《Prince Flower Candy》


 Prologue - The House of Mysteries

    A lot of people were caught by surprise. Not only because it had appeared out of nowhere, but such a powerful thunderstorm in the middle of the dry season was unheard of. And the rain poured much that day, so much that stating that it rained cats and dogs would be an understatement.


    Charley a 14 year old misfit and one of the storm¡¯s victims, had just finished a gaming marathon session held at his friend Jimmy¡¯s house, and he was almost half-way on route towards home when the rain began descending without mercy.


    The rain-soaked Charley ran as fast as he could. However, as if Mother Nature wasn¡¯t yet satisfied, the powerful winds damaged a nearby electrical infrastructure, causing a blackout throughout the entire area. He cursed his luck, pulling out his mobile phone out and used its flash as a torch. That joker of half-sister of his was helpful for once ¨C paying fifty more bucks to buy the water resistant version proved to be a good idea after all.


    He held his mobile high. It was the only visible source of light ¨C apart from the distant flashes of thunders. But as the rain continued to intensify he had no other option but to seek refuge. He dashed towards the sturdy stairs of the nearest house and gently knocked on the door. Much to his amazement, the door wasn¡¯t locked.


    ¡°Hello? Anybody home? Found your door open¡­¡¯¡¯


    The reply that greeted him was that of darkness, the splashing of water under his feet and a soft returned echo of his voice. He swung his mobile to get a better view. The house seemed empty and abandoned.


    ¡°What a stupid day is this! First I get trashed by that fat gaming nerd and now this ultra-ridiculous storm!¡±


    He tried to contact his father but the mobile had no reception. He sighed, rebooting his mobile but it still showed no sign of connection.


    ¡°Guess I have no other choice but to wait for this storm to subside. At least I¡¯ve found shelter in here.¡±


    ¡°I am safe¡­ but my father must be really worried... Hopefully¡ª


    ¡°Help me! Please help me!¡± A screaming lady in distress was heard from the upper floor.


    Charley quickly responded to her call. He wasn¡¯t really the courageous guy neither was he some sort of wannabe hero, but his pride as a man would never allow him to abandon a lady in need of help.


    He hurried upstairs, burst open the gate blocking the way and rushed into the one and only room.


    In the middle, tied to a chair was a young lady. Her skin shone with a dim brilliance, enough to illuminate the area surrounding her. She wore colourful cloths, ones he never saw in his life. He deduced that she must be in her late twenties or early thirties, and was damn beautiful ¨C like a princess from a fairy-tale.


    She looked at him, smiling and in tears. ¡°Please help me breakout of this curse! For three years! I was sealed here! In this miserable place!¡±


    Charley looked at her confused. He hurried and tried to untie the ropes.


    ¡°No! The ropes will never untie! The only way to release the magic barrier is by kissing me! Please! One kiss should be enough!¡±


    Charley stared at her dumbfounded. Everything felt unreal and weird. A lady trapped in an abandoned house, a curse and a magic barrier, a request by a stranger he never met to save her by a kiss, the prospect of kissing a woman which was probably more than twice his age ¨C this felt wrong, and kinky, on many levels.


    He then thought, it is only one kiss, what could possibly go wrong? He reminisced about his one and only kiss. Martina, his neighbour, she was just his type. But he took the initiative too early and kissed her on her lips, which was followed by a slap in the face and the label of a ¡®pervert.¡¯ She ignored him ever since.


    But now it was time to remedy things and experience his first real kiss. He approached the beautiful maiden.


    ¡°No more tears beautiful Princess, Prince Charley has come to save you.¡±


    Then he leaned and kissed her. The ropes immediately turned loose and fell on the floor, her body began glowing with what seemed as magical glitters.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    He remained with his eyes closed for a while enjoying the otherworldly experience, his lips still pressed tightly against her lips.


    When he opened his eyes, he saw a frog.


    ¡°What the hell?!¡±


    ¡°Ribbit, Ribbit.¡± The frog jumped from the chair and quickly ran into a hole in the wall. The room was again pitch dark.


    He turned on his mobile with his mouth open in shock. Did he saw clearly? Did his beautiful princess, the one who he had so passionately kissed, turned into a frog?!


    But it wasn¡¯t over yet.


    The walls of the room began glowing, and a strange voice was heard.


