"Hey, you people...how many did you see die?" I ask behind the bandits.
The bandits turn towards them and I call him out.
"HEY! Don't turn your back on me!" he turns back towards me and grits his teeth.
[What are you doing? Just kill him]
Give me a moment
"W-what?" a voice asks
"Did you see those close to you die? Brutally? Like animals on a farm?" I ask with a stern voice.
"Yes!" a female voice calls out
"Then you shall all be the judge of this court." Would you let these, monsters in human clothing walk around knowing that they've taken your family's lives, and destroyed your history and heritage? Ruined hard work?"
"No!" a voice calls out with the agreement
"They should be hung above the pits of the abyss like the demons they are!"
"Death!"
"All these callings out my answer. Death will be all their punishments!"
[You are getting way too into this...Sounding like some kind of religious executioner in some damn fantasy setting...I see where you are going]
I was a history buff reading about previous wars. How can I ignore actions like this? Besides. I will admit, I do have a bit of a power trip at the moment
"Then, I shall do just that."
I run at the remaining 2 bandits grabbing the wrist of one of them within seconds toss him to the ground. The other guy swings his hammer once at my head which I easily sweep out of the way. I then grab the back of his head and head butt him in the nose knocking him back.
I then take the knife from the guy I threw it into prior.
Pulling it out I then slit their throats quickly.
I stand up straight and take a deep inhalation of air and look around.
I then look at my hands, skin, shirt, and everything mostly blood-soaked. That is not convenient for me. Last thing I want to have other than injuries.
"Y-you..." a female voice calls out, "Who are you?"
[Better give a gooooooooood answer my man. Tell her your God re-incarnated to save them from unjust actions. Or that you are the long-lost child of one of these villagers.]
"I am a traveler from a faraway mountain I descended from recently. I am so sorry this is what you people are going through. If there is anything I can do to help to help you all recover, just ask me."
[Big softie for someone who killed a bunch of people so willingly]
Shut up they don't deserve mercy. But I would admit I did seem to willing to kill these bandits
"They burned and killed many of our people. We don't have much medicine, we already had little food, and now we have killed both our farmers, healers, and fields we use as well as the animals...We have nothing left. We don't have anything left for you to help with. But I have...I have the pendant that might be worth something...Maybe 20 silver pieces..." she says beginning to take it off.
I can't take anything from them. It is just wrong.
[Why would you care?]
Bitch, my father was a fucking trillionaire I could care less about money being a major part of my life. But they need it more than me. But now I have an idea of what they can give me as a reward.
[Huh? Oh...OH! I see, I see. you're such a monster!]
What? What do you mean?
[You're going to take advantage of this girl's hospitality! Use her vulnerable state a-]
Oh shut the hell up I am not going to do that. What I am going to do is ask for a map or directions to a nearby place so I can get information about this place.
"I can't accept you're pendant as a reward. I am sorry." I say calmly.
"Oh, I...I see...Very well if it means my people will be at peace" she says beginning to strip a bit before I stop her.
"No, no! I don't want that either! I just need directions or a map so I can figure out where I am. Also maybe any clothes you guys have available." I say turning away out of respect.
"Oh my gosh, my apologies. Most men want this as a reward"
Wait I can use this. I can ask her where I am or what country I am in.
"Wait do you guys know where I am right now? Since I am from a faraway mountain I don't have a map that indicates where I am. That would be much appreciated.
"We are near the Kingdom of Cilecia. It is likely we're we are going to be going since our farm has been destroyed. This place is now dead We would all likely never want to be here again."
"Kingdom of Celicia? Where is that?"
"It is a part of the continent of Tempura"
"Huh?"
"You...Don't know anything do you?"
"I came from a faraway mountain isolated the entire time," I say in an attempt to quickly explain why
"You look like you're an Easterling. Beyond the Great Jagged Mounts"
"Uh, I don't know what those are."
"Yeah, I am guessing. You must've been walking a long distance. Your clothes were already different from what I have seen. Well, until there was blood all over it. As well as the fact your face looks like that from the East. Although I won't ask about the ey. It would be disrespectful."
