Walk. Walk. Joshua kept repeating the word in his head.Why the hell was this path so damn long?
They had been walking for over three days, and all they saw were trees, trees, and maybe a couple of rabbits.Huge rabbits.
Samuel tried to catch one.It punched him.Hard.
They were very aggressive.Luckily, they managed to run and avoid being bitten.
Joshua mocked his brother relentlessly.Getting kicked by a rabbit wasn't something you forgot easily.But deep down, he was worried.
So far, every animal they had come across was larger than normal.If they ran into a tiger or a wolf… they'd be done for.
Samuel wasn't ready to let it go. That humiliation needed to be paid for in blood.So, he started designing a trap—something he'd seen in a video game.
He used a few crickets as bait…And a chocolate bar he had "accidentally" found in his brother's pocket.
Joshua, blissfully unaware of the candy theft, decided to rest near what looked like an abandoned cart.He figured it was worth inspecting.He needed to know if the people in this world were also giant-sized like the animals.
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***
The cart looked normal.Not too big, not too small.Missing a couple of wheels, wood eaten by termites, partially burned…Still, it wasn't too different from the ones he'd seen in medieval shows or fantasy movies.
It was a goldmine of information.From it, Joshua learned a few things:The average human here was probably about the same size as them.They used pack animals—donkeys or something similar.And, judging by the cart's style, this place resembled the Middle Ages.
He still didn't know if there were monsters like dragons or magic creatures…But now, he was certain of one thing:
This world might be a lot more dangerous than they had originally thought.
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That suspicion was confirmed minutes later.He saw Samuel running.
That alone was already suspicious.
But what followed him…That was worse.
Three giant shadows—massive rats, each the size of a dog. Maybe bigger.
"What the hell did you do, you idiot?! Where the hell did you find those things?!"
Without hesitation, Joshua looked around for something to fight with.The cart didn't have much, but he found a stick and began searching the ground for stones.
Samuel was almost there—So were the rats.
Joshua threw the stone. He didn't want to brag, but his aim had always been good.The rock hit the left rat right in the eye.It screeched and fled.
Joshua didn't chase it. He wasn't hunting.He just didn't want those rats turning his brother into lunch.
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***
Samuel kept running.He felt like he'd never run this much in his life.Probably because he hadn't.But nothing motivated quite like the sight of giant rat teeth gnashing behind you.
Who would've thought the chocolate would attract rats instead of rabbits?
The trap had failed miserably.It was meant for small animals.The rabbits that beat him up were half the size of these rats.
He didn't even want to imagine what would happen if they caught him.
"HEY, IDIOT! OVER HERE!"
His brother's voice snapped him out of it.Samuel didn't hesitate.He made a sharp turn—sharper than he thought possible—and launched himself toward Joshua.
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***
Joshua took a deep breath.He had to stay focused.
Thankfully, his time as a kitchen assistant had sharpened his nerves.People underestimated that job.But the kitchen was a battlefield—a war between chef and customer.
Surviving under the head chef's screams, the chaos, the stress…It forced you to be calm. Collected.
Samuel flew past him like a cannonball.Joshua briefly thought being tackled by his brother might be more dangerous than facing the rats.
Stick in hand, he swung.
The second rat was sent flying with a shriek.The stick shattered completely.Apparently, it was more rotted than he'd hoped.
Luckily, that rat wasn't very brave.Maybe it hadn't expected meatballs to fight back.It vanished into the forest.
One rat left.
And, of course, it was the biggest one.Just Samuel's luck.