    ¡°You have done the gravest of all sins,


    You have freed whom shouldn¡¯t have been freed,


    You shall suffer the consequences of your choice,


    For you there shall be no more hope!¡±


    Suddenly, a man appeared out of nowhere. Like the woman, he emitted strange lights from his body. He was in his 30s, wore a blue suit over a white shirt, and had a golden shoe. His hair was nerdish styled and also coloured blue.


    Charley, believing he has come face to face with a wraith, rushed towards a rusty old steel sword and held her firmly in his hands, though his hands were more shaking than still.


    ¡°You will never hurt me with such a dull sword,


    For you are weak and I am strong,


    For what you have done you shall be punished,


    Forever from this world you shall be banished!¡±


    Charley tried to run away, but the entire space around him began twisting, as he was enveloped and devoured by some mysterious force. He cried and shouted for help, but there was nobody there to answer his call. Everything around him ended, and he lost conscious¡­


    Few hours later¡­


    ¡°Now¡­ Now¡­ What we have here... What is this funny dressed clown doing in our territory?¡±


    ¡°Haha Oliver. Look at those ridiculous cloths! Who would even dare to wear something so funny at this time and age! Haha.¡±


    Awakened by the sound, Charley tried to stand up but was held back by dizziness. ¡°What the hell is happening¡­?¡±


    ¡°Hey Imp. I am the one who should be asking that! What are you doing here? You know this land belongs to the Baron. Nobody is allowed here without proper authorisation!¡±


    Charley tried to open his eyes. All his saw was the shadow of two men.


    ¡°I think this bastard is drunk Oliver, he can¡¯t even stand up¡­¡±


    Charley remained calm as his dizziness slowly faded away. He could now see two man wearing fully knighted steel armours, similar to those worn by the knights during the medieval period. He stood up and explored his surroundings. Although everything appeared normal, this was surely not his town.


    ¡°Where am I?¡±


    One of the knights approached him and pointed towards his shield.


    ¡°Hey fool listen carefully. For I am going to repeat this only once. You see this crest? This is the emblem of Baron Vasel. We are his henchmen who guard this place.¡±


    ¡°Now try guessing what we usually do to trespassers who dare venturing into our territory?¡± He asked while rubbing his thumb over his neck.


    ¡°We cut their heads.¡±


    Charley felt threatened as he raised the steel sword to protect himself.


    ¡°Look Oliver! We¡¯ve been so kind to him and he dares to raise his sword! He is challenging us for a duel! He is crazy!¡±


    ¡°Yeh¡­ he is definitely out of his mind,¡± Oliver replied as he prepared to attack.


    ¡°Wait guys! I was scared you were going to attack me¡ª


    ¡°Silence imp! We¡¯ve had enough of your jests,¡± they both shouted as they rushed to attack him.


    Charley already imagining himself impaled with two swords, swung his sword randomly and cried for help.


    However, the swing created a powerful force that cut through their armours like it was made of grapefruit, sending both of the knights flying in the air until landing defeated several metres away from Charley, much to his amazement.


    ¡°How is this even possible?¡± Charley asked to himself as he gazed at his sword and the two fallen knights.


    Achievement unlocked: Easy as counting 1, 2 & 3.


    Unlock Trigger: Defeat two armoured creatures using a single hit


    Experience Gained: 500 Experience


    Faction Standing: Baron Vasel


    Reputation: Neutral (-200)


    Reputation Change: -200


    Outlook: Negative


    The following notifications rang in his head, and if it wasn¡¯t for all the weird stuff that had already happened, he would have thought he was going crazy.


    ¡°Hey mysterious voice! Who are you and where am I?¡±


    He repeatedly asked this for several minutes, moving around and banging his head trying to find a way to activate it. But it was to no avail.


    ¡°Calm down Charley¡­ Calm down¡­ this looks similar to a game. And I am good at games¡­¡± he said to himself as he remembered the trashing he had received from Jimmy. ¡°Ok maybe not so good¡­¡±


    ¡°Anyways, this is not working. Damn it! I need to find that blue weirdo he is my only hope! This is all a misunderstanding!¡±


    But first thing, he had to run away from this region. He had injured or killed two of this baron¡¯s henchmen. If more came and saw how he had treated their companions, they wouldn¡¯t be very happy about it. He had to flee.


