The next morning.
Rani had finally gotten up from her second slumber.
She now was able to properly ate her meal.
Previously, Mada had to feed her with wheat porridge. He did it carefully like someone feeding a baby
"How do You feel ?"
Mada had a concerned look on his face
"better than yesterday, though, it would be more appreciated if You didn't smack someone's head right after She regained consciousness."
"You bet. I believe You would be more grateful to be punched than be *knocked up* by a bum like-"
plak !!!!!!!
Rani sent a horrific glare while also throwing her nasty slap towards Mada's forehead
Mada instinctively tried to block it but He wasn't prepared. Now, His forehead, was having serious a inflammation as an aftermath.
"Ouchhh !!!....."
Mada stared back while He touched His swollen forehead.
Rani : "What ?"
Mada : "..."
Rani : "Say it again.."
Mada : "...."
Rani "Say-It-Again"
Mada : "..."
Rani : "'Huh, now You become quite ? You really have no shame."
Mada : "And I never knew You were a Mutant princ-"
Wooooooossssssshhhhhh !!!!!!!
This time, Rani grabbed her plasma gun and shot it right beside Mada's face.
Mada had a dumb expression when He realized what was just passing his face. His hands profusely produced cold-sweat.
He eventually understood it wasn't wise to tease the current Rani. She just had had a hard time, it was insensitive of him to spout some random vulgar lines.
"Alright pretty girl.... alright, calm down...!!!!!, This lowly rabble shouldn't have run his mouth as He pleases.
I, Mada, Son of Ria, do apologize to our lovely distinguished princess for his poor choice of words.
This inferior folk of low birth, sincerely asks for forgiveness for his impoliteness of speaking vulgar things, in front of the honorable daughter of highest patriach of Terraria City state, Young Lady Maha.
in the presence of the ever generous princess, I humbly request to be forgiven just for this once"
Mada was kneeling and bowing his head in front of the gracefully-sitting Rani. He was exaggerating his apology for something the two had been doing frequently in their journey. He over-acted his demeanor as if to immitate old man Wirya's behavior the first time He met Rani in Se-Panjang.
"fu.... fuahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!"
Rani couldn't withhold her hoots of laughter.
She had been smiling widely since the moment Mada began his show.
Rani teared up as She continuously laughed her a*s off to the prostrating Mada.
Mada : "Now my princess, has you forgiven this a*shole ?"
Rani : "ehem ! pfttt... fuh.....hehehe. hhmm.. You know...do You know what I like about You ?"
Mada : "I thought You were going to kill me ?"
Rani : "Yes I were, if You continued to blabber thoses perverted lines of yours."
Mada : "it's good that I realized it sooner."
Rani : "Then again. Mada, You knew I wasn't really going to do that right ?"
Mada : "I did. though You are a lunatic, but You aren-"
smack !!!!!
Rani hit Mada with the plasma gun She held.
Mada : "Can we stop using violence here ?!"
Rani : "This is why I like You. hehe..."
Mada : "no one would say They like someone while also hitting Them with steel !!!"
Rani : "Ah, right, I'll stop then."
Mada : "Thank you..."
Rani : "but I do like You though."
Mada : "I know"
Rani : "Y-you know ?!?"
Mada : "Can't I ? We have been through quite alot together. If You don't like me, We would never become friend in the first place."
Rani : "friend huh ? is that it ?"
Rani felt dejected when She heard Mada ignorantly replied. She thought that Mada was a boy who was insensitive to the bone.
"....hm ?! W-why ?....(did I say something wrong again ?)"
Mada inwardly felt nervous.
"Yeah....., perhaps.... You are right. I.... I mean We, We would never be this close if I didn't like You."
"Don't You ever have a friend before ? seems like some pathetic loner's lines to me."
"I was.... I was indeed a loner. I never knew the reason but when I was studying with my classmate. no one ever tried to talk to me..... When I tried to start a conversation, the look They had in their eyes seemed just like when someone was spectating a predator class Mutant for the first time.
