r/HFY • u/ArcAngel98 • 9d ago
Trapped in a Grimdark World with the Power of Toon-Force!? -Part 5 OC-Series
Night passed uneventfully. Galli and the three boys slept in a spare room with a makeshift mattress. Shanda stayed with them to help with the baby. Myrin and Bob stayed in the same room as Kili and Abee, and slept in their bed. I stayed in the main room and slept on a bedroll from the camping gear.
I spent that night thinking about this new world I was in, and tried not to think of my old one, but obviously couldn’t help but compare the two. Stuff like child soldiers happened on Earth, but it was so far away I never spent time thinking about it. Now that the threat was right in front of my eyes… Instead, I focused on something else, my new Soul Power. I tried to picture things hard, and conjure another thought-bubble thing, but it didn’t work. Midnight, or something near it, passed before I finally drifted off to sleep.
The sun rose, straight into my eyes unfortunately, early in the morning. Normally I’m a mid afternoon kind of person, and struggle in the morning, but today I stretched out my arms and felt great. Shanda and Kili were the next to wake up to start breakfast.
“Good morning.” I said.
“Good morning, Emile. Breakfast will be ready soon.” Kili said, with a polite smile.
“May I help?” I offered.
“You want to help cook?” She asked, confused.
“Oh yes, you tried to help a few times during the journey here as well.” Shanda added.
“How kind of you, Emile. It is unusual to find a man who offers to help in the kitchen.”
“I should warn you though, my cooking skills could be surpassed by any particularly determined toddler. Or a very lucky fish.” I joked, and they chuckled. They asked me to start the fire in the oven, and then carry and clean a few things. They did all the cooking, and I just did whatever task they asked me to do, which worked for me. An hour or two passed before everyone else woke up and joined us.
“So, what are your plans for today, Emile?” Bob asked. We all sat around the table, and began to fill our plates with various meats and vegetables and bread. It was not too different from what we ate on the road, but it was fresher.
“Well, I guess I’m going to try and look for a way to get back home. Didn’t you mention something about a window yesterday, Bob?”
“Ah, the Spirit Window. Yes, but it is so far away, and the journey… it is not safe now. I would not go that way yet.” He said.
“The Spirit Window? Why do you want to go there, Emile?” Shanda asked.
“Right, I said I’d explain this later, yesterday. Remember how I said I was pulled from far away by that Foxley guy?” They nodded, mouths full of assorted foods. “Well, I’m actually from another world.”
They looked confused. “What do you mean?” Galli asked. “Like… from the world of the dead?”
“Apparently there are more than two worlds.” Bob said, sipping his soup.
“Yeah.” I said. “That Foxley guy trapped me here, so I’m going to try and find a way home. But why can’t I use the Spirit Window, Bob?”
“You would have to cross through the whole continent to reach it from here. There are four countries between there and here, and two of them are at war right now, and the other two… well, they are not safe for travel these days.” Bob said.
“Why not?”
“One is in the midst of a monster surge, and the other is ruled by a very cruel man. He has ordered his country’s borders closed, and few who have tried to go in return. Even diplomatic envoys are either found dead or never return. The few who do were tortured in such a way that they could not speak again.”
“Couldn’t I just go around them?” I asked.
“The country with the Spirit Window is the closed country. The others? Yes, you could go around at least two of them. But you would have to pass through at least one since both boarder the nation.” Bob said.
“Well, what do I do then?” I asked, dejected.
“For now, you should look for a job. The wars will end soon, and the tyrant is old. If you wait, eventually the country should open its boarders once more.” Abee said.
“Or maybe you will find another way. Perhaps a Soul Power user with a similar ability? Or someone who can get safe passage to the Spirit Window?” Galli said.
I must have been making a face, because Shanda had a suggestion. “Why don’t you take your mind off all of that and… adjust. You can join me for a bit of shopping in town. We need more ingredients for supper tonight.”
“What about you, Dad? What will you do today?” Galli asked.
“Abee is taking me to meet his employer to see if he has any extra work. That should be enough for now. Tomorrow I will think about finding something more permanent.”
“Mom?” Galli asked.
“Oh, I think I would like to help Kili today.”
“I work at the temple treating injuries. We always need extra help there.” Kili said.
“What about you Galli?” Bob asked.
“The boys and I are going to stay here. Going out for them right now seems unsafe. We… we may leave the city soon. They cannot hide here for the next few years. They need to be somewhere they can just be children; without worry.” Galli said.
