"You, you're real, right? Is this the Barrens rest point?" He asked almost hesitantly, making Chris nod. "Thank the gods. Look, I need help. Food, healing, and a place to rest. Preferably some water first, though, as I'm extremely parched." He began to order while barging past Chris roughly even while limping.
"Excuse me?" Chris couldn't help but ask in surprise and shock; he hadn't expected such a reaction.
"I am an adventurer, if you hadn't already noticed. Tsk, there was supposed to be an old man here; guess he kicked the bucket or something, so I'll explain it to you since you're clearly new. This place is just a checkpoint for desperate adventurers like me who are leaps and bounds above someone like you. We come out here and try to clear that dungeon, and if we fail? Well, we just flee here." He said slowly, talking down to Chris as if he were a child, making him grip his fists so tightly he nearly drew blood but managed to keep quiet and instead simply took it.
"It's the only damn thing a place like this is even good for. If you're lucky, I might hunt something for you." He continued with clear mockery. "Name's Walter Alen Jarves. Feel honored."
Taking a deep breath, Chris began to treat his wounds, trying to keep his anger under control and attributing the attitude of the 'adventurer' as a result of trauma or having been through something rough, possibly being a noble like in his old novels he enjoyed. He knew if he made trouble it could lead to a lot more issues down the line for him. The old man tried to teach him to consider things beyond the now, and that was what he was trying to do now.
As he healed the adventurer and cleaned off the blood, he took note of how muscled he was beneath the armor. Even though he looked the same age as Chris, his arms were corded muscle, his blonde hair was somewhat caked with dry blood, and his eyes were both hard and sharp, narrowing slightly as he looked around, seemingly appraising everything in sight with clear disdain before marveling at how his cuts healed from the sap, even letting out a low whistle. "That's some real good stuff you have there."
"The last of it as well. It was among the old—the previous manager's possessions. Your wounds seemed bad enough to need it, so I used leaves from the shadow berry vine to clean them before using the last of the healing potion I had to seal and heal them." Chris told him, mixing a few lies into his words before getting some dried meat and water to him.
"A plant like that out here? How'd you even manage that!" He asked, surprised yet with clear doubt and distrust in his tone. Chris, though, managed to catch the faint undercurrent of greed as his gaze wandered over to the plant.
"The last caretaker's final real treasure that he left behind, except it's protected by a pair of mutated strangle vines and littered with poisoned spikes poking out of the ground." Chris told him, mentally instructing the vines to act aggressively and play along.
The strangle vines quickly did as he asked, telling him how it sounded fun but also asked if they could 'play' with Walter should he get too close before eating him, only to be disappointed when he refused, telling them to just scare the guy and make it seem like they were keeping the shadow vine safe.
They began to writhe and rise, slapping their extended vines against the ground to appear threatening while pointing their needle flowers at him, going so far as to extend and retract the needles.
"See what I mean? The only time I can even get close to the shadow berries is when the cloud tree manages to cause some heavy rain and they can't properly detect my movement or hear me." He lied.
"Tsk, utter bullshit that. And this meat is just as shit." He said, all but spitting it to the ground before tossing the rest away. "Don't you have anything half decent in this shithole?" Walter asked, glaring at Chris, once more wearing his patience thin and barely managing to keep his cool.
"No, I actually don't. Most of the other meat is currently drying, along with the wood I plan to use for a fire to cook whatever fresh meat I can get." Chris lied again, having already lost all respect for Walter after hearing the greed in his tone and his actions. He only showed courtesy now towards him out of respect for the old man's memory, trying to act the same as he would have. "So." Chris said. "You mentioned the dungeon? You must be quite strong to have managed to try and take it on with how active everything's been lately." Chris continued, fishing for answers.
Scoffing, Walter snatched Chris's cup of water before tossing his own one to the ground, having downed his a few moments before. "Yeah, I'm a pretty big deal." He boasted. "My father had me learn from the best tutors since I could hold a sword and even got me the best armor gold could buy. I soon rose quickly through the guild as soon as I joined, without needing to toss my family name around too much! If it weren't for the idiots who were supposed to cover me through the dungeon, we would have cleared it. Fools couldn't attack properly, kept trying to order me around and take the lead as if I didn't know where I was going or what I was doing!" He snarled.
