(Continuing from last chapter...)
"Dude... these trees... hah... look so much like the trees from back home." Clyde said, clearly having trouble breathing, as he walked with Lloyd over to where I am.
"But, something's a bit off about them though." Clyde said while feeling up the bark of the tree.
"Hm? What do you mean?"
"It's something I can't really explain... But it just feels off."
The trees resembled oak trees, but these ones had leaves of a deeper shade of green. And yes, Clyde's right... There is something off about the trees. It feels like they're actually alive or something.
I take a quick look behind the tree and into the forest.
Holy shit, it's dark in there... I thought as I stare in a mix of wonder and a bit of fear.
"Hey Alex, why'd you call us here?" Lloyd asked while also looking in the forest.
"Uhh... nothing? Haha, I just wanted y'all come here."
"... Dickhead."
"Anyways, let's head inside the forest. I wanna see what things this world has." I said before abruptly walking into the forest.
"Huh? Hell no. You really wanna go in there?!" Clyde said in fear. "What if you contract some sort of otherworldly disease or you get attacked by something while you're in there?!"
"Oh come on, it can't be that bad. Don't be such a pussy." I said confidently.
Though... I have to admit, I am a bit scared...
"What about you, Lloyd?"
"Of course I'm coming."
Of course he is.
"See, Lloyd's coming so you'll be the only be left out here."
...
"Ugh... Fuck you, Alex." Clyde said before reluctantly following us. "Don't go haunting me if you two get killed."
"Don't worry, we'll all die together."
"Just shut up already!"
...
Whoa... This forest looks like ours from back home... But here, it's more vibrant. The plants, the wildlife, the trees, those orcs.
...
Wait, orcs?
"Shit get down!" I whispered, as I grabbed them both and cautiously hid in the bushes.
"What the fuck are those things?" Lloyd asked.
"Those are orcs!.." Clyde answered. "And also, holy shit. I was right. We were isekai'd..." Clyde added.
"Seriously? That's what your thinking right now?"
"Well, I'm sorry for being-"
"La'ok fur gir'ub. (Look for grubs.)" One of the orcs spoke in pig-like snorts, interrupting Clyde and also surprising us.
Holy shit, t-they can speak too?.. This world is so fascinating yet scary at the same time...
We watched from the shrubs as they communicated with each other.
"Hu'er tu ta'ik gi'rub? (Where to take grubs?)" The smaller orc asked as it looked around the area.
"De're. (There.)" The big orc said as it pointed at a rotting tree. "De'ud t'erii ha'hb gi'rub. (Dead trees have grubs.)"
"Uh.. y'all have any idea what they're talking about?.." Lloyd asked.
"Nope."
"Me neither."
"Well, let's just wait 'til they're done talking and then we'll start movin-"
Suddenly, the bigger orc grunted at the other and then sniffed the air multiple times...
"What's it doing?.. wait don't tell me..."
"Hyu'man is'mel, de're. (I smell humans there.)" It said before pointing at the bush we were hiding in.
"Oh shit."
...
"Faina'li, Hyu'man! Nu ra'nin, Hu'i hu'ant tu to'k! (Finally, Humans! Don't run, we want to talk!)" It said before smiling? Too bad we found it as scary though.
"Run." I said as I started running first.
"Hu'a... Hu'er hyu'man go'in? (Wha... Where are you all going?)" The bigger orc asked.
"DAMN IT! RUN, CLYDE, RUN!" Lloyd ran after me.
"FUCK YOU ORC!!! AAAHHH!!" Clyde said as he started running like a girl.
We three started running for our lives,not knowing the two orcs weren't even chasing us.
...
"Haa... haa... Did we lose them?.." I asked, trying to catch my breath after running.
"Yeah... hah... I think we did..." Lloyd responded with a relieved sigh.
"Cough... hukh... shit... I haven't ran like that in ages..." Clyde commented.
"You okay?"
"Yeah... cough... I'm good..."
...
I look around our new surroundings and the first thing I thought?
Beautiful.
This forest was beautiful. It was nothing like the last one we were in earlier. A forest filled with trees that were either birch-like, with their long, slender trunks, milky-white bark and dark, cut-like spots or apple trees(?), with their wide and brown trunks, their fruitful branches and wide-spread foliage.
Wha... Just how far did we run? Where are we now?.. This is different from the dark forest we were in earlier...
"Guys... Let's rest for a bit... oomph." Clyde recommended, before sitting down on a log to catch his breath. Meanwhile Lloyd was still looking around the area.
"Alright..." I said as I sat down with him. And not long after, Lloyd also sat down.
"Hey guys, I'm just gonna go and grab some things, if that's alright." He said as hopped off the log to gather some leaves for his makeshift bed.
"Yeah, yeah. Go ahead, Clyde." I answered as he left.
...
"Hey, Lloyd."
"Yeah?"
"While Clyde's gathering leaves, I'm gonna get some firewood so you should probably put some rocks in a circle." I said while getting up. "You still got your lighter on you, right?"
"Yep." He responded as he also got up from the log before he started clearing the area from any dry leaves and gathering stones.
"Alright. I'll be back in a bit then."
...
crunch... crunch... crunch...
Ah... the sounds of crunching of dry, fallen leaves as I walked through the forest, letting my mind wander as I collect sticks and branches suitable for a fire. It's a good thing Lloyd and I were Boy Scouts. Because if we weren't, Clyde would be dead.
...
Anyways, I also went and collected food, foraging things that looked safe to-
「 APPRAISAL : Malus Indomitus, Granis' Apple 」
Wha-
"What the fuck is this?!"
(To be continued...)
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Current Heroes' Party
Alex Grayson (Level 1)
Lloyd Edwards (Level 1)
Clyde Meyers (Level 1) to