Chapter 3

I wasn't sure when I had nodded off, but the moment I regained consciousness, an uneasy dread filled my mind. The response was almost instinctive, my back tingling with a cold chill as the realization that I had fallen asleep overtook my thoughts. Confusion followed that sensation, my eyes closing shut as I tried to remember why I hadn't wanted to fall asleep in the first place.

Those thoughts didn't take long. Memories of last night bled into my mind, and my head snapped up in response. It was hard, going against that numbing sensation of sleep and exhaustion, but I still forced myself awake, my arms scrambling as I pushed myself off the surface of some wooden table. As I did so, something fell from my grasp, not even aware that I had been holding something as I shoved an item off the table.

A sharp twang broke through the air, followed by the sound of impact as metal splintered wood.

My eyes fell on the point of impact, and I finally recognized the sight of a crossbow bolt, buried inside the leg a broken chair. That only left me with more questions, since I had apparently fallen asleep while clinging to a still-loaded crossbow. While that fact was dangerous in its own right, it did at least tell me something important: nothing really disturbed me. If it was a monster, I wouldn't have woken up, and if it was a person... Well, neither neither bandits nor responsible adults would let a child cling to a crossbow while asleep.

Gradually, I rose to my feet, staggering a bit as I felt blood flow back into my legs. Apparently, I had a pretty bad sleeping posture when holding a crossbow, since every bit of my body was sore as I stumbled across the room. Still, I eventually made my way to the pile of junk, and a quick peek through the fallen debris told me that there was absolutely nothing outside. I could see neither wolves nor any people in sight, the surroundings still as I peeked my gaze from fallen building to fallen building.

So... yeah. For the moment, at least, it seemed like I was alone. Honestly, I still wasn't too sure whether this was a good thing or not, since I still doubted my ability to survive long-term. But at the same time... I didn't really have much of a choice. And it wasn't like I didn't have the tools, either, considering how lucky I had gotten with this warehouse.

Taking in a heavy sigh, I turned my attention back to the room, taking stock of inventory one last time. I was still no closer to getting passed those locked bars, so I couldn't quite get at the preserved fish or bags of stuff. Still, what I had on my side was useful enough in their own right. Sufficed to say, I was bringing along that crossbow, since it was my only real option against threats.

Unfortunately, that didn't leave space for much more stuff, due to my diminutive body size. The weapon wasn't large by normal standards, but being a kid-sized kid, it was far more cumbersome than it needed to be. Maybe I could find some way to sling it on my back or something, since carrying it around with just my arms was really difficult.

My attention turned to the other weapons that I had found, from the box of barely-serviceable staves to the rack of slightly-more-pristine weapons. There were longswords and halberds, maces and axes, even a ridiculously-sized greatsword. However, all of these items had one thing in common: every single one of them looked far too big or heavy for me to use. Every thing, from sword to spear, was made of solid metal, all decorated with some fancy engraving or symbol.

Yeah, no. From that pile, the single-most practical weapon I could see was a one-handed axe of some kind, and even that thing was too heavy for me to use properly. At best, I'd use it the same way adults used two-handed axes. Which, now that I think about it, might actually work. Still, carrying both a giant crossbow and that axe would be too strenuous for me. I still have no clue how strong this kid's body was, but considering how much I'm struggling just to lug around this crossbow... I had a lot of work cut out for me.

But hey, at least I had some tools now, and having tools helped with finding solutions. And between a crossbow and heavy weapon, I could probably solve a fair amount of problems.

... Oh, who was I kidding? I still didn't know the first thing about proper survival. Food, water, shelter... So far, I've only got a solution for one of those problems. Well, one-and-a-half; I could definitely hunt with this crossbow, and this warehouse is actually pretty decent shelter, as long as I bundle up with enough fabric. The only problem is that I've got no way to cook the food, nor do I have a way to gather water. I mean, my best bet is probably to use the magic of science to distill water. Shame I couldn't use the magic of magic to just conjure water or something. Or start fires to cook food.

Really, being able to use actual magic would help a lot. Unfortunately, I knew nothing about magic at all, let alone how it worked in this world. I mean, how could I? In the game, magic was only possible because it influenced the world's elementary particles... Stuff like molecules. Only, instead of photons or neutrons or what-have-you, the world in Tales of the Abyss ran on magical particles known as Fonons. More importantly, performing magic involved using words and something else to manipulate these particles. Since I wasn't able to issue orders to electrons back on Earth, I probably didn't have any transferable skills that applied to magic here in this world. Which was... disappointing.

