Entering the house, the only two story residence in the small village, Artoria and I found ourselves in a main living space. I let out a whistle. It was a nice residence for a hamlet. Though its proximity to the capital is probably part of what brought such wealth to this village.
Or this is a video game and therefore, the domiciles of the characters within it are not constrained by the socioeconomic pressures of a nation state and are only bound by the whims of the developer. I remind myself, as a woman steps out of another room to look at us.
"Ah, welcome travelers… You look tired. Would you like some water?" The woman asks us. I look at Artoria, who nods emphatically. I return my attention to the woman.
"Sure… thank you." I answer, as I take a seat at the table. The woman enters the kitchen and comes back with cups and a pitcher of water. She fills the cups and passes us the cups. I take a sip of my water. Surprisingly, it tasted and felt like water. This simulation game was pretty on the mark. Artoria meanwhile seemed a little less impressed. Though, she probably was less familiar with video games and the likes as I was.
"I'm sorry I can't offer you more than water, young mister and miss." The woman states, bowing her head apologetically. I cock my head and wave away the apology.
"Er… don't sweat it." I reply.
"My daughter has unfortunately fallen ill and all the treatments have failed. The only other potential cure is derived from the ovule of a Little Nepenthes, but they are dangerous and they only very rarely bloom, so I have not been able to acquire the ovule." The woman explains. As she does so, I find Artoria leaning forward and nodding sympathetically. Seems she wanted to help the woman. I scratch my chin, then lean forward and pat the woman's hand. Doing so however caused a warning to flash up in front of me, telling me not to touch the NPCs and I quickly withdrew my hand. I look at Artoria who is looking away to hide an amused smile.
"Don't worry, miss. We'll hunt down that plant for you." I answer her. She lights up, smiling.
"Oh, really? Thank you… I'd be willing to offer you my family's ancestral blade if you found an ovule. The plants are in a forest to the west of here." The woman replies gratefully.
I nod and look at Artoria, her rather pitiful dagger at her hip. A sword would be a good upgrade for her, and with Klein and his friends, we had ample manpower to handle this quest. I look back at the woman.
"Of course. You have nothing to worry about. We'll get that ovule as soon as possible." I reassert with a firm nod. The woman smiles and sighs with relief. I stand up, looking at Artoria. I chug my water and place the cup back on the table and wait for Artoria, who drinks her water at a more measured pace. The woman gets up and heads upstairs.
"Come on. Let's go." I say to Artoria as I head for the door. She finishes her water quickly and follows behind me. Stepping out of the house, I don't see Klein or the others, so I walk over to the center of town and sit on a bench to wait. Quietly, Artoria sits beside me.
"Definitely never thought I'd see you again." I say softly. Artoria looks at me when I speak and softly nods.
"I felt the same. Facing Cernunnos still scares me. I mean, I'm just some worthless fae girl. I don't have the looks, wealth, or power to be saving the day." Artoria replies, smiling softly. Yet the smile is only painful to watch. A forced smile.
I guess her self-image has improved any…
I sigh and shake my head.
"I disagree. You're a good girl. The time traveling with you was the shining light in that miserable Lostbelt and you held your own. Even when you were scared or angry. I think that's what defines a hero really. Doing the right thing in spite of being scared stiff or being blind with rage." I respond, staring up at the night sky. I pat her on the back. "You did all the right things. So… don't be angry. I'll be angry at the world for putting you in that position. I'll be angry on your behalf." I add. Artoria looks up at the sky with me.
"Thanks… Maybe I would have had less holdups if I had grown up with someone like you." She speaks softly. I smile softly at her comment and sigh. The sky was foreign. I recognized none of the constellations. If there even were constellations. Yet, it was peaceful here. If we weren't trapped here, perhaps this would be a nice vacation.
"It's a nice night sky, honestly. I guess even in a fake world, the night sky can look gorgeous." I comment after a moment of silence. Artoria nods.
"It is." She responds simply, and the moment dies down to silence once more. I sigh and begin to let my mind wonder, but Artoria interrupts my thoughts. "I can't help but love the night sky. The stars…" She says suddenly.
"Hm?" I look at her, surprised by the sudden comment. But she isn't looking at me, she is still staring up at the night sky.
"In my dreams, they were always nightmares or… visions of Artoria Pendragon… or hauntings of my duties as the Avalon le Fae. But always, no matter what, there was a star to guide me. I felt like… as long as that star still shone, I could keep going." She explains softly, her voice trembling faintly with heavy emotions. I nod and smile.
