《TAG Princess》


 0. Dungeon Died

    Squirming around, I start to stare at my guardian. It was pacing in anger while occasionally glancing at me. Putting on my best puppy dog eyes, I wiggle my slime jelly and act cute, ¡°Please Wilbur, I just wanted a goblin. I didn¡¯t know that it would hurt someone!¡±


    Wilbur, who is currently in the form of an elderly elf glares at me. He liked the form so much, that he even went into the castle town and had a suit tailored to it. His fondness to it extends to his daily schedule as well. Every morning, he gets up and grooms his beard before trimming it short. He combs his hair and grooms his eyebrows. He even takes the time to remove any hairs growing in his nose. I once asked him why he cares so much for a simple form when he could just maintain the original state with just a thought and he said, ¡°You¡¯ll understand one day. When you find something or someone you like, you will be reluctant to change your form. You will even go as far as letting yourself age.¡±


    ¡°Just wanted a goblin huh? Just great, Winowna! Not only did that little varmint kill an adventurer it even tried to eat him, You know that we have to follow strict rules to live near the capitol right? Remember the Dungeon Neighbor law? Tell me! What does the law say? Tell me! Come on! Tell me!¡± He berates me.


    On the verge of spilling tears, I reply while sniveling, ¡°It says that no dungeon when occupying a space near another settlement is allowed to spawn harmful monsters. All Dungeons who fail to comply will be promptly exterminated. Wilbur? Do I have to die?¡±


    Softening as he stares at my teary eyes, he says, ¡°No. Don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯ll pull some strings, but you won¡¯t be able to live with me anymore. I talked to the mayor last night, with some incentives, he agreed to stage a fake death.¡±


    Sighing with relief, some of my tears streak down my gelatinous body. ¡°Where will I go? Do I find another Guardian Wilbur?¡± I ask with concern.


    Bending down to pat my head, Wilbur says, ¡°You will live in the castle city with one of my acquaintances. Remember Winowna, you are no longer a dungeon. You are Winowna the adventurer.¡±


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    I jiggle happily under his hand until he takes it away. Remembering what he just said, I Ask him, ¡°But Wilbur, there aren¡¯t any dungeons around here to explore. All of them are peaceful and don¡¯t require exploring. What will I do as an adventurer? Do I have to clean the sewers like the weak ones?¡±


    Wilbur laughs and says, ¡±Don¡¯t worry about that. My acquaintance is a pretty high ranked adventurer. He will take you to all sorts of places.¡± Pausing, he looks at me hard and says, ¡°Remember Winowna, you can¡¯t let anyone know you''re a dungeon. Not even other dungeons.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Wilbur!¡± I reply excitedly. Living as a peaceful dungeon wasn¡¯t bad at all, but it starts to get boring when you can just generate materials in exchange for other materials. Monetary needs no longer bother you and you often find yourself wanting some excitement. If not for the various restrictions against dungeons excelling in society, I bet the world would have been run by our kind.


    ¡°Wilbur, will you come to see me?¡± I ask anxiously. Not only has Wilbur cared for me for the last 19 years, but he has also been a close friend of my parents. To me he was my only parent, separating from him seems to be impossible. I mean, he wouldn¡¯t leave me, right?


    Giving me a funny look, he whispers, ¡°I¡¯m not that lucky.¡± Straining my ears to hear him, he talks louder, ¡°Of course not, I have to babysit you once in a while, but you can¡¯t be in your slime form after tonight. Even in my dungeon. Got it?¡±


    ¡°Yup! Crystal clear.¡± I cheerfully answer. I get to go to dangerous places, meet new people, and get to stay with Wilbur! Things couldn¡¯t be better. The only downside is that I can no longer be a dungeon.


    I slowly roll my self up to my room. I¡¯ve so much to pack. I¡¯ve got so much to do. Busying myself with gathering my belongings, I hum a local bar ditty. Getting caught in the tune I fail to notice Wilbur until he coughs into a loose fist. ¡°*cough* Winowna, While you¡¯re at it you may want to consider your new form. I suggest a human or beast man. Of course, your name will have to change if you take a male form. I wanted you to find your favorite form naturally, but I¡¯m going to have to rush you. Think about it tonight.¡± he says while avoiding eye contact. As he leaves, I could tell he was sad. His normally stiff and tight posture was slovenly and he had a slight slouch. Even his head was held a bit lower than normal.


    Let¡¯s see, if I¡¯m staying in a human-dominated capitol, it¡¯s common sense that I¡¯d want to be a human. Now, although being female sounds great, Wilbur often says that their males can take more of a beating. I guess I can try them both out and decide later. Ruminating on my to-be permanent form, I quietly finish packing my belongings.


    ¡°Wilbur, I¡¯m packed!¡± I scream down the hallway. Popping his head out of his room he says, ¡°Clean the room up. We have to leave in an hour to meet the mayor. Make yourself presentable. You know, with some clothes and a humanoid body.¡±


    Rolling back into my room, I start rapidly rolling around, absorbing all of the dust and trash lying around. Let''s be honest, no one cleans the dust out of every hidden corner and picks up every candy wrapper right? Dissolving a wad of wrappers, I slowly drag my stuff into the living room.


    Two hours later, the dungeon known as Winowna was executed privately.

 1. Hustler

    Sitting in a dreary shack, I wait for my new mentor to appear. At first, it was scary but I got used to the company the rats give. Did you know they also have busy days? Not only do they have to watch out for the humans and bestmen but they also have to disguise their scent before even stepping out of their home.


    The specific rat laying on my foot had the worst day today. Not only did he get eaten, but he also was spat out because of the liquid he used to disguise himself was too stinky. He says he just used the sparkling water that we throw away but even I can tell he stinks.


    After Wilbur and I left his dungeon, we ended up meeting the mayor in a graveyard. He managed to find the body of a construct and used it to fake my death. My fake death wasn¡¯t really special, the mayor and his over-eager friends just threw lots of lightning magic through the body until it disintegrated. I mean if I was them, I would have just made it quick and gotten on with it but I guess I enjoyed the light show too.


    Any second now my new guardian will come and find me a bed to sleep on. I really can¡¯t believe that Wilbur does this all the time. I mean, I now have a squishy butt, every time I sit on something sharp or if I sit on something too long, it starts to hurt. Besides that, I¡¯ve started to get hungry. How do these people even deal with this? I mean, as a slime, I could just lay there for days and be fine. Now I have to deal with hundreds of things.


    Just as I start to drum my fingers on a crate, the shack¡¯s door falls inward. Shocked, I crabwalk backward to avoid the dust storm coming at me. Stepping into the shack was a young boy. Looking around, he frowns when he finds me. Remembering Wilbur¡¯s advice, I get up to introduce myself when he pulls his sword out and points it at me. ¡°Where is Winowna the dungeon?¡± he yells at me.


    Avoiding eye contact, I quietly say, ¡°Winowna the dungeon is dead.¡± This was another thing Wilbur had me memorize, I was not supposed to be alive and my guardian knew that. The boy clenches his teeth in anger and starts waving his sword in front of me. Cringing at the thought of being hit in this marshmallow like body, I raise my hands up in surrender.


    ¡°I know she¡¯s not dead, tell me what you did to her!¡± he yells at me. There''s no way my guardians this stupid. If I could turn into a panda, I¡¯d smush this guy in a heartbeat. ¡°Go away, there is no dungeon named Winowna here.¡± I cry indignantly.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Seeing the boy pause I regain my confidence. Taking the battle to him, I scream, ¡°Who are you huh? This isn¡¯t your shack it¡¯s mine. How dare you break down my door. Who¡¯s going to pay for it huh? You? Your father? Who?¡± I stop to smirk as he turns pale. He''s in the bag now I think to myself as I close in. Poking his chest I continue to yell, ¡°If you don¡¯t tell me who told you there was a dungeon called Winowna here I will call the guards! I¡¯ll Tell them you tried to kill me.¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m Sorry sir. I thought this was my master shack, he lives in the big castle up the hill. Just send him the bill and he¡¯ll pay for the damages. Sorry!¡± He stammers as he runs out.


    Sitting back on a crate I giggle at how he ran away, maybe being male does have perks. Tired of waiting in the shack and no longer safe from prying eyes, I decide to leave. I¡¯ve been outside plenty of times with Wilbur, I wouldn¡¯t get lost.


    Walking into the bazaar I suddenly realize that I don¡¯t have much money. When Wilbur went to the bazaar with me, he would always buy me some fruit kabobs and candies. Sighing, I start walking to the business district. I should be able to get a job for now. Maybe the inn or maybe one of the taverns should be hiring. Walking into the first inn I look around at the unfamiliar interior. I try to imitate how Wilbur used to act in these places.


    Slowing my gate, I try to walk with a limp. Slowly making my way to the counter, I smile at the uncomfortable receptionist. ¡°Hi, how may I help you today,¡± she says while trying to smile. I lean against the counter like Wilbur always does and start what Wilbur calls his sales pitch. ¡°How about this, you hire me and I¡¯ll work here whenever I¡¯m free? No? Doesn¡¯t match your tastes? How about this, I can even work the nights but I won¡¯t charge more than the standard wage. How about it huh? I¡¯m pretty good at what I do?¡± I say with a slight lisp.


    Dumbfounded, the receptionist, slowly at first, disappears into the back room. I chuckle as I wait. ¡®She probably went to get my uniform. Wilbur¡¯s method always works, all I have to do is ask a lot of questions rapidly.¡¯ I think to myself.


    As I lean on the counter with one of my arms a huge male human comes out of the back room. He gives me the meanest glare and rests his hands on the counter and leans on it just like me. ¡°Listen, young man. First of all, all our workers are females. It gets the customers willing to pay. Second, you can be doing those kinds of things in our establishment. We don¡¯t condone any type of hustler in here. Please leave.¡± he grumbles.


    Slightly intimidated by the man, I leave. I swear. Wilbur¡¯s methods never work when I¡¯m alone. I remember when I was ten, I tried to take candy from a baby. Wilbur always seemed to be able to replace it with some sort of rubbish shiny rock but when I tried to replace it with a large and uniform brick the mother called the guards on me.


    Thinking back to the scary man¡¯s words, I realize the problem wasn¡¯t necessarily Wilbur¡¯s method but my gender. That man said girls get the customers willing to pay. That means I can just turn into a girl and then get a job.


    Of course, why didn¡¯t I think of that? If the human males were genetically made to be stronger then the females should be stronger in tasks that require less strength.

 2. Fake Teeth

    Strutting up to the inn, I pause before pushing the door open. This is the last place I hadn¡¯t asked. Calming my nerves, I step into the establishment. ¡®If this doesn¡¯t work, I can always just move to the next town,¡± I comfort myself.


    Walking up to the counter, I politely wait for the receptionist to come over. It wasn¡¯t easy but I figured out Wilbur¡¯s method was truly meant for the elderly. An old lady told me that I shouldn¡¯t walk like I was a cripple before kicking me out. Biting my lips, I wait for the suave receptionist to attend to me.


    Different from most of the other inns, this one had a male receptionist. Hoping this wasn¡¯t where they would say males bring the customers, I fiddle with my fingers while waiting. Taking care of the gruff man before me, the receptionist gives me a warm smile and asks, ¡°How can I help you?¡± Smiling back, I say, ¡°Hi, I was wondering if you guys have any work I can do?¡± Trying to look the best I could, I continue to smile after.


    The receptionist stares at me and then runs into the back room. Getting an uneasy feeling, I start to shuffle towards the entrance while watching the backroom. This might be me being paranoid but just today, seven owners have come out of the back room and berated me. The owner of the best chicken kabobs in town even tried to pay me for something before chasing me away.


    Just as I reached the wall, the back room door swung open. With large anxious eyes, the receptionist looks around. Not finding me at the counter, he pulls an overweight man out of the back room and frantically talks to him for a moment. Panicking, I edge closer to the door until I can touch it. Shuffling my way in front of the door I casually push it open and leave the inn when a hand grabs my shoulder.


    Frightened, I jump forward and scream, ¡°I¡¯m leaving! Don¡¯t yell at me! I didn¡¯t come here to sell any body parts, I swear.¡± Turning around I take a few more steps before the man says in a demanding voice, ¡°Stop right there. Do you think you can advertise and run away without providing? Move and I will kidnap you!¡±


    Backing up away from the man I watch him carefully with teary eyes. Why me? I didn¡¯t hurt anyone, why does everyone yell at me? The man points at me with his grubby finger and stares with bulging red eyes. The worst part is he won¡¯t smile properly. Wilbur always told me that you could tell a person¡¯s intention by how they smile. A smile that doesn¡¯t seem to bend enough means that they want you to disappear. A smile that seems to sparkle even in the dimmest lighting means that they are genuine. A smile that bends far too much and shows way too many teeth signifies that I found a bad person and that I should avoid them at any cost. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    Just as I turn to run away, the man shakes and falls to the ground. The overweight person that he brought out of the backroom had slammed a chair on his head. Still cautious, I slowly back off while watching the large man. Seeing me trying to get away he also smiles but something catches my eye. Although most of his teeth were yellow and beyond help, three on the top left side of his mouth shined like the sun.


    Wilbur¡¯s methods may not work for me personally but he¡¯s never been wrong. This man might not have all of the best intentions, but he does have three teeth that shine. He wants to help me. Seeing that I wasn¡¯t running away, he tries to coax me into coming closer.


    Another thing Wilbur always says is that if a person tries to baby talk you into coming closer, he is one of the worst types of criminals possible. A pedophile. Good thing I¡¯m not a child! I hesitantly get closer, watching his every move. The man introduces himself after he stopped making the infantile sounds, ¡°Hello, my dear. I''m Thomas, the owner of this establishment. I hear that you want to work. I¡¯m pleased to say we-¡± He gestures to the unconscious man, ¡°Are in need of workers. Now, If you could just wait for me inside the inn. I¡¯ll join you after moving him out of the way.¡±


    He steps out of the doorway to let me in. Not sure if it¡¯s on purpose or not, he stares at my neck as I pass him. Shuffling inside, I watch as the Thomas labors to push the receptionist out of the steps. First, he tries to push the body off, but it only rolls slightly and settles back into place. Huffing with exertion, he gets down off the steps and tries to pull the body off. Not getting much effect for his effort. He gives up. Kicking the receptionist a few times, he enters the inn.


    ¡°Now my dear, what¡¯s your name?¡± he says while trying to control his breathing. Still staring at Thomas I glance at the receptionist outside. His foot kept the door open and a cold draft swept in the room. It¡¯s late, and I really don¡¯t have the money to stay at any inn right now. Might as well get this to work for now.


    Walking around Thomas while keeping a healthy distance, I kick the receptionist off the stairs and close the door, ¡°Hi, I¡¯m Winowna, just Winowna.¡±


    Thomas glances at the closed doors and smiles, looking closer I could see why his teeth were shining. They were fake. ¡°Great job! Tomorrow, I¡¯ll get Igor to show you the ropes. For now, why don¡¯t you eat something and get some sleep my dear? If you aren¡¯t well fed and rested, how are you going to work?¡±


    Thinking about it, I didn¡¯t find anything wrong. Nodding, I say, ¡°Sure mister Thomas!¡± Grinning, Thomas whispers, ¡°Perfect!¡±


    I¡¯m not sure why, but I feel like Mr. Thomas acts funny. I guess that''s how real human males sometimes act. I might as well get used to it.

 3. Ladies First

    Rolling over, I rub my eyes and push myself up. Looking around, I remember that I got a job. Sighing, I push the hair out of my face and look around the room. This is my room I think to myself. It¡¯s not much, but it is more than what I had as a dungeon. The fact of the matter is that I am not sure if I¡¯m better off having a better room and not being a dungeon or vice versa.


    Both situations allow me to get a comfy bed and pillow eventually but I feel like the person I am right now is much more free. No dungeon laws. No obligations, and no curfew. The only downside is that I don¡¯t have anyone with me. Thinking back to yesterday, wasn¡¯t I supposed to wait for Wilbur¡¯s acquaintance? I¡¯m not sure if this is better than adventuring around the world, but at least I don¡¯t have an obedience seal placed on me.


    Just because I¡¯m an omnipotent dungeon doesn¡¯t mean that you need to seal my will! I am perfectly capable of controlling my actions! I took my first step to independence, I got a job. Shifting off the comfortable bed, I fold the covers and tidy the sheet. ¡°I¡¯ll be back tonight,¡± I whisper to my pillow before stretching and leaving the room.


    With the first signs of dawn visible from the hallway window, I make it to the bathroom. Suddenly, a chill goes down my spine. Turning around, I see Thomas watching me from the end of the hallway. ¡°Good morning miss Winona! This side of the inn is insulated for sound so don¡¯t worry about waking any of the guests.¡± he beams as he approaches.


    ¡®It¡¯s that smile again¡¯ I think to myself. It¡¯s not malicious but it¡¯s not all in my best interests. Just what could he want now? Thinking back to the various things Wilbur taught me, I remember one day that Wilbur tricked his wife and occupied the restroom first. Narrowing my eyes I watch as Thomas creeps towards me. His legs suspiciously close together and his knees bending inwards. His face sweating with exertion and his hands clammier than seafood.


    Seafood is normally firm and shiny when fresh but quickly gets slimy and unpalatable when unfit for consumption. Just like Thomas! He probably wanted to use the bathroom! Putting on my best smile, I say, ¡°Good morning boss! I¡¯ll just be using the bathroom for a moment.¡± Slamming the door shut, I lock it and listen as I hear the sound of something falling onto the floor.


    Nodding with satisfaction, I start off by washing my face. It¡¯s not as efficient as just restoring my initial state but that leaves mana residues which can indicate my race. Can¡¯t have that now can I? Picking up a stick of Lona bark, I start gnawing on it. Apparently in this region, since water is a limited resource, many different methods to go accomplish without water have been adopted. Lona bark is just one of those adoptions, it acts like a fibrous gum that secretes antibiotic fluids.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    The best part is that it tastes like licorice so most people prefer it to water. Getting my jaws to dig deeper into to bark, I start to excrete all the excess nutrients and wastes from my hands. Ejecting them in the form of sludge, I hold my head away. I really don¡¯t understand, why do people think this is normal? I mean shouldn¡¯t they try to adapt the dungeon way of life and waste less matter? Not only is this tedious, but it also stinks! Ejecting the last bits of sludge, I finish up by rubbing a deodorizing powder in my underarms and sprinkling a bit everywhere else.


    Another flaw, people start to stink without proper care. I mean I can relate as mold and unwanted colonies can develop inside our dungeons if we don¡¯t maintain every square meter properly but this is just ridiculous.


    Just as I turn to open the door and leave, I remember that I locked my boss out. Putting my best smile on I proudly open the door. He should praise me, right? I did show that I can outsmart him. Not only did I not let him trick me, I even upheld the most important rule of etiquette: Ladies First!


    Stepping outside, I spot my boss laying on the ground groaning and beam. Puffing my chest out I wait for a compliment. He slowly gets up and wheezes while holding the wall. I¡¯ll probably have to do something about him later. He might be sick, I mean humans aren¡¯t this weak. Last I had heard, the shortest distance a human complained about was seven meters. The guy''s grandma had asked him to bring him the beans and he asked his friend next door to come over to help him get it.


    I can totally relate, Wilbur used to always ask me to get something and it was always too high. I couldn¡¯t grow taller at the time so I always called the closet skeletons to help me. Wilbur did say that skeletons shouldn¡¯t hide in his closet, but I decided it was necessary. I mean what''s more important? Giving the poor skeletons a home or hanging his clothes?


    Still waiting for him to praise me, I watch as he labors into the bathroom and locks it shut. Frowning at his lack of manners, I walk downstairs. It¡¯s time to work! Reaching the lobby, I walk up to the nearest customer and politely ask, ¡°Hi, I¡¯m Winowna and I¡¯d like you to give me your money now.¡± Seeing his confusion, I put on my best puppy dog eyes and tilt my head. This always works.


    ******


    ¡°Get out! Gods above, why am I surrounded by incompetent people! Wilbur, I¡¯ll find her. Just give me a few days. She can¡¯t have gone far.¡± a dashing young man pleads.