But the most disappointing thing about not being able to use magic wasn't my inability to use it, but rather... I probably could've learned how to, since I likely had the resources to do it with.

After all, there were a lot of discarded books here, and a few of them had fancy-looking covers. Some were waterlogged, but a few of them were in surprisingly good condition, and each of them had been made with obvious care and detail. It was pretty likely that these books contained useful information of some kind, and coupled with the fact that they were stored in a warehouse-one that also contained expensive-looking, if slightly destroyed, items and weapons-they were probably extremely valuable. Which, in turn, meant that these books could've very well been magical in nature. Too bad I couldn't read a single one of them.

Due to being fantasy-land, the language used to write these books was something that I knew nothing about. The words and sentences were comprised of squiggly characters, overly-elaborate artsy symbols that formed no language that I could recognize. And while the spoken language sounded like English to me, there was no guarantee that their written language would be so convenient. Or that it actually was English. This is confusing.

Regardless, due to being unable to learn magic, I'm forced to do things the old fashion way. Good thing I understood basic concepts like... I dunno, friction I guess? That's how they made campfires, right? If not, there's always the whole lens and sunlight trick... Assuming I could find a lens here. Or make one out of water and glass. No clue how to go about doing that second one though.

With that said, I hope that I could still apply earth-based science to this world, considering how the usual base elements of earth didn't really apply. Still, the game had equivalents, such as wood burning despite not having any carbon in them. Or water conducting lightning, the complete lack of electronics and... something about valence stuff.

Okay, this did not bode well for me. I should probably try to take things one step at a time. No need to consider molecular theory when my biggest problem was carrying around a stupid crossbow.

So, I found a solution!

Not a solution to my illiteracy or anything like that, but rather, a solution to making sure I could survive the next few days. My medium-y long-term problems involved food and water, but if I were to be more specific, then my most immediate problem was the fact that I couldn't carry enough stuff to do things with. Fortunately, the warehouse contained a great deal of props and tools to play around with, and I had spent the past few hours refining damaged clothes, broken weapons, and bolted fancy cloth into a solution.

Emphasis on that bolted cloth thing. It was probably wasteful to use elaborately woven tapestry as scrap fabric, but I didn't exactly care about that, and had turned what usable fabrics I could find into strips of cloth. And considering that usable only meant "not completely waterlogged", it wasn't too hard.

That wasn't to say that there was dry fabric everywhere, since the water damage was pretty extensive. However, I wasn't too interested in the quality of the fabric, only that I had fabric at all, so I had enough cloth to work with. And since the storm from last night had mostly subsided, I didn't even need to worry about supply, since I could probably just dry out the soaked fabrics later. Really, the greatest difficulty I had with this entire thing was not getting the fabric, but rather, getting something to cut the fabric with.

Fortunately, to accomplish that, all I had to do was take my idea from yesterday-the one about using the metal parts of the spear-staff things-and put it into practice. Since the staves themselves were mostly wood, and since I had an axe to cut wood with, I put two and two together! It was mostly safe, and all I had to do was make sure to use some of the larger fabrics to block off any free-flying shrapnel. At the end of it, I was left with a brand new not-knife, and only a few light cuts on my arm.

With the fabric strips, I had made a rough sling for the crossbow. Sure, the first few attempts resulted in nothing more than shredded cloth, but I eventually remembered that you could tie things together for slightly more strength. So now, I've got this weirdly embroidered half-rope fabric loop thing, tied around the front part of the crossbow, that I could sling over my shoulder. All things considered, it was a pretty hack job, and I needed to untie the loop every time I wanted to actually fire, but... it was good enough for now.

Oh, I also tried making those hobo-bindle things. I vaguely recalled them from old cartoons, and I had no shortage of fabric or sticks to attempt to make them with. Unfortunately, nothing really worked, and I couldn't get the tying part right. Or, if I could, then I had issues with the bindle not sticking to the stick. Or the odd balance causing me to just drop the bindle all-together. It was around my fifth attempt that I realized the stick-bag method wouldn't be practical anyways, due to my size.

But, despite that failure, I still considered my overall actions a success. I mean, I could carry around my crossbow now, which was a good thing since it was my only real way of defending myself. Then, there was all the knowledge I learned with playing around with fabric, such as how to tear it, and the more-important aspect of how not to tear it. Shame I couldn't do anything about the books.

Now armed with a bit more tools, I was finally ready to explore my surroundings. Honestly, besides being inside a town, I knew nothing about my current location. Additionally, I wasn't exactly well-off on supplies, either; I was kind of lacking for food, and while that barred-off room was my best bet of getting something edible, there was still a chance that there were other storage buildings in the town as well. And even if there wasn't, I might still be able to find another entrance to that room if I searched the area.