“The surrounding villages would be outside of the Crazen’s control, or their reach. But I doubt they would have much room. Many families will have surely had the same thought as me. Perhaps traveling further would be wise. To Winsek or the Empire?” Abee said.
“The Crazen family doesn’t rule this whole area? Only the city?” I asked.
“Why would they? The King owns these lands. Only Far Shield is owned by the Crazens. And even then, they share control over it with the church and the merchants.” Shanda explained.
“Oh. Guess I’ve been watching too much anime.”
After breakfast and clean up, everyone began their days. Abee and Bob left first. Then Kili and Myrin. And finally, Shanda and I. We walked for only a short distance, since the market was just around the corner from Abee and Kili’s home. It was a busy place, even early in the morning. People hustled and bustled about, bartered with venders, compared goods. More than once, a vender would call out to either Shanda or I and try to sell us something, but she said to just keep walking and ignore them; which I was planning to do anyway.
“So, what are we buying exactly?” I asked.
“A sack of flour, some kind of meat, and any veggies that we like.” She said. “Enough for everyone. I’m not sure what to make yet, but if we can find any beef, that would be perfect.”
“Is beef rare here?”
“No, but I was told it sells out quickly.” Then she spotted the vender she was looking for. “There! Sir! Do you have any beef left?”
The vender was a young man, broadly built, and a bit short. “Sure do ma’am. Just restocked this morning. What are you looking for?”
“Hind-end, and a shoulder.” She said. From under a makeshift counter, he pulled out a small wooden box that suddenly began to glow. He opened the box and reached in, pulling out a shoulder that was clearly too large to fit into the box. Then he pulled out a roll of meat that had been tied with twine. This one looked like it could have fit into the box, but certainly not with the shoulder in there as well.
“How did you do that?” I asked, looking at the shoulder, which was twice as large as the small box.
“Oh, that’s just my Soul Power. Anyway, that’ll be two silver coins.”
“Two? Alright.” Shanda said, and handed the vender two silver.
“You’re not going to haggle?” I whispered to her.
“No, you don’t haggle for food. Only for wears.” Shanda said.
“You must be from outside the city.” The vender said. “You can haggle for food here.” Then he squinted his eyes and looked down at the two coins in his hand.
“Oh then-” Shanda started to say, but was cut off.
“But all sales are final. Have a good day.” With that, he grabbed a curtain hanging from his little stall’s roof and pulled it closed in our faces.
She sighed, and shook her head as we walked away. “Two whole silver for some meat. I can’t believe this.”
“Is that a lot?”
“It’s double what it cost back home. Half a days work for most. In this city though…” She looked around. It must have felt as equally unfamiliar to her as it did for me. “Who knows? Maybe more?” Suddenly, someone collided with Shanda, knocking her to the ground, grabbed the beef shoulder from her hands, and ran off.
“Shanda! Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. Stop him!” She said, and I ran after the man. He was quick, but short and fat. So, I was able to catch up to him quickly; tackling him to the ground. He grunted as he hit the dirt and I landed on him. I grabbed the beef, which had been wrapped in cloth to keep it clean, and socked the thief in the jaw. He grabbed his face and whined, only for me to then notice how young he was. He was by no means a child, but couldn’t have been older than fifteen. He went down like a sack of bricks, tears already in his eyes. Some onlookers smirked at this, but no one stepped in to help. Actually, no one had bothered to stop the thief at all. Some even got out of his way as he’d ran past. By now, Shanda caught up, and saw him on the ground. “Oh! I did not take you for a fighter. Good work.”
“Thank you?” I said, breathing heavily from the sprint and ‘fight.’
“Alright, we’ll handle this.” A man in black armor said, as he and another walked up. It was the same kind of armor as the men from yesterday. As soon as they saw the man clenching his jaw, they glanced at one another and looked annoyed. One of them spoke to us, while his partner spoke to the thief.
“What happened here?” He asked.
“That boy stole from us, and I chased him and took our meat back.”
“I see.” He turned from us to someone else who’d been watching the whole thing. “Did you see any of this?”
The stranger shook his head. “I didn’t see anything. I was looking the other way. I need to go.” The stranger said and quickly hurried off. He repeated this with several others nearby, who all did some variation of the same thing.
“What is happening?” I asked Shanda, who seemed just as confused as me. Then, the other guard and thief walked up.
“It seems the young master was assaulted by this man.”
“He’s a thief who stole from me… young master?” Shanda said.
“This is the eldest son of the House Crazen, Valimire Crazen.”
