Thank you, thank you, thank you!
I wasn't expecting much of anything when I posted the first chapter to this story, but for it to already be receiving positive feedback makes me happy. It hasn't even been twelve hours, so to find that it already has two likes and four follows fills me with a sense of childish giddiness.
To Ds2zero: Thank you for the comment and I hope that I can keep it fun for you to read this.
I know it's been a good minute since the first chapter was released, so I thank you all for your patience! You're great!
Without further ado, here's chapter two!
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
"Speech"
"Thoughts"
"Demonic beast speech"
"Demonic beast telepathy"
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
When my consciousness comes back to me, and my eyes adjust to seeing the sunlight for the first time in months, I find myself pinned to the ground, the monster's claws planted into it and keeping me in place. Terror takes over for a moment as I dig my nails into my palm, and bite my lip to prevent the scream that I want to let out.
Upon tasting the blood that spills into my mouth, I feel my focus switch to the pain in my lip.
Gradually, I calm down and begin to think more coherently.
Looking at the monster again, I find that it's just laying down, peacefully asleep. If that's the case, then I just might be able to get out of the position I'm stuck in.
I attempt to wiggle out of the monster's grip, but that only alerts it, as even more pressure is suddenly applied to the pin. Now, raising its head to look at me, I find myself on the receiving end of an inquisitive gaze. Or at least, it looks that way.
"Why are you here, boy?"
Isn't that the million dollar question. Just why was I brought here?
"I wish I could answer that question, but I don't even know myself. The truth is that I don't even know where 'here' is. The best I can say, is that I'm here because it's where I was left to die."
"And what of last night? What do you remember?" The monster asks.
"I remember that I was under attack. I started to panic, there was a bright light, and then I passed out. The next thing I know, I'm still alive. Not that I'm unhappy about it, but why is that?"
"Because you may just be of use to me in the future. For that reason alone, I did not kill you."
"Well thanks, but I'll pass on whatever it is you want from me. Now that my life is my own again, I just want to get home." I suddenly remember the position I'm in. "So let me stand up again, and tell me how I get back to civilization."
"You would do well to remember your tone, boy! I have lived for a millennium, and will not have a brat speak to me in that manner!" I guess I spoke with an edge to my voice then. But whatever. If this thing has any information, then I want it.
On another note, my legs are rather wobbly, but I WILL NOT look weak right now after I demanded to stand again.
"Regardless, I want to find people, and you want me to continue living, so tell me what I need to know."
My demand is responded to with a growl, before the monster finally responds.
"The nearest settlement, if you get so far, is a half-day's journey from here." Well hey, that's actually not bad! "For you, however, I suspect it will be a longer journey"
Ah snap, I don't like the sound of that.
"And you're not going to guide me there? I'm not the best with directions, and this whole forest is new to me." Mind you, this monster still terrifies me, but if I can use it to protect myself from everything else these woods have to offer, then you can bet I'll try to use it.
It's laughing at me nearly as soon as I finish the request.
"I am not so foolish as to fail to notice what you are trying, boy. You will receive no aide from me in ensuring your safety."
"Then I suppose you won't be able to get what you want from me." That ought to have gotten him in a bind now. After all, you can't make a dead man do something worthwhile.
"If you are incapable of fending for yourself and die, then it simply means that you were never of any use to me at all."
"How the hell am I supposed to fend for myself then! Because I don't know if you're aware, but I'm malnourished, weak, fatigued, and have nothing reliable to defend myself with! In other words, I don't have anything in my favor!" All the while I gesticulate to the monster-raising my arms to show the lack of muscle, pointing to the bags under my eyes, and finally, showing my empty palms.
"Very well then, boy. I will provide you a means to do that, but it will cost you. Should you agree, you will have to add on to the time it will take you to reach the settlement. Additionally, you will indisputably be in my debt. Do you accept?"
If I say yes, then it sounds like I'll have a better chance of making it. But at the same time, it means I'll need to travel even further, which just increases the chances of running into something. And that's without adding in the debt I'll owe. But all I can do is hope that it isn't anything too demanding.
Regardless, I'll take the offer that's been made. It's better than nothing, right?
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Damn, can that guy walk. I would have just asked for a ride, but I didn't want to push my luck more than I already have.
Now, at about midday, we've finally reached what I'm assuming to be the monster's home: a patch of forest where all the trees were cleared.
The monster continues walking, and I follow him to a clearing littered with swords, spears, axes, daggers, staffs, bladed gauntlets, bows, and pieces of armor-leading me to wonder where the hell I am, once again.
