***
[Practice.]
[I don't like talking about it, OK?]
<...I see. Be that as it may, you were a little bit too into the role if you ask me–>
[Bradley...]
[I believe you can see that the elf is convulsing, almost like he's having a seizure. Just a while back he had passed out before a gut wrenching scream escaped his lips. So I'm just wondering, what is going on with him and the pill?]
[Wait, round of what?]
[Huh, OK then. Can you at least give me an idea on how the damn thing works? That much would be helpful you know]
[Did you just 'ugh' at me for telling you to do your job?!]
[And, how long has it been, exactly?]
***
And true to the system's words the elf's eyes did flutter open, looking like they had last their life in them. But the suddenly shined with life when he saw me.
"YOU WORTHLESS MONSTER!!!"
I immediately faked a look of shock and fear, "S–sir, please! I thought the pill would help you! Please don't get mad at–
"SHUT UP! I DON'T WANT TO HEAR A WORD FROM THAT SNARKY LITTLE MOUTH IF YOURS! WHO GAVE YOU THAT PILL ANYWAYS?!"
"I–it w–was a..."
"SPEAK UP, BRAT!"
"An old lady!" I said with forced tears in my eyes.
***
[Fake it till you make it, I always say]
[Wanna say that again to me?]
[Yeah, whatever]
***
"AN... AN OLD LADY?! YOU FED ME SOMETHING YOU DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT AND BLAMED YOUR MOTHER FOR IT?!"
Oh, damn. I should have gotten my stories straight. My mistake.
"Um.... she asked me to say that to you to get you to take the pill. I mean no harm, honest!"
The elf rested his head on the ground with his eyes closed in fury. Even I wouldn't believe me if I said that. Well, I guess the gig is up. I wanted to see how far–
"I'll forgive you if you promise to be in my service from here on out," the elf suddenly said while looking at me, his gaze never once leaving mine. I'm sure I looked so shocked when he said that judging by the smirk on his face.
But I'm sure his definition of the shock on my face must have been different to what actually made me shocked.
"Now I've got him. I bet he didn't anticipate that I'd forgive him for giving me that pill. After all, it's the grandma to blame for all this. I swear, if I catch that old witch around this forest some day.... Never mind that. I'll have to recover myself with this kid, cause after that pill, I deserve this at least!" Elvis thought.
***
[You've got to be kidding me! Even after suffering mentally from that pill he's still thinking about torturing me! I can tell by that look he's giving me.]
[ But, to be fair, it was only his brain affected. In truth, hid body is still as it was, mangled yes, but nothing a little healing wouldn't fix.]
[No truer words have ever been said]
***
But before I could answer the elf's proposal with a very intriguing answer, another voice from behind me appeared.
"I think I've watched long enough of this to know that you're about to finish, isn't that right?Max," Pine said as he came down from one of the trees.
"Who dares–YOU!" the elf roared in anger as he painfully used his broken hand to try and lift himself off the ground.
"Yes, me," Pine answered sarcastically as he folded his arms, his face already sour from just looking at the elf.
"You've seen better days, elvis. That one arm gonna be a problem for you if you don't fix it soon. Though now that I'm here, you won't be needing the new hand from where you're going,"
The elf's face scrunched up in anger before he turned to me.
"Hey, kid. Wanna join my household? Kill that Furrha first," he angrily ordered me.
Pine looked at him, suddenly confused by the words the elf is speaking.
"Um... Max? Did you hit his head too hard or something? He seems to think that you are going to follow his orders,"
"That's because he will! Isn't that right, my new slav–I mean friend? I'm sure this escapee won't be too much for you to handle,"
"Oh, really smart. Calling him slave and pathetically trying to hid it with friend. I was sure you weren't the smartest of the two, now I'm certain that's the case,"
"KILL HIM RIGHT NOW! Um... Why aren't you doing anything? I thought you needed a roof over your head! I can provide that but all you have to do is kill. That. FURRHA!" Elvis, as Pine had stated, shouted frantically as he stared at me in hatred.
What an idiot! He really fell for my act through and through didn't he? Oh, for sure he's not the smartest of the two, cause honestly how in the world can you believe a monster that handed you a truly hellish pill that took you to the deepest pits of torture, and still hold on just so that you can have him?
I mean, clearly he has no brain cells left after the pill, or maybe his brother was carrying them for him.
I immediately started laughing out loud hysterically at the joke of it all. HE STILL WANTED MY HELP TO KILL ONE OF MY OWN RACE!
