"Hey um…Sadako?"
Evan had suddenly become troubled as the two entered the room of the inn.
"What is it human?"
"Yo- wait, first off…my name is Evan not Human."
"Oh…okay then, what is it Evan?"
A little blush in her cheeks as she spoke his name. It was almost like their bond had suddenly become slightly less distant. No longer strangers but allies on a first name basis. Or so she felt.
Evan had noticed that the room they purchased for the night only had a single bed…he was planning to point this out, but instead he just decided to let Sadako have the bed. He would gladly sleep on the floor, he slept in a shabby tent for a year in Neodeka after all. This room was more than a step up from that time.
"Oh, never mind."
"By the way, you may take rest. I have no use for that bed, I lived in a cave for several hundred years."
"That's all the more reason for you to take the bed!"
Evan burst out. He suddenly came to realize that he was getting uppity with a demon though, so he went quiet and his face became pale.
"No! I insist. You are of the human species after all, I know how fragile your kind is."
She was cold, chilly all the way to the bone to be exact. To be honest, Evan wondered to himself why…but in that moment he thought Sadako was especially cute.
"We can't both sleep on the floor, come on now. That's just silly."
Despite all their bickering, they both slept on the floor that night. Stubbornness is a curse, or so they say.
The next day was a stressful one for Evan. It seems there is some truth in Sadako's words about humans sucking mad hard and all that. It seems that between a demon and a monster chicken, Evan found matching their stride to be impossible.
The job for that day was for the three of them to retrieve an enormous load of rocks from across town and spread it evenly throughout the garden. The garden behind the shop stretched out quite a lengthy bit however. It was almost like a football field in size. Even with all of that it should still be easy enough, there should be no problems with that. Just simple labor, Evan thought.
Though, the walk across town was a bit of a ways the first problem that came to Evan's mind was how he would carry these rocks. They didn't receive any sort of equipment for the job or anything, it was a wonder how they would be expected to finish such a job in a reasonable amount of time.
However, once the three got to the site where the rocks were located Sadako simply used her telekinesis ability to pick up a huge amount of rocks. They formed into a giant grey ball, it looked like a miniature death star.
Basa turned into his full size and sucked up an impossible amount of rocks. With that the two of them simply turned around and headed back towards the job site.
Evan was left there, his eyes wide. He wondered how he could keep up with such useful abilities. At this rate he feared that he wouldn't be able to earn his keep. He started to feel like dead weight.
No.
No matter what, even if he cant keep up with those two he will give it his best. He refused to be carried.
Simply put, Evan just had to get more creative. He took off his Red flannel shirt in which he had been wearing since Neodeka. It still had slashes in the back from when he was attacked by a shadow beast. Despite the grimy look from being worn for a long time, the shirt was actually pretty nice looking.
That was supposed to be the point of it since he chose it to wear on his first day in college. However, he thought it would be possible to use it to carry the rocks. After tying it up so that the holes weren't but so bad, he filled it with rocks.
There was a literal ton of rocks, even with Sadako and Basa it was clear this job would take a few days at the very least. The rocks were extremely heavy, Evan was sweating and breathing heavily while carrying the maximum amount he could bear across town.
It was certainly over 100 pounds the thick flannel kept tearing slowly, his body was steadily trembling with each step. His knees nearly buckled underneath the weight, but still and yet he powered on. Suddenly, he would be passed by Sadako and Basa who weren't even breaking a sweat.
It was discouraging, to say the least.
Nightfall came, and with that it was time to call it a day, pick it up again tomorrow.
The elderly couple who were paying them for the job were standing just outside the store house watching with sharp eyes.
The man's name was Kilen Whitpost, his wife was Rafleen Whitpost. They were quite friendly, it seems that Sadako was in their care at some point in the past.
Unfortunately, there seemed to be some sort of prejudice against humans in Jigoku. Evan wasn't sure of this, but he did notice more than a few residents in the city giving him the stink eye. It didn't bother him though.
The Whitpost couple were no exception, they didn't even want to employ Evan in the first place but Sadako staked her word that he was more than capable for a human. If it wasn't for Sadako, Evan would surely be in a much worse state right now.
The fact that this world was so similar to Earth, that Evan had to eat and sleep and that his body would sweat and become tired now was hitting him. Evan thought about the possibility of dying, again.