Axe in hand, I slowly slipped out of the warehouse, eyes darting all around as I took in the surroundings.

Surprise and alarm filled my mind as I found... Well, let me put it this way: the town ruins looked far worse today than it had yesterday. At least, there were still noticeable buildings in the town yesterday, even if they were mostly collapsed or broken. But today?

Everything was destroyed. Utterly.

The winds from yesterday must've been harsher than I had thought, since most of my surroundings were nothing more than piles of shingles, stone and wood. There were no roads, only mud-soaked passages with pieces of trash buried in the bottom. Some areas were in better condition than others, though, and the things on this side of town seemed a bit more stable than the one closest to the-

The sea? When the hell was there the sea here? I could've sworn that this town was by some field or forest. My eyes immediately turned to the horizon, ignoring the ruined buildings this time as I confirmed my location, only to be met with surprised as I realized that there was both present. I guess this was a coastal town or something, with a nearby forest.

Not... too outlandish, now that I think about it. And if the ocean's right here, then maybe the whole source damage to this place wasn't the result of a storm, but something bigger. A tsunami or hurricane, perhaps? But if that was the case, then wouldn't this town have been built with that in mind? Yet, most of the buildings had been all but destroyed, with barely any still standing. Either the storm was far larger than the architects had anticipated, or it was something else.

And in a land of monsters, that "something else" was pretty likely.

Still, things weren't all bad. The fact that I was by the sea was actually good news. This was a coastal town, which probably meant trade and stuff. That also meant that trade ships or caravans would visit at some point, and I'd be able to get some help off of this place. Then, I could... could...

I stopped, some enthusiasm waning as that thought lingered in my mind. What exactly did I want to do? More importantly, what exactly did this kid want to do? I mean, the only thing I knew about him was that he was willing to help people despite danger to himself, but that didn't mean much by itself. Would he have joined the life of a soldier or a guardsman, to protect people from monsters? Or would he have turned to being a physician or healer, to help those who get hurt? Could he even be a healer? What magical aptitude did he have?

All these questions and more, and honestly, I had no idea. Perhaps I should search this town first... I woke up near it, so there was the off-chance that he actually lived here. Maybe I could find some sort of hint or clue to who he was. Old photos? People who knew his parents? Something?

Well, whatever the case might've been, I knew that I wouldn't be able to find any answers until I ensured my survival first. My eyes turned back to the warehouse behind me, and I gradually began my search anew, walking along the edge as I tried to find another entrance back in. After that? Only time wi-

"Squaark!"

A shrill noise erupted from behind me. My eyes widened, whatever thoughts I once had fading away as I immediately whipped around to the source, only to find myself staring at what could only be a monster.

Emotionless eyes peered at me, beady and pitch black, a colour that was in stark contrast to the rest of its bright form. The creature was well over four feet tall, practically giant when compared with my own childish body. Most of the creature was nothing more than puffed up feathers, a vibrant plume of gold and orange, deceptively colourful as the bird-like monstrosity walked on two taloned feet... But that was only most. The rest of the monster's body was dedicated to being a monster.

Instead of a normal bird beak of yellow... whatever-beaks-were-made-of, the creature that stared at me had one that looked like it was made of metal or stone, its beak expanding vertically for a span of a meter, heavy and sharp as it clacked ominously at me.

I instantly recognized the bird monster, as parts of the game flitted into my mind. As I stared, its name rose back up, and I couldn't help but stare at it as it began trudging towards me, its feet cleanly walking through dirt and debris.

Axe-Beak.

It might've been a stupid name. Heck, the monster might've been a stupid monster in-game. However, the creature that was currently trying to chase me was hardly so laughable. I barely had the time to unsling my crossbow before the creature broke into a charge, giving me no chance to load my weapon proper as it forced me to retreat.

My first mistake was where I retreated to, my body instinctively attempting to retreat back inside the warehouse to escape the bird. However, I was nowhere near nimble enough with that crossbow on my back, and the act of carrying it by hand was only that much more cumbersome. The bird had reached me well before I could reach the warehouse, and heavy footfalls were my only warning as I dove out of the way. As a result of my actions, my body collided against ground, and the axe-beak collided against the barricade, its beak partially stuck in a wooden cabinet as I rose to my feet.

