Part 1 Chapter 2: The Child

Vincent moved his body to look behind himself, seeing another one of those creatures he had just vanquished. Yet… it was small, likely a child. It stared at him with curiosity, not appearing to be hostile. Still, Vincent kept himself on guard. Right after, however, it's attention was directed towards something else. It trotted carelessly and joyfully to the corpses of the other creatures, staring at them for a solid 7 seconds. Was it… mourning? Nope. Because right after it stuck its arm out and snatched a sword right out of one's cold hands.

As it was rather vile, Vincent still held up his guard as the child now had a weapon in its hands. He'd feel horrible if he killed a kid, but he would if he had no choice. However, the child had no malicious intentions with the weapon, as it simply smacked the blade against the ground playfully, using it as though it were a toy. After a few seconds, it stared at Vincent once more, finding his defensive stance to be rather amusing, imitating him. It really was just a kid. Still cautious, however, he walked around the child before coming to the line of bodies. Vincent knelt down, taking the helmet off the head of one of them. There was some rather disgusting blood on it, but it would be fine for now, he supposed. Vincent placed the helmet upon his head, although it pushed some of his hair down, his left eye being nearly fully obscured. He simply swept it aside.

As he turned back, he saw that the child was now just right at his feet, staring up at him as he was examined curiously. Vincent stepped cautiously around the child once more, still not sure that it wasn't trying to trick into a false sense of security or something. Well, he accomplished nothing by staying here, so Vincent figured he would just proceed further outside of the tunnels. As he walked, however, the child followed, having taken some sort of interest in him. It just made Vincent feel all the more uneasy. He would just have to deal with it for now, he supposed. He stepped out of the tunnels again, now having more time to observe the area. As expected, the same tree-like plants littered the area. However, their "leaves", if you can even call them that, were in rather large chunks, being of the same substance that the floor outside of the tunnel was covered in.

Perhaps now that he had this weapon, he could make greater use of the wood from the plants here. And so he did. The sword he had made quick work of the plants, as he was able to knock one down even with his fists not much earlier. He hacked and slashed, breaking the wood he gathered into much simpler bundles using the vines that hung from the plants. The little one joyfully clapped as it watched. Or, was it clapping? It's hoof-hands just slapped together. Vincent was still quite reserved, however, simply backing away two steps. Not a moment after was he sent over the edge, as the injuries he had retained from the battle were still very much bothering him. Though he felt little pain for whatever reason, his vision grew fuzzy as, for a moment, he couldn't even see his hands correctly. He fell down onto the ground, landing on his bottom. He felt… dizzy. The child next to him… was it worried? Or was it amused? He couldn't quite tell, its body was blurry to him.

He heard steps as two pink blurs came closer to him. Or… he thought they were steps. They were mixed in between the loud beating of his heart. Were they more of those dangerous creatures he fought earlier? He clutched the sword in his hand, making himself stand up. He wasn't nearly in shape for fighting at the moment, but he would if he had to. However, the blurry figures didn't attack. In fact, they just stood there. His eyes wandered everywhere, scanning his blurry surrounding for any other potential threat, though it was pointless. He took one large, deep breath, focusing himself until his vision slightly recovered to the point where he could at least see what was in front of him. He was right, the figures in front of him were the same species as those things he slaughtered not so long ago. Thankfully, they didn't seem to be aggressive. However, he needed to do something if he didn't want the situation to get worse.

He pulled information from the back of his mind, not exactly knowing where it came from. He needed to stop the bleeding, and quick. But with what? There were no bandages or cloth he could use… cloth? Right, his clothing! Swiftly, Vincent tore off his sleeves, tying the torn cloth tightly around the gash on his arm before soon struggling to do the same with the cuts on his hand. It was hard to tie a knot with one hand, after all. The cut on his cheek was much more minor and he expected it to heal itself without the need to stop the bleeding. Besides… he had no more sleeve to work with. Everything around Vincent just watched as he quickly scrambled to tend to his own wounds. It was a rushed attempt, but it would work for now.

Vincent tiredly leaned his back against the plant, eventually just sitting down. He was so… tired. Perhaps this was expected. Nobody would mind if he took a little nap here, right? After all, those things ahead of him weren't hostile, or so it seemed. It was probably fine. And, even if it wasn't, he just couldn't stop himself. His eyes slowly closed, shutting light off to him once more. He drifted off into sleep, a quite deep one.

…

Though death would have saved him from further dwelling in this harsh environment, he unfortunately woke a few hours later. His eyelids parted, as the strange place he chose as his resting spot was revealed to his eyes again. So it wasn't a dream, then? Of course it wasn't. This place was as real as he was. However, he felt a strange weight on his legs that wasn't there before. He looked down towards his legs, seeing that the child from not too long ago was slumped over his thigh, using his lap as a pillow while it slept. It was so… peaceful. Though he would normally get up in a situation such as this, he just couldn't bring himself to move the young one. He looked up, seeing even MORE of those creatures just… staring at him.

