Dave

Fallen Jungle

12th of Cycle 3, 1015

A jolting realization hit me just as I exited the cave.

I’m naked.

I turned around and walked back in, only to see Grey standing there with a shit-eater grin on his face. “Forgot your clothes, you dim bastard?”

“Yeah, and unfortunately, I have to see your ugly mug one last time before I leave.”

“Leave?” He tilted his head to the side. “Where are you going?”

“I-I’m going…” I racked my brain for a believable lie and blurted out the first thing that came to mind. “To scout our surroundings!”

“Oh, you seem really enthusiastic about that.” He pointed to a pile of armor and weapons. “You’ll find your gear there.”

I walked over and started digging through the pile, hurriedly put on the jet-black set of light armor Grey gave me when I accepted the quest, and equipped both my weapons before moving toward the exit.

“You’re in one hell of a rush for someone who’s going on a scouting mission,” Grey called out. I glanced back, and his piercing glare sent a shiver up my spine. “We’re moving when everyone wakes up, so come back soon, yeah?”

“O-of course.”

I stepped out of the cave with a heavy feeling in my gut. I lied. Just yesterday, I ran with that man to what I thought was inevitable death, but for some reason, I didn’t trust him enough to believe my words.

Why?

I saved his life. I saved all of their lives. Chances are, they’d at least hear me out. So why? Why was I just running away?

Because I’m scared.

What if they didn’t believe me. What if they killed me on the spot. What if they threw me into a dungeon when we got back to the village. What if…

I clenched my fist and turned back into the cave. I’ve had my fill of running. It’s time to face the past.

Grey gave me another mocking grin. “Forgot something else? You’re more of an airhead than I origina—,”

“Grey. We need to talk.”

“First of all, my name’s not Grey. You called me that yesterday too.”

The revelation shocked me more than it should’ve. I guess I was the one who named him that. “What’s your real name?”

“The full name’s a mouthful, so most people call me Crow.”

“Crow? I like Grey better…” He narrowed his eyes. “Crow it is, then. Can we talk now?”

A loud snore erupted from one of the half-asleep dark elves. “You sounded serious, so I think we should take this outside.”

A light breeze wafted through my armor as we stepped out. We climbed up a nearby boulder and sat down, facing each other.

“Well, what did you want to talk about?” He asked.

“It’s less a talk and more a… confession.”

“...”

The anxiety built up as my heart started pounding faster and faster. “I, um, I’ve been to the dark elf village before.”

“Really? How’d you get them to let you in?”

“A friend of mine traded a lion tail for an antidote and entry.”

“Your friend must be an idiot, then. That’s gotta be the worst deal ever struck.”

“Yeah, he was one hell of an idiot,” I said wistfully.

“Ah, I’m sorry, Dave. I didn’t mean to be insensitive.”

“He’s not dead. At least, I don’t think so. We just split up.” I shook my head to clear the flood of bittersweet memories. “One night in the village, we met up with some shady people to trade information for training.”

“Another trade? Hopefully, it wasn’t as terrible as the last one.”

I chuckled. “It would’ve been a good deal, but he was selling high elf secrets.”

He gave me a confused look. “I don’t see a problem with that.”

“Well, that’s where it gets complicated. You see…”

I explained the series of unfortunate events I went through at the village.

“Let me get this straight, Dave. To save your high elf buddy, you sent our guards after him, and a load of them are dead now.” I nodded slowly. When he put it like that, it sounded like I was a terrible person.

He let out a snort before he pressed his hand over his mouth firmly, stifling his laughter.

Did I say something funny?

“I should’ve expected as much from the idiot who agreed to help us. I couldn’t come up with a riskier plan if I tried.”

“Your plans haven’t been much better.”

“They worked out fine, though.”

“So did mine!” I yelled. “Wait, that’s not the point. Why aren’t you mad?”

“Should I be?”

A well of anger built up in my stomach. “Obviously! Your people are dead because of me.”

“You didn’t kill them, did you?”

“Well, no. Not directly, but—”

He put his hand up. “You’re wrong. They died in the line of their duty. Protecting against high elf invaders is a part their job.”

“How can you be so nonchalant about it?”

“I’m not. I’m furious. Furious that the guards of our village are weak enough to be slaughtered like that, but, as far as I’m concerned, you aren’t to be blamed here.” He let out a sigh as he stood up. “Is that all you had to say?”

“Yeah, but—”

“Enough. You’re innocent, and you have no reason to run away. The guards will let you in with open arms if I tell them to.” He hopped off the boulder. “If you want someone to guilt trip you over nothing, talk to the one behind you.”

I turned around, and Aura was standing there, staring daggers at me.

Did she hear all that?

“G-good morning, Aura,” I said with a forced smile.

“…”

“How long have you been standing there?”

“Long enough.”

“I didn’t notice you at all. You must have great stealth skills,” I said as I scratched the back of my head and let out an awkward laugh.

An uncomfortable silence loomed between us as time crawled by. Then, she turned around and lept off the rock without so much as a word.

What just happened?

I shook my head. There was no way to decipher that short, complicated interaction I just went through, so I decided to consider my next move instead. I could still choose to run, of course, but why would I do that after all the trouble I just went through? I need to think ahead.

The month I spent with Crow taught me that training is much easier in a group. While my skills didn’t level up much, I felt exponentially stronger when using them, and I fixed the bad habits I gained during my time alone. If I ran away, I would have to go back to training on my own.

If I decided to go back, I could probably get training from Crow and his gang, and while most of the villagers would turn me away, I could probably make a few meaningful connections. If Elrund didn’t hate my guts, I could probably get some new weapons too. Did those benefits outweigh the danger of living around people who wanted me dead? In any other situation, the answer to that question would’ve been no, but the jungle is already full of things that want to kill me, so going to the village wasn’t much higher on the danger scale.

In any case, I already chose the path of danger when I decided to hunt the silver panther. If I wanted the easy way out, I could’ve picked lookout instead. My life would’ve been a whole lot easier if I did…

“Oi, Dave, get your ass off that boulder! It’s time to move!” Crow called out. When I jumped down, I came face to face with the fully armed group of elves. “I already told them the gist of your situation, by the way.”

“You didn’t think to run that by me, first?” I made a mental note to never share another secret with him.

“They should know now rather than later, don’t you think? It would be awkward to explain it when we reach the gates.”

“I guess you’re right,” I said as I glanced at the group. None of them looked particularly upset, except Aura, who wore the face of a person ready to kill me at the drop of a hat.

“You are coming with us, right?” He asked with a hint of skepticism in his voice.

I took a deep breath. “Yeah. Yeah, I am.”

“Good choice. I’ll see to it that you get the proper compensation for helping us.”

“Just get me off the chopping block. That’s more than enough of a reward.”

I didn’t think Aura’s glare could get any more intense, but my last sentence proved that wrong, and I had to wonder if I was going to die before we even got to the village.

Crow must’ve felt my discomfort since he turned to Aura and whispered something to her.

“And what if he isn’t?” She responded, clearly upset by what Crow told her.

“We’ll cross that bridge when the time comes.” He turned back to me with a smile. “Let’s get going.”

Whatever that bridge is, I hope it doesn’t end with a knife in my throat.