Chapter 18: Departure
I awaken from the dream again. However, it feels..odd. I'm not in my room inside the Inn. The ground feel grassy and i the breeze brushes against my hair, my cheek, and my face. I slowly open my eyes to be greeted by a large stone gate. With clumps of rocks on top of the gate arranged to look like some kind of humanoid creature. Behind the gate is a shore. I look behind me and see a large scenery of hills, walls, a couple of ruins and a cave. Where the actual fuck am I...Etris looks a little different today.
As i look around, i notice that I'm still in the Whaler uniform. This is very bad if anyone sees me. They'll think I'm from Knives of Eylis. Though the uniform is drippy. Then it hit me..what if I did really wake up and this isn't a dream after all...I'll try to use the power of the Gale to confirm whether or not I'm still in the dream or not. One deep breath, hold, ingest the power in the air. And release. Sure enough, I'm able to execute my Gale Lunge. Either this is a hyper-realistic dream, or I'm really awake. Pinching doesn't work, i tried it and im still not in the Etris Inn.
This place is quite peaceful actually. I walk around the place and find a flight of stairs with pillars over to the corner. Looks to be old, like it's been here for..couple hundred years? I still don't know what this place it or if im actually awake or not. That's when I come across some people chilling at a campfire. A trio, two of which are wearing brown clothing and one in a white vest. I pause to whether or not i should talk to them. Whats the worst that could happen? "Yo, 'scuse me. What island is this?" ll three turn around to look at me. They scan their eyes up and down, the two in the brown start smirking, and the one in white looks at me puzzled. "You're in the driftlands, my friend. Erisia, the island where your path begins!" Says the one in white. He seems to be well informed like he has experience. "By the way, you're clothes. How much were they?"
"I dunno man, i kinda just got them when i woke up"
"What about your boots? What size are you?"
"Uh, about size 8."
"Ahh, same size as mine huh."
Oh fuck...Im boutta be rolled for my shit, aren't i. Survival instincts and combat knowledge kick in and i ready my hands. i keep them open and free just in case. "Hey, who are you-" Before i could finish my sentence, one of the ones wearing brown lash out at me with a wide swing from my left. But he's too slow, a quick parry to deal with that and a short combo takes him out with ease. The next one come at me and tries an overhead swing with his mace. I knew that i didn't have enough experience parrying those types of attacks so i dodge the incoming blow with a quickstep to the right and deliver a one-two Chris Brown on the mf. Then there was the white one. He just stood there, watching, observing. Something about his presence told me that he knows what he's doing. As he takes out his battle axe, adrenaline surges through my body. This is the first time i've felt real danger before. But i know i can pull through. I'll just have to whip out the secret technique. It's said this technique is passed through a legendary bloodline. I was lucky enough to see it in action in an alleyway mugging back in Etris. They call this move. 'The Secret Joestar Move, running the fuck away'
Chapter 19: Erisia
I wake up to the schooner bumping into the shores of an island. Finally, in here. Erisia, the Driftlands. According to Mattheus, this place should be crawling with critters and wacky people trying to kill me. Yet the scenery seems very peaceful. The waves crash against the shoreline with the wild breeze creating an atmosphere many would dream of feeling. However, I'm not here to admire the Erisian weather, I've gotta find that guy's brother. I wonder if he's still having a sook now. I still acknowledge his infinite supply of tears.
The peace was disrupted by the sounds of combat. From afar, it sounds like there are two parties fighting each other. I walk a little closer to listen, backing up against a wall. One party is using something like a club, or something blunt. The other is using bladed weapons. I want to see what's happening but I don't have any weapon to defend myself with. I have a plan. I'll just mug whoever loses.
"Boo" I swing my head around to find two men dressed in brown unsheathing their weapons, there's also someone else dressed in white behind them who looks like he's assessing them. These are bandits! "Aye, looks like this ones got fresh boots. Looks to be my size too!" One of them says, getting right up in my face. I have no weapon on me, so I'll have to resort to bullshitery. A swift kick on the guy's balls is more than enough to make him drop his sword. It probably wasn't necessary and could've just run away, but this is funnier. I picked up his sword and ready for combat. Though I know the probability of me dying right here is high, I'll take a gamble.
Chapter 20: To Fight, Sanguine
Adrenaline rushes into my veins as tensions thicken. The bandit swings his mace from the top of his head and slams it onto me. However, I'm HIM and I parry it to deliver a slash across his stomach. The other guy gets back up again and goes in for a spear tackle, yet his face is left unguarded so I kneed him as he was running towards me. Left standing there, he covers his nose as blood drips from his hands and face. Just because he got a bit of blood. on my white shirt, I kicked his balls again.
Then there was one. The one standing menacingly in the back. Something tells me that this guy knows what he's doing. The muscles in my leg keep telling me to run away and my instincts tell the same, but i think i may be able to manage. He doesn't seem too much stronger than Mattheus anyway, possibly even weaker. If i can use the surroundings in any way just like on the boat last night, I'll be able to pull it off. My eyes scan the area, they spot a barrel, a lot of sand, a campfire, two bodies, and a mace. As i scanned my surroundings, i noticed that the fighting from before had stopped. It must've been recently because they would've heard the ruckus i was making and would've come to check it out unless they're pricks and got on with their day. No matter, if they won't come then I'll solo.
Grabbing the mace from the floor in my left hand, I get ready once again for combat. This guy looks like a bandit captain since he's a white one, or at least someone stronger than the brown ones. Pause. (I, the author, am not a racist. I meant the clothing is white and brown, not the skin. Thank you)
He charges at me with his sword in his hand. A little slower than Mattheus. I parried his attack from the right with my sword and swung the mace at him from the left, managing to land a hit, but only grazed him a little. He's coming at me again but reaction time clutches again and I'm ready to parry his attack. But he didn't connect. It was a feint attack from the right to my left. I was only able to dodge it just in time, avoiding a fatal wound but i still got a little cut on my left arm. This time, i go in for an attack and damage his posture a little, hitting his block. In response, I winded up my next attack but he saw through me and dodged it which left me open. But i learn from my mistakes and dodge it just in time. I feel my agility has potential. If I had the right equipment, I could draw it out. That's when I remembered I had ankle weights. Now, this may be a dumb move, but I'm going to take more chances. "Sorry, gimme a minute," I ask politely. Even though he's a bandit, everyone deserves politeness. Except for the people at the Isle of Virgins. "Yo, dude. What're you putting them on for? Isn't it gonna slow you down?" He says.
"Watch me trot."
With the ankle weights on, I feel a lot slower but it could be what saves me. I just have this hunch that it'll do something. Something wild