it’s the princess or the saintess, they all need a place to dump their chamber pots.'

As much as I tried to distract myself, the monotony of the ride was getting to me. I could feel the boredom creeping in, gnawing at the edges of my patience. I needed something—anything—to pass the time.

With a sigh, I leaned forward and called out to the guard riding alongside the carriage. "Thou mayest relax. There is no need to maintain such a vigilant stance. Return to thy position." The guard, clearly relieved to be given a break from his intense posture, nodded and fell back into formation.

I settled back into my seat, still feeling the weight of boredom pressing down on me. That’s when I decided to strike up a conversation with the carriage driver. 'Why not? It’s not like there’s anything better to do.'

"Driver," I called out, "what is thy name?"

The driver, who had clearly not expected to be addressed by the noble he was chauffeuring, nearly jumped out of his seat. He quickly regained his composure and replied in a voice that was overly respectful—almost painfully so. "M-My lord, I am called Thom, my lord. At thy service."

I raised an eyebrow, though he couldn’t see it. 'Thom, huh? Let’s see how much information I can squeeze out of him before he starts sweating through his uniform.'

"And tell me, Thom," I continued, my tone as polite as ever, "from whence doth thy family hail?"

The driver hesitated, clearly uncomfortable with the direction of the conversation. "M-My family, my lord? We are but humble folk, my lord. We come from a small village to the north, near the borders of the Blackwood lands."

"A small village, thou sayest?" I pressed, feigning interest. "And what dost thou and thy kin do there? Surely, thou must have some trade or skill."

Thom was visibly nervous now, his hands gripping the reins a bit too tightly. "W-We are farmers, my lord. We till the land and raise livestock. My father, he… he was a carpenter, my lord. A good man, may the gods rest his soul."

'Ah, the poor guy’s terrified. Probably thinks I’m going to have him flogged for daring to speak to me. Time to turn up the charm.'

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"Carpentry, thou sayest?" I mused, pretending to be fascinated. "A most noble trade. And dost thou possess the same skills as thy father? Mayhap thou couldst carve something of worth, shouldst thou choose to turn thy hand to it."

Thom stammered, clearly caught off guard by the compliment. "I-I am not as skilled as my father, my lord. But I… I try, my lord. I do what I can."

"Modesty becometh thee," I replied smoothly, all the while thinking, 'And if I compliment you any more, you might just faint.'

Thom laughed nervously, not sure how to respond. The conversation dragged on like this for a while, with me asking increasingly trivial questions and him answering with the kind of reverence usually reserved for royalty. It was almost comical, really.

'You’d think I was the king himself, the way this guy’s acting. Honestly, I should do this more often. It’s almost as entertaining as stealing others money.'

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the conversation wound down, and Thom returned his focus to driving the carriage. I leaned back, feeling a little more amused and a little less bored.

'Well, that killed some time. Now, if only we could get to the capital without me dying of boredom first.'

As the carriage rolled along the uneven path, I felt a sudden, inexplicable sense of unease. It started as a small twinge in the back of my mind, something that most people would dismiss. But I wasn’t most people. Even though I had only recently reached the level of a Novice, my senses had been sharpened by countless hours of training, and right now, they were screaming at me that something was very, very wrong.

"Thom," I called out suddenly, "halt the carriage."

Thom nearly jumped out of his seat again. "I-Is something wrong, my lord?"

I didn’t answer him. Instead, I pushed the carriage door open and stepped outside, scanning the ground with narrowed eyes. I walked a few paces ahead, ignoring Thom’s worried stammering behind me. Something had caught my attention—something that glinted in the sunlight, half-buried in the dirt.

And there it was. Sharp, thin strands of silver silk, almost invisible to the untrained eye, stretched across the path at ankle height—perfectly positioned to slice through the legs of any horse that happened to step on them.

'Well, isn’t this just lovely? Someone’s gone through the trouble of setting a trap for us. How thoughtful.'

I crouched down, examining the silks closely, confirming what I already knew. This wasn’t just a random ambush. This was planned, and whoever set it up knew exactly what they were doing.

I stood up, turning back toward the carriage. "Guardians," I called out calmly, "ready thy weapons, but do so quietly."

