Chapter 3
Title [https://imageshack.com/i/pnKkBTOhp]
A sun, once again, arrived above the Westelwood forest.
Dangerous night hunters retreated to their dens as the sunlight critters came out to celebrate the wake of a new day.
Despite the morning light shining brightly over the forest, there was one hunt still ongoing. This particular hunter was a strange, old, naked human, armed only with a wolf fang. He ran through the forest with a fast, rhythmic step, barely slowed down by the uneven ground as he stared straight ahead at his fleeing target. He was pursuing a warrior adorned in wooden armor with a bark texture to it. No part of his flesh was exposed as he camouflaged into the forest around him so well.
Tree Warrior – Lvl 21
“You are quite fast for a tree! I will give you that!” Jack screamed after him.
“For fuck's sake! I am not a tree!” the tree screamed at Jack, turned back, put an arrow in his wooden bow, and sent it flying toward his pursuer.
Jack dodged it effortlessly, barely changing his pace as he stepped out of the way of the deadly projectile. Arrow flew right past his head and hit a tree trunk behind him. Upon impact, the arrow exploded into green light and countless vines burst out, completely entangling the tree that the arrow hit. Jack glanced at the showcase of colorful magic in awe. This new place he found himself in didn't stop surprising him for a second. But his awe lasted just a second as he was back on his target.
“Good try! That’s something tree would say!”
“…,” Tree Warrior couldn’t find his words.
The warrior in bark armor tried to put another arrow in his bow, but his hands were shaking from fear. He stumbled and dropped the arrow on the grass under his feet.
Jack closed in and swung his wolf fang toward the warrior’s face, but the warrior managed to block the swing with his bow. The force of the clash made the warrior's hands shake with effort, barely stopping the knife from going any further. Both men seemed of similar might despite the level difference between them.
As Jack slashed with his knife, he didn't slow his momentum from the run. He pulled away his knife and shoulder-bashed the Tree Warrior. The force was enough to stagger the warrior, but he still managed to stay standing. Both opponents were evenly matched.
But there was no time for the warrior to rest and think, as Jack didn't slow his assault. His fang flashed in the light as a series of strikes landed at a speed too fast to follow. The warrior dodged the first and second strikes, but the third one scratched his wooden breastplate. The warrior put out his hand trying to grab Jack, but for Jack, it was the opening he needed. The fourth strike was aimed at the warrior's elbow joint and it landed true. Fang sliced between bark plates and blood spurted out from the warrior’s hand.
“Argghh!” a scream of pain echoed through the forest.
Blood on his fang was as red as a human's and that made Jack stop with worry on his face.
“Red blood? A tree shouldn’t bleed,” Jack didn’t continue his attack and relaxed his posture, “You ain’t lying mate? You really are human, huh? Pull down your helmet, lad! Let me see your face under that mask.”
But Wooden Warrior didn’t listen. His eyes, between the slits of his mask, were wide as he looked at his injury. He dropped his bow and backpack, turned around, and ran away with all he got.
“Hey! Do you hear me? I am sorry! Don’t run! I am Guardian! I am a nice guy! Don’t run!”
Jack chased after the already exhausted Tree Warrior, barely keeping up with his pace. While chasing the warrior, Jack shouted trying to calm him down and reassure him, but the warrior didn't hear a thing as he was in his own little world. Adrenaline pushed warrior and he ran with every single speck of power he got in his gas tank.
They kept at their pace for a good quarter hour. Warrior was faster but Jack’s endurance was superior. Every time he would close distance warrior sped up only to slow down again after a few seconds. His blood loss was no joke as he seemed to get more lightheaded by the second.
The end of the chase was coming close, and the warrior’s steps became shakier and shakier. His body was trembling, and tears welled in his eyes in face of death. Fear of death pushed him to continue to punish his body, and the warrior just kept running through the pain and blood loss.
When it seemed like the chase would be over soon, they ran into an open forest clearing.
The clearing was full of people in the same wooden armor with bark textures as Wooden Warrior Jack was chasing after. It was their forest encampment with tents, food, and bonfires all around the clearing.
“Merlo, save me!” the warrior screamed and crashed to the ground, exhausted and lightheaded from blood loss. After crashing down he curled up and started silently sobbing. Warrior was spent and exhaustion, fear, and stress finally won over him as his body refused to move any further.
Tree Sentinel – Lvl 55
Tree Warrior – Lvl 36
Warrior – Lvl 10
Warrior – Lvl 19
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Tree Warrior – Lvl 21
Tree Warrior – Lvl 25
Tree Warrior – Lvl 21
Warrior – Lvl 11
Every single person in the clearing focused their gazes on Jack, who came out of the tree line right after the exhausted Tree Warrior.
Silence enshrouded the entire encampment in a thick layer.
No one moved. Sniffs of the exhausted warrior were the only sound breaking the silence in the encampment of warriors in bark armor.
“I know it looks bad,” Jack was first to speak, “But I thought he is a tree. I promise! You all actually look like walking trees with all that bark around your heads!”
Nobody responded. Nobody moved. Warriors stayed still as statues, hands on weapons, eyes on Jack. The danger was tangible in the air as mana gathered around some of them in preparation for the combat.
