Chapter II - Trouble in The Farm

Birds were singing, children were laughing and playing, and Anna was peacefully laying on a bed in a very indecent pose. She wasn't a morning person, having been put off waking up for a while. She inevitably did get up, shoving open the shutters on what she assumed was a window. She was immediately slapped in the face by the loud noises of a bustling town street. They were all going about their day. Some have baskets full of fresh produce, while others seemed to just be going for a stroll. It seemed to be a good day for Anna. She could simply just follow the crowd and she will most definitely find something cool right?

Not wanting to waste any more time, she grabbed her belongings and zoomed out of the building. On her way out, she greeted the master of the house, weaving through the tables full of travellers and other interesting people. Once outside, she found herself in awe of her surroundings. The day before, it seemed to be empty and run down. Now, she couldn't look anywhere without spotting a crowd of people crowding around an entertainer or standing around a town herald. She stuck around to watch them, learning some tidbits about the world she currently inhabits. What did catch her eye were bolts of lights shooting up into the sky like fireworks. Of course, this did capture a crowd, Anna having to squeeze through them to see the source of these peculiar lights. The source? A small child dressed in blue and black robes, spinning around in a spectacular show of sparkles and bolts of light. Anna was instantly mesmerised by the pretty colours, feeling urged to touch it. Of course, she had to restrain herself, but what if she could. What would happen? The world was indeed different. She even felt that there was something to learn from the most insignificant thing. Have it be the sparkles from this child, or even the very soil she stands on. After a while Anna had to leave. She knew that she could watch this for hours, but she wanted to make for the most of her time.

After following the crowds for a while, she ended up finding her way to the farming region of the town. She saw a sea of gold, dancing in the cool seaside wind. She could also see farmers tending to their respective fields, harvesting their bounty of the year. From this, she could only assume that it was the end of June, but, she couldn't be sure. She did witness magic just a while ago. The sky was the limit. Hell, they might as well have a farming magic that allows them to harvest earlier. Magic or not, she could still admire the work done by farmers. They are the reason why civilisations grow and progress.

Walking down the calm paths, watching the farmers do their work, even waving at the ones that did acknowledge her. She enjoyed the sights. She quite liked the look of farms the look of order. Order in this case being a sea of wheat. Continuing her adventure, she started to hear weeping and sobbing coming from somewhere nearby. Inherently feeling a tinge of pity for whoever this person was, she followed the sounds. She inevitably did track down the source of the sound, finding a young girl hunched over next to a fence, crying.

"Please help. It hurts," called out the girl, sounding almost like a crying kitten. She had this strange aura around her. Even if she was crying, Anna found herself feeling wary around this child. Just as Anna was about to get closer, the child's head turned around to face her, much like an Owl's head. Anna immediately flinched, nearly falling over on her bum. "Are you not helping me?" the girl, no, thing asked, its voice getting more distorted by the moment. Unhindered by any friction, the creature rotated the rest of its body, which only revealed more of what she had just thought was a little girl. It had a clean hole where its heart was supposed to be. Would it be wrong to call this creature heartless? It then slowly started to approach Anna in a sort of twitchy, uncontrollable way. It honestly was terrifying.

"H-Hey don't come cl-" she was immediately interrupted by a loud bang, followed by a cloaked person emerging from the wheat fields. It had just gone from Anna being menacingly approached by a terrifying creature to being saved by a very suspicious person. Trying to process what had just occurred, she felt someone grab her shoulder, forcing her to stay put. She practically shuddered. in place, wondering if she would ever come out of this situation alive.

Taking a look behind her, she saw the sharp knife-like gaze of someone who most definitely had bad intentions. Gulping what little confidence down, she looked back in front of her, finding the mysterious person sandwiching her in. She was most definitely not getting out of this alive. She was mentally preparing herself for her inevitable death. She hopes she wouldn't be reincarnated a second time.

"Alberto, let her go. She isn't a threat," commanded the mysterious person. She recognized the voice. She doesn't know from where, but she immediately felt slightly more calm about it. She immediately felt her shoulder be released, the person placing his gloved hand on her chin, lifting it so her eyes were level with his. Now that she was actually looking directly at him, she could see exactly who it was. It was Mr Shop Owner! He had come to save her. But why was he dressed this way? Was he doing something really suspicious? Or was he just not who she thought he was. "Ms, it's okay. You're fine. I was just bringing my son to the Frontiersman Depot. I assume you are going there as well?"

"Yes, I am. Sorry for the trouble. I was just caught off guard..." she said, clearing her throat as if she was trying to clear up any bad air around her. The man simply chuckled, patting her on the shoulder reassuringly.

"I'm sure you are, young girl," he said, starting off towards the edge of the town. He then turned back to Anna and the person behind her, who she assumed was Alberto, calling out to them. "You two coming or what? It's a few day's walk and I would most definitely not want to travel in the forest at night." The person behind her followed, nearly knocking Anna over. Not finding any reason to not trust Mr Shop Man, she followed after, slinging the firearm over her shoulder again.

Maybe this would bring her more knowledge about the world. Plus, there is little she can do without talking to someone she knows. She isn't sure about what Mr Shop Keeper thinks of her, but she is most definitely sure that she can trust him. He did save her of course. She had nothing against someone who would waste good powder to save her. Nothing could go wrong here.