I reassessed my surroundings, having taken stock of the changes that took hold. Lowering my face to the water, I drank deeply once more. Having no way to carry water, it was no guarantee I wouldn't suffer dehydration. 

Just one more drink, enough to avoid stomach cramps.

Cool water flowed through my lips, taking in what I could before breathing once more. Satisfied with what I could take in, I stood and returned to dry land, my clothes now sopping wet. 

At Least it's not cold enough for hypothermia…

Looking back over the clearing, it was worn in such a way it seemed like a recently abandoned roundabout. Rutts made from some form of wheel torn into the soil in an uneven pattern. They looked like wagon tracks if I could point to an earthly equivalent. 

What's this?

Two objects were thrown to the ground near the woodline, relatively clean to have been there for anything longer than a day. I approached, hesitant at first as I actively scanned for any other presence. The object's shape became clear as I came closer. A long rod-like object, and what appeared to be a leather bag. 

Jesus h Christ! The size of this thing!

The rodlike object was easily recognizable as a sword as I got closer. At a quick glance, the blade alone must have been sixty or so inches in length. The grip only added to its size at nearly twenty four inches itself. The Claymore dwarfed me by over a foot as I picked it up, its tip jutting into the ground. With its discovery, a strange urge to hold the weapon close overpowered me, as if it was likened to my dearest belonging. 

And this? 

I glanced past the Highland Claymore within my hands to see a well-worn satchel. Placing the oversized weapon gently on the ground, I kneeled to search through the bag's contents. Rifling through the assortment of items, I took inventory of what was present. A loose variety of dried meat, akin to the scraps at the bottom of a bag of beef jerky. It was enough to fill my palm, which would atleast give me the energy to move for now. 

It's not worth much, but I should down it now just so I’m sure of the energy I can use.

I scarfed down the loose assortment of meat scrap, rolling them around in my mouth as I continued to search. It was peppered heavily, matching my prior taste at least to this point. 

A simple comfort for now, at least.

I looked over the next item within. 

Hmm?

A book in an unfamiliar language was present, a series of runes and symbols on its surface reminiscent of the old Scandinavian language and Latin. It was alarming, as a slow fog rolled through my mind before it was strangely legible. The name was intrinsically understood. 

Kiyomi.

Almost in time with my thoughts, a series of electronic noises flooded my ears. All the while, a strange yellowish-orange, yet translucent display obscured my vision partially. 

___________________________________________________________________

Name: Kiyomi Jormanr

Age: 8

Race: High Demon, unattributed

Sex: Female

Class: n/a

Level: 16

HP: 920/1000

MP: 150/1000

Constitution: 7

Strength: 17

Dexterity: 16

Intelligence: 15

Wisdom: 12

Charisma: 17

Thirst: 600/1000

Hunger: 200/1000

Titles: (Hidden), (Hidden), (Hidden)

____________________________________________________________________

What have I been thrown into?

I asked myself, stupefied by the sci-fi-like screen presenting itself to me. As if on cue, a series of accompanying alerts presented themselves in succession. 

Acquired- Personal Diary, Matriarchs Sword(Bonded)

Are they my own?

The screen displaying general information about my health and natural inclinations returned to the fore once again before being abruptly obscured by one more message.

Warning: Status: Hungry, Hunted

My hand moved to my stomach idly, the stomach of a child that was surely already in poor standing health-wise thanks to her indeterminate time in the wilds.

What am I supposed to do here?

I thought, my eyes glancing at the ‘hunted’ phrase.

Hmm? Hunted- Ah, shit.

It wasn't the intention, but another window popped up with a description of the hunted status.

Hunted: The church of Orion is hunting you, Paladin’s nearing detection range.
Presented course: Evade and escape the Church Paladins, seek safety.

The revelation was disconcerting to say the least.

I wake up in someone else's body and I'm supposed to believe some crazy shit about life and death situations now?

A panicked a moment before breathing to calm myself.

Cool it, not the time. Just take it in stride. Head on a swivel, Aidan.

Placing the diary back into the satchel before looking to the sword, I tried imagining being forced to use such an unwieldy thing. Such a ³massive sword should have already been a labor for an adult, so for myself it'd be a herculean feat.

Why does it feel so important?...

Staring at the piece of steel for a moment, I debated leaving the thing before willing myself to grab it.

Something eating at me tells me it's important, so it looks like I'm stuck with the weight.

I hefted myself up using the sword's crossguard, taking its hilt I'm hand and using the momentum to swing it upward. It was heavy, but the weight felt strange in my hands. It was like I was just at the edge of being able to throw it. Tossing the sheathed blade over my shoulder like I'd been carrying a piece of lumber, I'd looked at my surroundings one more time.

Hopefully I can find another water source, and at least a food source. Not like there's much else to plan out.

I began walking at a brisk pace, the idea of tiring too quickly deterring me from running. 

____________________________________

How long has it been?

I looked up, my small hands partially obscuring the sun from view just to the point I could see its position in the sky.

Two? No, three hours?

“It's hard to tell with my hands being so small now.”

I grumbled, working over the loose math within my head.

Maybe, two o'clock? 

Grrrrrrble

“Ugh.”

I stopped a moment, leaning against a tree a little further into the woodline. I found myself suffering hunger pains, the sparse scraps of peppered meat failing to sustain the energy I was expending.

Sooner or later, I'll tire out.

I'd already figured it would happen, but suffering hunger pains, as well as the potential onset of nausea was not a promising mix when evading pursuers.

Come on, remember SEREs. First two key objectives, survive and Evade. 

I grimaced as another wave of pain hit my stomach.

Resist is out of the window, and I'm a bit out of my element to count on escaping.

I'd given up fighting, the sword being too unwieldy to use any time soon. Even discounting the exhaustion, I could barely hold the thing out with both arms. Swinging it meaningfully was out of the question.

The only option I had with meaningful results was to keep moving, and even then my current body was showing its inexperience. I wasn't fully tuckered out yet, but my lungs burned, my calves ached, and my mouth tasted slightly of iron from my throat cracking. 

My hunger and Thirst status were on a constant decline, not so enough to terrify me but fast enough to remind me that pacing was critical. I needed food and water, and soon.

“Why some sandy damn beach? Why couldn't I have woken up in a soft bed or something of the like? But nobody, I had to wake up in bum fuck nowhere.”

I wiped my brow free of sweat, not as if it wasn't accompanied by sweat everywhere else alongside my soaking clothes. The heat wasn't unbearable, but the humidity made quick work of my body's ability to cool itself. It was comparable to the peak summer of Georgia or Romania. I was walking just within the treeline, obscuring my pursuers line of sight at the very least. It wasn't long however before the same display intruded on my vision once more with even less promising news. 

Alert: Paladins of Orion approaching position at a quickening pace. Seek sanctuary or protection immediately! Do not engage!

In a betrayal of my SERE training I found myself beginning to panic, more so that I thought I would. I could here yelling now just beneath the rustle of foliage and heavy footsteps against sand and gravel. It was unintelligible, but enough to drive home the point that things were ramping in seriousness very quickly.

Shits getting real. God damnit! Why me?!

I did what I could in the situation, wisely, though unknown to me. I ran, as fast as my unfamiliar body could manage.