𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐫𝐭𝐬
𝑺𝒑𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒔
𝗦𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹
[Thought]
Speech
["Oh god why is it so bright."] I think to myself as I wake up putting my arm over my eyes.
["Did I leave the light on? No nope that can't be it I was playing YGGDRASIL and fell asleep in the Dive chair and…then had a dream about YGGDRASIL or something?"]
I am surprised by the absence of the aching in my joints as I stretch my limbs and contrary to the usual sudden loss of all memories of the memories of my dreams they start to slowly trickle something about apples and walking in a forest it was much more peaceful than usual at least.
I start to recall more and more of the dream I remember seeing fish in a lake along with drinking pure water as well as riding through the forest plus that I've been isekai'd.
["Wait what"]
My eyes fly open and I bolt up to be greeted by the Familiar sight of the lake and Forest with the now charred remains of my bonfire at my feet. Argentum is by a patch of grass grazing.
Having fully recollected all of yesterday I started to break into a giggle fit as I couldn't contain my happiness and just rolled around the ground for a while before landing on my back again and just gazing at the blue sky for a while with a smile.
["I should probably come up with a game plan. I only have a few days of food and I took all the apples off that tree."] Contemplating my options I decided that I need to get to a human settlement soon if I don't want to starve in the wild so I should probably head down the road, the dirt seems to be beaten and packed and even had cart tracks in it so should be highly traveld meaning there might be a village or city at the end and then I can get more food there.
The sheer scope of my situation dawns on me as I descend deeper into the deliberation of my problems.
["What would I even do when I get to a settlement I have no proof of identification nor any money to bribe myself in or any money to buy food at all so I'll need that but what would could I do? Maybe work as an adventurer if they have those here or use Argentum as a work animal. Maybe work as a scribe if I can learn their writing but I don't know the language in the first place so how would I even ask for anything maybe I can mime? Maybe I can get a local and we can teach each other the words for our languages."]
After a while of unintentionally filling myself with existential dread, a nice relaxing ride through the woods would help my nerves I saddle up on Argentum and pick up on the trail.
I was soon proven correct as my mood soon became that of the peaceful forest and even began to sing some half remember song about a cavalryman that my grandpa used to sing along to maybe if civilization doesn't work out I can just live with my Silver steed in the wild just enjoying nature, that doesn't sound all too bad actually, definitely better than working 14 hours a day just to afford a decaying 100 square foot apartment.
If you really think about it my living situation right now is probably better than even some mega-corp CEO's in a few ways like I get to have as many apples as I want as long as I can find another one of those trees and can go traveling as much as I want which only the 0.01 percent could do nowadays ever since acid storms made flight a nonviable option.
["My life here is pretty awesome FUCK Earth I'd rather die than live there!"]
As I imagined how green with envy those CEOs would be If they knew what I get to experience I start to laugh to myself which is quickly halted as I hear some shouting up ahead behind a bend in the road and I get off of Argentum to better sneak up and peek around the corner and see two rather skittish looking draft horses tied to a felled tree blocking a carriage with brown cloth covering the frame for the roof and walls.
Just in front of the cart, I see a group of men wearing mismatched sets of dingy armor and arms surrounding Two terrified-looking men backed into a cliff face they were wearing rather fine-looking attire without any discolored patch sewn on the cloth so.
"WA-WAIT we are from wealthy families y-you can ransom us Th-THEY will pay you to keep us alive please PLEASE it-it will be worth your while!" One of the men seemed to be trying to negotiate with the men who seemed to be very amused at his pleading.
I could feel my heart pounding in my chest as I watched a man beg for his life I wasn't new to seeing people helpless and out of options begging having to humiliate myself in that way many times but it was always about asking for time off so you could see a family member one last time on their death bed or needing more overtime to pay the bills but never had he seen such fear in someone's eyes as I had this man.
["I-I need to get away from here and fast I can outrun them on Argentum and besides their families are rich and they can just pay for their safe return."] I thought to myself preparing to bolt to my mount and ride like the wind away from here until I saw one of the bandits laugh and slowly walk towards him.
"PLEASE WAIT please I BEG you Please Please WAIT WAIT I-I-i I HAVE A SON BACK HOME PLEASE! HE NEEDS ME!" Tears were streaming down his face and my thoughts turned to anyway I could help him ["Maybe if I get Argentum I can grab him and go but then Id have to leave the other one behind but I can't fight them off they have swords and spears and are armored I have a big knife I've never been in a fight before I'm not skilled at fight- wait Skills! I'm in my avatar so maybe I can use them! Ok I get on my horse get there and fight them off with …"]
Horror filled my mind as I realized I never gained any combat skills having spent most of my time sightseeing and dying and trying to re-level only gaining skills that would let me travel more on horseback and frantically tried to think of anything until I saw the thug unsheathe his blade as he started to taunt his soon to be victim.
