《A mean Demon Queen Kidnapped me!》 Prologue: Lets Play! Clack! As I opened my eyes, a little girlwalked up to me. ¡°Ah!¡± she exclaimed. ¡°It''s working! Right? It''s alive!¡± An old man behind her crossed his arms. ¡°Of course! Don''t doubt my genius!¡±He puffed out his chest, proud of his masterpiece. ¡°Wait! Did you just call me an old man?!¡± Before he could scold me, the girl started to sprint across the white floor. Shelet her golden hair flow over her shoulders. While she flapped her wings and hopped around, her blue eyes occasionally glanced to mine. ¡°It works! It really works!¡± She laughed. The old man chuckled. ¡°I did you a favor, what should you say?¡± ¡°Thanks! Thanks! Thanks! Uncle, I love it! Can I use already?!¡± ¡°Sure! All yours...¡± She turned to me, and her smile widened in excitement. ¡°Then, I wish you to...¡± ***** The Sun sank behind the buildings letting a frail tint of orange cover the grey city. The mesmerizing horizon could be seen through the classroom window, but the students, while yawning, didn''t pay attention. Classes are almost over, that''swhat it meant. Two boys silently idled on their own desks, but the ever running clock moved at the pace of a snail. Out of boredom, the one close to the window asked, ¡°Did you play it?¡± Startled by the abrupt question,his friend almost fell from his chair. ¡°Huh? Played what?¡± ¡°You know what! So, did you play it?¡± Flint, the daydreamer, let out a short yawn as his brain started its gears. The game his friend asked about was The Light Hero. ¡°Ah! I did... Going for the last boss tonight.¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°It¡¯s The Demon Queen y''know...¡± ¡°I know.¡± Flint frowned. ¡°And don¡¯t give me spoilers!¡± The boy next to the window shrugged his shoulder. ¡°Pft, spoiler alert: It''s impossible.¡± ¡°Is it that hard?¡± ¡°I checked online, dude. Nobody defeated her yet.¡± Flint lifted his heavy eyelids. ¡°What? They released her with a glitch?¡± ¡°No, seems like whoever made the game wanted it to be near impossible.¡± A continuous ringing alarmed their ears. It echoed through the empty halls, soon to be filled by hundreds of students. Classes were over and Flint stood up from his desk. ¡°I''m going home! Bye-nerd.¡± ¡°Hey! Not so fast! You need to pass by our club...¡± It would be pointless for the boy to continue his protest. Flint had jolted out of the classroom and was nowhere to be seen. ¡°Weird dude.¡± ***** Flint sprinted on the pavement from his neighborhood. He thought walking back home was time wasted. The boy always stated those minutes lost on the streets could be addressed to his studies. But truth be told: He devoted most of his free time to video-games. Only to promise never procrastinate before the school exams anymore. ¡°Finally!¡± His lungs let out heavy paused breaths as he reached the doorknob of his house. He pulled out the key with his trembling fingers and unlocked the door after three attempts. All that running had taken its toll on his body.Entering the house, a piquant aroma greeted him. ¡°¡­ The recently released fantasy game, The Light Hero, just hit the record for the video-game with most copies sold in the world¡­¡± Inside the kitchen, Flint¡¯s mother cooked dinner with a television broadcast on. That name, The Light Hero, ringed a bell. As she putspaghetti noodles to boil, Flint passed by the counter. She couldn¡¯t lose this opportunity to ask: ¡°Is that the game you play Flint? The one on the screen?¡± She was right, but the boy wasn''t looking forward to a pep talk. He shook his head. ¡°N-not really mom.¡± Such a bad liar! Stuttering by saying harmless little lies. In the background, the broadcast continued. ¡°¡­ What pushed the game this far was the incredible work on the realism, for example, the characters seem like actual people¡­¡± ¡°Hm... I could swear the name was the same,¡± Mother said. ¡°All these game titles are alike nowadays.¡± Before she could hook him with another topic, Flint stepped out of the kitchen and climbed the stairs to his room. Opening the door, he pushed the button to turn his computer on. He could use the night to defeat the last boss. His friend said it was near impossible to beat, but he trusted his gaming skills. It was the sole thing the boy excelled at. Best-case scenario, he would become a gaming legend. Worst-case, hours would be wasted having fun while sacrificing his poor in-game hero to The Demon Queen. Fortunately, video-games are virtual simulations. The characters don¡¯t mind the constant harassment. They wouldn''t come out of the screen toattack the boy. The monitor brightened up. ¡°Time to play!¡± Chapter 1: A mean Demon Queen! Arched windows let rays of light inside the hallway. Blue, red and yellow painted a mosaic on the carpet stretched along the chiseled stone floor. From one end of the passage, marching steps echoed through the walls. It announced the arrival of The Hero, advancing towards the Royal Chamber where The Demon Queen awaited. For every step, his heavy gear cried a fierce clang. A large sword hung on his back radiating an enlightened aura. ¡°Come on! Go faster!¡± Flintfixed his eyes on the monitor as his leg bounced on the wooden floor. Images of internet gaming articles printed in his ambitious head. Their title read Gaming legend defeats the impossible boss. With his triumph, Fame and Glory would follow. ¡°Agh! Why are you so slow?!¡± Sadly, shouting at his monitor didn¡¯t speed up The Hero. The bulky equipment burdened his back and metal covered every inch of his body. Even the underwear had steel plates attached. After three minutes, an eternity for him, The Hero finally reached his goal. Pushing the king-sized doors, he opened the gates that would seal his fate. All went black: Time for a cutscene. The colors from the Royal Chamber filled the screen. Colossal described the size of the room. In the middle of it, a single golden throne stood cushioned with red leather. The sunset invaded through the tall rectangular windows. Its crimson bright revealed the ivory walls surrounding the little seat. A red carpet crossed the polished floor with a gallery of steps staining its tattered fabric. The Hero strode forward, printing another collection of dirty soles. The Demon Queen remained on her throne. Furrowing her brows, she stared at his unpleasant arrival. The armored man stopped before her and gallantly raised the sword from his back. Pointing its edge at the throne, he protruded his chest and held his chin high. ¡°Demon Queen! I, the Hero of Light, have come for your head! Stand up and fight!¡± Her amber eyes rolled, that man was nothing but a mosquito whose arrogance would soon follow death. Caressing her silver-lavender hair, she stood up from the seat. Two horns rooted on the sides of her skull. She wasn¡¯t called a demon for naught. The Honorable Hero who confronts The Evil Dark Lord. This premise had been repeatedly exploited throughout modern history. Nothing original was added, but being a video-game, it could be forgiven. Fortunately, this wasn¡¯t a novel. The boy readied his hands over the mouse and keyboard, soon the battle would start. The Demon Queen crossed her arms with a bloodthirsty gaze. After breathing in, she declared: ¡°I ate some pudding¡­¡± Flint raised his brow. She continued, ¡°¡­ honey baked apples can¡¯t even compare.¡± Gesturing with her hands, she casually spat about the newfound dessert. ¡°I can¡¯t believe I never tasted pudding before, so much time wasted.¡± Not reacting to her awkward behavior, The Hero stood still in his dueling pose. A minute passed, and they both just looked at each other in complete silence. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with this scene?¡± Flint scratched his head. ¡°When will the fight start?¡± The anticipated boss battle became a weird skit. Tired of waiting, The Queen walked up to The Hero, who kept frozen in his pose. Being one arm away from him, her eyes scanned the big armored man from head to toes. ¡°Oy!¡± she said. ¡°You dead?¡± Odd¡­ He became a statue. Inquired by this phenomenon, the woman allowed herself some liberties: She took the sword from his hands and tossed it aside. Then, she toyed around with his arms and moved them like a mannequin. Tack! His right shoulder dislocated. She winced. ¡°Uh! My bad.¡± Then laughed. After having his shoulder trashed, The Hero didn¡¯t even flinch. She leaned towards him and at the top of her lungs yelled, ¡°Snap out of it!¡± But her efforts to bring him to life were for naught. Since he wouldn¡¯t complain, a harsher measure was required. Such idea twisted her mouth into a devilish grin. She stepped back and slightly bent her knees. After loading her lungs with fresh air, a clenched fist shot to his head. The impact produced a satisfying chime. A single strike didn¡¯t seem enough. In sequence, a barrage of precise punches covered his helmet. Blow after blow, the blue skin from her knuckles reddened in pain. She stopped. ¡°I¡­ should take out his helmet first.¡± The Queen forcefully pulled the headpiece, revealing the identity of the man behind all that metal. Her curious eyes stumbled through his facial appeal, but a bit of his body odor reached her nose. ¡°Your face is annoying¡­ and you stink,¡± she said. ¡°Sorry about that,¡± Flint muttered. The boy had no patience to customize a handsome protagonist. Instead, he hopped in the game with one of the default avatars: A bland human male who wore the face of a middle-aged office worker. The Queen adjusted the black dress covering her smooth blue skin and got back in her punching stance. ¡°Alright¡­ Round two.¡±Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Minutes passed as the resounding spanks on his face echoed through the walls of The Royal Chamber. ¡°Why won¡¯t you wake up?¡± Eventually, she gave in. No amount of punches could revive that man. The blue woman relaxed her shoulders and sighed in defeat, despite the fact The Hero was the one who got a swollen face. Flint sneered. ¡°Is that why she is impossible? That¡¯s bull.¡± The demon returned to her throne while caressing her sore knuckles. But before her ass could touch the cushion from the seat, a glimpse of light on the ceiling caught her attention. A bright floating lamp hovered around the chamber. She looked at it, puzzled by what that strange element could be. Back to Flint¡¯s perspective, The Demon Queen gazed him through the screen, similar to how a portrait stares back at its admirer. A pair of wings grew from her back and then propelled her upwards. Quickly approaching the camera of the scene, the woman onscreen flew towards the boy, like a bird who breaks its neck on a glass window. Would she try to come out of the game? ¡°Neat,¡± Flint said. ¡°She is breaking the fourth wall¨C¡± However, the only thing that broke was the display from his monitor. A blue hand crossed the sixteen inches frame, almost reaching his neck. Out of reflex, he kicked the desk and fell backward with his chair. ¡°What the hell!¡± After hitting his nape on the floor, the boy raised his head and tried to register the scene. An eerie hand with sharp black nails came out of his monitor. It swung around and knocked the keyboard out. Whoever planned this ridiculous prank had gone too far. ¡°Cut that out!¡± he shouted. The hand gripped one end of the desk, then, a woman¡¯s head passed through the screen. Flint and The Demon Queen, their eyes met. Though not quite like in romance story. She scowled. ¡°You! What are you doing in there?¡± Her voice was loud as thunder. Did his computer turn into a portal connecting both of their worlds? This couldn¡¯t be a prank anymore. Flint realized it was too elaborate to be one, so he crawled to the opposite side of the room. ¡°Get back here!¡± The Demon Queen struggled to leave that sixteen inches frame. How ironic, the boy always wished he had a bigger display, but it was that plastic square that kept her from completely leaving the game. For now at least. Backing against the wall with trembling legs, Flint bared his teeth. ¡°G-get away!¡± His heart banged against the walls from his ribcage. Her shoulders and torso squished through. The demon was half-way to freedom. Continuing her struggle, she pushed and pulled, but her bottom didn¡¯t come out. The monitor was too small for her waist. She slammed the desk, ¡°Just wait until I get you!¡± What should he do? In fantasy games, whenever a foe appears, four options are usually displayed.
