Chapter Text
Wyll walked around the forest, he personally didn't come here to relax or whatever other people though. Nope! He came here to fight whatever creatures dare lurk around it.
Most people don't see them, they come, chop some trees and leave. Wyll was different, he saw when the undead moved closer, when bones creaked trying to remind itself what putting a foot after the other felt like.
Wyll found it very entertaing doing this, fighting. His village specialized more in trades and that stuff, his parents being quiet good dealers around these parts of the region. He believed it was boring, how does one see selling as fun? It was stupid!
But dueling beasts, that's enjoyable, that's the dopamine he was looking for.
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A few weeks passed and the village started questioning the green one.
What is he doing every day in the forest?
A child shouldn't venture deep in the woods, doesn't he know he can get hurt?
Wyll hated those comment. Who did they think he was? Some random kid who chased after wild cats? No. He battled zombies and other creature that this village considered MYTHS.
He was protecting his home and these people saw him as a dumb and naive child.
He started getting sick of those comments and it got worse when his parents asked him to stop going in the forest. The kid felt anger bubble up inside himself and decided he'd be better off living in the place everyone despised so much. That's what he did. He took his backpack, food and other stuff he deemed as important and ran in the woods.
Wyll expected it to be hard, but he knew he could survive it, he knew how to combat, he could kill some animals for food, and fire? How hard that could be?
Surviving was hard. Was what Wyll decided to accept. He could keep the monster at bay, but he knew he had limits, and in the night, those limits were always reached.
He tried so hard, but sometimes it felt too much.
This night, his flint and steel didn't want to work for some reason so he couldn't start a fire. He dug a hole and hid himself, to at least have some sort of isolation.
The days passed, realising he had to wear the same clothes, which he couldn't clean properly, realising that he did miss the comfort of his bed, warm meals and other stuff that offered a better life. He felt like an idiot. Wyll left home, and for what? Nothing. He gained absolutely nothing in return for his once bright idea.
He felt so stupid, but he decided not to ponder on how his life would've been if he listened to the people from his village. He could've been rich most likely, slept in the world's coziest bed and greatest castle. He now had freedom, others couldn't tell him what to do or not... that should've satisfied him, shouldn't it?
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He wondered around in the woods for food, something he did daily. He didn't know how to take care of the wild cows and pigs, so day by day the herds of animals were slowly vanishing, leaving him with only one option. Travelling further.
Wyll didn't get scared easily, no. But there was some thing inside him, he knew it couldn't be fear, but it made his legs stop moving, his hands tramble and his breaths hitch. He needed to go inspect the depths of the forest, otherwise he'll die of starvation. So even with whatever was going on with him, he pushed forward.
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Wyll didn't have much luck with the animals, but at least the forest wasn't creepy was cool. The trees were taller, which meant more wood, the caves appeared bigger, which would lead to more resources.
A shiver ran up his spine as he internally listed what he was noticing. Coming here wasn't the worst idea. He tried to reason with himself. There doesn't seem to be any danger, so why am i so terrified? nervous?
His boots trudged through the the veil of nature, sword on his hip, ready to swipe at anything that could surprise him. He had to be careful, who knows what lies in this land untouched by the people.
The grass and dirt crumple where he steps, while the fallen leaves rustle, creating this unique melody he came to enjoy whenever on journey. He could even hear faint chirps from birds, indicating that there was definetly food around.
Wyll continued venturing around, noting in his mind where he has been, to not get lost.
Suddenly he felt the air change, the chilly winds that hit his face becoming warmer... that didn't make sense.
He was pretty sure the further in you get, the colder the forest greets you, not the other way around. Trying to invite you. Or maybe that was it, trying to attract dumb tourists or campers to feed them to the ones she cares for and protect herself from they're stupidity.
Cautiosly he walked closer and closer to the warmth that hit him. Knewing how dumb it was, he still felt drawn to it, missing seeing the flames dance inside the fireplace. Wyll being safe from them.
The closer he approached, the warmer it got. The nice feeling on his skin dissapearing, as the temperature intensified. He could also start seeing something black forming the edges of a rectangle, tho the shape didn't fully form, as there appeared to be existing gaps in its outline.
The random.. structure? grapped his attention fully.
Yet, he fully stopped when he saw the ground beneath it. Red patches of scorched dirt filled the soil, making him shiver at the sight. Framing the portal seemed to be gray bricks and above all of it, radianting and shining, gold.
Wyll almost gasped out loud.
Stepping closer to the sparkling ore, he failed to see the magma at the base of the structure, a sharp pain shot through his leg as it made contact with the molten rock. Recoiling backwards as his eyes frantically looked around for anything to ease the discomfort.
Spotting a tiny lake, he dashed to it, jumping without thinking it through more pain flaring in his leg, unexpectedly stopping.
Swimming back on the land Wyll found himself staring at the dangers that surrounded the rectangle. Scorching lava illuminated the purple sprakle of the rock of it, while magma hid itself in the red soil. Of course the material ore couldn't be so easy to get.