The giant bird was blocking my only entrance. A frown formed on my face, as I tried to find some way past the bird, but every single angle seemed more dangerous than the last, as the feathered beast flailed wildly with its talons, slashing at the air around it. Just like that, my path of escape was cut off, and I had to retreat to one of the few buildings not fully destroyed by the storm. Moments before I could reach the second build, a loud snap echoed through the air, signaling the Axe-Beak's freedom from the broken cabinet as it released a shrill cry, before turning its attention towards me.

I dove into the building, and was awarded with nothing but destroyed tables and scrap tools among the ruins. Still, rather than that, I strained my ears, listening to the world outside as soft thuds echoed in the distance. For whatever reason, it wasn't giving chase. Something that I fully intended to take advantage of, as I began loading my crossbow.

... I'll say this right now. Despite its ridiculous appearance, the monstrous bird clearly had some intelligence behind its eyes, as it had deliberately chosen to position itself between my hiding spot and the warehouse. More than that, it made no effort to give chase, apparently content to stand over the road. At first, I thought that it had simply given up, or had lost interest, but... the moment it screeched a second time, that thought was dispelled. The time it screeched was due to anger or frustration, its voice directed more at the wall than anything else.

But the second? The second was a very deliberate cry, one directed upwards as it gave a powerful hoot more than a shrill screech. And a few moments after it had sounded out, two more cries echoed in the distance, rising up and resonating with the axe-beak's own voice.

It didn't take me long to understand what that meant; I was on borrowed time.

Crossbow loaded, I brought the weapon up, propping it against a barely-stable window sill as I turned the weapon towards the bird. Thoughts echoed in my mind as I tried to calm down, struggling between the growing tension in my body and the weight of the crossbow as I stared forward. Aim for its stomach; wound it; Headshots were for games and not-kid-arms. I was never trained in a gun, but I'd heard enough second-hand media to know that center of mass was probably where I was supposed to hit. And since I didn't know where that was, the stomach would be a good second. My eye narrowed as I peeked down the sight, trying to stablize myself and account for my tiny body, shifting the crossbow ever so slightly.

It finished its cry, its head shifting back down as it turned its entire body to me.

I thumbed the side of the trigger, making sure the crossbow was cranked and ready to fire.

It recognized the crossbow, or perhaps felt my intentions; either way, the axe-beak crouched, digging its feet to the ground before kicking off towards me in a mad dash. Step after step, rush after rush, but I forced myself to remain focused as I watched its approach.

I failed.

I had never stared down a charging animal before, let alone a monster with a weaponized beak. I doubt I'd be able to stare down a charging boar, let alone this thing, and my hand gripped itself in fear as I felt my body hesitate. And the beast was so much bigger from my point of view, a towering force of nature that wanted nothing more than to cleave me in two.
In my panic, the bolt was shot.

A cry of pain emerged from the axe-beak, a metal bolt embedded in its wing. Yet, it wasn't enough, and the creature only seemed to grow more furious as it released another shrill cry. I was shaken, but not stunned, and one hand immediately reached to my belt as I tried to draw forth another crossbow bolt. It didn't take too long, and after a few moments, I managed to-No. I was supposed to draw the crossbow first; How could I load if I didn't?

The axe-beak was closer now, and I could see the blood seeping from its wing. The ground shook.

I pulled the crossbow off the window sill, bracing it against the ground as I pulled the string back. Cable. Wire. Whatever it's called, II tried to pull it, first with my hands. It failed, and I remembered the crank. I began drawing it once more, frantically turning the crank at the end, splitting my attention as my eyes flickered back to the axe-beak.

Staring back at me were beady black eyes, far closer than I remembered, the pitch black colour my only warning as it charged forward. The loud sound of impact echoed out as it gave a frenzied cry, its beak embedding into the wooden walls of the partially-destroyed house. But, thankfully, it didn't push beyond. Another frenzied yell rose from the animal, as it began shaking its beak, struggling against the wood as it brought a foot up to the wall.

It was stuck. I could tell that much from the way its talons gripped at the window sill, crushing wood as it tried to dislodge itself from the building wall. Or perhaps it was just trying to step forward, breaking the wooden wall in the meantime as it continued its charge. I wasn't too sure, nor did I plan on finding out. This was an opportunity.

My eyes fell to my weapon, forcing my arms into a rhythm as I cranked the crossbow, drawing the string fully as I nocked the bolt in place. Those steps finished, I brought the crossbow back up, taking a few steps back as I did so, not quite prepared for the momentum of my sudden motion as I took aim. My arms could not support me, but I didn't need support: only time.

The wall broke, and the bird cried.