    Wilbur, paces back and forth with a deep frown, ¡°Something must have gone wrong. She¡­ I mean it wouldn¡¯t do something like this. I don¡¯t even know if it''s she or he now! The problem isn¡¯t whether she went far or not, it¡¯s her interpersonal skills.¡±


    Curious, the young man asks, ¡°What do you mean Wilbur? She stayed with you for 19 years! I doubt even the most useless fellow wouldn¡¯t pick up a few things from you.¡±


    Sighing, Wilburs says, ¡°That¡¯s what I regret, she picked up a bit too much. No matter what I taught her, she seemed to be learning something else entirely. One time, I showed her that it¡¯s polite to open the door for another person. The person just happened to be female. Ever since, she has ardently followed that ladies should go first. Not only does she disregard any and all males waiting in any line, but she cuts to the front saying she is also a lady.¡±

 4. Counting Sheep

    Twiddling my fingers, I watch as Igor spills his heart out to Thomas. I mean, I didn¡¯t do anything wrong. All I did was take the customers money. I thought Igor would give them a meal. All he said was that the first order of business is to serve breakfast and get the customers to check out. All I did was take their money so they would ask for their breakfast and therefore check out earlier. How was I supposed to know that I need to take their orders too?


    ¡°She is a nitwit! Fire her for god''s sake. I can do it all by myself, as I have been doing. I can¡¯t take 34 orders at once! The kitchen staff can¡¯t even cook that many at once! I had to get food from next door to get them their food on time.¡± Igor complains.


    Pouting I gaze out the window. It¡¯s a little early in the year for snow, but it¡¯s a welcome sight anyway. Already night, the snow seemed to blanket the world. I couldn¡¯t even tell the difference between the ground and the next building. Snow means that there will be fewer things to do and I can just do what all living things do, slow down. I used to have a pet bear, he would play with me all day every day. He would slap my gelatinous body and send me flying over and over again. All I had to do was run at her cave.


    One day, the bear fell in exhaustion from all the playing. It slept and slept out in the open. Out of concern, I covered it in branches and cleaned it regularly. Just 2 days after it went to sleep, it snowed. Wilbur says some animals sleep for prolonged periods of time when the weather gets cold. After about a week of cleaning the bear, it started to stink so I let it sleep in peace.


    After all the snow had melted months later, I went back to play. Sadly, he wasn¡¯t there anymore. Neither the bear nor its cubs stayed to play with me. I really wish I could share my bed with it. How can anyone sleep without pillows? Aren¡¯t they just the best thing ever created?


    Snapping me out of my thoughts, Thomas opens the door and closes it behind him. Standing in front of the door he watches me. After a moment of indecision, he says, ¡°You need to properly learn how to do your job. Don¡¯t do anything until you have understood how you could do it incorrectly. Understand?¡±


    Still pouting at the injustice, I say, ¡°But I was right! It¡¯s not my fault Igor and the kitchen staff can¡¯t work faster. If they just prepared beforehand to serve all of the guests, wouldn¡¯t breakfast service be over quicker?¡±


    Sighing with agitation, Thomas explains, ¡°Not all customers who stay want our breakfast. Also, we sell to the general public as well so we never know how many want to eat our food. To prevent making too much and wasting food, we only start making the food after it¡¯s ordered.¡±


    Frowning at the explanation, I stare at Thomas waiting for him to fire me. ¡°Look you can¡¯t rush things in a business. If you wanted fast efficient work, you should have joined the adventurers guild or the army. The fact of the matter is that you work here now. You can¡¯t be going faster than the rest of the team, understand? You working faster makes everything else slower. Just try to match everyone else¡¯s speed. Now if you understand, go do what you have to.¡± he says much more patiently.


    Nodding my head happily I skip to my room. He said that the army and adventurers guild would fit me better. If that''s true, then I should go there. He did say that I can go do what I need to do. I¡¯m sure I can change my frame to pack a bit more of a punch.


    Entering my small room, I start packing my belongings. Two picture frames, a pack of Lona bark and some deodorizing powder. Adding to it the amount of money I earned for working a week, I should have just enough to survive a few days without work. Sitting on my bed, I caress my pillow, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I can¡¯t take you with me. Next time, I¡¯ll come back and take you away, just wait for me okay? Good!¡±


    Smirking at my perfect pillow, I grab my bag and leave the room. Let¡¯s have an adventure! What was I thinking, working at a boring place like this? The only thing That I regret is leaving my pillow behind.


    Sighing in dejection, I trudge to the lobby. Dropping my room key off, I turn towards the door to find Thomas. ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re going?¡± Thomas demands. Looking at his feet, I quietly say, ¡°I¡¯m going to join the adventurers guild or the army like you said.¡± Hoping he would get too angry, I gnaw my lower lip in anxiety. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Sneaking a glance upward I see something horrific. Thomas¡¯s head was jerking sideways repetitively and his face was twitching uncontrollably. Ever since Wilbur showed me what vampires used to do to humans, I could never face something as scary without running away. Just when I thought I would never be able to face them, Wilbur, Taught me something. He said that no matter the gender and no matter the race, as long as the person stands on two feet and isn¡¯t incorporeal, I should use blunt force to damage their crotch and they would stop scaring me.


    Slowly approaching Thomas, I slap myself on my cheeks to encourage myself. ¡°I can do it. I can do it. I really can!¡± I say to myself as I inch closer. Getting into range, I raise my leg and kick while pivoting on my other foot. Many of Wilbur¡¯s methods may not work for me, but he did teach me the right way to kick. It¡¯s been proven time and time again.


    Striking and pushing deep into Thomas¡¯s unneeded but cosmetic fat, I retract my foot and back away. ¡°Mr.Thomas, I am grateful that you took me in but I don¡¯t think this is the job for me.¡± Turning around and gesturing to the building, I say, ¡°Look at this place, It¡¯s great. The only problem is that I am not a great fit for it.¡±


    I pause as I hear Mr. Thomas grunt. I might have hit him a bit too hard. He grunts a few more times before whispering, ¡°look at me.¡± Slightly nervous, I start turning around when I feel a chill run down my back. ¡°Look at me.¡± He says a little more forcefully. I start to notice that his tone is off. It sounded less like him and more like an echo. Frozen in fear I don¡¯t dare to turn around. Screaming this time, he says, ¡°I said, Look at me!¡±


    Tearing up out of fright, I slowly turn. Why doesn¡¯t anything Wilbur say work? Mr. Thomas had stopped jerking and twitching. His head instead was rocking back and forth. His hands cupping his ears. His eyes were wide and oblivious. His mouth quivering. Already ready to cry, I run around the counter and into the back office. Slamming the door shut, I lock it. Propping a chair against the doorknob, I hear humming. Not pausing I frantically pull the desk over and pile it behind the chair. Grabbing my belongings, I open the door leading to the workers quarters.


    *****


    ¡°Sir! It seems like the hive has started to move. One of our men working for him just sent a message that he transformed,¡± a messenger reports. Sitting behind his desk, a young, handsome man rubs his forehead, ¡°First Wilbur¡¯s niece goes missing, now the hive has started to act weird. What¡¯s next? A mission to the forsaken planes? Call the inquisitors, Tell them to meet me at the inn. I¡¯ll go first to stop as many casualties as I can.¡± Drumming his fingers on his desk, the man sighs and gets up. With long strides, his tired figure exits the estate and disappears into the festive night.


    *****


    ¡°No! Stop! Don¡¯t move. I¡¯m warning you,¡± I yell at the workers. Just as I passed the shared bathroom, several doors opened and the workers all start to twitch unnaturally while hobbling towards me. If I didn¡¯t know any better, I would¡¯ve thought of them as zombies. Of all the possible employers, why did I land in a hive? Not only are these creatures hard to differentiate from the norm, but they also cannot control their urges. Once in a blue moon, their restraint seems to dissipate and they attack someone, adding the victim to their hive.


    Wiping my tears off, I barricade myself in my room. Pulling my small personal desk in front of the door, I lean against it. I listen as they hobble down the hallway, thumping slowly closer. Looking over the door, I give up on it. At most, it will stand for a few seconds while they acclimate to their instincts. I¡¯ll give it a solid two minutes before they break in.


    I look through the only window in my room, a small round opening with metal bars to keep things out. Grinding my teeth, I remember how Thomas said that this portion of the inn was insulated to stop sound from disturbing the guests. This window, it¡¯s probably made to keep me from leaving.


    With things as bad as they are, I only have two solutions, sleep and wake up to find it was a dream, or change forms and risk being found by the guards as I escape. Even if I change form, the only body I know that can fit through that window is a slime.


    Smiling bitterly at my own predicament, I get into my bed and try to wake up. Please let me be dreaming. The slow thumping starts to grow into scratching. It seems that they remembered how to creep up the walls.


    Closing my eyes, I try to wake up. The scratching turns into pounding as the things found my door. Counting the imaginary sheep jumping through my head, I ask the gods to wake me up. Pounding turns to creaking as the door starts to split under their onslaught.


    Not daring to open my eyes I try to count sheep faster. Thirteen sheep, fourteen sheep, fifteen sheep. The sound of something large falling and wood tearing fills the room. Sixteen sheep, seventeen sheep. Slow footsteps, as well as the skittering of claws on the walls, quietly fills the room. Eighteen sheep. The sound of movement stops as a roar echos through the hallway. Thomas is here! Nineteen sheep. Large thumping followed by panicked skittering echo in the workers quarter. Twenty sheep, twenty-two sheep. The footsteps get closer as the skitting stops.


    Twenty-three sheep, twenty-four sheep. The sound of wood splintering as something tries to forcefully enter the rooms sounds. Twenty-five sheep, twenty-six sheep. My bed starts to groan as something steps onto the left corner, tilting it downward. Twenty-seven sheep. The covers around my feet tighten as something steps onto the right corner of the bed. Twenty-eight sheep. Another two things weigh down on the bed, on either side of my head. The sound of shallow breathing slowly gets closer. Twenty-nine sheep. Something nudges my chest, I hear the sound of muffled sniffing before it moves closer to my head. Thirty sheep. I can feel it just a fingers width from my head. Its hand presumably creeps closer to the edge of my blanket covers, pulling them down.


    Thirty-one sheep. With my eyes wide open, I stare. The only sound in the room is a soft metallic ringing. Nothing else.

 5. Prince Charming

    Strangely, even as I lay still as the creature stares motionlessly above me, I could not cry. Thomas had turned into something horrific. With several slits open alongside the jaw running downward on its cheeks, it breathed with its mouth shut. A deep rumbling could be heard from its stomach as saliva dripped from its land gills. Its eyes constantly focused and refocused as countless transparent hair like structures oscillate around its eyes. The most awful thing about it was its breath. I never knew what exactly Thomas was doing in the bathroom but I could guess.


    Its breath was a concentrated version of the deodorizing powder that I used in their bathroom. Flinching slightly at the smell, I suddenly pale. Seeing my slight movement, It¡¯s eyes contract. Slowly, it raises it¡¯s torso and examines me. What seems to be a fifth and sixth limb gently trace the headboard above my head. Metallic ringing fills the room as its extra limbs approach my face. I never really understood why horror stories slow down at the confrontations, but right now, I wish they never ended.


    Just as one of its limbs traces my face down to my chin, Thomas jerks his ugly mug to the left. Following his line of sight, I find one of his minions seemed to have gained a third eye. It was like a bloody red hole between its eyebrows. After waiting for a few seconds, the thing falls to the ground. I guess it got tired. As if that was the signal, several others started getting holes in their head. The first few still got them between their eyebrows but the rest seemed to just grow holes in random places. Some even had an overlap with where their eyes were.


    One by one they fell and painted the room red. Finally, when Thomas was the only one left, something smacked into his head, toppling him from the bed. Looking over at Thomas, I notice part of his head was missing. All of a sudden, my stomach starts to heave. Holding it down, I try to stop my stomach from moving, but it refused to stop. Realizing that my food was about to leave my body, I rush to the bathroom. Turning into a slime, I weave through all of the bodies and enter the hallway.


    Oblivious to the happenings in my room, several of the things block my path. Too bad for them, I¡¯m a professional slime. With the countless years of practice I spent as a slime, I made it through the crowd easily. Not only are they slow, but they also seem to lack any form of intelligence. Entering the bathroom, I position myself over the toilet. Waiting for my stomach to heave it contents out, I notice that I didn¡¯t have a stomach as a slime.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    No longer having to throw up, I turn back into a human. The moment I do, my stomach empties the dinner. That''s one beholder eye gone forever. Not that I liked it, it¡¯s like the meat equivalent of brussel sprouts and kale, repulsive. Finishing my business, I close the bathroom door. Having the time to understand what happened, I realize that something must have blown a hole through the things in my room. The only problem is that there isn¡¯t any magic that can go through walls and instantly rip through something. If the mage was powerful enough to do something like this, the mage should also be able to simply make the things disappear.


    Calming my nerves, I put my ear on the door. Aside from the monotonous thudding signifying the slowly ambling group of things getting closer, there is no noise. Either Thomas is dead, or badly hurt. Before I left, he did seem to have been hit by the same magic as the others.


    Waiting a bit longer, I hoped that my rescuer would carry me out. Wilbur always said that the strongest in the world often resued damsels in distress. They always came at the last moment and always carry the damsel to safety. He also said that the damsel would be set for life after the encounter. Just how many pillows would I be able to buy with the money my rescuer would give me? It has to be at least three. If I can buy more than seven, I¡¯ll give him back the rest.


    Shaking me out of my thoughts, the sounds of hurried footsteps and several angry shouts echo through the hallway. The footsteps rush by and the sound of fighting ensues further down the hall. Just when I thought that the reinforcements had passed me, another set of footsteps rings out in the hall. Stopping in front of my door, the person coldly says, ¡±Come out! It¡¯s safe.¡±


    Obediently complying, I open the door slightly and peek outside. What greets me causes me to slam the door on his foot. He was glaring angrily at me. ¡°It wasn¡¯t me, I didn¡¯t do anything. Really!¡± I explain as he opens to door and examines me with hostility. ¡°It wasn¡¯t you huh? Then why are you hiding the fact that you''re a dungeon?¡± he whispers.


    Thinking quickly, I say, ¡°What are you talking about? I¡¯m not a dungeon, I¡¯m a shapeshifter!¡± Watching him frown, I elaborate, ¡°I can change my form into a different human or a slime. Nothing else. It¡¯s a shapeshifter thing you see.¡± Seeming to, believe me, he asks another question, ¡°You wouldn¡¯t happen to know where a dungeon called Winowna is would you?¡±


    Mentally celebrating, I answer the question with the best poker face I could manage, ¡°Yea, she was killed in a private execution just days ago right?¡± Clicking his tongue, he turns to leave. My rescuer was leaving. My rescuer forgot to carry me out. He forgot my pillow money!

 6. Slime Carry

    ¡°Hey wait! Mister, wait!¡± I yell at the stranger. He obviously seemed to be the leader of the men fighting further down the hallway. Turning around and glaring at me, he condescendingly asks, ¡°How may I help you?¡±


    Puffing my cheeks out, I start to remonstrate him. ¡°Don¡¯t you know that you have to carry me now?¡± I inquire. Looking at me dumbfounded, he opens his mouth to say something, but with my prior experience in scolding people, I take the opportunity to cut him off and continue. ¡°Not only did you not carry the damsel in distress out of danger, you even tried to walk away without taking responsibility! What kind of hero are you? Huh? You are so lousy, you didn¡¯t even offer to buy me a single pillow!¡± I scream at him.


    Red-faced from the exertion, I cross my hands in front of my chest and wait for him to respond. He has to pay attention to me now. On the way out, I¡¯ll just have to make sure he sets me for life. Finally finding his bearings, he mutters a few things to himself before saying, ¡°What are you on?¡± Staring at him, I realize he is expecting an answer.


    ¡°What do you mean? I¡¯m on the first floor. What are you on?¡± I ask confused. Holding his mouth and smirking to no one in particular, he looks at me and asks, ¡°Are you taking drugs? Did they bite you? Did you eat something questionable?¡± Realizing his intention, I proudly say, ¡°I do not take drugs. I don¡¯t think they bit me and I did eat something questionable!¡± I never understood why people got nervous when asked easy questions. It¡¯s when people ask math problems and uncommon trivia that you should get nervous.


    ¡°Oh? What kind of questionable substance did you consume miss?¡± He asks intrigued. ¡°Eye of Beholder! It was a bit bland and soupy but the worst part is that I think Thomas coughed on it. In fact, I know he did. He always seemed to be a little sick for a human. With all the lack of ability and all. I mean, everyone should be able to at least be potty trained right? He always seemed to be dying right outside the bathroom, never able to get to it. It was sad, I almost pitied him.¡±


    Massaging the sides of his head, he asks, ¡°Are you always this brutally honest and oblivious?¡± Flashing my pearly white teeth, I beam, ¡°Yup! I was told to never change by several people!¡± Smiling, he nervously asks, ¡°I already saved you, so what more do you want miss?¡± Triumphantly cornering my savior I say, ¡°First you have to carry me to safety. You also need to make me set for life, so a few pillows would do. Oh yeah. I also need you to take me back to my room.¡±Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    Sighing, he gestures for me to follow him. Rejoicing I jump at his back and transform into a slime. Landing on his head, I get comfortable. Feeling some questionable fluid on his head I ask, ¡°Mister! Mister, there''s something on your head, It¡¯s making your hair all stiff and smells like lavender. Should I clean it up for you?¡± Raising his eyebrows he says, ¡°First, no don¡¯t clean it off, its gel. Second, what are you doing? Why are you on my head?¡±


    ¡°Simple, I¡¯m being carried. I told you right? You have to carry me out of danger. Since we are going towards danger, I should also be carried. Are you sure you¡¯re my savior? You sure don¡¯t know much.¡± I ask skeptically. He didn¡¯t even know the basic rules of saving people.


    Laughing bitterly, he says, ¡°Whatever, just chalk it up to me being new at this.¡± Riding his head, I pass the bodies of several of those monstrous things. Reaching the door to my room I jump off of his head. Apparently, I surprised me because he grabs my gelatinous body from the air. Trying to hold me up, he holds me against his chest. Placing me back on his head, he walks into the room. ¡°I just need my pillow and the bundle of stuff in the corner,¡± I say. Since he won¡¯t let me off, he¡¯ll just have to do the work himself.


    If slimes could gape, I would probably be able to fit a pillow in my mouth. He simply flicks his wrist at my pillow and it appears in his hand. Turning to my stuff, He frowns and decides to pick it up manually. The bundle I had tied securely seemed to have come apart, spilling the contents on the ground. Gathering my stuff in a pile, he pulls the corners together and ties them up.


    Handing something to one of his underlings, he carries me through the hallway. ¡°Hey! Hey, why are you smiling? Come on! Tell me, I love jokes.¡± I pester as he had a faraway look while he was smiling. Suddenly broken from his thoughts he asks, ¡±What was your name again? I didn¡¯t quite catch it.¡±


    Not wanting to be a pushover, I say, ¡°Don¡¯t you know it¡¯s good manners to introduce yourself first? Why do I get the feeling you didn¡¯t come to save me?¡± Smiling, he replies, ¡°Oh, I definitely came for you miss. I am known as Regius Warper, or more commonly as the Prince behind the curtains.¡± Huffing I say, ¡°Well I¡¯m Winowna, commonly known as Queen of the Slimes.¡± I wasn¡¯t lying, Wilbur always called me that. Chuckling, he says, ¡°I notice that miss Winowna doesn¡¯t have a last name. If you don¡¯t mind, I can give you a place to work and a last name befitting a queen?¡±


    Thinking about it, I add a condition, ¡°That''s fine, but you still have to buy me some pillows. A good hero sets the damsel for life!¡± Smirking, I notice that the princes eight eyes seem to have turned much brighter. For the first time, he beams and says, ¡°Then it¡¯s settled, you can join my family. Your name is now Winowna Warper and you will work for me.¡± Feeling like I fell into a trap, I noncommittally say, ¡°Yea¡­ Thanks, I guess?¡±

 7. A Place to Call Home

    Humming a ditty I learned while working at the inn, I comfortably rode the prince''s head. Aside from his unusually stiff and smelly hair, his head is a pretty good place to sit on. It¡¯s not too big, and it¡¯s not too narrow. It¡¯s just right for my small slime body. ¡°Can you stop that Winowna? People are starting to point and laugh.¡± Regius whispers.