What would happen if he did die here? Would he just go to another world again, or would he just simply cease to exist? These questions plagued his mind.
Kilen was handing out a copper coin to Sadako, he also flipped one in his hand and placed in in Basa's beak with a grin. He did not even acknowledge Evan.
"Alright kids! I'll see you bright and early tomorrow! Ackahaha!"
Kilen had an obnoxiously loud laugh, he turned on his heel and followed his wife back into to the store front. But before he entered he was cut off.
"Hold on. Aren't you forgetting Evan's pay?"
Sadako spoke with a full voice.
"Eh?...hmm, well, he didn't seem to put in the work. From what I saw Sada and the chicken did most of it, he's a slacker. Slackers don't get paid and that's my rule."
"Well perhaps you need your eyes checked because he clearly put in much more effort than either of us Mr. Kilen."
"Is that so? Well, effort or no effort the thing that matters at the end of the day is results."
Kilen was starting to make a sour face, this however did nothing to bother Sadako.
"Are you not satisfied with today's results?"
Sadako was beginning to become agitated.
"I am! Even a full crew couldn't have knocked out this much in a day without equipment, the two of you brought amazing results, I am more than happy!"
"Evan is part of out team and in so he-" Sadako was cut off by Evan suddenly.
"No no Sadako, its fine. Mr. Kilen is right, I didn't pull my weight today."
"Uh- but, Evan!" Sadako protested.
"No, its fine. I've decided that I'll continue working tonight. You have my word that come tomorrow morning this job will be as good as done!"
Evan smiled and gave a big thumbs up. A classic move that Ruben and Joey used all the time in Neodeka.
"Evan, you don't have to…"
Sadako murmured her words, something extremely rare from her in fact.
"Eha, well you've got spunk kid I'll give you that. Lets just see how far your word really goes!"
Mr. Kilen suddenly gained a spark in his eye, it was hard to tell if he wanted to see Evan succeed or if he just wanted to watch him crash and burn.
With that Evan worked hard all through the night. He was grinding his teeth pushing forward. To be honest, late at night there was nowhere near as many people out which gave him much more breathing room to walk the streets.
Every so often he would hear a faint scream or something in the distance. Clearly this place was not free of crime, he just hoped none of that trouble would find him. Evan had no intention what so ever to break his promise.
That being said, he was biting off more than he could chew. He's made several trips to and from the store house with his shirt full of rocks. Each time he got to the end he would dump the rocks and spread them like so. He would put his hands on his knees and catch his breath. Every so often Kilen would take a glance out the window at this and wonder if Evan was going to give up.
Unexpectedly, Evan would suddenly shake his head and then head back for another trip.
Sadako laid on her back late that night, she couldn't sleep. She kept thinking about Evan, wondering why he would go so far for a single copper coin. The pay was low, you could barely even buy a meal with a copper coin.
She couldn't grasp what his motivation was. It was driving her to become irritated, by the time the light started to shine through the windows she decided to get up and go check on him herself.
It wasn't like she was worried or anything, she was just curious if he was doing okay. That's not being worried right? Nope.
Anyways, by the time she came to the store house she was surprised to see that the job was just about finished. The garden looked beautiful, the stone spread out so far it was almost completely reaching the end.
Almost.
The sun was already lighting the sky, it was basically morning. On top of that, Evan was nowhere in sight. There was no way he was still making trips carrying those rocks right? That would be insane.
Yet and still, a dot from down the street came closer into view. Staggering, trembling, barely moving in a straight line was Evan carrying what had to be the last load of rocks.
It seems he was struggling due to the flannel shirt of his ripping apart which in turn spilled the rocks all over the ground.
It was a bit of a disaster, not to mention, Kilen came out just in time to see it.
"Having a little trouble there?"
Kilen stood outside the front door of the shop with a steaming mug of coffee, he yelled so that Evan could hear from the distance.
At this, Evan was clearly troubled. He was panicking since technically it was morning and technically he wasn't finished with that job like he had specifically promised.
Evan had no way of knowing just how strict this man Kilen really was. So with this, he feared that he would be cut loose despite trying so hard. He pushed himself past his limits to get this far without collapsing.
"Have you had any coffee yet Mr. Kilen?"
Suddenly, Sadako asked while breaking the silence.
"Not just yet Sada, why?" He responded.