    So he grabbed his sword, and randomly ran away from this place.


    Meanwhile, unbeknownst to him, a white owl stood firmly over a tree branch, and had carefully observed the entire accident.


    ¡°Interesting fellow¡­Interesting fellow¡­ much interesting fellow,¡± it said as it flapped its wings and flew away.

 Chapter 1 – Hello Teddy, Charley has Arrived

    ¡°Damn it man, what have I¡¯ve done to disserve all this shit? And what is this place?¡± asked Charley as his strength began to wane. He had been running ¨C now walking and wobbling ¨C for the past three hours. He was hungry, thirsty and in need for a very long sleep. All he was thinking about was hugging his cosy pillow.


    ¡°My beautiful Princess... was your beautiful delicious kiss really worth all this much?¡±


    Suddenly, in the far distance, he noticed some people surrounding a crystallised monument. He could see them touching it, and one by one they disappeared into nowhere. Unlike the previous two knights, these didn¡¯t wore metal armours but more simpler cloths, which he assumed were made of wool. They must hail from the lower classes.


    His body seemingly rejuvenated by the recovering hope, he ran with all his strength, and only barely managed to arrive just before the last two disappeared away.


    ¡°Hey¡­ wait¡­ please! Help this gentleman find his way home!¡± He pleaded with difficulty trying to catch his breath.


    ¡°Stay away from us,¡± shouted the old woman as she gripped the young girl and hugged her close.


    Charley, supposing all this hostility because of the way he is dressed, tried to calm things down.


    ¡°Madam, I¡¯m a foreigner who¡ª


    ¡°You are a freak and a weirdo! That¡¯s what you are. Stay away from us!¡± She quickly pressed her hand against the crystal, disappearing without a trace along with the girl.


    Charley was on the verge of rage screaming. He walked in circles around the monument waiting for others to show up. But nobody did. It was only him, the monument, and a sea of grass.


    ¡°Calm down Charley. You are the bravest of all men. An invincible warrior who defeated two knights with one blow. Surely, you shouldn¡¯t give up because of one old hag!¡± He said as he inspected the beautiful crystal.


    ¡°Hmm¡­ I wonder how much this beauty is worth if it had to be sold¡­ maybe a thousand Euros? Wow look at those beautiful glittering particles¡­ this could be running into millions here...Nooo! Nooo! I shouldn¡¯t be thinking of such ideas right now¡­! But what if it is really worth a lot? Maybe I should try cut a piece just in case¡­¡±


    He approached the crystal and he pondered for a way to severe a piece from it. However, he accidently tripped over a small stone and banged his head against the crystal.


    Achievement unlocked: Novice Teleporter


    Unlock Trigger: Use any teleporting device for the first time


    Experience Gained: 500 Experience


    Achievement unlocked: Like a Bird


    Unlock Trigger: Be at least 2km above the ground


    Experience Gained: 2,000 Experience


    No, really, there was no need for the internal machine to repeat the 2<sup>nd</sup> achievement. He could clearly see himself falling from one cloud to another. He was already screaming like a mad dog.


    Achievement unlocked: Now that¡¯s what you Call Speed


    Unlock Trigger: Reach speed of at least 100km/Hr


    Experience Gained: 2,000 ExperienceReading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    Yet all these notification only made him even more desperate. He could consider himself lucky with those knights, but there was no way he was going to survive this fall. He could already see the ground below getting larger and larger. It seemed he was going to land over a large building, in the rural outskirts of a large walled city.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry father. I should have been a better boy. I am sorry for skipping school and for stealing grandpa¡¯s cigarettes. I am sorry my beautiful Tania for peeking while you were having a bath. Hope you will all forgive me!¡±


    Suddenly, some force started pulling against him, decelerating his speed.


    ¡°What the¡ª


    PLAH


    Achievement unlocked: This is nothing


    Unlock Trigger: Vitality less than 80% of maximum


    Experience Gained: 500 Experience


    Achievement unlocked: Ok that Hurts


    Unlock Trigger: Vitality less than 60% of maximum


    Experience Gained: 500 Experience


    As he was descending, he impacted and broke through some sort of invisible barrier, blocking his descend. He groaned in pain as he continued falling through the wooden roof of the building, ending in the middle of a pool of water.


