Run Kitten... Run

Chapter 1: King of the Wanderers

Five days, three hours, forty-five minutes and twenty seconds. That's how long you've been searching through the dense woods outside the N109 Zone looking for the man that has been dubbed as King of the Wanderers. Originally you didn't have plans to take on this mission, especially since you are still dealing with the grief of losing your childhood friend Caleb and your Grandma Josephine, but Tara insisted that getting out and working in the field would do wonders for your mental state instead of sulking around the office and letting your mind drift off to a dark place. Now after being out in these woods with little to no rations left, a broken tent, and the burning desire to take a five-hour long bath, you have made a mental note to chew Tara out when you return home and to never take her advice ever again.

"This is fine... this is fine... When I return to Linkon City I'll take an extravagant bubble bath and then I'll cook myself a feast meant for a king and eat it all by myself." In a desperate attempt to keep your sanity from slipping you mumble softly to yourself to keep your mind distracted from how alone you feel out in these woods. The comforting autumn sun is beginning to set and with your tent being on its last leg (literally) you are dreading having to spend another sleepless night outside under the moon and stars. Although you thrive in social settings, you've never been much of a social butterfly and under different circumstances you would relish in the idea of being alone with your thoughts and no one to distract you. But after five days of silence besides the occasional monologues you speak out loud to yourself or the shrieking whines of low-level wanderers you've slayed, you are in need of communicating with someone or any living creature besides yourself.

Turning your head to the side you notice the fluttering of black crow wings as they soar through the charming blue sky and land from tree branch to tree branch until it finds a comfortable sitting position. Considering that the file you were given for this mission explicitly stated that this wooden area was desolate besides the presence of wanderers you are somewhat confused about the presence of a crow. But you aren't someone that is willing to disregard a blessing as you scour the woodland ground in search for any fallen grains or berries you can offer to the nearby bird.

With a handful of unidentifiable berries that could possibly be poisonous if consumed by a human you carefully walk up to the birch tree that looks as if it's been growing in the same spot for hundreds of years and hold your cupped hands up in the air like an offering to an ancient god. "Psst... Psst... hey there birdie. Would you like a snack? I'm not sure if it's very tasty but my name is Y/N, and it is a pleasure to meet you."

After your cheerful greeting an uncomfortable silence befalls between you and the black crow that stays silent while eyeing the pitiful offering in your hands before letting out a disgruntled cawk and flying to another tree branch to sit upon. Squinting your eyes at the bird that blatantly disregarded your offering, your irritation grows as you toss the mystery berries down onto the woodland ground and wipe your hands on your pants before turning on your heels to begin your journey once more. "I swear when I get back, I'll give Tara a piece of my mind... 'Go on the mission,' she says... 'Fresh air will help get you out of this mental funk,'... blah, blah, blah. I feel worse now than when I was at home in my bed." Another hour of you grumbling to yourself and trekking through the woods passes before you feel the Aether Core in your heart begin to rapidly thump and buzz in your chest. The sensation is unbearable and feels dangerously close to a heart attack as you let out a loud shriek and almost fall into the dry patched woodland ground before steading yourself against a nearby oak tree.

"W-W-What is happening?" Fear and panic begin settling in as you try to do your best not freak out, but your mind is swirling with different possibilities as to what could be wrong. Quickly you begin undoing the top four buttons of your shirt to expose your sternum as your eyes try to locate what could be causing you immense distress.