Four, he thought again. No, something was wrong. He closed his eyes for a heartbeat and listened harder. The rhythm was wrong. There were more. Someone was walking behind, sound masked by the others. Five? No, Six.
He grimaced faintly. Missed two the first time. Not hidden. Just lost in the noise. Kaizer filed the mistake away. He needed to sharpen his senses further or it could lead to trouble down the line. If he was stuck in this world, he would make sure to adapt.
As the footsteps and voices came closer, he straightened deliberately and stepped forward, making no effort to hide himself. The forest opened into a shallow clearing and the reaction was immediate. Six people froze. Weapons came up in a rush of scraped metal and tightened grips.
A man with a short sword took half a step forward, blade angled toward Kaizer’s chest. Another lifted a heavy axe, its edge chipped and nicked from use. A woman raised a broad shield that looked more like a reinforced slab of wood than proper equipment, iron bands bolted across its face. It had seen hard use.
Behind them, a second woman tightened both hands around a staff. At first glance it was just wood, crooked and uneven, wrapped in leather strips darkened by sweat. Kaizer’s instincts prickled when he looked at it. Something about the staff tugged at his awareness, faint but persistent.
“No closer,” the swordman said. His voice was firm, but Kaizer could see the tension in his shoulders. Kaizer stopped moving immediately. He lifted his right hand slowly, palm open in a gesture to show that he meant no harm. He kept his spear in his left hand, tip pointed to the sky.
“I heard you guys from a mile away,” Kaizer said. His throat felt dry and raw from disuse. “Didn’t mean to startle anyone.” The woman with the shield snorted. “You look like hell. You sure you aren’t a monster with that arm?” Kaizer almost smiled but restrained himself.
Another man stepped forward slightly, older than the rest, with a spear of his own. The metal tip was crude and uneven, poorly forged, but functional. His eyes tracked Kaizer carefully, lingering on the dried blood, the torn clothes, the heavily bandaged thigh. What caught the spear users attention most was the fur on Kaizers arm. His gaze lingered. “You alone?” the older man asked.
“Yes.” The man with the sword did not lower his weapon. “Funny. People like you don’t tend to last long. What happened?” Kaizer shrugged his good shoulder and feigned disinterest. “Guess I’ve just been lucky so far.”
The woman with the staff shifted her grip. The air around the stuff hummed faintly. Kaizer noticed it properly this time. Not sound. Pressure. Like standing too close to a power line. His gaze lingered for a fraction of a second too long. The woman noticed immediately, eyes narrowing. “You like what you’re looking at or something?”
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“That’s not an ordinary stick…” Kaizer said, voice trailing off in thought. Silence fell on the group. The shield woman barked a short laugh. “First smart thing you’ve said.” The older man, clearly the leader raised a hand. “Enough. Let’s all lower our weapons slowly. We won’t attack if you don’t.” Weapons dipped slightly, but no one moved. “My names Rourke,” the older man said. “I’m the leader of this party. You got a name?”
“Names Kaizer.” The sword man took a small step forward, moved the sword to his left hand and offered his right for a shake. Kaizer took the mans hand and tensions released slightly. The man stepped back and asked “You come from a clearing west of here?”
Kaizer hesitated. Just a heartbeat before responding. “Yes,” he said. The woman with the shield exhaled slowly. “We heard mighty big sounds go down there, lots of guttural roars and growls.”
“You heard right,” Kaizer said. The youngest of the group swallowed hard. “What the hell happened, what did you fight?” Kaizer thought of antlers fused to bone, of golden eyes burning with hunger, of claws tearing into flesh. “A monster out of nightmares, but it’s dead now.”
Relief flickered across a few faces. “Nice going eh? Musta been one hell of a fight. How’d you survive, you look like shit.” Kaizer smiled for the first time. This young one seemed genuinely interested. “Wasn’t just survival,” Kaizer said.
The sword man snorted. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means luck,” Kaizer replied. “And a lot of being a stubborn guy.”
The woman with the staff watched him carefully. Kaizer could see a faint glow coming off the staff, similar to when skills are used. The group had turned slightly towards her and she nodded her head ever so slightly. Some of the tension eased in the group, particularly in the youngest member. It wasn’t hard to read him, clearly not being used to covering his emotions.
Kaizer could also see uneasiness in the woman. There was some sort of calculation going on there, calculation with a hint of restraint. She seemed tense still, not hostile, as if she was expecting something from him.
Rourke turned back towards Kaizer. “We’ve setup a camp with a number of survivors not far from here. You’re welcome to come rest if you like.” The man with the sword turned sharply. “Rourke…” but he was cut off. “Mate, we don’t leave people bleeding in the woods. You should have learnt that by now Jake.. Not unless they give us a reason to anyway.”
Rourke turned back to Kaizer expectantly. Kaizer was pondering. Six people. They had clearly seen battle themselves, but they were human, he could trust them, at least for now. It would be good to have a safe place to rest and get some decent food. Something felt off though, particularly in the woman with the staff.
Without second guessing though, Kaizer nodded once. “I won’t slow you down, lead the way.” The shield woman huffed. “We’ll see about that.” Setting off, the group moved together, weapons still at the ready. Kaizer walked slightly behind them, close enough to be watched and observed but far enough that he could react if needed.
As they were walking, Kaizer attention kept drifting back to the staff. It resonated with him slightly. It pulsed faintly whenever the woman adjusted her grip. She was clearly somehow using a skill through the staff, though Kaizer couldn’t tell what. The other weapons, and even some of the clothes they were wearing seemed to have some a similar resonance.
Kaizer looked back at his own spear and could feel a similar resonance coming off it. He narrowed his yes and a familiar ding entered his mind, with a table popping into his vision.
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Short Bone Spear (Inferior)
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A spear provided by the System Tutorial.
Crafted from reinforced bone and bound by primitive methods.
While durable, the edge lacks refinement.
Weapon Rank: Initiate
Attributes:
- Strength +1 while wielded
- Slight increase to piercing effectiveness
This weapon can be improved.
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“So that’s how it is,” Kaizer muttered. “You say something back there?” the youngest man, Jake asked. “Nothing, nothing.” Kaizer replied. Jake stepped back towards him. “So… you get a good class or anything?” he asked. Kaizer hesitated before half answering “I think so, it’s rare at least.”
Several steps faltered. Jakes eyes widened “Rare?” Kaizer just nodded. The shield woman glanced back at him. “Figures.” Rourke cleared his throat. “We’ve got someone back at camp who knows basic healing. Nothing fancy, they can look at that leg of yours.” Kaizer could feel the rot beneath his skin now, it was a dull throbbing. “I’ll take what I can get,” he said.
The forest thinned ahead. Smoke curled faintly above the trees. The camp was larger then he expected. Sections were clearly cordoned off and makeshift walls had started to be erected. Kaizer relaxed then, let out a deep breath he had been holding in. He felt a sense of safety.
People watched as they entered. Eyes assessing and yet, some seemed hopeful. Kaizer couldn’t tell why, but his instincts were prickling. He pressed those instincts down and strode onward.