"You know, master Shirone always used to say that morning doesn't start until you've had your first sip of coffee."
Sadako had her arms placed on her hips while speaking.
"That's right, me and Shirone go a long ways back you know."
Kilen gives a look just then as if he thought of something from the past that was somehow nostalgic.
"So then you know that it isn't technically morning yet." Sadako asserted.
She then used her power to pick up all of the rocks that Evan had spilled, they quickly flew into the air and somehow landed exactly in place neatly spread out at the very end of the garden.
At this, Kilen brought the warm cup of coffee to his lips with a smile while taking a sip.
"Indeed you're right," Kilen started.
Evan had gotten up and walked over by this point. He was a bit gloomy, but he still had some pride thanks to Sadako.
Rafleen had come from behind and given Kilen a good hug on his back, she smiled while giving him a morning kiss. It seems they're a happy couple, or they're just happy in general.
Perhaps they were really looking forward to seeing the garden with the stone laid in it like this.
"And it looks nice, that's a job well done! I can say I was wrong about you Evan, you got heart kiddo…I'm still not paying you though."
Both Sadako and Rafleen put sharp eyes on Kilen when he said the last part.
"Mr. Kilen." Sadako spoke with a cold voice.
"-Agh-! I'm joking of course! Here ya go kid, you earned every bit of that."
Kilen flicked a coin, spinning in the air in landed right in Evan's palms.
It was a gold coin. Enough to last Evan, Sadako and Basa to live comfortably for at least a month. It was too much, Evan almost felt bad taking it. But he was grateful for it, so he decided to show that with a bow of his head.
"Thank you Mr. Kilen."
Kilen gave Evan a look, almost like he was sizing him up for a second and then nodded up and down. With a 'hmmm.'.
"You're welcome kid. It's good to see that Sada has good judgment in people.
I want you to take that and spend it wisely, I know you kids got more friends further on in town somewhere. I heard rumors in town that there was a dozen or so of ya.
I see that worried look on Evan's face, you got someone important to you lost out there kid?"
"Eh- Um, ye-yeah…My sister Cera is out there, to be honest I'm a little scared to think if she's okay or not…" Evan was downcast.
"Hmm, well, that there coin should be enough for you kids to have some breathin' room. Y'all can live off that if you spend it wisely, and, if you go searchin' I hope you find her kid."
Evan nodded his head, at first he was under the impression that Kilen was strict. But now he knows that Kilen is actually a good guy with a kind heart, he's helping a total stranger out so much.
Even if Sadako knew the Whitposts since she was a child, there would be no need for them to go so far out of their way to help Evan. He was a complete stranger to them, yet they helped him out so much and Kilen even wished him luck finding Cera.
After some brief farewells, Sadako, Evan and Basa began to head down the main board walk down deeper into town. Apparently, there are several cities and towns in Jigoku.
This town is called Treaven and is the closest town to the royal castle. They would search this town, and if the search turned up empty then they would just head to the next town over.
Illumious, The sacred town of light. It is said that there is an angel living in Illumious, though Sadako has never been there to confirm this herself. If their search comes up empty handed in Treaven, then they just might have to adventure as far as Illumious in order to find Cera and the others.
"Is she that important to you Evan?...Your sister I mean. You have seemed quite troubled over it." Sadako asks.
"Yeah, she's my only family after all." Evan responded.
"Unfortunately, I didn't get along with my sister."
"That's right, we all ganged up on her and killed her…Yeah, now that I think about it like that, are you okay? I take it the two of you weren't very close…"
"It's sad. I wish it didn't have to end up like that…Atsuko wasn't fond of me. She grew up in the royal kingdom but I was cast out as a child due to 'my human traits' as Goliath put it.
I only survived because of Shirone, he was one of the royal guards and he proposed for him to sell me serve some business owners. That in turn saved my life. It wasn't until I awakened my power as a goblin and used it to it's full potential that Goliath noticed me.
He had me come to the royal castle just to send myself and Atsuko to Neodeka, he said we would be trapped there until one of us died…I didn't tell you and your friends that my death was also a solution to your problem. I felt that Atsuko had caused her own fate by everything, everyone she's ever taken from all of us, but…to be honest, I was worried about you all turning on me the whole time."
