SWNOVELS System Change: Chapter 4
“What just happened?” Thomas was just talking to the scary man, who he just realized wasn’t a monster, when the man screamed loudly and fell, tossing up dust as his well-armored figure hit the ground.
More curious than brave, Thomas warily ambled toward the man to check on him. Before drawing close, he scrambled back to where he was. What am I doing? He was chasing me earlier. Who knows what he planned to do to me?
Thomas made it back to the boulder and slid down into a sitting position. Realizing his situation, he frowned. Why are my pants wet? He thought back to before, when he was running for his life from the demon-like man and his menacing smile, and blushed. I can’t believe I wet myself. Embarrassed, and not just a little scared, he pondered on the situation he had gotten himself into.
Why didn’t I stay with the group? Pa told me not to leave their sight. How long ago was that? Two, three days? A rumble sounded from his stomach, and he looked down with a sad smile. I don’t think I’ve ever been this hungry before… I’m starving. It was the first time in days that Thomas could calm down and think about his situation.
My pants are drenched, my shirt ruined, my belly empty, and my mouth is so dry that I can’t stand it. Thomas sobbed again for the umpteenth time since getting lost. He was wondering if he would have any tears left if he managed to make it home.
What am I going to do? I’m alone. Thomas looked at the pile of armor and hair lying face down across the fire from him. Well, I’m not alone, but being with him may be worse than being by myself.
I don’t even know how I managed to stay alive for as long as I have. He thought about the events that led him up to this point.
Thomas was traveling with his grandfather and some residents from a neighboring village, back to his own. He wandered away from his group because he thought he recognized a medicinal herb his grandma had told him to always look out for.
When he arrived at the location of the plant, he realized it was nothing more than a common weed. Deciding to go back to his group empty-handed, he realized that he was lost. He thought he went back the way he came, but the group was nowhere to be found.
After calming down, he wanted to walk back to the weed so he could get his bearings. Unfortunately, that proved to be an impossible task as there were countless weeds that all looked the same. Thomas chided himself. He was only gone for a dozen or so minutes, yet he managed to get himself completely lost.
For the next few minutes, he walked around aimlessly, shouting for his grandpa or other members of their party. This proved fruitless. A little later he heard rustling from behind. Elated that someone had found him, he turned, only to become stalk-still. What stared back at him was a pair of scarlet red eyes full of murderous intent.
Thomas slowly shrank away, making himself as little as possible before turning on his heel and fleeing for his life. As he darted through the forest, crunching leaves and warping tree branches caught his attention, along with the light pattering of an agile beast. The sounds drew closer and closer. At this point, Thomas had lost all hope. His small stamina pool was almost drained.
His heart pounded in his ears as if on the cusp of exploding. His legs were weak and no longer able to keep up with his current pace. Like that, it finally hit him. He was dead, and there was nothing he could do about it. There was no hope for survival.
As he made this realization, he calmed down and accepted his fate. He made peace that he would never meet his family or friends again. They’ll be better off without me. It’s one less unproductive mouth for the village to feed.
As his sprint slowed to a jog, he turned his head to get a good look at his would-be murderer. It was a wolf, a beautiful wolf with jet-black fur that glistened in whatever sunlight was able to hit it through the broken and diseased forest. Saliva flew from its gaping maw as it crashed towards him through the forest. Its jaw could likely shatter his bones in one quick bite. However, if the strength of its jaw didn’t snap the bone, its razor-like teeth would have no problem stripping him of his flesh.
As visions of being eaten alive plagued him, his foot caught on a vine and he lost his balance, soon tumbling end over end. After his momentum halted, he looked around. He was on the edge of a very steep hill. If he continued on, he would likely break his neck in the fall. That thought didn’t seem so bad to Thomas. At least then, his end would be quick and relatively painless.
Gathering his courage, he glanced at the predator one last time, then hurled himself down the hill. Thomas fell, barbs from bushes ripping through his clothing, dirt and mud staining his hair and body. The fall felt like it took ages but was over in a near-instant.
Thomas lay on the flat of his back, staring up at the sky, wondering how he made it all the way down without dying. Glancing to where he fell from, he saw two glaring red eyes staring back at him. Luckily, the wolf chose not to follow him down the hill.
He shifted his aching body, struggling to right himself. After wobbling and stumbling, he was finally able to stand straight. His eyes never left the top of the hill. Please, just leave. Go find something easier to hunt. He silently prayed to himself, over and over.