    Pouting, I reply with, ¡°They are laughing because they are happy. If you can just laugh with them, they might not hide their laughter and look like they¡¯re making fun of you.¡± Continuing with my humming, I watch as the fake prince nervously looks around at his surroundings. Stopping my humming, I ask, ¡°Are you scared of people? I used to be scared of snakes, but then my mentor told me the best way to overcome a fear is to eat it. I ate quite a few roasted snakes but they just don¡¯t taste as good as other foods. Why don¡¯t you try it?¡±


    Looking at me funnily, he asks, ¡°You want me to eat someone? Like a cannibal?¡± Laughing, I say, ¡°No, of course not. Unless you want to. You know, it worked for me. Maybe eat part of a dead person and you¡¯ll see people aren¡¯t that bad! I promise. If you can¡¯t do that, why don¡¯t you try to talk to zombies? I heard that they are the stupidest a human can be.¡±


    Deep in thought, he mutters, ¡°That just might work.¡± Looking back up at me, he thanks me, ¡°I might just do that. You see, I¡¯m not used to being in the public¡¯s attention, I usually do things where I can¡¯t be seen by others. I have something akin to social awkwardness you see.¡±


    Proud I taught him something, I puff my volume up and say, ¡°Yup! I was once called a great teacher in the making by my mentor. You should probably get on with it as soon as possible. Just a bite and you¡¯ll start to understand other more.


    Slyly smiling, he teases, ¡°Why don¡¯t you let me eat you? I promise it will only be a nibble.¡± Taken aback, my volume ripples in disgust as I scream, ¡°No! That would hurt. Eat someone else, I¡¯m too young! Don¡¯t you know that once you eat me, that part won¡¯t grow back.¡±


    Paling, he looks around and finds several people staring in his direction. ¡°Of course. My reputation wasn¡¯t awful enough. Hold on, we are disappearing.¡± he whispers. With a sudden lurch, he shoots up into the air and lands onto a building. Not waiting for me to properly grip his head. He hugs me to his chest and dashes across the rooftops. Sighing, I enjoy the wind as he continues to run faster and faster. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    At one point I notice that he no longer was even touching the roofs, he was basically gliding. Lamenting the fact that I couldn¡¯t grow a tongue and let it flop around in the air, I watch as the scenery quickly changes. Around a chimney. Under a bridge. Over a bakery. Around a church. Gliding over a crowded intersection. Through an outdoor eating area. Over a bridge. Around a Mansion.


    The buildings flew by so fast that I couldn¡¯t even tell what each one was. Looking forward I see the nobles district, followed by the royal castle. He might just be a noble! Even better, my new boss might be an actual prince! Thinking back to when he was telling me his name, I remember how I introduced myself as a queen. Nobles hate liars. They execute liars too.


    Mustering up my courage, I try to get his attention, ¡°Umm. Hey Regius? Regius I need to tell you something.¡± Not stopping to listen, he says, ¡°Just a moment Winowna, We¡¯ll be home in a moment. I¡¯ll listen to you for as long as you want, just let me take you home.¡± Not understanding the gravity of the situation, the oaf continues to run from an imaginary monster.


    Just how delusional is this guy? He can save me from Thomas but can¡¯t talk to people? He even ran away faster than the wind! Not only is he a complete shut-in, but he is also completely gullible. I mean, he thinks I¡¯m the queen of the slimes! I hope he doesn¡¯t throw me away, or worse, actually try to eat me.


    Depressed, I sink lower into his chest. Now that I notice, his chest is pretty broad. I wonder if males normally have broad chests. I know Thomas did, he just had more fat. Feeling the warmth from his chest, I get comfortable and take a nap. It''s not like I can fix the mess before we get to his home.


    Manhandling me, Regius rubs me awake. ¡°Hey! Winowna! We¡¯re home. Welcome to the royal palace, or at least the corner of it. The far corner where no one but my subordinates roams.¡± he says proudly. Walking through the many hallways, he proudly gives me the background behind several pieces of art and antiques. ¡°Finally, we have my most recent acquisition, the Mona Lisa!¡±


    ¡°What? No title on this lady? Is she not nobility? She doesn¡¯t look particularly strong, nor does she look like an outlandish beauty like the others.¡± I ask, genuinely curious. Smiling, he says, ¡°She is not nobility, nor is she strong or outlandishly beautiful. The fact of the matter is that this painting is a rather famous painting from another world! Don¡¯t ask how I got it, you¡¯ll understand all of it soon.¡± he patiently explains.


    Taking his words for granted, I stare at the relatively lackluster painting and compared them to the others. I guess it could be a famous early painting, It just isn¡¯t bright and cheerful like the others. Taking me into another room he sarcastically says, ¡°And this is where your highness, the queen of slimes shall live. A place to call home for you.¡±


    Guiltily looking up at the prince, I see him proudly waiting for my response. Taking a moment to gather up my courage, I slowly say while looking at the sparkling floor tiles, ¡°Regius, I might have lied. I¡¯m not really a Queen.¡±

 8. Hug

    Smugly watching me, he coughs into his fist. ¡°Well, that is unprecedented. I¡¯ve never had a peasant impersonate royalty before. How could I have ever been fooled.¡± I start to get angry, he¡¯s messing with me. Even I could tell that he knew beforehand. Not only would his acting skills fail to persuade a baby carrot to turn white, but his tone also sounded terribly flat. Turning into my human form, I poke his chest, ¡°Stop it already! I get it, you knew I wasn¡¯t royalty. Seriously, I need to get you acting classes otherwise you might be alone forever.¡±


    Pausing and looking at me intensely, he teases, ¡°You got me wrong, you are royalty, princess Winowna. Don¡¯t you remember? I gave you my last name, you¡¯re my family now!¡± Stunned, I watch his ugly mug grin. I really hate how his lack of communication skills makes it hard to understand. I mean, I¡¯ve never heard anyone sound more fake, yet this guy manages to do so while being completely honest.


    Getting over my guilt, I glance at him to see him watching my changing expression. Smiling at him, I jump onto my new bed and embrace my pillows. One pillow, in particular, felt amazing. It shifts forms as I push it around and wraps around my body perfectly. It seemed to be made of a familiar material since I felt almost connected to it. Chuckling creepily, Regius brags, ¡°I thought you would like that one. It¡¯s made from the gelatinous bodies of the highest level slimes and the fabric encasing it is from the silk of a dimensional recluse. You don¡¯t find them often, but with my ability, I was able to catch a few momentarily. Did you know? If you beat a dimensional recluse, they spew a bunch of silk to blind you and run away?¡±


    The only thing I heard is, ¡°made from the gelatinous bodies of slimes.¡± Looking at him in horror, I hug my slime pillow and back away. ¡°How could you kill a slime? We are the best things around. We never attack people and we never cause problems. Don¡¯t you think a slime has rights? Is that why I¡¯m here? To be your next pillow filling?¡± I shout in indignation.


    Taken aback, He tries to calm me down, ¡±Winowna, calm down. I would never hurt you, in fact, we only harvested a portion of the slimes¡¯ body. When slimes get big enough, they start to expel the least viscous and unnecessary parts before condensing into a stronger slime. Many of those parts are rare and highly demanded materials.¡± Patting my head, he soothes my anxiety. Stroking my hair, he sits on the side of my bed.


    ¡°Winowna. From now on, you will be my only family and I yours. Anything you need I¡¯ll get for you just name it.¡± he states, starting another monologue. ¡°A few days from now, I¡¯ll have to go to finish one of my missions and I was hoping to take you with me. I won¡¯t stuff you in my pillow even if you refuse but will you join me?¡± he asks hopefully. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Looking up at him, I tease him, ¡°I¡¯ll only go if you stop saying corny lines! I mean even my mentor was cooler. One time, he walked into a side alley and beat up all of these weird looking people. He took their money and belongings and then said a cool quote from one of those street performances.¡±


    Laughing, Regius deviously says, ¡°Sure! Sure, I¡¯ll just have to be more creative. Anyway, I¡¯ve got to go now, If you ever want to have a sleepover party just tell one of the maids outside your door.¡± Leaving while glancing back, he slowly closes my room and leaves me alone. ¡°Why do I feel like he was distracted? The conversation was awkward and all over the place as well. Maybe I should teach him what Wilbur taught me. ¡°If you can¡¯t find anything to talk about, don¡¯t think at all!¡± I mutter to myself. It definitely worked for me. Every time I run out of things to say I just talk about what I see and more conversations pop up by themselves.


    Hugging my new favorite pillow, I get up and walk around my new room. Tracing a finger behind a ridiculously large bookshelf, I taste my finger. ¡°Hmm. This is actually spotless. Normally people don¡¯t clean hidden verticle surfaces.¡± Noticing that my finger actually tasted terrible, I walk over to my new bathroom and cry out in surprise. ¡°It¡¯s so shiny!¡± I squeal. Not only could I see my reflection in the toilet bowl, but I could also even see myself on the shiny walls. Rubbing my cheek on the wall, I take a closer look at the ceiling.


    It was surprisingly plain. A white, flat, featureless ceiling.


    *****


    ¡°You, make some howling noises outside her window. You three need to skitter around her ceiling and make clicking noises with your elbow things. And you, act nice and welcoming outside her door and invite her for a sleepover. It has to be perfect!¡± I order. Watching my subordinates milling around I smile in anticipation. It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve smiled this much.


    *****


    Waking up, I hear something howling outside my window. Getting up, I walk over and side a portion of the curtains aside. Spotting a werewolf howling outside the window, I happily get dressed. As I put on my jacket, I hear some clicking from my ceiling. Looking up, I find three maids waiting on me. Smiling at them, I motion for them to come closer. Whispering to them, I point at the window, ¡°There¡¯s a werewolf howling outside my window. It looks so cool and fluffy so I want to hug it. Please help me get to it.¡±


    Looking conflicted, one of the maids motions to give her a minute and skitters back to the others. After a bit of furious whispering, they agree to help me. Lowering me onto the roof, one of the maids accompanies me as I sneak up to the werewolf. Crouching down, I jump and hug it tight. Interrupting its howl, it awkwardly whines. Nestling in its fur I look at my maid to see her glaring at the werewolf, signaling it to stay still.

 9.Mask

    ¡°Wake up little Winowna.¡± a voice calls gently. Gently patting her head, a hand pinches her nose. Getting up I find myself in my room. Regius is standing over me, holding my nose and the werewolf is also in the room with me. Regius teases me as I slowly stretch, ¡°You''re as oblivious in your sleep as you are awake.¡±


    Rubbing my eyes, I try to retort, but all that comes out is muffled nonsense. Pawing at my mouth, I find a tail stuck in my mouth. Guiltily looking up at the werewolf, I spot tears in his eyes. Removing his tail from my mouth, I say, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, your fur is just very soft. I couldn¡¯t resist.¡± Mustering my best authoritative tone, I then say, ¡°Well? I apologized, you may leave now.¡± Not daring to look at the werewolf out of guilt, I wait for him to leave before looking up.


    Jumping back, I push Regius away. His face was just a finger lengths apart when a looked up. ¡°What are you doing? Don¡¯t you know you should give people a meter of personal space when they wake up?¡± I grumpily mumble. Still smiling, he says, ¡°you just look too cute when you''re guilty.¡± Staring at him with trembling eyes, I softly ask, ¡°Is it that obvious?¡± Smirking, He curtly answers, ¡°Yes.¡±


    The werewolf saw through me. Burying my head in my hands, I formulate my next plan. How can I get another pillow like that werewolf? Having had his share of the amusement, Regius coughs with a serious look on his face. ¡°Due to a sudden incident, the mission was moved forward. I need to leave today.¡± Pausing, he scratches his head, ¡°I was kind of hoping you would come with me. You know, if you don¡¯t mind.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± I scream. This smelled like adventure and giant squids. All adventures always have a giant sea monster and the best is obviously the one with more tentacles. Wilbur had once said, ¡®Tentacles are the best thing ever to be discovered. The sad thing is, the biggest and most abundantly endowed tentacled beasts are only found in heroic tales.¡¯ I might not be a hero, but he is! Heroes always fight the tentacled beast!


    Taken aback at my excitement, he stares. Pushing him out of my room, I say, ¡°Get ready! I¡¯ll be out soon.¡± Getting dressed in the more casual ballroom gowns available to me. I rip some of the frills and extra layers off, leaving just the bare minimum. Making sure no one is watching, I stuff the cloth scraps under my pillow. The dresses are expensive, They¡¯re like two slime pillows each! If I save enough of the scraps, I might be able to buy another pillow.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    Checking my dress for malfunctions, I finally leave my room. Opening my door, I see the same three maids I saw last night waiting outside. Their many arms holding various supplies and containers. Taking one glance at me, the furthest one shakes her head while the other two pull me back into my room. Quickly replacing the dress I had on for a tight fitting and stretchy cloth, they start adding thin layers of powders and creams. ¡°Wait, what is this. It isn¡¯t even clothing. It looks like glorified body underwear!¡± I ask concerned. The attire left virtually nothing in ambiguity, the princess isn''t supposed to wear clothes like this! Did Regius decide to disown me? I don¡¯t mind not being his family, but he didn¡¯t say I could keep my pillows.


    Nodding in some kind of delusional understanding, one of the maids says, ¡°The young lord is also wearing similar attire. It pertains to the mission. The destination seems to have many people dressed in similar costumes and the such. To blend in, both of you must adjust. Don¡¯t worry Miss Winowna, you look stunning. Master should be unable to keep his eyes off of you now! Either way, you will feel better once you see master¡¯s attire, it¡¯s utterly ridiculous.¡±


    Taking her word for it, I pose in front of the mirror a few more times. Admiring my new look, I decided that I should wear this stretchy dress again sometime. It¡¯s much easier to move in when compared to the ballroom dresses. The only downside is it isn¡¯t nice and puffy. Maybe I can look for pillows made of this material when we get to our destination.


    Taking one last admiring glance at myself, I exit my room with the maids. Following them, I notice one of them breaks away and enters another room. It¡¯s kind of scary how they seem to communicate without even making eye contact.


    Entering Regius¡¯s room, I gasp in awe. Most of his walls were decorated with gold-framed paintings and various artifacts, but what caught my attention is on an intricate chair by the window. It¡¯s a spider-shaped pillow! It¡¯s not a square or a rectangle. It¡¯s an actual life-like spider. Running over, I hug it. Strangely, It seems to move initially. Staring at it I confirm that It wasn¡¯t alive. I mean, it stared straight at me for a minute. Spiders also have to blink right? Looking around, I walk back to the two maids while hugging my new pillow, ¡°Where¡¯s Regius? I¡¯m ready to go.¡±


    Chuckling with a hand on her mouth, one of the maids points to the pillow I am hugging, ¡°That¡¯s him, mistress. His costume seems to allow him to transform into a spider.¡± Staring dubiously at the maid, I lift the spider pillow up and drop it. Panicking, the maid rushes to catch it but before she can, the pillow morphs into Regius. Wearing an all-black costume with white highlights occasionally streaking across, he watches me in amusement. Comparing my black outfit to his, I say, ¡°Why don¡¯t I get a mask?¡±


    *****


    ¡°She seems to be obsessed with pillows. You¡¯re the best bet is to bribe her with a custom made pillow.¡± one of the maids says. With a grunt, a green-furred werewolf grooms its tail.

 10. Whistling

    ¡°Step through Winowna, I¡¯ll be right behind you,¡± Regius says tiredly. Looking at the dubious rip in the middle of the room, I approach it. Apparently, Regius is partly related to dimensional spiders. He¡¯s the only one in his family who inherited the ability to control the ability to travel through dimensions. Poking my finger through the shimmering portal, I pull it back when it disappears into the portal.


    Turning to Regius, I say, ¡°The other side is cold, can I go wear some more layers?¡± Chuckling, he says, ¡°It¡¯s just the portal, the other side should be inside a building I own. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll be right behind you. Blink and you¡¯ll see me.¡± Taking his word for it, I hold my nose. Taking a deep breath, I jump through.


    With a flash of coldness and the disorienting feeling of being stretched and then squished, My knees tremble as I suddenly land on a hard surface. Adjusting to the lack of light, I look around. I was in some kind of abandoned room. Cobwebs covering every corner while the windows were covered by thick drapes. Stepping towards the window, I reach for the corner of the drapes. Pulling them to the side, I peek outside. ¡°Whoa¡± I mutter in awe. This place had huge buildings that all seemed to be changing colors. The rightmost building had some kind of cream being applied to a woman while the closest building seemed to be showing the local wildlife.


    Smugly smiling, I conclude that the wildlife here isn¡¯t a match for me. I mean, it looks like an oversized cat. What happens to the many rows of teeth and bulging muscles and flashing magic? Jumping at a sudden hand on my shoulder, I turn to see Regius looking at me quizzically, ¡°What¡¯s so interesting?¡± Excited pointing to the window, I say, ¡±The buildings here change colors! The one across from us even has low-level magical beasts on it!¡±


    Walking towards the window he pulls the drape down and it rolls upward by itself! Sneaking next to Regius, I try to pull the drape down. Surprisingly, it seemed to just come out and go back into the cylinder at the top. Reaching up, I pull at the cylinder. As if it was just floating there, it just came off of its braces. Regius, looking surprised walks over to another drape and tries to pull it off. Only after a few moments of furious tugging and kicking off the wall did it pop off violently. Looking at me and back at his cylinder, he says, ¡°Hey, Winowna? Do me a favor and kick that chair. Just enough to knock it over, yea?¡±


    Staring at him, I ask, ¡°Why?¡± It¡¯s a chair, you shouldn¡¯t be mean to chairs for no reason. You sit on them, stand on them, use them as weapons, and they normally come with pillows. They don¡¯t do anything wrong. Sighing, he says, ¡°I¡¯ll get you a great pillow if you do it for me. Please?¡± Thinking about it, I walk over to the chair. Testing the chair I find nothing special about it. Looking at him and seeing his encouraging nod, I step away. Winding my foot back, I kick. ¡°Wait, do it lightly!¡± he screams, but it was too late. The chair is practically obliterated and the far wall is filled with holes. Shocked I look at Regius, ¡°What did you do?¡± As far as I know, humans can¡¯t do that without extensive training. I would need to eat one to understand how to make a body that strong.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    He looks at me helplessly and says, ¡°This worlds laws operate differently. All humans have a chance at obtaining a power. It seems that you were given a power as you entered the world.¡±


    Not satisfied with the chair I approach the table. Seeing me eagerly approaching the table he hurriedly says, ¡°Wait! Please wait. Winowna, now is not the time. You can smash plenty of things later, for now, we need to find our target. Just keep quiet and follow me.¡±


    Pouting I give the table a glare and leave it alone. I¡¯ll break it after. Following him out the door, we stop in front of a metal plate. ¡°Why are we waiting here?¡±, I ask. If staring at a plate helped him find the bad guy, I could probably rip it out and we could return to the room. ¡°Just wait for it Winowna,¡± he tiredly exclaims. Offended at his attitude, I cross my arms and wait. Leaning against the wall next to the plate, I feel something grab my hand. Looking down I see some guy in red with a weird mustache. It extends off of his face in a straight line for a good twelve centimeters on either side before curling upward. Taking my hand, the creepy guy tastes it. Disgusted, I pull my hand away, only to see him smack into the wall. I guess he was holding my hand a little too tightly. Nudging the guy with my foot, he moans as he cries on the floor.


    Looking at Regius for help, all I get is a mortified look. ¡°It wasn¡¯t on purpose, he was trying to eat my hand!¡± I justify. Nodding in disbelief, Regius just looks away. Waiting a bit, something rings out behind me. Hiding behind Regius I watch at the wall moves. The metal plate disappeared into the wall!


    Watching Regius casually walk in, I hesitate before mimicking him. Walking with my arms out in an imposing manner, I walk up to the point where the plate was and examine the wall closer. The metal plate really is in there. Spooked, I get in the little room. Standing close to Regius, I watch as the plate seals the room and the room starts to make weird noises.


    It reminds me of the time Wilbur tried to teach me how to whistle, I couldn¡¯t do it no matter what he tried. At first, he tried to demonstrate for me. All I learned was how to spit at people in the most efficient way. You¡¯ve got to gather a good amount of spit first. It has to be enough to offend the other person, but not so much that it lands on yourself. Then you puff out your cheeks and push your tongue out to your lips, not yet opening your lips. Finally, you let the pent up air spray your spit at your opponent. It works best as a slime though. After sticking his fingers in my mouth as well as giving me a whistle that I accidentally ate, he gave up.

 11. Hug me!

    Grabbing my head, Regius calmly instructs me, ¡°Don¡¯t touch anyone, don¡¯t walk in front of me, and don¡¯t make any strong movement either, without my permission of course. Remember, we are normal people in this all human world. Until we encounter the target, don¡¯t do anything you shouldn¡¯t¡± staring into his eyes, I notice that instead of just one color, Regius has two. Most of his eight eyes are dominated with purple but very small specs of red could be seen in each.


    Sighing, he gently shakes my head, ¡°Understand Winowna? This may seem like an adventure, but even your super strength isn¡¯t enough to keep us alive.¡± Feeling his heartfelt concern, I nod my head obediently. Wilbur always said that when a person is emotional and serious at the same time, you should just agree. You can always just not do as you said you would later.


