Chapter 1
Dimitri had lost track of how long he had been lost in the woods. Then again…the last five years before had all been a haze of fury and rage. Imprisoned for fake charges of regicide and the death of his best friend and vassal in the ensuing escape.
The former crown prince hadn’t even noticed the Melding if for the fact that the imperial soldiers he had been slaughtering ever since his escape had suddenly stopped when he found himself in a forest he had never seen before with monsters even known on Faerghus’ shores. In his current state, he wasn’t really capable to grasp the situation he now found himself in.
As it stood though none of it mattered. Revenge was the only thing on Dimitri’s mind as he traveled the world. If this really was a new world, that might mean that Edelgard was here without her kingdom. Defenseless. Vulnerable. Ready to be skewered by his spear for the pain she had caused. The devastation she had wrought by her actions.
A primal scream echoed through the forest as Dimitri sliced a large menacing green bee-like with a buzz saw on its back in two. It had been a few days since his arrival here and it felt like most of everything in this forest was hostile, but that suited Dimitri just fine. Whipping of the gunk from his spear Areadbhar the heroic relic, he continued on moving through the large redwood forest he found himself in. It was an odd mixture of tropical jungles and more typical woods. During some of his times of lucidity, Dimitri wondered if he had stumbled into Brigid by mistake but that too at the end of it mattered little. Then as he walked he heard something. Screams and shouts of panic echoed in front of him. Was it an attack by the Imperial army?
The crown prince quickened his steps and soon found the forest making way to an open road. On it he noticed a child and their mother being assaulted by big humanoid monsters with big clubs. “Please let us go!” The mother pleaded. “We are just poor travelers.”
“You sayin’ we ain’t!” One of the monsters bellowed slapping its belly. “Us trolls ‘ave it ‘ard too you know! Why we ‘aven’t eaten fresh ‘uman’s for days! But you and your little girl,” The troll chuckled before licking its lips as the other two trolls laughed. “We’re goin’ to ‘ave some fine dinin’ toni- hurk!”
The troll didn’t have time to finish as a giant hole emerged through its stomach sending blood and guts flying towards the mother and her daughter as the troll fell lifeless to the ground with a heavy thud. The mother screamed in shock at the brutality as the two other trolls that surrounded them turned to find Dimitri standing behind them, his arm a deep red from where he had punched the now dead troll. “Be gone monsters, lest you wish to end up like your compatriot.”
One of the trolls growled and readied its club only to suddenly find itself club less and armless as it laid motionless next it. It looked on in shock at its stump as it keeled over with both of its legs being cut clear off. The third troll only looked on in shock and amazement at the blond man’s work as he finished off the other troll with a spear hit in the back of its head. He was just a normal human, right? At the moment he wasn’t more than a wild beast with murderous intent as Dimitri with one swipe of Areadbhar cut the final troll vertically in half. Before its upper half even had time to slid off he now turned his attention to the mother and daughter. “You’re safe now…” His face was as much covered in blood as the rest of them and the mother looked on with fear in her eyes in their savior.
“T-Thank you,” She finally managed to stammer out when she realized that Dimitri wasn’t going to hurt them as well. “W-We have been trying to escape. Our home. Our home is gone ever since the Melding.”
“The what?” The woman looked at Dimitri like he had two heads. Explaining all that had happened...
"Would you follow us to our village?"
Dimitri had lost track of how long he had been lost in the woods. Then again…the last five years before had all been a haze of fury and rage. Imprisoned for fake charges of regicide and the death of his best friend and vassal in the ensuing escape.
The former crown prince hadn’t even noticed the Melding if for the fact that the imperial soldiers he had been slaughtering ever since his escape had suddenly stopped when he found himself in a forest he had never seen before with monsters even known on Faerghus’ shores. In his current state, he wasn’t really capable to grasp the situation he now found himself in.
As it stood though none of it mattered. Revenge was the only thing on Dimitri’s mind as he traveled the world. If this really was a new world, that might mean that Edelgard was here without her kingdom. Defenseless. Vulnerable. Ready to be skewered by his spear for the pain she had caused. The devastation she had wrought by her actions.
A primal scream echoed through the forest as Dimitri sliced a large menacing green bee-like with a buzz saw on its back in two. It had been a few days since his arrival here and it felt like most of everything in this forest was hostile, but that suited Dimitri just fine. Whipping of the gunk from his spear Areadbhar the heroic relic, he continued on moving through the large redwood forest he found himself in. It was an odd mixture of tropical jungles and more typical woods. During some of his times of lucidity, Dimitri wondered if he had stumbled into Brigid by mistake but that too at the end of it mattered little. Then as he walked he heard something. Screams and shouts of panic echoed in front of him. Was it an attack by the Imperial army?
The crown prince quickened his steps and soon found the forest making way to an open road. On it he noticed a child and their mother being assaulted by big humanoid monsters with big clubs. “Please let us go!” The mother pleaded. “We are just poor travelers.”
“You sayin’ we ain’t!” One of the monsters bellowed slapping its belly. “Us trolls ‘ave it ‘ard too you know! Why we ‘aven’t eaten fresh ‘uman’s for days! But you and your little girl,” The troll chuckled before licking its lips as the other two trolls laughed. “We’re goin’ to ‘ave some fine dinin’ toni- hurk!”
The troll didn’t have time to finish as a giant hole emerged through its stomach sending blood and guts flying towards the mother and her daughter as the troll fell lifeless to the ground with a heavy thud. The mother screamed in shock at the brutality as the two other trolls that surrounded them turned to find Dimitri standing behind them, his arm a deep red from where he had punched the now dead troll. “Be gone monsters, lest you wish to end up like your compatriot.”
One of the trolls growled and readied its club only to suddenly find itself club less and armless as it laid motionless next it. It looked on in shock at its stump as it keeled over with both of its legs being cut clear off. The third troll only looked on in shock and amazement at the blond man’s work as he finished off the other troll with a spear hit in the back of its head. He was just a normal human, right? At the moment he wasn’t more than a wild beast with murderous intent as Dimitri with one swipe of Areadbhar cut the final troll vertically in half. Before its upper half even had time to slid off he now turned his attention to the mother and daughter. “You’re safe now…” His face was as much covered in blood as the rest of them and the mother looked on with fear in her eyes in their savior.
“T-Thank you,” She finally managed to stammer out when she realized that Dimitri wasn’t going to hurt them as well. “W-We have been trying to escape. Our home. Our home is gone ever since the Melding.”
“The what?” The woman looked at Dimitri like he had two heads. Explaining all that had happened...
"Would you follow us to our village?"