Before long, he was near enough to make out additional details. Both men were armed with short swords, and he could see a hand axe strapped across the younger man’s back, hanging beside what appeared to be a shovel. They were covered in treated leather ponchos, which would offer decent protection from the elements but not much by way of armor, unless the items were modified to that end.
One of the men was in his late thirties or early forties, a thick beard and full mustache complementing his raven locks. The other man was younger, roughly the same age as Nick, with short red hair and a prominent nose. The pair was dirty and disheveled, but that wasn’t much of a surprise. Nick was sure that he looked like shit too, after weeks of rough living with a few battles to the death thrown into the mix.
Although both men looked stressed out, he couldn’t see any visible injuries on their bodies. No blood on their weapons indicating that they had been recently used. After scouting the area to make sure that nothing nasty was hiding nearby, Nick was ready to find out what was going on.
He rose to his full height then stepped out from behind a tree, far enough away from the pair that he hoped his appearance wouldn’t startle them too badly.
With a smile on his face for the first humans he had seen since setting foot onto this world, he raised a hand in greeting, leaving his sword in his pack and his dagger sheathed to show that he wasn’t a threat. After taking one last look around, he raised his voice and called out. “Hello there. Is everything all right? You seem to be in the middle of dealing with something unpleasant. I was hoping that I could offer you some assistance.”
Even with Nick’s best effort, the men appeared shocked by his arrival. He had approached without attracting their attention, despite no longer trying to conceal his presence. For a tense moment, it seemed like the men would draw their weapons and attack. Just as he was deciding to turn around and leave, the pair took a closer look at him and lowered their hands from the hilts of their swords.
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The red-haired man took a step in his direction, returning his wave with a smile. “Fuck me sideways, it’s another person! Forgive the delayed greeting friend, but you startled me something fierce. We’ve only seen beasts out here all day. This place is making me as jumpy as a frog on hot cement.”
“Well met fellow traveler,” the raven-haired man added as he lowered his arms, showing his open palms to let Nick know that he didn’t intend to draw his weapon. “Brave one too, to be wandering these wilds alone. Unless you happen to have some equally stealthy companions waiting to jump out of the bushes.” He let loose a nervous laugh that felt a little forced, the tone containing a hair too much tension for someone who professed to be happy to see Nick.
He’s probably stressed out after running into some beasts on the bog. Nick began walking over to their position, keeping his tone friendly and his posture unthreatening. “Nope. Just me,” he replied, trying to get a feel for the situation by gauging their reactions. “Not that I’m alone by choice.”
“He must be dangerous to have either soloed his tutorial or survived whatever killed off the rest of his party.” The younger man took a step back with a nervous look, clearly uncomfortable with Nick’s abrupt arrival.
“Only to my enemies,” Nick joked, hoping to ease the tension. But his effort backfired. Both men took a step back and moved to draw their weapons, before the older man let loose a nervous chuckle, sheathing the few inches of blade he had pulled from his scabbard.
Oops. Nick decided that it was time to lower the temperature of their interaction. “Sorry, bad joke. What are you looking for if you don’t mind me asking? Are you in trouble, and if so, is there any way that I can help you out?” He did his best to radiate sincerity and good intentions, hoping to win them over by displaying a bit of empathy.
“Err… yes. We do need some help,” the older man offered a crooked grin. “Sorry, the tension from surviving the blood moon must have scrambled my wits more than I realized. As you surmised, we are in dire need of assistance. Right now, we’re on the lookout for enough manpower to deal with one of the nastiest beasts on the bog. We’re lucky to have run into someone so capable so soon. We have an unpleasant situation on our hands and were hoping to cross paths with someone who has a healing class or ability. Or at least an item that can cure blood loss or other serious wounds.
“You wouldn’t happen to fit the bill, would you friend?” he asked while giving Nick a long look that could only be described as calculating.