What is he even supposed to call them? He's just been referring to them as "creatures" in his mind. Well… they looked like pigs but moved and stood much like he would. Wait, pigs? How did he just remember what those were? He was quite unsure himself, but didn't really care. Anyways, back to what he was thinking. Piglings? No, that just didn't sound right. Pigmen? Closer, but also no. Then how about… "Piglins"? He mulled over the name, finding that it stuck quite well, actually. Then… these creatures will henceforth be known as Piglins. The child Piglin on his lap began to stir, waking soon after. It rubbed its eyes, before looking up at the awoken Vincent. It was joyed, smiling. At least, that's what he thought it was doing. It crawled out of his lap, plopping right onto the floor next to it. It was just… so precious. Perhaps he was wrong to be suspicious of it.

He finally stood, immediately squatting to grab the little one by its top. Vincent simply stared at it for about five seconds before sitting it right onto his shoulder. The Piglin child was quite happy about this as it no longer had to work hard to run after him. Well, that is, before it cheered so much that it almost fell from his shoulder, at least. However, it was soon saved from falling when Vincent lifted his arm to catch it. He repositioned it right back on his shoulder before also placing his hand upon its hand, lightly scratching it. The child joyously hugged his arm as he did so. For the first time since he had awoken within this strange place, Vincent smiled. And the joy he held was mutual as well.

Having not fully recovered, he DID remain cautious of the piglins surrounding him. He frankly couldn't help it. Aside from the child on his shoulder, the only one's he encountered before had attempted to kill him. Slowly, he treaded away from the group that had watched him. The reason they weren't attacking him… was it respect? Or was the material on his head familiar enough for them to completely ignore their possible contempt? Who could definitively say? Certainly not Vincent, who was acting as though he was walking through a minefield.

Vincent, cautiously and narrowly evading the hoard of piglins, slowly began to navigate his way down a slope, nearly tumbling a few times. Just when he thought he was free from the beastly creatures, he heard the stamping of hooves in a large hoard approaching. "God damnit. Well, I guess it was only a matter of time." Vincent spoke to himself, silently panicking as he whipped around to face what was behind him. As he thought, the same hoard of piglins that had surrounded him before were now charging at him with their weapons raised. Vincent acknowledged that there was likely nothing he could do to such a large hoard, especially considering his current lack of sufficient equipment. Still, he might as well resist as best as he can rather than just accepting his face. As the group circled in closer and closer, his stress only began to rise, until he began to yell and brace himself.

But then… nothing. Nothing attacked him. They all just… passed him? Vincent turned, confused, as the Piglin Child on his shoulder had nearly been knocked off, though still sitting perched in the same spot. The crew of Piglins seemed to not be targeting him. No, it was something else. They all surrounded one other kind of monster, standing on four legs as it seemed definitely more beast like. It also seemed like a type of swine. Its tusks were massive, though, and it had a patch of discolored black hair or fur on its large back. By how it was surrounded, it seemed that the Piglins hunted this kind of beast. Likely meaning that it was edible. He kept this as a mental note.

Vincent observed as they dealt with the monster. Only a single Piglin fought it, though the rest had the beast surrounded in case their ally required backup. With one primitive movement, it slashed at the beast's head vertically, felling it seemingly instantly. So then, its weak spot was the head? He made a mental note of that too. And then, the Piglins all looted the body of all its meat, consuming it in seconds. While absolutely disgusting and vile, it did mean that the meat from the creature was edible. Good. It meant he had a potential food source.

What he was really surprised at, however, is that the Piglins danced in triumph upon slaying the beast. They all had such joy for a moment, it was almost kind of cute. But then, they soon returned to their cold demeanor. Vincent's observations would certainly be important information, especially in a place like this where it seemed as though most everything was out to kill him, noting exactly how the Piglins defeated this new type of monster so that he could replicate it in the future. It also helped him understand the mind and mannerisms of the Piglins. Clearly, they DID have a hierarchy based off of who wore the most of the material Vincent wore on his head, not to mention how they use and craft weapons, and they also had the capability of dancing and feeling joy, meaning that they exhibit quite a bit of intelligence. Sadly, however, it would seem that he wouldn't be able to communicate with them, as they didn't speak. Or, at least, not in a way he could replicate.

Vincent shook himself back to his senses, telling himself to keep moving for the moment, as it wasn't wise for him to keep standing in one place. He cautiously made himself further down the small rocky hill he was on, eventually finding himself at the same level the Piglins were on when they fought they monster. He was far less cautious now, understanding why they were being so neutral towards him. However, while he looked around the area, he found… a hole? He looked through it, finding a small cavern on the other side, multiple trees of crimson leaves being found on the other side. This space… it had a small entrance, making it rather hidden, and it wasn't large enough to the point where it was conspicuous. It was, in all honesty, the best place for him to start setting up a shelter in. Recognizing this, he stepped inside of the area hopefully.

He walked until he stood right next to some sort of amalgamation of a mushroom, looking as that it had been WARPED by some sort of influence over time. Then, to his right, he heard a beastly growl, identical to that of the monster he had seen the Piglins slay. In fact, when he turned to face it, it was the very same kind of monster! Vincent immediately became prepared to fight, remembering exactly what the Piglins had done to defeat one of them. But… it didn't rush at him. It circled him from a distance, as if readying at any moment to charge. Why? Vincent looked beneath him to the strange mushroom he'd seen in literally this same paragraph. Was THAT the cause? Vincent YANKED it from the ground, holding it in front of himself toward the beast. Sure enough, it began to run away from him towards the exit of the cavern. As soon as it did so, however, he could already hear the stamping of Piglin feet. Poor thing.