That's why... It feels really nice to have someone to confide my heart with at long last."
"C-cla-class what ?"
Mada never knew the word classmate. He understood What a class meant, but it was only in a synonym of level. He didn't understand the word's context of a classmate.
"Classmate. They are friends whom I studied together with."
Mada finally understood "Ah."
"Even when I was home. no one was there to welcome Me. The ones who trully accompanied Me back then were our mansion's servants
Eventhough, I couldn't really consider Them as friends, the way They always treated Me, it was like How You just imitated uncle Wirya's behavior, ever strict and overly polite, They kept Me company yes, but We were never close."
Mada was listening to Rani's monologues. She still sat on her *emergency* bed whilst reminiscing her lonely past.
Mada kept his rubbish mouth shut, He wanted to give this girl time to stabilize her mental state.
She had gone through alot, and Mada knew the best way to help her now was to patiently listen to her, whilst She uncovered her deepest feeling.
Moreover, Mada also needed more time to fully recover from his own internal injuries, it was better for him to also calm his mind as He had stupidly made a blunder and inflicted wounds upon himself after reciting the second stanza of the Ancient Poem.
His injuries were already mostly healed, but, just to make sure, He should be in a perfect condition incase of something terrible happened again. When an emergency occured like last time, this time, He would be definitely there to protect her.
He swore upon the name of his late mother.
Mada reassured Rani who was still looking blankly toward an imaginary far away land.
"I undestand how You feel, trust me. although our circumintances differ, generally speaking, the fact that We both aren't fine stays the same."
Rani : "Do You think that's the main reason We suit each other ?"
Rani turned her gaze to Mada. the bon fire still crackling in the background.
it was around noon, right around midday, but here in the underground ruin, everywhere was still dim and pretty much shadded. The fire needed to keep burning.
Mada answered Rani's question. He hesitantly spoke his words for some unknown reason.
"I... don't know..... I'm not sure.. just.... I think....,what You have to know...
When You feel lonely in this world, always remember that there are many other lonely persons aside from You. Sure You are lonely, but You are not the only one.
And the fact that this lonely feeling isn't privelaged, can also mean, or interpreted in a different way,
that in some point in time,
You are literally enjoying Your loneliness together with other loners. Which also implies that, You have never been trully alone.
And for You especially, there is already me here, thus, I hope You also will be there for me too."
Mada ended his sweet remarks. A wide smile hung on his early puber face.
Rani : "right, I will awalys be there for You too. I will make sure it will stay that way."
Mada : "Thank You....., as a matter of fact, Old man Wirya and You are the only people I have in this world. in the past, I used to have many more friends, but... since My mother passed away, Their parents seemed to have told them to stay away from me."
Rani : "It doesn't matter. I may become the last friend left for You, but it just shows that I am gonna be Your one and only best friend right ? it really assures me.
I'm glad that it means You will always need me too, in the same way I will also need You.
Thus We are gonna depend on each other backs from now on, like We did this past few weeks.
That's...in my opinion, just what real friends will do."
Rani also finished her lines. it was accompanied by her angelic smile.
"Yeah.... That's just what real friends will do, hehhehe."
Mada laughed as He was happy about the candor and sincerity that were rapidly developing between them.
He had thought that Old man Wirya would be the last person He considered as more than stranger. Now. after spending much time with this lovely girl, He finally had some hope in the future.
The expectancy about His life that was lost since death of his mother, now came back to his heart.
Although their recent situations weren't so bright. He found some strange certainty and weird semblance that, sooner or later, if They could wade through every upcoming storms like They had done so far, happiness was just a matter of time.
Mada regained the faith He had long forgotten.
while He also aware of the things He needed to do to ensure his wish stayed on its course.
'I need to get stronger, fast. We also get to look for habitable place to live, where Human can live safely. It will also have to have some important characteristics such as easy access to water and food supplies.
Yeah, We also need to keep being vigilant at all cost. let's stay sharp until We have founded a permanent base.
Until then, no matter how tired We are, I will never lose my focus on our priorities, just like three days ago.
