The Chronicles of A Dimensional Wanderer

------------------------- Ba-dum. Ba-dum. Ba-dum. I can hear my heart pounding right from my chest to my ears, and I can guarantee you, it's not helping my case right now. At least, it seems that the onlookers and bystanders alike share my sentiment, and, even without any words of motivation from their lips, I can see the concern lying within their now-softened gazes. ...I permit myself a moment's reprieve to bask in the laughable irony of the situation I'm in right now, and thus allowed myself to laugh foolishly in front of our group's assailant, out of hot air or just plain old stupidity, I'll probably never know. However, the... thing, in front of me did not take kindly to my smile, and neither did his sword and balls of dark flames. 'God, how did it come this, anyway?!' All I wanted was a little spice to my otherwise bland as hell life!' And boy, oh boy, what a spice it was! So delectably spicy they're threatening to burn me into nothing but ashes. I would have been far too busy with my inner contemplations when a sudden unsheathing sound broke me free from my stupor. And, not a moment too soon, my body barely managed to dodge the katana that aimed for my jugular vein. The sudden movement sent my left leg sharp pain, akin to that of a twisted muscle. "Tch. Nimble bastard!" Came the venomous remark of my would-be murderer, and along with it are his equally murderous balls of dark flames, propelling themselves to me at dangerous speeds. Instinctively, I dodged and jumped all over the place, three flames immediately attacked me from my left, and two from the right. Muttering a silent prayer under my breath, I dove and skidded downwards to avoid the dark energies, earning myself another sharp pain from my already injured leg and a now-scrapped elbow. But, there is not a moment to lose, for barely a second after the attempted assault of the black fires, they congealed themselves into a mass of fiery magic, and thus began their attempt to annihilate me once again by surrounding me with a deadly mist of dark fire. "Hah! Fell right into the trap, did you? It seems I was mistaken about you! You're no nimble bastard, after all. Just a nimble mice, and nothing more!" The deranged laughter of the man immediately dissipated into murmurs inside the vortex of flames that I am currently imprisoned at. As for myself, however... "*cough cough* Is... this, all you've got?! You... dastardly knight! And you dare call yourself a dark Knight of Eponicchus! You are nothing... but a cheat! A coward who can't defeat a measly boy with his sword...and only relies on the dark arts to appear frightening!" 'God, I hope it works...' Before I realize it, the hissing of the flames that permeates the vortex are rapidly decreasing, and my breathing becomes less ragged. A smile involuntarily crept its way up my face. As I am slowly unsheathing my sword, the cowardly knight spoke again, "You arrogant worm! You dare insult my swordsmanship? Very well, then I shall...ah... Huh?!" The consolidated flames finally died down, leaving only a circle of dead grass and the ashen remains of unfortunate flowers on its wake. "Wh--where did he..." "My apologies, it seems that, I too, was mistaken about you, sir Knight." The grin in my face did not waver, and instead amplified when I saw the rough mixture of confusion, fear, and anger on his detestable face. The fool tried his best to counteract and unsheathed his sword as well, but alas, it's too late. He realizes this too, as was evident from his whimper when I materialized behind him, the tip of my trusty sword at the edge of his thick neck. "...It seems you're not just a cowardly dark Knight, after all. You also happen to be very, very stupid." "...Please wa--ghk!" My sword have decided that it's high time that he stopped talking, and existing, for that matter. And thus, with one swift stroke, the dark Knight Igaron's blood erupted like a volcano in the Pacific, and his scaly body deteriorated into nothing but remnants of black energy, which, as expected, imbibed themselves into my sword, much to the awe and disdain of the onlookers. "Well done, Brendon. As expected of the Wanderer, your keen adaptiveness upon dire situations and dexterity on the Sword knows no bounds." "I... Is it.. over?" My attention was summoned by the chieftain of our group. I turned to look at him, and, after giving my sword companion a final thanks, began my approach to the group. "For now, I believe so. However, this is just the first of many other adversarial hardships to come. I expect that Eponicchus shall send another Knight from his vanguard forces to attack our group within three days time." The group visibly gulped from the statement, and with one longing glance to the direction of my former enemy, I heaved a sigh before adding, "...And this time, I believe there will be aplenty of them." ------------------------- Dawn quickly turned into a starless night, and between fortifications of the stronghold against magic and dispatching watchmen to observe any sign of danger outside the base, the Tribesmen has been busier than bees ever since Igaron's s*******r. Thankfully, the group has been generous enough to offer me one of the larger huts all by my lonesome. However, whether it be out of sheer generosity or just them trying not to disappoint me, I do not know. "...Brendon, sir? I brought dinner." The door produced three soft knocks before it opened to reveal a red-haired lady with a firm but delicate physique, her half-feline, half-human beauty notwithstanding the fact that she's a ranked member of