  1. Fight.
  2. Use Item.
  3. Defend.
  4. Flee.
Number four appealed to him, but leaving through the door meant going past the desk. That angry blue thing would kill him before he reached the handle. Well, he could leave through the window, if he wished to spend the rest of the days in comatose, that is. Option four out. Maybe he should fight? Not a chance. Flint had a lean body and never punched someone for real. She would break his limbs before his knuckles touched her face. As for number two, plenty of items could be thrown at her. But to what end? Worsening her anger wasn¡¯t a smart move. He had nothing that could be used as a weapon, and his cellphone was over the desk, so he couldn¡¯t call for help. Only option three remained. The boy just had to wait and stand in his guard. The monitor was doing a great job of locking her in place¡­ But he panicked. The fear scrambled his mind and forced him to choose number two. He started to throw anything his hands could grab at The Demon Queen. First were his pillows, hitting her head. ¡°Stop!¡± she said. Then he launched several female anatomy books, followed by many pens and pencils. ¡°I said stop!¡± He continued to attack her with countless junks, and in turn, she shielded herself with her arms. The Queen kept still until one projectile slipped past her defenses and hit her face. ¡°What is this?¡± She grabbed whatever landed on her nose. ¡°NO!¡± It was Flint¡¯s ¨C Prized ¨C Stinky Underwear. The sour stench burned her nasal cavity. Disgust mixed with anger. The expression she wore twisted as her teeth gritted. ¡°You asked for it!¡± Her eyes that once were amber now brimmed in red: A subtle signal of danger. She said, ¡°Isatu¡­¡± At that moment, Flint recalled that in-game wizards cast magic by saying specific power words. Isatu meant Fire. She was about to attack with a flame spell! ¡°Shit!¡± he backed against the wall. ¡°¡­ Ariru¡­¡± She chanted again, a second word meant a more complex spell. ¡°Flint? What¡¯s up with all the noise?¡± Mother¡¯s voice came from downstairs, ¡°You¡¯ll annoy the neighbors!¡± ¡°¡­ Qassu!¡± TheQueen finished with a third word. A high-level charge to not only kill,but also pulverize his body. It would melt him together with his room, his home, and his neighbors. He recoiled in a corner and waited for the blow to finish him. That same burning sensation from the middle of summer, all would burn into a crisp¡­ Yet¡­ Nothing happened. No fire. No magic. Nothing. What went wrong? Flint looked at The Demon Queen in the eyes. They said ¡°Huh?¡± simultaneously and, for a whole minute, quietly stared at each other. Their silence allowed muffled footsteps to pass through the door gap. Someone was coming. ¡°Flint? Are you okay?¡± Mother said. The boy had to find a way to banish that blue woman from his bedroom. Knowing his mother, she would probably die of a heart attack seeing a demon coming out of the screen to grab her little boy. ¡°Urk!¡± Flint gasped as he grabbed his chair by the backrest and lifted it. Shaking off his fear, he charged towards the desk pointing the chair legs forward. That demon would return to her world by force. ¡°Go back in the screen! Now!¡± But instead, the woman just smirked at his attempt to get rid of her. With a single slap, she made the chair fly at full speed against the wall before it could reach her. Flint dropped his chin, her strength was incredible if not terrifying. ¡°I¡¯m done!¡± She said. ¡°You¡¯re coming in!¡± Now that he was close to her, The Demon Queen grabbed the boy by the ankle and dived back in the screen. ¡°W-wait!¡± he said, ¡°Mom! Mom!¡± Too late. His cries for help were cut short the moment he crossed the gate to the other world. The screen went black, and the door abruptly opened. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? All this noise!¡± A troubled mother barged into the room. ¡°Flint?¡± Her eyes stumbled across the floor. ¡°All this mess! What happened?¡± Her head turned left and right. ¡°Where¡¯s that boy?¡± Chapter 2: A kind Demon Blondie! ¡°Ugh¡­¡± All was dark until Flint painfully opened his eyes. Hissightwas blurry, revealing a gigantic dome ceiling above. He didn¡¯t know where he was, all he could remember was theimage of a terrifying hand snatching his leg. ¡°Ah, did you wake up?¡± a soft voice asked. A woman sat next to him, allowing the boy to use her thighs as a pillow. Her amethyst eyes and smile combined with her delicate jawline. A white dress covered her tanned skin. Such a beautiful woman was caressing his messy brown hair. He didn¡¯t know what happened for him to deserve it¡­ Horns. They appeared! Those big and mean tusks were coming out of her silky blond hair. His breathing paused. Memories of a rabid blue woman with horns flashed in his mind. ¡°Are you alright?¡± But before he could panic, her voice entangled him in a warm embrace. He calmed his nerves. That lady didn¡¯t mean any harm. The sweet fragrance from her hair reminded him of strawberries. Demon or not, his heart swayed towards her lovely touch. How beautiful: A Charming Prince holds the hand of a frail Princess, fallen to the floor as they look at each other contemplating their love at first sight. Just this time, the roles of male and female were reversed. ¡°Feeling well?¡± The boy cherished every single moment his earshad the pleasure to hear her voice, but it was time to give a response. He cleared his throat, and opened his mouth into a hesitant¡°Yes¡­¡± Sounds of high heels suddenly approached. And then, a blunt impact connected to his ribs, forcing him to take flight for a good distance. ¡°As if I care!¡± The Demon Queen interrupted their eloping engagement. Although she wore high heels, her footing was strong and stable. His flailing body collapsed into one of the many pillars from the Royal Chamber. The blonde woman gawked at the barbaric act. ¡°Stop!¡± she shouted. ¡°Such a reckless action, what if you killed him?¡± Twitching in pain, his body lay on the ground. A few broken bones were an assured diagnosis. ¡°Help me,¡± the boy uttered. The blonde woman rushed to his side. While carefully supporting the head with her arm, she examined his body to overview the damage. Surprisingly, no injuries were to be found. His body was intact. Nothing broke, not even fractured. ¡°Incredible,¡± she said. After being thrown like that, only scratches marked the place where he got kicked. Flint massaged himself, making sure nothing was out of place. The Demon Queen approached. ¡°I didn¡¯t kick him hard.¡± The blonde jutted her chin. ¡°But even that kick could kill a human!¡± ¡°Forget it, he¡¯s fine and can speak, that¡¯s what matters.¡± One was gentle, kind, and warm. Yet the other¡¯s glare threatened to beat him to a pulp. ¡°YOU! Explain yourself! What were you doing in that room?¡± The Queen asked. There was no answer, but how could the boy give one? He was dragged into his monitor, entering a world of fantasy. The situation couldn¡¯t be more surreal, no words could describe what jolted in the little brain of his. ¡°Going silent then? Good.¡± She raised her right hand. ¡°Isatu.¡± A flame emerged from her palm. Magic, it worked this time. ¡°I will burn you alive¡­ Are you fine with that?¡± His jaw dropped. That flame was real, he could feel its heat from the spot he sat. The blonde woman couldn¡¯t keep watching anymore. She put herself between the two and opened her arms. ¡°Stop this at once! The boy is clearly in shock!¡± The Queen scowled. ¡°Silence!Don¡¯t stand in my way.¡± ¡°You will get nothing by threatening him like this!¡± The situationwas getting worse, and Flint had to act before that flame could have the chance to burn him alive. ¡°Wait! I¨C I will speak.¡± He finally opened his mouth but didn¡¯t know what to say. Having his life in the line had simply forced him to speak something. What does a person present when they meet someone new? They start with names, of course. He got back in his feet. ¡°M¨Cmy name is F¨CFlint¡­¡± Every word stuttered, and The Queen was impatient. The flame on her hand got stronger. ¡°I am a human¡­ M¨Cmy country is¨C¡± ¡°I know you are human and I don¡¯t care about your country.¡± She bared her teeth. ¡°What were you doing behind that portal? That¡¯s what I am asking!¡± ¡°I¨C That thing¨C It was a computer monitor. I was just playing an RPG!¡± ¡°Computer? Monitor? Ar-Pee-Gee?Make sense already!¡± Flint stepped back, his hands trembled. ¡°It is a thing that humans invented¡­ I was playing this game where I controla hero¡­¡± Big mistake, The Hero was a man who sought to slay The Demon Queen. Flint just admitted he was responsible for him. The Queen stomped the floor. ¡°So you are the one who keeps sending these heroes!¡± Her frightening roar echoed throughout the chamber. ¡°Every damn time! These endless mosquitoes come to me¡­¡± She pulled her arm and readied to attack. ¡°I¡¯m done! If killing you will stop them¨C¡±If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°I¡¯M SORRY!¡± But the boy shouted and stunned the blue woman. Explaining himself without triggering any button that might set her off would be difficult. He trod a thin line between life and a third-degree burn. Drops of sweat fell on the ground. Another tongue slip couldn¡¯t be afforded. He bowed. ¡°I used a machine called computer.¡± His words didn¡¯t stutter this time. ¡°It¡¯s a crystal ball that shows theater plays. I was watching one involving you and The Hero¨C¡± ¡°That means that you entertain yourself by pesteringME?¡± The Queen interrupted. ¡°I didn¡¯t know!¡± he shouted. ¡°I thought you weren¡¯t real. The play was just a bunch of drawings. I swear I am as clueless as you.¡± All their yelling had stopped. Silence at last. The flame that threatened the boy was finally extinguished. Figuring his skin was no longer in danger of being suddenly burned, he slowly raised his head. Behind The Queen, a male demon rested his left hand on her shoulder. Elegant black suit and hair fixed by a gel. That was a butler for sure, an expensive one. ¡°Your Highness, dinner is served,¡± he said. And just like that, all of the wrinkles twisting her face were gone. The anger seemed to vanish as soon as the magic wordsDinner is servedreached her ears. She nodded to the butler as he excused himself out of the chamber. Turning her back to Flint, she started to walk towards the hallway. She looked over her shoulder and said, ¡°You, Flint was it? Follow me.¡± To go against her order was certain death, so he had no choice but to obediently follow her. ***** In an awkward silence, The Demon Queen and Flint walked straight through a long corridor. This was a huge castle. He checked the appearance of the furniture. They didn¡¯t hold a dark and demonic feeling at all. Luxurious couches, ornamental plants, mirrors, and even paintings decorated the place, but for some reason, several of the windows were barricaded by wooden planks. The Queen¡¯s steps came to a halt. Without turning to him, she raised her arm and pointed at a ledged door. Its rustic appearance disrupted from the luxurious vibe from the wall. ¡°Go take a bath,¡± she said. ¡°You stink.¡± Odd, he was sure she would have more question about him, but instead, The Queen demanded him to hit some water and soap. The boy parted ways with her and opened the door. It was a changing room with a few benches and straw baskets. There was a marble door on the other side, probably leading to the actual bath. After undressing, he checked the odor from his armpits. Ew! His face shrugged in displeasure, no wonder why she ordered him to wash. This seemed like a public bath of some sort, he grabbed a towel provided in a large basket and wrapped it around his waist. The marble door seemed heavy. His hands gripped on the handle and pulled. It didn¡¯t even budge. Pushing didn¡¯t seem to do anything either. After a minute of struggle, a small gap was opened in between the door and the jamb. ¡°Do you require any assistance?¡± Someone startled him from behind. It was a girl wearing a black maid uniform. Her smooth crimson hair reached her waist. And of course, she had two horns. ¡°Who are you?¡± he asked. ¡°Hyuna. I am responsible for you. Milady orders.¡± Her voice had an unchanging tone. ¡°Right¡­ So, what do you want?¡± ¡°I believe you¡¯re having trouble with this door¡± He just managed to create a small gap. Opening the rest would surely be easy. No need to ask for help from a girl, even if she was a demon. ¡°I¨CI don¡¯t need any help! You see, I was just¡­ stretching my shoulders.¡± ¡°I''ll leave then. Excuse me.¡± The ginger maid left to the hallway. ¡°And now¡­ To open this door¡­¡± Flint tried to pull again, but no amount of strength could force it open. Refusing that girl¡¯s assistance was a mistake after all. According to the game info, demons are physically stronger than humans. Nevertheless, it was too late to ask for help. Before he could give up, he spotted a broom. [ - Sturdy - ] Broomobtained! Puttingit inside the gap, he pushed one end. But the rod eventually gave in and broke in two. 2x [ - Broken - ] Broomobtained! ¡°Darn it.¡± Now with two shorter pieces, Flint tried to force open the door again. Twice the stick, twice the power. The gap widened just enough so he could squish through it. A considerate amount of steam escaped from the bathing area. Flint dumped the broken broom in one of the straw baskets, hoping that no one would miss it. He squished through the gap, but the steam was obstructing his sight. After walking a few steps ahead, he could see the edge of the bath on his feet. It was a luxurious heated pool. ¡°So fancy, is it okay for me to bath in here¨C¡± ¡°Haha.¡± A short giggle interrupted him.It sounded feminine. Maybe he just barged into the bath with a woman inside. How shameless! ¡°Don¡¯t be shy, I¡¯m over here.¡± The voice called out to him, forcing his eyes to unwillingly slide towards it. A woman¡¯s silhouette hid underneath the fog. Unfortunately, there wasn¡¯t much to be seen. ¡°Want a better view?¡± Her seductive voice made his heart pump faster.His mouth stretched into a mischievous grin. ¡°Shush¡­ No need to answer¡­¡± A loud finger snap finished her line, followed by a soft breeze. The air flowed throughout the room, forcing the steam to slowly dissipate. Flint¡¯s inexperienced heart could explode at any moment. The image from the silhouette was getting sharper. In anticipation, he widened his eyes, almost popping them out. Then, it appeared¡­ A Big Trunk. It hung from her crotch shouting angry elephant noises. A[ - Special - ] Big Trunk. ¡°Ack!¡± The once lustful voice laughed in ecstasy. ¡°Too bad, maybe more luck next time?¡± There was another finger snap, louder than the one before. A strong wind whirled inside. The fog completely cleared, but the owner of the silhouette had vanished. ¡°What in the world...¡± Flint muttered. Slow and steady, the mist started to fill the bathing area again, and the boy, appalled by the event that just unfolded, stood still for a few seconds. ¡°I guess I¡­ will take a bath...¡± After assuring no one else was creeping around, he sank his body in the water. ¡°So hot! No wonder there is all this steam¡­¡± Using the edge of the bath to rest his head, the boy dived deep into his thoughts. For a moment, the idea of being in fantasy world excited him. What kind of adventures could he experience? If this was just a dream, he wouldn¡¯t mind being stuck here for a while. But what if this was the actual reality? What about his home, school, friends and family? Poor mother was freaking out by now, her son had vanished. As cool as a fantasy world might sound, this wasn¡¯t home. Back in the real world, people cared for him. It would be unfair to just forget them. The boy started to worry, he would never be able to eat mom¡¯s cooking anymore. He muttered, ¡°This got to be a dream.¡± That was his only hope. How could he go back otherwise? The portal, that connected the Royal Chamber and his computer,was nowhere to be seen. But for now, he just wanted to enjoy the warmth of the bath. His body eventually relaxed and started to slip. The water level reached his chin, almost covering the face. His mind went blank, falling into slumber. The water was too hot indeed... ***** ¡°Uncle! Uncle!¡± the little girl cried. ¡°Yes? What is it?¡± the old man asked. ¡°I think he is dying!¡± ¡°It is fine right? Just choose another¨C¡± ¡°I want that one!¡± ¡°Alright, fine¡­¡± The old man shrugged and turned to me. ¡°Save him, okay? And don¡¯t be caught!¡± Understood, I will try my best. Chapter 3: It is just a signal that I am healthy! ¡°Gah! Ah¡­ Ah¡­¡± Flint woke up desperately gasping for air. His lungs felt heavy. For every breath, a stinging pain pierced through his chest. The near-death experience pinned a paralyzing shock on his limbs. Hyuna, the red-haired maid,stoodat his side. ¡°You are alive. Good,¡±she said. Not a single hint of emotion in her face. The memories of what happened up until now came to a light. At his right, layers of steam were rising from the hot surface of the pool, a wet towel was wrapped around his waist, and the uniform from the maid was soaked. He almost drowned while bathing and the girl had to rescue him. Embarrassed, he wanted to facepalm but didn¡¯t have the strength to do so. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare to do that again,¡± she said. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t try to commit suicide again.¡± Flint and Suicide? The ginger maid got it all wrong! True, the boy wasn¡¯t much of an optimistic, but he wasn¡¯t a depressive teenager like some of his classmates. ¡°I didn¡¯t try to drown! I fainted¡­ while bathing.¡±Flint hated to admit he almost died in such a foolish manner. ¡°You¡¯re lying. You tried to escape from Milady through death.¡± ¡°I swear I didn¡¯t try to kill myself!¡±The pain in his chest forced him to wince. ¡°But¡­ but why did you save me? I thought I was just a worthless human for demons.¡± ¡°Milady said you¡¯re my responsibility. Your lowly status does not concern me.¡± Throughout their conversation, the maid only moved her mouth. The rest of her face was unusually stiff. There wasn¡¯t a way to tell what emotion she felt at the moment, even the tone of her voice didn¡¯t pass a hint. ¡°Milady is waiting for you at the Dining Hall,¡±she said.¡°Clean clothes await you in the Changing Room. I will be waiting in the hallway.¡± The maid immediately left the bathing area as soon as she finished the instructions. ¡°Weird girl,¡± he muttered. Flint stayed back for a while, his lungs required a bit of rest. After two minutes, he got back on his feet. Thankfully that heavy marble door had been left open. ¡°So these are the clothes?¡± He had no trouble trying to put the new clothes onto his body. The long sleeved white cotton shirt and the brown hemp trousers were a bit large though. They were comfortable, but the pants threatened to fall. Still, rather this over his old and sweaty clothing. ¡°Better than nothing I guess.¡± He opened the door and saw the maid standing by the other side of the hallway. The window behind her wasbarricaded by several wooden planks. ¡°Follow me, Milady doesn¡¯t like to wait.¡± ***** In the corridor, Hyuna walked four steps ahead of Flint. Her uniform dripped wet, letting a trail of water over the carpet. ¡°Remember, no suicide attempts from now on,¡± she said. ¡°Got it, don¡¯t worry.¡± He checked the state of her uniform. ¡°Are you fine with your clothes? It¡¯s kind of wet.¡± ¡°No need for your concern.¡± They had been walking for five minutes, not once she turned her head to face him. His experience with dating simulators told her iron personality would be a pain in the ass. She stopped and pointed at a large entrance to the left. ¡°Over there is the Dining Hall, Milady is waiting for you. I will take my leave.¡± The maid started to walk along the same path they came from, but Flint still needed to express his gratitude. That girl did save him from drowning after all. ¡°Hey, thanks for saving me¡­ I guess.¡± Hyuna briefly looked over her shoulder. ¡°By the way, try to kill yourself again, and I will give you something worse than death.¡± Her face still wore that metaphorical mask with no emotion. But regardless of her expression, the gaze from her emerald eyes sent a chill down his spine. After the threat, the ginger maid walked away. ¡°She¡¯s weird for sure¡­¡± ***** Loud shouts and noises were coming from the Dining Hall. The place wasn¡¯t as massive in size like the Royal Chamber, but the architecture was similar: Ivory colored walls with long arched windows. A big round wooden table stood in the middle and smaller ones were spread across the floor. Weird looking people crowded the room. Some were demons and others seemed like a cross between a human and an animal. Half-humans, Flint remembered. The game was filled with them. The Queen was sitting amidst that rabble. As Flint stepped inside, someone stood up from his chair holding a wooden mug filled with beer. It was a lizard-man. Half a lizard. Half a man. He yelled, ¡°Over here boy! Come! Come! Right over here! Drink with me!¡± Instead of a soft skin, he had greenish scales. The color from his eyes was bright yellow, his mouth was full of sharp teeth and there were spikes in his tail. ¡°What''s the holdup? Don¡¯t be shy!¡± As the lizard-man kept drunkenly shouting, another individual sitting at his right interrupted. ¡°Barama-ya! You drank too much again! Stop drinking so many like that. It is unsightly.¡± This one wasn¡¯t a normal human either. He seemed like a hybrid with a lion. Instead of a hair, he had a mane. His skin was covered by fur tinted in yellow, and his nose resembled the muzzle of a cat surrounded by long whiskers. Every time he opened his mouth to speak, his sharp feline fangs were exposed. The lizard chugged down another mug of beer and slammed it on the table. ¡°Shuddup kitty! Go drink your milk or something!¡± The lion-man crossed his arms. ¡°As expected of Barama-ya, to come with such petty insults. You need to learn the importance of moderation.¡± ¡°Oh! Such well-behaved kitty! Haha! Here, have some head pats!¡± Hell broke out. ¡°Hands off me you drunk mess of a gecko!¡± ¡°I ain¡¯t a gecko! Imma big crocodile!¡± A fist fight started right on the spot for the enjoyment of everyone around the table. The Queen, in special, smirked at their heated performance. ¡°You''ll never beat me damn kitty!¡± ¡°Gotta teach your green ass some manners!¡± They kept exchanging powerful fists and swift cuffs from the left and from the right. But in the middle of their chaos,the lizard-manpushed the other, makinghim trip and accidentally slam a bowl filled with a red sauce. As if The Laws of the Universe and Physics conspired against The Queen, the flying liquid landed on her favorite plate: The pudding. Her eyes widened. The color of her skin changed to the same tone as the sauce: Bright red. ¡°YOU TWO! Take this somewhere else!¡± They couldn¡¯t hear her demand amidst their fight. Instead of personally dealing with them, she turned to a mysterious woman next to her. ¡°Vela, would you please?¡±The Queen asked. Said woman wore a purple silk dress with a V cleavage dangerously exposing her pale skin, a pointy witch hat sat over her long and dark wavy hair. A black lipstick covered her pouty lips. ¡°Very well, but just because you asked nicely.¡± The mysterious woman snapped her finger and in apoofboth of the men causing that rabble disappeared out of thin air. No doubt she was a witch. Flint raised his brows, not only those men vanished in a literal finger snap, that woman¡¯s voice felt¡­ familiar. It was identical to the one who toyed with him in thebath. The Witch directed herruby-colored eyes towards the boy and formeda flirtatious grin with her lips. After leaning her body over to the right, she gave theyoung man a better view of her cleavage. ¡°Did you recallsomething?¡± she asked. His cheeks blushed red. That embarrassing event was something best forgotten, however, The Queen,who was nowchomping a piece of meat, got curious. ¡°Did something -munch- happen between you two?¡±she asked. ¡°Nothing at all Meli¡­ Nothing at all¡­¡±The Witch said. The Queen turned her head to Flint. ¡°Come here already you took an awful amount of time in the bath.¡± She beckoned him with her hand. He awkwardly approached a chair next to her. His stomach rumbled the moment he sat. Back in the real world, he would be sitting at the table enjoying mother¡¯sspaghetti at this hour. Fortunately,lots of roasted meat and several unknown dishes were on the table. The savory smell excited his palate. ¡°Then if you don¡¯t mind¡­ I will be taking¨C¡± ¡°Here is your plate.¡± Hyuna appeared out of nowhere and dropped a plate in front of him. It was actually a dog bowl with the name ¡°POCHI¡± written on the back. A single piece of boiled bone resided inside. ¡°I am sorry¡­ What is this?¡± Flint asked. ¡°Your plate. Please, enjoy your meal.¡± Cruel and subtle giggles. Everyone around the table laughed at the boy. Everyone, but a certain blonde woman. ¡°Hyuna, how mean! You can¡¯t treat our guest like that!¡±a soft voice said. ¡°Here, have this.¡± The beautiful blonde demon, the first person who welcomed Flint into this world. She, for the second time, showed him kindness. Putting the dog bowl aside, she slid a plate with slices of roasted meat, mashed potato and green vegetables the boy had never seen. ¡°He is not our guest. He might be a threat,¡± the ginger maid said. ¡°He is just a defenseless boy! There is no reason to treat him so harshly.¡± The blonde stabbed her finger onto Hyuna''s shoulder. A sparkle between the two ladies seemed to be about to explode into another fist fight. Before more puddings could be harmed, The Queen stopped chomping on her meal and stepped up:Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. ¡°Will I have to ask Vela to deal with you as well?¡± Her words were absolute. The girls immediately stopped their little quarrel. Both of them returned to their respective seats. But before the blonde demon could leave, Flint expressed his gratitude. ¡°Thank you, miss¡­ uh¡­¡± ¡°Mamyl¡­ You can call me Mamyl, sweetie.¡±Shewinked. Finally, time to eat.As the boy grabbed a fork, The Queen extended her right arm and put it over his plate. Her brows furrowed. ¡°Oy! I still don''t knowwho you are! I didn''t understand half of your dumb explanation!¡± The Witch noticed the little impasse and decided to give them a helping hand. ¡°Meli, I have a solution for this problem of yours.¡± ¡°What is it, Vela?¡± The Queen asked. ¡°You see¡­ I can projecthismemories in a mirror¡­¡± Flint gasped. ¡°See my memories!? You mean like, see stuff I saw!?¡± ¡°That¡¯s great. I didn¡¯t know such a magic existed,¡±The Queen said. ¡°What about my privacy?¡± The blue woman slammed the table. ¡°Idiot, you¡¯re in no position to complain. We will get those memories and that¡¯s it!¡± ¡°Ey! Can''t I explain to you instead? You know, with words.¡±Flint begged. ¡°We tried it already, idiot. That bored me out!¡± Ignoring their discussion, The Witch closed her eyes and raised her right hand. A vibrant aquamarineglow loomed over her palm. Eventually, it materialized into a silver framed handheld mirror. Flint observed the process. He had never seen that magic in-game. She wore an annoying grin. ¡°I¡¯m sorry my dear boy¡­ But I guarantee this way will be the best for you.¡± The Queen grabbedThe Witch by her shoulder. ¡°Oy! Show me this mirror already!¡± ¡°Now, now, don¡¯t rush me, if I do it wrong¡­¡±She dramatically paused.¡°The boy might gopoof¡± Goingpoofwas definitively not a good thing. He immediately flinched at thepossibility and tried to refuse her method once again. ¡°What do you mean bypoof? I¡¯m not doing this!¡± In response to his insubordination, The Queen struck a terrifyingscowl at him. Raising her hand, she muttered ¡°Isatu¡± under her breath. A small flame rose from her palm. It was tiny, but the message it carried wasn¡¯t. The boy swallowed his own spit. ¡°Oh¡­ Okay¡­ I¡­ I will do it.¡± He had to accept defeat. Since everyoneapprovedthe procedure, The Witch pointed the mirror towards Flint. ¡°Then, my dear boy, would you look at this little mirror?¡± Having no other options, he sternly looked at the reflection and clenched his fist. ¡°Please don''t gopoof! Please don''t gopoof! Please, Mr. Mirror, don¡¯tpoofme!¡± No more than five seconds later, The Witch ended the procedure. ¡°Thank you. That should do it¡­¡± Like a kid who is curious about her friend¡¯s new toy, The Queen excitedly leaned over. ¡°Let me see! Let me see!¡± She softly headbutted The Witch¡¯s pointy hat. Flint got up from his seat and tried to approach both of them. Surely, he could at least prevent them from seeing any compromising memories of the times he spent in solitude in his bedroom and bathroom. However, The Queengestured for himto stop. ¡°Go eat your food,¡±she said. ¡°Don¡¯t I have the right to see about my own life?¡± ¡°Again, you are in no position to complain. Be thankful I didn¡¯t kill you yet.¡± There was nothing he could have done at this point. Returning to his seat, he worried about what parts of hisreality showwould be revealed. He started to eat his meal, periodically glancing over the left to see their reaction. Throughout the entire spectacle, The Witch kept her same little mischievous grin, but not The Queen. Her blue face became a palette of emotions. At first, she expressed confusion, but soon transformed into curiosity. Her eyes brightened by getting glimpses of what the real world offered. There were so many things that were worthy of her attention: Fashion and clothing, food and beverages and snacks, television and movies, music and bands, houses and buildings, cars and planes and ships¡­ The list was immense. Up until this point, anger was the pivot of her personality, but her honest smile changed her image. Flint realized that she was more than a bitter woman. She had the face of a maiden in her twenties. Her beautyallowed the blue color from her skin to feel natural. The girl was still very scary, but pretty nonetheless.His heart skipped a beat. Disgust. Suddenly her face started to stretch and wrinkle. The beautiful Demon Queenwore a sour expression of utter disgust. What would be in that tiny little mirror that made her feel so horrible? ¡°Oh no¡­¡± the boy said to himself. That was theone thing Flint didn¡¯t want to happen. His littlereality showhad finally exposed what happens after midnight when everybody went to sleep. The sins that one does for being a young man was being revealed to The Queen and The Witch. Out of embarrassment, he stopped looking at them and stared his plate. ¡°No, no, no, no.¡± As he glanced back at them, Hyuna and Mamyl had joined the other girls to watch. He couldn''t take it anymore. Flint desperately rushed towards the little crowd. That mirror had to be stopped before more shameful scenes were exposed. He screamed, ¡°Please stop watching¨C¡± ¡°ISATU¡± But that fire magic combined with thedisgusted expression from The Queen froze him in place. Sadly, he cowered back to his seat. Even though the rest of the people in the DiningHall were loud, he could hear what that little group of women was commenting. ¡°What is he doing?¡±Hyuna frenetically moved her clenched fist up and down. ¡°It is something completely natural for young men... It means he is healthy.¡±Mamyl explained. A tear of utter defeat fell from his eyes onto his plate. ***** ¡°Why me? ¡­ Why me?¡± Flint sobbed as the night kept going and several curious maids and butlers joined the group watching that tiny mirror. ¡°That damned little mirror,¡± he muttered. At least, much for his ease of mind,The Witch started to skip most of the compromising parts due to public feedback. All of the people watching were curious about his world: A place where advanced technology filled the role of magic. The time passed, and the curious crowd slowly dispersed. Some of them approached Flint. They would ask about various delicacies and inventions that were unknown to them.
  1. ¡°That ice cream thing! We have to try it!¡±
  2. ¡°Your people don¡¯t use swords and bows?¡±
  3. ¡°For real? How many times you beat it a day?¡±
  4. ¡°They wear such strange clothes!¡±
  5. ¡°Are all cities full of tall houses like that?¡±
  6. ¡°You actually use that huge flying thing to travel?¡±
