Gore warning for this chapter.
Fred reached up his hand gripping the edge of the ditch. With not too much effort he pulled himself out of the ditch and onto the dirt road. Before doing anything he looked at the water of the ditch to see what he looked like.. He was a gruff looking man with blond unkempt hair and a large beard tied into four separate braids, he had deep blue eyes and a pale face. ~Huh. I didn't look like this before.~ After examining his face he next examined the surroundings around him. The surroundings were alien. There were metal doors with large levers next to the door instead of door knobs. And metal roofs, the shingles of which had to be at least an inch thick. Otherwise the houses were made from dark wood. ~How do wooden houses hold up such heavy roofs?~ Fred looked at the roofs with curiosity.
"Maybe they have extra sturdy wood in this world?" Fred paused for a moment. "Nope. No exposition. I guess this isn't some weird Isekai. Story world that the gods use for their entertainment." ~Aww man no main character powers for me.~ Fred shrugged. He felt a slight ache in his stomach. ~I'm hungry. I should go find some food.~ Fred walked through what he assumed to be a city. ~Weird that I can't see any people around. It's a sunny morning. You would expect at least a few people to be out and about. But there's nobody. It's empty.~
*Clink clink clink* Fred heard a clicking sound behind him. Moving towards him. ~Is that another person?~
"HEY! WHY ARE YOU NOT AT MORNING TRAINING!" Snapped a harsh voice from behind Fred. Fred turned his head in the direction of the voice, behind him was a tall and muscular man who had a smooth face and chocolate brown skin.
"What do you mean training?" Said Fred his lip curling in confusion. The man's expression slowly morphed into a snarl of disgust.
"So drunk that you forgot reality. Disgusting." The man spat in Fred's direction.
"Why does everyone keep calling me a drunk! I've never drank in my life!" Screamed Fred having reached the end of his patience's.
"AND YOU EVEN HAVE THE GALL TO LIE ABOUT IT! SCUMBAG!" He pulled a dagger from his belt and cut his forearm many times with it.
"AHHH! AHHHH! AHHH! FUCK!"
Until blood was flowing down his arm. "NOT ONLY THAT! You assaulted a guard" He threw the dagger at Fred's feet. ~But… I didn't attack anyone. He just randomly cut himself. This man is insane.~ "Well, pick it up. Fight me you damn drunkard!" He beat his fist into his chest. Fred's brows furrowed, ~Why is this guy suddenly calling me a drunkard and trying to fight me? This situation. Is beyond outrageous.~
"No. I'm not going to fight some random guy just because he asks me to." Fred said. ~Duelling must just be a pass time in this world, a way to initiate social interaction. That's the only way something like this could make sense. Hopefully once he knows I'm not interested he'll leave me alone.~ Existing from a place of complete ignorance. Assumptions will be made based on convenience. The guard nodded.
"Okay then." Fred gave him a smile in return. ~Alright time to go find out what this city is about.~ He turned around exposing his back.The next thing he saw was mud. Black and covering his vision. There was a pressure on his back and head
"Retard. Do you think that anyone would just leave you alone just because you said you didn't want to fight?!?!?! You drunkards are insane." Snapped the guard as he increased the pressure on Fred's head. Fred pushed his arms against the ground. But try as he might he was not able to push himself off the ground the strength of the guard was too great. All the sudden, all resistance vanished. Fred pushed himself up resting on his hands. Then another pressure appeared on his stomach. Fred closed his throat preventing vomit, as a boot slammed into his stomach so hard he went shooting into the air. The man hopped forward and caught him by the beard mid air. He chucked him towards the ditch, causing him to roll on the ground. "Scumbag." Said the guard, as he leaped over to Fred and grabbed him by the beard.
He pulled him towards the ditch. Fred swatted at the hand Gripping his beard. The guard spun Fred around and front kicked him in the stomach. "BLEUGH" Vomit spilled out of Fred's mouth, getting stuck in his beard and spilling over the guard's hand.
"EW!" The guard let go of Fred as he began to shake the vomit off his hand. Fred paused for a moment, freezing in decision. I have to run now. I won't get a second chance. Fred spun on his feet and dashed away from the guard.
"COME BACK HERE YOU DAMN DRUNKARD!" Fred heard in the distance as he ran. ~The guard should be slower than me with all his armour. I just have to lose him.~ On that logic, Fred chose to turn a corner on the street. Ducking out of the guards view. Fred heard some overly loud conversation as he ran.
"Man that session was tough" Said one voice.
"I know right, My legs feel sore from all that-" Two people were walking down the road in front of Fred. One was a man of average height with blond hair and brown eyes. The other was a woman that was almost Ten inches taller than Fred, Who had steely grey eyes and an ever present smirk. ~I'll just dash by them. I don't have time to stop and engage.~
Fred zipped by them not at all hindered by their presence. Or at least that's how he wanted it to go. Instead the tall woman's foot darted out, tripping Fred. Causing him to land right on his hands. His palms and wrist were burning as the woman stood above Fred.
"There's nothing wrong with a bit of drinking. But to get to that level of excesses Is the same as singing the song of sin." She stabbed her boot into Fred's ribcage, knocking the wind out of him.
