Rightfully Obtaining Unrightfully Obtained Weapons

An unknown village. The sun is rising.

Rain wakes up in her bed, feeling very refreshed. She then looks around the room, casually remembering they are on foreign land.

Nir doesn't seem to be in the room.

Rain walks outside the room, to see Nir standing next to the door of the cabin.

"Good morning". - She tells him, she doesn't seem to be as angry as she was yesterday.

Nir looks at her, with visible bags below his eyes.

-"Did you sleep well?" - He asks.

-"Yes. You?"

-"I kept guard. Some people tried opening the door at night".

-"Maybe it's by mistake".

-"I remembered we were seen by a lot of people. Some stared at you".

-Of course they will stare at us, we are outsiders". - She replies. "Did you get any sleep at all?"

-"Don't worry about it, let's get ready to explore. We can understand better where we are at once we know the area". -Nir explains.

-"Do you think we are... Still in our..."

-"No... I don't think we are in our original world".

They prepare to leave the cabin and head out. They start exploring the market they saw the other day.

The streets are very lively.

"They sell a lot of food". - Nir says. -"There seem to be many kinds of food as well". -Rain adds. Her eyes follow the weird looking fruits she has never seen before, vegetables that cannot be claimed as “indeed vegetables” with confidence, her eyes then jump to the soup-like looking dishes and eventually, to the very eyes looking at her.

Both of them are being stared at wherever they go. Rain especially attracts attention.

They pass by a stand selling cloths and wearables.

-"Wow this is beautiful!" - Rain says. "Is that a scarf?"

-"It's a handkerchief". - Says the old man at the stand.

-"We don't have any money though..." - Nir reminds her.

-"It's okay, you can have it". - Says the old man.

-"Really??" - Rain asks, happy to take the gift.

-"Yes. This handkerchief symbolizes our village. It is a cheap item and you are clearly not from around here".

Nir and Rain look at each other. They feel awkward as they hope he isn't expecting to hear where they came from.

"I won't ask where you came from and how you got here. Take it - the handkerchief. It's yours”.

Rain bows slightly to the old man. They move on between the market’s shops, being stared at a lot.

-”Rain…” - Nir turns to her.

-”What?”

-”We need to decide what to do”.

-”I want to explore the forest more and learn about the plants and creatures”.

-”I think we may not be equipped for that… It’s not a bad idea in gener…”

-”You asked, I answered. You can do whatever you want”. - She replies, interrupting him, seemingly angry again.

-”Rain, we should figure out what to do for real. Don’t endanger yourself for no reason”. - Nir says, worrying about her decision making. ”Are you still mad at me? What do you…”

-”Stop trying to control me. You are just like them, you know? He was right, wasn't he? What he said about you - wanting me all to yourself. All they could think of is wanting to strip me, but aren't you thinking just the same??”

Nir is completely frozen from the bombardment he was just served.

Rain walks away, leaving him behind. Nir stands there, alone, unable to decide what to do. He is surrounded by sand, with the forest they went to - being distant yet visible behind him.

He eventually wanders slowly around the market.

A man in a robe carrying some ware and equipment in his vicinity seems to be struggling with the task. Nir quickly shapes up and turns to him: “Can I help you with your wares?”

The man replies: “I would appreciate it. In fact, how would you like to help me out throughout the day? I’ll pay for your effort”.

-”Yes! Sure, I will!” - Nir replies, appreciating the opportunity.

Nir starts with helping the man with the wares he is currently holding. He is worried about Rain but isn’t sure what to do. He goes around with the man, helping him out with his daily tasks, involving mostly physical labour. The area is lively, but there aren’t too many plants around the village. The entire place seems like a dessert that is mostly alive because of the people who are present there. It’s pretty hot there, unlike the slightly more chilly forest. Nir is sweating like a mad man, but is hard at work, already thinking what he’s going to do with the money.

“Sir, are weapons being sold here somewhere?”

-”You can get the wooden ones practically for free”. - The man informs him.

-”But those wouldn’t be practical for usage”. - Nir replies.

-”Our village takes great pride in our warrior’s gear. It symbolizes our simple ways, and the conserved will of the spirit”.

-”The spirit?” - Nir asks.

-”The spirit of the forest. We believe the spirit wouldn’t want us to complicate our ways and craft things beyond our comprehension. The realm of the truth - belongs to the spirit. The empire verges into that realm. Insolent fools. But once we put our hands on their weapons… Those are sold for a higher price”.

-”How rare are such weapons?” - Nir tries to figure out their worth.

-”Not too rare. We take and use their gear consistently as long as they are the ones who foolishly make them”.

-”I see”. - Nir replies, trying not to involve himself with the politics.

After a hard day of work, Nir gets paid in the local currency.

-”Here is your payment. 25,000 GoE”.

-”What currency do they use in the empire?” - Nir asks.

-”The same currency as us”.

-”That’s interesting. Do you think this amount will be enough to buy an empire’s weapon?”

-”Even two”.

Hours later, in the evening, Rain is in their cabin preparing to leave.

The door opens. Rain hears that and stops everything, fearing it’s an intruder.

-“It’s me”. - Nir claims.

He walks towards her room. Hearing that, she asks: “What do you want?”

He hands her a bow and a quiver full of arrows.

-”Wha… What’s that?” - She asks, blushing.

-”Did you already forget what a bow looks like? Wasn’t it your specialty?” - He teases her. “Wait for me Rain. Let’s head wherever you want to in the morning. I’ll come with”. - He tells her, then turns around, going to the entrance to lock the door.

Rain sees a scabbard with a sword being carried on his back. She is still blushing. She puts down the bow and quiver. She then enters her bed and goes to sleep without saying a thing.

The next day, early in the morning.

Rain wakes up. She notices Nir is asleep on the floor next to her.

-”Nir…” - She whispers quietly. He calmly wakes up.

-”Let’s go?” - He asks.

-”Yea”. - She nods.

They prepare themselves to leave, taking supplies, not forgetting their new weapons.

They quickly disappear, telling no one.

Quickly enough, they reach the forest. Rain immediately starts investigating plants, as if tending to them as patients. She is making notes describing them, seemingly enjoying herself.

Nir is enjoying watching her, casually forgetting they don’t even know if the area is truly safe.

They chase some rabbit-roos, hunt two of them and cook them. They watch some beautiful birds of different colors challenging the very spectrum of the rainbow. Nir and Rain find themselves laughing loudly, camping in the forest and having fun.

As time passes they notice the temperature in the forest is much nicer than in the village. It is relatively consistent throughout the day.

-”Do you want to talk about this world?” - Nir asks.

-”Sure”.

-”Really? I mean, great. I’m not one of any specific faith as to what happens in the afterlife… But… Look at us… We are in a completely different place. We have those weird hearts above our heads… Yet, even our clothes stayed the same. You have your lighter, we both have our phones with us! Although they have no much function here and we can only really use them until their battery runs out”.

-”Shhhhh… I hear something!” - Rain whispers.

They look to the distance. A soldier approaches. But they are relatively unhidden.

He notices them being there and stares in surprise. He then starts running towards them. He seems mad.