Crime? What Crime?

As if my word was some kind of release, I manage to stumble back, away from the growing pool of blood. Luckily it hadn't reached my feet yet, so there's no blood anywhere except my hand. I make sure to hold it away from me as a thousand thoughts run through my mind.

'Shit shit shit! I just killed someone! The f*ck am I supposed to do now!? How can I cover this up? Feed his body to the bird? It looks like it eats meat. Throw it in the grass? Did he have family? Am I going to get a nemesis so soon after getting here? Does this kingdom look down on beastmen? Does the whole world? Damn it! Lord Soahc, don't you think you could've given me a bit of advanced warning before you sent me here!'

As more thoughts go through my mind, I begin to calm down. I take a few deep breaths before I start to focus. I'll let myself think when I have some breathing room. Subconsciously, I start to mutter.

"Ok, first thing to do it search the body for anything useful. I'll only use my bloody hand to reduce how much of his blood is on me." I look at his body and my stomach drops a bit. "Gods, I hope nobody comes by."

A not-so quick search of his body reveals a small coin pouch. Inside I find seventeen copper coins and a single half-copper. My general knowledge kicks in, letting me know that in this world, currency is divided up into several parts. Copper, half-copper, silver, half-silver, gold, half-gold, and platinum. Each coin value changes once you reach one hundred, with the half coins representing fifty of their designated coins. So altogether, sixty-seven copper.

Other than that, I manage to catch a glint of metal in the blood. With a series of 'ews', I pull out a small brass key. I quickly put it aside, then consider the body. I haven't even been in this world for a full day, and I'm already a murderer! I can't even claim self-defense since I don't know how this world, or even this kingdom, work! Maybe the law says he's allowed to do what he was planning, in which case it would make me a fugitive.

I can't just run away. Not only do I have no idea where I am, but the road is the only clue I have to civilization! "I doubt I can move his body far enough from the road to avoid the smell from his decomposition from reaching it. Plus there's the pool of blood. That only leaves..." My eyes travel to the demon chicken.

Plan forming, I approach and speak to it in a calming voice. "It's ok girl, it's ok. I'm not gonna hurt you. I actually have some food for you, right over there. I'll just cut you loose, then you can have a meal and we'll both be on our way." She seems to react to my calm tone of voice, and I manage to use my claws to cut through the harness connecting her to the cart.

I quickly grab the reins in case she tries to runs off. Slowly, I guide her to Kyle's corpse. "There's a good girl. Such a good girl deserves a treat, don't you think? Here you go, I bet you don't get to eat- urgh, people very often do you?" I cover my mouth with my non-blood covered hand as my stomach heaves a bit.

The bird takes an experimental sniff at her former owner before tentatively taking a small bite of his wrist. Seeming to like the taste, she holds the arm down with one leg, then tears the arm off the body at the elbow. It quickly wolfs it down and I have to fight to keep from losing my lunch. Not that I've eaten since coming to this world.

I walk around the body and pull the bird forward. It fights at first, but once it's taken another bite, this time from the neck, it complies. It steps on the body, its claws digging through its clothes and into the back. I breathe a sigh of relief. It would have looked strange if it looked like whatever killed him only attacked exposed skin. Or maybe it would have been completely normal. What do I know?

Once it seems to eat its fill, I release the reins and wave my arms at it. "Shoo! Go away! You're free now!" I'm not sure if it understood me, or if suddenly waving my arms spooked it, but the giant demon chicken bursts into motion and runs into the grasslands. With how fast it's going I soon lose sight of it.

Pointedly ignoring the body, I walk to the cart. A cursory examination reveals that it's nearly empty, the only things I find being some dried meat and a pair of waterskins. Seeing the food and water, my stomach growls and I suddenly feel all the hunger I should've felt earlier. I manage to restrain myself long enough to use half a skin of water to wash my hand of blood, along with a liberal helping of the sandy road and the long stalks of grass.

But once it's clean, I pounce on the meat like a hungry hyena on a wounded deer. I don't even taste it as it goes down, using the water to take care of my dry throat and any pieces that I start to choke on. Once I've devoured everything, and with only a single remaining waterskin, I give the cart a closer examination.

It's empty, so he probably just left the city. I figure anyone taking a cart to the city would want to have things to sell. Though if that is the case, then it's a bit strange that he only had sixty-seven copper. I look back at where I remember placing the key, and behold, there it remains. I walk over to it, uncorking the waterskin as I do. Slowly, I pour barely any water on it. Just enough to wash most of the blood off.

Once it's clean, I pick it up and return to the cart. There I examine it a lot closer than I did before. Getting close and eyeballing the wood, running my hands all over it. I even licked one suspicious part, but they all ended up being duds. It's not until I check the seat that I find what I'm looking for.

There, just under the seat, is a keyhole. I insert the key and turn. With a slight click, the top of the seat pops up. I excitedly push it open, and inside I see...

A ring.

Just a ring, for all that space. Now, most people would be disappointed and confused, wondering why they would dedicate all that effort for a single ring. But I've read enough novels to know what it was.

*Skill obtained: Examine*

I quickly put my new skill to work.

*Ring of Holding

Details unknown*

A feral grin splits my lips. "Yes~." I hiss out. When I first noticed that I didn't have some kind of inventory, I was a bit disappointed that I would have to carry everything by hand. Or buy a pack mule. But with this ring, now I can just toss anything I might need in there!

Humming a jaunty little tune, I slip it back onto my finger and continue my way down the road. Leaving my crime scene behind.