"It's the little things that allow us to press on I think. I mean, Goredolf and Mash are my reasons to even still try, and a desire to not die of course. Maybe that last part is cowardice but…" I begin to explain, but Klein and Kunimittz emerge from the houses they had entered almost at the same time and spot us, walking over.
"Sorry for the hold up! I had no luck getting us a place to stay, man. The NPC just repeats themself after so many lines." Klein bows his head apologetically. I nod and look at Kunimittz, who shakes his head.
"No luck on my end either. Same story." He explains.
"Well damn. That definitely puts us in a bind if the others have equally poor luck." I reply. Klein and Kunimittz nod. I look over as Dale emerges from a house and walks over.
"Any luck?" I ask Dale but he shakes his head.
"Nope, lots of regurgitated subjects and lines after a time." He answers my question as Klein nods.
"Same experience here." Klein inserts.
"Not looking good for us." Kunimittz comments. Myself, Klein and Dale nod.
Moments later, Harry One and Issin emerge, their houses being adjacent to each other, they walk over while talking among each other. Issin looks at me when they reach us.
"No luck on mine or Harry's end." He reports. Klein lets out a groan.
"I'm thinking we may end up camping out." Klein states despondently.
"Not the worst that can happen. We'll make do." I reassure. Klein just sighs. I look over as Dynamm emerges from a house a few minutes later. He walks over with a frown.
"No luck?" I ask him and he shakes his head in response. I sigh. "Well, that's a pain in the ass. I had no luck either. Though, I did receive a quest from a woman. The reward is a blade, probably a sword. I'm thinking that would be good for Artoria here, who blew her money on a hat." I report, with Artoria turning red with anger and embarrassment.
"It's a nice hat! I wasn't expecting a death game! Besides! I've never had a lot of money so I'm not used to spending it!" Artoria retorts indignantly as Klein, Dale, Harry and I laugh. I stand up and help Artoria up.
"Well, I'm thinking we knock out that quest tonight, then we can camp just off the road on the other side of the village." I say, positing the idea to the others. Artoria nods and once Klein nods, the others nod along.
"That sounds good. Late night though." Klein replies. I nod.
"Strike while the iron is hot, I say. It will also allow everyone to get some basic combat experience." I explain.
And a victory will help raise morale. I think to myself as the others nod.
"The quest is to the west of here. We have to get the ovule of a Little Nepenes or whatever it's called. Some sort of plant. She said it was dangerous so I'm guessing it's either poisonous or a floral monster of some sort." I brief them as I begin walking due west.
As we pass out of the village, I can make out the forest maybe half a kilometer away.
"So, I've already explained the basics to Klein but since you all are also new, then allow me to explain. When fighting, make sure to keep your weight low. It keeps you balanced. Do this by spreading your legs apart a bit. Not too wide or you will not be able to move, but having your legs apart will increase your balance. The other thing is that when swinging, you swing with the wrist doing the leg work. When using both hands, the right hand is only guiding, the left hand does the heavy lifting." I explain the basics of fighting, the barebones of what I know, to the group as we approach the forest.
"Are you a beta tester?" Dale asks.
"Huh? Beta tester? No. I just have some kendo experience and may have been in a scuffle or two." I reply. "I'm no expert, but if I can offer some basic starting pointers, I feel that's better than nothing." I add. Dale and Issin nod, accepting the answer.
"So, where are you from, Kaze… can I call you Kaze?" Klein asks after a moment.
"Sure, Kaze is fine." I reply first to his second question. "Where I'm from? Ibaraki Prefecture originally, but I grew up in Mihama in Fukui." I continue, reflecting on my hometown caused some odd feelings. It had been almost 2 years since I had last been there. What would my parents think of me now?
"Mihama? Ibaraki? I figured maybe you were originally from out of country." Klein replies with surprise.
"Really? Why do you say that?" I ask in response, looking over my shoulder at him.
"Well, you have blue eyes." Klein explains simply.
"Haha! I guess I do. Yes, my mother was from London. She came to Japan on business and met my dad." I reply, explaining. "So I'm only half-Japanese by blood. But I was born and raised here, so if you want a tour of Soho or Kensington, you'll have someone else." I add with a chuckle.
"That explains it." Klein comments with a nod. Kunimittz steps up alongside me, looking at me.
"How old are you anyhow? You carry yourself a lot older than you look." He asks me after a moment. I look at him, a bit surprised at the question.
