Isekai With An Ero-RPG System 3 Civilisation

In the game, movement cost stamina, in real life as well. He wanted to know how much stamina he used. It was around 1 stamina points per minute, so after 1 hour and 30 minutes he had to take a break. He recovered 6 sp/min, so after 15min he was good to go. An hour later, the sun was getting low. He had no camping gear, and was worried about being attacked during the night if he stayed on the ground.

He searched for a tree with thick enough branches at appropriate places, and climbed up. He took out materials out of the inventory and made himself a hammock. He ate azure, green and yellow fruits for diner, with water. He didn't dare make a fire, it would only attract attention to him. He was quite anxious about what this new world would turn out to be, and about the possible danger he would face.

Around 4 hours after the night had fallen, Neo was still wide awake. He was too nervous, and the fruits he ate probably gave him more energy. He though in a corner of his mind that they better be used as replacement for coffee, not that he was a fan of coffee in his previous life, but it was nice during the breaks at work.

As his thoughts turned toward food, he got the impression that he could even smell it in the air... He sat up, tense. After sniffing the air for several seconds, he got out of his hammock. There really was a burnt smell in the air, as faint as it was.

"... Civilisation... There are people nearby? Or maybe even intelligent monsters... It doesn't matter. I should go and check, I need information. Looking from afar would be enough, there is no need to expose myself to them, whoever or whatever they may be..."

Neo was trembling. The night was incredibly dark. He was used to the night in human settlements, always a source of light outside. Tracking the source of the fire would be difficult and dangerous. However, if the party responsible for the fire was there only temporary and left, he wouldn't be able to track them, and if they were humans, he wouldn't be able to get a hint as to where the closest settlements was. Furthermore, moving in the dark means that whatever made the fire probably wouldn't notice him getting close. As he was thinking, the smell in the air became more distinct.

"...Hmmm, I doubt it is a small camp fire... Well, there is no time like the present. Besides, it's best to have fresh informations rather than stumbling around with hints and risk making the wrong a.s.sumptions."

He slowly climbed on top of the tree and looked around. Because the night was dark, light sources would be easily noticed. Even though it wasn't the tallest tree around, the view wasn't obstructed too much, and he noticed an area that was a bit lighter than the rest of the surroundings. After memorising the direction, he got back to his hammock, stored it, climbed down the tree, took out his hammer and shield, and walked toward the source of light.

As he got closer, the glow of the fire became more visible. The smell also became stronger, smell of burnt wood, fabrics, and flesh. Anyone who had burned their hairs at least once would recognise the smell, and it was strong. It was accompanied by another smell, a coppery smell that made him stop. The smell of blood. But there was no noise. He expected to hear the clash of weapons or the screams of the injured and dying. There was nothing.

"Whatever tragic event happened there, has ended..."

Finally, he saw the source of the fire. It was a village, medieval by the look of the ruins. Around half of the buildings were on fire, and it seemed to spread to some nearby field. The wooden wall that was supposed to protect it was damaged in several points. In the open field between him and the village, he could see a few corpses, some had arrows stuck on them.

The sight of the burning buildings was one thing. Seeing dead bodies was another. Seeing the bodies of people recently killed, as opposed to dead from illness or accident, was horrifying on a completly different level. And it wasn't seen through the filter of a computer or TV screen.

Neo stood rooted on the spot, his mind blank. It was only after around a minute that he realised he hadn't been moving at all. His breath was shallow, his hands holding so tightly onto his hammer and shield that they hurt. His pants were damp, and when he looked down, he noticed that he thoroughly emptied his bladder.

"... Oh, for the love of... f.u.c.k!! ... I can't believe it..."

Neo was mortified. He was ashamed of his reaction, even if, in the back of his mind, he knew it was a reasonable reaction. His embarra.s.s.e.m.e.nt and fear turned into anger at himself. Blanking out and p.i.s.sing himself without having encountered a single monster or hostile human, without having hostile or killing intent directed at him, was pathetic. He wouldn't be able to live his life in his own term and be free if he remained such a coward.

He straightened himself, and advanced toward the village, his gait more confident, even if inside he was scared, and more than a little disgusted when he decided to check the bodies that were lying outside. He had to concentrate to not throw up at the sight, smell and touch of the corpses.

Leather armor, some crudely reinforced with metallic parts. Wooden arrows, some with iron heads. Dirty clothes, made of leather, linen and other materials of similar quality. Clearly, the attackers were bandits. The defenders, were likely hunters or the local milicia. The gates were broken, and the watch towers were still burning. There were plenty of corpses at the entrance, and Neo resolved himself to walk through them and enter the village.