From today onwards, I will make sure Rani's safety be secured, even if I have to sacrifice my sleep...'
Mada had a silent-determined expression formed on his face.
He unconsciously stared at Rani intensly. making her crossed her hands in front of her growing chest while She was also having a scared expression. She thought the horny Mada came back after those sweet and wholesome conversation.
"Wh-what now ?!"
Rani stumbled on her words, She was afraid that Mada would finally make his move, forcing himself on her.
"hm ?! ah, sorry, I was just thinking about something. Anyway, if You feel have had enough rest and mostly healed, I think it is the best in our interest if We start moving out as soon as possible.
I also have gathered and preserved some of the Skylos meats and saved its bones and teeth. We won't have troubles of food supplies for a-"
"Wait ! wait a second, You what ? Skylos meat ?"
Mada seemed like He couldn't understand Rani's unbelieving look and shoked tone. He was confused about why Rani would be concerned about consuming another type of Mutant as their future diet.
"Mada, don't feel disgusted ? "
"by what ?"
"by eating the Skylos !"
"Why would I ? in my view They are just the same like the huge blade-legged bugs We fought the first time We came here."
"No They aren't ! one is bugs while the other is...half human ? yeah it has wolves body and characteristics and all but its strhcture, the way it can stood on its two hind legs. don't You feel it was creeply similar to a half-wolf half-human ?"
Mada was having cold sweat while He listened to Rani. She got a point. He had never been aware of thia but when He rumaged through his memory.
The Skylos did seemed eerily similar to a human, albeit it has wolf pelt, fur, head, tail, teeth, canines and could ran on its four feet.
However, when it stood on two feet, just like before Mada obliterated its upper body. it was definetly similar, or resembling, a wolf-human ?.
While the current Humanity called this type of mutant as Skylos. The Ancient Human would immedietly recognize the Skylos as the legendary being Lycanthrope, or, widely also known as, the Werewolf.
----------------
For Human in this era.
Consuming bugs, rodents and other small animals, were things that would be perceived by the Ancient Human the same as consuming poultry or beef.
However, for Rani, who had lived her whole life in a luxurious cage.
Those ingridients were still a bit too extreme and gross, let alone eating something that resembled human.
She felt disgusted and almost threw up right away when the thought of taking a Human-wolf creature as her main protein sources in the foreseeable future came to mind.
She had decided, She would never let that meat enter her stomach, She would look for another protein sources, She would taste hunger but it was better than tasting a half-human meat.
"I will try to hunt some mice on my own along the way, You can keep those tasty meats all for Youself."
Rani told Mada her decision.
"I'm sorry for the third ?... or fourth time today, but, for your information, the wheat porridge I fed You with was actually made out of Skylos bone's broth, I mixed it in as the porridge main seasoning.... well, You ate the-"
"Oooooeeeggghhhhh!!!!"
Before Mada finished his explaination.
Rani puked, She gagged so hard that the room They used as their temporary base ultimately got contaminated by an acidic stench.
She really had enough of this bull.
Mada tinged with a sense of pity towards his one and only *girlfriend* (?)
He knew He should just keep it to himself but, It would betray Rani's trust if He didn't tell her that She already had consumed something She fervently hated.
"You.... can't You keep it a secret ?! if You did not necessarily tell me about that then I wouldn't.... ugh !"
"unfortunately, I have already promised not to have any secrets in front of You. I-"
"Stop ! it wasn't necessarily a mistake. You don't have to explain yourself."
She got up from her bed and started strecthing her body, She knew it was time to move out.
Now that their current base had become too stinky to live in. It would be best if They began to look for another better place than to clean and continued to stay in this room.
The had to find another safer and stable space where They could rest if They were spent, or a place to fall back to if They were in grear peril.
Today is the best moment to change their base.
"leee....ttt's... go ?"
Rani tempted Mada to move out.
"Now ?"
"Now"
"Roger mam"
The packed their belongings and start moving, continuing their expedition.
----------------
to be continued