“So? Lads, you gonna stay silent? You really look like a bunch of trees stiff like that. Hehe!”
That was when the Tree Sentinel stepped forward.
He was adorned in the same wooden armor with bark texture as every other member of his party. He was armored from toe to head, only two slits in his wooden face plate revealed pair of thoughtful eyes. He had a wooden spear with a black spearhead in his right hand and a small round shield strapped on his left forearm, leaving his palm empty. A dagger was strapped right between his forearm and shield.
Sentinel stopped four steps from Jack and after a measured pause, he spoke in a calm manner.
“I am Merlo, elder of Westel village! What shall I call you, Guardian?”
“Jack Mors! Lovely to meet you, Merlo. Say, you guys are humans, right?”
“Indeed, we are humans, Jack Mors.”
He spun his spear around and thrust it into the ground. Jack didn't even flinch from the sharp movement as he calmly watched Merlo with now free hands remove straps below his chin and take off his wooden helmet.
A wave of grey long hair exploded from under it. Merlo looked like a man in his fifties, around the same age as Jack. He had grey long hair, sharp cheeks, a sharp nose, and an even sharper look in his eyes.
“Are you human, Jack Mors?”
“As human as they come.”
“In that case, do you mind answering a few questions I have?”
“If my choice is between death and a few question, I will choose the latter with joy.”
“We will have to see if it is really a choice,” Merlo said his treat with a serious look and sat down crossing his legs under him.
Armor didn’t seem to slow down his movements even slightly. Jack followed his example without needing any guidance from him. Jack seemed completely unbothered by the strange circumstances he found himself in. Despite sitting in front of the men in his birth suit, he acted like he was wearing the most expensive linen and velvet garb.
Every warrior in the clearing was silently watching them, without daring to move even a muscle.
“You wanted to take my hunter's life,” It wasn’t a question, it was a statement “Why?”
“I killed a Wind Wolf in self-defense and gained a great class. The next creature I saw was a dangerous-looking walking tree with a weapon by his side. I thought killing it would grant me even more classes.”
“I see,” Merlo said carefully thinking about Jack's words,” You awakened by killing the wolf?”
“It was a legendary battle. Our wits and teeth clashed in a beautiful struggle, where I emerged a victor.”
Merlo lost his composure.
The naked man in front of him unsettled him deeply. Level one Guardian was nothing to him in terms of power, but unshakable confidence and the way Jack refused to act seriously in front of certain death in form of a fully armed hunter party bothered him. It got under his skin. And then there was his age. It was unheard of for somebody to not awaken at such an age and what's more, the unclad geezer in front of him introduced himself with two names. Name of his and name of his house.
Only there was no Mors house.
Mimics were known to play tricks on the minds of sentients, and high-level mimic capable of disguising itself as a human was dangerous foe. If in front of them stood a mimic capable of disguising even his level, Merlo's party was in great danger. But mimics hated to drop their covers, if he indeed was one, they probably can play charades and lead him to the village.
Left alone, a mimic can do great harm.
"How many summers are behind your shoulders, Jack?"
“I will be 55 soon.”
"And you awakened only recently?"
“I am from the Earth. We don't have all this magic back there.”
As soon as these words left Jack's mouth, a murmur went around the hunter-warrior party. The warriors still stood ready for a fight, but their forms were a lot less tense. There were movement and silent whispers when they voiced their opinions to one another.
“Well, that explains it,” Merlo glanced at the now unconscious warrior still lying behind him, “Most of it.”
Merlo turned his attention back to Jack. Jack’s calm demeanor still made his nerves tingle, but Merlo made his shoulders relax and a smile play on his face.
“By Earth, you mean a name of a different plane, am I correct?"
"Yes, yes. Different world. I am no mole, I don't live in the ground" Jack laughed in a worry-free manner.
"If what you say is true, welcome to Rosmorre, Jack!” Merlo put on a friendly smile, “This plane is also called Lands Between in the tongue of ancients. Every single plane in existence is connected here. We got unlucky folks like you dropping through void quite often.”
Jack just smiled and waved his head.
“Creatures dropping through void usually arrive at more unstable and dangerous parts of our plane. You are incredibly lucky to arrive in the middle of the human Empire. It is only human dominion in Rosmorre.”
More smiling and waving from Jack.
“Look, we gonna get you to our village now and check if everything is fine with you. Traveling void at your age can be stressful. We will have to restrain you for our and your safety, friend. Please don’t resist!”
Jack smiled and waved his head.
Merlo looked on with a blank expression as his men approached Jack with a coil of rope and carefully restrained his arms. Jack didn’t resist and smiled at his captors.
"You will meet with our village's Royal Protector," Merlo explained, "He will decide your fate. Do you wish for some water or aliment while we pack our camp?"
“Yes, that would be lovely," said their friendly prisoner.
A hunting party of warriors in wooden armor packed up their camp and left for the Westel village. In the middle of them was somebody who looked completely different from the rest of the party. Despite being naked and roped up new Guardian of humankind marched with a poise like an aristocrat between peasants.