As soon as Ford dodged that carriage, he thought about the gravity of the situation he was in. He has now died three times, and a fourth was sure to come if he couldn't beat this killer. He still refused to ask for help.
Let's use the phrase "prideful delusions" to describe Ford. He seriously believed he could take down this killer, he just needed a solid plan. That plan, unfortunately, doesn't include asking for help from the knights.
Now, a little bit of pride isn't at all a bad thing. In fact, it can be quite admirable. However, there's a fine line between pride, and arrogance. The two best words to describe Ford right now are arrogant and stubborn.
If you let pride overtake you, it can lead to disastrous consequences. If Ford never chooses to face humility, he will face serious repercussions for his actions. He would be stuck in a never ending cycle of death.
Maybe that's a stretch. Maybe if he just tries hard enough, he will be able to beat this killer to a pulp, and make them pay for all those times he had to suffer.
Ford had chose to avoid Vincent and Reda in this loop, and instead would begin his search for a blacksmith. If he was going to beat this killer, he would need a weapon.
Of course, he knew he wouldn't be able to afford a weapon, so he thought he would steal a ready made one. Sure enough, after some time, he had found a weapons dealer. When he walked in the building, each wall on either side had a good selection of weapons to choose from.
One problem though, there was a bell. When Ford opened the door, a small bell rang to signify that someone had walked in. This would be a problem if the keeper wasn't busy. However, as it turns out— luck would be on his side, if only for a short time.
??: "Sorry, sir! I'll be with you in a second!"
Ford didn't respond to the keeper, and instead grabbed the first sword he could see without hesitation, and walked out of the building. Then, he ran. He continued running, until he was far enough away from the shop that the keeper wouldn't chase after him.
He ran into an alley, to catch his breath. It wasn't the same alley as last time, so he figured no one would come after him here, and no one had. Ford had gotten away unscathed with stealing a weapon. If this world does have some kind of police force, they were terrible.
If he got away with thievery, what else could he get away with? Ford didn't think too hard about that, as he was too focused on his killer. A knife against a sword, an unfair battle. Victory was definitely leaning towards Ford.
*************
A girl, a beautiful girl. This girl was truly beautiful. Long blonde hair, ruby red eyes. Dresses and looks like royalty. She's not so spoiled though. In fact, she's quite friendly. It'd be a lie to say she didn't have enemies though.
Of course, with her actually being of royalty, she's bound to have enemies. For now, she's safe though, as she's in a pretty big city. If anyone were to come after her, it'd be in the dead of night, which won't happen.
What was she doing out in the city? Well, she was just going on a simple walk. Admiring the scenery around her, it was a very beautiful, sunny day. She happened to walk by a weapon shop, with the keeper standing outside.
Arias: "Are you alright, mister?"
??: "no, miss! This delinquent earlier stole one of my swords!"
Arias' eyes widened as she asked for the whereabouts of the boy who stole the sword. Unfortunately, the keeper only had a vague idea, and was only able to point out which way the boy ran. When asked what the boy looked like, he had stated that he could vaguely remember him having brown hair, and quite a strange outfit. The outfit seemed like it wouldn't match that of a warrior's.
Anyway, after learning of the direction he ran, she quickly ran off after him. If the boy didn't make any twist and turns, he would be quite easy to find, and thankfully, the boy wasn't very intelligent when it came to shoplifting, as Arias was able to spot a lone boy in an alley, seemingly taking a break, and what do you know? Holding a sword.
************
As the boy, Ford Reski, was sitting there, thinking he had just gotten away with stealing a weapon, a girl made her way over to him. Instead of speaking, she would launch an orange crystal at him, then snatch the sword, which he dropped when he was thrown further into the alley.
The boy slowly got up, rubbed off his clothes, and said——
"What the hell did you do that for, lady?!"
Arias: "be quiet! I don't like talking to thieves!"
"W--what?! You actually think I stole that weapon? That old bastard who owns the shop just holds a grudge against me... I bought that sword!"
Maybe launching the orange crystal was acting a bit too rashly, as after all, the shopkeeper could've actually been lying. Of course, he wasn't, but Arias couldn't have known that at the time. In her mind, she might've just hurt an innocent boy (who wasn't actually innocent).
Arias concluded that they should check with the shopkeeper, which Ford was against. Of course, that just made him seem all the more suspicious. It would take a few minutes of convincing, but in the end, Ford had ultimately agreed.
The meeting with the shopkeeper wouldn't go so well, as the shopkeeper immediately hit Ford with a paddle. It seems corporal punishment exists in this world, even for adults.
"agh! What the hell, man! I returned your sword, aren't you happy?!"
??: "still doesn't make up for the fact that you tried to steal it! Damn thief!"
After returning the weapon, and getting berated by the shopkeeper, Ford walked away like a bratty young child who just got scolded by their parent. He had now lost the only weapon he had. He was just about ready to give up, until he realized he could avoid the inn altogether.
If he simply just doesn't go to the inn, the killer would never get to him, and he could live. His ego stops him from caring about other people, especially strangers. He didn't know anyone who was killed, and he just didn't want to feel that pain.
Although, he also didn't want to sleep outside. It's quite a dilemma—— or is it? Would you rather get your throat slashed, or sleep outside? The answer should be pretty obvious.
Which it was. Ford decided he would sleep at the inn. You probably thought he would choose outside? He probably likes getting his throat sla—
"Stop!"
Ford said as he slapped himself across the face. He knew he was thinking of something stupid. It's easier to outright avoid the inn... So why had he chose to stay? A simple answer would be pride, but a longer answer would be as follows——
He promised himself that he would be the best hero this parallel world had ever come across. Sure, staying outside would be the smart option, but letting a bunch of innocent people die for his own selfish reasons? What kind of "hero" would he be then? The kind who abandons the helpless? The kind who chooses to defeat the bad, but let the good die in the process? He wouldn't be able to live with that. He might not care now, but in the future, it will come back to haunt him.
That is why he stayed at the inn.
**********
In this loop, Ford never got the change from Arias, so he would have to sneak back to his room. To his surprise, the inn seemed to have a back entrance, so he was easily able to get to his room without being caught.
Instead of waiting for that silence, he would wait for the power to go out. After a few minutes, a muffled voice could be heard from downstairs--
??: "what happened to the lights?!"
Ford quickly rushed downstairs, and would yell at the top of his lungs-
"EVERYONE! GET OUT OF THE INN!"
This sudden scream startled everyone, but in the end, it hadn't achieved anything else. The killed had acted quicker than before.
Ford stood in horror as everyone was being killed right before his eyes--
No... Stop this... I tried to warn you all... It achieved nothing... I can see him.. he's coming closer. I'm going to die, again. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It's... numb... It's gone.
****************
Another day... Or... Not another day, the same day. Ford opened his eyes, and dodged the carriage that was hurtling his way.
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