    Following him out of the little room in the wall, I find myself in another room. It¡¯s completely different from the one we were in before entering the wall. Watching Regius¡¯s steps, I mimic them and step exactly where he does. Walking in sync we approach the entrance of the building. For some reason, it had no doors. Just these spinning sheets of glass. Turning around to glance at me, Regius steps into the contraption and walks around the moving glass sheets and out of the building. Mimicking  Regius, I hold the bar attached to one of the glass sheets and walk with the sheet. Focusing on my feet, I take small steps and keep up with the glass sheet. Trying to push it faster, I watch the glass near the handle crack. Taking my hands off, I tiptoe out of the contraption.


    Walking over to Regius who was waiting, I motion for him to lead the way. Walking on the side of the street, I ask, ¡°Why can''t we use the inner street? It looks much smoother and it¡¯s less congested.¡± Gesturing to the sky he says, ¡°It¡¯s night right now so there are fewer people out, but the middle of the street is reserved for their carriages. You see, their carriages are made of metals and travel at speeds we only use in the sky. Watch, that''s what the streets are for.¡± Leaning to the side around his broad shoulders, I see a shiny carriage with glass windows rolling towards us at a dangerous speed. ¡°Wait, isn¡¯t that dangerous for us?¡± I ask concerned.


    Chuckling, he reaches to put his hand on my shoulder but retracts it halfway. Awkwardly scratching his head, he explains, ¡°That¡¯s why we¡¯re not in the middle of the street. The black part of the street is for their carriages. Also, they call them cars here.¡± Watching my nod vigorously, he hands me a picture, ¡°This is the target, keep an eye out for him, please. Don¡¯t fight him, tell me first. His power in this world is invisibility, not only does he have enhanced strength because of this world technology, but the limit on his power has been reported up to a few hours. Easily enough time to escape any pursuit. We have to catch him before he knows we¡¯re looking for him.¡±


    Staring at the picture, I look at Regius. Looking back at the picture, I ask, ¡°Did you happen to see the guy who licked my hand?¡± Stopping, he turns halfway around and as asks, ¡°No, why?¡± Giving him the picture back, I twiddle my fingers, ¡°The guy who I accidentally hit looks exactly like the guy in the picture.¡± Waiting for a response, I stare at his feet. These costumes really are comfy, I didn¡¯t even notice I wasn¡¯t wearing shoes. Normally A sharp rock would have gotten underneath and I would have felt the stupidest adaptation humans have, pain.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    Stretching my toes apart and them squishing them back together, I marvel at the costume. If I have a pillow or even a bed like this, wouldn¡¯t it be amazing? Smiling to myself, Regius shakes me out of my thoughts. ¡°You saw him? Are you sure that the guy was him?¡± he asks frantically. Not really understanding why he is so worked up, I casually answer positively.


    Running past me, he yells at me to follow. Tiredly shrugging my shoulders, I trace my footsteps backward. Happily humming, I take a few more steps backward before I hear someone yell behind me. Turning around, I find the same mustache guy on the ground. Looking closer, I notice his nose isn¡¯t broken anymore. He must have some kind of healing power too!


    Looking at me in disgust, he says, ¡°Well, what are you waiting for? Help me up.¡± Confused, I grab his hand and carefully pull him up. Looking at me like I¡¯m a lunatic he says, ¡°What are you, slow? I can see you''re not struggling at all. Why¡¯d it take you so long to pull me up? Here, do me a favor give me a tight hug as compensation.¡± he says deviously.


    Not interested, I say, ¡±I¡¯m sorry mister but I need to go now¡± Trying to go around him, he steps in front of me. ¡°Come on sweetheart, you hurt me. The least you can do is give me a hug?¡± Smiling nastily, he holds his arms wide. I don¡¯t have time for this! I have to tell Regius I found the target. It¡¯s just a hug, right? Reluctantly I give him a light hug. Careful not to use too much strength I wrap my arms around him. Clearly enjoying it, he says ¡°Come on honey, you can hug me harder than that. Show some effort.¡±


    Thinking back to Regius¡¯s words, I did have this guy¡¯s permission right. Smiling brightly, I give the guy a tight and warm hug. Squirming in my embrace, the guy screams as his ribs crack. ¡°Okay! Okay lady, let me go! I won¡¯t do it again.¡± Letting the guy go he flops onto the ground, struggling to breathe. He¡¯s not as strong as Regius said. Glaring at him, I run back to the building. I gasp as I encounter the rotating glass sheets again. I can¡¯t mimic Regius because they¡¯re rotating the wrong way. Thinking about it, I remember something Wilbur taught me. If the path is uncrossable, you just have to make another. Nodding my head, I punch the wall next to the glass sheets and walk into the building.


    Finding quite a few stares directed at me, I hurry to the metal plate. Gently pushing the button as Regius had done, I wait. As the plate slowly opens I get inside. Waiting for the door to close, I stare at the switchboard. Which one leads to our room? Deciding the at least one of them is correct, I press all of them. After watching the plate open and close several times, I finally see the tropical painting that I had seen before.  Exiting the wall, I find Regius punching the mustache man over and over. Running over to him I say, ¡°Regius! I found another outside! He looks just like this guy but without all the blood!¡±


    The mustache guy gestures to me frantically. ¡°Sorry,¡± Regius mutters and grabs my shoulder. ¡°Please tell me he doesn¡¯t know we¡¯re looking for him,¡° he asks.

 12. Vows

    ¡°Winowna, seriously. Did you or did you not, scare the target away?¡± Regius asks me with a panicking expression. Pouting, I say in a low voice, ¡°I told you, he isn¡¯t going anywhere. I glared at him like your maid. If she can make the big werewolf stay still, I can do it to some weak mustache man!¡± Why doesn¡¯t he believe me?


    Dragging the other mustache man into our room, he ties him up and tells me to get in the elevator. Nodding in compliance I leave the room. Searching around, I realize I didn¡¯t know what an elevator is..catching the attention of the nearest person, I walk over to her. ¡°I don¡¯t cater to women but I¡¯ll make an exception, 1000 a night. Take it or leave it.¡± she rattles off quickly while filing her nails. Confused, I say, ¡°Umm, I¡¯ll take it! Also, where is the elevator?¡±


    Looking up from her nails, she scrutinizes me, ¡°Okay, hand it over. 1000 credits.¡± Not understanding her, I put my hand on hers, ¡°Okay, give it to me. Also, I really need to know where the elevator is.¡± Getting mad, she slaps my hand away and points at the metal plate, ¡±Just get out, that''s the elevator you bird brain!¡± Offended, I walk towards the metal plate. Finding nothing else, I guess the plate is the elevator. pressing the button for the elevator to slide open, Regius comes around the corner.


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ve tied up the fake. Take me to the real one,¡± he says. Pointing to the window, I say, ¡°The other guy should be where I left him, on the sidewalk.¡± Pulling his sleeve, I take him to the window.  Finding the guy being taken into a flashing car, I excitedly say, ¡°Look! There he is! The people from the flashing car are taking him onto a cheap looking bed! I told you he would stay there!¡± Bewildered, Regius asks, ¡°Why is he being taken by an ambulance? Why is he being taken into the flashy carriage Winowna?¡±


    Looking on with interest, I reply, ¡±I don¡¯t know. Maybe they¡¯re trying to kidnap him?¡± Thinking a bit harder I say, ¡°They might also be targeting him, We have to save him!¡± ¡°Stop. Stop, Winowna. Honestly, what do I do with you? That¡¯s an ambulance, it takes the injured to a facility for healing. Just what happened? Did you hit him?¡± Regius says while trying his best to calm me down. ¡°How would I know what the flashy car is? All I did was accidentally knock him over. He got mad and demanded that I hug him. I tried to hold back, but he told me to hug him as hard as I could!¡± I said while gesturing wildly. Seeing his eyes turn bloodshot, I mutter the last part, ¡°So, I hugged him. Hard.¡±


    Blowing up, Regius start yelling at me, ¡°You hugged him? Just because he said to? Winowna, never hug anyone again. If you really want to hug someone, hug me. Never hug another person! Do you hear me Winowna?¡± Tearing up because of his scolding, I sob, ¡°Yes, Regius. I won¡¯t hug people. Only my pillows. I promise.¡± Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    Deeply sighing, Regius calms down after venting his frustrations. Rubbing my puffy eyes I wipe my tears. How is it my fault he didn¡¯t tell me not to hug people before I did? Seeing me crying, he apologizes, ¡°If it makes you feel better, you can always hug me.¡± he suggests. Not satisfied, I decide to also scold him, ¡°Fine! But you can¡¯t hug anyone else either! In fact, you can¡¯t even leave your palace without me!¡± Folding my arms in victory, I wait for his reaction with a triumphant smile.


    Amused, Regius pulls me into his embrace and says, ¡±I accept, my princess. I Regius Warper will never hug another and will always take Winowna Warper, as my partner for life.¡± Happy but also feeling cheated, I say, ¡°Don¡¯t think you can get away by saying I¡¯ll be your partner! You have to promise that you ¡®ll take me everywhere you go!¡±


    Hapilly laughing, Regius says, ¡°Easy! I will also take Winowna with me where ever I go! I promise.¡± Satisfied, I struggle out of his hug. ¡°Okay, don¡¯t yell at me either. I have sensitive ears. Now, do we go back? The target got away so do we chase it?¡± I ask. Still smugly smiling, he says that I don¡¯t need to worry, ¡°The ambulance takes people to a place of healing called the hospital. All we have to do is go to the nearest hospital.¡±


    Following Regius, we exit the building and walk to the hospital. Following his every footstep, I bump into his back. Rubbing my forehead, I let out a painful moan. The pain really is a hindrance, I think I know that I bumped into him. Looking at him accusingly, I find him staring behind me. Turning around, I see the woman who said she would give me 1000 credits. ¡°Regius, do you know this lady? She said that she would give me a thousand credits but then told me to go away and called me a bird brain! You can¡¯t hug her!¡±


    Frowning, Regius says, ¡°Stay behind me. Why are you following us, miss? As far as I know, I have nothing to do with this country¡¯s intelligence department.¡± Raising her eyebrows, she clicks her tongue. I move behind Regius as she points at me, ¡±The little brained one behind you got my attention when she crushed my surveillance target¡¯s ribcage. I followed her and overheard your conversation.¡± Pointing to her ears, she says, ¡°My ability is enhanced auditory control. I can sharpen, deafen and tune out sounds, all according to my will. What I want to know is who you represent and on a side note, if that scatter brain actually consents.¡±


    Chuckling he says, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it miss, your superiors know about us. Also, I am her knight in shining armor. I¡¯m her prince charming. There isn¡¯t anything she doesn¡¯t consent.¡± Staring at his sickly sweet smile, she switches to me, saying, ¡°I want her to say it to me.¡±


    Getting an encouraging look from Regius, I say, ¡°He saved me and promised to set me for life. He also promised never to hug another and to always take me with him! He has my consent. Also, didn¡¯t you say that you would give me a thousand credits? Can I get a pillow with that much?¡±


    Stunned, the lady looks at me strangely. She looks between me and Regius. Finally, she asks, ¡°Are you serious about her?¡± Giving an immediate response, he says, ¡±I¡¯m very serious. No doubt about it.¡± Giving up, she says, ¡°Whatever, I still need to accompany you. I can¡¯t let you two injure innocents.¡±

 13. It wasnt me!

    Walking beside the lady, I watch her closely. She doesn¡¯t seem to have fake hair, but it shines under the street lanterns. Every movement she makes causes ripples to flow through her hair. Her flawless platinum pink hair seemed to hold endless volume, as vast as the sea. Wilbur always said that I should visit the sea or ocean once. He said that the water just keeps on going without end. The lady¡¯s hair is just like that, no matter how her hair swayed and swung, there would be more behind it. Restraining myself from trying to grab it, Continue to observe as we walk to the hospital.


    Aside from her hair, almost everything else was also unusual for a human. Her lips, luscious and deep, taking a deep shade of purple. Her sparkling eyes excessively shallow and filled with luminescent striations. She almost seemed to look through things with her eyes. Her nose should have been her most normal feature, but she had some sort of metal ring going through it. Her delicate looking ears contained several ornaments piercing her skin. Checking the rest of her body, I find more of the metal ornaments on her belly button and on her belt. I think her skin is normal, but the shade of green makes it look almost sickly. Even worse are her fingers, they¡¯re so thin and long. With my current strength, they would fall off with a poke. Her nails also took an unhealthy shade of blue, probably from oxygen deficiency. The most baffling aspect about her is her clothes. Her top only covered her chest and some of her sides and her bottom showed almost all of her thighs.


    Just which part of her get up made her useful? The lady glances at me in annoyance and taps Regius, ¡°Hey, your girl has been staring at me for some time. Can you tell her I¡¯m not going to take you?¡± Regius glances momentarily and says, ¡°Knowing her, she¡¯s probably not thinking about you that way. Right Winowna?¡± Beaming I say, ¡°Of course! He¡¯s my partner so he can¡¯t be anyone else¡¯s! I was just thinking that you look pretty useless. Besides your shiny hair, I don¡¯t see anything that suggests that you can do anything better.¡± Now if I can only figure out how her hair does that, we can get rid of her. No need for useless tagalongs!


    Mildly offended, She says, ¡°I¡¯m not here to help either of you, just to make sure you don¡¯t hurt bystanders.¡± Nodding my head in understanding, I silently vow to cause destruction before I go. Something about her just makes me mad! If anything, it¡¯s her perfect hair! ¡°We¡¯re here,¡± Regius says. Looking up, I see a grey and brown building with several large high-quality window panes. The windows here might not be colorful and moving, but they sure are clean. Not even a spec of impurity can be seen. Walking to the side of the hospital. Regius opens a rip, ¡°Get it! It leads just through the wall.¡± Going in first, I find myself in some kind of personal waiting room. A large seat covered in cheap paper dominates the center of the room. There is a sink with many sanitizing instruments and a few that I don¡¯t recognize. The left wall is full of things I don¡¯t understand and the right wall is full of colorful posters depicting some ugly images.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Appearing behind me, the lady and Regius look around before approaching the door. ¡°Why couldn¡¯t we just go through the front?¡± I ask, confused. ¡°Simple sweetheart, we have no reason to be visiting him, and he probably has lookouts.¡± the lady snidely remarks. Pouting, I say, ¡°I don¡¯t really like you. You don¡¯t seem to like me. At least you could tell me your name.¡± Pausing, the lady scratches her cheek and smugly says, ¡°My bad, I didn¡¯t think you of all people would care. You can call me Yue.¡± More comfortable already, I say, ¡°Well, I do have a reason to visit him! I put him in here so I should visit him to apologize right?¡±


    Gasping, Regius hugs me and shakes me back and forth, ¡°You''re a genius Winowna! Yue and I will wait from a distance and follow you to him. You should go to the front desk and ask where the target is.¡± Disoriented from all the shaking, I push him off. ¡°Okay, okay. Don¡¯t shake me again.¡± Exiting the small room, I walk towards the entrance where I see the front desk. Waiting in line, I casually glance around and find Regius and Yue sitting on some dingy looking seats. The seats didn¡¯t even have pillows on them. Moving forward in line, I jump when someone sudden puts a hand on my shoulder. Turning around, I see a person in a white trenchcoat like thing breathing heavily. ¡°You¡¯re finally here! Follow me, the patient needs you right away.¡± he breathlessly says.


    Looking back at Regius and Yue, I see Regius being held down. Giving them my best smile and a thumbs up I motion for the guy in the white trenchcoat to lead the way. Passing several rooms we enter a larger one with several people inside. In the center was a person with his insides exposed. Pinching my nose, I follow the guy to the patient. ¡°Please, save him. We¡¯ve tried everything, but his body refuses to accept any treatment. He just expels all the fluids we give him and violently vomits all the pills.¡± Bewildered, I get closer to the patient. Yep, he was definitely bleeding. Some of the squiggly things in his stomach seem broken and he¡¯s bleeding in some weird places.


    Turning back to the guy who led me here, I ask, ¡°Yea, I can see he¡¯s definitely in a bad condition. What do you want me to do?¡± Stumbling over his words, he hesitantly says, ¡°I don¡¯t know, maybe stop the bleeding. Also, fix the ruptured organs and ulcers. Also. Maybe, restore the dead skin and undo the incision we made?¡± Thinking about it, I realize that it sounded like he wanted me to fix the patient completely. ¡°You mean you want me to fix all of the issues? My self? After you messed up?¡± I yell at the incompetent healer. Close to tears, he murmurs, ¡°Please, it wasn¡¯t me.¡± Thinking I heard him wrong, I ask, ¡°Say that again! Louder, please!.¡±


    On the verge of running out, he starts to talk, but I stop him. Leaning closer I motion for him to continue. ¡°It wasn¡¯t me. Please miss, can you just save the patient?¡± he says even quieter. Hearing that it wasn¡¯t him, I beam and say, ¡°Okay!¡±

 14. Target Aquired

    Sticking my hand inside the guy''s open stomach, I pinch my nose with my other hand. Looking away, I use a basic dungeon function known as restore on the poor guy. Waiting a few moments, I turn back and panic. I healed him with my hand still inside! Looking at the door to make sure no one was watching, I pull it out slowly. I really hope this guy doesn¡¯t find out. Feeling my hand finally slip out, I rush to the sink. Washing my hand, I compose myself. It¡¯s just some blood and guts. Everyone has a time in their life when this happens right?


    Walking back to the patient, I put my hand above his stomach where my hand was and use restore once again. Confirming that the wound had closed properly. I walk to the double-sided doors. Just to make sure no one would peek, I taped sheets of paper to the windows. Lifting the corner of one, I see an eyeball staring back. Pushing the sheet of paper back into place, I take a deep breath. The dungeon Winowna is dead, no one will find out.


    Pushing the doors open, I smack some poor guy in the head. Confidently walking out, I glance at the guy on the floor. Not recognizing him, I look for the person who brought me here. Stepping past a few people who offered me their hands, I find the guy at the back of the crowd. ¡°Hey, the job is done. Good Luck!¡± leaving behind the crowd I go looking for the target. If the target was injured, he should be with the other injured right? Going from door to door, I check the patient inside. Seeing a nice looking lady in pink, I ask, ¡°Excuse me. I¡¯m looking for a man who was just admitted. He kind of looks like a creep and has a weird way of talking. Kind of like a beggar but worse. He¡¯s the type of person you wouldn¡¯t want to find in broad daylight. Have you seen him?¡±


    Looking at me, she asks, ¡°I might have, but why would you look for him if he¡¯s that horrible?¡± Impatient, I say, ¡°I need to apologize, I might have put him in here.¡± Raising an eyebrow, she points further down the hallway, ¡°If anything, he could be in the ER¡±.  Nodding my head in thanks, I skip down the hallway. Glancing back, I remember that Regius and Yue were supposed to follow me. I couldn¡¯t see them anywhere! Regius must have some way of knowing where I am right? Trusting in Regius, I continue to skip down the hallway.


    Finding a glowing sign that says ¡®room in use¡¯, I remember the guy who I fixed. He also seemed to be in one of these rooms. Cracking it open, I see several people working on a groaning person. It seems like he¡¯s in pain. Sneaking up on one of the green-coated personnel, I take a peek at the patient''s face. Not finding the target I leave after whispering, ¡°I hope you can get the pole out of your arm. Startled, the guy in green slipped and cut much more than he intended.¡±


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Leaving the room, I skip to the next one. The best part about this place is the floors feel great to skip on. The shiny floor tiles make the best noises when my feet smack down on them. Looking back I could see a trail of damaged tiles. Chuckling, I add shiny and fragile tiles to my shopping list. Opening the next room, I see several people also in green trying to help the target breath. Examining their actions, I deduce that they were trying to support his breathing. Slowly sneaking into the room, I get right next to the bed before anyone notices me. I should really talk to Regius about getting ninja training. I¡¯m probably already the best at sneaking anyway. Grabbing the target, I dash out of the room. Holding him firmly by his foot, I drag him back through the hallway. Pulling him into a room that says supply closet, I close the door. Gasping the guy asks for water while spurting blood.


    Edging away from him, I look through the shelves. I can give him water right? I mean all I have to do is wait for Regius. Looking through the different colored liquids and materials, I find a small bottle of water. Leaning over the guy I grab the opposite wall. Lowering myself so I could give it to him, I avoid getting my new suit dirty. Tipping the bottle, the water enters his mouth. Gulping down the first bit, he sputters the rest. ¡°That¡¯s not water! It¡¯s rubbing alcohol!¡± he sputters.


