Airi fallowed behind Garret who was looking up and down repeatedley at his map as they made there way through the dense woods, Airi had wanted to argue with Garret that he was going the wrong way as she had taken out her map while he wasn't looking and found they were way off track, but, Garret's pride wasn't allowing him to accept her advice. "Does this guy even know how to read a map?" Airi sighed she was in a time crunch, she had to get somewhere safe before the Weightless Potion wore off again but, Garret's sense of direction was the last thing on Airi's mind, what was eating at her as of the moment was where she was. She was still trying to wrap her mind around everything, first, in a blinding flash of light she finds herself laying in Gawain's place on a cave floor that she had just been running around in the game.
Then, she's chased by a monster that shouldn't have been able to leave its area, and she was chased through a scenery that looked identical to Elder Tales her mind drifted to this world she was in being a game yet, outling effects were making her think otherwise, with her meeting Garret. The guy had no idea who Gawain was, everyone in Elder Tales knew about Gawain, even if they were new yet, Garret honestly looked like he had never heard Gawain's name before then, when Garret took down what should have been a high level monster in Elder Tales like it was a nothing, despite him having such crappy equipment. But, the big kicker, was when Garret told her that people appear in the world in a flash of light, that was how she had come to be where she was,that blue shining stone she had found in her game, that must have had something to do with her being where she was. With that thought in mind, Airi pulled the stone out from her pack, while she had been running from the snake she had jammed it there so she didn't lose it.
Airi held the stone up to the light, unlike before, the stone didn't shine at all, it now looked like just an oddly colored rock, Airi sighed, she let her arm come back down with a solem look she eyed the stone. "Where have you sent me?" Airi stared at the stone in silence, thats when she heard Garret call out to her, "Hey, what's that you've got there?" Airi looked at Garret whose eyes were locked onto the blue stone in her hand.
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Garret looked down at his map for what must have been the fifteenth time, he sighed, "Am I even going the right way?" he scratched his head, he looked back at Gawain who seemed to be deep in thought. Garret hoped that Gawain wasn't getting impatient with him, he wanted to make up for leaving Gawain behind like he had when the snake was chasing him, he looked back at his map "Should we turn back, or should we go straight?" Garret cried in frustration. Why was he so bad at reading maps, as Garret kept walking and looking at his map he could here Gawain mumbling to himself, "Is he talking about me?" Garret couldn't really make out what Gawain was saying.
He stopped when he heard Gawain rummaging around in his pack, paying it no mind he resumed walking he didn't hear Gawain mumbling anymore, did something else have his attention, then when he heard Gawain say "Where have you sent me?", his curiousity was peeked, what had Gawain taken out his pack. Slowly, Garret looked back his eyes locked onto a blue stone Gawain held in his hand, "What is that?" Garret eyed the stone for a while, he looked at Gawain and noticed the sad look he had on his face as he looked at the blue stone. "Does that stone hold some value to him?" Garret had never seen a stone like Gawain held before, "It, couldn't hurt to ask, right?" Garret's curiosity had taken over him he called out to Gawain, "Hey, what's that you've got there?" Gawain looked at him, when he saw Garret was eyeing the blue stone he held a shocked look came to his face.
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"Crap!" Airi swore under her breath, Garret was eyeing the blue stone with a curious look in them, she hoped he didn't think it was some kind of valuable treasure, she tried to hide it slowly, an apologetic look came to Garret's face. "Oh, sorry, maybe I shouldn't be asking something like that" Airi shook her head, Garret didn't seem to be the type of person to rob her just because of a blue stone that looked somewhat valuable. She smiled, "Not at all, I just found this back in Death Cave" Garret gave a intrigued look, "Really, in Death Cave? I've never seen a stone like that before" Airi gave a hum, "So, you've never seen one like it either?" Garret nodded. Airi looked down at the stone, if the people of the world have never seen it before, who could tell her what it was, and how it was able to bring her into this world "Do you think maybe that's why the snake came after you?" Airi shook her head, "No, I had found this way before I came across that snake" she looked hard at the stone.
