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(First Draft of) Chapter 1 - His soul is marching on!
🕑 Added 2022-12-18 18:53:08 +0000 UTCThis was the first draft for the first chapter of Fall of the Slave Empire that I had written a while back. As you might notice, things changed drastically from the second draft that I've posted, enjoy!
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Old John Brown's body lies a moldering in the grave,
While weep the sons of bondage whom he ventured all to save;
But though he sleeps his life was lost while struggling for the slave,
His soul is marching on.
- John Brown's Body by William Weston Patton
Today was a beautiful day like any other. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and in the middle of it all was radical abolitionist John Brown who had no idea where he was.
He had just woken up after what he thought was his death, his confusion was understandable.
Brown first thought that he might be in Heaven, but the pearly gates guarded by St. Peter were nowhere near his vision. Nor did the environment look heavenly enough, grassy plains were aplenty back on Earth too and there were no angels or other people wandering around the place.
Quickly reviewing the facts laid before him, Brown concluded that he must have entered a state of delirium while dying. Currently he was being under some sort of illusion due to by asphyxia, or so he thought. Perhaps the Lord had wanted Brown’s last moments to be comfortable.
He muttered a prayer to God for allowing him to not die in pain. Brown was startled, jumping back in shock when he heard a short jingle played by a church organ accompanied by a blue window popped up in front of him.
[Congratulations, you just advanced a Prayer level.]
[Your Prayer level is now 2.]
[Nod twice to continue]
Brown was curious as to what state his mind was in as to show him these weird, meaningless hallucinations. He nodded promptly to close the window floating in front of his face; all he wanted was to spend his last moments uninterrupted by floating blue boxes.
Yet, before Brown could return to leveling up his [Prayer], he was interrupted by a male voice groaning behind him. “What the hell, where is this?!”
He turned around to see a newly awoken young man lying on the ground. “Watch your language, young man. Spare such needless profanity.” He’d normally first ask the name of a person he’d met, but he thought that the boy was just a figment of his imagination that’d soon disappear so he saw no need to do so.
“Man, don’t be such a puritan. I just said ‘hell’, that’s all. You my grandpa or something?” replied the young man. “Anyways, you a resident of this place or something? What’s your name?”
“I cannot exactly determine whether I’m currently a resident of my mind, nor am I a Puritan, but my name is John Brown, that much is certain. Glad to meet you.”
What sort of philosophical crap is this man spouting? Is he some sort of enigmatic mentor guy, thought the young man in response. “What a coincidence, I’m also Jon Brown, from Kansas. Actually, I'm Jonathan Brown, but nobody bothers to use my full name.” Jon took another look at his surroundings “Anyways, you have any idea about where we are?”
“No, and I’m currently trying not to concern myself with such trifles. If you’d excuse me.” Brown returned to prayer after answering the queries of the young man.
Jon turned back from Brown in annoyance. He could figure out where he was even without Brown’s help. I died, not by the hit of a truck but due to a tornado, but it’s a death nonetheless. I’m a young man, who was a shut-in gamer… Okay, this is just an isekai situation. I’m guessing this old man is going to give me some much-needed exposition if I press him hard enough.
Jon turned back to Brown. Have I seen this man somewhere before? Eh, old men look pretty similar, I’m probably just mistaking him for someone else. “So… Umm, I’d be really happy if you could show me the way to the nearest town at least. I’m very lost, you see.”
“Young man, I’m true when I say that I have no idea.”
Brown was surprised that he was still alive. He thought that this weird hallucination / dream would stop once he finally suffocated to death back in the real world.
Though, he had to admit, things were a bit too vivid for this to be a dream or a hallucination. If it was not the previous two things, then where was he? There was someone from Kansas in front of him. Perhaps the sheriff had botched his execution, and he had somehow ended up in some corner of Kansas that he had never seen? The great plains around him did remind him somewhat of Kansas.
Brown was now curious. Plus, there’d be no harm in trying to help Jon out. He got up and faced the young man. “I see dirt path out there in the distance. Perhaps you’d find what you’re looking for down there.”
“Ah, didn’t see that one. Thanks man!” the young man turned to walk towards the path. He took a few steps before noticing that Brown was following him. “So… You gonna follow me?”
“I’m curious to see if there are any towns in this realm.” replied Brown.
Jon had one objection: If there are no human settlements then how are you here? Still, he had no objections to have a bodyguard follow him. “There is one thing I’m curious about. Why were you meditating in the middle of a field? You a monk or something?”
Brown laughed. “No, I’m not a monk. I’m just an instrument of God who has played his last piece.”
The hell does that mean now?! “Uhh… ‘Playing a last piece’… You retired or something?”
“I think so. You might, most rightfully, not believe what I’m about to say, but I’ve been forced into early retirement by the hangman’s rope.”
He was hanged, and then died; he has no idea about the world… Wait a goddamn second! “Are you, like, an immortal that awoke after a thousand-year slumber?”
Brown stared with incredulity. “No, I am a mortal man like any other.”
