"..." Debbel couldn't believe his eyes. He had only left them for a while, and the mess they've made was something to behold of;
On his right, a blind woman crawling on the floor.
In front of him, two idiots twisting against one another, trying to catch something... burning?
"Brave? Felix? Sunflower where are you!" Luna yelled as she looked around. She crept the floors for a second before suddenly glancing at one of the dark corners of the room, "Sunflower?"
"I caught it!— Argh, no! Why'd you kick me?"
"It was an accident! Wait, the fire! It's spilling out! This can't be happening..."
"Felix, the fire's made out of oil! Take off your pan—"
Like plates glued into clothes, it didn't do Felix any good if you said that. Especially when they were tangled up like that, there wasn't much they could do. Yet, It was such a rare coincidence that the oil inside the lantern spilled to a very sacred place of manhood.
—And since one has to praise it every now and then, let's call it 'The Man Shrine'.
"I— It's climbing up to my crotch! Brave, help me!" Seeing him all tangled, he turned to Luna... then he turned to Debbel for help, "Debbel! Help me!"
His eyes twitching back to the present, he finally realized how severe the situation was, "You idiots! Are you trying to burn the place?!"
He rushed up to him and lifted up his knee up to his waist.
Suddenly feeling something was wrong, Felix quickly put his arms between him and Debbel, "W—Wait, Debbel! What are you do—"
"Hold still." Debbel seemed to threaten as his boot fell on the pitiful snake and it's two eggs. It was like thunder as it disturbed its den. Yet the snake did not slither, as it tried to protect its eggs from the never-ending storm. Filled with nothing but stomps and tears.
"Augh! Ooomph! Eeeeuugh!—"
Brave scrunched his face in sympathy as he looked away. Luna was oblivious to what was happening. And Debbel just kept stomping on the fire, as it seemed to fight back. But when you asked the man himself, he was starting to regret even asking for help.
"Deb? You in here? We came by cos' those dinks started brawling again." —It wasn't long before Debbel's two friends caught up to him.
"Markus, is that you? Good, come in! I need your help!"
"What could you possibly need my help..." Opening the door, his eyes finally laid sight of the mess that was happening, "You better be shittin' me."
"Quick! The fire's not giving up! Gah, it's like it's alive. We need to stop it before it spreads!" He grunted as he clenched his teeth. Stomping on the fire as though the snake didn't matter.
"Holy mother of boozies!" It was like he hadn't realized how dangerous the situation was before, and just like Debbel, he rushed in to help. "Fred! Grab some wa'a from the kitch! I'll help Deb!"
"Augh! Aaahh! Stop kicking my crotch, idiot! Argh, do I look like a pig to you?!"
"Oh, would you like it roasted instead? Why don't you stop whining first!"
"Quiet you two! Arguin' will only make it worse!"
Felix cried as his pants burned, his groin stomped. Nevermind that, he started screaming for help. "Help! Ooomph... Someone! Aph... Help... me..."
"There are lunatics inside the building!"
As though his prayers had been answered, Felix saw the door open. He couldn't believe it. His eyes sparkled, his mouth gaped. Felix hadn't thought any of his cries would be heard since most of his coworkers were—
"I brought the water!" A skinny-looking man said as he pushed the door open with his shoulders.
—Idiots like him.
"Good job getting it here!" The big-bellied Markus yelled, "...Now dice the fire!"
Brave eyes slowly opened as he heard those words, "Wait, wa'a from the kitch?..."
"Don't do it, Fred! It's made out of oil!—"
But Brave was too late. Fred had already thrown the water into the fire. It was like no one knew what would happen to it except for him, as he guarded his face as good as he could before all of a sudden, the fire exploded with power.
"Aaaarrghh! Wh—What the?! It's spilling everywhere!"
"The floor's burning! Hngh, we need more water!"
"M—My pants! It's burning!" That was Fred by the way.
Grease fire, a dangerous little thing that can't be extinguished by water. Brave did whatever he could to protect himself from the oil as it splattered everywhere. Grease fires can only grow so much under the pressure of water, after all.
When Debbel saw the fire those two idiots had created, he didn't think it would turn this way. Now, words can't even describe the monstrosity as it only grew, "It's gonna burn down the whole place!"
"What are we supposed to do?!"
"Lord Tristan, I beseech you, give thy your protection to three!" Brave chanted to himself, "Triad Lesser Protection!"
Light was brought into the room by Brave. Everyone stared at his hands, as it glew white. As if it was being covered with another layer of light, it grew whiter. And for a third time, it got even brighter.
"What are you—"
He cupped his blessed hands into a bowl, and trapped the fire within. Blazing through the small gaps of his fingers, it only took a slight twist-and-push for the monstrous fire to die. Seeing only smoke coming out of his hands, everyone was completely shocked and awed.
The same thing could be said to Debbel, as he stared with his mouth wide open, "W—Where did you learn tha—"
"What are you people doing?" After seeing them doing nothing, Brave couldn't help but feel some shock as well, "Look his pants are still burning!" He pointed at Fred.
"Oh, boozie! You're right!" Markus said in surprise, "We have to put it out before it's too late! Quickly! His manhood is at stake!"
Debbel and Markus were 'quick' in getting Fred to the ground, stomping the little fire before it got a chance to grow, out of existence. Unfortunately, that came at the cost of Fred's agony, as he too, screamed for help.