The commentaries were endless. Flint cheerfully gave them a proper conversation and explanation, except for number three. Eventually, the commotion died,everybody went back to their duties, and The Queen had seen enough. The Witch snapped her fingers, making the mirror disappear. Lying on her back, The Queen let out a deep sigh as she grabbed a mug with red wine. Her eyes had seen so many wonders. The blue woman couldn''t remember the last time she felt so entertained. ¡°We''re inside a video-game, huh... I think I understand now.¡± A bit of existential crisis infected her head. The Witch sipped on a glass of wine. ¡°See my dear boy¡­¡± She stared at Flint. ¡°I told this was the best solution.¡± He clenched his jaw. ¡°I don¡¯t know about that! Couldn¡¯t I pick which memories to show?¡± She took another sip. ¡°No, what if you were naughty and hid something from us?¡± The fact that his privacy had been violated bummed him lots. But at least The Demon Queen knew the truth now. It should be clear that he meant no actual harm. The Witch, after finishing the glass of wine, stood up and yawned. ¡°What a nice meal¡­¡± She slowly approached Flint, seductively swaying her hips, allowing her purple dress to grind against her pale skin. But he knew the truth! She had a special package under her clothes. No way she could fool him again! The mysterious woman leaned over next to him and snapped her fingers. A big and thick piece of sausage dropped in front of him. ¡°Don¡¯t worry my dear boy. That thing in the bath¡­ was nothing but a little prank¡± She proceeded to gently blow in his ear. The boy could smell the alcohol on her breath. ¡°Trust me¡­ I am an actual woman¡­ Through and through¡± His cheeks blushed in embarrassment, and The Queen looked at them with furrowed brows. The Witch corrected her posture and said: ¡°I will be going now. Thank you Meli... And until then my dear boy¡± She snapped her fingers and vanished amidst a smoke screen. Flint rested his body as the awkward encounter ended. But it was too soon for him to relax. There was still the matter with The Queen, and he needed to somehow go back home. He forced a smile and looked at her. ¡°So¡­ You trust me now, right?¡± ¡°Of course not! You lied to me! This computer thing isn¡¯t like a theater at all!¡± Her voice grew louder, forcing him into a defensive stance. ¡°I¡¯m sorry! Explaining video-games would be too hard! I won¡¯t try to kill you now! To me, you were just a fictional person.¡± She rolled her eyes then drank from the mug. ¡°Whatever, you can¡¯t keep sending heroes to me anymore. That¡¯s enough for now.¡± Something felt off. Flint only tried to fight her once. It was unfair to blame him for all the heroes that tried to kill her before. He said, ¡°About that¡­ I only tried to battle you once, right before you invaded my world and grabbed me.¡± ¡°That means there are other people like you¡­¡± She raised both of her brows. ¡°Good, I will have more opportunities to cross that portal.¡± Her words came crashing down on his head. What would happen if the almighty Demon Queen escaped the game? She would bring the apocalypse and he would be at fault. Flint couldn¡¯t let that happen. ¡°No!¡± He yelled, startling The Queen. ¡°Don¡¯t suddenly shout, you idiot!¡± Her grip tightened to the point of bending her mug. ¡°I mean, there is no reason for you to go to my world¨C¡± ¡°There is. It seems nice.¡± ¡°But¡­ But you¡¯re a queen here! You have lots of responsibilities!¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t.¡± His breathing got heavy. ¡°Really? Don¡¯t you command¡­ You know¡­¡± ¡°Spit it out already.¡± Her gaze sent a chill down his spine. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you focus on leading your army to¡­ conquer this world first?¡± ¡°Conquer? What do you mean?¡± She reached for another mug and filled it with wine. ¡°You¡­ You¡¯re a demon lord¡­ So I thought¡­¡± She sighed. ¡°You thought I am a tyrant. Why? Because horns grow from my head? Typical human.¡± He started to sweat. ¡°No¡­ I¡­¡± ¡°Say it. I will kill you if you don¡¯t.¡± ¡°It was the game. It told me you¡¯re evil and I had to stop your¡­ evil plans¡­¡± Her expression twisted. ¡°I have been rotting inside this castle doing nothing outside for as long as I can remember.¡± She was pissed off. ¡°I don¡¯t have an army or any of the sort.¡± ¡°Then¡­ Why would heroes try to kill you?¡± ¡°How should I know?¡± She gulped down another round. Flint felt at ease. That blue woman didn¡¯t seem like the conventional Evil Dark Lord from fictional narratives. If her theory was right, a portal would open the moment another player tried to fight her. But it didn¡¯t make sense. The Light Hero was a single player game. Still, that was his only hope to return home. ¡°So, when the next hero appears, could you maybe¡­ take me with you to the portal?¡± he asked. ¡°No.¡± He leaned over the table. ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Because I said no.¡± ¡°But¡­ That¡¯s the only way I can return!¡± ¡°Ugh¡­ I¡¯ll decide later okay?¡± She extended her arm to grab another wine bottle. ¡°Can¡¯t you decide now?¡± ¡°Dammit, the next hero should come in a few days. Just wait until then.¡± She poured yet another round. The boy continued to beg her, but all the alcohol didn¡¯t allow The Queen to give a proper answer. Instead, she kept chugging down mug after mug while drunkenly babbling about how frustrated she was to be confined within the castle. Not only that, the continuous visits from self-proclaimed heroes stressed her even more. ¡°Why don¡¯t you leave the castle then? Go somewhere else for a change.¡±Flint suggested. ¡°I wish I could,¡± she replied. ¡°Some kind of magic¡­ No, a shit curse! There¡¯s a curse that prohibits me from crossing the walls.¡± ¡°What happens if you try to get out?¡± ¡°It blocks me¡­¡± After saying that, The Queen took the chair she sat on and threw it at a window, effectively shattering it. Broken pieces of glass fell over the floor. Flint winced at the abrupt action. ¡°What was that for?!¡± Without answering him, she gracefully leaped towards the now open window. When she was about to cross over the hole... Boom! Her body hit an invisible wall. The impact knocked her out. She fell flat on the ground. Flint squinted at her. ¡°What¡¯re you doing?¡± In spite of the blunt shock, The Queen quickly recovered and was back at her feet already. Little scraps of glass all over her blue skin. ¡°Just showing you why I can¡¯t leave.¡±She shook off her dress. ¡°Did you have to put up this show?¡± ¡°Pft, it is easier to explain this way.¡± A slightly rusted metallic door at the back of the DiningHall was slammed open. That door connected this room to the Kitchen. A white-haired butler came rushing from it. He had been alarmed by the loud noise that The Demon Queenproduced while shattering the window. ¡°Melidia! This is the ninth window this month!¡±He gritted his teeth. She pursed her lips. ¡°Sorry about that.¡± ¡°I know how desperate you are to leave, but you need to stop breaking them!¡± Butlers and maids are servants who are meant to be submissive and respectful towards their master, but that specific white-haired butler somehow had the right to scold that frightening Demon Queen. He was outraged, flailing his arms left and right, up and down, in order to express his indignation with her irresponsible demeanor. ¡°I already said I¡¯m sorry dammit!¡± ¡°You always say you¡¯re sorry, but this is the ninth time! It''s a pain to clean up after you!¡± The Queen sighed and then threw a cold stare at Flint. ¡°You, clean the floor.¡± The boywas taken aback. This wasn''t a five-star hotel, but did that give her the right to order him around? He crossed his arms. ¡°Why me? I don¡¯t even belong here. I need to go to my world.¡± ¡°Can you go back by yourself?¡±she asked. ¡°No...¡± The Queen put her hands on her hips and wore a malicious smile, she stank of alcohol. ¡°Then you are stuck here! This is my castle and I captured you! You obeyme now!¡± An outrage started to burn in his chest, but he hid it. Like it or not, The Queen was his best chance to return home. He had to stay on her good side. ¡°Stop it Melidia! I will clean it by myself!¡± The butler stood up for the boy. Finding herself in a two versus one argument, she decided to end their squabble there. Scowling at the butler, she kicked an innocent chair. It flew across the room and hit a wall. The poor seat became nothing but pieces of wood. ¡°He will and that¡¯s it!¡± she yelled. The blue woman stormed out of the room while stumbling through tables and chairs. Not ten seconds later, the sound of someone falling on the hallway came from the entrance, followed by ¡°Your Highness! Are you alright?¡± Flint turned to the butler, who just grinned and shrugged his shoulders. Chapter 4: Hyunas Five Start Hotel! With the departure of The Demon Queen came the silence. Only Flint and the white-haired butler remained in the Dining Hall. The latter bowed. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry! That girl acts like a spoiled princess, but I assure you she isn¡¯t a bad person¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You don¡¯t need to bow,¡± Flint said. The butler corrected his posture pronto, just to bow again. ¡°I shall apologize twice then.¡± He lifted his head ¡°I¡¯m afraid you have to clean all this mess, I will help of course. You wouldn¡¯t like to see her when she discovers you disobeyed her orders.¡± Flint sighed. ¡°Seems like I have no choice then¡­¡± From tiny bits to large chunks, various pieces of broken glass were spread across the stone floor. The butler brought two brooms and a few buckets. How exciting! Flint¡¯s very first task in this fantasy world would be a cleaning duty. In that spacious and silent room, only the sound of their brooms scraping against the floor could be heard. Even the wind coming from the broken window didn''t whisper. After a minute of mutual silence, the butler broke it, proving to be a good company. ¡°Can you believe this is the ninth time she breaks a window?¡± Flint chuckled. ¡°I don¡¯t doubt it¡­ She always like this?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ Dealing with her is such a pain¡­ Ugh! Always acting like a spoiled princess!¡± The butler started to sweep harder, that woman easily got into his nerves. ¡°What¡¯s your name? Mine¡¯s Flint¡­ But I think you knew already.¡± ¡°Namzara, nice to meet you. I¡¯m the older brother of Melidia, that bratty Queen¨C¡± ¡°What?¡± Flint exclaimed as he looked at him. ¡°Something wrong?¡± The butler leaned to the right. ¡°Is it strange that I¡¯m her brother?¡± ¡°If you¡¯re her brother, why are you acting like a janitor then? Don¡¯t you have all these maids and butlers already?¡± ¡°Maids? Butlers?¡±Namzara furrowed his brows. ¡°I think you¡¯ve got something wrong.¡± Flint stopped sweeping. ¡°How?¡± ¡°They¡¯re not servants. They¡¯re just people who live here. We¡¯re just a big family, me and Melidia included.¡± ¡°But then¡­ Why everybody seems to obey your sister?¡± ¡°It¡¯s complicated ¡­ Willing to hear it?¡± Flint nodded as he started to sweep again. The butler grabbed a bucket and carefully put a big glass shard inside. He tilted his head upwards to gather inspiration to begin explaining. ¡°All her life she lived confined in this castle. No one knows why she can¡¯t leave. ¡± The boy stepped in a glass piece, making it easier to sweep. ¡°I¡¯d pity her¡­¡± ¡°Well, since she can¡¯t leave, we bring to her anything she needs. We spoiled her.¡± ¡°That explains a lot!¡± ¡°She threatens us if we deny something to her.¡± The boy stared at Namzara. ¡°And you, older brother, just let her behave like that?¡± The butler supported his head with the broom. ¡°Yes, she has a natural talent for destructive magic. It¡¯s embarrassing, but my little sister can easily defeat me.¡± Flint chortled, he had something in common with that man. Namzara sucked his teeth. ¡°That brat refuses to help around the castle. At least her presence scares off any potential pillagers.¡± ¡°What about the heroes?¡± ¡°They come sometimes, but they only target Melidia. I think she has a reward in her head. Regardless, no one ever managed to scratch her, so we don¡¯t need to worry.¡± Their conversation died, the sound of the sweeping brooms filled the room once again. The two were quite the cleaning duo. Ten minutes passed, and only a few pieces of glass remained in the floor. Flint called for Namzara¡¯s attention. ¡°So¡­ Am I part of the family now?¡± A void filled his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m stuck here after all.¡± The butler gave a curt sigh. ¡°Sorry, but I don¡¯t think so¡­¡± ¡°Why?¡± The boy knitted his brows ¡°Something against humans?¡± ¡°Not really. Some of the others guys don¡¯t like humans, but that¡¯s not the problem.¡± ¡°Then what is?¡± ¡°You see¡­ When you were at the bath, Melidia was happily bragging about how she captured a suspicious individual.¡± He dramatically paused. ¡°She considers you as her personal slave¡­ A spoil of war basically.¡± Forget about exciting adventures on a fantasy world. The boy became a slave. His owner? A damn demon. What kinds of torture awaited him? A single drop of sweat slid down his cheek. He had to calm down, maybe it wouldn¡¯t be that bad. He mechanically turned his head to Namzara, twisting his mouth into an awkward smile. ¡°What¡­ What will happen to me?¡± he asked, eyes wide open. The butler focused his sights on the floor, putting the last bits of glass dust inside the bucket. He was trying to avoid eye contact. ¡°I am truly sorry¡­¡± ¡°Then¡­ Please help me!¡± ¡°Stay calm. It won¡¯t be that bad¡­ If you¡¯re lucky, she will just treat you like an undesired pet.¡± ¡°Lucky?¡± Flint dropped his jaw. ¡°That¡¯s the best that can happen?¡± Namzara grabbed the buckets filled with trash. ¡°We¡¯re finally finished! Well¡­ Good luck! See you.¡± ¡°Wait! Don¡¯t leave me!¡± The white-haired demon rushed out of the Dining Hall, leaving the perplexed boy behind. Flint felt lost. ¡°What now?¡± he asked himself. ***** A sparkly night could be seen from the broken window that Melidia had opened. Countless drops of spilled milk and grains of sugar were dropped on the huge mantle called sky. Such a beautiful view didn¡¯t exist back in the real world. There, it seemed like a dark curtain, hiding the beauty of the universe. The boy was sitting in one of the many wooden chairs from the Dining Hall, mesmerized by the sight.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. ¡°Flint? Sweetie? Are you here?¡± Mamyl cheerfully hummed as she entered the room, repeatedly turning her head to the sides. Hewaved his hand.¡°Over here! I just finished cleaning the floor with Namzara¡± She put her hands together in front of the chest and walked to his side. ¡°Zara is a good person¡­ I¡¯m happy that you are making friends already¡­¡± Calling them friends was a bit too much. He tightened his lips, forcing a smile. ¡°You said you were looking for me?¡± ¡°Ah! I just wanted to show you to your room. You will be staying over here right?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± He sighed. ¡°I can¡¯t go back home after all.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry!¡± She smiled.¡°You will see that you will fit right in!¡± Every word from her had an incredible optimism inscribed. The positive energy cheered the boy with confidence. A certain ginger maiden, however, barged into the room, interrupting them. ¡°He¡¯s my responsibility¡­ Leave this matter to me,¡±Hyuna said. Mamyl tried to protest. ¡°Aw! You know I¨C¡± ¡°Milady said I was responsible for him. Leave.¡± Her unfading voice carried strength within its waves. Trying to argue with her would be as pointless as discussing with a wall. Mamyl let her shoulders relax in defeat.She gripped on her dress and left to the Kitchen while pouting her cheeks. Hyuna waited until the blonde crossed the door. ¡°Follow me, I will show you to your room.¡± Rolling his eyes, Flint obliged. Shame, he wished the gentle and beautiful Mamyl were the one responsible for him. ***** ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± The boy inquired about the object in front of him. ¡°Your bedroom¡­ Any issue?¡± Hyuna presented him to a badly constructed dog house by the gates of the castle. The dog bowl from before lay next to it. Pochi was now written in the house as well and rusted nails were sticking out from some of the planks from his room. ¡°I have an issue alright! How am I going to sleep in there?¡± He shouted in her face, but the ginger maid didn¡¯t even flinch. ¡°Don¡¯t be so picky, Pochi.¡± ¡°My name is Flint.¡± ¡°Pochi, good or bad, you should be thankful for a gift.¡± Flint crossed his arms¡°Are you listening to anything I say?¡± Even while jesting on the poor boy, the maid still kept her face stiff and expressionless. Her head was probably made out of hard plastic. Yes, even a doll would be a better actress than her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll come back by morning to bring your breakfast.¡± She approached him and opened her arms. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Flint stepped back. But before he could get away from her, the girl embraced him. It was an awkward, but warm, hug. ¡°What are you doing?!¡± He spun his head to the right. ¡°Stop it!¡± Amidst her cold heart, a warm seedling of kindness saw spring. Clack! Not really. A metal collar latched around his neck, chaining him to the dog house. Her cold heart evolved into a raging blizzard, ripping the seedling of kindness into tiny unrecognizable bits. ¡°NO WAY!¡± Flint tried to pull the collar off. ¡°Now be good and go to sleep.¡± She stepped back into the castle, not looking back at the afflicted boy. The iron gates closed in a loud slam. ¡°EY! You can¡¯t do this to me!¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Are there any animals out here?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it a bit too cold outside? Ey! I will freeze to death!¡± The gate slightly opened. A hand ejected a fur blanket from the gap. Slam! It closed again. ¡°Can¡¯t you guys spare a room? Any would do! Ey!¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Ey! I don¡¯t even need a room! Sleeping in the hallway is fine! Anywhere!¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Eeeeey!