"Over the course of my cursed millennium, I have been challenged by your kind. Naturally, I have slaughtered every last one who did so, and taken pieces of their equipment as my trophies."
"I permit you to take one weapon from my collection for yourself."
Uhhhhh. So I'm being offered the equipment of the people he's killed? That's rather concerning to think about, and kind of disturbing, but, I would have to be stupid to not accept the offer.
"Thank you." Yep. That's all I could muster, and I'm sure I said it with a grimace.
I begin to look through the different weapons, but I have quite a lot of issues as I think about what I'll take. I lack the strength to use any of the axes and large swords. The strings on the bows are all broken-not that I'd be able to pull them back anyway. Gauntlets just aren't my kinda thing-too wild, from what I've seen in anime. My idea on how to use a spear is probably too primitive to be of any actual use. Staffs just look impractical, and I have no idea what I'm supposed to do with one. All things considered, I'll take my chances with a dagger.
They're light, easy to use, and versatile. They might lack the same kind of oomph that a heavier weapon would have, but I ought to be able to defend myself all the same.
I go back and forth through the rows of weapons, and begin to wonder just why they're so randomly placed. One question later, and I find out that they were arranged based upon the chronological order of the monster's challengers' deaths.
My process for choosing a dagger isn't too picky. All I really want is a blade that isn't dull, and a hilt that feels comfortable to hold. I'm not too concerned with aesthetics right now, but I wouldn't mind having a guard on it either.
With such low expectations, I reach my decision in a relatively short amount of time.
The dagger in question is very basic and unimpressive. Its blade is twenty-four centimeters long, and three wide at the hilt. The black, leather hilt is roughly ten centimeters long and equally wide as the blade. Finally, the guard-straight in design-is about ten centimeters wide and a centimeter-and-a-half long. According to the monster, the blade and guard are made of steel.
To my convenience, the dagger's holster-made of the same black leather as the hilt-is capable of being looped through my belt. It's heavier than it looks, but hopefully won't feel too weird when I walk. I place it in front of my camera on my right side and then turn back to the monster.
"I want to thank you for everything that you've done for me, be it out of your own self-interest or whatever the case. But I want to do it properly. So, with that in mind: What is your name?"
The monster visibly looks surprised at that question. Heck, it even reeled back as if it had been a kid that touched the stove.
"My name is..." The monster begins, but then halts for whatever the reason. It hasn't forgotten its own name, has it?
"It has been so long, that my name had almost slipped from my grasp. But of course, my torment would cease if I did not remember who I once was. My name is Maurice."
With that done, I give Maurice my thanks and promise to-someday-return the knife he's given me.
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Well, the sun is already beginning to set, and I'm still nowhere near the "settlement" that Maurice told me about. It looks like he was serious about how long it would take me to get there.
Thankfully, I haven't run into anything else that might want to make a meal out of me. Then again, the giant wolf was nocturnal, it seemed, so I'll have to start being on edge.
On the subject of edges, I'm keeping one hand on my dagger's holster now that the sun has started it's descent towards the horizon. I still don't like my odds of getting out of an encounter too much, but at least now I have a better fighting chance.
I need to get to civilization, and quickly. I'm still in no condition to strain myself physically, and my bottle is as good as empty. At every point I was lucky enough, I ate the few recognizable berries I could find, but I haven't eaten a good meal since the night I got taken away from everything I knew. Most concerning of all, I'm feeling sluggish beyond belief. Then again, the only breaks I've taken have been to grab the berries or squat in whatever bush was nearby.
Side note: I'm ready to use an actual bathroom again, and to enjoy a warm bath. That, or a warm bed. But oooh, what about the bath, and then the bed. And I could also use a razor-
Hey, dimwit! Quit spacing out!
Sadly though, I have other things I need to focus on. I'll save those other thoughts for when I'm out of here.
I take my next step forward, only to fall to the ground with a yelp. Looking back, I'm quite embarrassed to admit that I seem to have tripped over a tree root. I start to push myself up off the forest floor, but I fall back down-as if my own body weighed too much for it to bear. I try again, but to no avail as I can't get back on my feet.
A howl pierces through my next attempt at getting up and I freeze. I turn my head in the direction I heard it from, and my right hand is already pulling out the dagger from its holster.
A head pokes out of the undergrowth, followed by the body. This wolf is considerably smaller than the last one I saw-perhaps a juvenile. It still hasn't grown the shaggy, black fur that the other one had around its neck, and it lacks the intimidating air the other one held. Most notable of all to me, is its scrawny, sickly appearance-it's just like me.