Gah, I thought I got him. Jon continued racking his brain. “Are you a wizard then?” He’s got a magnificent beard fit for a wizard, though he needs a blue robe and wizard’s hat.
“God forbid! I’d never delve into such things.”
Okay, I’ve got no idea. Jon gave up trying to solve the enigmatic old man. The two continued a steady march on the dirt path, through plains that had lush trees dotted around it.
The pair suddenly encountered a party of three odd balls of living slime, about the size of a domestic cat, on the road. Other than slavers Brown had seen no slimy creatures during his previous time in Kansas.
“I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore.” thought Brown out loud.
“Yeah, realized that like an hour ago.”
The generic slime monsters slowly jumped forwards towards the Browns. One of them even had the audacity to tackle Jon, making him instantly drop on the floor due to the force of the hit.
“Crap! I think those are hostile!” Why did I expect slimes to be not hostile?! This is like the number one cliché isekai beginner thing!
Brown stopped staring at the slimes in confusion, and punched the one in the front that had tackled Jon. The monster exploded, leaving a mess of slime on Brown’s clothes.
[Congratulations, you just advanced an Attack level.]
[Your Attack level is now 2.]
[Nod twice to continue]
Brown was distracted, only for a second, by the sudden blue box and its accompanying jingle. Another slime managed to get a hit on his leg that almost tripped him up; Brown stood steadfast as he nodded twice to get rid of the box. He responded to the transgressions of the second slime by stomping on it, causing it to explode like its dead comrade.
The third slime made the right decision by promptly fleeing from the battle scene.
“Git now, git!” shouted Brown at the slime. “Are you fine, young man?”
“Yes, I’m fine despite the sticky situation. Slimy bastard only caused me to trip, nothing else.” Brown helped Jon get up. “Guess that’s the first monster encounter done and dusted with.”
Jon was excited when he saw what was left behind from the slimes. Two small little black gems sat inside the puddles of slime.
“Young man, you probably shouldn’t be mingling with that stuff…” Brown watched as Jon picked up the little gems.
“Hey, this is going to what’s going to get us dinner… I think.” replied Jon. I think these are the monster core things I’ve heard so much about.
“Those pebbles are going to get us food?” asked Brown. He had previously seen gems drop from those slimy creatures called ‘Southern gentlemen’, these slimes admittedly looked akin to those slavers, but he hadn’t seen gems this black and this small.
“We’ll see whenever we find a town.” said Jon. “The Adventurer’s Guild or whatever should pay money for these.”
Adventurer’s Guild? Buying pebbles? “Young man, I don’t remember any Adventurer’s Guilds in Kansas. Nor do I know the existence of any such organization in the rest of United States.”
Huh, he knows about Kansas? And the US… Wait a second, it all makes sense now! “You’re from another world, like me!”
“Another world?”
John Brown was ignorant in the ways of isekai.
“Right, you’re a boomer so you don’t know this stuff. Then let me teach you old man!” Jon looked for a stick on the ground. Finding a suitably long and dry stick he began drawing a basic drawing on some dry piece of earth. Brown watched as he began a makeshift presentation.
Jon first drew a circle on the ground. “Imagine this is Earth. It has America, Britain, Europe, Africa, Japan, China, all that jazz.” He then drew two stick figures. “This is me and you who lived there. I got caught in a tornado and you were hanged, if I remember correctly.” He added double x’s on the heads of the stick figures where their eyes would be. “So, we died back there. You following me?”
“That doesn’t explain why we’re clearly alive, young man.”
“Now, I’m getting to that part.” He drew an arrow; at the end of the arrow, he drew another circle. “After our death we were somehow transported to this strange new fantasy world. I remember, in my last moments, seeing my whole vision turn white before it faded to black. Did you feel such a thing too?”
“I indeed did, young man. Still, resurrection is farfetched, it’s supposed to be a miraculous event, not something that happens without any apparent reason.” replied Brown. Yet, seeing those weird slimy monsters and those blue boxes popping up, he couldn’t bring himself to fully deny that he might not be on Earth anymore.
Perhaps, the Lord had sent him here for some purpose?
“Just take it is a fun theory till we find some town and see whether the residents are familiar.” said Jon, throwing his drawing stick somewhere far away.
The Browns continued marching on, and on, until the dirt path gave way to a cobble one.
“We must be nearing civilization.” commented Brown. A carriage, dragged by two giant bipedal lizards, quickly passed by as if meant to confirm him.
“Yup. And this civilization’s got dinosaurs.” Cool!
A couple more steps got them on top of a small hill, where the Browns acquired full view of the town.
No mistaking it. This is a high fantasy medieval setting. The town was surrounded by a circular wall, with a river passing through the middle of it. The houses were, to put it lightly, very generic. Off-white walls with red and blue bricks, it looked like the starting town of some RPG.
Of course, to Brown, these buildings looked vaguely European and nothing else. Old John Brown had lived a century before any rocket propelled grenades, regulation prescription glasses or role-playing games existed.
Despite their wildly different outlooks, both Browns agreed on one idea. “Let’s enter that town and get some information.”