¡± ***** A dense and lush forest surrounded the castle from the north, south, west, and east. It featured an impeccable palette of green. The grey castle was nothing but a tiny island in this ocean of leaves. Innumerous birds lived in there, providing a natural orchestra unique to that place. Their melody announced the dawn of a new day. One couldn¡¯t ask for a better wakeup call¨C ¡°AAAAH!¡± An agonized shriek ripped through Flint¡¯s eardrums. The shock forced open his heavy eyelids. ¡°Wha... Wha happ¡­ What happened?¡± Mamyl leaned forward. ¡°That Hyuna! How could she do this to you!¡± She stared at Flint, brows knitted. ¡°This is inexcusable! My poor sweetie¡­¡± The boy had entangled himself with the fur blanket and rested inside the dog house. A neck-pain reminded him of a bad night of sleep. The blonde covered her mouth in disbelief. ¡°They even chained you!¡± ¡°Hm? Ah¡­ Yes.¡± ¡°Just wait a little longer! I¡¯ll be back to help you!¡± She stomped her way back into the castle. ¡°Huh¡­ I guess¡­ I can go back to sleep then¡­¡± ***** ¡°Wake up,¡± a voice said. Ignoring it, Flint tucked his head. ¡°Wake up.¡± ¡°Leave me alone¡± ¡°Wake up.¡± ¡°Agh!¡± Flint slammed the wall from his room. ¡°I woke up! Happy now?¡± The morning was still cold, and the last thing the boy wanted was to be greeted by a certain ginger plastic doll. Too bad, Hyuna crouched in front of his doghouse holding his dog bowl. It was filled with a white concoction. Probably porridge. She extended her arms. ¡°Your breakfast. Enjoy.¡± The boy scowled and subtly scratched his nose. The memories of that cold night swelled ire from the inside. He, with both of his hands, gladly accepted the offering, he firmly gripped the bowl, and¡­ Paff! Threw it at her face. His actions were so rude, she had to ask. ¡°What¡¯re you doing?¡± Just like her, Flint started to keep an expressionless face as well. He gave her a cold stare and calmly replied. ¡°Justice.¡± Unbeknown to either of them, the couple accidentally started a staring contest. Whoever showed a minimal sign of emotion would lose the game. ¡°This is a waste of nutritive resources,¡± she said. ¡°I don¡¯t care.¡± Scraping what could still be consumed from her face, she threw the gooey paste back into the dog bowl. Her mouth started to squirm left and right. ¡°Pft.¡± She spat on the porridge. ¡°Your breakfast. Enjoy¡­ ¡° And just like that, the boy couldn¡¯t keep that little Who expresses an emotion first? game anymore. He widened his eyes and bared his teeth. ¡°I am not eating!¡± ¡°This food has all the ingredients necessary for your body.¡± He tilted his head upwards, almost hitting the ceiling of the dog house. ¡°Is your spit necessary?¡± ¡°It¡¯s an extra, consider it a gift.¡± In response, Flint kept quiet and stared at her with hollow eyes. She tried to push the bowl to him. ¡°Your breakfast.Enjoy¡± ¡°I¡¯m not eating you damn¨C¡° Paff! The porridge flew into his face, cutting short his rebellion. ¡°No need to thank me,¡± she said. ¡°I won¡¯t.¡± After being defeated, Flint tried to clean his face with his bare hands. He didn¡¯t want to dirty his fur blanket and his clothes. From the distance, a man whose skin shinned by the rising Sun approached the loving couple. It was that drunken lizard-man from yesterday. ¡°Aye! Miss Hyuna! You didn¡¯t catch that kitty around have you?¡± ¡°No,¡± she coldly replied. The green guy scratched the scales from his head. ¡°Damn be that Witch! Just because we made a bit of good ruckus she did her finger snap thingy and poofed us out of the castle! ¡° ¡°You deserved that.¡± ¡°Bah! Now I can¡¯t find that kitty anywhere. He might be in some trouble.¡± While Flint scraped his dirty hands onto the ground, Hyuna turned to him. ¡°Good timing, Pochi can help in your search.¡± The lizard-man hadn¡¯t noticed the pitiful boy yet. When he did, his long jaw dropped. ¡°Boy¡­ What¡¯ve they done to you? ¡° Flint didn¡¯t say a thing. He didn¡¯t want to, neither need to. In a click, Hyuna disconnected the chain that attached the boy to the dog house. The uncomfortable metal collar was still around his neck though. ¡°Make good use of Pochi, bring it back here before noon,¡± she said. The green man didn¡¯t know how to answer. A hesitant ¡°Aye.¡± left his mouth. The maid gazed at him with her emerald eyes. ¡°If Pochi escapes¡­ It will be your head, understood?¡± Her face didn¡¯t express anything, but a murderous intent could be felt. ¡°Aye, Miss Hyuna.¡± She entered the castle, leaving Poc¨C Flint to the care of the lizard-man. The boy¡¯s second quest in this fantasy world had begun: To find a lost Kitty. Chapter 5: To catch a cat you need catnip! To the left of The Demon Queen¡¯s castle, the West Woods firmly stood in place. Their trunks were sturdy and tall, a vivid green sprouted from their leaves, and their branches sang a silent melody as the breeze passed by. Amidst the brown of the barks, the lizard-man led the way through the forest, and Flint accompanied him by his right side. The objective of their morning stroll was to find a lost ¡°kitty¡±. But Flint wasn¡¯t walking, he was stomping the path he passed by, crushing the dried leaves from the soil. The unfair hospitality that damned maid had given him made the veins from his neck throb. Both of them were quiet, the green guy didn¡¯t want to annoy the boy. All that silence, however, didn¡¯t feel right to the lizard-man, they had been walking together for twenty minutes already. He couldn¡¯t keep his mouth shut for any longer. ¡°Talk about scary! Miss Hyuna might be lean, but that girl is death herself! Don¡¯t you think Pochi?¡± ¡°Flint.¡±the boy muttered. ¡°Hm?¡±The lizard-man turned his head to the boy. ¡°Said something?¡± ¡°Tsk, it¡¯s Flint! Not Pochi!¡± The green guy guffawed. ¡°They¡¯re giving you strange names already? Flint it is! I¡¯ll remember from now on.¡±Hecarried a cheerful energy inthe tone of his voice. ¡°I don¡¯t care, really¡­ Tsk, doesn¡¯t matter!¡± The lizard-man was just trying to have a nice chatter, but Flint kept an uptight and rude attitude, not even giving a glance to look at him in the eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t say that! Names are important¡­ Mine is Barama!¡±He flexed his right arm. ¡°Don¡¯t you forget! Flint and Barama! Barama and Flint!¡± The boy was still in a foul mood, and the energetic vibe only made things worse. After a few minutes of strolling, the fresh air cooled his head a bit. Not being in such a bitter state anymore, Flint sighed and asked. ¡°Who are we looking for exactly?¡± ¡°We¡¯re searching for Sheera. He claims that he¡¯s half a lion, more like half a cat.¡± Barama paused to laugh. ¡°Yesterday, we started a bit of ruckus¡­ Then poof!¡± The boy made a silent chuckle. ¡°I was there.What happened then?¡± The lizard-man crossed his arms ¡°That Vela Witch. No¡­ That Vela Bitch!¡± He laughed at his own joke again. ¡°She used her finger snappy thingy to teleport me and the kitty out. I was thrown into a lake, as for the other¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡± Flint looked at a fallen tree. ¡°Maybe he¡¯s dead¡­¡± ¡°Sheera? That rascal? Ha! I wish!¡± A grumbling noise coming from the boy¡¯s stomach interrupted them. He didn''t have any breakfast that morning. Thanks to Hyuna''s hospitality and Flint¡¯s stupidity, his empty belly now protested for a meal. ¡°You hungry boy?¡±Barama asked. Flint started to hold his abdomen to lessen the pain.¡°Yes¡­ I might be.¡± ¡°Got the solution for this problem.¡± The lizard took a sharp turn to the left, beckoning the boy to follow. The duo had to go through the middle of green and thorny bushes. The lizard-man didn''t seem to be bothered by it. He had hardened scales after all. But Flint almost ripped open a hole in the cotton shirt. After crossing the forest, a massive tree was revealed in front of them. Its trunk had the same width of a brown bear, allowing the branches to reach far and wide. Said branches were loaded with oval-shaped fruits, roughly the same size of a human fist. Their colors ranged from red, purple and blue. Barama said, ¡°Here is a mangolim tree.¡± ¡°Mangolim?¡± Flint propelled his head forward ¡°That¡¯s a fruit?¡± The lizard nodded and raised his armpointing towards the tree.¡°Can you see the blue ones? Those are ripe and good.¡± He got closer to the tree and snapped a blue fruit from a bending branch. ¡°Take a bite!¡± Swinging his arm, he tossed it to the boy. Flint hesitated to eat. He had never seen such a fruit, but the hunger begged his teeth to sink into the juicy texture. It was similar to a small mango, the only difference was the blue color. Well¡­ Why not? After rubbing the surface with his cotton sleeve, he chomped it down. ¡°It¡¯s sweet!¡± His eyes even brightened up. A sugar bomb exploded inside his mouth, covering all the taste buds from his tongue. He didn¡¯t expect to eat something so sweet in a medieval world. But thinking back, The Demon Queen did eat puddings. Maybe this world wasn¡¯t so outdated after all. ¡°Right? They¡¯re the sweetest things out here,¡±Barama said. After finishing the little blue mangolim, Flint wiped his mouth. That tiny fruit couldn''t satisfy his hunger. He asked for more. ¡°Can do.¡± Barama started to collect the blue fruits, tossing all of them at the boy. ¡°Hey! Not so many!¡± Having so many mangolins flying at once, he let most of them fall to the ground. A purple one, however, hit his face. ¡°Sorry!¡± the lizard exclaimed. ¡°Don¡¯t eat the purple! Neither the reds!¡± The boy rubbed his nose. ¡°Alright, but what¡¯s wrong with the other colors?¡± ¡°They give you a bad tummy pain. Happened to me once.¡± After the enlightenment, Flint eagerly chomped down all the blue mangolins. He ate one, three and then five. When he reached the seventh, he noticed Barama didn¡¯t take a single bite out of the fruits he had collected. Instead, the green man sunbathed while resting over a fallen tree. ¡°Won¡¯t you eat as well?¡± ¡°I¡¯m half a lizard, you forgot? I can eat fruits sometimes, but I¡¯d rather have a big chunk of meat¡­ and a mug of beer.¡± It was normal for a lizard to prefer meat, but beer? Flint shrugged off the thought and brought his attention back to his hunger. After finishing offhis ninth mangolim like a glutton, his stomach stopped grumbling for more. ¡°Done already?¡±Barama said sarcastically. ¡°Yes, sorry about that.¡±Flint scratched his head a bit embarrassed. ¡°Just messing with you, I don¡¯t mind. I know how being hungry is bad.¡± They resumed their search for the lost Sheera and walked back into the woods. ***** ¡°Sheera! Where are you?¡±Flint cried. ¡°You damn rascal! Where are you?¡±Barama cried. Three hours have passed since they started their aimless search and rescue. The boy''s throat was sore and his feet hurt. ¡°Maybe he already found his way back home?¡± he asked. ¡°Hm¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡± The lizard wasn¡¯t convinced. He stopped walking and puffed up his chest. After opening his mouth, he shouted at the top of his lungs. ¡°SHEERA!¡± ¡°It¡¯s Sharee you damn gecko¡­¡± A rough and faint voice echoed through the woods from the north. Flint and Barama got back on their feet and rushed to the rescue. After finding the source of the voice, both of them tilted their heads upwards. The lion-man was over a large branch belonging to a tall tree. Being that high up, there was no way to reach him. Barama crossed his arms as fidgeted his tail. ¡°Sheera! You don¡¯t know how worried I got! Come down!¡± The lion-man looked at him. ¡°How many times I have to say it? My name is Sharee!¡± ¡°Sounds the same to me, just get down here already!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t! The ground is too far.¡± ¡°What? Just use your damn cat claws! Climb your way down!¡± ¡°I have tried Barama-ya¡­ I just can¡¯t!¡± This stirred the lizard¡¯s nerve. Sharee had been up there for an entire night and didn¡¯t muster any courage to leave the branch. Stomping the ground, Barama politely yelled. ¡°Stop being a coward you damn kitty!¡±Stolen story; please report. And of course, there would be an equallypolite reply. ¡°Don¡¯t you call me that you disgusting gecko!¡± ¡°I will call your skin whatever I want you pussy!¡± ¡°Big talk for a man with fish for brains!¡± ¡°Come down here and face me you useless fur-ball!¡± Both of them kept verbally assaulting each other while making nasty hand gestures. Meanwhile, Flint started to explore the forest on his own, looking for a specific item. ¡°Found it!¡± he exclaimed. - Sturdy - Vine Ropeobtained! It seemed long enough to be able to reach the branch, and the thickness guaranteed it wouldn¡¯t break easily. ¡°You¡¯re just a snake with legs addicted to beer!¡± ¡°At least I¡¯m not a weak ass milk drinker!¡± The boy returned entangling the vine within his arms. ¡°Ey! I found something that we can use as a rope!¡± The other two stopped throwing insults. The lion knitted his brows, most intrigued by the rope. ¡°What do you plan to do with it?¡±he asked. ¡°We will throw it at you, then, you can tie it to the branch and climb down,¡±Flint said. ¡°You sure it¡¯s a good idea?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Even thoughthe man was half a lion, he was still half a human. He had fingers that could firmly grip the vine and descend to safety. The boy tied a knot at the end of the rope to give it more weight, and then, he tried to hand it to Barama. ¡°You want me to throw it?¡± ¡°Yes, you¡¯re¡­ stronger than me.¡± Indeed, the lizard wore quite a self-revealing leather armor that only protected his chest, shoulders, and groin. His well-defined green biceps were always exposed. On the other hand, Flint was just a normal human, a lean young man at best. Barama guffawed. ¡°Have more confidence boy! Try throwing it first!¡± He crossed his arms. ¡°You¡¯ll never know if you never try! ¡° Flint wore a smile. He tried to hide it but failed. Backing away from the lizard, the boy bent his knees and tensed his muscles. Swinging his arm upwards, the vine was launched with all his strength. To his surprise, it reached Sharee. However, it accidentally whipped the lion with great oomph under his chin. ¡°Ugh!¡± The distressed man lost his balance, allowing his body to slip sideways from the branch covered by lime. ¡°Aaaaaaah!¡± The sound of freefall agony. In a loud note, he fell onto the ground filled with dead leaves. Flint and Barama looked at his limp body flattened on the terrain. Drops of cold sweat emerged from the boy¡¯s forehead. The lizard-man, however, didn¡¯t have the same biological mechanism, so he just let his jaw drop. ¡°Boy¡­¡±Barama muttered, and then slowly turned his head to Flint. ¡°What did you do?¡± That wasn¡¯t an easy question to answer. He just murdered someone while wearing a big ass smile. ¡°Boy, I think he might be dead¡­¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t expect it to hit him that hard!¡± Flint stuttered as his voice got thinner. ¡°What do we do now?¡± Barama rushed to the body on the ground and put his claws next to themuzzle. ¡°He breathes! Put him on my back! Miss Mamyl can heal him!¡± Fortunately, Sharee still lived. After putting his unconscious body on the lizard¡¯s back, they sprinted towards the castle. What if that man died before he could be saved? Would Flint be punished for his crime? The boy started to consider his options in the case he actually became a murderer. He wouldn¡¯t stick around just to be executed or tortured for killing a video-game character. But honestly, he knew he didn¡¯t have many options. He played the whole game using teleportation magic. Even if he ran away, he wouldn¡¯t know a place with humans where he could flee. At that point, he could only hope that the lion-man survived. ***** Flint slammed the castle¡¯s gate open, followed by Barama who carried the unconscious man in his back. ¡°Miss Mamyl? Where¡¯s she?¡±He shouted. In the Main Entrance, Namzara was sweeping pieces of glass from some broken window. The butler winced as the loud slamming sound hurt his ears. After seeing the body being carried in the lizard¡¯s back, he immediately got a grasp on the circumstance. ¡°Follow me.¡±He said. ¡°She¡¯s in the Piano Room.¡± The three of them battled the hallway, putting their legs to good use. Namzara pointed at a door to their right. ¡°There it is! Behind this door¡± Barama didn¡¯t hesitate to force the door open, almost bringing it down. By the table on the left, Melidia coughed out the tea she was drinking.Scowling at them, The Queen yelled, ¡°What are you morons doing?¡± The morons didn¡¯t take a single break since they started running. Theirchestfelt heavy, a burning pain consumed their legs. Out of breath, the lizard tried to speak. ¡°Miss Mamyl here? Where¡­ Where she? We need¡­¡± That woman was in the room, but not in a very presentable way. Flint raised his brows and Barama dropped his jaw. Namzara, however, didn''t express shock. He knew what had happened already. The lizard asked, ¡°Miss Melidia¡­ Uhm¡­ Did we interrupt something?