"I'm 17." I answer simply. Kunimittz raises an eyebrow in surprise.
"Really? You're only 17? Damn, I figured you just looked young for your age, but no." He responds, nodding. Thankfully, he doesn't probe deeper. It would be hard to explain my past in more depth.
"What… do you do for work, Klein?" Artoria asks, seeming to sense my slight discomfort.
"Huh? Me?" Klein points at himself, caught off guard to suddenly be the center of attention. "Ah… I work in an office building. I'm in operations for a company that runs and builds software for digital archives for other businesses." Klein explains. Artoria just stares at him sort of vacantly.
"O-oh." Artoria replies mildly.
"I know, not the most exciting job." Klein states, scratching his head and chuckling softly.
"Oh, please! I meant no offense. I just… don't get all… that stuff." Artoria explains, her voice growing weaker. Klein laughs at her response, which just makes her blush in embarrassment. I silently thank her for changing the topic. Her sacrifice would be remembered.
"What about you, Artoria?" Harry One asks. Artoria jumps and stammers.
"I-I'm er… I'm… I'm unemployed." Artoria responds, her last word coming out as barely more than a whisper. I snort in amusement, earning me a glare from her.
"Oh… my apologies. I didn't mean to cause any offense or embarrassment." Harry One replies, bowing his head apologetically. Issin laughs.
"Don't go bullying poor girls, Harry!" Issin interjects, laughing. Harry stammers and looks at Issin.
"I-I wasn't bullying her! I was just joining the conversation!" Harry defends himself, causing Dynamm, Issin, and Klein to laugh.
The conversation dies off, slowing to a murmur and then falling silent as we reach the edge of the forest. I halt and look at the others.
"Alright. So, try to keep the conversation to a minimum and keep the volume down. Visibility is reduced due to it being nighttime. Keep close together, watch each other's backs. Your job is to protect the people next to you. Do that and everyone will be protecting each other and we'll be safe. Keep your eyes and ears peeled. We don't know what we'll encounter in here, and I'm making sure your tombstone gets labeled 'NOOB' if you die this early on." I brief the party, making sure to add a joke, albeit a dark one, at the end to cut the tension. There is a hushed murmur of chuckles.
Hopefully that made them feel a little better. I think to myself as I face the forest, taking point. How the tables have turned. From being in the rear to being the point man. Are you proud of me yet, Scathach? I continue to think to myself as I step into the forest. The rustle of the leaves from the wind sounded and felt real. The sound of the footsteps of my party disturbing the forest floor added to the subtle noises, yet no one spoke, leading to an eerie tension. I draw my sword just in case, and I hear subtle rasps as the others do the same.
Despite the palpable tension, part of me felt calm, even comfortable. This felt normal. It was like a singularity or lostbelt. As I pass trees, I look around them, checking for threats as well as any Little Nepenthes.
Is it bad that I feel more comfortable here than in an idyllic setting? That can't be healthy. I think to myself.
Suddenly, there is a crash and the sound of rustling and snapping and I spin around to face the sound, sword ready.
"Shit! Sorry! I tripped." Dale says, flat on his ass, his features clouded by the dark. I breathe a sigh of relief, as do the others. Issin walks over and helps Dale up.
" Keep an eye out for pitfalls!" I whisper intensely, mostly as a warning to everyone. Dale bows his head politely.
" My bad, Kaze." He replies. I turn back to face the front and continue moving.
Slowly, the heightened tension from Dale's fall cools off. As I round a tree, my gaze falls on two wolves sniffing around a small clearing. As I step forward, they raise their heads to look at me with red eyes. They snarl and growl.
"Shit, we got some wolves. Everyone up front." I whisper out as the others rush up alongside me. I step into the clearing, and one wolf howls, leading to the other wolf howling as well. The rest of my party joins me in the clearing, forming a semi circle around the wolves. The first wolf charges at Artoria, who prepares to defend with her dagger, but Klein steps forward, slashing at the wolf from one side. Artoria rushes up and stabs the wolf from the other side and it falls and is defeated. The other wolf meanwhile had charged around to my right, charging Kunimittz and Dynamm. It lunges at Dynamm, who flinches and stumbles back.
"Oh shit!" Dynamm shouts, but the attack had left the wolf open, and Kunimittz takes advantage, bringing his blade down on the wolf's neck, killing it in a single strike. Artoria and Kunimittz take a moment to figure out looting before realizing it is auto-loot and chuckling softly to themselves. Meanwhile the others sigh in relief. I clap as Harry One, Kunimittz, and Issin clap softly.
