Chapter 16 - The Way Forward
Kazuya felt the thrill of revenge once more as he slaughtered the green creatures, cutting down as many goblins as his blade could reach. Some of them were wise enough to retreat but were cut down by the sword before they could get very far.
After he had killed them all, he looked around, wanting to find a hint of other goblins nearby, but found none. He sighed heavily as he swung off the residual blood from his sword before putting it back in the sheath.
"Where do these creatures come from?" he thought to himself, and of course, he had no answer to the question.
In the absence of an answer, it felt like the only option he had was to get back to his backyard and resume mourning over his dead family. But now that he had gotten out of doing so for a while, he didn't want to go back.
So he thought hard about it for a few moments. Then he took a deep breath, hoping he would not regret what he was about to do.
"Gaichu?" he called out, and the little male fairy appeared before him. He thought hard before doing this, as even in a time like this the last thing he would want is a small flying pest hovering around him.
"Yes? "Uh," it replied; "what should I call you?" it asked.
"My name," he replied, "and don't act dumb about it."
"Kazuya 2096?" it asked, and Kazuya frowned at it.
"From what I could find on the game's database, that was all you registered as your identity," it said in defense.
"Just Kazuya," he replied. "Now, I have a few questions, and I need real answers to them, so you better not waste my time with pointless talk."
"Alright, Kazuya," it replied.
"My question is: Where did those goblins come from?" From where did they get the courage and hatred to launch an attack on a human settlement? "How is all this even possible?" he asked, feeling confused about everything.
"I'm sorry, but those are questions for which you would have to find an answer on your own. "I can show you where to get the answers you seek, but it is not in my place to tell you the answers," it replied.
Kazuya clicked his tongue angrily. "Then of what use are you?" he asked in fury.
"I am just a mere digital guide, designed to accompany and assist you on your journey and not to solve your problems for you," it replied bluntly with a smile that felt annoying to Kazuya.
"Why are these problems designed this way!?" he cried out at the fairy, who remained unfazed by his sudden snap. "Why can't you tell me anything helpful about it?"
"It is all part of the gameplay mechanics—the set of rules that govern my existence, support, and end. "If they restrict me from revealing certain facts to you, then I'm sorry, as there is nothing I can do to change that," it said to Kazuya.
Kazuya combed through his hair with his fingers in frustration as he walked back and forth while the fairy watched him like he was a spectacle. Then he gave up on it entirely, now staring at the fairy as he said to him, "You know what? Fine! "You can keep all the secrets you want; I'll figure it out on my own."
"Excellent," the fairy said excitedly before bringing up a holographic image containing some relevant information. "Here is a map to the nearby town, which is close to an area that has had reports of a high goblin infestation in the past few days." "There have been a few reported casualties among travelers who use the route where their base is supposed to be, and the situation is still under investigation by mages and travelers; perhaps you can find some noteworthy information if you get there."
Kazuya sighed, wondering if the fairy understood what he had meant by saying, "I'll figure it out on my own," but when he looked at the hologram, he was glad that he did so, as his instincts told him this would be the first step in discovering what led to the attack on the village.
"You don't have to stare at the image for too long; on your command, I can bring it up anytime you need it," Gaichu said to him right before taking down the image.
"So, are we leaving now?" it asked.
"Well, it is a good step forward, I guess," he said to himself, "but something has to be done first."
Then he went on to the back of his house, not to resume his mourning but to pay his final respects to his dead family. After several tearful minutes with them, he went on to the front of the village square and gave a general bow of respect for the others who had passed away.
Then he took a deep breath, knowing now was the time to move on. He had taken it upon himself to find out the root of last night's events and to do something about them. Something in him felt this would be the right way moving forward, as he was not planning to log out anytime soon and this would be the only way he would be at ease for now.
Then he looked at the fairy, knowing it would be his companion from now on. "I hope you are alright with being called "Gaichu," he said to it.
"I am okay with whatever you choose to take me for." "After all, I am here to serve you and not the other way around," it said to him with complete sincerity.
"Good, then we might get along quite well," Kazuya replied coldly.
"I'm glad you think so, Kazuya," the fairy replied, seeming unaffected by Kazuya's cruelty but rather excited for the adventure that lay ahead of them.
So as one, the two of them went off, leaving the village behind.
It took over an hour to walk from the village's vicinity to the region of the next town.
They walked through a forest for most of the journey, as it was the major chasm that divided the town from his village. He kept walking until they reached a tall plain, from which they could see the large neighboring town down below, brimming with life and activity.
Unlike his village, the houses were taller and more sophisticated, and the streets ran through the settlement like a maze, with people walking out and about actively and children playing around. Along the sides of the streets, he could see different tents and kiosks stationed at many spots, narrowing the roads. The beauty of the area from a high vantage point was a sight to behold, but there were things he hated about the area.
Even from the high point where he was, he felt distracted and disturbed by the amount of noise he was getting from the town. He wondered how the residents were able to rest or focus on their work with so much noise coming from everywhere.
He had been to this area multiple times before, but never stayed long enough to get used to the noise.
"Gaichu?" he called, and the fairy came before him.
"Where did you say the goblins were seen in the highest concentration?" he asked, and Gaichu brought forth the map image for him to look at again.
"I guess that means we are close, as this is the same town from which multiple casualties were reported among travelers and mages who traveled through those forests on the other side," he said to the fairy.
So, he walked back into the surrounding forests while staring at the holographic map to find where the camping ground of the goblins was. He kept walking according to what the map was telling him, but felt himself going around in a circle and couldn't explain why.
"Gaichu?" he called, and the fairy came before him.
"Are you sure this map is accurate?" he asked.
"Yes, it is," the fairy answered.
"Then why does it feel like I am going about in a circle?" he asked, "Are you messing with me, Gaichu?"
"No, I am not," Gaichu responded. "Think, there might be more to this map than meets the eye."
Kazuya frowned as he faced the fairy. "You are trying to make me solve a puzzle you won't help me out with, aren't you?" he asked, and all the fairy did in response was smile.
"Stupid pest!" Kazuya swore under his breath as he kept staring at the map, trying to walk in the direction it was showing him, but still found himself going round in a circle instead of reaching the designated spot.
He was getting fed up and frustrated.
Then he heard a groan coming from a distance. It was the sound of a woman, accompanied by the clashing of weapons. Kazuya looked around, curious as to what was going on, and far across the distance, deep in the forests, was a young woman fighting against a goblin who was almost twice her size.
The goblin was having the upper hand in the fight and seemed to be taking sadistic pleasure in suffering the weaker opponent instead of going straight for the kill.
Having an intense hatred for goblins, this was an opportunity he just couldn't ignore. He brought forth his sword—not because he wanted to rescue a damsel in distress, but rather because he could not bear seeing a goblin remain alive while his family remained dead.