The men exchanged confused glances but obeyed without question, slowly unsheathing their swords and readying their bows. I could see the tension in their faces, the panic starting to creep in. They weren’t used to this—being caught off guard. But then again, neither was I.

Still, as a noble, I couldn’t afford to let them see that. 'No need to worry, boys. I’ll take care of the first one. Maybe the second and third too, if they’re stupid enough to follow.'

With my sword in hand, I stepped off the road and moved toward the bushes where the silks had led me. The guardians shifted uneasily, their eyes darting around the surrounding forest. They were clearly on edge, but I had no time to reassure them.

'Keep your eyes open, Nate. If you’re right, those bandits are going to realize any second now that we’re onto them.'

I crept forward, muscles coiled and ready to spring. Then I saw him—a figure crouched low in the underbrush, almost perfectly camouflaged except for the faint glint of a dagger in his hand. He was focused on the carriage, probably waiting for the signal to attack.

'Sorry, pal. You’re not going to get the chance.'

Without a second thought, I lunged forward, bringing my sword down in a clean arc. The bandit didn’t even have time to react as my blade sliced through his neck, severing his head in one smooth motion. The body crumpled to the ground, the head rolling a few feet away, eyes wide in shock.

'One down. Who’s next?'

I barely had time to catch my breath before I heard the rustling of leaves to my right. I spun around just in time to see five more bandits charging out of the underbrush, weapons drawn, their eyes filled with murderous intent.

'Ah, finally. Some real action.'

They came at me all at once, a chaotic rush of steel and fury. The first one swung a rusty axe at my head, but I ducked under it, bringing my sword up to slash across his midsection. Blood sprayed from the wound, and he dropped to the ground with a gurgling cry.

The second one was faster, lunging at me with a pair of daggers. I sidestepped his initial thrust, deflecting the second with my blade before kicking him in the chest, sending him stumbling backward. Before he could recover, I stepped forward, driving my sword through his heart.

'Two down. Three to go.'

The third bandit roared in anger, swinging a massive mace at me with all the strength he could muster. I barely managed to dodge the first blow, the air whistling as the mace passed inches from my head. He swung again, but this time I was ready. I parried the blow with my sword, using the momentum to spin around and slash at his leg. The bandit howled in pain as he dropped to one knee, and I finished him off with a quick thrust to the throat.

' Not bad, Nate. Not bad at all.'

The fourth and fifth bandits hesitated, exchanging nervous glances. They were smarter than the others, realizing that rushing in might not be the best idea. They circled me, looking for an opening, trying to coordinate their attacks.

'Oh, so now you’re going to get strategic? Fine by me.'

The fourth bandit feinted to the left, drawing my attention, while the fifth came in from the right, swinging a scimitar. I twisted away from the attack, but the blade caught my sleeve, tearing through the fabric. I hissed in pain as the edge nicked my arm, but there was no time to dwell on it.

I pivoted on my heel, bringing my sword around in a wide arc that forced both of them back. The fourth bandit recovered first, lunging at me with a short sword aimed at my chest. I parried his strike, then spun to face the fifth, who was already bringing his scimitar down in a powerful overhead slash.

'Not today.'

I sidestepped the blow, bringing my sword up and driving it into his side. The bandit’s eyes widened in shock as the blade pierced through his ribs, and he crumpled to the ground, dead before he hit the dirt.

The last bandit, now completely alone, looked at me with a mix of fear and rage. He roared in defiance, charging at me with his sword raised high. I met his attack head-on, our blades clashing in a shower of sparks. He was strong, but I was faster, and with a quick sidestep, I dodged his swing and drove my sword into his back.

The bandit let out a choked gasp, his weapon falling from his hand as he collapsed to the ground, his life bleeding out into the dirt.

'Five down. And that, gentlemen, is how you clean up a mess.'

I stood there for a moment, catching my breath, blood dripping from my sword. The forest was silent again, the only sounds the distant calls of birds and the rustle of leaves in the wind.

'Well, that was exhilarating. Now, let’s see if there are any more idiots lurking around.'

evrething was fine untill i heard the voice of a barrel drop down then...then evreything went into hell