I look back down and examine it and yeah I definitely should change. These were also my favorite pants. Very elastic jeans, ruined...
[You killed people and you worrying about jeans...Eh?]
"Anyways, I will do my part to help, but I have to keep going. I need to find some stuff out"
"Oh! Of course! Uhm, how about you...Help with the bodies of our loved ones...I think it will be hard for some to bury our dead. But we want them to be buried never less."
"I understand. I will get a shovel and get started. Once I clean myself up and put something on."
"There is a river about 30 feet over there," she gestures over past me, "it is clear and clean, we use it to drink and bathe in as well. I think I can ask one of our elders if you can borrow some clothing as a reward, as well as a map if we have one left after the fires."
"Thank you, and please, don't feel you owe me anything. I will perfectly take clothes, and a map and that is it." I say bowing respectfully
"Oh, uhm, s-sure...Go ahead and wait by the lake, I will get what you asked for. Thank you!" she says bowing forward quickly and running off in her dirty dress.
"She is so nice. Shame she had to experience all this trauma of violence."
[This is the real world. Violence is always around. Peaceful worlds come from violence.]
"Don't get philosophical with me...I know how that works I used to be a war buff..."
I begin walking towards the river she mentioned and push some of the brush away. When there, the trees open up, showing a gleaming river that is clear, sparking, and also calm but not fully silent either.
Such a beautiful sight near a place of death...Shame they would be leaving it. But still, why are there bandits wielding swords, axes, and armor that looks to be from a fantasy setting...Is this some kind of joke? No...I did a lot of things for it to be considered a joke...Maybe I am in some kind of experiment? Did I just wake up in some kind of simulation? Is VR extreme? I would willingly volunteer to participate in a VR project!
[This isn't VR. I would know. Plus if it was, I likely wouldn't have been able to activate all your implants. So we are still in the present time. But these events are indeed confusing even to me. I am an advanced AI mind and yet I have no data about this place, people, clothing, or region. If I could get us connected to a computer I could figure out where we are]
"Yeah, that would be helpful. Wait, is the capsule count as a computer?"
[Not in a sense of data being connected to the internet or the main frame I could've in the big city. But yes, in a sense it also has a built-in camera and records of its experiences regarding what happened to it. It is a safeguard in case there is data the scientists couldn't observe on their part, the capsule could also collect data and be extracted. So I believe we should return to the capsule and extract that data and figure out how far we might've been sent.]
"Alright, then after this we will head back and retrieve the data and make our move from there. Do you have tracking or something?"
[No, but I can recall patterns in behavior and record them. Meaning I can essentially retrace your steps back to the capsule.]
"Good enough! We got this!" I say confidently
"U-uhm...E-excuse me."
I freeze in place forgetting I was not fully alone as I am roughly 30 feet from the village clearing.
I see the same shoulder-length brown-haired woman, with brown eyes, wearing a cleaner dress that goes below the knees by a foot, showing her feet in new sandals, and her carrying a folded batch of clothes and towels.
"O-oh, thank you so much. Appreciate it." I say recuperating myself.
I walk over to her, reach both hands out under the folded clothes, bow down in thanks, and place them on the ground.
I begin pulling my bloodied shirt off within 2 seconds
*GASP*
I freeze emediantly from the gasp and look at the girl who blushed and covers her mouth staring at me.
"Y-y-your...You're very uhm, healthy..." she squeaks.
"Oh shit, my bad I forgot my manners! I am sorry, I didn't mean to flash you with some inappropriate." I say turning my body around and getting the new shirt she brought
After about 10 seconds of awkward silence, I assume she left quietly. I turn my head a bit behind and see she seems to be standing there still. With a bit of a red face. Her arms are behind her, with her hands likely locking her fingers in.
I notice her shins angled inwards and I think she is nervous.
[I am detecting definite nervous and elevated heart rate. as well as demeanor is similar to that of shy approach that young adults often have in awkward situations.]
In other words, she has an attraction to me...Likely because I took my shirt off very quickly without hesitation, and also my body is now more muscular and defined because of the growth I got from my implants.