The child on his shoulder seemed to find it quite amusing, on the other hand, making a giggling sound. Or, at least, he THOUGHT that's what it was, anyways. Ignoring what just happened, he held the warped fungus in his left hand to repel any monsters. He gathered up some more within the vicinity before placing four of them in a rectangular pattern in the center of the cavern, setting up a general outline. He thought to himself, thinking about how some floor and a few mushrooms didn't exactly make the most inviting shelter. Seems he would have to place a bit more effort into this, especially since he unfortunately cared about child Piglin that accompanied him. Speaking of, Vincent had taken it off of his shoulders and sat the young onto the ground, where it happily watched him.

Vincent stood himself right in front of tree. Er, he thought it was tree, I should say. He reached for his blade, entering a state of concentration. Remembering how he knocked one down earlier, he swiftly slashed through the tree cutting it down as it fell to the floor. That wasn't it however, as he also used his sword to separate the chunky leaves from the trunk, following carving the bottom to create a spike. Now was for the part he was unsure of. He grabbed the spiked log that remained after what he had done to the tree, gripping it tightly with both hands. Suddenly, Vincent hoisted the log up, using quite a bit of strength to move it. He walked with it in his arms until he reached one of the corners of the rectangle he had set up before, slamming the spike end into the ground, digging into the floor so far that it remained steady when he let it go.

God that was so tiring for him. He didn't expect it to be so tough to move a log. Then again, he WAS still recovering from his injuries, since they didn't exactly feel all that great, believe or not. He looked at the plan he set up for his shelter. He still had another three logs to go. How utterly annoying, he thought to himself. Still, after a few minutes, he was able to get the rest in their places. When he had gotten to the fourth one, the Piglin child attempted to help, trying to push the log with its stubby little arms. Honestly it was adorable, and it definitely gave Vincent the strength to put the final log into its place.

He huffed, exhausted from the experience. But, he still wasn't finished. Of course it wasn't. After all, what had he really accomplished? Four logs in a rectangle? That was barely the start of it. Next, he took the remainder of trees in the area and actually carved them into planks. Then, he took the vines that were growing on and around the trees, learning that they had a powerful adhesive present over them from when he created that barricade not too long ago, using this adhesive to stick the planks together until this combination was large and strong enough for him to place in between the logs as walls, adding extra of the substance to the sides in order to stick them together with the logs, creating a proper structure. He did practically the same thing with the ceiling, except larger. Then, he cut open a hole in the front of the shelter as a sort of entrance so that he could get inside.

Vincent entered, glad that he finished up his work as he exhaled. But then, he realized something as he touched and looked at the floor. He had forgotten to do the floor first. "Fuck." He was upset with himself for forgetting to do such a simple thing. A few minutes later, after he finished telling himself he was stupid over and over and banging his head into the wall he JUST made, he eventually just brought in the planks one by one, doing the floor that way. Finally, he was NOW done, as he collapsed himself onto the floor from tiredness. He breathed heavily in and out. Before he could get up again to do something else, though, the Piglin child once more came up to him laying itself on his chest, seeming to love the way this house looks as it just seemed so happy. Actually, it was happy most of the time. But, well, it just seemed more so right this moment.

He thought that maybe he should give this little guy a name. After all, it was so persistent about staying with him and Vincent actually quite liked it. He wouldn't mind keeping it, not at all. Like a pet! Er, well, these Piglins seem to actually have a good amount intelligence, so that doesn't seem right. Imagine going to a party with a kid and saying "Hi! This is my pet, Bob!" It looks and sounds weird, right? Probably even ethically questionable. So, if that's off the table, then what else was there? Well, obviously only one choice, right? Especially since nobody seemed to be taking care of the little guy except him. So, he was going to take the little guy in as his son. Yeah… yeah he liked the sound of that.

Still, what should he call the little bugger? Vincent thought for what felt like forever, thought actually just two minutes in reality, coming up with a few separate ideas. It SEEMED like it was boy, so… how about the name "Mark"? Vincent liked the sound it, and it didn't feel too over the top. After mulling it over for the next fee seconds, he decided. This cute little thing would now be named Mark, the singular thing he loved about this world so far. I mean, it was cute and even a little funny at times. Did he need any greater of a reason to love it, especially in this place?

The moment that was decided, Vincent was about to let himself stand back up to something else, to find out what he needed to do and to find things he needed in order to be able to live her. But, as he looked down, he saw Mark sleeping there, having drifted off into sleep while Vincent was internally monologuing. Ah, well… he couldn't just move and wake him up, now could he? Vincent's own eyes clothes, feeling actually comfortable. Vincent wouldn't mind staying just like this for a little bit longer.

TO BE CONTI-

Shhhhhhh! You're going to wake up the baby!

Oh, sorry. -Ahem-

To be continued…