Defiant

Chapter 4

Clifford groaned, stirring himself when he felt his back hit a bump from the sudden jolt on which he laid. He slowly opened his eyes, blinking a few times to adjust to the dim light seeping through a window. The sound of horses’ hooves and wheels rattling against the dirt.

As he looked around, he realized that he had fallen asleep. He shivered, having those inkling sensations of teeth on him, remembering the relentless pain and agony he’d experience from the beasts, being continuously gnawed at and teared his body, feeding upon him.

It took him sometime to recover from the traumatic event, gathering his thoughts to process his current situation. While staring at his hands, he examined himself, along with the life bar on his side. Thankfully, it was slowly regenerating. His points were now about one-fourth. The wounds he sustained had completely healed. Of course, the pain continued to harbor in his mind.

Even if it was traumatizing, a good thing came out of that encounter. He confirmed a few things about his situation. First off, he was definitely half immortal within that world. Though he was curious about what will happen if his bar ends, he didn’t want to go that far.

He glanced around, then out the window, trying to gauge how much time had passed. The scenery outside had changed, plus he was now in a carriage.

It made him wonder how he got there. Last thing he remembered was being dragged by one of those wolves, before passing out from the extreme pain while getting chewed.

He leaned forward the moment they stopped, carefully crawling for the door in order to get a peek at what was outside, but suddenly, the doorknob turned and creaked. He was caught off guard, freezing in place, his heart racing from so many thoughts crashing through his mind, trying to make out what or who put him there.

With his current status, along with the lack of resources, there wasn’t anything he can do to protect himself. Leaving him helpless with nowhere to run inside that vehicle.

As the door swung open, his eyes widened in shock, mouth gaping in surprise. There, standing in front of him, was the boy he tried to save, also having the same reaction as he had.

The youth’s long black hair covered half his face, showing only a part of those large, soft eyes. Though hidden, there was no mistaken that sweet pretty face staring back at him.

The kid wore an enigmatic looking robe. His physique remained small and fragile, yet there was this air of confidence in him now, even if he was bending forward as he held onto a vibrant staff.

“It’s you!”

He blurts out in surprise, recognizing the lad. Their meeting somewhat bought this sense of joy and relief,

For a few moments, they simply stood there, frozen in place, unsure of what to do.

Clifford’s mind raced with questions. Not knowing what to say, or ask as he got so boggled up by seeing him there.

“Hey, he’s finally awake!”

Another voice slice through the silence, waking both of them from the daze.

Clifford couldn’t help but open his mouth wider in awe, dumbstruck at the appearance of a much more attractive young man.

This person was the complete opposite of the other one, with his broad shoulders, the messy hair and wide grin as he held his head high while looking at him. His air of confidence only added to the handsome and lively face of his, giving that strong, bad boy look.

“You also came from our world, right? That makes you the same as us! You should join our team then!”

The youth didn’t waste anymore time, immediately saying his thoughts out loud.

Clifford’s brows furrowed, taken aback by the offer. The youngster’s expression remained vigilant, lively, and full of vigor while speaking. Neither did he stutter a single word as he did.

Yet he couldn’t really answer him, shock from the familiarity, without even bothering with any introductions or pleasantries.

“Jack, maybe slow down a bit. Can’t you see his still recovering?”

The other kid was quick to push the guy aside, causing the teen to laugh at his companion. The two began bantering at one another, fooling around with glee.

Somehow, Clifford felt a sense of relief, smiling as he watched how both youngsters got along. From the looks of it, he was in safe company.He now understood what the exclamation point signified, as his current location showed he was right in front of it. Also, there’s this new message box that popped up from his vision. Showing the lines. ‘possible ally unit found.’ only adding to his assurance that he can rest and relax.

“My bad, Arty. I’ll leave you to it then.”

The confident lad taps his friend’s shoulder, chuckling as he waves goodbye to him before walking away with a wide smile on his face.

They watch as the guy rush to the group of knights, immediately mingling with them, having no problem joining in on the conversation. They hear a few laughters, here and there, prompting them to return to their attention to each other.

The timid one let out a sigh of relief, shaking his head to remove the heat and blushing of his cheeks, probably caused by the sudden intrusion. It took him a few moments to regain his composure, clearing his throat to fix himself up.

“Sorry about that. Jack can be a bit pushy sometimes.”

The lad states, forcing a smirk as he remained bowing.

Clifford’s eyes crinkled at the corners, holding on to his laughter, his head slightly tilting back in amusement as he covered his mouth with his hands. He needed a few seconds to process things, wanting to make sure he was presentable again once he speaks.

“Your names, Arty, right?”

He starts, finally finding his voice.

His attention got divided from talking to the lad and looking at his screen, as there was this sudden blinking icons showing up on it.

Also, there were some items which weren’t there before. Such as new buttons and options that appeared. He can’t help but contemplate on the possibilities, curious about its use and purpose.

“Yes sir. That’s me.”