I threw caution to the wind and went for my dagger as I felt the adrenaline course through my veins and prepared my desperate suicidal charge but just before I got to lift my foot off the ground a voice boomed from somewhere in the forest.
"BOYS! What did I tell you about bad manners!" I couldn't see who shouted at them but from the tone of the voice, I could only imagine a Father scolding his sons for misbehavior which was Ill-matched by the thundering footfalls and clanking of metal but from the fear I could see on the faces of the men it was anything but good.
The man whose face wore only moments before a sadistic smile now had fear written all over it and the man whirled around to face the newcomer
"Bos-s I can-" he tried to get out but was silenced by another round of shouting which made him drop his weapon.
"I DONT WANT TO HEAR IT" came from the woods and soon emerged a towering figure taller than any I had seen before wearing full plate mail dark as night with violet hues shifting around it and hair just as dark stomped towards him and with only a few strides was already in front of him dwarfing the man in size his whole form cast in shadow.
The giant stood there with an expression of pure rage as he stared seemingly deep into the soul of the cowering form in front of him
"I will deal with you later" he let out in a growl which should only have been able to come from some great horrid beast and shoved him out of the way sending him sprawling to the floor and made his way to the two men who seemed to be paralyzed by fear and upon reaching the pair who he seemed to be twice the size compared two took a knee like a mother consoling her child.
"I am so sorry for the way my boys have treated you stranger I assure you I will teach him to behave once we're done here." The titan who was rage and hate incarnate seemed to have vanished and what was left behind was a parent profusely apologizing for the misdeed of their child.
The duo was stunned at this drastic and sudden change of attitude and were left speechless the Goliath only gave them a warm smile in return.
"I heard your from a wealthy family and have a son, would you please tell me more?" The plated man asked.
Springing on this opportunity the man who seemed to be the leader of the two immediately answered with a flurry of words "I am Cith Etous Tenet from the Pyra Merchant family and my nephew here is from a branch of mine my family will offer you many gold coins if you rans-" but was stopped by the kneeling giant with a laugh.
"No no not that Mister Tenet I meant your son." he said with amusement and seemingly genuine curiosity.
"OH ah, my apologies umm… Sir knight? My son is named Lucian and just turned 8 this spring he knows how to read and write and I hope to leave my business to him."
"And may I know why he is not with you?" Asked the unnamed man.
Cith was even more confused by this but decided it was best to answer him "Well he is rather sickly and frail so I have left him in the care of my maids while I took-"
The merchant was cut off by mid-sentence by his questioner "Good that means he will be cared for him so you have no reason to worry."
Cith was just about to ask what he meant but suddenly his vision spun around once coming to a stop on the Giant's face.
The Titan let go of the head he was now holding and let it join the corpse ground both oozing out copious amounts of blood and spinal fluid pooling together in a murky light red substance while the mountain of metal turned to the other man he had to take care of.
"NO NO NO PLEA-" he tried to beg but was cut off by The mountain of metal grabbing him by the throat with a grip of iron and lifting him into the air as it stared with eyes devoid of any emotion or life into his own.
"I hope you know this isn't personal" coldly and lifeless came from the thing as it started to slowly squeeze.
The merchant clawed at the plated limb which only broke his nails any frantic swings of his legs missed by a fair margin.
The clawing and kicking slowed and his vision grew darker and darker with the only thing he could make out being those lifeless pearls until a flash of white entered his vision and suddenly he could breathe and was on the ground gasping for air.
He turned to see why he was spared only to see his would-be executioner bewildered on the ground with a silver horse and white mane where he stood and upon it rode a beautiful angel who must have been sent by the great four to guide him to heaven.
His savior turned to him offering her hand and surprisingly un-angle like screeched "GETONGETONGETONTHEFUCKINGHORSEFUCKINGGO" and grabbed him by his collar and with a surprising strength of arm yanked him up and placed him behind her and heard another barrage of Shrill screams but could make out "HOLD ON" and barely caught himself by grabbing onto her as he felt himself be pulled back and the forest on both his sides became a blur and felt a great gust of wind push against him as he held on for dear life as the mount began a mad dash for safety and leaped over the fallen tree and was soon racing down the trail away from the rising colossus.