LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 2: Counterattack
Nothing appeared when William said 'Status' which he now feels like an idiot.
"So I have no status to see. Ok, what about inventory."
When William said 'inventory', a typical inventory screen appeared with a list of items in each slot.
[Inventory: 100 Bolter pistol ammo, 10 food rations, 3 repair kits and 3 first aid kits]
William closed the inventory and used other commands to see what else he had, in the end, he learned that he only had inventory and appraisal skills.
"So that is it, no status, no level, no crazy cheat skills but just inventory and appraisal. Still, I'm a superhuman now so I will manage somehow."
Finally, William decided to move on and get out of this forest to find any sign of civilization, after two hours on the walk he found a dirt road with a sign of a wheel track in the middle. Using his helmet, William found the freshest track and decided which direction to go, less than an hour later, he was finally out of the forest and saw small smoke in the distance.
With new rejuvenating hope of finding people, William started to increase his pace, which is equivalent to going 25 miles per hour. It only took William 20 minutes to find the people he was tracking; it was a caravan of small 5 merchant wagons and 25 people taking a short break.
The group of guards were aware of William's approach and were on guard since it is hard to miss 7.5 feet tall giant with full armor running in their direction. William stopped 20 yards away from the group and greeted them with a friendly wave to show no hostility, guards saw this and realized that the giant wasn't going to attack but maintain their guard.
"Hi, my name is William and I'm kinda lost, are you guys heading to town or village?" A person who looks like a leader of the guard responds to William's greetings.
"I'm Herman, a leader of Fireblades, which lord do you serve Sir William?"
William paused and thought about his options for response, it would be better to clear any misunderstanding before it becomes a bigger problem later.
"I do not serve lord, I'm searching for a way back home," William explains his situation to Herman with the simplest possibility, by the time he finishes the story, few merchants join the guards to check the giant.
"Wow, he is a giant."
"If he is not a knight maybe he is an adventurer."
"Maybe he is a hedge knight, you know, without a lord to serve."
After explanation and gain a little bit of trust, Herman introduces William to the head merchant named Tom to determine what to do.
"We are only two days away from a village called 'Greenhill', it is a logging village with merchant and adventurer's guild, you can join us if you want."
William agreed to Tom's offer and decided to join the caravan, that night, he got a chance to learn about the country he was in and current events as people shared stories. Next early morning, after breakfast, the caravan was ready for the road and William joins the guards for a quick brief from Herman.
"With our current speed, we will be arriving at Iron Guard bridge tonight. It is a safe zone since the patrol outpost is located but stays alert for any bandits or monsters since we are now on a popular road for many travelers."
After Herman's brief, the caravan began their journey, since it was William's first caravan ride, he was placed in the front side of the wagon. According to Herman, putting a new guy on the front in the first mission is an unspoken tradition that William didn't mind since he wants to contribute.
The morning was uneventful until after lunch break William saw a fallen tree blocking the road ahead, with his helmet sensor identifying 22 life signs hiding. William called Herman and Tom to notify the problem ahead, which they slowed down the speed of the caravan, so they wouldn't alert the enemy but buy enough time to plan for a counterattack. After a few ideas were thrown around, William brought his old campaign strategy which would be perfect for the current situation.
At the ambush site, the bandits were getting tired of waiting and started complaining. One of their lookouts saw a lone man approaching with a hunchback in the distance, fully covered in a large blanket and carrying a bag with all kinds of items hanging around. It was clear that this person wasn't a part of the caravan they were waiting for, but the leader decided to grab the lone man quickly without making noise before the caravan arrived.