(Sebastian's POV)
"I look like some dumbass....." I muttered as I walked down the hill, "Who wears a beige shirt with white pants? What are these shoes???"
I looked down at the small white slip-on leather shoes. Seriously, that Blue chick.....why would she dress me like this?
I wasn't wearing my good stuff when I died, yeah. But I was wearing boot-cut jeans, a simple navy blue shirt, and my sneakers. Not the best in terms of fashion but way better than whatever this shit is.
"Well...." I said, "It's comfortable, though. What kind of material is this? Cotton? Hm....no....strange....."
I reached the treeline of the forest that was down the hill, seeing that the shadows were quite deep. I don't know why, but I felt like I needed to come here. Maybe it was because the sun was shinning on me and it was starting to feel quite hot.
Yes. I needed shade.
I reached the tall dark oak, stepping inside its shade as I held the guitar in my left hand.
"Hm...." I said, "Oh!"
I reached inside my pocket and pulled out the ring I received as a gift. I then leaned the guitar against the tree, putting the ring in my right middle finger.
"Not my ring finger, but it's a simple black band, made out of marble?" I said as I looked at it, "If I flip someone off, they'll see this nice-looking ring. I really like it. Where did she get it from?"
I then looked at my guitar, the simple black stratocaster, which seemed to have a dull color. But there was something intriguing about it. It was simple, had no shine to it, it just looked like a cheap aftermarket guitar that one would get just to learn how to play.
"Huh." I said, remembering the time I got a guitar for the first time
Yes. I was around 6 years old, and Anna was 9. It was Christmas and my old man gifted me a Stratocaster guitar, black and white. It was the best Christmas gift I've ever gotten. It wasn't just that, he had gotten me Ozzy's CD as well.
From that moment on, I decided to learn the guitar and master it. And I did.
I remember that Father sighed out of relief when he saw that I liked the gift. I could only imagine how much it would cost him. Back then, he was struggling financially and would do his best to support me.
Anna didn't get something fancy, she got a new jacket. But she didn't care, she only cared about my smile.
They were too good for me.
I didn't deserve them.
I reached for the guitar and picked it up, "Hm." I said, "I need to get you a strap."
It only came like that, no strap on it to have it hang on my shoulder. The System said that I need to invest in the Limited Inventory Skill to store any object in. That is something worth checking out.
I proceeded to walk further inside the forest, looking around me and taking in the sounds of nature. The last time I did something like this, I was crossfaded and was spending some time with this girl I dated.
That was probably the only time I ever held myself back in my "habits". A couple of drinks and a lot of cannabis were enough for me that night. Enough to remember all of it, in the middle of the night.
I stopped and sighed, "Oh boy....."
I could feel nothing but anxiety dwell up inside me.
I've made so many mistakes in my life. So many. But one of the worst ones was that specific one.
And worst of all, not letting my Father smack sense into me when I began my musical journey. If I had let him do that, I would not be in this situation.
"Well...." I said aloud, "I can't be a bitch now. I have to face the consequences...."
Yes. That's right.
"I have to find shelter." I said, "I remember camping with the old man during my childhood. I have to find a small stream or something with fish in it. I get a nice spot to start a fire and I cook some stuff up. I can do this."
I kept walking, traversing the forest as I went through bushes and climbed over logs. The entire time, the weight of my guitar was slowly beginning to burden me. I really needed a strap to prevent this from bothering me.
Then, after what seemed like half an hour of walking deep into the forest, hearing the sound of a river in the distance, I saw some smoke in the distance.
It looked like the trail of a campfire.
I narrowed my eyes, "If I am not mistaken..." I said as I walked behind a tree, "That looks like the fire was just put out....recently...."
Around 50 yards from me, through some trees, I could see what looked like a wooden barricade. Something told me that I shouldn't be reckless; I should think of my next move carefully.
I slowly walked behind the trees as I made my way towards the source of the smoke. I then reached the barricade, seeing that there was an opening, acting as a doorway of some kind.
I peeked around the opening, seeing what looked like a makeshift tent in the far back, connected to a tree. There was a campfire that had just been put out, smoke trailing upwards. There was no doubt about it; Whoever was here, they were near.
I narrowed my eyes, "Interesting." I said, "A camp, hm? Is this one of the camps the System mentioned? Hm....where's the Boss?"
Upon further inspection, I noticed that the camp was really small; 20 meters in diameter in total. Not many people would be based here. No, there's no way.
I saw a simple chest sitting next to the tent, as if it was inviting anyone over to try and open it.
I frowned, "Hm...." I muttered, "A trap? Smells fishy....."
I then quickly backed away and darted to the side of the barricade, seeing that there was a small natural platform that may overlook the camp. It was a weird thing, as if the area the camp was in had sunken down over time, and it acted like a hole.
I didn't even notice it at first, but most of this forest had some weird natural formations.
I climbed over to the platform and hid behind some bushes, looking over the camp. It was a decent angle; I could see the chest, the tent, and the campfire.
After a few minutes of sitting there with surprising patience, I saw two figures come into view, walking towards the campfire.
One of them was a short but muscular man who held an axe in his hands. The other was a somewhat tall yet chubby man who had a bucket of what seemed like water in his hands. He was wearing a black leather coat that was a bit worn out.
"Huh." the short one said, "I forgot to activate the trap on the chest."
The tall, chubby one scowled, "What is your problem? What if someone took our loot?" He exclaimed
The short one went over to the chest and tinkered with it, "Relax." He said, "Nobody touched it."
"Yea, that better be the case." the chubby one said as he sat down, "Listen, we're lucky to have even escaped that camp. The bandit leader is crazy."
"You're right." the short one said, "But betraying them is a death sentence. We should leave as soon as possible. We can't waste time."
"They're preoccupied with the Drahan Adventures. The low-rank idiots." the chubby one said
Okay.....there's a Bandit Camp nearby? That might sound like my kind of party. But there was something that caught my attention, obviously.
"Hm....." I muttered, my eyes glued on the chubby one's coat, "That coat....."
"I want it."