    Always active skill Acquired: Endurance


    Skill Level: 1


    Effect: Increases all defences by 5%


    Charley was in deep pain and he could barely move his body. He then remembered the words of his gym instructor during one of his lecture, when he had told them that if one is in water and holds once breath, one should end up floating in the surface, or something like that.


    He kept his breath and began slowly rising. As soon as he made to the surface, he could get a first glimpse of the place. It was large pool, with several sculptures and flower pots scattered around. It looked like a classical roman pool from ancient times.


    Charlie raised his head a bit. ¡°So, this must be what they call¡­ Paradise.¡±


    His emergence was followed by the screaming of the still shocked women who happened to be bathing there.


    ¡°Why is this freak in here?!¡±


    ¡°Kyah a pervert!¡±


    ¡°How did he pass the Guardian?!¡±


    ¡°This is inconceivable!¡±


    Charley, who had momentarily forgotten all his body pain, enjoyed seeing the several women ¨C of all kinds and shapes - running around and pumping into each other in panic.


    However, his amusement was short lived.


    Suddenly a brown creature the size of a human appeared at the edge of the pool. The creature smoked a large cigar and carried a large hammer over its back.


    The all relaxed Charley looked at him surprised. ¡°A large walking teddy bear?¡±


    The teddy bear like creature looked at him with incredulity and despair.


    ¡°This can¡¯t be happening-er, the glorious history of this bath house-er; for 300 years-er, for 300 years no pervert has ever broken through the protective barrier-er, but you-er! You-er! Not only you have broken the barrier-er, but you made it this very deep-er!¡±


    ¡°Prepare to expire you pervert-er!¡±


    The enraged teddy immediately went on the attack, swinging his hammer and creating a powerful shockwave, pulling out all the water and Charley from the pool and forming a giant whirl.


    ¡°Hey! Wait a second this is all a misunderstanding!¡± Charley exclaimed struggling not to swallow water.


    However, the teddy warrior was having none of it, as he plunked his hammer and delivered a direct hit on Charley¡¯s stomach, sending him flying against a column, then falling defeated on the ground.


    ¡°That should do it-er.¡± He said before he fell on his knees and began crying. ¡°I am still finished-er. A pervert has sneaked into the bath house for the first time in its history-er. I have failed them all-er. ¡±


    The teddy blowed into his handkerchief, then walked away with a depressing aura, until he sensed that Charley had still some life left in him.


    ¡°How is this possible-er? I¡¯m sure that hit would have even finished a level 30-er?!¡±


    Charley was still on the floor writhing in pain. He asked himself why all beautiful things had to be followed by such nasty surprises.


    Achievement unlocked: Getting Trashed


    Unlock Trigger: Vitality less than 40% of maximum


    Experience Gained: 500 Experience


    The Teddy bear felt perplexed for a moment. ¡°Is he using a defensive potion-er? Or some protective spells-er? If that¡¯s the case-er, you are not the only one with those-er.''''


    He took out a glass flask filled with red liquid, and drank it in one gulp. His fur began releasing smoke and turned red with a radiating glow. ¡°Now my attack power has increased by 20%-er, another hit should¡ª


    ¡°Hold back your weapon Fufu.¡±


    The Teddy bear halted his advances and looked at the hole of the roof. An old man descending elegantly and stood in front of him. He was a bit short yet had a long beard that almost touched the ground. His cheeks were rosy and had some wrinkles.


    ¡°You Midget-er... Why are you here-er?¡±


    The old man ignored him. He jumped towards Charley, grabbing him. ¡°This kid is coming with me to the infirmary. Nobody is to disturb us.¡±


    Fufu grinded his teeth, ¡°What¡¯s the meaning of this-er?! This pervert needs to expire-er¡­ I am sure you realise the consequences if that pervert-er¡­¡±


    The old man smiled. ¡°Well Fufu, I know the queen¡¯s orders very well. Anyone can insult me, treat me like shit, beat me to a pulp¡­ but when she is not in the City, guess who is in charge? Adios!¡±


    He winked and jumped out through the roof together with Charley.


    Fufu couldn¡¯t believe his eyes. ¡°That old dotard-er¡­ what is he thinking-er?! When her Majesty returns-er, she is gonna be enraged-er!¡±