Jack of all litrpg iseka.., p.20
Jack of All: LitRPG, Isekai, Survival Adventure (Book 1), page 20
Useless.
I can’t run forever. I can’t climb trees faster than them, I bet. So…
Jack could already feel his body slowing down. His torch ran out a while ago, so he had the added disadvantage of tripping every now and then. Still, he ran on.
Need an advantage. I’m… stronger. But they are many. I’m tall, but they’re… wait. I’M TALL.
He was of slightly higher than average height among his peers, truth be told, yet Jack never felt more like a giant than in that moment.
If I find a river. Even a spring. I can stand in the middle of it, but they can’t. Or… can they float?
The not-quite-thundering sound of the tiny army chasing him was growing louder.
Out of options. Have to try it.
“|Resource Vision| Water!” he screamed.
To the surprise of no one, his Skill found only general moisture and puddles.
At first.
Desperation drove Jack to use his Skill again and again and again. Asking for ‘water’, ‘river’, ‘spring’, or even ‘running water’. He didn’t know if his Skill had a limit to how many times it could be used, but he was too desperate to care.
Finally, it worked. He felt his Skill aim him at something. He thought he could almost pick up the sound of running water. He willed his mind to set that sound as his destination, to imagine the river, and used his |Sense Destination| Skill on it.
It was vague. A lot hazier than before. He ran left and ran right, until he managed to get the general sense of where he was going. It seemed the less he had to go on, the less effective his Skill was.
Even so, Jack still managed to reach the water. It was more than a spring, yet less than a river. Still deeper than the creatures were tall, so Jack ran into it with no hesitation. He barely felt the cold water until he stopped in the middle of the stream, turning back with a victorious grin.
“Hah! Take that, you woody little shits! How do you like this? Can you swim? Can you?!” he yelled at them.
The angry little horde did what they seemed inclined to do, each and every time they had the occasion. As one, they looked at Jack, looked at the water, looked back at Jack, and then back at the water.
And they stepped in.
What the…
True, the water was not rushing that powerfully, but it was enough to sweep them off. Not, however, if they held hands. Which they did. It was also deep enough for them to sink. Not, again, if they floated. Which they also did.
It was enough of a sight for Jack to forget his previous glee. He turned, his mind now set on the other shore. Maybe they could reach him, but he would at least get a head start. What he saw next put no fear in his bones, if only because he was too tired to feel anything more. What he saw only instilled a quiet sense of desperation and loss. From the other shores, lines of stick men were coming at him. Slowly, being dragged by the current, yet advancing all the same.
Great. At least on land, I could fight. Here…
He gave a thought to letting himself be dragged by the current. The water was only waist-high. Still… if he lost his footing…
Coward.
The stick men were approaching on both sides.
He thought of his friends, then. Lola and Mrk. Even Melena. He was going to…
I REFUSE!
He winked. Repeatedly. Until whatever tears were threatening to form were beaten back out of existence. Hands balled into fists, he started wading through the water, towards the closest group of stick men.
“Come at me, you pathetic bundles of sticks! I’ll rip you to pieces! I’ll burn your entire species to ash!” he screamed.
Anger mixed with fear in his voice. Quiet desperation, the courage of one who knew death was near. Jack had little to lose, because he had little in the first place. Yet, what he had, was precious to him. His home. His friends. For that, he would fight until they lay broken or he did.
“COME ON!” he roared.
“|Bane of the Wooden Death|”
Chapter 19
Interlude: A
“Drink!”
The voice was commanding. And firm. So, she drank. Barely a sip at first, until she recognized the taste. When she did, she started drinking greedily.
Someone took the drink away from her lips and splashed it on her wound. The blood was washed away a little, but the truly amazing thing was the wound itself. It started to close once it made contact with the potion. In seconds, where once was a gruesome wound, now there was only slightly reddish skin.
She could still feel the memory of the liquid going down her throat, instilling life into her once again. A Healing Potion. Someone used a Healing Potion on her.
“I’ve taken care of the wound on your back already. With this, you should be safe for the time being.”
She turned towards the voice, already knowing who it was.
“Ban…” she said.
“Ava.”
“You… you used a Healing Potion. On me.”
“I did. I judged it necessary. Seeing as how you were in the process of dying.” He said, seriously, but with a sarcastic undertone.
“I… I was! Ianeth-“
“I already know it was him and have already reprimanded him for what he has done.” He said, raising a hand in peace.
“But he tried to kill me!”
“Yes. And in light of recent events, so would many of our village.”
The memory of what happened hit Ava like a landslide. It was never far from her attention, but sometimes, rarely, she could almost pretend to forget.
“So, that’s what this is. You’re here to drag me to the village. To have me killed.”
“That is the most likely outcome.” He nodded.
It was the seriousness in his voice that broke her. The nonchalance. Ban spoke of her death as if he were discussing deer trails. It wasn’t as if they were close. But he was the closest thing their village had to a hero. The perfect Satyr, easygoing when the time was right, brave when danger approached, and strong. He even had the |Hunter| Class. Just the normal |Hunter| Class, but she knew he was high level. Everyone looked up to him. And he helped everyone.