But even still, I know that this thing can kill me if that's what it decides to do. It might not hold a candle to Maurice, but I still can't compare at all to this wolf. It's bigger than me. It's stronger than me. It's undoubtedly faster than me. I have my dagger, half-scrambled wits, and a whole lot of adrenaline now.
Let's see if it reacts similarly to a mountain lion when I stand up to it. If all goes well, I'll be able to win without a fight.
I get back up on my feet now, and holler at the wolf as I swing my dagger a couple of times. It sadly doesn't work in my favor, as the wolf's response is to growl at me.
We steadily begin to circle each other, each waiting for what the other does.
I have no intention of making the first move. If I do that, then that leaves me completely open to the wolf. It's better to wait for it to attack me and surprise it.
I get my opportunity. But not before the wolf gets a shot at me.
The wolf lunges towards me, claws outstretched. I don't quite manage to react in time. I feel a heavy paw on my chest and hear something crack in my chest before a searing pain courses through me.
I smell the reeking odor coming from the wolf, and feel the shower of saliva as it growls at me. My position is definitely not a pleasant one, but I'll go with it.
"Well," I say to the wolf, gasping in pain. "I can't say that I enjoyed the last year-ish of my life, but it was nice to get out of that cage. However, I'm not happy with just getting out, I need to get back home."
The wolf does not look too happy with what I said, as it responds with a low growl. It rears its head back, and I realize that it's preparing for the killing blow-a bite to the neck. It's time to do or die.
I grab a fistful of dirt in my left hand, and reverse the hold on my borrowed dagger. I tighten that hold to the point that I feel the blood pulsing through each individual finger. I only get one shot at this, so I better make it count.
The wolf lunges its head forward with a snarl, and I somehow react just as quickly. I throw the dirt into its eyes, causing the wolf to stop its attack and yelp in discomfort. And this is when I pull out the reverse card. I close the gap between the two of us, and slash the wolf's neck. I hear the wolf's wail as I take its life. I feel the dagger cut through its path of flesh with little resistance until the blade is once more in view, stained crimson with blood.
It falls from my grasp just as quickly as it went through the wolf, and I stare at my blood-stained right hand in horror. I know I did it to protect my own, but I just took a life. My breathing quickens, and my body trembles with panic. I don't even hear the last, warbled whimpers slip through the wolf's maw, all I can hear is the blood ringing in my ears.
I look at the still wolf, and suddenly, I can't hold it in anymore. I can't keep calm after this. I scream out my horror for all the forest to hear, then sob over the death of the wolf and my simultaneous first kill.
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Eventually, my tears ran dry and my throat course. Yet even then, all I could do was look at the crimson-bladed dagger.
Now that I finally got out of my stupor, I turn my gaze to the wolf, unsurprised by its stillness. By this time, most of the blood that was flowing out like a river has stopped seeping out from the gash I inflicted to it.
Gazing at the corpse, I feel a sudden surge of hunger. I don't want this feeling. I don't want to eat this wolf. But at the same time, leaving it to the crows without eating any seems like a bigger disrespect.
Or it might just be that you want an excuse to dull the shame. I, on the other hand, can't wait to give it a try.
I ignore the traitorous voice in the back of my mind and bring my tongue to the edge of my mouth, where some of the blood landed. Swiping it across the stain, I painfully admit that it tastes delicious. After all the time I spent eating slop, I can't resist now that have the chance to eat meat again.
I reach down, and pick up the dagger once more.
I'm not sure if I'm just desperate for a meal or crazy, but I plunge my dagger back into the wolf-this time piercing its stomach. Now that I've done that, I cut a slit going along the length of the stomach, and begin my feast with the heart.
I remember reading once that predators eat the organs of their prey first because they contain the most nutrients. On the other hand, humans can't safely eat raw meat, so this will probably do as much harm as it might good.
I wish I'd learned how to start a fire so that I could cook the wolf, but I'm afraid Californians only know how to burn entire forests on accident.
Your humor isn't really helping you get over things, you know. Nor is it preventing what happens next.
I take my first bite and resist the urge to puke. The texture of the uncooked heart is revolting, and the taste of blood is overwhelming my mouth.
I continue to eat it, and need to take occasional pauses to give myself a break. Though I wish to stop it, I feel too hungry to put a halt to my voracious appetite.
Sickly enough, it feels too easy to tear the organ apart with each bite, but I have other things to think about. Like imagining that this is actually a medium rare steak.
