Chapter Text
Being stuck in a cave was not funny. Especially not when the thin tunic you wore wasn't very protective against the cold. But oh, look at me, I am such a brave little adventurer. Oh look at that, it's a cave. Better explore it… or something along those lines.
Everything had looked so easy when it was you behind a screen, celebrating your latest win against some boss but look at you now. Stuck in a cave in a world you knew some things about. Never mind the golden light in your eyes missing, making you the perfect target practice dummy for that one archer of Godrick. Only by sheer luck did he miss and not turn your pretty little head into a pretty little head with a hole.
Carefully to not damage yourself even more, you pulled your leg out of the crack you had stumbled into. Looking down on yourself, you spotted a few scrapes, but other than that you were perfectly fine.
When you were out of here you would need to find some water as soon as possible. As far as you knew, antibiotics were not a thing in this place. Oh god, did this world have something like the plague? Did you just give yourself some sort of medieval strain of tetanus?
To your defense, whatever dropped you into the world of a game you had been playing did not play fair. Fair would have meant that you had to wake up in a chapel at the top of (what was it´s name again? Mount doom?) some mountain, then die, then get some neat little flasks before finally heaving that metal gate upwards. But nooooo. You had to be dropped into the middle of a battle between some farmers and Godricks soldiers. Not like you valued your life or something like that.
Nevermind that you towered over the normal NPCs. Not as tall as Messmer or the other demigods but still a decent amount. You were not sure if that was something good or something to cry about but you would lean more toward the lesser considering that you were now an even bigger target for anyone who wanted to test their shiny little toothpicks on you, aka as swords and such.
Slowly working yourself carefully back to the entrance of this cursed place you dared to look outside. If you were to die, would you simply wake up at a grace or would that be it?
Keeping those words at the back of your mind, you slowly peeked over the corner. Nothing. Eh… other than what was left of those who did not survive their little battle. Most of them were farmers.
If you remembered correctly, there shouldn't be such a battle in this place of the map.
Speaking of the map and locations, how did you even end up in that cave? All you remembered were small bits of you running into the cave in a panic.
Thinking back, you were incredibly lucky that no one followed you. In your defenseless state, you wouldn't be able to put up much of a fight… not like you could have even if you had a sword and speaking of swords, you were sure those brave little fighters wouldn't mind if you took one of theirs, right?
Carefully creeping out of your hideout, you walked closer to one of said tools for defense and other unsightly things. Crouching down you tried to take it until something got caught on it.
Following it´s blade you saw… a person. As if you had angered some kind of ghost whose only defense mechanism was spraying a perfume from the brand “a date with meaty leftovers”.
You had read about brave heroes fighting for their loved ones in books and watched them take on foes ten times their size whilst moaning about the smell but nothing could have prepared you for this.
It was as if someone had shoved whatever was left of those laying in front of you directly into your nose. The smell of iron wasn't even the worst part. It was the burned flesh. Someone apparently thought that it was a great idea to use a torch in combat.
That was it.
Turning around you emptied your stomach. The acidic smell hitting your nose was a lot more pleasant than what was behind you. Your eyes watered all the same, though. Crawling to the next tree you sat yourself up against it. Was this what the Tarnished saw all the time? The screen always only showed the bodies but you were able to see so much more.
A lot more. Muscles, organs… was that over there a brain? You felt yourself being about to puke again. Turning away and looking up at the sky, you tried keeping yourself together.
This couldn´t be real. This was a game. Yes. A silly little game. You would wake up again and think to yourself what a stupid dream this was. Haha, man, did your brain have some twisted sense of humor. But you didn't wake up. Well, you did but not back in your comfortable bed with your soft pillow and sheets. No. You fell asleep and woke up to someone holding a torch up to your face.
