A Chance Encounter

It was a pleasant morning and I walked towards the bamboo side area of the forest. It was primarily to see if those fruits I had seen nearby were edible, but also to gather some more bamboo that I could use for creating equipment and lighting some fire.

It was a delightful morning and I ambled towards the bamboo region of the forest. It was primarily to ascertain if those fruits I had seen nearby were edible, but also to gather some more bamboo that I could use for creating tools and lighting a fire.

As I followed the marks I had created yesterday, I pondered about the place where the Portal had thrown me. It was nearby to the area, since it only took a little time for me to find the cave from it. There were mushrooms nearby where I had regained consciousness the last time. But that meant searching for that area amidst the wilderness, and that's not all. I would lose my precious energy and time trying to find it if those mushrooms were found to be inedible or worse, poisonous.

I then proceeded on my journey to the bamboo grove. After some time, I finally arrived at the location. I approached the peculiar tree that had caught my attention and examined it closely. It resembled an old tropical tree. It was tall and slender, with a thick trunk and a crown of lush, green leaves that shimmered in the sunlight. The tree was covered in strange fruit, purple in color, with some of the fruit being smooth and others being covered in spikes.

I reached out and picked one of the fruits. It was a deep purple color and about the size of a grapefruit. The fruit was smooth to the touch and felt heavy in my hand. I took a bite, and it was the most delicious thing I had ever tasted. The flesh was sweet and juicy, and it had a unique flavor that I couldn't quite place. I ate the entire fruit, and I felt my energy levels increase. The trip was a success, and I had found a new source of nourishment.

Suddenly, there were loud noises of trees breaking and thudding on the ground. I stood up and immediately picked up my bamboo stick weapon when I heard a commotion up ahead. I approached a bend in the path and saw a young woman running towards me.

She was tall and slender, with long, flowing hair the color of moonlight. Her eyes were a deep, emerald green, and her skin was pale olive and flawless. She had pointed ears and was wearing a light tunic and breeches. It was clear that she was running for her life, from the way she was dashing towards me.

She saw me while she was halfway across the path, and her expression changed from fear to confusion. She glanced from my face to my bamboo weapon and back to my face. I began to think about what I would say, since first impressions matter. It had been very rare for me to interact with another person since the institution. As I was lost in my thoughts, she ran past me a significant distance. I snapped out of my reverie and looked back at her as soon as I realized what had happened.

"Run!" she shouted as she continued to run. "They're catching up!"

I did not understand what she meant. Why was she running? Who was she running from? Why did I have to run too? These questions were irrelevant the moment I saw what she was running from.

Two fierce-looking things were closing in on us quickly, like a truck. Their footsteps felt like tremors. They were huge and mountainous, moving toward us, swinging like a dense mass of earth. They were golems, I couldn't believe my eyes. It felt like a dream to me.

As soon as I saw them, I started running too, subconsciously following the lead of the girl who had just shouted at me to run. I ran so fast that I nearly caught up to her.

"Where do we go?" I asked her, my voice mixed with heavy panting.

"I don't know! Just run!"

We ran, through the thick growth of the forest, deliberately choosing areas with bigger trees to slow down the golems. It seemed to work until we were completely exhausted. Not able to go further, I gave in. My brain produced me an idea so quirky in my last moments, that felt like it was really trying to save me.

"Follow me," I said with an air of confidence, leading her to the stream nearby.

If what I was thinking was right, this would work. With the last ounce of strength left, we crossed the stream. She was crossing the stream with a displeased expression on her face since all her shoes along with her breeches were spoiled by clay. Nevertheless, she still followed me with haste. No sooner than we crossed that muddy puddle, I looked back at those terrifying things. As I was hoping, they were completely drowning in the mud, with their weights accelerating the process exponentially. But to my surprise, one of the golems did escape the local trap but did not try following us.

We ran off for some distance until she realized the sound following us stopped. Taking a relaxing breath, we leaned towards a big tree, gaining our senses bit by bit.

" Thank you," She said with a sincere smile on her face

"If it weren't for you, I would be forced to use my last reserve of mana just to gain some more time"

At this point, I was completely mesmerized by her enchanting voice. I couldn't take my eyes off her. Her small, upturned nose was perfectly proportioned to her face, and her cheekbones were high and prominent. She had a slight smile on her face, and her eyes twinkled with enthusiasm.

"Were they really golems?" I asked her, subconsciously trying to avoid her saying something about my awkward staring.

"Yes, they were," she said, her tone confused. "But they are the discarded ones."

"Discarded? By whom? They seemed pretty functional to me!"

She laughed at my remark. "You are a pretty funny guy, for someone wandering alone in the Black Forest."

"Is this the Black Forest? I had no idea."

She giggled and proceeded to stand up. She bowed gracefully with both hands folded under her belly.

"I am Kana, and I once again thank you for saving me from trouble," said Kana in her beautiful voice.

I have been noticing from the moment we met that she is being very protective of her leather bag. She is holding it as tightly as someone holding their money from a bandit. And she isn't even carrying a sword, nor a shield. She didn't have proper armour either.

Who in their right mind would come to the Black Forest without any protection? I am curious to know what it is, and I am curious to know who she is too.

But I can not risk it all by offending her by asking personal questions when she is my only hope to actually get out of this place. Therefore, I thought to keep my questions to myself, for now, and focus on getting her to help me.

" I didn't do anything, by the way, my name is Zane," I said prostrating myself.

" I'm afraid I've lost my way. Can you show me the way out of the forest?"

" Really," asked Kana with her eyebrow raised in a quizzical way,

" Sure, no problem. I'm headed that way myself. You can follow me"

" Thank you"

As I walk through the forest, I start talking to Kana. She says that this was once a beautiful garden of a great wizard, with rare and exotic flora and fauna. These golems, which were happily chasing after us, were his first models. After some accomplishments, he was promoted as guardian and left for glory, leaving behind his imperfections. Since golems require mana to live, they sipped out mana from every living creature and made this land what it is today. That's why there's no living thing here except for the trees. The golems suck the mana out of anything that lives, and they leave nothing but a husk behind.

As we walk, I notice that Kana is starting to act a little strange. She seems to be distracted, and she keeps looking over her shoulder.

"Are you okay?"

Startled, she says, "I'm fine. I'm just a little worried about something."

"What is it?"

"I'm not sure if I should tell you."

"It's okay. You can trust me." I comfort her.

Kana hesitates for a moment, then she says:

"I'm here to get something. Something that's very important to me."

"What is that thing, then?" I ask her in a soft voice.

"I can't tell you that."

"Why not?"

"Because it's a secret," says Kana in a defensive tone.

I can tell that Kana is really struggling with something, and I want to help her. But I also know that I can't force her to tell me what's going on. All I can do is just follow her outside this place.