Xavier meets an untimely death and is confronted face-to-face with God. She gives him 2 options - reincarnate on Earth with no memories - a fresh start - or, be sent into his own world to be the hero of it. Knowing fantasy stories have always fascin...
About halfway through our journey to Kle'Xa, we encountered a single man walking in the same direction. From behind, he looked to be about five feet six. His hair was a slick white mostly covered by a cap, and his skin was ashen with long pointed ears poking outward. He wore a rough leather hide over a short sleeve shirt that had some sort of crest emblazoned on his back. His trousers were tattered and worn. They'd definitely seen better days.
The man turned around when he heard us speeding through. There were several scars over his face, including three long claw marks that went over his right eye. We had encountered a few caravans and peddlers in the previous days, so I thought about whether he was a hooligan or not.
His appearance certainly made him look the part. We slowed down and stopped as we neared him. The man approached us with a cautious demeanor. As he drew close enough, his eyes looked vacant, almost dead.
"You seem distressed. Is something the matter?" I asked.
The wagon had the coverings down, so he couldn't see Thea and Jayde inside. The man gave me a weary smile.
"Nothing's wrong. I am simply travelling to Kle'Xa," he replied.
"By foot? And all alone?" my voice held a tinge of skepticism.
He looked around for a second, shrugging his shoulders.
"Yes, unfortunately."
I wasn't feeling a sense of danger, but with all that's happened, I shifted my position slightly on the seat in a defensive manner. He must've noticed as he dropped his guard a little.
"I have no intention of being hostile to you unless you provoke me first."
Despite his dead eyes I felt a truth to his words.
"It seems that's the case," I smiled slightly, dropping my own guard.
"You can tell your companion to relax as well."
My eyes widened a little in surprise. I made no attempt to glance back, and instead went with the flow.
"It's fine to come out," I said nonchalantly, turning my head but maintaining eye contact.
Jayde was the only one to climb out onto the seat with me. She looked around before lowering her guard.
"Might I ask, how did you know she was in there?" I inquired.
He seemed reprehensive to telling us by the way his body shifted.
"What man travels alone on a road like this?" he questioned back.
"You do," I pointed out.
He chuckled and rubbed his chin.
"You have a point. Where might you be headed to?" he asked.
"The town just East of Kle'Xa," I lied, maintaining a straight face.
Jayde sat silently, turning her attention from the man to me and back.
"I see ... we haven't introduced each other yet; my name is Felt."
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"I am Xavier and this here is Jayde," I introduced us.
"It is a pleasure to meet the both of you. I do not intend to intrude, but is it possible for you to board me for a day?"
Felt smiled wearily. The more I focused on his appearance, the more it became plain as day that this man had been walking for a long, long time. It was surprising he lasted this long. Maybe he survived off people's kindness, or maybe he was a good hunter.
Either way, I felt enough pity for him that I agreed to allow him to ride with us. It was then that Thea decided to make Her grand appearance by flipping up the front cover of the wagon and placing one foot out on the seat. She stood with Her chest puffed out haughtily and Her hands on her hips.
"Ye who shall dare mess with me, the one to rule them all shall face the direst of consequences!"
"..." the three of us were taken aback.
"Ah, he is not an enemy, I see," Thea smiled, taking Her place in between Jayde and myself.
Felt's eyes had gone wide in surprise. He looked as though something was amiss, but quickly returned to his normal, dead gaze. He seemed wholly unaffected by her Godly appearance.
"Shall we go?" Thea asked me.
I shrugged my shoulders.
"Hop in, Felt."
He moved to the back of the wagon and climbed in. As we moved once more, I glanced at him. He had quickly made himself comfortable as his head rested against the sheets we had balled in the back. He truly must've been tired.
We travelled non-stop for the remainder of the day. Once night began to fall, we pulled off to the side of the road. I gathered a bunch of sticks and branches for a campfire. After ensuring Felt was still inside the wagon, I used my magic to create a fire in the makeshift pit.