[Pretty much. And yes I am judging you very much]
Don't care
"Are you okay? you look like you need to say something."
"I uhm...This village has a pretty strict code regarding nudity and seeing the opposite genders' skin"
"Oh, so you've never seen a males body before"
"Y-yes...I am meant to only see that of the one whom I am wedded to."
"Oh shit! I'm sorry if that made you very uncomfortable. I didn't know of that custom"
"O-oh no, it's fine it...It was just unexpected. It, wasn't an unpleasant sight though." she whisper at the end.
[I know you heard the last part so I won't even say what was said...]
"So uhm...Well, I am glad I didn't offend you at all. Last thing I want to cause more distress for the people that have gone through a lot already."
"T-thank you for your consideration. Also, we will likely be heading out tomorrow moving closer inwards to the closest city maybe 20 miles away. Will be a journey, but I believe we will make it. Would you, like to stay for a bit tonight?" she asks sheepishly at the end.
"Sure! I just will help with the burials and be back in a couple of hours. I got something I need to retrieve. I forgot something a while back over.
"O-oh, I see. Thank you. I don't know how many of my village would be left if you didn't arrive and slay those demons in human skin."
"Nor do I, but let's not think about that. Let's think about the future." I say in an attempt to change the gloomy mood.
She gives me a gentle shy smile and nods. She then turns around and returns to her people.
"We need to finish helping the villagers, get to the capsule, and then get back here tonight.
[Why? Don't tell me you're in love. What, no girl ever-]
"Shut, your goofy ass up." I need to wash and put these on. Don't need your comments in ym head as I do it."
*3 minutes later*
"I should've asked for soap, so all I am doing is getting the visual grime off of me."
[Such a shame. Oh well]
*Sigh*
"I pull myself out of the water and pull the towel from underneath the rest of the clothes and begin drying myself off. I remember so many times as a kid when I had a towel I would reuse for a week, then it vanishes when I did my shower at the end of the day. Basically, my mother would take my towel without notifying me, as a result when taking my shower I assumed it was present. So I had to walk naked and wet throughout the house."
[Sounds like it's your fault]
"I don't know how you got to the conclusion, but okay"
When putting the clothes on they are very reminiscent of clothing before the 1700s from my un-educated viewpoint.
[It is closely similar to that of clothes between 1000-1700's. However, this is not enough to give us information about where. We need more. When we get the map maybe I can figure out where we are.
"Right, let's do this," I say finishing up putting my clothes on.
This feels very different than what I am used to. Feels very lighter, and air goes through it more easily. Kind of makes me feel...Poor somehow.
[I am already loving this country]
I walk back to the village and see people have already gathered the bodies in wrapped cloth, lined up in rows with small dig holes. Likely where they are to be dug. I look around at the people who are scrounging up tents for the night and see the number of people I can at the moment. I count about 27 adults, 17 males, and 10 females, with an additional 8 kids. Altogether there are 38 people left in the village, compared to the 15 dead people.
Very small village. A costly effect on the people no doubt since it is this small.
As the same brown-haired girl is assisting in moving baskets of food into bags I call out to her.
"Hey! I can assist now!"
I call out.
She turns her head towards me and turns to tell the old lady something before getting up.
"Thank you again for helping us," she says bowing politely again.
"Hey, Jarvis, do you have another shovel somewhere?!" she calls out
"Yeah! Give me a moment! another man calls out.
"No worries, I am happy to help. Although, I do wish what I was helping was more joyful and saddening to you people." I say glancing at the rows of covered bodies.
"T-there, there is nothing we can do. All we can do is let the bodies rest on the ground and ascend beyond. Hopefully, their spirits can rest.
"Hey I got a shovel for you!" a light-skinned man with blond hair, and blue eyes runs past me.
"Thank you Jarvis, but I am not the one shoveling, he is."
He turns to me and looks up and down my examining my face primarily.
"Sure thing. Here man, and thank you as well for helping us in our time of need. I don't know how a man of us would die if you didn't come in out of nowhere.