Chapter 15: Edge of Memory
Guts walked through the town of Bree, drenched more than he'd ever been before. It reminded him of the time he had to swim out of a flowing river in full armor, which was somehow a pleasant memory.
The town of Bree was quite advanced in it's handling of the rain. The roads all tilted to the south ever so slightly, and alongside them were dug-out lines in the dirt, allowing for the intense waterflow to gather and travel down and into the wilderness. Perhaps it rains often enough here to justify dedicated waterways. Even still, there were puddles scattered everywhere, and ditches looked more like ponds.
Guts noticed just how many people were travelling the main road in Bree. Was it not night? Why were so many people walking around town when it was so dark and rainy? They were seemingly used to the weather, if that was even possible. The rain could drive a man mad. But, perhaps it wasn't night at all. That would explain why there's no demons around. Maybe it was early morning, or the afternoon, but the clouds were too thick to see any sunlight. Whatever it was, Guts had seen enough rain for one lifetime.
"Hey buddy", someone said behind Guts. Guts thought he was talking to someone else, so he didn't turn until the man said, "Excuse me! Tall guy!"
Guts turned and saw 4 hooded men of similar height to one another, standing in a line ten feet away.
"Is that thing you have supposed to be a sword?" the center-most one asked. Guts ignored the question.
"What do you want", he said without emotion.
"We just wanna see what you have on ya', pally", the man snickered. "If ya' catch my drift."
Guts knew what they were now: robbers. They probably had swords or knives on them.
"I've got way too much on my mind to deal with you louts. Piss off."
They all pulled their swords, as if they planned Guts would resist.
"The big ones are always fighters! It gets annoying after a while, ya' know? C'mon, boys. Let's teach 'im some manners."
They started walking closer, but, to their surprise, Guts turned and walked away. They thought he would try to use that big sword for sure. The weirdest part was he didn't even run, he just walked casually away from them.
"I've seen cowards try to run before, but they've never been as big as you!" the man yelled at Guts. "With that body, you woulda made a fine mercenary, kid!"
Guts kept walking. Passerbys turned away when they seen what was happening.
"That son of a... Alright, let's get the bastard!" the supposed leader yelled. They ran at Guts, swords drawn, their footsteps amplified by the rain on the road, but stopped just short of the man. They froze at the sight of his face. Scars, dirt, only one eye... this was a man who had seen combat. The one eye he did have somehow seemed to stare at all four of them at once, with terrible power. The same thought entered all four of their minds at once: Could this man actually wield that sword?
"I told you, I don't have time for this. Go rob someone else," Guts warned, turning back to his way. The bandits stood there, watching the stranger walk through the rain miserably.
"What was with that guy, boss?"
"Couldn't tell ya', mate, but that guy's trouble. I can almost feel something off about him, and I ain't in the mood for findin' out what his deal is. Let's scram, boys."
The bandits scurried off into the darkness, and people started walking the street again. They whispered about a man with a sword far too big to hold, even for the strongest man around.
...
Guts traveled for 6 hours before the rain stopped. He had managed to distance himself from the town of Bree considerably for such a time, and, looking back, could see the endless sea of black clouds hanging above the poor town. They were unmoving, even through the wind, as if the town itself was cursed to have constant rain forever, but Guts couldn't care less about that puny town now, he was free of it's depressing atmosphere. It reminded him of himself too much.
Looking forward, Guts saw sunlight and blue sky over the beautiful landscape. All the rain nearby must have been doing wonders for the foliage: Clear rivers ran all throughout the fields, and the greenest trees Guts had ever seen dotted the area. The path ahead would be peaceful, for the time being, anyway. Gandalf will most likely be found in this direction, Barliman had said, and if not, this was the way to Gondor, Guts' only lead on finding his friends.
A carriage drawn by horse appeared down the road ahead. It wasn't too big, and appeared to be occupied by a lone man. As it got closer, Guts saw that it was an old man with white hair and a beard. Could this be the wizard Barliman spoke of?
"You need a ride, boy?" the old man said to Guts, who realized he had been staring at the elderly driver. "You look like you've got something on your mind... What... what in Middle-Earth is that thing on your back..."
"Are you Gandalf?!" Guts quickly asked, not even hearing the question about his sword.
"Gandalf, eh? Yer lookin' for the one named Gandalf?"
"Yes, are you him?!" Guts pushed. The old man leaned back and closed his eyes and scratched his beard.
"Sorry, son. I'm not Gandalf. Good thing, too! No tellin' what I'd do with that kinda power... Make myself young and spry again, I think! Harhar!"
Guts was disappointed, but not deterred. He bid farewell, but the old man stopped him.
"Now just a darn minute, laddy. You look like you've been through hell and back," he said, pointing at Guts' soaked and muddied figure. "How 'bout you hop in and have a rest before ya' get going. It'll do ya' wonders." the old man offered.
"I have no time to waste, old-timer," Guts barked and turned back to the road. Before he could, a girl's head popped out from inside the carriage.
"Oh! He's scary-looking, Gran'pa!" she tried to whisper to the man, but Guts heard what she said. Guts looked at them both, as if he'd seen them before.
"Alright, sonny, we'll leave ya' to yer Gandalf-huntin'. But you really should at least wash off. We've got some bread and water too... what's yer problem?" the old man asked once he noticed Guts staring at the two of them intensely. He had remembered this scene. It happened before, or at least this was similar.
"G-get away from me... As fast as you can! Go! Now!" Guts screamed at them, then turned and ran off down the road. The two in the carriage just watched him run away as if he were some kind of madman.
"What in the world... That man's got some trouble on his mind, lass," the elder said.
Guts ran until he couldn't see them behind him anymore. He had remembered the elderly man and his granddaughter that he met back in his world, and what had happened to them. Guts didn't want another situation like that again, so he decided to get away from there, for their sake.
Guts continued south-west in search of Gandalf, the wizard. There was no rest in sight for the Black Swordsman.