CHAPTER III
A half of an hour he walked in this forest, almost reaching the edge and to the plain. Occasionally there's the singing of birds underneath the tree tops, and rustling on the bush before he realizes it's just a panicked wild boar seeing the strange creature near them.
At least they're not feral, and not terribly large as some of specimen he'd pleasure to hunt in his previous life.
The canteen ensured his water supply and he needed to secure a source of food if the day turned so fast before he could find a glimpse of civilization.
Reaching the forest edge, he reflexively covered his eyes from the blinding sun and the cool breeze of winds sweeping the lush green grasses that covered the entire valley floor.
Far on the horizon he can make up a river leading outside the mountain, behind him were natural boundary of cliff which faces directly to the seas, no, in fact except the mountain, all the sides were surrounded by seas.
He's probably on the uttermost edge of a landmass. His initial position was high enough he could survey the entirety of the area with naked eyes.
He walked with a steady gait, carefully taking each step. Not long ago, he couldn't walk properly without a crutch, now suddenly he has his motor skill back. Partly the reason why he secluded himself.
The place is larger than he expected, the terrain too is very rugged with rocks all in varied shape dotted the grassland, occasionally there's a small patch of trees for him to rest under its shade.
Along the way, he encountered a few creatures he had never seen or heard of before in real life. If it was a light novel, he often read these days, and also a staple monsters of RPG series, then certainly he's familiar enough to identify it within a glance.
Yes, they were slime. The bulbous ooze of a walking mass of liquid freely dragged its body beside the small pond. Looks like the slime of the strange world is not the variety that dissolves once exposed to a large stream of water, he concluded.
Still, it tickled his curiosity as such he stayed far longer than he should have been, and instead observed the creatures. The creatures didn't deem him a threat to their well-being once they spotted him with their eyes, whatever it was the creatures looked peaceful as such he didn't bother them long enough.
He resumed his journey. He wonders if they could be eaten. Thinking such a thing, on to the left side as he descended another cliff, he saw a beach.
He sincerely hopes he wasn't in some kind of proto or primitive world seeing there's no sign of civilization. Occasionally in the distance he can spot a few ruins, primarily large white marble pillars and walls which surface covered in greeneries, moss, and fungi.
There on the beach, lit a bonfire. In broad daylight, the strange creatures danced merrily around it like some kind of caveman. Naturally his curiosity couldn't be contained as such he approached too nearby to the creatures.
They had no distinctive feature other than humanoid in shape, having a dark charcoal skin, and all and each of them wore some kind of mask. Some masks were different than each other according to their physical sizes, perhaps denoting standing in social hierarchy.
In their hands were primitive tools, however, enough to bludgeon an unfortunate victim and spill their brains out. Though they were startled by his appearance, they clubbed to the ground as making some kind of warning.
The larger pair, with two large horns on their masks, aggressively bashed their wooden shields to the ground. Some were even seen wielding crude iron pieces and axes. The other, the most diminutive one, had a wooden staff on its hand for whatever purpose whether it was magic casting or just simply ceremonial tool.
They were smart enough to use these tools… albeit purpose is to inflict violence, making him denounce their sentience. These proto-humans, he called them, were warning him to stay away.
He heeds their warning, knowing there's no purpose to seek further conflict as he stranded in a strange world without anyone as a guide.
He silently categorized them as threats. He didn't want to know if they were survivors of whatever was left of humanity seeing those old ruins he encountered.
"When, long ago, the gods created Earth. In Jove's fair image Man was shaped at birth. The beasts for lesser parts were next designed; yet were they too remote from humankind. To fill the gap, and join the rest to Man, The Olympian host conceived a clever plan. A beast they wrought, in semi-human figure, filled it with vice, and called the thing a Ni-." He paused, "Oops, almost slipped out of my mind." The rock was slippery to step on.
It would be nice if at least they brought him a companion. The walk ahead while serene feels empty, it reminded him whenever he was out of combat patrol for weeks. It's an unspoken rule to respect the local wildlife.
When he finally arrives at the river, walking upstream should lead him outside the area, hoping he can find a town or at least village along the way. Though the day will soon come to rest. The path will be dark and he doesn't have any kind of tools to illuminate his road, even then it would be too dangerous.
He already knows the being had supplied him with enough power, nevertheless common sense dictated him such. It is up to him what to do with the information he was given. A while ago perhaps he was the useless NEET pond scum of a human being, but the situation forces him to push that persona back to its shell.
The man doesn't want to admit he feels happier to be outside instead of that fungi infested room.
Water is secured for the time being, only shelter and food remains to spend the night. In the end he decided to stay beneath a shade of tree not far away from the river shore. He stalked the green plain looking for easy prey and he came upon a drove of wild boar… the dismantling process would be a pain, and it will take fairly a long time.
He ignored the boars which happily graze on the ground, leaving for smaller prey to be hunted upon. In the end, as though nature decided to bless him, he came upon a fat large rabbit.
"Trace on."
He called the aria as low as possible as not to startle his prey. He doesn't understand why they decided to give him the power of Shirou Emiya and not to mention, it was not only the young boy of justice.
It doesn't make sense unless at that time he compared Dies Irae and Fate Stay Night in terms of power level, and the being to decide everything coincidentally near him to be included as his power as the being couldn't careless of the consequences. He wonders if he should count himself lucky then.
"What a sloppy divine."
He ruefully sighed, and released the string of the bow he wielded. It strikes true to its target, the rabbit died instantly and never realized its demise. And that's a good thing, he said.
That night under the full moon, the scent of roasted rabbit flesh made his stomach grumble louder. Though he wasn't particularly hungry for some reason but the needs to consume food was still there.
The best thing was, he didn't need to make fire. For some reason, the area is dotted with these strange flowers. One species that grows beside the shore or a body of water, emitting a freezing cold temperature while in contrast there's a flower trapped in a constant and everlasting fire.
Finding such a flower near the tree he took a rest in, he decided to take advantage rather than drawing unnecessary attention with bonfire.
Thankfully the flower's stem is strong and thick enough to take the weight of the sliced rabbit, as he roasted it by placing it on top of its petal and crown.
"It takes me back as though I was barbecuing."
Said the old man in bliss, as he used the makeshift wooden utensil to turn the uncooked part of the meat. Indeed, rather than being lost in the wild, the old man was roasting as he was on a picnic.
Since there's no plate to hold them over, he made a skewer.
"If only there was a can of cold beer somewhere." He sighed, biting on the meat as staring on the far horizon where the sun had gone. Throwing the rubbish near the bush, he found a pack of cigars in his pocket.
"My lucky day."
Sadly, there's no convenient inventory to store all his belongings. It was all a staple if you had this kind of experience, but he didn't get one. Oh well.
Other than the cigars, he found an odd device. It resembles a compass but there's no north or any direction it pointed to, and the needle stays in one place no matter what it does.
If the information he was given is true, then the compass is the only way for him to get out of this world. Though to where is another question entirely as he doesn't know if he can pint-point the device to certain world as he wishes.
He doubts he can return to the original world seeing his persona has been shifted considerably, and not to mention the memories of whoever hold this body before though the face is similar to his old body albeit as though the god decided to redo and get rid all of the impurities.
No need to mull it anymore, he shook his head, throwing the butt of the spent cigar away. Leaning to the tree, he tucked the hat until it covered half of his face, and went fast asleep despite the uncomfortable condition.