"Hey you there ! What are you doing here ? It's dangerous around here, there are a couple of greater wolves and a greater boar in this forest. Nobody is allowed this deep inside except me and the herbalist."
Oh my ! Someone ! A human ! I think ? Let's check quickly : fair skin, dark hair, dark beard, rounded ears... Yup, human. A lumberjack, I think. The axe is a pretty good hint. The wide shoulders and crossed shirt too. And I'm noticing something weird. This guy and I are the same height. I don't remember being a particulary tall person and yet I'm looking straight into the eyes of someone who usually is twice the size of the protagonist in a fantasy world. Huh. Well, I can't be sure until I meet more people.
"Hey, why aren't you answering ?"
Oh that's right I didn't answer. Ah yes, it's because I can't. Mute. Wait, I have an idea ! Let's quickly craft some wooden signs in my inventory and... Yes ! This way, I'll be able to communicate !
(MUTE)
"Huh ? You're mute ?"
Yes, it works ! Since I understand what he is saying I assumed that my brain automatically translated whatever he was saying but now, I'm sure I'll be able to communicate.
"Listen, you're not supposed to be here. This place can be dangerous. Look, I'll bring you back to the village. I don't know how you bypassed everyone there but, again, nobody enters the Merrywoods without an official autorisation."
Oooh, he's showing me what I assume is a proof that you can roam in the forest. Some kind of tree shaped pin with a shield in the middle. You know what ? I'm gonna follow this guy. He's going to show the nearest village and let me tell you, after spending more than a week in the wild, going back to civilization is very tempting. The wolves ? I warned them that I would be gone for a while before taking my walk. So eh, let's go.
"I mean no offense but uh... Those are not the kind of clothes that you see every day. Where did you get them ? No one told me anything about a masked man with a leather cloak going anywhere near the village."
(MADE|SELF)
"You made them ? Wow, you're pretty skilled. Sure, they look gloomy, but I'm sure the village folks would like some new leather aprons and the such. Do you plan on staying for a while ? We have a few empty houses."
(MAYBE)
Eh, I like this guy. Sure, he seems weirded out by the way I look - but who wouldn't - and yet he's still friendly. He's also offering me a job AND a home. Definitely liking him.
"By the way, my name's Jack."
...
"I've been through this so many times that I don't need to see your face or hear your voice to know what you're thinking. Yes, I come from an old family of lumberjacks and yes, my father had an horrible sense of humor. And what's your name, stranger ?"
(BELFAS|MORTIMER)
"Sounds fitting."
I'm going to take this as a compliment and nothing else.
Ah, I can already see the difference between the depths of the forest and its boundaries. The grass is greener, there's more space between the trees - in other words, this seems more like the starting area than the depths of the forest. Everything is so peaceful...
Oh, here's the village ! A dozen or so of wooden houses with no particular disposition, no road except the one leading from the forest's entrance to what I assume must be a crossroad somewhere beyond the horizon. What's interesting is that each house - at least the ones that seem inhabited - is unique, probably because it is both the living space and the work place of every villager. For example, I can guess which one is Jack's easily : it is both a house and a sawmill. There's also a shop, a library, a church of some kind, a townhall, and... Is that a ?
"Jack, back already ? And who's the creepy guy ?"
You're not any better, mister scarred-old-man-with-a-hook. Nice hook by the way.
"Buck, here's Belfas Mortimer. I found him walking around in the forest. Mister Mortimer, this is Buck McWolf, our local representative of the Adventurers' Guild."
Yup, this is a classic Adventurers' Guild Outpost. An absolute must have in an isekai story.
"IN THE FOREST ? BOY, ARE YOU MAD ? Sure, the Merrywoods have a nice name and it's far from being the most dangerous place on the continent but still, there are a few greater beasts in there ! And even worse..."
"Worse ?"
(WORSE|?)
"Listen, I just got the news... Apparently, some guys at Mossheart saw a lifethief."
"WHAT ? WE MUST TELL EVERYONE IMMEDIATLY !"
"Already did. No one, not even you, is allowed in the forest until that thing's dead."
(EXCUSE|ME|WHY|?)
"Why are you using signs ? What are ye boy ? Mute ?"
(YES)
"Ah, sorry. But why are we so scared of that lifethief ? Hasn't anyone ever told you about them ? These things steal the life force of any living being they encouter and they have a knack for luring kids with hypnotic lullabies. Don't be fooled by their choice of prey, they are very capable fighters. You need at least a Bronze Rank adventurer to get rid of it. Even at my prime I would have had trouble killing an old one on my own. Even if this one is still young, it's still dangerous for civilians and unprepared warriors."
"Mister Mortimer, we'll have to deal with you later. For now Buck and I need to prepare a few things. Roam around the village if you wish but try not to disturb anyone or to get into more trouble."
Ok, thank you Jack. That Buck guy is really interesting, being a retired adventurer, and very informative. Thanks to him, I know that greater beasts are already quiet notable threats to the average person - making my victory against the boar a greater achievement than it already was - and that the lifethief was apparently even worse than I thought. Good thing that it was blind to the undead. And as for why I didn't tell them about its death, it's because it would bring unwanted attention. Think about it : masked creepy guy appears out of nowhere, kills powerful monster, and decides to stick around without any reason ? Definitely fishy.
Ah, here I am, the library ! I think. Let's ask the nice ginger lady.
"O-oh ! H-hello there ! I d-don't think I know you, mister... ?"
(BELFAS|MORTIMER|MUTE)
"You're mute ? I must say, these little signs are a really clever way to overcome communication issues. But aren't they impractical ? And it must be a bore to get someone to make them."
(MADE|SELF)
"Really ? We haven't had any wood worker at the village for a while now. Which is surprising since we're right next to the forest. People nowadays only want to live in big stone cities like the capital, small towns and villages are slowly doing..."
That's... Very sad actually. There's no problem in the fact that society and technology evolve but there's no reason why it should negatively impact nature or small communities along the way. This is a fantasy world, why can't they live alongside nature ? What's a fantasy world without its small villages ? This makes me want to accept Jack's offer even more.
(MIGHT|STAY)
"Really ? It would be so nice having a new face around here ! About that... Why are you wearing a mask ?"
Oh oh. Think Belfas, think.
(DISFIGURED|HORRIBLE|FACE)
"Oooh, you shouldn't be so pessimistic ! You know-"
(LIBRARY|?)
"Ah yes, my house also serves as the local library. Feel free to come in and read for a while. I just have a few errands to run and I'll be right back. My name's Livra by the way."
Goodbye Livra ! Now, onto the books.