Chapter 5: The Wilderness
A stomach full of warm food, an annoying headache, and a perfectly fine angel. "Forgot I was a light-weight" Alexiye said, sitting up from his bed, looking over and checking the angel, examining her and also prodding her just in case she was a trick. The Angel's face scrunched up and appeared annoyed. Didn't give her too long of an inquisitive look before he got decked with a face full of feathers. With a wing to the gut, a light scratch was all transgressions done unto him. "OOOpphh!" he doubled over on himself, "Yep. . . still the one I carried. . ." He reeled from the impact, still feeling its effect on himself.
Oddly, he felt a wet spot on his clothes which stung as he touched it. He pulled his fingers back as he checked the liquid on his fingertips. A smear of crimson and the smell of iron is what greeted him, as he curiously tried to identify what was happening to him. "Blood. . This fucker drew blood." he agitatedly scowled, "Whyyy I oughta–! " he sighed and steadied himself, "Nope, it's fine. It's fine! She has proven her innocence." he said aloud, preventing himself from performing an assault against an Angel.
In no uncertain terms, he readied himself for the journey ahead of him. He had forgotten that he packed branded band-aids in his med kit, slightly embarrassed at the DisneyTM Mickey Mouse band-aid covering the cut the angel gave him. Not that it was visible with his backpack in front of it and being shrouded by his cloak. At least food was dealt with, it saved him precious time. With the sunrise he rose, and at the crisp hours of the morning, he left with the angel secured to his back.
He passed the vendors who were now just starting to get their stalls back open. The Streets were clear and he finally felt like he could breathe, or at least more openly breathe. There was an odd coin on the floor here and there. He knew better than to stop and pick up a silver on the road. Muggers and pickpockets used such distractions to rob people blind. He didn't need any man to know of his precious cargo.
Alexiye looked up at the gate and sighed, slightly shaking his head, "Well, I'm at least glad I have no 'Frills' with this task. It would become difficult if I had to deal with others." he uttered, standing in a queue of Adventurers and Mercenaries waiting for the Gates to open when the Sun broke through the cloud layer. The idle wait was a tad bit boorish. Parties mingled about, conversations were had and rumors were being murmured.
He leaned against a post near the gate, a little ways away from the crowd, observing silently. It was a long wait as more and more adventurers started to gather. Small parties of rather young-looking adventurers gathering to go out and fulfill the requests they each individually acquired at the guild. He can't help but smirk as he remembers those days. "It really was a long time ago when I went through my Adventuring Guild phase. Abandoned the way of the sellsword to be a decent-enough person." he reminisced, "Oh how naive and reckless I was. Risking my life for maybe a few silvers at most before realizing being paid in gold for the assassination of people was much less risky and much more profitable" he said.
Before he could relish into the days he followed a different path, the gates opened as the Guards began to work the mechanisms. Great chains moved, the reinforcement and the Giant wooden Gate itself opened the way. People organized into their parties to make a smooth transition outside of the gate. Alexiye joined in the congregation as the Sniper lowered his hood and got his identification papers out. It was like clockwork for the most part. Probably the only thing that slowed the outflow of people was just Alexiye as he was but a singular man and he had to be verified by other means.
Once again, he was back out into the wilderness. Moving in a northeastern direction, he went off the path and made his way through the woods, consulting his map for the next location to go to. He needed to cut through terrain as much as he could, scaling mountains, fording rivers, even braving the enchanted forests if he must so that he could reach the coastline faster. "Along the coast in the general direction of that 'Zipengu' place or whatever the fuck it's called." he said
"If I'm lucky, I might be able to find some really brave and stupid souls to go on such a perilous journey as the one to travel to the Mist Continent." he put away the map, "How am I going to get to Zipengu in the first-uwaAH! -" Alexiye screamed on his way to eat the dirt. He was nearly crushed by the weight of the angel behind him. He was lucky he only got the wind knocked out of him.
He flailed to his side, desperately trying to teach himself how to breathe again. He hit his side with his fist, forcing more air out. Unconventional, but it worked as he started coughing. He laid there for a while, slowly breathing and catching his breath. He elbowed the Mattress attached to his back almost like a jab to the angel to make her aware he was referring to her, "I ain't getting paid enough for this crap" he started, now sitting up, "I'm getting rid of you the second they offer it, you hear me!" he said, annoyed.
Picking himself back up, he gazed at his surroundings, collecting more leaves, twigs, branches and the like so he can rebuild his ghillie suit, since he destroyed it so he can better enter the city without attracting attention. He looked around himself before somewhat brushing himself off from such rotten luck. He pulled out his compass and started moving Northeast, towards a town he was somewhat familiar with. In the past it was nothing more than a merchant port city with goods and trades from the mainland bound for Zipengu.
He looked back for a tiny bit "Fuck! " he said, "That's what I was forgetting! I felt like I was forgetting something." he anguished, "Oh well, next town. I'll do it next town." he reassured himself, taking out a pad of paper and a well-used pencil. Scribbling down 'Mana Potion' and pulling a tab on the note case. He set it aside and continued on his way, having no time to delay his journey. Though he looked towards the sky, seeing the phantom apparition of his past. He smirked at it as he visualized it. A crudely carved, wooden mock-up of a venerable aircraft.