"But,it was more shiny then this" Garret gave an intrigued hum, "It was shiny?" Airi nodded, "Yeah, it shined like a ray of sunlight" Garret looked with intrigue at the stone as Airi held it up. "Wow, I'd really like to see that" Airi wished that as well, it was when the stone was shiny that caused her to be brought to this world, to somehow become Gawain, again her thoughts drifted to what she had been thinking on before. Wheather or not she was in a game, or that she was in a real world, just then, a rustling came from around them, Airi and Garret stopped dry, something was around them, the both of them could feel eyes on them. Garret slowly put away his map, he then drew his sword, Airi put the blue stone back into her pack and she too pulled her sword out, Airi went back to back with Garret, "What do you think it could be?" Airi's eyes darted back and forth looking for any sign of movement Garret was doing the same, "Don't know, monsters, bandits?" Airi froze.
Bandits, how could Airi forget about them, she dealt with many of them in Elder Tales but, that was when she was behind a screen of a computer now, she was smack dap in the middle of the action, realization set in, Airi looked down at her sword, she had no idea how to fight with a sword at all. The rustling started up again, Airi could swear she heard what was human footsteps running around, she eyed Garret who seemed to have come to the same realization as her, Garret clicked his tounge "Bandits, what crappy luck" Garret took in a breath "Get ready Gawain, they'll strike when you least expect it" Airi swallowed hard, she tried her damndest not to let Garret see the scared look on her face, she nodded, sweat started to drip down her face "God help me" she pleaded.
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Garret focused his attention on the noises he was hearing, his eyes darted left and right, up and down, watching and waiting to see where his enemy was going to come from, he had his sword at the ready gripped tightly in his hands, suddenly, all the noises stopped, it was quiet for a second. Then all at once, the sound of someone leaping into the air came to Garrets ears, "Here they come!" he shouted with that three people armed with twin blades appeared, two set themselves on Garret while one set on Airi, "Move!" Garret shouted he dodged out the way of the two bandits on hims attack. Gawain gasped, he narrowly dodged a swipe from the bandit on him. The bandits set upon their marks, "You okay over there Gawain?" Garret kept his eyes on the bandits in front of him, "Ye-yeah, I'm good" came Gawain's nervous response.
Garret chanced a look, he saw Gawain and the bandit attacking him staring each other down, in that split second with his attention elsewhere the two bandits rushed at him, Garret cursed under his breath and in the knick of time he held his sword up and was able to block the bandits blades. With some force he was able to push the two bandits back, Garret clicked his tounge, he couldn't let his eyes wonder, he just had to hope and pray that Gawain could hold his own, "Alright, come on then" Garret jestered.The two bandits rushed at him. They split, one came from the left, one from the right, they were coming in fast Garret moved out the way and the bandits collided with each other he chuckled, "You'll have to do better then that!" the two bandits picked themselves up and went back on the attack. One came close, Garret swung his sword but the bandit ducked and the blade flew over the bandits head, the bandit brought the point of his blade up tryng to pierce Garret in the throat.
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Garret fell back, the blade narrowly missed his jugular, he sighed in relief but he couldn't relax, the second bandit came from behind him, Garret's reaction time was slow, he was able to move out of the way before getting a blade stuck in his back but, he wasn't able to avoid getting a huge cut going from his tailbone up to his right shoulder. Garret's back stung but he grinned and bared the pain, he readied himself, the two bandits were on him again, Garret had to focus the bandits started to fight seriously, he watched them with his eyes. They were dashing around, trying to confuse Garret, thinking Garret had been fooled they set on him, Garret smirked, he had figured where they where coming from, he glanced behind him and a bandit was coming up behind him.
Garret sidesteped out the way, Garret brought his sword down, the blade cut through the bandits extended arm, the bandit screamed in pain as his arm fell to the ground and blood spurted out from the open hole where it had been. The bandit dropped his other blade and held his bleeding arm, he fell to the ground crying out in pain, he tried to stop the bleeding but nothing was stopping it, right there the bandit bled to death. The bandits own blood pooled around him, the other bandit had stopped dry and stared at his comrade laying dead on the ground, he looked angrily at Garret and rushed at him.
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Airi panted heavily, the bandit that attacked her was running around, Airi had to hand it to herself, she was doing pretty well, she hadn't died yet, but, she felt some of the attacks she blocked was just pure luck. "Where is he coming from?" Airi's eyes darted around trying to fallow the bandits movements, Airi heard footsteps coming from the side, she turned and she saw the bandit coming right at her both his blades pointed at her. Airi swung her sword, somehow her wild swing connected with the bandits blades and knocked them away, Airi smiled but because she didn't fallow up with another attack the bandit jumped back. He started running around again, Airi's eyes had a hard time fallowing the bandit "Where are you coming from now?", Airi listened for the bandits footsteps, it was a skill she had picked up while playing Elder Tales, she would listen for Kazu's footsteps coming towards her room when she was gaming instead of being in bed.