    Taking the rubbing alcohol back, I guiltily place it back on the shelf. How was I supposed to know you have no alcohol tolerance. Even I can drink a glass of the local taverns mead. In slime form, I could digest it in just minutes and expel all the harmful substances in a few seconds after. Even slimes have things they can¡¯t digest! ¡°What a weakling,¡± I mutter. Several people run by as I wait for Regius to find me. Getting impatient, I drag the target and start running down the hall. Taking a few turns, I check on the target and find him still alive. Entering the lobby area, I still don¡¯t find him.


    Placing the target on a chair I go looking around. Glancing outside, I find several flashing lights. Why are there so many ambulances? Turning to the target, I say, ¡°Don¡¯t move! I¡¯ll be back for you.¡± Rushing to the window, I find Yue being taken into one of the ambulances with her hands in some sort of shiny thing behind her back. Is she hurt? Serves her right, who told her she could come to a dangerous mission with a useless power? Watching them push her into the ambulance I see Regius already inside. Looking closer, I see him struggling to get out against their guards. One of them seemed to hold him so he couldn¡¯t get away into a portal. Enraged, I stop squishing my cheek on the glass. Stepping back, I kick the glass and shatter it with ease.


    Wilbur always said that it¡¯s better to shatter glass with your feet than your hand because your head will be farther away. Rushing at the ambulance, I bulldoze my way through the dumb looking humans. All of them wore some kind of leather uniform and kept pointing some flashy light at me. Sometimes it would flash and sometimes it wouldn¡¯t. The only thing that is certain is that they made way too much noise. Switching my direction. I start throwing all the people away. The flashes really are starting to get annoying. Throwing a guy and crushing another ambulance, I run to Regius. Smashing the guy holding Yue into the open door, I lift her out of the back seat and dive at the man holding Regius. Tackling him out of the car. I get up and throw him far away.


    Folding my hands in triumph, I push out my chest and wait for his praise. ¡°Thanks. Did you get the target?¡± He gasps. Nodding, I point to an empty and bloody seat in the lobby.

 15. Were the bad guys?

    ¡°He was right there!¡± I say softly. Rubbing his wrists, he says, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it Winowna. You did great. I just didn¡¯t think the government would find us this fast. Talk about sneaky, one of them transformed into a lamp and waited to get behind me.¡± Walking towards the hospital, Yue blocks me. ¡°Hey, if you don¡¯t mind, could you break my chains?¡± she asks. Shrugging, I reach for the weird contraption that holds her hands together and rip the chains between the bangle components apart. Muttering thanks, she rushes to the chair where I left the target.


    Excited, she shouts, ¡°There¡¯s a blood trail. He¡¯s pretty heavily injured too. If you trace his handprints, They all seem to be on walls and surfaces so he¡¯s probably trying to support himself up.¡± Following the handprints, we quickly exit the hospital through a rear entrance. With it still dark outside, the handprints and trail of blood got much harder to see. Pulling out a shiny stick, Yue flicks her thumb and white light pours out. Unlike the uniformed weaklings, her stick continuously shines light out of the open end of the stick. Curious, I ask, ¡°What are those? Those people in the ambulances trying to take you away kept flashing them at me but theirs didn¡¯t stay on continuously.¡±


    Instead of Yue, Regius answers me, ¡°That¡¯s a flashlight, it shines light like a lantern or a common light spell.¡± Pulling out a shorter flashlight he patiently says, ¡±This is not a flashlight. It¡¯s called a gun, normally it would kill you but you¡¯re just incredibly strong in this world. They shoot these things called bullets at you. Don¡¯t get hit by these in other worlds. Okay?¡± Walking just behind Yue, letting her be useful, I silently nod my head. I feel like something is wrong with this world. This gun seems to be kind of useless. If it shoots a projectile at you, why don¡¯t you just use dimensional magic on the opening and redirect it back at the assailant? What if you miss? Isn¡¯t a sword better since they can be just as fast with enough practice?


    Observing Regius, I realize my partner may just be lazy. Following Yue diligently, I think about my future. Regius seems like a nice guy, although a bit lazy. I don''t think I¡¯ll have trouble following him through dangerous missions, but is he the partner for me? ¡°Hey, Winowna? What are you thinking about?¡± he asks concernedly. Looking up at his dashing figure, I reply with, ¡°Just thinking that my partner may be a bit lazy.¡± Looking at me in a daze, he smiles. After walking in a few moments of silence, he says, ¡°I may be lazy, but I¡¯m happy. I¡¯m happy I found you. I¡¯m happy you¡¯ve become my partner. Nothing could be better, truly.¡±


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    Feeling the blood rush to my head, I look at him confused. Just what did he do to me? Just why am I heating up? Humans don¡¯t normally fluctuation in temperature like this, at least as far as I know. Shrugging, I give him my best smile. Lazy or not, he accepts me. That is enough.


    ¡°Hey, guys! The blood is gone!¡± Yue yells from ahead. Catching up, I see her searching for signs of blood. Following the blood trail, it just seemed to stop halfway through a narrow alley. ¡°Can you hear any vehicles?¡± Regius asks anxiously. Pausing, she says, ¡°Plenty, but what are you looking for?¡± Thinking aloud he starts to say some incomprehensible things. Finally coming to a decision, he says, ¡°Listen for a motorcycle. Winowna, come here.¡± Squeezing my shoulders, he asks me to stomp hard on the spot where to blood stops.


    Smiling in anticipation, I raise my left foot so its 180 degrees from my right and swing it down with all my might. With a resounding crack, the ground splits and a crater is formed. Not finding what he is looking for, he focuses on Yue. Staring at her, I also wait. Adjusting her head orientation quite a few times, she finally opens her eyes. ¡°One about 3 miles away. It¡¯s shifting speeds frequently. The driver doesn¡¯t seem to be able to muster much strength.¡± Smiling, Regius tells her to point the direction and opens a portal in the given direction. Stepping through, I find myself on the top of a very tall building.


    Walking to the railing, I see a vast city with hundreds of buildings that touch the sky. Gaping in awe, Regius closes my mouth for me. Focusing on the cars below, Regius shouts, ¡°That him!¡± straining my eyes I make out a strange half car thing. It looks like it only has 2 wheels. Patting my shoulder, he says, ¡°I¡¯ll be right back. Stay here and wait for me!¡±


    With a quick jump, he is gone. Turing back to Yue, I see her talking into some box at the other side of the roof. Putting the box away, she urgently yells, ¡±Miss, we have trouble. The Government is sending its combat heroes. We have to go now!¡± Nodding, I shout back, ¡°Yea! We can go when Regius returns!¡± Shaking her head, she desperately says while getting closer, ¡°He can escape, from them with his portals. We need to go right now! Come on!¡±


    Twiddling my fingers, I try to think of a solution. Heroes are trying to get us so are we, bad guys? They must be mistaken! Thinking back to Wilbur¡¯s methods, I remember one that may just work. Grabbing Yue, I ask, ¡°Which way are they coming from?¡± Surprised, she points in the opposite direction of Regius. Patting her shoulder, I say, ¡°Tell him to come get me when he¡¯s done.¡± Leaving her behind I quickly jump across the flat roofs towards the real bad guys. Real good guys never attack the wrong people.


    Hiding behind a loud box with a fan inside, I watch as a lady with wings approaches. Squatting, I ready myself as she gets closer. Just as the sound of her wings flapping reaches me, I jump and tackle the woman out of the air. Punching her into the roof, she faints in a crater of rubble. Wilbur always said if someone in the way and the situation is dire, use the shortest way to remove them from the equation. It took me a while but I learned equation meant situation. Cracking my knuckles, I smile. It really is fun to be strong.

 16. Moisturizing!

    Picking up the bird woman, I gently slap her awake. Holding her cheek with teary eyes, she struggles to get out of my grip. ¡°Wait! I won¡¯t hurt you anymore if you stop moving!¡± I scream at the bird woman while shaking her. Not believing me, she starts to smack my face with her wings. Panicking, I shake even harder, ¡°Stop! Stop it! I can¡¯t see.¡± Blinded by the wings, I throw her away. Watching the woman fly away in a perfect spiral, I rub my irritated eyes. Feathers, I¡¯m allergic to feathers!


    My eyes start puffing up, leaving me half blinded as I paw at my surroundings. Hearing a distant crash and a shriek, I smile while trying to find my way around. It wasn¡¯t that I couldn¡¯t see, but my hands had also puffed up. Finding a ledge, I sit on it while trying to restore my hands. Just as my hands start to settle down, something bombards my face. Screaming in fear, I shield my face. I really hope it isn¡¯t a popsicle, I¡¯m allergic to some flavors. As soon as the coldness stops flooding me, I run towards the source.


    Seeing a floating man in a white suit, I run around him in an arc. Wilbur always said that if someone is using continuous magic like a flamethrower, to run around them looking for an opening. Running around the roof, I jump onto the next when another blast of cold hits me. Some superhero, he hit me in the air! That''s just rude! Angry, I lift the metal box making noise and throw it at him. Dodging, he continues to throw what looks like ice at me. Swing around a flag pole to dodge the beam of ice, I uproot the pole and swing it. Catching him off guard, I smash him into the next building. Jumping after him, I land on the edge of the broken floor. This world really has pretty things everywhere. In the room I landed in, several weird specs of light ran along the walls and ceiling.


    Finding the Iceman, I hesitate, If I fight him here, will he kill the lights? Putting on my best serious face, I drag the Iceman by his foot and drop him over the ledge. This way, he can¡¯t hurt these pretty lights. Following the lights, I try to catch them a few times but a few glass walls later, I decide that I¡¯m fine just watching.


    Just as I am about to forget myself in the lights, a jet of flames kills all of them. Turning around, I could feel my face heating up. I think this is different from before. I think this is rage. Glaring at the floating baldy on fire, I watch as he laughs. Shooting his fire at me, I watch in anger. How dare he kill the specs of light. He is not a hero! Smashing the floor, I fly at him faster than he could see. Headbutting him into a building and through the other side. I grind his cueball head into the ground. Grabbing him by the foot I slam him down on the ground several times. I just hate this guy. Why can¡¯t I wipe that smug smile off his face? He just soundlessly took my beating.


    Huffing with exertion, I watch as he lay there glaring back at me, motionlessly. ¡°Stop looking at me!¡± I scream in frustration. Deciding to give him a taste of his own medicine, I stare back at him. Several minutes pass and I finally give up. He might be a hateful hairless hillbilly, but he really can stare longer than I can. Slowly lowering my self to the ground, I pick up some gravel. Pointing to the sky, I say, ¡°Look what¡¯s that?¡± Ignoring his eyes that never left me, I throw the gravel at his face.


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    Flinching in disgust, I watch as he stares at me with gravels in his eyes. Creeped out, I think of a solution. Digging my hands into the ground, I peel the street layer up. It¡¯s surprisingly thick. Even the layer I peeled has another layer underneath it! Tearing off a piece of the street I turn back to the hot mess. He¡¯s still watching me! Feeling a chill creep up my back, I quickly slam the piece of the street on top of him. Pressing down, I seal it tight. Dusting off my hands, I smirk. Now I can ignore that guy. If he still wants to fight, he would have to move.


    Crossing my arms, I wait in satisfaction. This guy probably can¡¯t bear to admit he can¡¯t keep staring! I mean, he is the only human that can keep staring through all of that right? I¡¯ll give him credit for that. Waiting a minute, I start to get bored. Climbing back onto the roof, I sigh. First the bird woman, then Iceman and then the flaming, staring champion. Could things get any harder?


    ¡°Hey! Hey, you! Do you really think that you can just do what you want? Even those with extremely versatile powers have weaknesses. Yours just happens to be me!¡± someone yells from behind me. Turning around, I see a little boy. ¡°Heh! Scared? It¡¯s too late. I command you to walk towards me.¡± Not understanding, I start to walk towards him. ¡°Hehe. You see, I can control people with my voice.¡±


    Still not understanding what was happening, I continue to walk towards him. Watching him closely, he seems to be completely confident that his powers work. Deciding I would practice my staring technique, I start glaring at him. Squinting my eyes, I remember that the guy on fire kept his eyes wide open. It has to be a secret technique! Widening my eye all of a sudden, the boy flinches, ¡°What are you doing?¡± Smirking, I reply in triumph, ¡°I¡¯m practicing my staring for the flaming guy down behind me. Just give up! You¡¯ve blinked twice already!¡± Almost within arms distance from the boy, he loudly screams, ¡°Stop!¡± What am I supposed to stop? My staring? All of a sudden, I blink! He can control my actions! I refuse to lose! Glaring even harder between the blinks, I get within arms distance. ¡°Wait! Stop walking!¡® he says in a panic. Enraged, I stop walking. How dare he tell my legs what to do? Quickly reaching out, I clamp my hand on his mouth.


    Shaking him up and down like a rag. I throw him away too. I just can¡¯t find a decent superhero today! What terrible luck. I thought I could convince one or two to help Regius but no. They all start attacking me first. Thinking back to the bird lady I murmur, ¡°Yea, I just caught her to ask for help. She¡¯s the one who triggered my allergies.¡±


    Feeling a sudden tap on my shoulder, I see a masked man in all black with a cape. ¡°I¡¯m Penguin Man!¡± Fighting the urge to laugh, I ask, ¡±Couldn¡¯t you use something cooler?¡± Scratching his head, he says in a gravelly voice, ¡°I was kind of low on budget and the only black suit I had was a tuxedo. You¡¯re under arrest for the murder of several local superheroes!¡± Tilting my head, I ask, ¡°Couldn¡¯t you paint your inner shirt black? There are a whole lot of animals that are cool in the dark!¡± Shaking his head, he says, ¡°For the last time, I have a low budget! Hands up please.¡± Noticing his dry voice again, I pull out something I found in the hospital supply closet. Moisturizing cream.


    Trying to be helpful, I approach him while saying, ¡°Here, let me help you. If you don¡¯t moisturize properly you can lose your voice forever!¡± Reaching out for his mask, He tries to stop me by flailing around and shouting. After a while of trying to dance, he sadly says, ¡°They said this martial art is supposed to work for weaker opponents. I couldn¡¯t even move a little girl. That¡¯s practically three months of food gone...¡± Feeling bad for him, I squeeze his mouth open and dump a good amount of cream into his mouth.


    Squishing his cheeks, I make sure he spreads the cream everywhere. Pinching his nose and clamping his mouth, I wait until he swallows, finally letting him breathe. Sputtering and struggling to breathe, he throws his mask away and opens up the top part of his suit. Riping the neck piece off, He coughs harshly while bending over. Patting his back, I help him breathe. Finally able to breathe, he tells me to get away in a weird high squeaky voice. Backing away, I watch with satisfaction. His voice might not be pretty, but at least he won¡¯t lose it.

 17. Winowna

    Watching penguin man run to the edge of the roof and try to jump to the next, I gasp. He missed. Struggling with the ledge of a window, He pulls himself onto the roof eventually. Panting, He looks at me in fear and keeps hobbling away. I swear, I did nothing to his feet! Watching him in amusement, I jump when the target¡¯s body flops down next to me. Tapping it with my foot, Regius suddenly jumps out from behind me. Landing, roughly on the ground, Yue follows shortly after. Looking around, he raises an eyebrow, ¡°Did you kill them all?¡± Pouting, I put on my best hurt expression, how could he not believe in me?


    Answering in a dissatisfied tone, I say, ¡°Of course not, they just all disappeared. The only one I know the location of is the flaming baldy. Everyone else just escaped. The baldy kept staring at me! Even with gravel in his eye and being smashed through a building, he wouldn¡¯t give in! I just covered his face with a part of the street and left.¡± Pointing over the edge of the roof, I gesture towards the slab of asphalt. Sighing, Regius says, ¡°Whatever, good job Winowna! You kept the superheroes away while I caught this guy.¡± Squeezing my shoulder slightly, he opens another portal. Letting me and Yue go in first, He drags the target back with him.


    Looking around, I find myself back in Regius¡¯s room. Greeting the maids, I watch as Regius puts the target on his bed face down and ties him up. Turning towards us, He says, ¡°Winowna, could you take Yue to your room? She will be living in the room next to your¡¯s for a bit.¡± Squinting at her, I gesture for her to follow me. Is she going to be a maid now? She did seem pretty useless otherwise. Maybe her strong hearing can help her hear me when I need her. Walking through the hallways I finally reach my room. As if by magic, another door was right next to mine. Gesturing towards the other door, I say, ¡°Yue, your that¡¯s your door.¡±


    Watching her pull the door open only to reveal a smooth wall. There¡¯s nothing behind the wall! Thinking back to the other world, I think of the elevator. Maybe this room is also in the wall. Gently ushering Yue out of the way, I punch the wall with my full strength. Recoiling in shock, I cradle my arm. Tearing up, I whimper,¡± It hurts. It hurts. Why didn¡¯t the wall break?¡± Not understanding either, Yue bends down and rubs my back. Burying my head in her shoulder, I wipe my tears. Another byproduct of the worst aspect of being human, pain. Do other races also feel the same pain? Is their pain different? Dungeons most definitely don¡¯t feel pain!If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Wallowing in her shoulder, I feel a tap on my shoulder. Looking up I find the grisly face of the dark green-furred werewolf. Coughing, he offers me a dog shaped toy, ¡°Here, I got it for you. It¡¯s a dog shaped pillow.¡± Grabbing the pillow with my good hand, I hug it while burying my head in Yue¡¯s shoulder. I now understand why Regius takes hugs so seriously. Just being in someone''s proximity makes me feel all warm and fuzzy. Too bad I can¡¯t hug Yue, I can only hug Regius now. Maybe I¡¯ll do that when I see him next. There has to be a different feeling between a male hug and a female hug right?


    Tenderly laying my hurt hand on my knees, I wipe my tears. Looking up, I thank the werewolf before entering my room with Yue. I can¡¯t believe the palace walls are so strong! Sitting on the bed, I nurse rock my hand back and forth. Making my mind up, I slowly walk into the bathroom and close the doors. Focusing on my hand, I restore it to the previous form. Flexing my hand with a smile, I open the bathroom doors and exit. Shuffling to the bed, I throw myself on it. It got softer every day! With the addition of the dog pillow, I now have seven pillows.


    Suddenly remembering Yue is still in the room, I find her staring at me in shock. ¡°Is your hand not hurting anymore?¡± she asks. Shrugging my shoulders, I lie, ¡°My bones are really strong, my only weakness is pain!¡± Technically, my bones are certainly hard, and pain is my weakness. Not believing me, she switches subjects, ¡°So, I¡¯m guessing we¡¯re not in the same country? Your partner did say that I could no longer live in the same country because of what we did.¡±


    Chuckling, I open my mouth to tell her the truth when Regius barges into the room. Seeing that I¡¯m fine, he visibly relaxes. Calming down, he says, ¡±Come to my room as soon as possible.¡± Taking a last look around my room, he stops at the dog shaped pillow before leaving. He definitely wants my new pillow! Slowly getting up, I gesture for Yue to stay quiet. Grabbing the dog pillow, I lift the mattress and stuff it under.


    Adjusting the sheets and hiding the pillow completely, I stand satisfied. Making my way to Regius¡¯ room, I pass a suspicious looking maid. I bet she¡¯s going to try to steal my new pillow! Throwing a glare at her back, I enter his room. Standing by his desk, he turns around holding a wooden square. Scratching my ear, I start to stare at the object in his hand. I know it! It looks just like the picture I lost! ¡°Yes, Winowna. This is your picture with Wilbur. I know who you are. In fact, I was the person that was supposed to pick you up. Who knew that you would just leave the pickup point?¡±


    Nervously counting the number of fingers on my hand, I wait for him to yell at me. It¡¯s what everyone does when they find out who I am. No one likes the dungeon called Winowna.

 18. Silence

    ¡°Winowna! Look at me. I don¡¯t blame you. I don¡¯t hate you either. All I want you to know is it¡¯s okay to be a dungeon around me,¡± Regius consoles. Twiddling my thumbs, I mutter, ¡°I know you¡¯re lying. Wilbur told me that non-dungeons hate dungeons. I tried to stay human, but the pain gets in the way. I really didn¡¯t want to be a dungeon around you, but I couldn¡¯t help it. I¡¯m sorry, I would like to stay, but if I really can¡¯t then I¡¯ll just take a pillow with me.¡± Tearing up, I start to imagine my life outside of the castle. Just a week away from Wilbur and I was already on a buffet dish. Can I really make it without a proper mentor?