"Well, score a kill for Kunimittz and Artoria. You two are now on the leaderboards." I compliment them, smiling.
"Leaderboards? You already got kills?" Dynamm asks.
"Yeah. Two wolves and seven boars for me and one wolf and four boars for Klein." I reply, smirking at Dynamm.
"Well, I won't let myself be left behind. Next one is on me." Issin speaks up, grinning confidently.
"Go ahead. Shishou looks forward to your progress." I respond.
"Shishou? Not even sensei? Going full master on us?" Klein asks, laughing. I laugh along and assess the area to confirm there are no other threats.
Leading from the front is exhausting. I don't envy my servants anymore. That's for damn sure. I think to myself as I run down a checklist of things to look for in the darkness.
"We ready to press on?" I ask once I have confirmed that no threats remain.
"I'm ready." Artoria confirms. Kunimittz nods. Klein looks at me.
"Looks like we're set." Klein answers back.
"Awesome." I clap my hands together and leave the clearing with my party in tow. With a victory, albeit small, under the belt of the group, the tension was less palpable, and spirits were high.
"Gotta say, overhanging threat of death aside, this isn't a bad game." Issin remarks, barely above a whisper. Kunimittz snorts.
"Except it's a death game, so I'm definitely docking points for that." Kunimittz responds, eliciting quiet chuckles from Dynamm, Dale, and Harry One.
"I did say 'overhanging threat of death aside' after all…" Issin answers back, amused.
"Oh yeah, I mean, the nerve damage and pain aside, getting burned isn't so bad." Kunimittz quips, grinning and looking back at Issin. I chuckle. The banter reminded me of the Irish servants. With a bit of surprise, I realize that I'm actually enjoying myself, smiling softly. Artoria looks up at me in the dark.
" You look happy. You didn't smile too often in Britain." She whispers, quietly enough that the others couldn't hear. My face gets warm with embarrassment, no doubt blushing.
" Well, there's less tension here, and it feels more familiar than a stifling city." I answer back quietly. " What about you? How are you feeling?" I ask. Artoria responds with a frown, looking off into the forest, silent.
Guess that was a sensitive point to bring up right now. She's not good with her own feelings. I remind myself, looking back forward. I look around another couple trees and then over my shoulder to confirm the rest of the party is alright. I then return my attention to the front once I confirm the rest of the group is safe and together.
" I don't know, honestly. This is a different land. Frankly, I don't know how to feel. My entire life was one with a singular purpose. Now, I'm just here. Not as the Child of Prophecy, but just… Artoria Caster. It's kind of scary but also a relief… I really don't know. My heart hurts thinking about it…" Artoria breaks the silence after a long while, clutching her chest softly to emphasize as her eyes stray to the ground. I look at her and smile softly. I pat her on the back reassuringly and she looks up at me, staring. She smiles faintly.
" But… it's good that you're here. I know that much for sure." Artoria adds. She nods to emphasize and affirm her statement. I can't help but smile more.
" Well, you do own me, don't you?" I reply, recalling our first time in Salisbury. Artoria sputters, her mouth opening and closing like a fish, no doubt red as a tomato.
"R-right! What? No! That… that doesn apply anymore! Don't bring that back up!" She stammers out, stumbling over her words, talking loud enough for the others who look on in amusement at the sudden outburst. Distracted, she trips over a root and faceplants in the dirt, her hat fluttering to the ground sadly beside her. I bust out laughing, Klein and the others join me in laughing.
"You okay down there?" I ask her between laughs as Artoria gets back to her feet, picking her hat up.
"Ah! You're so infuriating!" She shouts, pushing me, as the others laugh more. "I should have stayed back in town!" She grumbles as I laugh.
"What was that about?" Klein asks as his laughter finally dies down.
"He's an asshole." Artoria replies.
"She's an idiot." I reply in the same moment. Klein laughs as Artoria shouts in frustration and turns forward to continue walking. I laugh and rush forward to resume the lead. Artoria simmers in silence as the rest of the party's laughter slowly dies off back the quiet murmur of conversation.
I let out a yawn, my eyes watering. As I look forward through the blur of the moisture in my eyes, I spot what looks like a giant pitcher plant moving through the forest. Its healthbar labeled it as a "Little Nepenthes."
"Oh, we got a winner." I say plainly, wiping my eyes as the others walk up alongside me, looking at the plant. The plant, apparently having heard us, turns to face us. I scowl at the humanoid mouth on the pitcher plant.
