Chapter 28: Chapter 28: A New Beginning

After departing from town, the group spent the remainder of the day traveling. They rested the night, then continued the following morning. Within that time, Artie learned a bit about his new companions. First, they weren't satisfactory in the subject of "stealth." Like Rachel, the other two colorless were passionate about their topic of interest, which led to unavoidable bouts.

The man, Harvey, confidently guided the party; however, his routes were that of beauty more than safety. Despite being over six feet tall, muscular, and having a masculine voice, the profoundly tan man was a softy for exotic nature. He'd hastily investigate each time a new plant appeared, losing his jungle hat and exposing his dark red hair and thin eyebrows.

While Harvey observed and collected flowers and herbs, Laria's interests were more challenging to exercise. As a species expert and a fantastic artist, she created detailed sketches of the monsters and unique animals they crossed along the way. It was an innocent hobby; however, not all creatures were friendly and grew hostile if they spotted her.

Laria had mid-length black hair, light skin, a slim face, and a thin figure that allowed Sebastian to lift her upon trees for safety as she worked. She wore a decorative leather headband, dressed in a flowy khaki shirt and cargo shorts. Her attire was similar to Harvey's, who also sported a utile cargo vest.

Both of them were talented, to say the least. Though troublesome in their own right. If not for Sebastian and Mayumi's protection, the group would not have progressed as far as it had.

The beginning of their travels was smooth, but they were quickly learning that it would only grow more challenging. The reason was that the further they traveled, the stronger the forest creatures became.

 

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Day: 19 / Time: 1:00pm-3:00pm

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"On your left!" Called out Sebastian, standing back and protecting the non-combatants while releasing arrows from his wooden bow.

The man's clear voice sailed across the dense, muggy, and barley-lit forest, past a dozen new foes, and to Mayumi's ears.

Mayumi snapped her head toward a large, heavy turtle shell that violently rotated vertically towards her upon hearing the man's message. In addition, a red-eyed, turtle-like creature in front of her stood and snapped its sharp jaws before charging on two stubby legs.

"Here she goes!" Cheered Laria, safely positioned with Rachel and Harvey behind Sebastian.

Mayumi wore two hefty stone gauntlets but fluently maneuvered as if bare. Against one, or many, she was never overwhelmed and could always evade an attack Sebastian forewarned.

Mayumi's knees bent as she dipped her waist down and extended her arms outward. Like on a springboard, she leaped forward, stretched out her right leg, then stomped the face of the forward turtle creature. The thing stubbled back, then she used its head as a platform to jump once again, swooping over the incoming Mario-style spinning shell.

Soon after the booted turtle became disoriented, one of Sebastian's arrows pierced its long saggy neck and ended the creature.

"That's enough; let's go!" Shouted Mayumi, shifting direction and beginning a stride toward the party.

Artie, who'd been in a stalemate with a single enemy, heard the message and cursed. His fights proceeded the same way; he'd engage an enemy, draw his spear, then dance around while trying to avoid being hit until they fled. He hated his lack of ability but understood their goal was not to fight; the last thing he wanted was another God-type to be summoned.

Artie was discontented by the battle but followed orders, fleeing into the thicket of bushes and trees. Aside from occasional rivers and adverse hills, it was all that the setting provided.

 

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"This should be far enough," Informed Laria, looking at a yellow-paged notebook.

"These creatures are slow unless they're spinning. We should catch our breath." She added, breathing heavily while she closed her pad and sat.

Sebastian anchored his bow on the horse that Rachel rode, then scaled a tree to act as a lookout. While everyone took it easy, Artie grasped a wooden spear and peered strangely at it before taking empty strikes at the air.

"I just can't figure this out…." He mumbled.

"Learning any weapon on your own will prove difficult," Informed Rachel, climbing down from the horse's back.

"Why's that?" Inquired Artie.

She took intermediate steps from where she dismounted, softly walking toward Artie without the support of a crutch.

"The reason is unclear, but research has shown that hunters are incapable of teaching themselves weapon arts."

"Unless you understood the usage before arriving, the only way to learn is to be taught."

"Think of it as a class in an RPG. Usually, when you want to learn a new skill, you have to learn from a teacher." Laria added.

Artie stabbed the weapon into the ground, peered annoyingly at it, then sighed.

"Unfortunately, no one here is equipped to teach you spearmanship, but perhaps we'll come across a town with an instructor." Finished Rachel.

"These nails might work better." He thought, holding up his hand and glancing over his set of sharp, black claws.

"Huh?"

"Why am I suddenly so concerned with fighting anyways…."

An expedited gust of wind and rattled bushes broke Artie from his thought as his dark ears twitched. Alarmed, he jolted his head towards a looming disturbance.

"Mayumi!"