    Suddenly embracing me, Regius strongly reprimands me, ¡±Don¡¯t ever say that you will leave me! Don¡¯t you remember that We¡¯re partners now and forever? Don¡¯t be a dungeon if you think it helps you fit in. Just remember, I will never hate you. No matter how much you screw up, I will never hate you.¡± Snuggling up in his arms, I compare the feeling with Yue¡¯s shoulder. It isn¡¯t as nurturing but more warm and comforting. I guess hugs are also gender dependent. Restoring my optimal eye wetness to normal, I push away from him. ¡°Sorry,¡± I mutter while playing with my hair.


    Laughing fakely, he says, ¡±Great! That¡¯s all I wanted to say. Don¡¯t be afraid to be a dungeon around me. For me, you will always be Winowna Warper. The girl who unknowingly walking into a hive of sleeping terrors and loves pillows.¡± pushing his hands into his pockets, he changes the subject, ¡°Anyways, we have to leave for another world today. The person who we caught is a distant relative of mine. The next target is the same, but you cannot go easy on any of them. All of our targets will be criminals and the most dastardly of criminals. Get ready, please. Also, the powers you get in other worlds don¡¯t come back with you. Don''t punch any more walls please.¡±


    Shyly turning away, I stiffly move to the exit. ¡°One more thing Winowna. Could you explain the situation to Yue? I really don¡¯t have the time right now. We can drop her off in her world later.¡± Turning slightly, I nod while glancing at him before scurrying out. I don¡¯t know why, but I¡¯m really happy right now. Could it be just because Regius said he would never hate me? Aside from that, I really haven¡¯t met anyone aside from Regius and his maids in this palace. Should I ask him after the next mission?


    Entering my room, I crash onto the bed next to Yue. Now that I think about it, she isn¡¯t that bad of a person. She¡¯s just a little weird. Figuring out my game plan, I break the silence, ¡°So, Yue. I was told to tell you that we aren''t on the same planet anymore. Because of that -¡± I suddenly jump when Yue snores next to me. After another snore, I hesitantly poke her cheek. Not reacting to my finger, I try to poke her again when she suddenly tries to bite me. Laughing hysterically she says, ¡°A little maid already told me everything. Don¡¯t worry about it. On the other hand, she was looking for your new plush toy.¡±This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    Enraged, I ask, ¡°She wanted my new pillow? I¡¯m going to find her right now! I knew she was after my pillow!¡± Motioning to calm me down, Yue says, ¡±I¡¯m pretty sure it was Regius who didn¡¯t want you to have it. Don¡¯t get me wrong or anything, but I think He¡¯s being protective.¡± Tilting my head to the side, I look at her questioningly. Yue groans for no reason and waves me off, ¡°Just get ready for the mission.¡± Nodding in agreement, I start to pack all the things I think I would have liked in Yue¡¯s world.


    Humming a song I heard in the hospital, I pack the first item, Moisturizing cream.


    *****


    ¡°Ready?¡± Regius asks. Both Yue and I nod our heads. It really isn¡¯t hard to pack the basic necessities, some toiletries, and some sweats. Beaming at Regius, I ask, ¡°Hey, Regius? When do I get to meet the other people in the palace? Do you have parents? Wilbur said that everyone has parents, so you have to have some. Can I meet them? Dungeons only have mentors so I don¡¯t know what parents look like. Some of the kids I¡¯ve-¡± Covering my mouth with his finger, he says, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll introduce you once we come back. I just didn¡¯t know if you were ready to meet my parents.¡± Taking a deep breath, he opens a portal. Turning to us, he says, ¡°This next world has no powers or magic. I can¡¯t guarantee that we¡¯ll pop out at the same exact location, but we¡¯ll be close. Whatever you do, don¡¯t make any sound. I¡¯ll come to get you so just wait.¡±


    Stepping through the portal first, I brace myself for a landing. Landing on something already in motion, I lose balance and fall with a short whimper. Falling hard on the floor, I rub my shoulder in pain. Getting up, I find something moving on the floor. Remembering Regius¡¯s words, I stay silent as it struggles to get up. Moving into a corner, I watch as the creature gets up. It looked like a man and moved like one too, but instead of a head, several slimy tentacles extended outward. Slowly moving around, His tentacles touch everything around him. Is it looking for me?


    Looking around, I find a door on the other side of the room. The problem is that the creature is in the way. I need a weapon! Grabbing a broken pipe on the ground, I wince as something rolls out and makes some sound. The thing slowly moves towards me. Moving out of its way, I slowly edge towards the door along the wall. Just when I thought I am safe, something slimy touches my ankle. Wiping the sweat off my brow, I look down. A few of its tentacles were feeling around my feet. Reaching higher up my leg, I Raise the broken pipe up. It¡¯s now or never. The door is just out of reach!

 19. Embrace

    About to pierce the tentacle, I remember Regius said not to make any sounds no matter what happened. Abruptly stopping the pipe, I wait. Sliding around my ankle the tentacle finds my other leg. Coiling around it as well it searches around further. Praying for Regius to arrive faster, I start to slightly tremble. Unable to control my body, I keep trembling until another tentacle finds my left calf. Watching as it feels around my calf, my hair sticks up in fear. The second tentacle moves up my leg before reaching the hem of my knee length skirt. Feeling the skirt hem, it moves lower and explores farther, discovering my right thigh. Tearing up, I wait patiently, REgius will come for me.


    More and more tentacles start probing the side of my skirt including the convenient pocket. Digging in my pocket, one of the tentacles takes out the bar of chocolate that I have brought. Not able to stop the tears anymore, I watch as the tentacle brings the bar of chocolate to the body. Ignoring the tentacles they found my shirt, I watch as the chocolate bar is brought into the opening between all the tentacles and into the neck. Ignoring the increasingly daring tentacles, I listen as the thing chews my chocolate bar.


    Regius will come for me, I comfort myself. When Regius comes, I will beat this thing. It took my candy bar! Suddenly noticing a tentacle touching my cheek right below my teardrop, I forget to breathe. Moving slightly up, it shudders awkwardly. Not just that tentacle, all of them were spasming in place. Checking the main body, I see the hands hold it¡¯s tummy tightly. Retracting all of the tentacles in a panic, It tries to reach inside itself using the opening between its tentacles. First, it¡¯s only one but moments later, several tentacles are writhing inside itself.


    Approaching the door in tears, I watch just long enough to see it fall over, making a loud thump on the ground. Opening the door slowly, it creaks loudly as well. Wiping my tears, I peek my head outside to see several people running towards me. Looking closer, I notice none of their eyes had pupils or any color other than white for that matter. Even worse is that they don¡¯t seem to have moisturized in years. Some of their skin and body parts were missing. Some even have bite marks or clearly missing chunks of flesh.


    Getting out of the room, I start running the other way. Crying while rounding the corner, I find one of those people ahead of me. Believing Regius will save me, I keep running. Seeing the person trying to hug me, I jab my hand at his chin and shove him away. Turning another corner, I see a staircase. If I go up, there¡¯s a good chance I¡¯ll run into a dead end, it¡¯s best if I can keep running and wait for Regius. Stifling my whimpers, I run down the stairs. Looking back I could see dozens of people coming after me. Running through another hallway, several more of those unmoisturized people come out of the surrounding rooms. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Unable to keep my cry of shock from spilling out, all of them look at me. Tearing up once again, I run even faster. Why can¡¯t they find their own moisturizing cream? Leading all of them down the hallway, I see two doors. One spills sunlight into the room whereas the other leads to a dark, closed room. Not even waiting for anything to come out of that room, I slam into the doors leading outside and keep running. Running a good distance away, I notice nothing behind me.


    Stopping to catch my breath, I notice the door I escaped through as well as the wall surrounding it are bulging out. Hearing a slight thump, I see some of the bricks get knocked out of the wall. Backing up, I watch as the hinges on the door as well as most of the surrounding wall fly away. After a momentary silence, A massive octopus monster starts dragging itself to me. Turning around, I start running again. Regius will come for me, I scream in my head. Running through a jungle of colorful metal, I slide down this small plastic slope.


    Continuing to run, I look back to see it easily climb over the metal jungle and run after me. Looking around, I see Yue at the top of the building. I knew I should have gone up! Seeing Yue frantically wave her arms, I give her a thumbs up. She wants me to run to her. Glancing at the tentacle monster, I quickly decide against it. I can¡¯t turn around!


    Unable to wipe my tears, I continue to blindly run away from the horrible beast. Suddenly seeing the ground closing in on me, I throw my hands out. I tripped! Turning back to the tentacle monster, I glare. Unable to stay away anymore, I get ready for a fight. I don¡¯t care if you¡¯re the biggest tentacle monster, you don¡¯t mess with a dungeon! Waiting for it to get close, I transform into the biggest slime possible. Or, at least I tried. Looking at my hands and then back at the looming beast above me, I finally let out a whimper. Why can¡¯t I change forms?


    Watching as the tentacles surround me and raise me into the air, I wait for my demise. This is my last resort. What do princesses do when in danger? They scream for help! Opening my mouth to scream, I remember that Regius had told me not to make a sound no matter what happened. Believing in him one last time, I close my eyes. Tears spill out at the thought of never retrieving my new pillow from underneath the mattress again.


    Waiting for the inevitable, I notice that nothing is happening. Opening my eyes, I suddenly fall out of the tentacles embrace and into someone else''s.

 20. Coffee with Sugar

    Wilbur always said that a real man would never keep a woman waiting too long. I don¡¯t know if it was too long this time, but I definitely didn¡¯t appreciate how long it took to be rescued. Being carried like a princess, I look at the sky. Unlike our world, this world¡¯s sky is blue and the star is a dusty yellow. Glancing at my rescuer, I loosen my hold on his neck to give him some breathing room. Abruptly stopping, he glares at me. Not understanding, I glare back.


    I refuse to lose twice in a staring contest! Sighing, the man says, ¡°Hold tighter, I can¡¯t run if you keep bouncing around!¡± Widening my eyes, I hold his neck tighter. I really don¡¯t know why he¡¯s still carrying me, but if he wants to, I see no problem. I promised not to hug others, but that doesn¡¯t mean they can¡¯t hug me and that I can¡¯t hold onto them. It¡¯s purely his fault he wasn¡¯t there on time! Ruminating on whether I was hugging or holding my rescuer, we arrive at another abandoned building.


    Dropping me on a ratty sofa, he disappears into another room. He definitely looks like Regius. He may not have any of Regius¡¯s defining traits, but he does have eight eyes! Waiting patiently for the target to come back, Several minutes pass before his head pokes out from around the wall. Looking at me questioningly, he asks, ¡°What are you waiting for? An invitation? Come on!¡± Frowning, I get up and turn the corner. Regius would never talk to me so rudely! He¡¯s definitely a criminal. He might have saved me, but I¡¯ll give him a 4 out of 10 for that behavior.


    Stepping through a broken doorway, I find myself in a kitchen. Motioning me to sit in front of him, he asks, ¡°Now, you want to tell me why someone like you is roaming around outside?¡± Thinking even worse of him, I ask, ¡°What do you mean someone like me?¡± Does he think dungeons can¡¯t make it in this world? Dungeons are the best! There isn¡¯t any world where we can¡¯t dominate! Seeing my aggressive attitude, he raises his hands while saying, ¡°I¡¯m talking about you being unarmed.¡±


    Fumbling around in his pant pockets, he says, ¡°I want to know who let you outside without a gun. Everyone in the area knows that the old school is a hot zone, so you¡¯re obviously not from around here.¡± Pulling out a finger length stick, he lights one end on fire and sticks the other end on fire. I guess even I would feel tired of living if all I could see were nasty monsters. Feeling bad for the guy, I answer him, ¡°I and my group came to look for some things, but we got separated. I was told not to make a sound no matter what I encountered and my partner would come to save me.¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    Curious, I ask, ¡°Why are you trying to kill yourself?¡± Raising an eyebrow, he looks at me strangely. Gesturing to the flaming stick in his mouth, I say ¡°You¡¯re inhaling smoke, It¡¯s been known to degrade your lung tissue and cause several issues. Why do you do that?¡± Looking at me in disbelief, he swipes his forehead for some reason and chuckles while looking everywhere but at me. Finally looking at me, he asks, ¡°Are you serious?¡± Seeing me still staring at him, he shakes his head, ¡°It may be self-degradation or whatever, but it helps calm my nerves. Nowadays, the only people who can get a peace rest are those who have yet to leave their bunkers. Sometimes, being closer to death one way, get you farther from death another.¡±


    Tilting my head, I swing my legs back and forth under the table. This grandpa doesn¡¯t make any sense. Getting closer to death means getting closer to death. Unless he can split his body in two, it shouldn¡¯t be possible, right? Seeing my confusion, he chuckles, ¡°I mean, I would rather die rocking on my chair, than in the gut of some monster. I¡¯d rather die in peace than in defeat. Get it?¡± Nodding my head, I add to his score. I¡¯d give him a 6 out of 10 now.


    Gesturing to the empty cup in front of me, he asks, ¡°Would you like some coffee young lady? It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve laughed this good.¡± Beaming, I offer to make it for him. I definitely know how to make coffee, it¡¯s the thing where you put those fragrant leaves in the boiling water and add sugar right? Wilbur always drank coffee, but when I asked to taste it, he would always make me another separate cup. Pointing to a large barrel, he says, ¡°I like my coffee strong, if you could be a dear, use a half cup of the stuff in the barrel for mine. Also, just use some of the sugar in the cabinet.¡±


    Going over to the barrel, I open the top and find it full of brown powder. Taking a bit more than a cup in the provided scoop, I move over to the electric stove where water was already boiling. ¡°Oh yeah, the water is ready. I was making some before I heard the tangle vine. Should save some time.¡± he adds while maintaining parts of his gun. Adding most of the brown powder into the boiling water, I look for the sugar. Not finding it in the surrounding cupboards, I ask, ¡°Which drawer is the sugar in mister?¡±


    Not looking up, he motions in the right direction near the ceiling. Following his finger, I open a smaller and harder to reach cupboard. Inside is a tiny bottle with a worn label. Looking at the label, all I can make out is the picture of a dead mouse. Shaking the contents, I shrug my shoulders. Maybe the brand he uses is so sweet, it could kill a mouse. Sounds just like him! Strong coffee should go with strong sugar right?

 21. Wheres Youre Stomach?

    Serving him the coffee, I start washing the pot. Curious I ask, ¡°If the monsters took over, how is it that you get water and electricity?¡± Wilbur and I also enjoyed electricity, but it only worked when Wilbur charged the lightning rune and water runes in his dungeon. Chuckling he stares at me, ¡°First tell me why you¡¯re not drinking any coffee. Didn¡¯t you say you would have some?¡± Tilting my head in confusion, I say, ¡°Yea, I did, but you can¡¯t really expect me to drink something so strong? I might die from how sweet that is.¡± Even Wilbur didn¡¯t drink coffee that smelled that strong. Just from taking a whiff, I became dizzy.


    Widening his eyes in comprehension, he stirs his coffee. Smelling it, he smiles, ¡°You know, only my wife used to make coffee that smells this good. If you want, I can let you stay with me if you can keep making this kind of coffee.¡± Shyly setting the water to boil, I say, ¡°that¡¯s very nice of you sir, but I have someone waiting for me.¡± Sighing, the targets stirs his coffee much slower. I hope I didn¡¯t make a mistake with his coffee. I can¡¯t be held responsible for his sketchy sugar! Nervously waiting for him to taste his coffee, I ask, ¡°Do you have any less sweet sugar mister?¡± Gesturing back to the barrel of the brown powder, he says, ¡°Just look in the drawing in the other room. I¡¯m pretty sure I have some substitute.¡±


    Following his directions, I find a jar of sugar just sitting on a counter. I guess this is the substitute. Checking the drawer, just to be sure. I find several small packets with the brand ¡°Not Sugar¡± written on them. Shutting the drawer I walk back with the jar of sugar. Why would I use something that isn¡¯t sugar?


    Putting in about two spoons of sugar, I stir my coffee. Letting it boil for a bit longer, I turn around to find the target watching me. Feeling something is wrong, I ask, ¡°Why aren¡¯t you drinking your coffee? It¡¯ll get cold!¡± Smiling sadly, he says, ¡±Sorry, just lost in my memories. If I could, I would just keep you here with me forever. Just like my wife.¡± Nervously laughing, I say, ¡°Too bad you can¡¯t, right? You don¡¯t seem like a bad guy.¡± Pouring my coffee in my cup, I sit across from him. Bringing my mouth to the cup of coffee, I watch him smile at me. Nodding my head at his coffee I remind him that it¡¯s getting cold. Feeling a chill crawl down my spine, I try drinking my coffee. Taking a small sip, I immediately recoil. Putting the cup down, I start breathing harder while tearing up.


    The coffee! It¡¯s too hot! Laughing, the target says, ¡°You¡¯re so impatient, just like her. Take your time, blow across the surface like this and cool it down.¡± Glaring at him, I watch as he blows on his coffee exaggeratedly. Watching him take a sip, I lean closer on the edge of my seat. Gulping it down, he smiles. Much more relaxed, I copy him and take another sip. Finding the taste to be bitter, I scrunch my face up. Suddenly noticing the target pointing his gun at me, I freeze. His eyes grow bloodshot as he yells, ¡°Get in the other room! Hurry up! I made a mistake once, never again will I let such a pretty lassie get away.¡± Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    Tearing up again, I follow his orders. Moving into the other room, I watch as he pulls open a trapdoor with one hand still pointing his gun at me. Gesturing with his gun, he pushes me down into the hole. Stumbling down the stairs in the dark, I walk down several flights. Wilbur always said to wait for the opportune moment. I always seemed to act before or after the opportune moment according to him, but I did get a passing score from him eventually. He did say something along the lines of unpredictable and defying common sense, but I couldn¡¯t understand what he was talking about. Waiting for him to follow me down, I squint as the lights flicker on. Watching him come down slowly while waving the gun at me, I slowly back up.


    Looking around, I only find a large sized cage in the basement. Frowning, I walk closer to the cage. Watching him come down the steps, I find him already clutching his stomach. Smiling, I realize that all I have to do is wait for him to reach the bottom. He¡¯s not as healthy as he makes it look. Moving behind the cage, I watch as he struggles to make it down. Finally standing in front of the cage, he holds his stomach while groaning. Looking up, his bloodshot eyes stare at me. Nervously bending my knees, I get ready to dash away. Just when I thought was going to lunge for me, he bends over and starts vomiting.


    Pinching my nose in disgust I slowly creep around the cage. Finding him still clutching his stomach, I back away towards to stairs. I did tell him that inhaling smoke is bad for him. Maybe his lungs are where human stomachs are supposed to be. I¡¯ll have to ask Regius when he rescues me. Spotting his gun as I reached the stairs, I hesitate bore dashing for it. Hastily grabbing the gun, I run up the stairs. Making it to the top, I close the trap door and push the barrel of brown powder on top of it. Leaning against the barrel, Slouch down. Who has that many stairs anyway? Why doesn''t every place have an elevator? At least in our home world, I have Regius to carry me places.


    Suddenly hearing a knock on the wall, I look up to see Regius. Lifting my arms, I demand him to carry me. I climbed so many steps and ran so much today! I deserve to be carried. Looking at me confused, he asks, ¡°Where¡¯s your rescuer? I saw him just a few minutes ago drinking from that mug. I was at another building, so I couldn¡¯t come quicker.¡±


    Sighing I point at the trap door behind me. Seeing that he didn¡¯t understand, I elaborate, ¡°He tried to put me in a cage but had some problems. I just ran up with his gun.¡± Pointing the gun lazily at Regius, I toss it to him. Panicking, Regius catches it carefully before saying, ¡°Winowna, never point a gun at someone! It dangerous.¡± Shrugging, I curiously ask, ¡°Where¡¯s your stomach regius?¡±

 22. Basketball

    Confused, Regius asks, ¡°What?¡± twiddling my thumbs, I say, ¡°The guy down there. I¡¯m pretty sure he had lung problems, but when he bent over, he was holding his stomach. I asked you because he¡¯s also like you. You know, with eight eyes and unstable emotions?¡± Shaking his head, he asks, ¡°Did you find the target? Did you already capture him?¡± Smiling, I show my best side. According to Yue, her best side is the right half of her face, so mine should be left. Right? Puffing out my chest and crossing my arms, I wait for the inevitable praise I deserve.


    Lifting up by my shoulders, Regius pushes the barrel off of the trap door. Ignoring me, he hastily rushes down into the basement. Huffing, I make my way over to the coffee table. Sitting in a slouch, I pick up my coffee mug and blow on the surface. How dare he forget his partner! I did all the hard work! He didn¡¯t even save me in time! Siping the coffee, I spit it back out. Looking around, I spill the rest of my coffee in the sink. How do people like this stuff? The coffee Wilbur gave me was much better. It¡¯s probably all the brown powder! You can¡¯t just replace fresh leaves with that stuff!