"HAAAA. HAAAAA. HAAAAA." Fred was on the ground gasping and unable to move.
*Clink* Clink* *Clink* The guard walked into the alleyway. "Thank you good samaritans, For stopping this scum." He said, swinging his right arm in a larger motion, in order to call attention to his injured forearm. They both gave him exaggerated salutes. Arching their back so much that it looked like they might fall over.
"No problem buster." Said the man of average height. The guard didn't respond as he shooed the citizens away. *Clink* *Clink* *Clink* The guard squatted down in front of Fred.
"Look me in the eyes." Fred acquiesced. ~Maybe he can give me a painless death if I
do what he says.~ Fred lifted his head to look the guard in the eyes. A fist slammed right into his nose causing it to cave in on itself.
~!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I don't want to die.~ HIs mind contracted into one focus. Life. Fred scrambled on the ground trying to go anywhere, where the guard wasn't. A hand held his leg in place. As the guard stayed squatted there looking At Fred as he squirmed, The guard grinned. He slapped Fred across the face from behind. "I'll let you live. If you can outrun me for the next hour." Said the guard. Fred's face scrunched up and tears appeared in his eyes.
"Why do you want to kill me? I've done nothing to you." A fist barreled into
Fred's shoulder fracturing it.
"NO ONE CARES ABOUT WHAT YOU THINK! DRUNK!" He let go of Fred's
leg allowing him to scrabble away again. ~Run. I have to run.~
Fred dashed back out onto the main road. Which was now filled with people. All of which had some kind of weapon on them. The crowds parted for Fred. A he ran the guard hot on his tail. ~He's as fast as me when he's wearing armour~ Fred was gasping for breath like he had been drowning for a hundreds years due to sprinting and getting the wind knocked out of him.
~I need to find a place to hide. I can't outlast him.~ Fred turned down the nearest back alley that he saw. The guard was still right behind him. He dashed down the narrow confines of the alley, eyes frantically searching for a way to lose the guard. Then he saw it. An alley so small that Fred himself could barely fit through it. ~I'll go down there.~ He dashed through the alley, immediately saw another turn and took it. He kept this up for another few minutes, turning in a bevy of different directions.
. .
Fred collapsed on the ground. Gasping for air. He had lost the guard in the
alleyway and now stood outside an abandoned building. Or at least he assumed it was abandoned, it certainly didn't look very taken care of. After heaving for air for a good five minutes.
Fred stood up and limped over to the door of the building. He had cut his bare foot on broken glass as he ran. This building was made from stacked up stones held together by some weird moss. The door was just a cloth but despite this it looked quite large and had many windows.
Fred walked in. ~Hopefully I've lost the guard and can just hide in here for the rest of the hour.~ Fred looked around the room. He saw a dark oak chair. There was a chandelier that seemed to be made from some kind of bone above it in the centre of the house.
The walls were covered in paintings of a group of elephants and a group of pigs dancing in a meadow. Each painting showed the same image but the weather was different for each of them. Fred did a double take when he saw the chair. There was a small slip of paper on it. Fred walked over and grabbed the piece of paper. On it there was a sentence written.
SUPRISE MOTHERFUCKER!
The next thing he heard was the sound of shattering glass. A fist was nailed into the back of Fred's head. His face slammed right into the chair. Burning pain engulfing his forehead.
"It's over bitch! I found you!" Fred flipped end over end and fell until he was on
his back.
Before him was a man with chocolate brown skin and a smooth face. He bore his teeth at Fred.
Fear like Fred had never experienced before ran through him. Giving him the heatless sensation of needing to pee in his veins.
He was going to die. There was no doubt about that. But as with every human when faced with almost inevitable death. Something in his mind began to shatter.
It started with the sound of a boot compacting snow. Then the panting of an overworked animal. Finally the river-like sound of blood running through Fred's veins.
~IF I die. I'm taking as much of this bitch with me!~
"AHHHHHHHHH!" Fred jumped to his feet, picking up the oak chair from the
ground. And swinging it at the guard.
The guard leaped back the chair meeting nothing but air.
Then the guard leaped back in, giving Fred a light stab with his blade. Just enough to draw blood. He didn't notice the pain. He swung the chair again.
The guard drove his fist into the chair, splintering the wood into pieces. A boot slammed into Fred's stomach, Knocking him into the ground.
He was on the ground now and the guard had a sword, it was the end. Fred had given it his all. And the guard had not even broken a sweat. The fear came back. A wet spot appeared on Fred's pants.
"You drunks are like animals." The guard slammed his boot right into Fred's
holy jewels.
"All you know how to do is piss and shit and fornicate. Doesn't even matter if they say yes does it? YOU FUCKING RAPIST!" He kicked so hard that Fred's pelvis was shattered and his bladder burst.
Urine spilling under his skin causing him to adapt a sickly yellow colour. The guard raised his sword into the air. Fred tried to move but the pain had spread stiffening his muscles.
Everything flickered in front of Fred. The girl he once loved, the kind man who raised him. The dog he used to have that had died young. Every failure. Every happy memory.
"I might see you again. Ruffles." Stupid last words for a stupid end. The sword
came down and cleaved Fred in two. Soaking the shattered fragments of the chair in blood.