You wanted to try and scream whilst desperately scrambling for your life. You really did! If it weren't for the dagger at your throat, you would have done that. Looking down on you was one of the farmers. Perhaps one who had fought here earlier and was able to get away or maybe, a friend who had come for one of the many clumps of meat on the floor. Staring at the man, you tried to keep calm. There was no need to attack you if you showed no aggression, right?
“Which demigod?” “What?” Shaking his head, he pulled away slightly. Looking back down on you, you could see his thought process behind his eyes. “Is this one stupid?” “Why do I have to always meet the weird ones?”
“Which demigod do you serve?” What an odd question. In the game who serves who usually wasn't thrown at you as the first thing you learned about a character. Except if Blaid was the character in question but Rannis servants were a completely different can of worms. The farmer still stared down on you, his dagger inching closer and closer to your throat.
“I- I don't think I serve anyone?” At least that made his dagger stop coming closer. Didn´t mean you were safe though.
“Are you calling me stupid? Of course you serve one. A pretty noble like you would not waste the opportunity of gaining more power by not aligning yourself.” Noble? Seeing your questioning gaze, the man gestured up and down your body. “Who else could spend money on such fabrics?”
You followed his gaze. Yes, now that you had the opportunity of taking a closer look at yourself, you were able to understand how he came to such a conclusion. Your tunic looked simple but the clothing of the one standing in front of you looked a lot more worn, weaved not as finely as yours. Never mind the golden thread drawing shapes of something along the seam along your lower legs. You must have been a weird sight. Someone wearing fabric that only the highest of the high could wear, yet without anything to protect yourself against the elements or shoes.
Looking up at him one more, the man seemed to understand that you were just as clueless as him about your unusual getup. Pulling his dagger away, he fixed his straw hat on his head before mustering you once again. Deeming you as harmless, he offered you a hand. Accepting it, you were finally once more on your feet without the worry of how your life could end. Well, it still could but at least not by the hand of your new companion.
Looking down on him, you saw him shrinking away from intimidation. Oh shit. Yeah. You had completely forgotten your new height. Trying to calm him down, you took a step back as well, creating more space between the two of you, trying to appear less hostile (despite doing absolutely nothing to even hint at that). Risking it, you asked him a question. “Can you tell me where I am?”
“Western Limgrave. You don't know anything, do you?” As you shook your head, he too shook his. Grabbing himself by the forehead, he looked at you incredulously. “No…” “Well I can see that.”
Turning around he grabbed one of the… you didn't want to think about what was lying on the ground. All you could see before averting your eyes was him picking up someone who looked a lot like him. So he was here to pick someone up. Most likely to give him a proper burial.
“Do you know somewhere I could go?” Sighing, the guy leaned his friend against the tree you had been sitting on just a moment ago. Pulling out a sword out of the pile of gore, he handed it to you.
Grabbing the hilt whilst trying not to scream at the feeling of the dried blood at the hilt you steadied yourself. it was comically small in your hand. Of course it was, the NPC- perhaps you shouldn't call him that. The good man in front of you pulled out of his bag a few portions of dried meat.
“I can't house you. You are too suspicious and even if you are not dangerous, getting involved with nobles like you is at the moment suicidal. If you even are one. Perhaps all you Layndell folks are like that.” He must have meant your height.
The way to the royal capital is to the north and then to the east. You will find more who can point you in the right direction. it's not like the place is some big secret…”
Trailing off, he heaved his friend back onto his shoulder, something dangling out of him onto his chest didn't seem to bother him. Passing you, he left you alone. Turning around you watched his form getting smaller and smaller in the distance. A small speck of light his goal, most likely his home.
You couldn't follow him. You weren't invited.
Biting the inside of your cheeks, you walked over to the remains of someone laying away from the pile. Breathing through your mouth, you unbuckled his sword sheath and also took shirt. Seeing the stains you decided to clean it when you had the opportunity.
With that, you turned around, Stormveil castle in the distance, and started to walk. Hopefully you wouldn't run into anyone wanting to harm you along the way.