¡±. Mamyl was sitting on a chair at the opposite side from Melidia. A rope tied her hands to the seat, and a piece of cloth covered her mouth.Just like a hostage. ¡°Hmhmhm! Hmhm.¡± She started to struggle vertically, letting her well-endowed breasts jiggle all over the place. ¡°What¡­ What happened to Miss Mamyl?¡± Barama asked again. The Demon Queen corrected her posture, letting her spine hit the backrest of the chair. She blinked twice, and spun her head over to Mamyl, and then turned back to the crowd at the door. She sighed and rolled her eyes, explaining thesituation would be a pain. ¡°It¡¯s simple¡­ She wouldn¡¯t stop rambling about something.¡±Hereyes targeted Flint. ¡°So I had to shut her up.¡± Barama stepped inside the room and carefully put the lion¡¯s body on the brown couch by the fireplace. He looked at the women and bowed. ¡°Miss Melidia, please, let Miss Mamyl save Sheera!¡± ¡°Gah!¡± A sudden gasp called for their attention. Totheir surprise, the unconsciousman coughed a faint cry. He came back to life, and with a rough and low voice, he said: ¡°It¡¯s Sharee¡­ Damn gecko.¡± Nonetheless, Barama¡¯s yellow eyes seemed to shine ever so brightly. ¡°You still awake! Don¡¯t die on me now! Miss Mamyl! Please!¡± Flint hurried to the blonde¡¯s side and untied her, accidentally chipping one of his nails in the process. She, after finally being able to speak, let out a relieved breath. ¡°Thank you, sweetie.¡± Melidia kept quiet and poured for herself another cup of tea. The blue woman couldn¡¯t care less about what was happening in the room. Approaching the brown couch, Mamyl kneeled while fixing her wrinkled white dress. After she sat over her legs, the healing magic started. ¡°Kuanu¡­ Hiatu¡± That was a great relief for Barama, he trusted Mamyl''s healing skills and knew Sharee would live for another way. But Flint was still a bit uncertain. Lots of What If were going crazy inside his head.What if he dies? What will happen to me then? With the immediate emergency dealt with, Namzara excused himself and left. He still had a certain floor under a certain broken window to sweep. ¡°That smashed window isn¡¯t going to clean itself, see you.¡± ***** Barama and Flint were standing on their feet while watching the healing procedure. The former tilted his head closer to the boy. ¡°Mamyl is the best witch healer,¡± he muttered. ¡°It¡¯s nice to have her healing magic, huh.¡±Flint stared at her rear. ¡°She¡¯s the kindest woman in this castle.¡± Flint looked over his shoulder and caught Melidia by the corner of his eye. She was sitting by the table, reading a book while sipping on a cup of tea. He chuckled. ¡°I agree with you. The others are kind of mean.¡± Barama pointed at Mamyl. ¡°You see that energy floating around her? That¡¯s the magic energy¡± The boy squinted and tried to focus, but he saw nothing. ¡°Huh? What¡¯re you talking about?¡± ¡°Over there, the green cloud in front of Miss Mamyl¡± The boy rubbed his eyes and tried to look again. ¡°I swear I see nothing¡­¡± ¡°You need some fixing in the eyes then.¡± It was either Flint¡¯s eyes or Barama¡¯s mental state that got a serious problem. Mamyl let out a relieved breath and relaxed her shoulders. The healing procedure ended. ¡°He¡¯ll be fine, just needs to rest for a while now.¡± Exhausted, the blonde turned to Flint and asked. ¡°What happened to him anyway? Sweetie, can you answer?¡± She didn¡¯t mean to afflict the boy, but her innocent stare felt like a cold stream falling down on his head. Flint didn¡¯t know how to explain he almost killed Sharee. But before he could say anything, Barama covered him. ¡°This kitty has claws for nothing I tell you! The rascal fell on his own from the tallest tree, can you believe it?¡± He finished with a laugh. Flint couldn¡¯t be more thankful towards that lizard. ¡°Since the kitty¡¯s safe now¡­ I¡¯ll go hunt some game!¡±Barama tapped the boy¡¯s shoulder.¡°You coming?¡± The young man couldn¡¯t help but reply to that invitation wearing an honest smile. ¡°Of course I am!¡± Mamyl stepped up. ¡°Sweetie, what about your room?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You deserve a normal bedroom, no?¡±She crossed her arms, elevating her breasts.¡°I was talking about it with Meli and¨C¡± ¡°Talking?¡± Melidia sneered. ¡°You were crying like a lousy monkey!¡± The blonde clenched her fists. She approached Melidia and slammed the table. A bit of tea fell over the edge of the cup. ¡°You just have to let him have a roof over his head and I will stop!¡± The Queen rolled her eyes. ¡°Fine, whatever. Ugh, I allow it. Say it to Hyuna, I don¡¯t care!¡± Content with the reply, Mamyl put her hands together over her chest and turned to Flint. ¡°Ah! Wonderful news! Isn¡¯t it sweetie? You can go play with your friend now!¡±Positive energy overflowed from her words. The boy gave her a slow nod, tightening his lips into a forced smile. Not even his mother treated him like that. ¡°Yes¡­ Thank you¡­¡± He tapped Barama¡¯s arm. ¡°Let¡¯s go then.¡± Closing the door, they left the Piano Room. Flint had never tried hunting before. He couldn¡¯t help but feel kind of excited. ***** Inside the Piano Room, five minutes after Flint and Barama left¡­ Silence prevailed. Odd, there were three people inside, and none of them created any sort of sound. Sharee, the lion-man, rested his large body over the couch by the fireplace. Mamyl, the blonde demon, sat on a recliner while reading a book. And Melidia, The Demon Queen, was sitting over the piano without playing a single note. Instead, her amber eyes were fixed at a lovely lady who keeps calling a certain human boy Sweetie. ¡°What is it?¡± Mamyl asked. ¡°Your beautiful eyes don¡¯t seem to lose me¡­¡± The Demon Queen let her index finger repeatedly tap one of the piano keys. ¡°Mamyl, don¡¯t you be doing anything to that boy.¡± She scowled. ¡°Understood?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± The blonde chuckled. ¡°I won¡¯t kill him.¡± ¡°Oy, I know what you¡¯re scheming. I will say it only once: Don¡¯t.¡± Mamyl focused her sights on Melidia.¡°And why is that?¡± The Queen closed her eyes.¡°I didn¡¯t capture him to be used by you.¡± ¡°You just got him by chance, and surely, you could share a bit¡­ No?¡± Melidia raised her arm and opened her hand, then let it drop over the keyboard. The impact made a loud scrambled note. She walked towards the table in the corner, letting a clear¡°No!¡±out of her throat. The blonde woman turned her eyes back to the pages of the book and then used its cover to hide her mouth. ¡°Fine,¡±she said,¡°Have it your way.¡± Her lips twisted into a malicious grin, but the book in her hands wasn¡¯t a comedy. Chapter 6: Baramas hunting lesso#&%#GAME_OVER Past noon, the Sun started to slide off from the top, but Flint and Barama still had plenty of time to hunt. Outside of the gate, close to Flint''s doghouse, the lizard-man readied the hunting gear they would use throughout that afternoon. ¡°Boy, did you ever hunt before?¡±Barama asked. Flint shook his head. ¡°Not a problem! You¡¯ll be learning from the best now.¡± Nets, ropes, a machete, arrows, a bow, and many others were being rammed inside a large sack. The lizard showcased every weapon and tool, and said, ¡°Different animal¡­ Different the way we get them.¡± Barama held the sack on his back, hanging it from the shoulder. After taking a deep breath, he started to walk towards theSouth Woods. ¡°Let¡¯s go, boy!¡± ***** They were strolling through the woods again, but this time, Flint started with the right foot. He smiled, his heart pumped in excitement. What would they catch? Some squirrels? Maybe a big boar? What if a bear appeared? The element of surprise kept things interesting. Before he got dragged into this world, he had never visited these parts while playingThe Light Hero. Even thoughthe game was an open-world, exploring the vast map was boring and pointless due to its own realism: Outside of seeing beautiful landscapes, nothing really happened. Great for casual gamers who just wanted a relaxing experience, but Flint wanted more than that. Exciting encounters against strong enemies were rare in the surface. The only places he visited were the monster dungeons, the human cities, and the brothels. After walking south for fourteen minutes, they stopped by the shores of a small lake in the middle of the forest. Barama got the sack off his back and put it on the ground by his feet. He started to stretch his back, and Flint mirrored his actions. The water from the pond was crystal clear, and colorful fishes could be seen swimming in the bottom. ¡°So¡­ How are we going to find something to kill?¡±Flint asked while stretching his shoulders. ¡°Easy, animalsneed water, so there are plenty of them to catch around here.¡± Time for the lizard to show his hunting expertise. He crouched by a spot where the leaves from the trees weren¡¯t blocking the Sun, and thenhe carefully started to caress the gritty sand. Flint fixed his eyes at the hunter. The boy had much to learn, and a good student is one that listens and observes. Thinking out loud, he commented on every action the lizard did. ¡°He¡¯s looking for footprints!¡± Barama stopped and abruptly put his face close to the ground. He furiously fidgeted his nose, feeling the scent of his next prey. The anxiety of the boy started to rise. Flint didn¡¯t expect to find an animal to hunt so soon. ¡°He got the scent of something! We''re really going to do it!¡± The lizard attached the right side of his head onto the ground, closing in the distance between his belly and the soil. Flint, being the attentive student, threw his head back in awe. Did that lizard know how to locate living beings just by listening to the terrain? His hunting skills blew off the boy¡¯s expectation. Gradually letting his body hit the ground, Barama closed his eyes to focus. He became one with the environment, resting his torso over the sand. But of course, the best way to catch an animal was to be part of nature itself. A fool-proof tactic. Five minutes had passed, and Flint kept observing the hunting procedure. He scratched his ear. That lizard just left his big green body lying there. Surely, something should be happening by now, right? Maybe not, patience was a basic requirement to be a hunter after all. He was too impatient. Ten minutes had passed, and the lizard didn¡¯t move at all¡­ After fifteen minutes, Flint started to tap his foot. Something felt off. He asked, ¡°Did you find something?¡± There wasn¡¯t a reply. Disappointment filled his eyes. ¡°You''re sleeping¡­ Aren¡¯t you?¡± Seeing the green man lying on the sand, Flint remembered a line he heard earlier. ¡°Learning from the best, huh?¡± He stepped forward and bent his knees next to the sleeping lizard. He put his face close to Barama¡¯s ear and yelled, ¡°Wake up!¡± ¡°What? Huh? Ahn?¡± Disoriented, the green man raised his head and looked all over the place: Tree, lake, another tree, a bird in the blue sky, then a boy with a dead serious stare. ¡°Barama! What about our hunting?¡± The lizard let out a long yawn, followed by an apology.¡°Sorry boy, I¡¯m cold-blooded¡­ When I¡­ lie on the sun like this¡­ I¡­¡± He rested his head on the ground, falling asleep again. ¡°Wake up!¡± Barama shook his head. ¡°Sorry¡­¡± After hearing Flint¡¯s wakeup call twice, he finally came to his senses. He slowly turned his body over, letting his yellow belly be exposed to the Sun. ¡°How nice¡­¡± ¡°Tsk, you lazy ass, are we going to hunt now?¡± The lizard was utterly groggy but still said, ¡°We¡¯ll hunt now... Don¡¯t you worry¡­¡± ***** It is shameful to be scolded by someone younger than you, but fortunately, Barama didn¡¯t seem to be bothered. After having his metaphorical ear pulled by Flint, he started to hunt seriously.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it ¡°Pst! Over here, boy! Look this!¡±Barama pointed to a line of footprints on the sand from the shore. Approaching the lizard, Flint carefully examined the format of the paws printed on the sand. The owner of it was small and four-footed. The front paws were similar to a dog¡¯s, but the rear paws were vertically long. ¡°Try to guess the animal,¡±Barama said. ¡°I guess¡­ It''s a rabbit?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Barama nodded.¡°And there¡¯s only one kind of rabbit here, the horned ones.¡± ¡°Horned rabbit¡­ A rabbit with horns?¡± Flint raised a brow. ¡°A demon rabbit then.¡± The words demon and horns reminded him of Melidia and Hyuna. His neck started to itch due to the metal collar the latter had put on him. He felt displeased by remembering their faces. The boy tried to imagine what a rabbit with horns looked like, but Mother Nature decided to help by providing a live example. On the opposite side of the pond, a wild rabbit with brown fur appeared from the bushes and started to drink from the lake. It had a single horn coming from the middle of its forehead, similar to a unicorn. The bunny was small, fluffy and adorable. But regardless of its cuteness, it was still an animal composed of meat, and a hunter isn¡¯t eager to let an opportunity go unnoticed. Barama pulled a long wooden spear from the sack. ¡°Ha! Our first catch appeared.¡± ¡°What? Look at it! It¡¯s so small, not even worth hunting!¡± ¡°Bah! Don¡¯t be fooled by its little body! Rookies like you die easily. ¡° Flint glanced over the lake again. The bunny had stopped drinking the water and cleaned its fluffy head with its cute little paws. No way, he couldn¡¯t let it be hunted. ¡°But you have to agree it is too small! There isn¡¯t much meat to get from it!¡± ¡°You¡¯re not wrong¡­ But it¡¯s better than coming back empty-handed.¡± ¡°But¡­ That poor rabbit is¨C¡± A noise growing louder interrupted him¡­ It was that bunny! Dashing through the lake¡¯s shore, the rabbit pointed its horn forward like an enraged bull. The animal readied to pierce a hole in whoever stood in its way. The boy panicked. ¡°Shit! It¡¯s coming! Barama, do something!¡± Unfortunately, this horned rabbit fooled many na?ve adventures, ones such as Flint, with its dainty appearance. Their lack of knowledge often costed a hole in their crotch. However, Barama was a seasoned hunter. To him, that wasn¡¯t even a threat. The charging horned rabbit was quickly closing the distance. Flint desperately ran away from the menacing creature. ¡°Barama! Do something already!¡± The green man tightened his grip on the wooden spear. He crouched and pointed its end towards the horned rabbit. And just like that, the animal charged into the weapon, effectively impaling itself. The rod penetrated its forehead and pierced through the brain, leaving by the back of its skull. It was over. Flint returned, appalled by the scare. He didn¡¯t know what was worse, the moment Melidia came out of his screen, or that. ¡°These horned rabbits are dumb, they charge at anything that moves.¡±Barama handed the rabbit to the boy.¡°If you see one again, just aim a spear at it. The creature kills itself for you.¡± They got their first catch, but that afternoon still had a long way to go¡­ ***** ¡°Oink! Oink oink!¡±said the boar. Half an hour has passed since the encounter with the horned rabbit, and Barama had just caught a wild boar with a throwing net. ¡°Ooooink! Oink!¡±exclaimed the boar, struggling to free itself. Barama, tightening his grip on his wooden spear, precisely aimed at the boar¡¯s forehead and pierced it with a single strike, ripping through its thick skull and brain. ¡°OINK!¡±The boar let out his last breath. That was their second catch. Barama pulled out the spear from the head of the boar, and after seeing the state of his weapon, he let out a sigh. ¡°Darn, I broke it.¡± That boar¡¯s skull was thicker than he expected. The wooden rod wasn¡¯t completely broken: It just had a small crack in its mid-section. Nonetheless, it was too dangerous to rely on a weapon that could break in the middle of a fight, so the lizard just dumped it on the shore of the lake. The day was still bright, the Sun prevailed high up in the blue sky. Flint looked up, trying to figure the time. His stomach rumbled once he remembered it was past noon already. He forgot about lunch, the last thing that entered his stomach was the mangolim breakfast. Barama chortled. ¡°You hungry again boy?¡± ¡°Seems so¡­¡±Flint nodded, a bit embarrassed. ¡°I like being a lizard. Just need a meal once per day.¡± ¡°Tsk, lucky for you¡± ¡°We can cook the rabbit right now if you want¡­ Or you prefer some mangolins?¡± Flint, being a city boy, couldn¡¯t handle eating something he saw being killed, it was gross. Back in his world, everything he ate was processed by countless machines and quality control departments beforehand. ¡°Mangolins¡­ Do you know where we can find a tree nearby?¡± ¡°Of course! Follow me,boy.