And right then and there, Ban came to take Ava to her death.
“You will come with us. You will be bound, but not gagged. Not if you refrain from provoking the others.”
“Fine.” She said in a quiet voice.
Ban hesitated for a second before speaking on.
“I do not wish to do this, Ava. I remember you as a child, and you were a happy one. Headstrong. A fine Satyr.”
A small part of Ava wanted to kick him for that. As a ‘child’? He was only a few years older than her. But she didn’t have the energy for it. The rest of her was lifeless.
“Yet I must. It is my duty. I would do it for that alone. But know that there are others who wish to see you meet your punishment. Others who have lost much. As village leader, I must satisfy their pleas when they have nothing else to be satisfied with.”
“Village… leader? But- Wait, does that mean that the leader is-“
“No. She is still alive. Yet wounded. She will not last long. As a final boon, she has asked me to bring you to trial, so that she may pass the sentence herself. I will oblige her.”
“So, she’s alive. …good. Thank you.” She said, forgotten tears forming again in her eyes. “Is anyone else-“
“Quite a few. But the story of that is long, and we have little time. On your feet.”
The rest of the hour passed on in a blur. Ava, like Ban had foretold, had her hands bound. Her bow, arrows, and a few other belongings were taken away. And then they marched. Ban was leading their party and must have used a Skill, because Ava noticed how fast they were moving, just by glancing at the surrounding hills and seeing them fly past her.
Well. Not ‘fly’. But it was still faster than Ava could run.
She noticed the others were giving her various looks. Some were condemning, while others had a spark of pity in them. Most were troubled, however. Ianeth’s look was one of pure fury. Though his missing horn might have something to do with that.
“You wished to know what had happened after you left.”
Ban’s voice startled her into full wakefulness.
“I… I did. I do!”
“You will know. But first, I also wish to know something.” He said, peering at her.
Ban was leading this party, with Ava walking next to him. The others were following, not closely, but Ava could hear them shuffling closer, to better hear the discussion being spoken.
That’s Satyrs for you. Good storytellers, but even more eager listeners.
“I wish to know why you didn’t come back. I know you were around. After the night had passed, we talked amongst each other. Those of us with hearing Skills heard you. Crying out for your parents. Yet you never came. Why is that?”
“I… wanted to. But I couldn’t. I wanted to come, but he didn’t let me!”
“Who?”
“The Faun. He’s a…”
She would have continued, but for the look of recognition in Ban’s eyes.
“You… know him?”
“I do. He is not known by the entirety of our kind, but hardly a secret.”
“No. You’re… But no one told me!”
“To tell of the Faun is a choice each parent must make. If the child shows worth, he or she is told the story before being sworn to secrecy. If you did not know… your parents must have wished you to grow some more, before being told.”
Or maybe they would have only told me after becoming a |Hunter|.
Sensing Ava’s shocked expression, Ban pushed on with the conversation.
“And you met him? Not many do. Then again, not many get their hands on the bow before being caught. I take it you managed to take it out of the village before anyone saw you?”
“Yeah.”
“I see.”
Turning, he loudly spoke to the others.
“Fall back. What I will say is for my ears and Ava’s alone. As Village Leader, I command it.”
Whether it was because he was already recognized as Village Leader or just because nobody wanted to cross him, they all fell back. Even Ianeth, though Ava saw he didn’t look happy about it.
“I will tell you what we know, Ava. What we know and what we don’t know about that night. I will tell you, because I believe in my heart of hearts that what came about was caused by foolishness, not cruelty. And for this, you will answer my questions truthfully. Do you understand?”
“I do.” She said, swallowing hard at the intensity of his gaze.
“Very well.” He said, hesitating for a moment. “Once the bow was taken, the elder knew and told others, including me. We-“
“Wait, you knew?”
“We did. Did you think you were the first to try your hand at shooting an arrow with it? It is why the story of it is told when young Satyrs reach the proper age. Any of our kin are free to try their hand at the story of our founder. I did so myself, not many years ago.”
“You did? You met the Faun? What did you wish for?”
“My wish is my own and not for the ears of others. And yes, I did meet him. As others of our kin have. Know this, Ava, anyone may try to use the bow if they can retrieve it. But the bow will not work for all. Only to those who are judged worthy by fate, or so the story says. Now, no further interruptions.”
He gathered himself before continuing.
“As I have said, we knew the bow was taken. We did not know by whom, only that someone was about to try their hand at the oldest story. As we were all preoccupied with the festival, none of us had tried finding out who that Satyr was. But we saw the arrow you shot fly across the sky and over our village. And we knew.”
A dark look appeared across his face.
“Somehow, the entire village did. The information was as certain to us as the sun rising each morning. The elder knew what this meant and told us. It was your wish for us to know that it was you who fired an arrow from the Crescent bow, was it not?”