a rebelling tribe. She's wearing the usual get-up for her group's female members -- a simple-looking camouflage armor that blends well within the greenery of the forest. However, combined with their magical abilities, they could alter the appearance of their armor to effectively blend in their surroundings, making even a single member of their group a deadly opponent to an unsuspecting foe. Not to mention, each individual tribesman is skilled in hand-to-hand combat, the men are also masters of clubs and swords, while the women are proficient in long-ranged weapons like bows and arrows. ...But enough of that. The lady in front of me is apparently waiting for a reply. With a slight nod, I replied, "Thank you. I appreciate your tribe's generosity." The woman responded with a genial smile and placed a rather large serving of what appears to be this world's equivalent of curry, or at least, what I think resembles a curry. She must've noticed the skeptical look I had when inspecting the food, and she immediately said, "Er, it's not poisoned, Brendon, sir. There is no need for you to be alarmed. Here... I will give it a try if yo--" She quickly reached out for the wooden spoon and tried to dip it into the brown curry, but I made a motion for her to stop. And stop, she did. "There is no need for that, miss...." "...Kaori." "Kaori. I trust you and your clan, so please, at ease." I tried to take the spoon from the tray, but I realized that she's still holding it, and thus my action resulted in our hands making contact with each other, if only for a brief moment, until... "Oh! Yes, right. H-here's your spoon, Brendon, sir!" Kaori had been more than obliging to give the spoon to me, so as to end our physical contact, I suppose. I humored her and took the forsaken spoon, but not before teasing her for a bit. "There's no need for alarm. I am not poisonous, and so are my hands, Kaori." I flashed the native a light smile, and from the looks of her cheeks turning a tad reddish, I suppose it worked as I hoped it would. However, I feel compelled to tease her even further. As I cleared my throat, and while trying my best to ignore the wafting aroma of the curry in front of me, I spoke. "And, another thing. Don't call me "sir". I am no Knight, and certainly am no Royalty. I already told you guys what I am, right?" Indeed, I told them. But that is a subject for another time, for now, the blushing woman in front of me is my top priority. The tantalizing food at the table, however, is a close second. "...Y-yes, s--Brendon." She gulped and quickly averted her gaze, while I tried my best to prevent myself from chuckling. However it seems she's not done just yet, and she spoke once more, "It just seems uncouth to address our tribe's savior without any honorific. I apologize if I offended you, Brendon." 'Ah. So, that's how it is. Just a case of the privileged and capable, getting the respect they deserve.' I mused over her reasoning for some time, and find myself coming to understand it, if only to some extent. "I see. Well, worry not, Kaori. You did no such thing to offend me. In fact, I could say with certainty that your company is rather enjoyable." Once more, I gave her a light smile, and was rewarded with yet again, a laborious tint of red crawling up her cheeks. "I-is that so... Well, I am glad. But..." She stopped momentarily and pointed to what was in front of me. The curry. 'Huh... Well, I swore it was brownish when I first saw it. Was I mistaken about that?' As if reading my thoughts, Kaori spoke in response, "While I did say it was not poisonous, I did not speak of its safety, or to be more precise..." Her voice slowed to a trail and cut off when the curry bubbled and began changing its color. From brown to red, slowly, yes, but surely, as well. I shot Kaori an inquisitive look. "...I did not speak of its longevity." She said. "...What do you mean?" I asked with a raised brow, but the bulk of my attention is focused on the curry that, currently, is still bubbling a storm. "I meant that you only have around twenty minutes to consume it. And six minutes had already passed before I brought it here." ... 'Aw crap!' "Don't worry, it's still safe to consume, just...try to be hasty about it. Double time!" Finding the situation most laughable, it was now Kaori's turn to flash me a knowing laugh paired with a devious smile. 'Damn. It seems that we've been played. Hard! Oh well... What else is new? Just a day like any, isn't it?' ------------------------- By the time I finished recovering from the aftereffects of consuming the...thing, the night was already growing old, and most of the natives were already asleep, save for the watchmen, as well as myself...and Kaori, who I realized, still hasn't left my abode. The silence was growing fast, and I find the sudden need to pierce it. Thankfully, Kaori apparently had the same notion in mind. "Was the food to your liking, Brendon?" She asked casually, her eyes however, are filled with anticipation. I gave her a frown and sighed deeply. "I had thought you truly meant it when you view me as this tribe's savior. But it appears..." I purposely drew out my words and shook my head dismissively. I grinned inwardly when I saw Kaori's look of anticipation fade into guilt and gloom. "...I was right, after all. The cooking was delicious, save for the remarkably fast expiration of the food, that is." I admitted. This caused the half-feline woman to perk up and wag her tail. I can't help but to smile at the sight. "Oh, thank you! I promise that I'll tell you about its...survival time, in advance, Brendon." I gave a