Welcome to chapter 2!
I forgot to put a disclaimer in the prologue, but obviously I do not claim ownership over any aspect of Ankama media or it's property. This is purely a fan-made passion project.
Notes:
1. The narrative for much of the story will be in 3rd person POV.
2. The amnesiac is nonbinary.
Thanks for reading!
The amnesiac stood frozen in place. Their eyes were wide with shock as the creature drew closer. It appeared to be a bright yellow, rotund, and bloated bird sprinting at breakneck speed. It also seemed to be possessed with an indiscernible rage.
Just before impact, they instinctively side-stepped it, letting it speed past them. Spinning around, they braced their arms up in a fighting stance, ready to block it's next move, but the bird was already out of sight.
They looked up and around before peering down curiously and saw, that just a few yards away, a yellow feather was sticking out of the ground. Walking forward slowly to inspect the hole the bird seemed to have fallen into, they paled and sputtered like a moron. The bird had not fallen into a hole, but was instead hanging off the edge of a cliff.
Their arms windmilled in panic as they leaned back to get away from the edge.
"I COULD HAVE WALKED RIGHT OVER THAT!"
The bird hissed and squeaked as best as it could, as it was holding onto a loose root with it's beak. It kicked about desperately.
The amnesiac reached down to hoist it up, but the horrible yellow ball of rage bit their hand in exchange for the rescue. They hissed in pain and watched blood trickle from where the skin broke. The horrible bird hopped away from the cliff's edge and puffed it's chest out at the amnesiac.
This wild animal was dead set on a getting it's fight!
They grunted in frustration and scrambled to grab a stone before throwing it, with an alarming strength they clearly had not expected.
The stone landed smack in the center of the bird's head. It toppled over and stopped moving. Their jaw dropped.
Just then, their stomach rumbled, interrupting the moment of horror, and a thought formed, shamelessly.
I don't know when I last ate, or when I'll next eat.
Their chest ached on the surface at the sad thought. They tilted their head, considering options.
It would be a shame to waste the poor bastard...
The amnesiac had overcome any trepidation regarding the bird's demise (let's be real; they felt none).
Slinging the slain bird across their back, they retraced their steps far enough to get away from the cliff's edge. They carefully walked an invisible path forward, staying parallel to the edge, keeping it in sight. Down below looked like an endless pit of absolute nothingness. They shuddered and tried not to look directly into the void below.
As they walked to the end of the vast field the ground became less soft, with the lusher grasses being left behind. The soil became rockier until some sparse trees had come into sight. They wasted no time in assembling a humble bundle of sticks for kindling, before continuing on. Further into the trees, they found the land here sprawled into a modest forest of birch trees. Finding a large felled log to sit down on, they began plucking the bird. After making a mess of feathers they stood up in contemplation of how to proceed from there.
Maybe I could find a sharp rock or stick to slice it up….
They circled the area a few times and cursed at the bad planning of their situation. Their stomach growled again, this time nauseatingly. A light caught their eye. Something gleamed in the broken light underneath a tree. Upon approaching the source of the shining light, they yelped in joy at the sight of an old dagger laying on the ground. It looked somewhat ornate despite the wear and tear on the blade and handle.
Perhaps it has been mistakenly forgotten, or lost.
This might even indicate that others are nearby!
They considered that last thought with equal amounts of hope and fear. They scooped up the old dagger and gasped at how astonishingly clean it was.
Maybe it's not so old after all?
Foolishly testing the point with their fingertip, it pricked their skin. A single bead of blood escaped like a red dew drop, and the amnesiac's vision blurred.
They clumsily fell into a cross-legged sitting position and braced their hands against their knees as the violent vertigo rushed through their still-sore mind.
With their head once again throbbing, blurry images played behind their eyes. Fragmented memories bubbled forth sporadically as recollection manifested in their mind. The bird, the trees, their strange outfit, and even the style of dagger became familiar.
"Oh, I'm an Iop... that explains everything. I must have done something remarkably stupid to end up like this."
The dagger handle suddenly burned hot, forcing them to drop it. Letting it fall into their lap, they waited for the tidal wave of memories to cease rampage.
"Wow. I must have hit my head or something. Or… maybe this is just a curse?"
The dagger began to cool down, and they cautiously picked it up.
If I didn't know any better, I'd think this dagger just got offended.
"Stupid Iop equipment."
At that statement, the dagger flared back up in their hand, causing them to cry out in pain. They threw it at the nearest tree, lodging it into the wood with the same burst of freak strength as earlier.
"STOP DOING THAT!"
The tree charred around the now red-hot blade and the bark cracked, releasing the dagger to fall back to the ground.
"OK! DAMN!" they shouted, cradling their tender hand. It was the same hand the Tofu had bitten earlier.
Right, it's a wild Tofu. I hate those things.
They stood there for a few minutes, watching as it smoldered slowly into the dry dirt. Their stomach painfully rumbled again, distracting them from their wounded hand.
I really need to use this knife if I want to eat.
They facepalmed and cursed under their breath before placing their hands on their hips.
"Um… sorry?" right away the blade returned to its dull grey iron color, showing that it had cooled off. They sighed, exasperated, and threw their hands up in defeat.
"OKAY! Okay I got it, sorry. No trash-talking Iops!"
They knelt down to pick it back up and were grateful to find that it was indeed cool once again. They quickly got to work on dissecting the Tofu.
The amnesiac sat atop the felled log and ravenously enjoyed their cooked meat. They had even convinced the temperamental blade to light the small campfire. It definitely seemed and odd thing that the blade reacted on it's own, but the Amnesiac was too focused on the meal at hand to properly ponder it.
They leaned back, gnawing at a juicy leg, and stared into the stars. They were beautiful, blanketing the heavens above. The sky was nothing like they'd seen before. At least, nothing they could remember ever seeing. Maybe that was a blessing in disguise;
To see everything for the first time again.
The dagger lay on the ground near their feet. They had made sure to thank it for lighting the fire, but still lay it in parched dirt... just in case it went ballistic again and started a forest fire.
They stared into the flame and felt their eyelids growing heavier as they ate.
I shouldn't be surprised. I walked all day.
The fire rose and flickered. Its tendrils waved into the air and tapered off at the highest point. They felt the cleaned leg bone slip from their hand to the ground as their eyes felt heavier and heavier.
I should... lay down soon...
The fire did something strange then.
It turned around.
Like a head swiveling on a neck, it twisted towards them, and the outline of an ear and jawline formed within that motion, as if the flames were the hair on the back of someone's head.
The sudden movement and shape made the amnesiac jolt awake in terror and rub their eyes. Looking back down at it, the fire seemed normal.
Deciding that it was definitely time to sleep, they shook their head roughly and hopped down to stamp out the fire. It wasn't cold that night, so there was no point in risking an open flame while unconscious. Their boots crushed the embers and kicked dirt into the fire, smothering it. They kept stamping it, but the orange glow persisted.
"Wait, this light is…"
Looking down at their chest, they realized the necklace was the source of light. It was illuminating the surrounding space with a warm glow, something they easily could have not noticed while facing the fire all evening.
They hesitantly reached their fingers up to touch it. The light didn't fade, and in the back of their mind the amnesiac knew it wouldn't stop glowing unless they took the necklace off, but they didn't want to remove it. An inexplicable desire to keep it close and safe overcame their confusion. Frustratingly, anything else about the object continued to escape them.
That was it, though. They were officially too tired to keep thinking. They surrendered to sleep just in time to get comfortable (as much as they could be) in a pile of leaves.
They dreamt that night.
Hope you like it! Get ready for the 3rd chapter! Who will we be meeting next… I wonder?
See you next time!