“It was.”
“Tell me, Ava. Why that wish? You could have wished for anything, and the Faun may have granted even grander wishes. Yet you wished for us to know. All of us. Why?”
“I… I wanted a good story. A story to make my parents proud. They wanted me to become a |Hunter|, but I just want to be an |Archer|. I thought if I had a good story for the festival…”
“I understand.” He said. “Yes, I understand now why you would wish for that. To see your parents proud.”
He smiled then, and the act, coupled with the memory, broke Ava even further.
“Yet that is not the only thing that we know. We also know, by the same mystical means, that it was you who brought devastation to our village. You are the source of all the bloodshed. And it is coupled to your wish. You will now tell me why that is so.”
“I… I can’t.”
“You can. And will. You see, Ava, there are those who say that you wished not only for the village to acknowledge you, but that in your fury, you also wished for the village’s destruction.”
“What? No! I didn’t! I-“
“I know. I can see the pain on your face and hear it in your voice. I know you did not wish for what happened. But it did. And I must know why.”
Ava hated that story. Hated herself for causing it. She remembered it all too clearly, but for her to have to speak it was a burden unlike any other. And yet, perhaps Ban would understand. Because he was Ban. Champion of their people. Always kind. Always understanding. She couldn’t hope for forgiveness, but she desperately wanted someone to understand her plight.
“My first wish was… stupid. I mean, not the wish, just how I wanted to make it happen. I wished to forever remain an |Archer|. And for people to be happy with that. But when I shot my first arrow, I shot it at the moon. I… hoped to do, as our founder did.”
“I see. Interesting. What happened?”
“...I missed.”
“Oh. And the Faun?”
“He was amused. He said it was a worthy try, but that the founder did it with his own strength, not by borrowing strength from the bow of another. So, he didn’t give me that wish and made me wish for something else.”
“And what did you wish for?”
“I wished for everyone to know it was me who shot the arrow. But… I also wished to be the new master of the bow. For it to be mine, so I could be the greatest |Archer| among Satyrs. The greatest ever known.”
Ban looked ahead while contemplating her words. It was a while before he spoke again.
“Presumptuous. For you to wish to be the second master of the Crescent Bow… it is as if you wished to be the equal of our founder. At least, that is how I see the story unfolding.”
She couldn’t fault him for that. It might have taken him a little longer to arrive at the conclusion, but he said, more or less, the same thing the Faun had.
“Still, I do not see the cause of such horrors. Was the Faun upset with your request? Was what happened a consequence of his fury?”
“No, the Faun was sad, actually. But he said…”
Here it comes.
“He said that the safety of our village was tied to the bow. The founder placed some kind of… magical protection on our village. That’s why we don’t get many monsters or outside threats. And that protection lasted for as long as the bow belonged to the village. But when I wished to become its master and the Faun granted my wish…”
“The bow no longer belonged to the village,” Ban said, realizing the truth. “But… does this mean the bow now belongs to you? I- We thought it was lost. We all did. The bow cannot be taken far, and there were a few who have tried to steal it. It always comes back, the leader told us! We just thought it was lost and that we had to wait and…”
If Ban had been sad but stoic before, he was becoming frantic now. And Ava understood the reason for it. What happened to their village was a calamity. A disaster. Yet the village could grow back, like any other, less protected ones, did. But for the bow to be lost to them meant that a piece of their history, their culture, had just been ripped off.
“Where is it? Did you hide it? Tell me!” he said, rounding up on her.
“Ban, please-“
“Ava! Owner or not, we need it. Don’t you understand? Someone can make a wish! Not me and not others who have already done so, but most of our kin have never tried it. Surely, there must be one among them worthy enough to fire an arrow and make a wish. And they can wish for this to be undone! There’s still hope!”
Just when she thought she couldn’t sink any further into her despair and grief, Ban went ahead and did it for her. He could have yelled at her, and it would have been alright. He could have cursed her, spat on her. Even beat her. And she would have accepted it. Yet what he did was worse.
He smiled.
He smiled the smile of a man who saw a slim but real path towards happiness. He had found a way to make it all better, not even once contemplating the thought that any other Satyr might wish something for themselves, instead of the village, if given the chance. He had hope. And she had to break it.
“Ban… I don’t have it. No, wait, I’m not lying! Let me explain. The Faun did make my wish come true. I am the new master of the bow. But the bow rejected me. Because… I’m not the equal of its former master. I’m not worthy. And for that, it left me. Disappeared. I can’t make it come back, and I tried. The Faun told me the same thing…”
Ban’s smile left its face, and its place was replaced by emptiness.
“I’m sorry. I’m stupid and so, so sorry!” she cried. “If I could take it back, I would. But I can’t. And I tried to come back, I did! But the Faun… he froze me. And then he carried me to some other place, far away. He transported me there by magic. When I woke up, I was in a forest and it was dawn. I wanted to come back, but before I left, I heard my mother… I couldn’t come back. I was scared! Please, just… I’m so sorry!