"Mayumi!" Shouted both Artie and Sebastian upon hearing or seeing an incoming threat.

Artie's finger directed, and Mayumi immediately sprung to the front of the group and pulled back her heavy, stone gauntlet.

The instant the menacing spinning turtle shell arose from the forest depths, she launched her pulled-back fist. The momentum of the aggressively spinning projectile collided with her stone weapon. It released a high-pitched and jagged CRACK that rang Artie's ears and sent a shiver down his spine.

Both the shell's hard exterior and the woman's weapon shattered on impact. The creature's violent spinning ceased mid-air, but Mayumi drew back her other arm and struck its weakened armor before its crumbling body could fall. Her fist throttled into the bare skin of the shelled creature and launched it several yards before it died.

Artie had seen her work before, but every time the woman swung her fist against an enemy, he couldn't help but flutter. He became engrossed and involuntarily stared at Mayumi as she winced and removed her worn weapon.

"Mai, you have to be careful!" Pleaded Rachel, hopping over to her and inspecting her leaking hand.

"Let me take a look at it," Insisted Harvey, pulling a medical case from the horse's luggage.

Laria excessively apologized, but Mayumi assured her that she'd done nothing wrong. Monsters of the forest were merely unpredictable and moved erratically despite any collected data.

"Hmmm." Sebastian sounded.

He lingered only a foot away from Artie's left side and openly investigated his feline ears.

Artie immediately became startled, cursed, and flung his body around to notice the man observing him.

"God, I hate it when you sneak up like that." He complained, watchful that Sebastian was peering directly at his ears.

Artie covered his protruding ears using both hands and wearily looked away before muttering.

"It's nothing."

A thoughtless and powerful slap hit his back and nudged Artie forward two steps.

"Ouch!" He grunted before angrily peering back at Sebastian.

"Your expressions are too honest, friend," Laughed the nonsensical man.

Sebastian lightly curled his fist, then tapped and held the knuckles against Artie's chest while snickering.

"We'll be counting on you more from now on."

What the man spoke were just words, but they resonated within Artie. His heart fell light, and he glanced awkwardly at the grassy floor while his troublesome tail swayed.

"Right," Artie thinly whispered.

After Mayumi's injured hand was tended to, the party continued westward. Along the way, stopping to collect plants, fruit, and sketches of new species.

 

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Day: 21 / Time: 8:00am-10:00am

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"Whoohoo!" Sounded Sebastian, more than thirty feet above the ground and excitedly jumping from tree branch to branch.

Rachel rode alongside him on horseback, looking up in astonishment.

Artie advised they remain low-key and diligent; however, after a few monster-less hours passed, the group became placid and did as they wished.

"Silly," Mumbled Artie, looking up at the man having a blast.

A few yards ahead, Harvey used a machete to cut hindering vines. At the same time, Mayumi walked behind, and Laria was adding details to her sketches.

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Even with an absence of enemies, Artie remained vigilant. Even though he'd only find harmless wildlife feeding or traveling, every neighboring sound was explored.

While scouting out distant rustling, he spotted his favorite local creature, the "Mushroom Deer." Laria named it for its obvious resemblance to regular deer except for the red mushrooms growing on its body.

As Artie silently peeked from behind a bush, he looked delightedly at the animal that fed on tall grass with its smaller offspring.

"It's actually pretty peaceful out here."

"Hopefully, the rest of the world is this chill."

Somewhere far off, Sebastian shouted. His exhilarated voice swum across the forest, alerting Artie and the creatures he observed.

"Guys, check this out!" He'd hollered.

Curious, Artie walked quickly to catch up. As he grew closer, he began to see an end to the boundless forest territory. Trees and bushes started to thin out, prickly grass faded to dirt, then into rock.

A bright light seeped from in-between the final few trees hiding what was beyond like a secret. Artie spurred into a sprint with only his imagination to taunt him. His heart scrambled with excitement to arrive somewhere new and hopefully closer to his destination.

After two minutes of bouncing through the forest, he arrived at the boundary. As he broke through and exited the dark woodland, he entered a brighter environment free of any cover.

It took time for his eyes to adjust to the light, but when they did, he only lost clarity again when tears started to overlay his sight.

Artie and the other group members stood closely together, all taken aback by the surreal view.

A clear, pastel cyan sky quickly mesmerized him. Ahead gray rocky land rose in the distance and turned into mountains and hills. At the peak of the tallest mountain was the glowing silhouette of a colossal knight sword. It stood taller than any skyscraper and radiated a shimmering silver light like a lamp.

The same calm, silvery color existed in patches of moss on the one-way rocky path in front of them. On either side of the link was an endless drop into nothingness. It looked like a naturally formed bridge and extended for half a mile before connecting with the vast mainland.