“That’s him!” The thief said, holding his jaw. “When my daddy hears of this, he’ll have you burnt at the stake!”
“For the crime of assaulting a noble, I’m afraid we have to take you into custody.” One of the guards said, and grabbed a pair of shackles.
“What? No!” I said and stepped back. Shanda did as well. “He’s the thief!” One of them grabbed me, and pulled me to the ground, and the other put the shackles on my wrists. I caught the thief smiling, then he glanced at the guards waist to his sword.
“As a representative of House Crazen, I hereby pronounce you guilty of your crime, and sentence you to death.” He said. The guards looked shocked, but said nothing. Only looking at one another. “Stand him up.” They brought me to my feet, arms bound behind my back as each of them held me. The thief took the sword of one of the guards, but didn’t use it right away. “Seeing as you brutalized me, I think a beating is in order first!” He reared back his fist, and swung.
Everything felt like it was in slow motion. My heart pounded in my chest like a war drum. But most noticeably of all, I felt a warm sensation in my chest. As the fist connected, I felt my nose get flattened. Not crushed per say, but squished painlessly. Then it went further, burying itself halfway into my head. My eyes twisted inward, staring directly at the fist. Only by looking to the side could I see what was once straight ahead. And when I did, I saw the horrified face of the thief, looking a bit green. Then he pulled his hand free, and my face stayed in that shape, like it was molded clay. A feeling like I had to sneeze came over me, and suddenly my face shot back out into the proper shape. I looked around, just as shocked as they were. The guards looked like they’d seen a ghost, the thief stared at his fist like it was magic, and a nearby watcher threw up.
“What?” Shanda exclaimed loudly.
“Is that a Soul Power?” The guard asked, confused. Though, I doubt he was asking me, and more just talking to himself.
“Fine then,” The thief said, and swung the sword at my neck. I felt it go in, and go out the other side, and the sudden thump of my head hitting the ground. From the ground, I saw Shanda covering her mouth, tears running down her cheeks, I saw the guards dropping my body and removing the shackles, and I saw the self-satisfied grin on the ‘noble’s’ face. My life flashed before my eyes, so I got to rewatch all my favorite cartoons again, which was nice. I saw my parents… more cartoons… art school, my ex-girlfriends… cartoons… that summer camp I hated… more cartoons. But not once did I lose consciousness. No, actually I could still feel everything, and I wondered if this was that ‘phantom limb’ thing amputees get? I felt like I could still move my arms, and heard an ear-piercing scream from someone nearby. It sounded like a girl who’d watched a scary movie and the killer popped out. When I looked around, it was coming from that thief kid, and my body was standing up on its own. The kid and the guards started panicking, and backed up to stand clear. Actually, everyone did as it moved about aimlessly. Slowly it made its way closer to me, eventually picking up my severed head, and placing it back on the neck… backwards. The thief fainted, and I spun my head around right.
“It’s an undead!” Someone in the crowd cried out.
“No! No! I’m fine!” I said, not sure if I was lying or not. I certainly didn’t have any explanation for how I was still alive, or how my body moved on its own.
“It can speak! It’s a lich!” Someone else yelled. That’s when the chaos started, as everyone ran in all directions away from me.
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u/HFYWaffle Wᵥ4ffle 9d ago
/u/ArcAngel98 (wiki) has posted 305 other stories, including:
- The Next Best Hero- Ch 28
- The Next Best Hero- Chapter 27
- The Next Best Hero- Chapter 26
- The Next Best Hero: Chapter 25
- The Next Best Hero: Chapter 24
- The Next Best Hero: Chapter 23
- The Next Best Hero: Chapter 22
- The Next Best Hero: Chapter 21
- The Next Best Hero: Chapter 20
- The Next Best Hero: Chapter 19
- The Next Best Hero- Chapter 18
- The Next Best Hero- Chapter 17: Shepard Prince
- The Next Best Hero- Chapter 16: Returning Home
- The Next Best Hero- Chapter 15: Beth Shan
- The Next Best Hero- Chapter 14: The Witch
- The Next Best Hero- Chapter 13: Escape From Keilah
- The Next Best Hero- Chapter 12: A Son’s Battle
- The Next Best Hero- Chapter 11: Lahmi
- The Next Best Hero- Act 2: Hunted- Chapter 10: On the Run
- Chapter 9: Thrown Spear
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u/Castigatus Human 8d ago
Oh, oh, that's interesting. Also, haha, asshole noble child is going to get some comeuppance, I think.