"Oh dear god, it's hideous. Let's kill it just for that." I comment. The damn thing really was too ugly for even a mother to love. The rest of the party watch the plant cautiously.
"Alright. Klein and I will take the front. Kunimittz and Dynamm come up the right to attack its left flank while Artoria and Issin move up the left to take its right flank. Dale and Harry, wait in reserve and if you see an opening, take it." I issue a quick set of orders as I observe the plant. It had two appendages, so two flanking groups should help with taking the thing down. The party nods, acknowledging the orders as they watch the Nepenthe.
"Attack!" I shout and charge forward. Klein rushes forward with me as the others move around the sides. The plant's pitcher puffs up as we charge.
"Shit, it's gonna do something!" I dodge aside, as Klein does the same in the other direction. Out of the plant's mouth flies a spray that soon misses us. I quickly resume my charge, with Klein only a step behind me. One of the appendages swings at Klein but is blocked by Kunimittz as Dynamm lands a strike on the Nepenthe's side. Its other appendage swings at Artoria, who is protected by Isshin as she takes a stab at the Nepenthe. With both appendages occupied, Klein comes in, using one of the new sword skills we found while fighting boars, using a horizontal arcing swing while I chase his swing with a slanting slash sword skill. The Nepenthe goes down.
Unfortunately, upon death, no ovule appeared in my inventory. I sigh.
"No luck on this one. Guess we need to keep hunting." I state, disappointedly.
"Better luck next time." Kunimittz states. "At least they are easy to handle in a party. Though I could see them being a danger to a loner."
"Aye. Lots of moving parts, and the thing is big." Issin remarks.
"Shall we press on then?" Klein asks, looking at me. I nod and continue moving. The others fall in behind me.
As we walk, keeping an eye out for Nepenthes, we stumble into another clearing. As we enter deeper into the clearing, Harry One calls out.
"Hey! What's that?" He asks, pointing off to the right. I look over and see a glint on the ground, and maybe four meters from the glint, another glint. I approach the glimmering object. Klein, Artoria, and Kunimittz follow behind be, while the rest trail a little farther behind. As I approach, the object becomes apparent. A sword lies on the ground. Looking over, the other object is another sword.
"Swords…" Artoria remarks softly, looking at the weapons.
"Don't think the plants use swords." Harry One remarks.
"My guess is they were players. Looking at it, this sword is closer into the clearing, so maybe the other tried to flee?" I think out loud while the others look at me in surprise.
"You think someone died?" Kunimittz asks. I respond with a nod.
"Two people if there's two swords, then." Issin adds as I pick up the sword, looking it over. It was indeed a sword similar to what a large number of players back in the starting town had. The other sword looked like it wasn't much different. I nod, handing Artoria the sword.
"It's safe to say that two players died here." I conclude as Artoria takes the sword and equips it. The rest of the group frowns and looks down, their spirits falling. Spirits had been high, with two victories behind us, but this was a cold, hard reminder that we were in a death game.
"Maybe they just dropped their swords?" Harry One remarks hopefully. I shake my head.
"As much as I'd love that to be true, they likely weren't fighting humanoids. Swords aren't some cumbersome item that slows you down. The only reason to drop one is if the opponent will show mercy to a disarmed opponent." I explain, with my explanation causing Harry's shoulders to sag.
It happens. People die. The fact is we are in a death game. Best get used to the dying sooner than later. It's better for your own survival chances. I mentally scold Harry.
"Well, better them than us, I guess." Dynamm remarks with a frown, trying to find a silver lining in the tragedy.
"Who knows. Kaze said one of them may have tried to flee. What if they abandoned their comrade?" Issin interjects.
"You think someone would be such an ass?" Dale asks. I look at Dale.
"People have been assholes for less. Killed for less too. It's definitely a possibility." I remark cynically, earning a round of dispirited frowns. I sigh.
"Let this be a lesson of what happens if you don't properly support your fellow party members. Die alone or survive together." I give a brief lecture, then look at Artoria. "How's the sword?"
"It works. Beats a dagger, certainly." She replies. I nod and then look at the group.
"Well, let's keep going. Nothing we can do here." I state, shrugging off the heavy atmosphere. The others look at me and slowly nod, dispirited but willing to continue. I look everyone over, then scan the clearing and freeze.
"Well, this is a bit of a bind…" Klein remarks as we see that three Nepenthes have entered the clearing during our conversation.