    Staring at my empty cup, I start to feel empty inside myself. Getting an idea, I fill the cup with water. Putting my hands on my hips, I smile in satisfaction. Now I¡¯m all full! Sitting back on the coffee table, I patiently wait for Regius to bring his stinky cousin up. Taping the table, I start to get bored. Propping my feet up on the table I lean back. Tipping the chair off its front two legs, I rock it back and forth. Suddenly seeing the target''s body flopping down on top of the coffee barrel, I miss a beat and tip the chair too far. Suddenly feeling my surrounding rush by, I watch exhaustedly as the ceiling gets farther away. Sometimes, not being able to do anything can really be a pain.


    Closing my eyes and hiding my head behind my arms, I brace for impact. Counting the milliseconds, time just seems to get longer and longer until I hit the ground. Waiting a few more seconds, I open my eyes in confusion. Why hadn¡¯t I hit the floor yet? Seeing the ceiling no longer moving away, I look behind me to find Regius grinning at me. Watching my different reactions, he starts swinging me around while hugging me closer to his chest. Whispering into my ear, he says, ¡°I would shout but this isn¡¯t the place. Winowna, you¡¯re amazing! My portal sent me to another building all together so it took me a while. I¡¯m so proud of you. You finished the mission all by yourself.¡± Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    Trying to play it off as an everyday thing, I say, ¡°Well, yeah! I don¡¯t need help for something this easy. Well? What do I get for completing the mission?¡± Smirking, he leans in closer. Touching his forehead to mine, he leans even closer. Feeling his breath tickling my nose, I try to shy away, but his steady hands hold me in place. Shortening the distance, his lips lightly brush over my nose. Feeling my head heat up, I wait while holding my breath. Is there something on my face? Is it so small that he needs to be this close?


    Gentle taking my lips in his, he tenderly pushes them together for the slightest of moments, before putting some distance between our faces. Touching my lips, I look at him confused. I ask him, ¡°What did you do?¡± Smiling contently, he says, ¡°That is called a kiss. It¡¯s something partners do to show affection. That was my reward to you.¡± Nodding my head in comprehension, I tilt my head, ¡°Did you not have affection for me before now? Is affection something that grows with merit?¡±


    Sighing, Regius softly cradles me still in his arms and explains, ¡°No, affection is something that grows with time. If we are true partners and are meant for each other, our affection for each other will only grow stronger.¡±


    Nodding my head, I ask excitedly, ¡°What happens after a kiss? Is it a super big pillow?¡± If all it takes to gain affection is time, then I can wait until the world crumbles! How many pillows can I earn this way?


    Awkwardly freezing, he replies, ¡°Winowna, let¡¯s just go home.¡± Walking out of the building, find an interesting pole in the middle of the paved road. ¡°Hey, Regius. What¡¯s that?¡± I ask while pointing to it. Looking up, he chuckles while saying, ¡°It¡¯s a basketball hoop. You want to try it?¡± Nodding my head, I watch as Regius pulls a ball out of a smaller portal. Leading me like a duckling to the basketball hoop, he tells me to stop pretty far away. There¡¯s no way I can see what he does with the ball and pole from over here! I fume in frustration when he suddenly grabs my arms. Placing the ball between my hands, he guides my hands and we follow through with a few throwing motions. ¡°See? That¡¯s all there is to it! All you have to do is shoot the ball through the hoop at the top.¡±


    Feeling his warmth, I snuggle in closer. Humans may create many redundant activities, but the best thing is this hugging thing. Not only can I save on the heat production costs, but I can also snuggle up to someone else''s body and take advantage of their fat! Carefully aiming and taking into account the wind blowing and the weight of the ball, I calculate the trajectory needed to launch the ball into the hoop. Adjusting my body just slightly to avoid hitting Regius in the face, I propel the curious looking ball perfectly into the hoop. Exposing a toothy grin, I look back at Regius.I¡¯m probably already the best at this too!

 23. Satisfactory

    Picking up Yue, we step through Regius¡¯s portal and appear in his room, I never really noticed but his room looks a lot like an art gallery. Random paintings and vases just put on display everywhere. Tugging Regius¡¯s sleeve, I ask, ¡°Can you introduce me to the other people in the palace now?¡± Thinking, he waves his hand in the air. Looking behind me, I turn back confused. There is no one behind me, so who is he waving at? Just when I open my mouth to question him, someone materializes next to me. Jumping away in fright, I watch as a figure in all white bends his waist and bows to Regius.


    Turning, he also bends and bows to me. Copying him, I bow back. According to Wilbur, the proper etiquette between individuals is to reciprocate what the individual offers as respect back to them. Straightening my back, I smile at him to show I mean no harm. Moving like a broken toy, he slowly looks between Regius and then back at me. Waving it off, Regius asks, ¡°Did you schedule a meeting with my parents?¡± Nodding, the figure uses a few hand signals and the bows again. Standing straight, he disappears.


    Gaping, Regius closes my mouth for me. Pointing to where the figure was, I ask, ¡°Can you do that?¡± Shaking his head in silent denial, I ask, ¡°Can I learn to do that? I want to teleport too!¡± Shaking his head, Regius says, ¡°He didn¡¯t really teleport, his power is just invisibility with stealth. You could probably train in stealth but invisibility is his own skill. He¡¯s probably just down the hall at this moment.¡±


    Turning around, I stare at the door, ¡°How did he leave? I never even heard the door open!¡± Chuckling, Regius says, ¡°Amazing right? I¡¯ve tried to catch him since I was small, but even with me watching the door the whole time, I never saw it move. Anyway, we have a few minutes before meeting my parents. You sure you want to do this?¡±


    Puffing out my chest, I show him my confidence, ¡°A good partner has to know everything about the other. I have to meet your family sooner or later right?¡± Turning around, Regius mutters, ¡°I definitely wouldn¡¯t meet them. They probably don¡¯t even care.¡± Reaching the window he replies more audibly, ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll be ecstatic.¡±


    Waiting a few more minutes, I help straighten his hair as well as his collar. I really don¡¯t understand why he wears a collared shirt if he hates buttoning the collar up. Walking down a few hallways and up a grand set of stairs, I approach a large double door depicting the silhouette of a spider overlapping with a man. Walking forward, the door opens by itself as we walk down the red carpet, hand in hand.


    Seeing a woman sitting on a massive seat all alone, I turn my face to the side and ask, ¡°Do you only have one parent?¡± Chuckling, Regius says, ¡°My father figure is my mother. The male that helped give birth to me is long dead. Its tradition, every few generations, the queen will make use of a strong wild dimensional spiders genes to strengthen the bloodline.¡± The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    Audible swallowing, he pats my head, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You¡¯re just a princess, and I¡¯m just a prince. The others can deal with tradition.¡± Walking to the lady I do my best to keep my feet straight. Wilbur had warned me that some of the Royals in the past had cut off people feet just because they walked funny. Taking a deep breath, I gently squeeze Regius¡¯s hand and control my sweat glands. Wilbur also said something about sweaty servants and boiling pots of oil, but I can¡¯t seem to remember the details.


    Looking at me from my exposed toes to my loose hair, the queen of the kingdom gets off of her throne. Walking around me, she pokes my stomach and gropes my hips a few times. Stopping behind me, she lifts a portion of my hair and examines the roots as well as the volume. Nervously waiting, I glance at Regius, only to see him apathetic. Maybe, this isn¡¯t a huge deal after all. Continuing around me, his mother grabs my face and checks my facial features thoroughly. Checking my teeth, pinching my cheeks, checking my nostrils, and examining my eyes very closely.


    Sitting back on the chair, she waves a servant in. Bringing in small cups of tea, the servant quickly sets up a small and elegant table and leaves the tea on the tray. Gesturing towards the cups, the queen grabs the only closest to me. Tilting my head, I reciprocate slowly. Grabbing Regius¡¯s cup, I bring it to my mouth. Blowing in the surface first, I look up to see the queen staring at me. Not daring to drink my tea, I stand there quietly, waiting for something to happen. Apathetically, Regius picks the remaining cup and swallows the contents without any ceremony.


    Glancing at me, he coughs and says, ¡°If your inspection is finished, Winowna and I will be retiring, mother.¡± Raising her eyebrows she motions for me to leave but keeps staring at Regius. Releasing my hand with a frown, he whispers for me to wait for him in his room.


    Walking back, I see a maid coming out of the kitchens. She was one of the three identical looking maids that I met on the first day. Reaching out to tap her shoulder, I stop when I see a few strands of green fur on one of her shoulders. Is the nice werewolf also here? I need to ask him if I can have some of his fur. Just imagining a pillow made of his fur makes me shiver in excitement. Trying to tap her shoulder again, I miss and watch as the maid starts running away. Maybe she¡¯s shy.


    Pacing in Regius¡¯s room, I wait quite a few minutes before Regius comes back. Sighing deeply, he slouches onto his bed. Worried, I waddle over to him. Who knew walking with a basketball between your knees would be so hard. Poking his face, I continue until he looks at me. Chuckling, I watch him. Smiling back he just lays on his bead. Not able to handle the suspense, I ask, ¡°So? What did your mom say?¡± Sighing again, he says, ¡°Nothing much, just that you are satisfactory and pass her standards.¡±


    Puffing my cheeks out, I say, ¡°Just satisfactory? I¡¯m much better than that! I¡¯m a future basketball legend!¡± Twirling the basketball on my finger, I lay on the bed next to Regius. Moving the hair out of my face, Regius says, ¡°Don¡¯t worry Winowna, you¡¯re much less than satisfactory.


    Throwing a questioning look at him, I watch as his face turns into one of panic. Stuttering, he quickly says, ¡°I definitely meant that. Don¡¯t get me wrong! You¡¯re the ugliest person I¡¯ve ever met!¡± Getting up, I scoot away. Something wrong. Looking shocked, Regius yells, ¡°Go away! Get out!¡± Observing his agitated face with teary eyes, I run out of the room. Yelling after me, he screams, ¡°Leave! I really don¡¯t love you Winowna. Go! Get out!¡± Running through the halls, I look back to see his red eyes glaring at me and his hand reaching out as if trying to grab me.


    Turning the corner, I see one of the maids calling me over. Sobbing while running to her, I throw a glance back to find Regius nowhere in sight. Entering a smaller room, I notice the maid is the same one that I had passed earlier. Pushing aside the dresser, she says, ¡°Escape through here if you want to keep your little toes!¡± Does he want my toes? Wilbur was right! Royalty never changes. Not looking back again, I enter the dark tunnel.

 24. Why

    Trudging down the passageway, I find myself crying endlessly. Why does it hurt, why does it burn? My body is absolutely fine, so why do I keep crying? Humans really do have interesting feelings. Just a few words put me into this mess. Just breathing feels difficult, moving on seems impossible. Why do I keep remembering him? Humans really do function in ways that lead to their own demise. If one partner rejects you, why can¡¯t they just move on and get another? Rubbing my chest, I continue to stumble around in the dark.


    Any second now, Regius will find me. Any second now, he will say it was a joke. Tripping in the dark, I plop down into a murky puddle. Wiping my eyes, I slowly prop myself up. Wilbur always said crying is the biggest weakness and strongest strength of humans. No other race has this peculiar mix of emotional nonsense. I guess I can relate to the weakness part at least. Maybe if I cry enough, I¡¯ll be able to summon Regius. Shaking my head, I try to forget. Chanting to myself, I say, ¡°I am not Winowna the human. I am not Winowna the dungeon.¡±


    Unable to stop myself from tearing up, I finally make it to a source of light. Clawing myself out, I find myself in a ditch, just outside of the walls surrounding the upper district. Making my mind up, I head toward the edges of the kingdom. I can definitely survive without anyone! I can definitely do it. Thinking back to Wilbur¡¯s words, I decide not to abandon this body. It doesn¡¯t matter if no one wants me, I am Winowna. No matter what body I use, I will always be Winowna. Pumping myself up, I materialize my bound pillow. It was the one the nice werewolf man had given me. Hugging it tight, I walk past the commoner''s district and into the slums.


    Just a few more minutes, and I should be out of the capitol walls. I guess I can just turn into a slime and traverse the rest of the kingdom until I leave it. I can definitely settle down in some remote village. Passing a small impoverished girl, I watch as she swipes the coinage from an elderly gentleman. Shaking my head, I focus on the road. I can¡¯t stop until I leave the city behind. Passing yet another child, he waddles up to me and pulls my dirty clothes. ¡°Miss, please give me something to eat,¡± he pleads. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    Looking away, I say, ¡°Sorry, I don¡¯t have anything.¡± Not relenting, he says, ¡°Please miss, can you give me anything? I haven¡¯t eaten in days.¡± Tearing up, I blame human compassion while giving him my pillow, ¡°Sell it, it should give you quite a bit of food. It¡¯s a pillow from the royal castle.¡± Patting his head, I leave for the outskirts of the capital. Passing a shady looking house, I cover my ears as several pained screams escape the open door. Mumbling to myself, I say, ¡°You don¡¯t owe anyone anything. You don¡¯t need to help anyone else. It¡¯s okay to not do anything. It really is.¡±


    The funny thing is, I couldn¡¯t seem to trick myself. I used to be able to do it, I would say, Wilbur is just tickling his wife. He is just shouting in joy. He is just joking with her.¡± Ignoring the atrocities, I arrive at the edge of the city. Turning into a slime, I get ready to dig under the walls when my pillow hits me. Turning back into a human, I turn around to see the little boy from around a broken wall. Gesturing for him to come to me, I watch as he starts to float.


    Seeing him swaying, I watch as he crashes into the ground in front of me. Coming around the wall behind the boy is the nice werewolf. Laughing he says, ¡°You just love being nice huh? Well, do him one last favor.¡± Picking him up by the head, the boy starts hysterically crying. ¡°Save him. If you let me kill you, I¡¯ll let the little thing go. Simple right?¡± Grinning at me, the evil werewolf starts to squeeze on the boy¡¯s head. ¡°Come on Winowna, don¡¯t take too long.¡± Tearing up, I remember how I went to the world full of superheroes. They don¡¯t exist in this world, do they?


    Wiping my tears off, I put on my bravest face. ¡°Fine! Let him go, I¡¯ll cooperate,¡± I say with all of my courage. Smiling, he says, ¡°I never thought it would be this easy. I planned so much just to get you out here but you just gave up in the end.¡± tilting my head in confusion, I say, ¡°Why though? I thought you were one of the nicest people I had ever met.¡± Smirking, he grabs my head while saying, ¡°Maybe you can ask someone on the other side? Goodbye, little dungeon.¡± With a wet snapping sound, he drops the boy''s body on the ground. Feeling my stomach heaving again, I watch in disbelief. He wasn¡¯t supposed to die right? With a snap, the lights went out.


    After that day, the dungeon Winowna was never seen again.

 25. Ring

    Blinking my eyes, I stare the vast expanse of white. I guess this is what comes after death. Rubbing my eyes, I sigh in dejection. I was chased away by my partner, gave my only pillow away, and failed to do anything useful. I probably caused the child''s death too. Tearing up again, I look around. finding nothing in sight, I close my eyes and curl into a ball. I guess this is how it¡¯ll be. Through repetitive cycles of sleeping and waking up only to go back to sleep, I spend what seems like days in the empty space. Sometimes waking up in tears and sometimes forgetting where I am. Waking up for the umpteenth time, I start screaming, ¡°Please! Someone do something!¡±


    Finding no response, I lay back down. I guess sleeping for eternity isn¡¯t terrible. It just needs a pillow. Trying to use my dungeon powers, I find that nothing seems to work. Sighing in futility, I close my eyes. Waiting for sleep to take over, I hear a cough. Shaking my head, I get comfortable. Hearing a cough again, I frown. Am I finally going crazy? Is that why Regius chased me out? I don¡¯t think I was a hindrance before. I even helped out on two missions perfectly. Squinting my eyes, I glance around.


    Finding a blob in front of my face, I sit up. Sitting up, I stare at the blob of light. Producing a coughing sound, the blob says, ¡°You called?¡± Blinking at it, I ask, ¡±Where are we?¡± Doing a little jiggle, it says, ¡°You, are in limbo. Your new origin is being mapped. I, on the other hand, am elsewhere.¡± Tilting my head, I wait for a better explanation. Jiggling a bit, it asks, ¡°Is that all?¡± Waving my hands to stop it, I say, ¡°Wait! No! I don¡¯t know what you mean.¡± Vibrating more uniformly this time, it says, ¡°You are being prepared to be put into another body. It will take a few more moments, so please stand by.¡±


    Refusing to answer any more of my questions, I end up hugging it to sleep. It isn¡¯t the best pillow, but it definitely beats not having anything. Time passes at an unknown pace as I drift in and out of sleep. Finally, the blob jiggles in my embrace. A more friendly voice says, ¡°We are ready to shift you to your new body. Due to the severe lack of any life skills, the administrators have decided that there is no need to wipe your memory. Is there anything you would like to request?¡± Twiddling my thumbs I think about the different things I could ask for. If I ask for superpowers, will they reject me? It¡¯s best I go small. Hugging the blob I roll around on the white surface.


    What do I get? Throwing the blob up and catching it as it falls, I get an idea. Crossing my fingers, I ask, ¡°Can I have this blob as a pillow?¡± While waiting, the blob occasionally vibrates. As if coming to a decision, the blob turns into a seamless spherical pillow, falling into my lap. The same voice returns, saying, ¡°Your request has been acknowledged. The pillow will be allocated to you on birth as a blanket. On your fifth birthday, it will turn into a pillow and on your 16th birthday, it will change forms according to your desire. Please close your eyes and go to sleep now.¡±Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Hesitating, I look at the pillow. Will I ever see anyone from my world again? Will anyone come to rescue me in this world? Hugging the pillow tighter, I close my eyes. Taking a few moments, my eyes start to get heavy and I once again drift off into sleep. Does Regius really hate me?


    *****


    Furiously looking at the maid, I pace around the room. Why? It was perfect, all I had to do was marry her and it would be happily ever after. Kicking my former acquaintance who was tied up on the ground, I continue pacing. So, she killed his cousin? Just what are the chances? The tea was spiked and she was supposed to be ousted from the castle. From there the little pillow he gave her would lay a scent trail right to her. Just how? Why would such an ambitious plan work out? Stomping on his paw, I crush it until I hear bones snapping.


    Hearing the door open, I see mother walking in. Remembering how she took the cup closest to Winowna and stared at her when she took the one closest to mine, I turn to face her with rage burning through my veins. Before I could say anything, she says, ¡°I was asked to test your relationship by the king of beastmen. It was to be a small quarrel and nothing more. I just came to say you should find her. Don¡¯t be a disgrace.¡± Walking back out of the room, I watch as she halts halfway out the door. ¡°Contact Mister Wilbur, he¡¯ll be both furious to know what happened and willing to help you locate her new origin. At the very least, I expect him to help when I wage war on the beastman states,¡± she says while leaving.


    Clenching my fists, I make a neck slicing motion while leaving the room. Picking up the engagement ring on the way, I stuff it into my pocket. Hearing a whimper and the maid hitting the floor, I frown. Just where did she go? Not only did the drug make me say the opposite of what I meant, but It also made me nauseous. Passing a crumbling wall, I walk into Winowna''s room. Rummaging around her stuff, I spot Yue coming out of the bathroom. She frowns at me and asks, ¡°Hey, you want to explain why you suddenly teleported into the middle of a wall?¡±


    Frowning, I decide it¡¯s time to send her home. I can¡¯t have any more distractions. From just our world, there are more than twenty million places for her to reincarnate. Even if it takes me years, I will put this ring on her finger.


    *****


    Flinching at the sudden bright light, I start to cry. Why do babies cry so awfully? Hearing my own, cries, I start to lull myself to sleep. This whole crying thing is exhausting, maybe Regius will come to save me again...

 UPDATE 2

    So... I WILL BE ENDING THIS IN A FEW DAYS! three days for me. Starting tomorrow, I''ll start releasing again. No concrete plans on continuing this story, but I was thinking of a sequel for fun after I get to a certain point in my other novel and take a break... sorry for the lack of structured releases, I just have erratic amounts of time available to write in my day. Hope you''ll like my ending (maybe a precursor to the next (part/volume/installment)!Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    P.S. I might get an image of what might be Winowna out in the following days, I was told that my acquaintancewill draw her if I try...


    If her''s looks good, I might even commissiona pro to make it official.