Airi's ears twitched, "There!" she turned right and saw the bandit coming towards her, she readied herself to be able to block the oncoming attack then, a scream rang out, Airi concluded it was a mans scream. The bandit stopped dry as did Airi, she saw the bandit looking over to his right, curious Airi looked over as well, her eyes went wide, the scene that she saw was Garret cutting a bandits arms off, the limb falling to the ground,the gush of blood coming from the gaping hole. Airi almost retched, the bandit fell to the ground holding his arm and screaming in pain, Airi watched with a sick stomach as the bandit bled to death right in front of her eyes, she stared at the bandits unmoving body for a bit, she saw the other bandit that was on Garret rush at him.
Seeing Airi's attention was elsehwere, the bandit on her took advantage and rushed at her as well, she heard his footsteps and with a delayed reaction she was able to bring her sword up just in time to block the bandits blade. The bandit overpowered Airi, he had started to push her back the bandit smirked, Airi felt her heart beating like drum in her chest, this bandit was going to kill her, she was going to die, she started to hyperventalate. She didn't want to die, she couldn't die, she had to live, she had to get home, she had to see Kazu again, she wanted to be in her own room once more, sitting in front of a computer monitor. The bandit must have sensed the fear coming from Airi, he started to laugh, Airi started to panic, her eyes started to go wide, the bandit was forcing her back even more.
Just then,another scream rang out, the bandit and Airi looked over and saw Garret's standing in front of the other bandit he was fighting,his sword was plunged into the bandits gut, blood leaked along his sword and dripped to the ground in small drops. Garret pulled his sword out from the bandits gut and blood spilled out and flowed onto the ground, the bandits face went pale, he started to gag, he held the hole in his stomach blood leaking over his hand. He dropped to his knees and fell forward, Airi shuddered, seeing so much blood before her eyes, people killed in front of her, made her brain go haywire.
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As Garret pulled his sword out from the bandits gut, and watched him fall to the ground and die he heard Gawain cry out, at first he thought that Gawain had been injured somehow, but when he looked he saw that Gawain had a fearful look on his face. Gawain was hysterical, he was crying out things that Garret couldn't really understand, Garret saw the bandit taking advantage of the situation and started to advance towards Gawain. "Gawain! Look out!" Garret ran over, the bandit raised his hand, the point of his blade started to come down, Garret hoped he would make it in time. At that moment, Gawain thrusted his sword at the bandit, the bandit was to late to stop himself, his momentum had doomed him, Gawain's sword pierced through him.
Garret stopped, he felt relieved, but his relief faded, as Gawain started to scream when he saw he had stuck his sword through the bandit, he started to thrash around, that caused the sword stuck in the bandit to move around. The bandit screamed out in pain, "Gawain! calm down!" Gawain didn't seem to here Garret at all, Gawain screamed more and more "Gawain! Gawain!" Garret clicked his tounge, he couldn't get through to Gawain.
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Airi screamed at the top of her lungs, she had just stabbed someone, she had just killed a living being, the screams of the bandit rang in her ears, blood dribbled from the bandits mouth, blood spurted from the bandits body where Airi had stuck him with her sword. Airi shuddered, she could see the life leaving the bandits eyes, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" she cried as she kept on apologizing to the bandit for killing him. Airi saw the moment the light left the bandits eyes, his screams ceased as did his movements,his blade fell to the ground, Airi's breathing was sparatic, she was staring at the body of a person she had just killed. "Gawain!" she heard from behind her, she looked back and saw Garret looking at her with a concerned face, teary eyed and scared Airi stared at Garret.
Airi sniffled, "I.. I..I killed him..." she looked back at the lifeless body of the bandit hanging on her sword, "I killed him..." she shuddered, "I killed someone..." Airi looked at her sword and saw the blood flowing down it. "I killed..." Garret placed a hand on Airi's armored hand. Airi looked over at him, "Look, it's not your fault, he was going to kill you, you were defending yourself" Airi sniffled, "But, I still killed him" Garret sighed. "This is how the world works Gawain, it's kill, or be killed" Airi went silent, this was the world she was in, that was when Airi finally accepted that she wasn't in a game at all, she finally realized after she had just taken someone elses life, and watched the life leave their eyes, that the place she was in was real and not some game. "It's real..." Airi mumbled Garret gave a puzzled look, "This world is real.." she mumbled, "It's not a game at all...".[Ch.5 END]