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
At last, I swallow the final mouthful of heart, and look down at my hands to inspect them for the first time since I started eating. They're dripping with the blood of the wolf I killed.
The last while replays in my mind. Blood-so much of it. On my hands. On my face.
I feel the bile rise up my throat and force myself to swallow it back down. It would be a waste for me to puke out the meal that I just ate.
I somehow bring myself to my feet, and cringe as my hand goes up to my chest. I completely forgot about it after I killed the wolf, but the pain that I felt from when it pinned me is still flaring my nerves. Prodding my chest, I feel that it's towards the right side the most.
The sun has completely set, and all I have to light up the night are the moon and stars. To my relief, however, it seems as though my improved night vision is here to stay, so I won't have much of an issue with visibility.
Just like last night, I need to get as far away from my starting point as possible. While I'm not going to be the thing that attracts the creatures in this forest, it still wouldn't do me any good to hang around the corpse that will. With that in mind, I need to sheathe my dagger after wiping the blood off, and restart my walk to humanity.
But first, I'm pulling a fang out from that wolves mouth.
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
That night I couldn't sleep a wink between my guilt and stomach pains.
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
It's been three-maybe four-days now since the time I left Maurice. In this time, there hasn't been much to tell. I just walk, forage, occasionally hide from a predator, and keep walking.
Why is it taking me so long to get to civilization? I think I'm doing pretty well considering my circumstances. While my pace is nowhere near as fast as I'm used to, I'm still going as long as I can without taking breaks.
On that note, I'm tired as all hell. It turns out that I just can't accustom to sleeping with the knowledge that I'm vulnerable to a bunch of big, hungry predators. Strangely enough though, I haven't seen any of those guys in the last two days.
Anyway, it's been a few hours since the sun rose, and-oh holy mother of god I smell the ocean!
It's still kinda weird to think about-being able to smell water, that is. Because, when you pour a cup of it, there's no particular scent, but when you get near any large body of water, you suddenly smell something rather fresh. Or is it just me?
With the ocean, it smells a little more strong-probably the salt and differing organic matter that washes ashore-but still similar enough. Frankly though, this fragrance is so soothing to me, that I'm suddenly not in some forest I've never even seen before, but approaching a beach back in San Francisco.
I need to get there, right now!
I start to pick up my pace a tad, before trying to break out in my best run. Trying, was the key word in this equation. The pain in my chest, that I thought subsided yesterday, has decided to come back and be a prick now. Alright then, I'll take it more slowly.
I go back to a walk, and sure enough, I can see the edge of the forest. The sea breeze is already hitting my face, and I can taste the salt in it! Oh, how I miss the taste of salt.
I stumble as my foot sinks into the ground a bit, and look down to see sand.
That means I did it. I'm out. I'm still alive.
I'm tired.
I'm starting to fall down.
And now there's a hand on my shoulder.
I look at the person-man I now realize-responsible for preventing my head from meeting the ground, and can't help my perplexity at his appearance.
The first thing I take note of is the sky-blue hair that he has slicked back. More surprising however, are the matching-colored eyebrows. His eyes are a common dark brown, and his facial structure is well-angled. His clothing is rather luxurious for being out here, and befits the actors of a Shakespeare play better. And of course, it would be a damn shame if I failed to notice the bow slung over one of his shoulders.
Oh cool, he also has a fishing rod in the other hand. Guess I interrupted a fishing trip.
Well, if there's someone else here, then I must be pretty close to that bit of civilization. So, I'll just let myself go back to bed and pass out now. This guy can think of a way to get me back to wherever he came from.
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
And cut!
That wraps up the second chapter, and I'm so very happy to have finished it up at last for all of you.
These last three-ish months were rather difficult for me in terms of writing this. Don't get the wrong idea, it's not that I'm losing interest. I would actually say that it's quite the opposite.
I already had an idea of where I wanted the story to go by the time I released the first chapter, but didn't have any of the fine details leading up to the key events planned out.
While it makes things more fun by allowing me to have wiggle room to do things, I'm also going to bet that I'll be staying up a bit trying to piece things together.
I also made something of a fumble in the last chapter that I worried about when I started writing this one. Odds are, I was just overreacting since I can't even remember what the supposed fumble was.
I've spent a fair bit of time looking at a map of Fódlan in order to get a grasp of things, moving forward.
On that note, I already have the beginning of chapter three in the works, so I hope to have it out before the end of next week.
Until then, it has been my pleasure to write this. Thanks again y'all for bearing with me, and I'll be back in your notifications by the end of next week!
-T.I.S.