Amid his captivation, a strong but welcomed breeze graced their bodies. Artie's hair was cut short, but the girls and Sebastian battled to clear their faces.

A subtle and dainty giggle arose from Mayumi as she promptly brushed back her black hair. The sound was a blessing to his keen ears, and he found himself gazing toward her while she smiled fairly at the pleasant sky.

"Woooo!" Sebastian suddenly shouted.

His ruckus worked as an alarm to wake Artie from his trance and advert his attention before being discovered. Next, Rachel, Laria, and Harvey joined in, joyfully cheering and hollering before freely tossing their arms and darting forward.

"We made it!" Laria exclaimed, skipping on both legs.

"Made it where exactly?" Laughed Artie, holding his hand next to his mouth to shout ahead.

They all happily transversed the rocky path, loose of any stress and forgetful of the misery behind them. Meanwhile, the warm sun and the two pale moons stared down at them like parents watchful of their kin.

 

"Warning: You are now leaving the tutorial zone."

The same computer-generated voice from day 1 returned and spoke from the empty space above. The group stopped Immediately after perceiving the sound and anxiously peered upward.

With their complete attention, the formless voice delivered another message.

"Warning: You are of insufficient level to continue; please return."

A warranted silence drenched the area.

Artie had his speculations, but the mention of a tutorial confirmed that everything that happened was by design. It wasn't destiny that was cruel. It was "someone" that was making a game out of his misfortune.

As he shifted through scattered thoughts and trembled, his yellow eyes fixed on a single rock on the ground. A wave of frustration and fear immersed him to the point of petrification. While experiencing shortness of breath, and the urge to scream, he began to find the feeling too familiar.

Artie stopped and recollected all the times he'd felt that way. Like his body would collapse or lose its sanity from the panic.

He reflected on those thoughts and emotions for what felt like minutes but was merely seconds. Then, he admitted to himself.

"It's exhausting."

No longer wanting to crumble and cower at every new hardship. Artie began to wage an internal war with himself.

Many wish they could change themselves for the better, but rewriting established behaviors is never an easy feat. Nonetheless, Artie implored every ounce of strength he had to resist the impending panic attack and change. Not into a fearless, callous

warrior, just into someone that could endure adversity.

Inhaling and then exhaling several times helped to clear his thoughts. After, Artie dragged his hands across his face and then mended his spotty spirit.

He thought about what to say, then opened his jittery lips.

"Siri?" Artie hesitantly joked.

…

…

"N-now that you mention it, it does sound like my phone's voice assistant." Commented Sebastian, who stammered while making out the words.

Turning to him, Artie noticed the man looking back and forcing a wide half-assed smirk.

"He always seemed so invincible."

Artie continued his mockery in recognition that he wasn't the only one who struggled coup with the unknown broadcast.

"Hey Siri, play 'Welcome to the Jungle by Guns N' Roses."

After Artie's ill-fitting but amusing command, Sebastian pointed at him, disagreeing and objecting.

"Dude, we're out of the jungle. Something like 'A Whole New World" would be more fitting."

"Please, no Disney," Added Mayumi, recognizing their intention to ease the mood.

Rachel giggled, and Laria revealed that she adored Disney music. Harvey cleared his throat, then playfully bickered with them to request a different song. The air lightened, and Artie rejoiced in his own resurrection. He wondered when his old self died. When his ability to laugh at tough times turned into crying and primed despair.

"I shouldn't let this place dictate who I am."

"To hell with those hunters, God-Types, and this stupid voice."

After a minute of joking around and tossing befitting song requests at the voice, the moment was cut.

"F-fine, do whatever you want." Stammered the nameless entity, shifting from a robotic tune into a child's voice.

Rachel calmed her laughter, then held her palm up to plead for the clearly flustered voice to stay.

"Sorry, we didn't mean to offend."

"You must be the Ai that generate Earth-Two; let's talk, okay?"

After a prolonged silence, the same voice of a young girl responded.

"I advise that you return."

Whatever spoke wasn't threatening; in fact, Artie had the odd impression that it was simply trying to perform its role adequately.

He assumed it departed after there was no other word and took several steps ahead of the group before deliberately facing them.

"It's not too late for you guys to turn around."

 

Mayumi silently surveyed him, then unhurriedly strolled down the rocky path on her own. Rachel smiled, and Sebastian walked by and tapped Artie's shoulder before they both followed the woman's lead.

"Think of all the undiscovered creatures!" Exclaimed Laria, holding her drawing pad tightly to her chest.

"We'll have to be more careful from now on." Urged Harvey, reaching into his satchel, pulling out an unidentified plant, and munching on it.

The two also started towards the mainland, but Artie stood behind and eyed their backs.

"They're all such strange characters," He chuckled, inching his eyes closed as he looked up and breathed in the clean, breezy air.

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