It seemed like his prayers were answered. Shockingly, the head staring over the hill slowly backed away until it disappeared out of sight. It left… I can’t believe it. After shaking off the trauma from his narrow escape from death, Thomas assessed his situation. Miraculously, his body was mostly uninjured. Other than some cuts and future bruises, he was fine. Somehow, he had made it down the steep hill without breaking anything.
He didn’t know what was more insane, that he fell such a distance down an almost cliff-like hill and survived almost unharmed or the wolf choosing to leave him alone. Either way, he chose not to question it. He was alive… Alone, but alive.
That said, he was still lost, with no clue how far away he had wandered from his grandpa and the rest of the group. Would they still be looking for me? He looked back up the hill. They’ll never find me here. He fought back a sob.
All sense of direction left Thomas when he was being chased by the wolf. He didn’t know which way would lead him out of the forest, or which way would take him deeper, into the more dangerous part.
Scanning his surroundings, he found himself with the unclimbable hill to his right and diseased trees and shrubbery to his left. Surprisingly, both in front of him and behind him was clear. Only the occasional stone stood in his path.
Not knowing the best option, he went with his gut. He decided to follow the path forward, staying within the tree line to keep himself from being out in the open.
Thomas crept forward, making as little noise as possible. He moved along sluggishly as the hours passed. Eventually, the sun fell, and darkness overwhelmed his vision. He found a bush big enough to hide his body and crawled into it for the night. He knew better than to move through the forest alone at night.
Sleep never came. All the night brought him was creepy noises from the forest and a frigid chill. His eyes darted and his heart raced at every sound. He could survive like this for a few nights, but because of the cold and lack of food and water, he knew he wouldn’t make it much more than that.
The next day, the boy pushed himself forward, hoping to find something, anything, that could increase his chance of survival. He didn’t. The only thing he found was night once again. Again, he fought to keep himself awake in the freezing night air, knowing that if he fell asleep, there was a good chance he would never open his eyes again.
The next morning, he moved faster, uncaring of the noise he made. He wouldn’t make it much longer like this. The boy silenced his emotions and trudged on. Finally, he saw it.
In the distance was a humanoid figure—hopefully, human. Tears and sweat blurred his vision, keeping him from being able to see the figure clearly.
As Thomas moved closer, he was able to make out the humanoid more clearly. The figure was wearing some kind of full plate, black armor and had his head tilted back, staring at the sky above.
It has to be a human. He’s wearing armor and has hair all over his head. And he’s big. That rules many humanoid beasts and goblins. Overjoyed, Thomas crept closer to the figure, trying to be silent but too tired to care about making noise.
He got closer, close enough to see the figure clearly. It is a man. It has to be. He moved out of the bushes and toward the towering figure. Hope reignited within him.
As he approached, the man turned, glaring at Thomas. The boy stopped, appraising the man. Then, the man laughed, it was the evilest laugh Thomas had ever heard.
He felt it again, the same fear he felt when the wolf stared at him with predatory eyes. Demon, he’s a demon! Thomas couldn’t run away fast enough. At least with the wolf, I would have just died. If I get caught by a demon, he’ll skin me and eat me slowly while I’m still alive. All kinds of errant thoughts flashed through the boy’s mind.
He ran. Body bruised, tired, and hungry, Thomas ran faster than he ever had in his life. He heard the demon scream something in its devil tongue. He couldn’t understand it, so he ran even faster.
Why did he have to be so young? Why did the Great System not allow humans to level until they were 13? At this time, Thomas would have given anything to have been born a year earlier. At least then, he would have some levels and perhaps some extra stamina. But he was only 12, and he was small, even for his age. And now, he had a demon chasing after him.
The demon yelled again. Thomas turned, shocked that the demon was so close without even running. No longer looking ahead, he tripped. I’m dead, he thought. He rolled over, only to see the demon towering over him. The demon let out a thundering laugh. It was all Thomas could handle after the last few days he’d had. His eyes rolled back, and he passed out.
Thomas broke out of his daydream after recounting the events from the last few days. He looked over at the unconscious body again, wondering what to do. Eventually, the choice was made for him.
A screeching howl came from the forest. The same crimson eyes that haunted him for days appeared. The wolf had come. Panic-stricken, the boy looked for a way out, a way to survive once again. His gaze landed on the strange man’s body, specifically his armor. With no more hesitation, he ran to the body, and, with all he had left in him, he rolled the body over enough so that he could hide underneath. With what vision he had left of his surroundings, he saw the wolf pounce.