Negotiation

The scout loomed above him, hood drawn low, casting a shadow that swallowed all but the pale crescent of his tight, unreadable mouth. The blade in his hand glinted faintly in the moonlight—a short dagger, made for quick work, not intimidation.

"Oh good", the protagonist thought dryly, "a hooded stranger with a knife. That's not terrifying at all."

Hands up, fingers spread, he forced a grin. “Okay, let's all take a deep breath and not invent a new speedrun category for forest executions.”

No response. Just the hush of trees swaying and the sound of breath—his own, shallow and sharp. Then—

Rustling. Footsteps.

Three more figures emerged from the underbrush like NPCs spawning into a cutscene. First was a massive man in full iron armor, his visor raised to reveal a weathered face set in a permanent frown. Behind him came another male—lean and robed, his expression one of perpetual sleep deprivation and quiet judgment.

And lastly, the archer. The one who nearly put an arrow through his skull. She moved with effortless precision, her bow still in hand, eyes locked on him.

The armored man was the first to speak, his tone dry. “You find a criminal or a rabbit?”

The scout didn’t answer right away.

Then the archer said flatly, never taking her eyes off the protagonist, “He stopped my arrow. Midair.”

He blinked. "Wait, you’re just gonna open with that? Cool. Let’s not bury the lede or anything."

That got the others' attention.

The robed man stepped closer, brows knit. “Stopped it? With magic?”

The archer shook her head slowly, pulling down her hood to reveal sharp green eyes and auburn hair tied into a braid that screamed "no-nonsense ranger with a tragic backstory." “No chant. No glow. It just... stopped. Like it hit a wall of air.”

"Yeah, that sounds about right," he thought. Great. "Can’t lift a pebble with mana, but I’ve got Jedi reflexes when I’m one second from death."

"Okay… so no arrows in my face. That’s progress," he thought as they began to move. "But what the hell was that eye thing? It’s not the first time it reacted like that… but I didn’t do anything. I didn’t will it. I didn’t even see it coming. And still, that arrow froze like time hiccupped."

"Okay, lets thought about it for a moment. Judging by the arrows before, it went on full speed. There is no reduction of it's velocity before it stopped. So that means either this eye creates a barrier that stops the arrow or it erased the momentum instantly. Both are quite amazing and could be exploit if i tested it further."

He touched his right temple absentmindedly as they walked, fingers brushing over the spot just beneath his eye. "This thing… whatever it is. I need answers. And probably a mirror. Or a microscope. Or maybe a priest."

“Hey,” came the gruff voice of the iron-armored man. “We gave you a chance. Now you give us your name.”

He blinked. "A name, huh? ...I’ll just go by Akito.

"Akito"

He said aloud, straightening his posture a little. “Just Akito.”

“Short for anything?” the robed man asked.

“Short for ‘Akito you not stabbing me in the dark,’” he deadpanned.

The armored man gave him a look that could flatten mountains.

“…It’s just Akito,” he added quickly.

The knight exhaled, clearly questioning his life choices. “Varek,” he said, gesturing to himself. “Knight. Party lead. Don’t make me regret not pinning you to a tree.”

“Comforting,” Akito said. “Thanks.”

The robed man adjusted the satchel slung over his shoulder. “I’m Caldus. Mage. Don’t mistake me for a healer. I only treat burns if I caused them.”

Akito gave a cautious nod. “Mental note: do not make the wizard angry.”

Finally, the archer spoke as she pushed a branch out of her way with casual grace. “Ruva. Archer. And I’m still not convinced you’re not dangerous.”

Her gaze met his—sharp, dissecting—but less hostile now. Curious, maybe. Like a hawk deciding whether I’m prey or just weird.

“Nice to meet you too,” Akito said. “Appreciate the arrow. Great icebreaker.”

The forest opened up slightly as they moved, moonlight casting silver streaks through the canopy. The air was quiet now, but not peaceful—like the trees themselves were holding their breath.

“So,” Caldus said, “why are you here? You don’t just appear in Leyfir by accident. Furthermore, you're dressed like a novice adventurer. The only people that can be found here is either criminal outcast waiting for death or veteran adventurer going on a quest."

Akito sighed, his voice thoughtful. “I’m not from this world. Or at least… I wasn’t. One minute I was in my apartment, fiddling with this bizarre arcane codebase some client dropped on me—like JavaScript but somehow more evil—and the next thing I know, I wake up face-first in your fantasy land, no tutorial, no loading screen. Just... forest.”

“Random teleportation?” Varek asked, skeptical. “No summoning mark, no circle?”

“Nope,” Akito said, popping the ‘p’. “Just me, my hoodie which somehow becoming a standard adventure gear, a week’s worth of anime logic, and whatever mystery flavor curse is going on in my eye.”

Ruva gave him a sideways glance. “The eye. You didn’t chant or channel. The arrow just stopped.”

“I didn’t even see it until it was right there,” Akito said, pointing to his forehead. “Then boom—frozen midair. Like reality hiccuped. I didn’t cast anything. It just… happened.”

“Instinctive defense?” Caldus muttered. “A magical reaction. Maybe even spatial disruption... That’s not normal.”

“Tell me about it,” Akito muttered. I need to figure this out before it turns me into a forest crater.

They broke through a final row of trees, revealing a small, cobbled-together clearing. His ‘camp’ sat crookedly under the larger roots of a massive tree—tarp draped over a rough frame of sticks and branches, a half-dug firepit, a few scattered fruits in a makeshift bowl.

“…Wow,” Varek said flatly.

“Told you,” Akito said with a shrug. “Five stars. Breakfast included if you like acorns.”

Caldus eyed the lean-to, unimpressed. “You built this alone?”

Akito nodded. “My proudest engineering achievement this week. Right after learning which mushrooms don’t kill you instantly.”

Ruva stepped forward, running her fingers lightly along one of the support branches. “You’ve survived in Leyfir this long without magic nor any equipment. That’s not luck. That’s skill… or desperation.”

“Bit of both,” he admitted.

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