¡±Barama picked up the sack with their hunting gear. The lizard started to walk towards the north, leaving the shores of the lake to enter the dense forest. Flint tried to follow, but an eerie feeling started to sicken him. A white fog slowly covered the surrounding area. ¡°Ey! Wait up! I will lose you with all this mist!¡± the boy yelled. Barama looked back.¡°Huh? What mist?¡± Flint shrugged his shoulders. ¡°Maybe the one around us?¡± The lizard chucked. ¡°Boy, you really need some fixing in your eyes.¡± Was Barama not seeing the fog? Or was Flint going crazy? What he saw couldn¡¯t be a case of schizophrenia. The air was getting denser by the second. The dark steadily engulfed the woods, as if an eclipse converted day into night. Ignoring Flint¡¯s complaint, the lizard resumed walking north. The boy hurried his pace, trying to catch up. But something appeared. ¡°What the fuck is that?¡±Flint stopped in his track. Barama was getting annoyed.¡°First you say fog, now what is it?!¡± ¡°Right there, in the middle.¡± Flint pointed at an empty space. ¡°There¡¯s a person there!¡± ¡°You¡¯re just seeing stuff.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t see it?¡± ¡°See? See what?¡± ¡°THAT!¡±He pointed at the same empty spot. Barama tried to register what Flint was talking about. Nothing. Just trees and grass. The lizard didn¡¯t see anything special in particular. Butthe boy did. It was someone. No, not someone. It was something. A corpse in the last stages of decay. However, unlike a cadaver who just lies on the ground, this one stood on its own feet, slowly limping towards him. Most of its flesh had been lost to the rot. A giant beast had gnawed off half of its head. Where the skin still remained, the texture was charred black. The stench of the putrid flesh could be felt from the spot the boy stood. Could that be an undead who escape hell while being cremated? No¡­ Remains of a wing hung above its left shoulder. Was that an angel? ¡°A... A monster..¡± As the creature stepped forward, its joints created a particular crackling noise. ¡°Kah, kah, kah¡­¡±The corpse was coming closer. "It is coming..." ¡°Kah, kah, kah¡­¡±The monster repeated. Chapter 7: When Death Knocks... ¡°Kah, kah, kah¡­¡±The monster limped towards Flint. The boy stepped back.¡°It¡¯s coming closer!¡± Barama sighed. ¡°Stop playing around, the mangolins are waiting.¡± The creature only had a single empty eye socket under its charred brow since only half of its face remained. Yet the gaze of that hole injected uneasiness inside Flint. He felt a chill digging under his skin. That monster wasn¡¯t a zombie, neither a ghoul. It was something unknown. The crackling noise from the joints grew louder as the creature arched its spine forward. Before the boy had the time to react, the monster lunged at him. It sprinted, although most of the muscles had been lost to the rot. Tall legs provided it a speed boost. ¡°Shit!¡± Flint turned back and tried to run, but a burning pain erupted by the back of his waist, forcing him to stumble and fall. He used his arm to protect his face before hitting the sand of the shore. The monster had swung its arm to strike a blow in his hips. ¡°What? Who¡¯s there?¡±Barama believed the boy now.¡°Show yourself, coward! Face me!¡± The lizard-man dropped the sack off his back and unfolded a sharp machete. Rushing back to the lake, he randomly swung the blade against the air, in the hopes to hit the invisible creature. Flint system started to mass produce adrenaline. Raising his head, he looked at the creature. Eerily unmoving, it was standing still over the spot wherethe boy was previously.He tried to get back on his feet, but his legs felt weak. He only managed to scrape his sole against the sand, and the stinging pain on the back of his waist didn¡¯t make it any easier. As he struggled to get up, his trembling fingers touched a solid and cylindrical object. It was a spear. Flint grabbed it and got back on his feet with the support of the rod. He held that wooden lance close to his chest with both of his hands. ¡°Where¡¯s it?¡±Barama asked.¡°Where¡¯s it Flint? I¡¯ll kill it!¡± The boy took a second to answer. He raised his right arm and pointed at the unmoving corpse. Barama dashed and attacked its back. The lizard still couldn¡¯t see the monster, but the blade of the machete had connected with its charred skin. Something was there, invisible. But what would be its next move? What if it was now in a defensive position? What if it had moved away? What if it was about to counter-attack? Barama repeatedly swung his blade against whatever was in front, but all the doubts made his grip hesitate. The creature kept still while being repeatedly attacked. All the machete strikes didn¡¯t make the monster even flinch. ¡°It¡¯s dying!¡± Barama exclaimed, now using both of his hands to hold the machete. ¡°No¡­ It¡¯s alive¡­ Looking at me¡­¡± Frozen in place, Flint couldn¡¯t keep his gaze away from the monster¡¯s hollow eye. A cold consumed his limbs, growing from the tips of his fingers. Not because of the air, nor the fog. His body didn¡¯t wish to move, he already gave up. That creature was the reaper. Death had come, and life can¡¯t escape. It was that simple. He ran out of time, that¡¯s why only he could see this death angel. Why even fear? All life dies anyway, he just had to give in. A dry laughter forced its way out from his freezing lips. ¡°Boy! What¡¯re you doing?¡±Barama yelled as he kept swinging his weapon. ¡°I fight it! Run! RUN!¡± As lightning and thunder, those words pulled Flint from a trance. Fear had overwhelmed him, to the point his own mind tried to convince itself that giving up and dying was for the best. But Barama shook him off with a gleam of hope¡­ Flint could still use his arms to fight. Determined to act, he tightened the grip on his spear. The lizard-man had ordered him to run, but was that the right thing to do? No. He would attack the monster as well. But¡­ That corpse¡­ The void in his gnawed head¡­ Flint stared deep into that charred hole again¡­ It whisperedDeath, Death, Death¡­For eachDeath, a dreadful shiver grew on him. How ironic, earlier that day he almost killed a person, and a few minutes ago Barama had reaped the life from two living beings. Yet, now that death had come for him, the world warped and twisted. How candeathbe something so meaningless and meaningful at the same time? Maybe it isn¡¯tdeath¡­ Maybe life is at fault¡­ What¡¯s the difference between the two anyway? He should just give¨C ¡°What¡¯re you doing? Move!¡± Barama shouted.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Flint snapped out of it again. Every time he looked at the monster, he would be imprisoned in a trance. He couldn¡¯t fight it¡­ There was no way. What kept locking him in that state? Was it fear? Or was it magic? He didn¡¯t know. ¡°Kah! Kah! Kah!¡± The unmoving creature started to flail its arms short of notice. Its limbs swung like an enraged drunkard. One of the arms delivered a liver shot on Barama with its right forearm. His organ stretched and twitched inside the ribcage. A sparkle pinched his brain, sending a crude shiver of agony down his spine. ¡°Agh!¡± The lizard bared his teeth trying to withstand the pain. He lost his balance and abruptly fell backward. A thorny bush swallowed his body. ¡°I¡­ I can¡¯t fight it¡­¡± Flint muttered to himself. His determination loosened, as did the grip on the spear. At that moment, he knew there was only one thing left to do¡­ ¡°I have to run¡­¡± He had to go back to the castle, and barricade. Those walls would protect him. Even that pesky Demon Queen could help. But what about Barama? The lizard was defenseless and thrown on the ground¡­ ¡°There¡¯s nothing I can do¡­ It¡¯s not my fault!¡± A bitter swallow ripped its way down Flint¡¯s throat. His trembling legs started to move following the line of the shore. He ran away from the monster, and his hunting teacher. ¡°Even said to me run! It¡¯s his own fault¡­¡± Even though that lizard hadn¡¯t hesitated to jump at danger for his sake, Flint just fled. What thoughts jolted inside his head? I¡¯ve known this dumb lizard for just a day anyway, why should I care? Oh¡­ Then just keep running, fucking idiot. Flint feed himself excuses to justify leaving Barama at the mercy of the monster. ¡°KAH! KAH! KAH! KAH!¡± But that creature wouldn¡¯t let the boy go so easily. A single horn grew out from the remains of its half-forehead. It had the same shape of a unicorn horn. No, the same shape of a horned rabbit¡¯s. The corpse stopped flailing around and concentrated. If life isn¡¯t going towards death, the reaper can just walk and cut short the string of the living. That¡¯s what the monster did. Arching its back, the creature prepared to sprint against Flint for the second time, but now, it had a horn with the size of a foot. ¡°KAH! KAH! KAH! KAH!¡± The boy looked over his shoulder. The monster lunged forward, aiming his chest! Three seconds left. Live or die! Flight or fight! Two seconds left. ... Just aim a spear at it, the creature kills itself for you. A brief memory encouraged Flint to return his grip on the spear. Furrowing his brows, he turned back to the monster. One second left. Pointing the spear to the front, he firmed his feet on the ground. He tried to shut his eyes, but the adrenaline denied it. Zero. The corpse charged against the spear, impaling its neck. That wasn¡¯t enough to stop the momentum. Cracking in two, the pole gave in to the impact. Unfortunately, the horn kept going forward and pierced through Flint¡¯s left forearm. It drilled a hole over his skin, fat, muscle and bone. A desperate cry escaped his lungs. As the boy screamed, their bodies started to fall. The horn detached from the monster¡¯s forehead and kept stuck inside Flint¡¯s forearm. They collapsed on the ground. Silence at last. ***** Barama, putting his hands over his chest, struggled to get up from the bush. For how long was he unconscious? The lizard hoped that his apprentice managed to run away. Unfortunately, the boy¡¯s body was over the shore. ¡°Boy! Boy!¡± Something was floating close to his body¡­ It seemed like some sort of wooden rod. The lizard-man gasped. Not even taking the time to grab his machete, he sprinted towards that floating object. His assumption was right: It was the front half of a spear. He tackled it, taking down something invisible to the sand. Holding it with his left hand, Barama raised his right arm and exposed five sharp claws. Without hesitation, he slashed whatever was lying down with him. He didn¡¯t know what he attacked, but he his claws sank deep on its flesh. A flame burdened his heart. Not enough. Swing after swing, his right arm got tired. His biceps contracted, but he still wanted to keep attacking that thing¡­ He would start using his left now. As the lizard started to raise his arm, he saw Flint lying on the ground. Barama had forgotten about him ¡­ The outrage vanished. At that moment, there was a matter more important to be dealt with. ¡°Boy!¡± Barama held him by the shoulders. Blood was gushing out from the left forearm. There was a nasty hole, bits of broken bone mixed within. The lizard-man ripped the right sleeve from the cotton shirt of the boy and used it to cover it.¡°Hang in there!¡± He took Flint in his arms and ran towards the castle¡­ ***** ¡°Uncle! Uncle!¡± The little girl desperately grabbed the feathers from the old man¡¯s wings. ¡°What is it?! Can¡¯t you see I am in the middle of something?¡± ¡°He¡­ He¡¯s dying again!¡± ¡°Just let it go this time, I bet there are better-¡± ¡°I. Want. That. One.¡± She stomped her feet for each word she said. ¡°Ah¡­ Fine.¡±He turned to me.¡°Hey, do your thing again¡­¡± No. The little girl scowled.¡°WHAT?! WHY?! He ordered you! OBEY HIM! NOW!¡± I said no. I already intervened once, if I keep invading, I might get revealed. The old man shrugged.¡°She is right¡­ It would be a disaster if she was discovered¡± ¡°Then¡­ Then¡­ What do I do? I don¡¯t want him to die!¡± It¡¯s simple¡­ We pray. Chapter 7.1: Untitled.
Title: RAW_00045. Host Name: Flint #######.
Dimension: Aspelar. Dimension Tag: 0000.
Duration: Unknown. Time perception turned off. Responsible for Host: Estrela.
Android: Yes. Type: Storyteller.
Additional Info: Attach file to Chapter 7. Priority: Low.
¡°Hang in there boy! I find Mamyl, she¡¯ll fix you!¡± Who is saying that? Damn, he should carry me with more care, I¡¯m almost slipping¡­ Ouch! What was that loud slam? That hurt¡­ Dammit¡­ My ears! ¡°What happened to him?¡± To who? ¡°Namzara, please! Miss Mamyl! Where¡¯s she?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± ¡°Look for her. Boy is badly hurt.¡± ¡°O-okay!¡± They¡¯re so loud¡­ ¡°AH! What happened to sweetie?¡± And someone even louder appeared. ¡°Miss Mamyl! Please, save the boy.¡± ¡°Your morons, can¡¯t you stop yelling all day? What¡¯s with the ruckus this time?¡± That voice¡­ It¡¯s familiar, and for some reason I hate it. ¡°The boy¡¯s arm¡­ Bad wound!¡± Who¡¯s the boy they keep talking about? Is that me? What happened to my arm? I won¡¯t have to put it in a cast, right? I won¡¯t be able to use my computer otherwise¡­ ¡°Quick! Bring sweetie to this room!¡±Stolen story; please report. ¡°Will you need anything Mamyl? I will get it¡± ¡°Water! Towels! Alcohol¡­ I¡­ I don¡¯t know Zara¡­ Everything!¡± These people won¡¯t shut up¡­ So annoying. ¡°Yeh? Did someone die? Lemme see! I wanna see his corpse!¡± ¡°Temila, this is serious! Stand back.¡± ¡°Aw¡­ Zara you¡¯re such a bore!¡± ¡°Actually, come with me Temila! I need you to carry some stuff.¡± ¡°Wha¡­¡± For fuck¡¯s sake, this girl is annoying. ¡°Quick Barama! Put sweetie over the bed!¡± Good, a bed¡­ Kind of tired¡­ I could fancy some sleep¡­ If only you people could shut up! ¡°Oh my poor sweetie¡­¡± Ouch! Where the fuck are you touching me? ¡°That¡¯s¡­ one ugly hole¡­¡± Who said that? Fuck you! ¡°The size of this wound¡­ HOW DID YOU LET THIS HAPPEN?¡± I don¡¯t know about my arm, but I think there¡¯s a hole in my ear now as well. ¡°I¡­ Sorry!¡± ¡°Useless lizard¡­ You didn¡¯t drink in the middle of the forest, DID YOU?¡± ¡°I did not! We¡­ We were attacked.¡± ¡°Excuses for later! Kuanu!¡± Kuanu? That sounds awfully familiar¡­ ¡°Will you need more mana?¡± ¡°Yes, give me your hand Meli! A young human finally gets within my hands and this happens¡­¡± What happened? Is it that serious? Haha¡­ It doesn¡¯t even hurt that¡­ Ouch! ¡°Mamyl! I brought water and towels! Temila should be bringing the alcohol!¡± ¡°Here¡­ I brought it¡­ Where are my head pats?¡± Ugh¡­ Not this girl again¡­ ¡°For later Temila. Let¡¯s go outside.¡± ¡°I wanna stay!¡± ¡°No! Let¡¯s leave, now.¡± Yes! Take that you brat! ¡°My¡­ My magic is not working¡­ KUANU!¡± ¡°Can¡­ Can the boy be saved?¡± Of course I can¡­ I just need a med kit or something¡­ Just look for any bags with a red cross, can¡¯t miss it. They usually heal more than half of the HP bar. ¡°Kuanu! Kuanu! Kuanu¡­ Kuanu¡­¡± Ah! I remember! I abused the shit out of kuanu to stop bleeding effects. Oh man! I want to play Light Hero now¡­ ¡°It¡¯s not working¡­ It¡¯s not working!¡± What¡¯s not working? Don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s my computer¡­ Shit, I hope it¡¯s not my computer¡­ Haha¡­ I need to go back home to play Light Hero dammit. ¡°How? I am giving you all the mana I can¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know! His body doesn¡¯t stabilize! His blood¡­ I can¡¯t stop it¡­ Why? WHY?¡± ¡°Boy¡­ No¡­ It can¡¯t be¡­¡± Am I¡­ Am I in a hospital or something? Kind of late to think about it¡­ Shit¡­ Am I like¡­ Dying or something? Oh¡­ I won¡¯t be able to play Light Hero if that happens¡­ Oh no¡­ ¡°My, my¡­ My dear boy¡­ What have you gotten yourself into?¡± ¡°Vela! Can you do anything about this idiot?¡± Stop calling me idiot! I don¡¯t know why but I hate this voice so much. ¡°Dear me was just passing by for a nice bath¡­ Who would have thought¡­¡± ¡°Can you help sweetie or not?¡± ¡°Depends¡­ What should you say first?¡± ¡°Please Vela, save the idiot.¡± ¡°Very well¡­ Just because you asked nicely¡­¡± Who¡­ Who is that? Why are images of a trunk appearing in my head? ¡°My dear boy¡­ Are you awake? Can you hear me?¡± Fuck off trunk woman. ¡°Listen carefully¡­ Somnium¡­¡± Hm? Did I¡­ sleep? Ah¡­ Finally¡­ Chapter 8: The worst part of the day is getting out of bed. Home and House. Do you know the difference between these two? Of course you do. A house is just a place: A roof over a bed. A home doesn¡¯t need a roof, not even a bed. It just requires your approval. Your bedroom where you feel safe? Home. Circle of friends that you love? Home. Anovelthat you enjoy? Home. A room that you had never been before? Not home. And this simple logic kept Flint¡¯s eyes shut. He wanted to wake up in his bedroom, get angry at his alarm, get out of his bed, brush his teeth, put on his school uniform, eat a sandwich that Mother had prepared, and leave home saying I hate school. But fear sealed his eyes: If he opened them, an unfamiliar ceiling would be revealed. Not his bedroom, not his home. Not a place where he belonged. Creaking noises from opening doors. The scraping of a chair against the floor. Voices saying ¡°Is he recovering?