"HAHAHAHAHA! Man... Give me a moment... I just can't with... kill...after torturing you... and still he thinks that I'm going to help him? HAHAHAHAHA!"
The elf's face suddenly looked uneasy.
"Ah.... I promise I'm going to give you food, money? At this point I can even give you one of my girls! Just, kill that monster for me, and we can come to a–"
He didn't finish that sentence cause I grabbed his right food in record speed and broke it immediately using my strength. This time, he did respond faster than when his arm was ripped off.
"AAAAAAH!" MY LEG! MY F*CKING LEG! YOU'RE GONNA REGRET THAT FURRHA! JUST WAIT TILL MY BROTHER IS DONE WITH THAT HOE–"
"AAAAAAAH!" he screamed again when I broke his other leg.
"Word of advice. Never talk about my principal like that ever again. You know, just because of that..."
I lifted him off the ground and summoned my adamantium spear. He could do nothing but watch in fear as I brought the spear near his chest.
"Wait! Let's talk about this! No need for–"
"Should have thought about that before you attacked the bear!"
I threw him up like a rag doll, then when he came to position, threw the spear with all my strength that impaled him right at the centre, the force pushing him backward to a tree where he was cushioned with a large blast, the spear firmly positioning himself up right.
I turned to Pine, whose frown had disappeared and was replaced with shock, and a little bit of fear, and beckoned at him to come with me as I walked to the impaled elf.
"I know you are still alive. That wasn't nearly enough for you to die, get up!" I said angrily and kicked at his broken leg. He jolted upright immediately and looked at me with eyes of pain and resentment.
"Just so you know–" I pulled Pine near me and placed a hand around his shoulders, "–nothing I do could ever make up for what you did to my guy here. But you should at least know why I'm doing this. Pine, care to tell him?"
"Gladly. You f*cking lied to me you psychotic maniac! You told me that you would be my father, you promised me a good life! You knew that I was naive and hurting at that time of my parents death yet you exploited my feelings!"
"You promised that you needed me! If only I knew what your true intentions were earlier on, I would have never stepped into that household to begin with. And yet...why... WHY DO I STILL CONSIDER YOU A FATHER TO ME?!"
At this point Pine was crying his heart out while he vented at his master. I couldn't help but relate to him, cause this was all but a familiar scenario to me. It's a good think the poor kid wasn't brainwashed into thinking that he needed them.
I rubbed his shoulders as he cried. From appraising the stupid elf, I could tell he didn't have long to live.
Once Pine was done, he took in a deep breath before turning back to the elf, "I guess I should be the one to put you out of your misery–"
I stopped him before he could take another step and shook my head.
"It's not right for you to do it. I'll have to be the one. No offense,"
"Yeah, no. *sniff* It's OK,"
I turned my head to the back and saw that the entire group was already done with their tasks. Everyone was watching me and Pine with the elf, the furrhas covered with blood, but not one of them without tears in their eyes. Now I know for a fact that they didn't enjoy doing what their captors usually did to them, but it was something that had to happen, and it had to be by their hands.
The only monsters that looked unaffected by all this were the three from my group, and the wolves, of course. The smile on the wolves faces told me that they enjoyed this side quest very much. I turned back to the elf.
"I hope you burn in hell, or Hades, or whatever,"
I slashed my hand sideways and a deep cut appeared on his throat. It was immediate, a mercy than he didn't deserve.
"Oh? Look's like everyone's back from the little job they had to do," Mrs Kelly suddenly spoke up as she walked towards us with a slight smile on her face. Pine and the Furrhas immediately went on the defensive, but I raised my hand to stop them. But the elite group's eyes were wide with shock and definitely fear.
"Pine, this is my principal and out trainer, Mrs Kelly," I introduced him.
"Is this the guy that you were traveling with these two days?" she asked as she scanned everyone.
"That would be correct," I answered.
"Huh, well then. Little kids, can you excuse us for a bit please," she asked as she pointed at the four of us, "And Max, take those wolves back to where they belong,"
"Yes, Mrs Kelly,"
I opened up a portal and thought communicated with the wolves that's I'd see them soon enough for a reward, and sent them back to Jupiter.
We all gathered in a group away from the kids as the went to clean up themselves in a nearby stream, and sat down as Mrs Kelly stood up. The familiar frown on her face was there, and her eyes looked angry for some reason.
"First of all, you all are in big trouble,"
*sigh*
Here we go.