 26. Five

    Wading into the room, I start to smash my dolls together. I don¡¯t know why, but this really is fun. I even named them! One is called Girl and the other is called Barbie. I did feel bad when I found out that one of the dolls only had girl engraved on it while the other had a tacky name like Barbie on it. Smiling, I crawl into my bed, it wasn¡¯t as comfortable as my bed in Regius¡¯s palace, but it was good enough for now.


    Continually waving my dolls around, I catch a glimpse of my nemesis, Sister Eshnai. I don¡¯t know why, but my biological mother hasn¡¯t come to see me after I was born. I thought she would be my parent, but it seems that humans have a strange relationship with offspring. Not only did I never see a father figure, but my mother also changes several times. At first, it was someone called sister Alice. After a couple of years, about the time when I learned to talk, It changed to someone called Doctor Daliah. She was nice, but one day, a scary looking man with a gun came and took her away.


    The good thing is she was taken in an ambulance, so she¡¯s probably getting healing in the hospital right? She used to give me all kinds of candies. Some would taste sweet while others tasted awful. The awful ones even made me feel weird. Sometimes I would start seeing dragons and giant flowers flying around. Other times I would see those tentacle monsters and rainbows on the ground.


    Finally a few hundred days ago, Sister Eshnai came. She isn¡¯t terrible, but she doesn¡¯t give any candy. All she does is make us do chores and play. She is strict but very attentive. One time, she found me playing with a toy knife and took it away, saying it¡¯s too early. I don¡¯t really understand, but I guess humans don¡¯t play with knives until bigger.


    Recently, she has been trying to take my blanket away and give it to the younger kids. I understand sharing is caring, but it¡¯s mine! Mine means mine! There is no I in care but there is in mine. That means that I should care more for what is mine. It''s simple, but she just doesn¡¯t seem to get it.


    Carefully hiding behind the bed posts, I watch as she enters the kitchen. Putting my dolls next to my blanket, I sneak up to the kitchen door. Pushing the door, I peek inside. Finding sister Eshnai rummaging through the fridge, I sigh. Another day of reheated food and another day of no candy. Recently, she had been saying that school is starting soon. Taking me and a few of the other kids to another room, she had started teaching us basic knowledge. The only thing I learned is the amazing bedtime stories and written language. Apparently, this world is the only inhabited world in this universe. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    I cried for hours the day sister Eshnai told me that, but I think I¡¯m over it now. I can¡¯t really remember why or how Regius chased me out, but I do remember his hand reaching out for me. Did I hear him wrong? Does he still think about me? I can only hope he doesn¡¯t hate me. The only problem is that I might be in another universe. Does that mean that he can¡¯t find me?


    Shaking my head, I look through the slightly opened door to see the sister staring at me. Closing the door, I run back to my bed. Going back to playing with my dolls, I pretend like nothing had happened. Focusing on Girl, I straighten her hair as a shadow covers me. Ignoring Eshnai, I continue to groom Girl¡¯s hair. Barbie¡¯s hair is all one piece of plastic while Girl has actual hair so I often tend to Girl more. Besides, Barbie just feels stuck up. I mean who wears that much pink anyway? The only color of clothing I have is grey.


    Coughing, sister Eshnai crosses her arms. Smiling down at me, she strokes my head. Looking up at her while sucking on my lips, I notice that she¡¯s hiding something behind her. Pulling her other hand out from behind her, she surprises me with a cupcake. Living in this world, I¡¯ve learned some things. Among others, I learned that you never say no to cake.


    Reaching out, I try to grab the cupcake, only to have it taken away. Tearing up, I stare mortified at the sister. Starting to cry, she says, ¡±Don¡¯t cry Winowna. Come with me, we have to put a birthday candle in it, right? Then you can make a wish.¡± Wiping my tears, I put my hand in hers. Leading me into the kitchen, she opens a drawer and brings out a box of thin candles. Rubbing my back, she asks, ¡°What color do you want Winowna?¡± Looking through the candles, I only find blue and pink candles. Hesitating, I pick a blue candle. Smiling Sister Eshnai says, ¡°Blue? I thought for sure my little princess would pick pink. You don¡¯t like pink?¡±


    Shaking my head, I quietly say, ¡±Barbie is pink while Girl is blue. Barbie looks prettier, but Girl looks happier. I want to be happy, I don¡¯t care how I look.¡± Looking up at her, I see her looking at me with a weird expression. The longer I look, the more teary-eyed I get. Finally moving, Sister Eshnai hugs me. Panicking, I start to squirm out. Calming me down, she says, ¡°Remember what I said, It''s not a hug if you don''t do it back. Just stand there and let me hug you.¡± Patting my head comfortingly, I feel her tears falling onto my back. I really wish we had more money, at least enough to get sister Eshnai a pillow of her own. She sleeps with a different child every day. I know because I counted. She doesn¡¯t even have her own part of the wall.


    Remembering something, I ask, ¡°Sister, how old am I?¡± Caressing my head, she cups my cheek and says, ¡°You¡¯re five dear. You¡¯re five years old as of today.¡± Widening my eyes, I run back to my bed. Lifting the thin air mattress up, I find a golden pillow instead of my golden blanket underneath. This is probably my best day yet, I get both a cupcake and a pillow today.

 POLL

    So, I have written 5 more chapters till the end... but march madness is over and I truly feel like I have done WINOWNA wrong....it''s just too rushed. I''m thinking of rewriting it.... like 3k word chapters, longer arcs, more arcs before the fall apart and the eventual reunion.... the works. Also was ruminating on ''The Misadventures of Regius'' as a side where you read about him trying to find her. Thoughts? I just feel like I shouldn''t finish it in such a rushed and trashy way.                                                                                              Also....... I drew Winowna........It just isn''t what I thought it would look like...Comment if you really want to see how I did...This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.

 scheduling

    My bloodshot eyes and I will not be posting until Sunday. I guarantee an ending but you''ll have to wait. I don''t have red or pink eye but I''m chilling with a 102 Fahrenheit fever and a feels bad feeling, just can''t today. Either way, just a heads up, I just finished my exam cycle and it will only come back a third of the way into may so I should be able to start giving the story more love...... Stay safe..... Also, I''ll be compiling the story so far into one chapter and posting the pseudo end in a single chapter all this Sunday. Two weeks after today, I will start the story again and will be using the existing chapters as a guideline. Planning on adding much longer chapters and extending the arcs. Just felt too rushed to add all of the tags in a month. Also, will have to add a few arcs. The takeaway from the pilot version: don''t kill Winowna.... hehe lost 5 followers and almost a friendship. Sadly, I can only do 1 chapter a week when I start.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

 ENDING

    Hugging my pillow, I wipe my tears. School truly is a terrible thing. Not only do I have to pay attention to the teacher, I even have to do everything she says. Sometimes, she makes me run around for no reason, giving me a lecture on how fitness is important. Other times, she makes me write a sentence several times in a row, saying it¡¯s important for penmanship. Just who did fitness and penmanship ever benefit? I for one never needed either and still managed to tame a volcanic cousin of mine easily.


    Just today, my teacher started giving me work the others didn¡¯t have to do. She said, ¡°You¡¯re special Winowna! You learn much faster than the others so I¡¯m going to start giving you much harder assignments!¡± How can any sane person say that with a smile? Everyone knows that being special is a nice way of saying that you¡¯re stupid. Everyone knows that you have to treat stupid people nicely. Why doesn¡¯t she remember the second part?


    Not only does the special status give me more to do, but it also ostracizes me from my classmates. So what it took me until seven years old to learn the dictionary? No one uses even half the words anyway! Even my teacher doesn¡¯t use all of the words. One time on this day called Valentine''s day, that comes every 365 days or so, my teacher, that seems to follow me every year, got a box of chocolates. Opening it, she pulls out the glassine cover and puts it aside saying, ¡°the plastic coverings get fancier every year!¡± I get that they look fancy, but at least set a good example for those like me who are still getting used to the massive amount of random terms in the dictionary.


    Hugging my pillow tighter, I start to tremble as the adopting family gets closer to my bed. Trying to look even more undesirable, I hide the pillow and pull out my ratty replacement blanket. Messing up my hair, I pretend to be sick. Coughing and sneezing at alternating moments, I watch as their shadows move past me. Sighing, I continue to act for a while longer until they leave the room.


    Over the years, Sister Eshnai tried very hard to find the other kids families, but I just can¡¯t seem to want to leave her. Some of the other kids are taken in by horrible people and are returned after just days. They tell their stories in the night when the sister is sleeping and describe horrible conditions while crying. I really hope Sister Eshnai can adopt me, at least she won¡¯t bury me in the ground. Almost all the returned kids say they were grounded and couldn¡¯t even breathe without getting in trouble.


    *****


    ¡°Hey Winowna, will you be on tonight? The raid boss goes live at 9!¡± My friend screams across the hall at me. Looking around, I nod exaggeratedly at her. She wasn¡¯t the best friend, but after failing to be adopted and then turning 12, the orphanage had to let me go. Good thing the sister knew a few people who I could work for. Not many of my classmates wanted to talk to the homeless orphan, but Chrissy seemed just happy to find someone to talk to. She might brag about her rich parents and how she can get anything she wants, but her heart is in the right place.


    Walking through the school entrance, I swerve to avoid the crowd of kids and cut through the soccer field. School isn¡¯t as bad as it once was, but the teachers just seem to have no life. I mean, who looks forward to class? The worst class is gender studies. Over the last thousand years, the word gender seems to have lost all meaning. I mean, the teacher reprimanded me for saying I am a girl. I tried saying I¡¯m a former dungeon, and he actually gave me a thumbs up for my creativity. This world is a bit weird but it¡¯s not bad.


    Suddenly hearing several footsteps behind me, I glance back to see Michael, the school playboy. They say that he¡¯s dated every girl in the grade besides a handful. Running, I abruptly stop when I find several of his lackeys waiting at the other side of the soccer field. The funny thing about this soccer field is that two games are played here. One is called football, and the other is also called football. I don¡¯t see how it came to be called a soccer field but I never felt like asking. What if it¡¯s like gender? What if you¡¯re not supposed to call things as they are?


    Sighing, I turn around. My philosophy teacher, another class I can¡¯t seem to understand, always says that it¡¯s better to face your problems. Wilbur also said something similar, he said to obliterate your problems. Too bad I can¡¯t be like a superhero and just throw them away. I suppose that I could hijack a laser cannon and evaporate them. Thinking with my finger on my chin, I watch as Michael gets closer. Smiling smugly, he says, ¡°Winowna dear, you love playing hard to get don¡¯t you? How about this, You and I go out tonight? Of course, if you would rather spend time with everyone else, that''s okay as well.¡±


    Cheering annoyingly, the other boys do their best impression of an old gesture, a catcall. What really is with the people in this world? The past always seems to reoccur in their history. Just the cold war is repeated 5 times as new weapons advanced to cover worldwide destruction. Reaching out to grab my shoulder, I drop the arm touching my chin and grab his arm. Pulling him closer, I grab his head with my other hand and twist his hand behind his back. Pulling on his head, I climb onto his back and push off with my feet, earning a nice scream and satisfying series of popping and snapping sounds. Letting go, I land while transitioning into the boxing bounce step. It really is the coolest looking idle stance out of all of the martial arts I am learning. I just hope my current teacher doesn¡¯t see this, getting a place to stay is hard enough. My current judo dojo trial lasts for another two weeks. That¡¯s a month¡¯s worth of food saved!


    *****


    Combing my hair, I pose sideways in the mirror. It really isn¡¯t easy to get a job. Just a few days ago, my boss tried to hug me when he promoted me, but I refused. In short, he fired me. Sometimes, I miss the other world. Wiping a rare tear, I adjust my eyeliner. Sometimes I miss Regius. Now and forever onward, I will keep my promise. I don¡¯t know if I loved you, but I know I can¡¯t see you again. Taking a deep breath, I adjust my suit and pack up my makeup. I can¡¯t just occupy the local fast food restroom forever now can I?


    Exiting the joint, I call a taxi. Immediately breaking off the floating stream of traffic, a cab pulls up in front of me. Getting in I scan my phone and sit back. Jobs like driving and programming seem to still be steady, but why is it that cooking is only available to the best. I¡¯d be happy about cooking and eating for the rest of my life as well! Checking my bank, I wince at the lack of balance. I only have enough to feed myself for another week if I want to continue to live in my apartment. Reaching into my bag, I Take out my pillow and hug it. If it wasn¡¯t for the money I made in the game, I would¡¯ve been on the streets long ago. Sadly, I ran out of free dojo trials to use two years ago.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Getting out of the cab, I wave at the driver and walk up to the building. Stopping in front of the doors I look up. Ever since I beat up those kids in middle school, everyone has been kicking me out of jobs. Some kick me out after the first day, others kick me out of their interviews. It¡¯s really been annoying. At one point, I put my trusty handgun to the employers face and asked him why, but all he did was say sorry and faint. People these days, they¡¯ve got no nerves. Aside from whoever the revengers everyone talks about are, no one seems to be able to get anything done!


    Sighing, I do a little hop and motivate myself to go through with the interview. So what if the employer rejects me? I¡¯ll just go back to making money through games. Going through the revolving doors, I remember how I first struggled with them. Chuckling, I wave at the receptionist and head upstairs. She¡¯s really a nice lady, she called me and even gave me a tour of the company. Hopefully, I can work here, it¡¯s not really a terrible place. The best part is that customers can choose to live on site for free! I can finally say goodbye to the apartments. Heading up the levitator, I hold my miniskirt down as I float upward.


    Reaching the right floor, I stretch my arms out and edge out of the levitation beam. Haphazardly fixing my hair, I make my way to the end of the line of applicants. Holding my bag tight, I wait nervously. Looking around, I find the typical job seekers. Watching the ladies with the well-done makeup and least tension with jealousy, I fiddle with my fingers. If I could, I would pull out my pillow and hug it for comfort but the last time I did that, some lady tried to frame me for stealing it from her. Since then, I only take it out when I¡¯m practically alone.


    As the time passes and my turn comes, I nervously tap my foot. Everyone prior to me was rejected. The only thing that I can probably do that they can¡¯t is knock the competition out physically. Pushing the floating glass doors open, I marvel at the difference between my stone, poorly fitted apartment door and the floating glass doors. The difference between the rich and the needy really is huge. I mean, I don¡¯t need and floating technology, but it just serves to show how far down the ladder I am. Slightly depressed, I shuffle up to the man behind the desk. High heels really are impractical. Just why do all high-end women wear them?


    Sitting down, I wait patiently as the man seems to be reading something. Minutes pass as I watch him chuckle at times and smile at others. Curious, I slowly get up and look over to his side of the desk. Seeing his tablet flashing with images, I slowly lean further. Almost entirely on top of the desk, I find him watching cartoons. Frowning, I huff before getting up and leaving. Sister told me before I left that cartoons are tools the rich use to brainwash us. I refuse to give in! Just before I exited the room the man calls out to me. ¡°Winowna Warper. No family. Very little experience. No financial support. Reports of very high understanding of mathematics as well as science but none in social topics. Also, has several accounts of violence. Above all, is despised by an affluent family known to be based in this city. What makes you think you will land a job anywhere near this city?¡±


    Freezing, I realize why no one was hiring me. It¡¯s that Michael''s fault! I knew I should have obliterated him! I just didn¡¯t have any way to hijack a laser cannon. I still don¡¯t but a laser pistol should be doable. Not looking back, I reach of the handle when it disappears. The man in a slightly playful voice says, ¡°No need to leave, I¡¯ll hire you right now. Your salary will be half a million credits annually and any and all expenses related to the job will be footed by the company. Your first job is to get rid of a certain Michael and his family, at least from this city.¡±


    Beaming, I turn around, startling him with my sudden change in attitude. Walking back, I say, ¡°Boss! All I need is a laser cannon!¡±


    *****


    Wiping my eyes, I step into the shower. I really miss the castle baths, I was 19 when I met him and now I¡¯m 19 and he¡¯s not here anymore. Turning the hot water cascade down my moderately long hair and down my face, I sob. My tears wash off with the water, but my feelings keep coming back. Exactly nineteen years ago, I was as happy as possible, and now I¡¯m nineteen again in another world without him. He gave me his family name and tricked me into becoming his family, but now I can¡¯t see him again. With the way technology is advancing, it¡¯ll be another thousand years before humanity will be able to warp to other planets.


    Slowly relaxing my body and controlling my feelings, I enjoy the feeling of hat water and soapy technology cleaning my body. I can¡¯t believe they used to use this technology to clean cars. Stepping out I pause to let the A.I. blow my hair dry and wipe the water off. Closing my eyes, I focus on enjoying the feeling. It¡¯s just another day, forget about the past! Just don¡¯t hug anyone!


    Stepping into my closet, several robotic arms descend and dress me in a slim black tank dress. Twirling, I frown as the dress hem hugs my thighs. The bigger and longer dresses really are better. When you twirl, the fabric fluters and expands outward. Shrugging, I leave the closet and exit my room.


    Pulling out a cigarette, I put in in my mouth. Sucking the tip, I relish in the sugary taste. The flavor change from strawberry to watermelon and back as I descend down into the lobby. Putting my best mean look on, I act surprised when several workers jump out and say, ¡°Happy birthday Winowna!¡± Smiling as the cigarette turns to lemon flavor, I walk towards the center of the crowd. The boss is waiting for me with a cake decorated with elaborate designs and a number 19 candle. Gesturing for me to blow it out, I happily comply. Temporarily taking my cigarette out, I blow hard on the candle before putting it back in. It¡¯s on my favorite flavor, green apple!


    Cutting the cake with my boss, I refuse the congratulatory hugs like always. Coming closer, my boss tells me to meet him in the car when I¡¯m done and promptly leaves. Smiling wryly, I watch his back as he leaves. He¡¯s socially awkward, just like Regius was. Controlling my emotions, I smile at my coworkers before taking a slice of cake with me as I escape to the getaway car. Sitting next to my boss, I throw my cigarette out into the trash can and start eating the cake.


    Watching me while smiling, the boss says, ¡°Why don¡¯t you try a real cigarette? You¡¯re old enough now.¡± Sometimes, my boss can be as stupid as the others. Resolutely shaking my head, I say with cake still in my mouth, ¡°Real cigarettes are bad for you! Only the fake sugary ones are okay!¡± To make my point, I stuff a much larger portion of cake in my mouth. Swallowing, I smile contently. Curious, I ask, ¡°So boss, what¡¯s my job today?¡± Smirking, he says, ¡°Just wait Winowna, I¡¯ll take you somewhere cool.¡± Clapping my hands together, I sit deeper into my seat cushion. Watching the fancy buildings pass by I wait. Throwing a concerned look his way, I watch as we pass by the outskirts of town and enter the nature reserves.


    Starting to panic, I look at the boss suspiciously. Seeing my look, he says, ¡°Last time, you randomly left and let a stupid dog eat you. Now you realize you have no awareness?¡± Chuckling, he waves me off and signals for me to wait. Nervous but still anticipating something amazing, I stare slack-jawed at the biggest waterfall I¡¯ve ever seen. Getting out of the car, the boss leads me towards the edge of the viewing platform and turns back at me. Kneeling down, he pulls something out of his inner pocket. Rubbing it against his suit, he opens it and asks, ¡°Will you marry me?¡±


    Taken aback, I stare at him in horror. Marrying means hugging and hugging is not allowed! Wilbur told me plenty of things about marriage and one of them is to never take it lightly. Crossing my arms I say, ¡°I¡¯m sorry boss, but I cannot! I have someone I like already!¡±


    Warping his face in disbelief he suddenly slaps his head. Signaling for the guards to turn around, He starts clawing at his neck. To my horror, the skin starts coming off. Scratching off all the skin from his face, he starts to furiously rub it. Covering my eyes I start to tear up, why do I always find trouble? Reminding myself that Regius isn¡¯t here, I get myself ready to fight. Bouncing on my toes, I put my fists up. Boxing by far has the coolest looking fighting stance that I¡¯ve learned. Just when I throw my first punch, I see his face. With some shreds of his previous skin still hanging off, his face matches Regius¡¯s exactly. ¡°Now will you marry me? I did promise that you¡¯ll be the only one for me.¡± Tearing up, I lose strength in my legs and start to fall. It¡¯s really real this time, isn¡¯t it? Catching me before I hit the ground, my knight in shining armor finally rescues me from this strange world. I guess I will have a happy ending.


    Hesitating, he asks, ¡°Assuming you will marry me, where do you want to go for our honeymoon?¡± Wiping my tears, I snuggle up to his chest and say, ¡°I saw some cool vintage novels last year. Can we go to some wuxia worlds?¡±