¡±. He heard it all. He was awake but refused to wake up. One hour had passed, and then four, and then eight, and then sixteen¡­ An entire day passed by. He persisted¡­ He didn¡¯t want to open his eyes, not in this world. He was afraid of waking up and not being in the safety of his bedroom, far away from his friends, and locked from his hobbies. But a person can only withstand the needs of the body for so long. Hunger and thirst punished his empty stomach and sore throat, not to mention the state of his bladder. He eventually had to give in. ¡°Dammit,¡± the boy muttered. The unfamiliar ceiling. It stood up there, right above him, laughing at his face. How absurd! That damned grey ceiling dared to laugh! ¡°Fuck this ceiling!¡± Flint tilted his head to the right, that ceiling was too rude. Unfortunately, now he had to deal with that bitch of a window! It was letting the annoying breeze enter the room. Not only that, Mrs. Window had Mr. Curtain protect her! She was hiding behind his red linen textile, too scared to face Flint. ¡°Fuck you too!¡± He couldn¡¯t stand looking at them. He spun his head to the left, hoping to find actual friends. There was a wimpy framed door, a retarded mahogany desk accompanied by an idiotic chair, a fat ass dresser, and finally, a shit for brain lizard, kicked back on a dumb recliner. ¡°Barama?¡± The man in question was sleeping. Flint struggled to raise his torso from the bed. The morning breath tainted his mouth, and lots of rheum resided in his eyes. ¡°For how long I slept?¡± All that booger on his sight annoyed him. He brought his hands to his face, and then rubbed it off. ¡°Huh?¡± He had cleaned the right eye, but the left wasn¡¯t freed from the rheum. ¡°Where is it?¡± His left hand was missing... ¡°No¡­¡± More than that¡­ All the way up to his elbow had been removed. ¡°No¡­ No¡­ No¡­ No¡­¡± An empty void took the place of his forearm. As the reality plummeted on his head, a tightening pain latched to his invisible wrist. He could feel the claws of a dreadful beast slowly climbing its way up to his chest, devouring him from the inside. ¡°No¡­ ah¡­ aah¡­ no¡­ ah¡­¡± Is this his actual body? What happened to it? Sobs and tears escaped his mouth and eyes. He woke up in this unknown room, inside an unknown body. It was strange, all of it. His distressed laments woke up the lizard. ¡°Hm? Boy!¡± Barama leaned over. ¡°Be calm, boy¡­ I know it¡¯s very bad¡­ Just be calm!¡± Calm? How could Flint be calm? Discovering a part of him had been removed wrecked him. Who removed his arm? Who is at fault? WHO FUCKED HIM UP? The boy wanted answers, but before that, he longed for his home. The framed door opened, letting inside a blonde woman. ¡°Sweetie! You woke up!¡± Mamyl¡¯s words didn¡¯t reach out to him. Flint kept himself enclosed in his barren mind. ¡°Barama, go warn Hyuna that sweetie woke up, she should be at the Kitchen.¡± ¡°Aye¡­¡± The lizard-man closed the door as he left. An eerie atmosphere filled the room, and Mamyl stood in the middle of it, tightening her hands together against her white dress. But Flint didn¡¯t pay any attention to the woman. He just kept quiet, fixing an empty look at his missing limb. She carefully approached the bed and sat on the edge close to Flint. Narrowing her eyes, she asked, ¡°Are you¡­ Okay?¡± Flint didn¡¯t answer. ¡°I am sorry¡­ That was a silly question¡­ ¡° And the dead silence prevailed... If she couldn¡¯t reach out to him with words, she would find another way. Out of sympathy, the beautiful woman extended her hands towards him and shared the warmth from her palms with his shoulders. She looked him in the eyes and leaned forward. Her body embraced the boy, entangling him between her arms. Mamyl kept him tightly close, letting the strawberry fragrance from her hair soften his aching heart. Tears of sorrow slid down from his face, ending up over her white dress. ***** Hyuna entered the room carrying a ceramic bowl. ¡°I brought the porridge.¡± Sitting by the edge of the bed, Mamyl lifted her hands. ¡°Good, leave it to me.¡± The sweet aroma from the porridge made Flint¡¯s nostril itch. He had forgotten about his hunger and thirst amidst his grief. The pain from his empty stomach now mixed with his afflicted chest. The blonde woman took a spoonful from the bowl and offered it to him. ¡°Here sweetie, you must be starving.¡± She wore a worried smile. The boy still hadn¡¯t recovered from the loss. He felt anger but didn¡¯t know where to direct it. It was unfair what happened to him, and someone had to compensate¡­ But who? Was it Barama? No¡­ If not for him, Flint would be dead already. Was it Mamyl? No¡­ That wouldn¡¯t make any sense. Was it Hyuna? He hated her, but she wasn¡¯t responsible either. Was it Melidia? Maybe¡­ She brought Flint over to this world after all¡­ The truth hurt: Flint already knew the answer, and he hated it. When something goes wrong, you can always gain some relief by blaming it on someone else, making the person in question feel guilty. But the one at fault, in this case, was that monster from the forest. How could Flint go against that thing and say: Ey! You fucking owe me! You better pay for the damage you have done and regret your actions for all your life! He couldn¡¯t, of course, and it burdened him. The boy had to accept and swallow down his new reality by himself. No one to point fingers, he felt like a lone island. ¡°Sweetie, don¡¯t you want to eat?¡± Flint just slowly shook his head. His pettiness combined with foulness, they didn¡¯t allow him to accept an act of kindness. Mamyl dropped her smile. ¡°If¡­ If you don¡¯t eat¡­ It has been a week.¡± An entire week? Those words got him by surprise. He betted it had been just a few hours, one day at most. ¡°Vela would come every night and use her magic to keep you alive¡­¡± She paused and put the spoon back on the bowl. ¡°She is incredible¡­ Using a single finger snap to keep you hydrated.¡± Vela, The Mysterious Witch. Thanking her later would be embarrassing, Flint presumed. ¡°But she told me it wouldn¡¯t work with food¡­ So Sweetie, please, you have to eat¡­¡±This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. She took another spoonful and raised it over his mouth. Her eyes begged the boy to accept the offering. He gave up and let his chin drop, together with his tears. Mamyl sighed in relief and fed him. The sweet mixture from the porridge blended with the salt of his crying, it painfully slid down his sore throat. She kept spoon feeding him for five minutes, while Hyuna stood by the desk looking at the two. ¡°What happened to my arm?¡± Flint finally spoke. His words carried an unpleasant weight with the stench of his morning breath. The blonde woman didn¡¯t know how she should answer. ¡°We had to... amputate it, unfortunately.¡± He frowned. ¡°I know, I am asking why.¡± ¡°Vela told us¡­ It got infected.¡± She breathed in. ¡°I swear we tried everything we could¨C¡± The boy put his chin closer to his chest. ¡°Wasn¡¯t there a spell for infections? Masla.¡± ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right¡­ But your body refused any kind of healing magic.¡± He raised his head and looked Mamyl in the eyes. ¡°Then it¡¯s my fault?¡± He frowned. ¡°No! No! I¡¯m not saying that!¡± She put the bowl aside. ¡°It is just¡­¡± ¡°Whatever...¡± Flint released his body, letting it fall back on the bed. Thud! His nape hit the headboard. ¡°Dammit,¡± he hissed. ¡°Ah! Sweetie! Are you alright?¡± He turned to the right. ¡°I¡¯m fine, leave me alone!¡± Unfortunately, breaking through the walls that enclosed his heart proved to be a challenge. Mamyl backed away from him. Forcing her affection while he was bitter would do no good. ¡°Alright sweetie, I will¡­ If you need anything, you know you can ask me.¡± The blonde woman left, closing the door. However, Hyuna was still inside the room. She stared at the boy with her expressionless face. He thought she would read the mood and leave as well. But the plastic doll just stood there, by the desk, doing nothing but gazing at him with her emerald eyes. Ten minutes passed, and a tightening pressure in his bowels reminded him of one his needs. He had to go to the toilet. Number one and number two were almost bursting out of the valve. Flint threw his legs to the left, letting them touch the wooden floor. His muscles felt rusty, leaving the bed proved to be harder than he anticipated. ¡°What¡¯re you doing?¡± Hyuna asked, still standing by the desk. ¡°Toilet.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t, not in your state.¡± He lifted his torso. ¡°Then help me go there, dammit.¡± The red-haired maiden approached him and crouched. She extended her arm under his bed, trying to grab something. She pulled a wooden bucket with a sheet of paper inside and dropped it in front of him. ¡°Here you go.¡±Hyuna walked back to the desk. ¡°No!¡± He jutted his chin. ¡°Let me go to the toilet!¡± ¡°It¡¯s too far from this room. You barely stand on your own, let alone walk all the distance¡­¡± He couldn¡¯t go against her logic, a sigh of defeat escaped through his nose. The boy got out of the bed and slowly let himself fall to the floor. He would use the bucket, but a bit of privacy was a requirement. ¡°So¡­ Can I use it then?¡± he asked. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then¡­ Well¡­ Can you like¡­ Let me alone?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mind me.¡± Hyuna didn¡¯t seem to comprehend the situation. Flint raised his voice. ¡°I need to be alone.¡± ¡°You can imagine I am invisible.¡± He punched the floor. ¡°You will see something unsightly.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mind.¡± ¡°But I mind you watching me.¡± She closed her eyes. ¡°I will not watch.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t work like that!¡± He gritted his teeth. ¡°It does, you just have to not mind me.¡± A single vein exploded in his forehead. ¡°Just leave the damn room for a minute!¡± Just by shouting out loud, he already felt tired. At least, the ginger maid finally got out of the room, closing the door behind her. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with her?¡± After conquering victory, Flint lowered his pants and¡­ I don¡¯t need to detail this part, do I? ¡°Yes, you do,¡± the little girl said. No! ¡°Come on! What¡¯s the problem?!¡± It is kind of redundant¡­ If I say he just started doing his business you would understand regardless. ¡°You¡¯re just being lazy!¡± I am not! ¡°Lately you have been telling only cringe sad stuff!¡± And? ¡°I asked for a light-hearted story! Are you defective?¡± What? It¡¯s not my fault if that monster decided to appear. ¡°You could have saved him!¡± Well, I could have saved him, but I could have been revealed as well. His life is not worth it, the old man agrees with me. ¡°What¡¯s the big deal if he discovers you?¡± You wouldn¡¯t understand now, you¡¯re too young. ¡°You sound like Uncle. Ugh! I¡¯m too young to do this, to do that¡­¡± Can we go back to the story? ¡°Fine, but you better not go skipping details.¡± Why do you want me to detail this part? ¡°I am curious how boys do it. Uncle said I am too young to know any of that.¡± Alright¡­ He lowered his pants and underwear. The bucket was small, so he did the number one first, and then sat on the bucket to execute number two¨C ¡°That wasn¡¯t detailed!¡± What do you expect? Your uncle filtered some words from me. ¡°Does that mean you can¡¯t say them?¡± I can but if I say any of them, BOOM! I explode! ¡°That wouldn¡¯t be nice¡­¡± No, it wouldn¡¯t, let me resume the story¡­ As the boy pressured his bowels, the idea that Hyuna stood outside of the door forced his¡­ onion ring to clench¨C ¡°Onion ring? I thought he ate porridge, where did the onion ring come from?¡± Don¡¯t interrupt me. He was too uncomfortable to let it go and took a lot of time to settle his problem. Before he could finish wiping, Hyuna opened the door and entered the room. She stopped at the desk and looked at Flint in the eyes. He covered his crotch with the paper sheet. ¡°What the fuck are you doing?¡± ¡°I left the room for a minute.¡± His cheeks flushed. ¡°You think you¡¯re funny?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Leave the fucking room!¡± The veins in his neck protruded out. Hyuna left the room again. ¡°Just come back when I say so!¡± After wiping, Flint let out a sigh of relief. But what should he do with the bucket filled with waste? The maidopened the door but stopped halfway through. Letting her ginger head past the gap, she asked, ¡°Can I enter?¡± ¡°No!¡± ¡°I¡¯m responsible for you. I need to keep you under my watch ¡° ¡°I don¡¯t care!¡± Hyunastepped inside the room and approached him. ¡°Give me the bucket. I will take it to the toilet.¡± ¡°No need, I will take it there myself.¡± ¡°But you can¡¯t walk there.¡± His silenced confirmed she was right. She extended her arm. ¡°Give me the bucket.¡± ¡°Tsk, okay¡­¡± Said and done, Hyuna grabbed the bucket and left the room. Flint finally had some time for himself, at least until the ginger plastic doll didn¡¯t return. He got back in his bed and comfortably set his head on the pillow. ¡°Ah¡­ Peace at last¨C¡± Slam! The door was forcefully opened, letting an unknown woman wearing a dirty coverall enter. ¡°Heya!¡± she said. Flint winced at the abrupt noise. ¡°Who the fuck¨C¡± ¡°Hi there, pal!¡± She widened her mouth to a large grin. Flint didn¡¯t respond, he looked at the idiot who just barged into his room without permission. ¡°I said hi there¡­¡± She paused to breathe. ¡°PAL!¡± Quite an odd person, but her personality wasn¡¯t the only strange thing. Floppy animal ears hanged on the sides of her brown bobbed hair, the tip of her nose was pink, and there was a long and fluffy tail coming out of her rear. Her image resembled a dog. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to be so shy!¡± Her tail wagged furiously. Nothing came out of his mouth. He kept staring at the weirdo before him. Maybe if he ignored for long enough, she would eventually leave. ¡°Heya! I am talking to you!¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I get!! This is a staring contest! Why didn¡¯t you say so?¡± The woman stared at him, widening her sapphire eyes. The boy sealed his mouth, and after a few seconds, he blinked. The dog-woman wagged her tail faster. ¡°You blinked! I win!¡± But the boy kept staring at her, ignoring the rules of the game. ¡°Why¡­ Why didn¡¯t you stop playing? Admit defeat!¡± She continued the game, keeping her eyes open. He blinked again. ¡°You are cheating! Stop playing! You lost twice already!¡± Her eyes were getting sore. Flint blinked yet again. She gave up. ¡°Ah! It¡¯s not fair¡­ You keep cheating¡­¡± The tail stopped wagging. ¡°Get the fuck out!¡± Aresponse finally came from the boy. ¡°No! I stay!¡± ¡°Out, NOW!¡± He had just left a coma and was burdening his throat already. The dog-woman crossed her arms. ¡°Wait for what I have to show you! You¡¯ll like it.¡± He didn¡¯t respond with words, he scowled at her making a Leave or you will regret it face. Much for his relief, the eccentric woman stepped out of the room¡­ Then, not three seconds later, she barged inside again, carrying a cylindrical object wrapped in cloth. ¡°I told you to leave.¡± ¡°Bet you¡¯re wondering what this is in my arms?¡± Her tail started to wag again. He wanted to throttle the woman. ¡°I¡¯m wondering why I¡¯m surrounded by idiots.¡± ¡°Wait until you check this puppy out! You¡¯ll even apologize to me¡­¡± She violently unrolled the object in her arms, letting the cylindrical artifact fly and hit Flint on the chest. ¡°What¡¯s your problem?¡± he asked. The dog-woman pointed at the object dropped in his lap. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me this is a¨C¡± ¡°Yeah! That¡¯s right!¡± She puffed out her chest. ¡°A mechanical arm! I built this prototype just for you!¡± Flint touched and studied the object. Polished steel. Its plates perfectly mirrored the muscles of an actual arm. He was no mechanic, but that piece of work felt solid and authentic. He started to smile for the first time ever since he woke up. That moment reminded him the first time he got a computer¡­ But his grin immediately dropped. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ too big,¡± he muttered. ¡°What?¡± Her tail stopped. ¡°The size, it doesn¡¯t match the size of my arm at all.¡± She scratched her nape. ¡°Well¡­ A few centimeters wouldn¡¯t¡­ make a difference¡­¡± ¡°No¡­ But it¡¯s almost twice the size of my arm.¡± He looked at her with hollow eyes. ¡°Uh¡­¡± Her furry skin started to sweat. Flint sighed in disappointment. How could that moron project such a device without measuring him beforehand? Their awkward silence prevailed in the air, as they accidentally began another staring contest.