Brave gently pushed his poor friend out of his chest, and continued to put out the rest of the fire with the others.
"Now that we've taken care of everything—" Debbel patted the dust off his hands, "—What the fuck happened?"
"I knocked the lantern by accident—"
"Luna kicked it while she was walking—"
"What?"
Debbel massaged his eyebrows, shook his head, and sighed, "...Obviously, two things can't happen at once, damn it."
Brave elbowed Felix's stomach as he groaned in pain. Coughing, he said to Debbel, "For your information, it's quite possible. Luna kicked the lantern while she was walking, and in my efforts to stop the lantern from falling, I knocked it with my foot— but I did it too hard."
"Brave—" Luna whispered to his ear, "—Why are you talking like that?"
"Ssssshhh!" He hushed Luna as he gave Felix another elbow to the stomach.
Felix groaned, "Why me?"
"Huh," Debbel wrinkled his eyes as he stared at the three of them, "Well, you three look like you're having fun."
"Don't worry, we're being as serious as you are." Brave assured him, "...Which had me curious, I thought you 'three' were having fun in the canteen. What made you come back here?"
"Nothing much," Debbel seemed to fidget, "Fred left his ale here somewhere."
"Oh, so he had another one but he drank from yours?" Felix flinched as he stared back at Debbel.
"Mind your own business would you?" He gawked back at him, aggressively, "Now, if your crotch hasn't already burned yet, I'll be looking for it."
Felix harrumphed angrily as Debbel slowly walked to the end of the room. It was at that moment, however, Brave and Felix turned to one another as though they had just remembered something.
'Where did the bee go?' Brave's eyes seemed to say.
'I don't know...' Felix shook his head.
"Oh uh..."
As I watched everything unfold from the tiny mousehole, my heart seemed to facepalm itself as it mett with fear the fifth time. You couldn't get enough of it, I promise you. Watching from the mousehole, I could see that drunk trying to find something again.
"I knew it, his dirty bottle is finished and now he wants to drink more!"
I took a deep breath. Trying to control my worries. I knew it was probably not gonna work, but I did it anyway. It helped a bit. However, it was then I noticed that something was different about him.
That drunk was looking around. I mean, actually looking around. Turning his head above the walls— the ceilings— as if there was something there. I was a bit surprised. And as I looked even closer, what I saw about him started to change.
He was walking carefully. The tip of his fingers stuck to the sheath of his blade. His eyes were so furrowed, it seemed like he was trying to find not something, but someone...
"..." My eyes wide open, I was shocked. He wasn't looking for his friend's ale, he was looking for me!
At this point, I knew I couldn't trick him anymore. I couldn't hide in this box anymore. I know he'd just open every single box in the room until he found what he was looking for. I just know I had to get out.
Taking more of those long deep breaths that seemed to help, I carefully opened the box. Whether or not that human could see me was a gamble. One that I had to take Heart thumping, I jumped out of it, and closed it shut.
"Thankfully, it was too dark..." I sighed in relief, but it wasn't over yet.
I plan to sneak my way around these boxes while he wasn't looking, as I tucked my head just below them. Outside of my expectations, however, my antenna's itched. I didn't know if they were supposed to itch, but I don't have time to scratch them, I had to keep going
Peeking my head out of another box, I watched the human closely as he— stop itching, please, I'll scratch you later— as he was on his knee, inspecting a particular broken box. It was the one Luna found me in.
His expression seemed dumbfounded and confused, mumbling something I couldn't see. As I looked at his face, I noticed how dirty and unshaven he was. He had this scurry beard that made him look intimidating, eyebags that sag like anchor, and dark circles that would scare—
My heart shook when I saw him stand up. He seemed more determined as his pace became faster. He opened more boxes. One-by-one, more and more.
That drunk didn't seem to slow as he looked for me. As a matter of fact, he seemed to get faster every time he opened— or rather, found— an empty box. It was like he was really that desperate to look for me.
"Where are you?" Then, I heard his mumbles "—Where the fuck are you?"
That confirms it. Now, I know he's really trying to find me. For every second that passed, I could feel the frustration getting a hold of him. I held my breath and clenched my fists as I hesitated to move.
"What if he finds me? What if I get caught by him?"
But then, it was at this time, I turned my head for no particular reason. I didn't know why I did it, but I just— did. There it was. I found something lodged into one of the older dustier boxes, next to the wall. Which got me really curious since I had somehow, missed it.
"Huh?"
Curious, I turned to check that human first— looks like he's still opening boxes— and I crept closer. I could only see the handle, but it was enough to tell me what it was. A kitchen knife, jammed into a box. I gulped. Shivered at the thought about what I should do about it.
"Should I take it? Should I just try and— and finish it right now?"
I gulped again. Started to lose control over my breath. It was old, rough, but still sharp. I hissed when my fingers bled. I had only poked the blade but not even at it's edge... I couldn't imagine what this small kitchen knife used to cut back in its days.
"No," I thought as I retracted my hands, "I shouldn't do anything stupid that could get myself killed."
"..." Moments passed in silence. I could only hear the sound of my breathing slowly, as I inched closer to the knife.
I remembered that man's laugh as he killed that yellow bug. How merciless he was, and how that disgusted me. I looked at him, and then I looked at the knife. Although I was scared, worried, and can hardly call myself fearless—
"—You're a human scum," I thought to myself.