Chapter 6: Help?

  Slowy, I felt myself waking up.

  I was laying down, face down on the grass.

  Surprisingly, I didn't feel anything.

  'Wait, did the Phoenix help me' I thought

  I looked at my body, seeing that there was no damage or proof of anything that had happened, i started to laugh hysterically.

  "Hahahahaha" I laugh demented

  I didn't have anything wrong with my body, yet the sensation still lingered.

  My body felt like it was being pricked by a thousand needles. I remember how the side of my arm was broken.

  My arm twitched where the bone had shattered—now whole, but the feeling still present.

  'I'm scared. I don't want to go on anymore'

  I thought helplessly.

  'If I stay here, it'll only be a matter of time before I am once again suffering'

  I was hyperventilating at this point, it was hard to concentrate. My entire body trembled in fright.

  While I was having a panic attack, I didn't notice that I wasn't alone.

  It was only when I heard someone speak and was startled by hearing someone, is when my mind temporarily suppressed my emotional turmoil to figure out what was happening.

  "■□■□■□." I heard a voice but couldn't understand what they were saying.

  Lifting myself off the ground, I saw three humanoid figures.

  One was an a Elf, dressed in black cloak, the other was an beast man that appeared to be a bear-man. The bear man was wearing leather armor.

  And the last one was a dwaft holding a wooden staff. He was dressed in medieval clothing, a white-yellowish shirt with a brown pants.

  The bear-man and the dwarf seem to be arguing.

  "■□■ ■□■□." said the bear man before hitting the dwarf over the head.

  "■□■□■!!!" yelled the dwarf.

  I couldn't understand what they were saying, until the dwarf started to cast a spell.

  I started to glow green, and just as quickly as it came, it vanished

  "Is it working now?" Said the bear man impatiently.

  "Shut up already. I'm checking!" Said the dwarf

  "Hey, You. Can you understand what we're saying kid?" Said the dwarf In a scruffy voice.

  My panic subsided for a bit because of the interductuon of some new people

  ' Who are they. He looks like a dwarf.' I thought shakily

  "See, you fucked up again Garrett. Your not as good as you say, you dumbass. Just look at the human. The frail bastard is scared of you" Said the bearman mockingly

  "Just give me time Damn it! Your so fucking annoying!"

  "Kid, you deaf or something?! Come say something already!" Hollered the dwarf.

  "Umm....who are you?" I asked warily

  "See! It did work, you overgrown rat!" Said the dwarf jeeringly to the bearman

  " I should have never partied up with a midget like you. You damn dwarfs are all the same."

  "What did you sa-" the dwarf was cut off by the elf.

  "Slience, both of you."

  " ..... " despite their heated argument, they both seem to obey the elf like dogs.

  Although, they didn't stop glaring at each other.

  "Human, what's your name?" Asked the elf.

  I was about to answer truthfully, until I remembered how horrible this world has been.

  ' I can't just trust him. I don't know if they would have a reason to hurt me but,' I shudder to think about what would happen if I wasn't cautious ' I need to think ahead, I can just trust anyone anymore'

  " Connor, my names Connor." I lied.

  My eyes lit up, ' I'm going to make sure that I don't mess up.'

  "I See" said the elf as he stood up.

  "Garrett! Michael! Tie up the kid. We can't have the merchandise escaping on us."

  Without a moments notice, I was tied up and slung over the bear man's shoulders like a sack of potatoes.

  'Wait. WHAT!!!' I screamed internally.

  Everything happened so fast I was flabbergasted at this turn of events.

  *

  Message: Just your luck, you've come across slave traders. They are probably out here because they noticed all you Humans being transported here. That elf was probably the one to sense the Mana fluctuations and was able to pin point the location of where the human spawned.

  That's actually pretty smart, not gonna lie.

  *

  'Why didn't you tell me they wer....no I can't get mad because this 'assistant' isn't help me'

  Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

  I clenched my teeth 'I need to be able to figure out people intentions on my own. I need to be able to survive on my own, no help from anyone or anything.'

  'But what now. I'm trapped!'