"What I'd do to have that right now. Might've made this mission an easy task. Fly there and back." He said, "Well. . . It might also be worthwhile to stop in that small smithing town, hope I can find my old tools in good-enough condition to make another one." he added. He smirked at the thought. Returning to the skies, he could be a bit more free again. "That would be nice, don't ya think?" he addressed the angel, nearly tripping and falling again.
"Okay, okay Ms Karma. I shall keep my eyes on the ground and surroundings and not the sky" he snickered out. He sighed, composing himself once again. The dark undergrowth clung to him even as he was at full height. He held loosely to his rifle's sling as he walked along, not expecting a fight per-se, but knowing that any wilderness can be dangerous. Periodically checking his compass to make sure he wouldn't end up turned around.
The vibrant noises and life in the Forest was always comforting to him, seeing squirrels skitter around, birds happily dancing in the leaves and branches overhead. Hearing the melody of nature soothed him, especially as he had nothing to occupy his mind with. His transgressions with the chief god and by extension this angel he carried, it seemed like the burden on his mind had been lifted.
Eventually, he heard noises that were not of the harmony of the forest approaching his direction. Quickly he brought his rifle to a low-ready and slunk down a bit lower, still heading in his northeastern-ly route. As he more cautiously walked, he heard voices get closer, and easier to hear. Though he could not immediately tell what these people were saying, there were two voices, a male and a female one. Wanting to avoid confrontation, he decided to pick up the pace and flee to the next mountain range he'd have to brave through to get to the coast.
'We're far enough away from the city to encounter multiple different threats. Time to tighten up my guard and pick up the pace' he thought to himself, having gotten away from the voices. He stood upright and began to jog through the forest, being careful of his footing and now peering wearily at the woods. Despite nothing having audibly changed, he has now perceived the forest as concealment for a greater threat he has yet to see.
Just as quickly as he passed by trees, snapped twigs, and crossed wild streams, so too did the day pass by with equal swiftness. Soon, he found himself looking back at the sky to see Dusk. "Well, it's gonna get really dark out here soon. . It's winter so that sun isn't gonna be up for long." he reminded himself, scanning his surroundings as he ran, looking for a clear-enough area, "I don't need to sacrifice my comfortability for concealment. A good rest is not to be underestimated."
He immediately stubs his toe on a root he did not see. He tumbles to the ground holding on to his foot as he rolls on the ground, " FUUUUUUUUUUUUCK! FUUUUUCK! OWW, SHIT, CRAP! SON OF A BITCH! " he swore aloud for the whole forest to hear. He seethed in his pain and rubbed his boot, trying to soothe his toe within. The pain ached and finally started to numb. He crawled up to the tree whose root hurt him, "I no longer wanna walk, this will do." he said, pressing the angel into the tree as he leaned back into her. Taking out some jerky and beginning to eat.
"What did I do to deserve this rotten luck?" Alexiye couldn't help asking, "Is someone casting a hex upon me? Was it the commanders of the Order whose men I killed all those years ago?" he weakly pondered. He kept rubbing his boot, holding his knees to his chest. "This is total bullshit. I wanna go home." he thought for a second, "nah nevermind, I want a new home. My old home has probably become the newest den for the Hellhounds. . . I shouldn't have said that, they probably have a few of those after me right now, huh."
He leaned his head against the mattress and sighed, "I dunno if I can sleep with this knowledge floating around in my head, but I must. . ." he said, staring up towards the ever-umbering sky. "You will owe me more than you could've ever paid me in gold. . 'Chief God'. . If you are, as they say, I know you are watching. You will have a debt to pay in due time." he said, "and no matter what, I will come to collect what I'm due." he said, and with that vow, he closes his eyes, lulling himself to sleep. Resting so that he may continue further towards the mountains. Hopefully to the coast, and then to Zipengu.
Hello people! It is me again. I am having the struggles of an ADHD writer and will need to go on a Month-Long Hiatus. . as well as adjust the expected Deadlines for my two stories I have on-going at the current moment. Between the fact I have to fight myself to write what I want to and need to write and the fact that I also have outside factors like seasonal depression and other commitments, I have had little time to really write a whole lot. Admittedly, the ADHD part has been a consistent struggle and a nuance that I've been trying to personally combat in all of the various ways I can. The more personal stuff however has been the other half of my writing problems. I will return on the 15th and 20th of April with new Chapters, I cannot go on Hiatus for Too long. But that's some updates since I last uploaded a chapter.
So, with the more personal update said, Alexiye is gonna have a lot of different things from his past catch up with him soon. He will face some struggles and mayhaps have to fight a rather dangerous foe that may be after the seeds of his pants. We shall see what I can research and throw at him. Surely 7.62 Soviet can stop it. . . After he shoots it enough. . . But for me, it is bed time, It's nearly 4 AM and I am really tired from pulling basically an all-nighter. I hope you guys enjoyed the new Chapter. I will be uploading Chapter 6 April 20th. Have a good timezone people, rest easy, and vodka be with ya.
Sincerely, Soryuz