slight nod and proceeded to stretch my arms and legs, when suddenly, my left leg reminded me of the aftermath of my battle with that cursed reptilian and I winced in pain. "Curses...that damn Igaron! Agh..." My left leg finally gave and I fell to the ground of the hut, or I would have, if not for Kaori's fast reflexes. "Brendon! That's right... your leg was twisted." Kaori pointed out, and I could only weakly nod in response, the pain, after not presenting itself for the past couple of hours, became nearly unbearable all of a sudden, for some reason. Before I knew it, Kaori put her left arm underneath my backside, just below the nape of my neck, and her other arm slithered on my lower back. And, in one swift motion, the feline woman carried me on a style akin to a newlywed couple, only that, the roles are somehow reversed, and, we're not a couple...yet. Anyway, before I knew it, my back was laid on soft surface, which, I realized, was my bed. "Which leg is it?" Kaori asked with concern, and I raised a brow in response, trying to ignore the pain. "Tell me which one is it so I can heal it for you, dummy!" Her concerned tone was immediately replaced with irritation. I gulped and weakly murmured, "...my left one." She replied with a nod and proceeded to kneel in front my left leg, but abruptly stopped. "Close your eyes." She said in a commanding tone. And, once more, I raised an eyebrow in confusion. But, alas, it seems like she's not having any of it. "Close your eyes, or I will not heal you!" She spoke again, this time the commanding tone is replaced with annoyance, and a tad hint of desperation? No matter, I am in a far too compromised state to complain, and if she happens to be a traitor that is set on killing me, then... I sighed heavily and did as I was told. I closed my eyes. ... ...At first, there was nothing. But then... Parts of my left leg felt cold and funny, and a small, snake-like figure is slowly feeling its way to my leg, going up and down, and in all the other areas on my leg that felt bruised and twisted. The sensation of the slithery thing crawling to and fro my leg is awkward, but I will be lying when I say it is of no use, for the pain is gradually dissipating now. I briefly wondered if this is how it feels to be the subject of some sort of healing magic. Perhaps, some invisible sort of feathers or fluid envelops your body, and then suddenly you feel revita-- *slurp* ... 'God...What. Is. That?' The sensation only intensified and slithered all across my injured limb, it even revisited patches of my leg that it already healed. I dared not look and even c***k my eyes open, until it's done. Fortunately, it seemed that I do not need to worry on that end, for after only a few seconds, the snake ceased slithering and disappeared, and with it, the pain brought by that wretched dark Knight. "It's done. You can open your eyes now, Brendon." "...Finally.." I said as I slowly blinked my eyes open. The first thing I noticed, however, is that Kaori was dangerously close to my leg, to where the snake has been. 'Well, if she created the snake to heal me, I guess it makes sense for her to guide it from a near distance.' Kaori, perhaps noticing the odd look on my face, asked, "...Is there something wrong? Did it not work?" Staring at her, I chuckled and shook my head in disagreement. "No, not quite. The opposite, actually. I feel revitalized, though I wonder about that slithery creature that made its way up and down my leg, was that a part of your magic?" At the mention of the creature, Kaori's eyes and ears went on high alarm, and she chuckled nervously. "Ah..hehe, well... I suppose you could say that." Seeing her apprehensive look paired with a flustering on her face unlike the ones I've seen before, only serves as a catalyst to many other questions forming in my mind. But before they've made their way to my mouth and to her ears, she stopped me. "No, no! Don't inquire about it! And I won't answer it, okay? Just...try not to be injured, so you don't have to feel all slithery again, got that?" Realizing that Kaori is not gonna spill the beans, so to speak, I only nodded and gave her a smile, a genuinely grateful smile this time. "Thank you, Kaori. Whatever the slithery thing was, it's alright. The important thing is that I was healed, and it was all thanks to you, right?" "You're being too nice, Brendon... I just did what all the others would do..." Yet, even in denial, the girl failed to hide the faint red hue on her face, and her ears and tail wagged in a timidly manner. We stayed still for some moment, admiring the tranquility and cursing the awkwardness altogether, but eventually, a yawn managed to break through my mouth. And Kaori, finally finding a reason to excuse herself, stood up, "You must be tired from all the...excitement, Brendon. You should turn in for the night." She stretched her arms upwards and yawned, then proceeded to walk towards the doorway of my hut. Before I realized it, my mouth hurried to say something to the departing woman. "Thank you, Kaori." The feline stopped on her tracks and turned around, a smile plastered on her face, showing her fangs and...her tongue. Her slithery tongue. Thankfully, she didn't notice the epiphany that struck me and she just replied, "You are always welcome, Brendon. Good night." And with a zip on her step, the tribe girl left. I, on the other hand... *sniff sniff* "Yeah. Hypothesis confirmed. This is definitely, saliva." 'So, that's how it is... A cat l*****g my injuries to heal it, huh...' "Indeed. This is just a day like any other." ------------------------- Chapter I END