  "Hey, human your pretty quiet" Said the bearman.

  "You better not be scheming anything, we'll kill you, Ya HEAR" threatened the dwarf

  ' Damn it. What now?' I thought

  I racked my brain for any ideas.

  ' fighting them isn't an option, but if I don't do anything, I'll be sold as a slave. If I fight, even if I manage to escape, it won't be without sacrifice. Even then, I'll be too weak to protect myself from the monsters in this forest and end in the same situation as before. For now, escaping is impossible'

  I felt my entire shaking with adrenaline, my heart pounding. I could feel the rope dig into my skin as I was carried.

  ' For now, I have to wait. Now isn't the time to run. I need to gather more information about where I'm going and if I have a chance at escaping later. Knowing their abilities will be useful as well. At least for now I'm 'safe'. Considering that I'm merchandise, they probably want me in good condition, or at at least somewhat alive.'

  Slowy, I could hear the sound of many voices in the distance.

  Only this time I could understand them.

  "Shhh, their coming. Quiet down or they'll beat us" Said a voice

  The bearman carrying me walked for a bit before stopping.

  Grabbing me by leg, he tosses me in a carriage.

  I ended up landing on someone. Well more like crashing into them.

  "Ahh" said the unsuspected victim.

  I headbutt his chest.

  Looking up, I saw it was an old man.

  He look to be in his 50s or 60s.

  "...." I didn't apologize. I only quickly got up and found a place to sit.

  The wooden planks reeked of sweat and iron. The air was filled with fear it was almost palpable.

  There were 15 people in the carriage, all people from earth like me.

  "...." they all stared at me for a moment before looking back down at the ground.

  They look terrified. They looked pale, bags under their eyes and dried up tears on their face. They all had a look of dread on their faces.

  ' I need a way out.' I thought

  ' maybe if I cause a commotion here I'll be able to escape. If these people also try to escape at the same time I do, I will have a higher chance at escaping.....no, even if I manage to run for a bit, they will probably find me. They probably know this forest like the back of their hand. Trying to hide from them in familiar territory will be bad. They'll find me.'

  'Maybe if I burn the carriage when we get close to whatever destination they plan to take us is a good idea. They will probably take us to a city where a bunch of people are at. They'll be busy trying to put out the fire that they won't be able to see me get away. Or at least they will pay less attention to me to give me a slight chance to escape'

  "Man, using that spell so many times is draining my Mana." Said the dwarf as he chugged a blue vile.

  "Damn, I'm getting fat because of how much Mana potions I've drank"

  "Don't kid yourself, you've always been a fatass" laughed the bearman

  "Your lucky that I don't feel so good, otherwise I'd knock some sense into ya!" Bellowed the dwarf.

  "Alright, let's go." Said the elf before hopping on the carriage where all the 'slaves' were in.

  He walked to the back of the carriage and sat down. Everyone made way for him as he got closer.

  When he sat down he stared at all of us. Anyone that his eyes landed on quaked in fear. I could feel pressure on my entire body as his eyes slowly landed on me.

  When his eyes finally landed on me, I could my skin crawl.

  His pupils slit like a cat's when they locked onto mine.

  My body wanted to run. Every alarm in my brain was going off.

  Run, you can't beat him. He too dangerous, you need to hide.

  It felt like my body was sinking into itself, trying to hide inside itself.

  After what seem like an eternity, he continued scanning the rest of the 'merchandise'.

  Unfortunately, the damage has already been done.

  Just thinking about how powerful he is made me hopeless

  'How can I escape with that elf watching, even if I tried to do something, I be caught immediately'

  My heart started to accelerate, my breathing became ragged. It felt like everything I did was futile. I mind stared to crumble.

  'No, I can't panic. Not yet. I need to hold myself together until I escape.'

  I manage to recompose myself slighty, but I could still feel the despair clawing at the back of my mind, threatening to take over.

  'If I can't do anything now, I'll have to gather more information and make a move later. Breaking down now will only guarantee my doom'. This thought alone stoped the panic from overtaking me completely.