"Even with proving my worth as the best tank in history and even going so far as mentioning my father, they still didn't listen! They refused to let me take the core stone before beating the boss! Something about how the core stone would cause it to reform wherever it was placed. At least those idiots made for a good distraction for me to grab it and get out." The last part he said with a mix of condescension and a laugh as he patted a sack at his side, his words making Chris pause and feel sick from anger.
"You left your party members for dead? Running like a coward after using them as bait?" He asked, almost growling angrily now, only for a gauntlet-covered fist to hit him across the jaw and knock him to the floor.
A pair of angry eyes glared down at him as Walter stood over him. "Don't you dare try to think a dust sucker like you can judge me. My life is worth ten of theirs! I am a noble; you healing me was an honor for you!" He ground out angrily through gritted teeth before spitting on the ground in front of Chris, making his way to the storeroom while putting on his armor. "Forget it, a dust sucker like you wouldn't understand. You were no doubt dumped here while being too pathetic to leave. I'll just help myself to what I can and leave now. Thanks for all the help, loser!" He mocked, kicking Chris towards the strangle vines, clearly hoping to see them attack him, only to huff again when they only pulled him closer and wrapped their vines around him, not doing anything beyond that.
"Whatever, it's not like this place is even worth staying in." He continued before walking into the storeroom and returning moments later with a rusted sword.
"Even the tools here are shit! I suppose it matches the one in charge." He taunted with a condescending laugh. "You really should try to clean up if you survive; that place is a mess." He said with a tone filled with fake concern before laughing again. Pausing at the sight of the lilies and daisies, walking over to them and smiling maliciously towards Chris before roughly pulling a few out along with grabbing numerous berries with clear disregard. Their singing having become cries of pain in Chris's mind as he tried to stand, having the vines loosen slightly as he made his way over only to stumble. The strangle vines and even spike bushes began demanding he let them hurt him, only for him to resolutely refuse, telling them it would cause more problems, still clinging to the old man's ways but telling them to remember his face.
Even the little world tree, having heard the cries, asked why he was being so mean, to which Chris simply told it that the world has some bad people like this just like it has good people like the old man. When it pressed and wanted to know why he wouldn't let them hurt the mean man, he told it he wasn't worth it.
"Goodbye, dust sucker. I doubt we will meet again, but if we somehow do, I'll make sure you get what you deserve for all these 'gifts'." He added with a grin, leaving the little village as the sun slowly began to sink across the horizon.
"To hell with what the old man would have wanted." Chris finally said softly, cradling his side while his words were laced thick with venom and spite. "If we do meet again, I will make sure your end is painful; you will beg for death. But you also have my thanks. Now I know I can't be like the old man. I can't show compassion, turn the other cheek, or just take it." He whispered softly with very little heat.
Picking a cup up, he went over to extract some sap from the shadow berry vines, hoping it would reduce the swelling. They urged him to drink it for the best effect, something he did without a second thought before shakily making his way into the hut and retrieving the soil, the swelling and pain already easing as he began to work small amounts into the daisies and lilies area, gently trying to replant those ripped out and doing all he could to save as many of them as he could.
It took over an hour before their pained cries slowly turned to whimpers. The ancient ent finally asking what he would do next time, its tone full of judgment. The question caused the various plants to quieten down, the only sound in his mind becoming choked whimpers and the occasional gurgle of the pitcher plant.
"Next time I will be more careful. I will be prepared and deal with them appropriately. This is my village now. It will become a safe haven, and people like that will not be welcome here. I will be planting more plants soon, some that will help produce various goods for us and a few others for proper combat and defense. You all being the last line against people like them and to protect our home; they will be the first line." He told them as he walked into the vine-covered hut, plans already forming. "I can't be like the old man. I can't fill the role he left me. I have to do things my way. And my way will be through plants and keeping my village properly safe. No bending the knee."
He froze for a brief moment soon after that declaration. The world tree having whispered a warning to him that the bandits would be coming within the next few days. That they were planning to try and take their home.
When he asked how it knew this, it proudly told him that it might not have grown taller but did spread its roots far and wide, using them to listen and feel the world around it. Shyly telling him that one had reached out far enough to reach a small camp that was formed, that it sat not too far away, and it was there it heard them talking and planning.
He gently rubbed its branch after entering the hut, telling it that it had done really well, and couldn't keep the smile off his face when it told him that the 'bad man' was walking right towards them.