The lad was quick to nod, his face shining, turning lively upon hearing his name.

That got him to snap for a bit, remembering he was in the middle of a conversation. Yet he couldn’t fully get his sights off of the images which kept popping up. His excitement and interest were taking over. Eager to learn what those new things are.

It took all his restraints and control to keep himself from shutting out the kid, knowing it would be rude to disregard him at the moment. So, even if he was itching to examine and tinker it, he kept all of it aside and focus on the person in front of him.

“I’m Clifford. So mind explaining to me what we are doing here?”

He gives out his hand in greeting. Also, he went straight to asking questions, needing to gather more information as possible. He didn’t want to waste the chance, considering what happened to him in the forest when he took his sweet time.

Another box pop up the minute the youth shook hands with him, showing a new notice. ‘Ally unit secured.’ With that, the mark on his map changed, replaced by what seemed to be an icon of a person wearing a white robe, the same as the one the lad wore, giving him a better view of what was around the teen.

This prompted him into a deep thought, shock that a simple gesture and act could create such a scenario. It made him think what other things he can achieve if he starts wandering.

He turned silent, unable to resist the temptation of this knowledge, noticing a few other exclamation points on his screen that showed a different color. Along with some other markers. He checks his modes. The option ‘character’ shows to be clickable, but he chooses ‘editor’ first to see if anything changed.

New options can now be selected on some of his dropdown, from a variety of skills, units, and items. Somehow, he has a bit of understanding of how the system works.

His pondering got cut short when he sees how the teen turned pale. His smile disappeared as his gaze kept shifting from him, then to the carriage’s floor.

“Uh, I should apologize for everything. I saw what happened to you, and it’s probably all my fault. I mean, if you didn’t come and tried to help me, you wouldn’t have gotten involved in all of this.”

Arty’s tone turned meek, no longer raising his head as he spoke. His lips and voice trembled with each word, along with his body. All the while sniffing from trying to stop his impending sobs.

It was then that Clifford realize the reason for it. He immediately shifted his eyes, fixing his face as he’d been frowning while examining his screens, making his expression grim as if he was brimming with anger.

“It’s all right, don’t worry about it.”

He forces a laugh, flailing his hands in panic, knowing he made a mistake from spacing out. He was never comfortable with such things, especially since he wasn’t used to guys acting like that.

Also, he didn’t blame the youngster for his demise, aware of his own negligence and excitement. Not to mention he became too lax when he got inside the hut, though he was in unknown territory.

His mind began pulsing, thinking of a way to ease the situation.

“So you were the one who saved me. That means we are even now.”

He shifts the conversation, wanting to shake the topic off. The guilt and remorse continued to nag on him, because of how the fellow looked.

Thankfully, the youth seem to have calmed down, his breathing returning to its slow and steady phase. The lad immediately wipe the crease on his face, along with the tears that wished to escape, suddenly feeling embarrassed by his actions.

That got Clifford heaving a sigh of relief, fanning himself from the sudden increase in his sweat from the anxiety.

They turned quiet for a while, as the kid tried to regain his composure, taking in deep breaths to calm his nerves.

“Not really. It was actually Jack who took down those dire wolves. I’m only here as a support, since I am weak and still can’t deal with all of this.”

Arty’s face fell, eyelids turned low from being helpless. His lips pursed, hands clutching on his knees, knowing how worthless he was at the moment, remembering how he was so useless during that time of need.

“Where exactly are we? And what is with that getup?”

Clifford changes the topic once more, aware of the kids’ pitying. He’d rather not add to his sulking, understanding the boy had a fragile heart and low self-esteem.

He thought it best to set that problem aside for now, wanting to avoid making the same mistake again. What he needed was more details and information. From the looks of it, somebody already informed the teen about the place, having gotten a good start.

With all the neat clothing, item, along with guards and the likes, he was certain they didn’t suffer the same fate as he had. Plus, the way he spoke tells him either they’ve been there longer or someone assisted them upon their arrival.

That notion instantly change Arty’s mood, his complexion returning together with the sudden burst of life within his gleaming eyes.

“Yes! Of course.”

The youth’s renewed vigor seemed to have gotten to his head, as he now posed to show his full figure. Staff held high, the glow from the weapon flickered and dance into the palm of the lad’s hands, twinkling with each motion of his fingers.

“This place is the magical kingdom of Briskfork! And we, the chosen ones, are the children of light, summoned to bring peace and order to the land.”

Like those seen on some poster ads, the boy resembled one of those magicians, glimmering with a beam of power and magic all over him.

Clifford ended up raising a brow, hearing the name given to them, let alone the task placed upon them.

This reasoning set him off, as memories of the selection flash before his mind, remembering how those orbs looked as if they were communicating during the entire process. A gut feeling came crawling into his stomach, twisting and churning, together with a shrill of thrill coursing through his veins at the idea that he witnessed something that we’re not for mortal eyes.