  *

  Message: Good job at pulling yourself together, you should probably check your own status window. Its good to gather information around you, but if you don't know your limitations, your bond to fail.

  Don't worry no one else can see your status window.

  *

  'It's right!' I thought

  I quickly pulled out my status window

  *

  Name: Colt Smith. Lv: 4

  Class: None

  Trait: Immortal.

  Curse: Mark of a Eldritch God.

  (Description: You encountered a fragment of a Eldritch God and ate a part of it. This Mark shows the location of the Cursed wherever you are at. No matter where run, you Will be hunted down.)

  Skill: Poison resistance Lv1(Passive)

  Self-immolation Lv 1

  Fire resistance Lv 1 (Passive)

  Translate (Temporary Description: its the spell that dwarf put on you)

  Numb body Lv1 (Description: This skill lessens the pain of PHYSICAL ATTACKS ONLY. Mental attacks or magical attacks will damage you the same. Don't go thinking you can abuse this skill. After the skill is deactivated, all the pain will hit you like a truck.)

  Mental Outburst (Description: Your panic has created a skill. When actived, your mind slowly decays. This allows you to use 100% of your body's strength. WARNING: you slowly lose your mind when this skill is active. If you use it for too long, your mind will receive permanent damage from the stress, limiting your mental and physical capabilities. You'll probably fuck up again, so listen up! Unlike the soul, the damage can be healed by yourself. Find some healing potion that's at least high grade or look for something to digest thats high in mana. A healer could also help out.

  Lucky Shot (Passive. Description: Obtained by eating a fragment of an Eldritch God. Slighty higher chance at landing a critical blow to your enemy. )

  Equipment: None

  Heath: 55   (Your stats increase when

  Attack: 18    You train or heal up.

  Defense: 15     from injurys)

  Mana: 10

  (Lucky you, that dwarf regenerateed not just your body, but your soul.)

  *

  My eyes twitched in surprised, I couldn't react much because the elf would notice something wrongs.

  'My souls healed! That's good, that's expands the limit of what I can do. I've also gained 3 new skills and one temporary. Looking at the description, I should only use mental outburst if I really have to. Numb body will help me run away even if I've been hurt, or if i need to fight. I'll be able to move my body more efficiently without having to deal with the full force of the pain' I thought deeply.

  'And then fire resistance, it will help me if when I use the self immolation skill again. I'll be able to burn for longer and not take as much damage' i squint my eyes slightly

  'But considering it's only level one, there won't be much of a noticeable difference between having the skill and not'

  'I should look around outside to see where I'm at. Planing anymore won't be of much help since I don't know where I'm going.'

  I turn my head to look outside, I see the dwarf driving the carriage, and the bear man walking outside the carriage guarding us.

  The path were walking on seem to be one that's traveled alot because of how there was only dirt, no grass grew.

  There was one thing that I found strange.

  We were heading down, the carriage was slanted downward.

  There wasn't much else for me to observe after that so just sat in silence.

  After about 30 minutes of driving, we arrived infront of a massive tree. Well, it looked like a tree.

  It wasn't a tree at all. It was large pieces of sliver-looking metal that seem to be welded together. The end product looked like a tree. Infused into the metals surface were many different colored rocks that all seem to have the same sigil.

  The carriage stopped a distance away from the metal tree. The bearman stepped closer to the tree and pull out a necklace.

  The necklace was slowly lifted off his hands and into the air.

  Suddenly the tree appeared to talk.

  "Ah, Michael. Nice to see you and your friends back. Come on in" Said a distorted voice.

  The tree wasn't talking, there appeared to be a speaker somewhere, but despite looking for it, I couldn't see from where the 'speaker' was.

  The metal trees mouth opened, seeming as if it was telling us to enter its mouth.

  'It's probably one of those rock infused into the tree. Damn it, I can't tell which though because of how many rocks there are. It doesn't help that all the sigil look the same.' I thought frustrated

  The dwarf whipped the horse slighty, making the horse continue to pull the carriage once again.

  When I get inside I need to be ready. The next few minutes might decide whether I live a free man or a slave!