I wandered for hours before anything truly interesting happened. Of course there was a beast here and a monster there. But they were taken care of with petty ease. My level up has done wonders to my skill.
I twirled my arms this way and that. Shifted them this way and that and it was like I was some sort of olympic athlete. There was enough power and speed to rival the best of humanity, and dexterity enough to follow along the insane and downright crazy stunts that I had wanted to do, instinctually that was.
But it was here and now, as I kicked the ground and aimed my rifle at the newest arrival. They held themselves in an arrogant way. A sword held taut in their hands along with a retinue of about twelve that followed them.
Between them there were three different types of weapons. A shield made of some strange bones, a sword made of steel and a spear made of steel.
I looked at my own rifle and back at theirs.
'Truly interesting. They have what I would call medieval weapons while I have something that wouldn't be invented until the early 1930's? Yes, something around that time.'
I stayed quiet despite the raging thoughts in my mind. Watching as they navigated through the trees, around the beasts who blocked their way.
They rose and fell in formations. One of them stayed back and yelled orders. Whether that was to fall back, or to rise and attack. Or even just to split and flank. There was such a variety of orders that it was a wonder why any of them even got hurt.
But I guess that's life, each of their movements were precise with a fear about them that just couldn't be faked. I could tell that they were novices.
'I could?'
Yes, I could. Even if it was just a tiny part of my mind. I really could tell that they were just that, novices. But…
'How… how could I?'
Even as I jumped from root to root, from branch to branch. Tailing them.
That thought just wouldn't go away.
But eventually they were stopped. One of their members, a girl with bright blue hair - I was not sure how she was able to change her appearance such - hunched down and placed a finger over her lip.
She looked to one of the others and he followed her direction.
'Was I wrong?'
Was he not the leader and she instead? But no, that wasn't right. It was more like the man deferred to her insight rather than anything else.
"What is it?" he asked. His voice was quiet, however the forest was even quieter and allowed his words to travel much farther than he ever intended.
"There was something else here. Two people, one of them fought and the other seemed to lure it around and…" She trailed off gathering some metal within her hand.
"A gun"
"A gun…? Really?!"
He was alarmed. And it was now that I realized where we were. Only a mere hundred or so feet away from the grave I had made.
"It looks like…" She examined the ground once more. "Whoever had the gun won-"
"That's obvious, is it not." The man interrupted.
"No." She deadpanned. "It is not. No matter how real this feels you have to remember that this is a game. That doesn't mean that technology is always going to win over skill."
"I guess." The man sheepishly admitted.
"Good, still its quite surprising."
"What is."
"It's like he dragged his opponent somewhere else afterwards. Over there."
She pointed towards where I had buried the knight. And started to head over there.
I did not want them to desecrate the grave I had made, and judging by the greed in their expressions… yeah I would not put that past them.
///
It had been… hours… minutes since we had arrived in this landscape. Drawn to it by the beats of our hearts. No, that wasn't quite right. I looked towards the girl to my right. Her hair draped down her back in curly waves and her outfit was a facsimile of witches. With the pointy hat too.
Where she had obtained that… I could not tell.
I was merely recruited on this duty. She had been the lead, the leader, the commander. Whatever she wanted us to call her. It was unclear from that impassive face of hers. All I knew was that I needed to follow her orders and lead my merry band of cowards through this miraculously found dungeon.
"Are you really sure…?" I asked once more. Despite the thoughts and promises I had given to myself - stay out of her way - I could not help myself.
"Yes." She reached her hand out, a dainty finger that held onto a brass clipping.
"It really is." I whispered. It really was a bullet casing but this… this was unprecedented. This game was supposed to be - I looked at the sword I held at my side - a medieval one, not… not a futuristic one.
I had seen no sign of such technology, not in this world at least.
"It leads here."
She stood from her crouch and approached another section of the forest. It was hidden within giant bouts of roots. Crumbled between their openings was a small little stone. With writing that looked oh' so similar to english in fact…
I tried to get closer and read it. Only to be stopped by an arm.
"Don't." She commanded and I followed her orders.
"Thank you." It was not her voice. Not one that I recognized either.
I looked forward and found myself staring at a half veiled face. But what I could see was beautiful eyes frosted over by the cold winter this forest reigned. But even the voice… It was so precise.
As if he had tuned his voice to individual pitches and chose them with an intelligent mind, all to convey - deeper than what I could find - a certain emotion.
"You're… welcome…" I hesitantly voiced. But he didn't even look at me, instead his gaze loomed over the women. She too did not let her gaze leave the man.