I pulled the trigger, and the bird cried louder.

Blood soaked into the wood as I dove out of the way, dropping the crossbow as I did so, my head colliding squarely with the surface of a broken table. Yet, that mild impact was far more preferable to the giant axe-beak as it barreled through the spot where I had once stood.

Another loud sound rose out as the Axe-Beak found itself buried in another wall, this one as sturdy as the last. Once more, it brought up its legs, bracing against the wall as it tried to pull itself away... But I was ready for it this time. Adrenaline filled my veins as I reached to my belt, drawing forth my makeshift spear-knife. I would've grabbed my axe, but I had long lost track of when I had dropped it. So, instead of that weapon, I merely held the spearhead in my grasp, my eyes darting between the weapon and the monster as I watched it struggle against the wood, failing to free itself a second time. Opportunity.

Hesitation mixed with recklessness, blending in with a rising sense of adrenaline as the entire sensation filled my mind, spurred by the moment and by panic as I ran forward. As it struggled, I drove dagger-sized spearhead into its leg, blood splashing out and washing over me as it did so, drawing forth a loud cry from the beast even as I was sprayed with gore. I froze in place, the sensation completely alien to me as I stared at my arm, feeling the dark liquid drip down my arm even as it struggled harder against the blade.

I knew the creature was unable to muster the strength needed to free itself. I knew it was close to the edge, even if I hadn't heard the loud screeches spilling from its beak. It was... time to end it. I prepared to silence it forever.

"Hey kid, get down!"

A brash voice broke me from my trance, and I turned to the source. There, beyond the wall, stood a man in a distinctive blue and white uniform. Beside him stood three more in similar dress, each armed with crossbows of their own, pointed squarely at me.

No, not me; the monster behind me.

I dove down, sprawling onto the ground without regard for obstacles or debris, and the sound of crossbows being loosed echoed over my head. The bird cried out one final time, but the sounds of its struggles soon ceased, no longer rattling against the wooden walls as it finally died. What rose up in its place were countless footsteps, the mysterious group of people steadily beginning to move around, as worried voices spoke out to one another. I caught some of their words, mainly words of concern or solemn worry, but for the most part, I wasn't quite sure what they had said.

"Alright, things have calmed down now. It's safe to come out." But, at the very least, I understood that.

Slowly I rose to my feet, left with no other choice as I slowly made my way to the half-destroyed window sill. Peeking out, I caught sight of the uniformed people once more, their white hats and distinctive manner of dress somehow familiar to me. Yet, I had no clue who they were, and could only stare in silence, as I slowly shifting my gaze away from them and back to the monster behind me.

"Don't worry, you're safe now." One of the men stepped forward, crouching down in front of me as he put his crossbow away, hesitantly holding up a hand towards me as he spoke with a softer tone. There was no way I was taking his hand, however, especially given what had happened last night. If these were bandits, then I was in trouble, and part of me began looking for some sort of escape.

The man must've noticed my expression, as he gave a heavy sigh the moment my eyes fell on the distant exit. "Look, I know you're scared and confused. You don't know where your family is, and you have no idea what happened, right?"

He paused, waiting for me to answer in some way. A hesitant nod was all I gave.

"Then come with us. We're sailors from Chesedonia." That name... sounded familiar to me somehow, and I turned my eyes up to face him proper. The man smiled a bit at that, his expression softening as he continued speaking once more. "That's right, you've probably seen a lot of our ships docked here in the past, haven't you? We were on our way here to trade when we saw what happened. I still couldn't believe what we saw."

"What... What happened?" My eyes lit up as he spoke, and the question immediately escaped from my lips. It sounded like he knew what had happened, and at this point, I would've appreciated answers from any source at all. I had been lost since the moment I had seen that Priest of Daath, and things had only gotten more confusing as time went on. If I could just figure out what was happening in the first place, maybe I could start to find answers for all my other questions, too.

"... I'm sorry." Instead, he apologized, his head tilted down as he stared at the floor. "I know you won't be able to understand this. Score, even I can barely understand this."

As he spoke, he rose up, his face turning to the horizon as he stared at... something in the distance. My eyes followed, peeking up over the window sill as I stared at the distant sea. Only then did I realize that something was... wrong. In the distance was a flurry of fog, mixed with raging storms and a single tempest that seemed to remain fixed in place. Lightning arced from cloud to ocean, illuminating the fog with a sudden flash of light.

I remembered a lot from the Tales of the Abyss game, but this scene was wholly foreign to me.

"The Island of Hod... The island across from this one you live on... is gone."