Another rare sight, Sadako was confessing her troubled heart. She was really quite talkative once you got her going, Evan thought. Yeah, she is pretty adorable too, he also thought.
"That would've never happened, we were already friends from the moment you saved us."
Evan smiled, this caused a faint blush to come across Sadako's cheeks.
"So then we're friends?" Sadako asked with some interest.
"Of course!"
"Hm, I've never had any of those before."
"Me either! Er- well, not before coming to Neodeka at least."
Evan felt a little embarrassed saying it like that, but it was the truth after all.
"What do friends do?" Sadako was curious.
"W-Well, for starters, I think they kiss sometimes, so, If you want, you can always give me a big ol' kiss."
Evan smiled, he was trying to make a joke to lighten the mood but apparently Sadako didn't catch that much. She took Evan seriously, in the next moment she kissed Evan on the lips.
It was Evan's first kiss from a girl, he was shocked when it happened. His eyes were wide and his heart skipped a beat because he wasn't expecting it at all.
"Wa-Was that right?" Sadako asked.
"Eh-? Um- I-It was meant to be a joke…Usually lovers are the ones doing the kissing- I'm sorry for deceiving you…"
Evan's heart was beating fast, he liked that kiss. He did feel bad for tricking her though.
At this, Sadako's eyes went wide when she realized she was tricked. Her face was turning rosy, she had seen Avery and Blair kissing and at first thought it was indecent. But then she wondered if that was actually something normal for friends to do. She was naïve to think that Evan was always the serious type not to make jokes, but, secretly she enjoyed kissing him anyways.
They were checking into an inn after eating a nice cheap but fulfilling dinner. Both Evan and Sadako laid down on the floor yet again that night. Basa suddenly rolled his little chicken eyes and became a little sassy, he decided he would jump up and take the bed. Basa roughed up his feathers, he overly exaggerated a happy sigh as he went to sleep on the pillow top. The chicken was living his best life.
The search continues the next day. The three were walking alongside the main road when suddenly Sadako spotted a royal guard questioning passerby's up ahead.
"This could be troubling."
Sadako took Basa and headed into an alleyway. Evan was trying to follow, but it was too late. The royal guard caught his attention, probably thanks to Evan's purple hair. It was a unique color for hair in Jigoku, most had either brown or black hair.
"Hey, you there. Identify yourself."
The guard spoke with authority, though Sadako was just on the other side of the wall. She was ready to destroy this guy the second things went south. However, Evan responded with a silver tongue.
"I am Evan Shadows, human from.."
Suddenly, he realized that if he were to say 'Neodeka' or 'Earth' it would totally blow his cover. Hm. That is a problem isn't it? He had to think of something else quickly.
"Human of Shadows." It sounded lame, but it was a response.
"Shadows huh? That's a strange name, say boy, you wouldn't know anything about these 'unknown souls' that came through here yesterday would you?"
The guard was clearly on a mission for this information.
"No sir, I'm just a servant so I haven't heard any rumors involving any 'unknown souls' sorry."
"Hmm, well, in case if you do hear anything, there is a reward. Ten gold coins for the whereabouts of any of those 'unknown souls' I mentioned."
"Ten gold coins!? That's a huge amount!"
"Its under king Goliath's orders after all. Well, I gotta get on my way. If you find out anything don't hesitate to let me know."
"Will do."
A reward huh? That's no good, things have become a bit more complicated. Not to mention, with a huge reward in the air it wouldn't be easy to move about the city. For Evan, he could probably fit in under the guise of being a human servant.
But Sadako is a different story, she's the daughter of the demon Lord after all. She's probably some what famous around here, which will make her stick out like a sore thumb. Hmm, what to do.
Evan pondered their situation, hopefully Cera and the others find the means to blend in or else this whole thing could get messy. For now, Evan and Sadako will just travel the back roads and alleys. If they wanted to make any headway here they'll need some sort of disguise.
"Uegh-…this is going to be a nightmare." Evan sighed.
Sadako watched him curiously, she was probably thinking that he was much more of a strategist than herself. He explained the various problems they faced. Sadako was impressed with his intuition.
A disguise is a good idea for them, but what kind of disguise would work in this case? Something that wouldn't just make them stand out even more obviously. Perhaps something with a hood? But then Sadako's horns would get in the way. Maybe a mask? No, that would be too suspicious. This was more complicated than Evan thought.