A catapult of sizzling hot balls was fired my way. It would have made its target if not for Fifi. She kept on screaming about the death wish like a broken music box, and it was what saved me from getting scorched so far.
I'm sure she was more concerned about her welfare than mine. It went without telling. If I die, she dies.
We're bound like that. And I should keep that in mind more often now. For every decision I make, I'm no longer just the one who would be affected.
To add, I don't think I'd like to know what Priscilla would do if something happened to Fifi. She'll probably kill me and not let me live for another day or two.
That woman scared me more than the beast right in front of me did. It resembled the black dragon I evolved into.
But it was unfair that it had a shiny scale. Why couldn't I be as cool as that?
[Can you whine later?]
I snorted, evading another attack, and almost got hit again.
'Stop distracting me then.'
[You're doing that on your own]
[Fifi is innocent]
'Ah,' I mused. 'There goes the Fifi I know by heart.'
[Tsk]
[You don't even know what my favorite color is]
I rolled my eyes.
'Give me my options, Fifi. Stop blabbering nonsense.'
[...]
[Be sure to thank Master Nichen for this. He rarely gives gifts nor answers demands, but I'm his favorite too. You should appreciate me better]
'Sure. I think I'm going to receive that death wish sooner, though. Someone appears to be more chatty than usual.'
[...]
[Fire cannon ready]
[Fire whip ready]
[Nirvana special ready]
'Whoa,' I exclaimed. 'Nirvana special? What is that? A new feature?'
[Nirvana Special: a one-time use. For beginners, this is an option to shift into your human form and fight alongside your animal affinity]
'One time?!' I felt my heart escalate. 'Why one time only?'
[Consider it as a foretaste when you no longer need to evolve. Once you accumulated enough Evolution points, this is your privilege. But until then, be patient]
I snorted.
'Lend me the cannon then. Damn'
I mentally screamed the other curses I could think of, feeling more and more frustrated.
[Fire cannon ready!]
[Releasing in 3…]
[2…]
[1…]
Bright flashes of red came out of my mouth, aimed straight at the beast who had waited for the attack, stealthily avoiding them just as I had.
'You're wrong, Fifi.'
[What?]
'These creatures are not dumb. If it were, it wouldn't have avoided my attacks.'
[Its danger level is high. Hence, it's more aware of what's going on compared to the low-level ones]
'And you had no way of telling me that beforehand?'
[You never asked!]
'So, it was my fault.'
[Yeah]
I have no idea how to feel anymore. This was getting more and more ridiculous by the minute.
'Fifi.'
[What?]
'You need to tell me the story about your name.'
[...]
[What are you on about ?]
I mentally grimaced, feeling sorry for myself.
'Never mind. Get the fire whip ready. I think I'm going to do close combat with this one.'
[Are you sure?]
'Definitely. It's waiting for me. You see, it's not moving.'
[Shouldn't you do the same?]
'Do you want me to follow that creature? You must be out of your mind.'
[Well, it might be preparing an attack we know nothing about, so you should probably do the same]
Right at this moment, I wanted to trade places with Fifi and be the system. She might do better in fighting the creatures than I would.
'Why don't we switch places, huh? Shouldn't you be the one informing about what it was doing?'
[Exo wasn't being nice]
Dang. She literally took things to heart. I couldn't even defend myself anymore. There was no way she'd buy my reasoning anyway.
Furthermore, nothing I said would make her feel better—no wonder she had been acting differently since earlier.
Dang.
Women.
I don't think I'll ever understand how they function.
It made me feel like a horrible person. But what am I supposed to choose? I wanted my old life back.
Nichen was either bluffing, or something happened for me to end up waking in Exo's matured body and was currently working as a director for some big shot company.
'Why can't they get things perfectly as one wanted them to be. Huh?'
There was silence. I was holding the blazing whip, readying myself to approach the beast and put an end to its existence.
'Fifi?'
[...]
[What? You told me to shut up moments ago, and now you're calling me. You're more confusing than women, Exo]
'Damn. I missed the time when you didn't even know how to talk back. But this is my fault. I made you like this?'
[...]
[What do you want to know this time?]
'Call Nichen. I need to have another word with him. That–'
I sighed.
There was no use getting worked over someone whom I couldn't touch. It was infuriating. I wish there were some sort of shortcut to doing things.
[...]
[Fine]
[Is that all?]
'Are you mad? Should I start calling you Esther?'
[Don't]
[I prefer you don't use that too]
'Ouch. So, only Nichen and that woman?'
[You have no respect for your elders. That woman is your mother too, Exo]
'Jeez,' I snorted. 'Relax, Fifi. I was only lightening the mood. Okay?'
[...]
[Whatever]
I mentally sighed.
'I guess I would need to earn your forgiveness, right? Fine. I'll make things right. You're acting like a brat.'
[...]
[Good luck]
She went silent.
I felt an emptiness in my head.
I'll have to deal with all of that later.
Right now, there was a monster I needed to kill.
Seeing the other dragon up close, I whistled. It was bigger and longer. Its beady eyes caught my gaze, taunting.
It radiated a vibe that sparked something from within. I could feel the fire in my eyes, a warm sensation rising from my belly.
'You want a real fight, beast?'
It held my gaze, an electric current exchanging between us.
'Bring it on!'