"Get down." Finn said as he signalled to duck beneath an exceptionally large tree root jutting out of the ground. The Pallum and the boy peered over the wooden structure and prowled the giant red dinosaur dragging its feet in the mud.
It looked around for a bit, surveying its surroundings for any sign of movement before it lowered its head again to the ground, inspecting whatever it was looking at before. Lyze supposed that it was looking to make a place to defecate.
"So that's a Bloodsaurus." Lyze wondered before his eyebrows furrowed in dry humour. "Could its name be any more obvious?"
"Why would you say that?" Finn raised an eyebrow.
'Why would I not say that?' Lyze thought.
The monster they'd just tracked down was literally a Tyrannosaurus Rex...just red in colour. But on the other hand, his inner child geeked out at seeing a real life dinosaur. Alex had been a dino geek just like so many other boys of that age. So seeing a T Rex had Lyze sitting in wonder for a moment.
"Anyway, this monster is one of the most dangerous in these forest floor." Finn explained. "They are vicious, and they charge blindly at anything they see. Because of how short their arms are, they depend on their head to snatch you off the ground in its jaws."
"I know. I read the adventurer's guide." Lyze said. "So how do you take it down?"
"One of the best ways is to take out its legs." Finn explained. "With arms that are too short and legs out of commission, its quite easy to expose its soft underbelly. You just have to be durable and quick enough to do so because of how powerful its charge is. Even level 5s have been killed by this thing because they made a single mistake and underestimated it.
"How'd they get to level 5 and still underestimate it?" Lyze questioned before his brain went into overdrive, delving deep into his memories to trudge up what he knew of dinosaurs.
And what else would come to the mind of any dinosaur lover but the old Jurassic Park movies, the best movies of that whole franchise?
Assuming that the Bloodsaurus were of the same physiology as the T-Rex, then perhaps it was also just as dumb.
"I want to try something Finn." Lyze said. "Can I go face it alone?"
"Did you not just hear what I said about it?" Finn deadpanned. "This is a dangerous monster."
"I get that...but there's something I need to put to the test. I can teleport out of there quick if something goes wrong."
"You plan on confronting it directly and you think nothing is going to go wrong?"
"Are you just going to keep answering my questions with questions of your own?" Lyze raised his eyebrow this time. "Or are you just going to let me do my thing and help out if something does go wrong as you're supposed to do? Because I'm pretty sure that's one of your jobs as captain, right?"
Finn gave him a dry look before gesturing to the Bloodsaurus.
"Go ahead. But Riveria is going to be filling your ears, not mine."
"She'll be filling your ears regardless." Lyze quipped before he folded his wings into his body. He then jumped over the root and entered the clearing.
The Bloodsaurus heard movement behind it and quickly turned around to greet the intruder. But just at the moment it did so, Lyze stood completely still, not moving a single inch.
Finn had gripped his spear tightly as he saw the monster turn, ready to already intervene in whatever mad scheme Lyze had cooked up this time. But to his surprise, the Bloodsaurus did not even look at the boy. Even though Lyze was supposed to be in its direct line of sight, the monster did not charge.
Instead it turned its head from side to side, looking around the clearing as if trying to source the sound it had heard. It began walking forwards towards Lyze, but the boy did not even blink and stood rock still as the dinosaur walked over him, completely ignoring him as it passed.
To Finn's surprise, the Bloodsaurus passed by Lyze like he wasn't even there, as if the boy was completely invisible or something. A few tense moments passed before Lyze gestured with a finger. A boulder telekinetically lifted off the ground and began clattering against other giant rocks in the area.
The Bloodsaurus whirled around quick enough to catch sight of the boulder moving by itself and immediately charged forwards towards the floating rock. Its feet dug up large clumps of soil as it smashed through the boulders and ran headfirst into a tree. The giant, thick tree shook as the impact tore up the roots from deep beneath the ground and the tree fell over, making the ground shake as the dinosaur shook its head.
Lyze then whistled at it, prompting it to confusedly turn its head back again towards the boy. This time the Bloodsaurus paid more attention to the part of the clearing the boy was in and stalked towards that area, lowering its eyes to the ground as it tried inspecting each and every part.
Finn who was ready to jump in now, but watched in bewilderment as the head of the beast came up right beside the boy, but the creature did not even seem to see Lyze as it completely ignored him, even though Lyze was literally staring into the dinosaur's eyeball. The Bloodsaurus lifted its head up when it seemed like it had had enough examination. It abandoned its search and the ground and began looking along the tree line to see if there was something in the branches making the noise it was hearing.
Doing this exposed the dinosaur's throat and Lyze seized the opportunity. He quickly drew his sword, and that quick movement finally caught the monster's attention. But it was too late for the dinosaur as Lyze leapt up and plunged Excalibur deep into its throat, puncturing the jugular, the pipes and the brainstem.
The red T-Rex could do nothing but collapse on his side, kicking out a like a rabbit as blood began spilling wound from the corpse and stained Lyze's white clothes with the liquid of life. A feeble croak escaped the monster's throat in place of what was supposed to be a roar that petrified all adventurers below level 3.
A final croak turned the monster into dust as the core dropped and Finn emerged from his hiding place all confused.
"Lyze...wh-what...how did you-"
"How was it not able to see me? I believe that's the question you're trying to put to me, right Captain?"
Finn nodded, utterly perplexed. "You were standing in front of its face. How and why did it not attack you?"
"Simple, because it couldn't see me."
"Is it another one of your absurd magics?"
"Nope, just using one's own natural physiology against itself." Lyze explained.
"You see some lizards have trouble keeping track of other things because of how their eyes are positioned in their faces. And they are hunters. So the only way they can fight or hunt is when they see that something moves. You stand completely still, and to these dumb bastards you'll just be a statue."
Lyze drew inspiration for this idea (stupid but worth it) from Dr Alan Grant who explained that a T-Rex's sight depended on its ability to only see only moving things. Anything that moved was considered a prey to these dumb beasts. If you stood still, it would almost always not even notice you're there. Now these Bloodsaurus seemed to have the very same physiology as their counterpart ruler from another universe.
And if the physiology was the same, then the attributes had to be the same right?
Which is why he made that discovery today. Which was why he did something of both equally idiotic and ingenious today with a dinosaur monster.
"So you're telling me if we just didn't move when one of these was in the area, it would not have attacked us?"
"That is what I'm saying. It happened right in front of you as well."
"I'll be sure to add that to our records." Finn said. "It will do to have knowledge like that with us. How did you come by such history? What lizards did you see?"
"It's a secret." Lyze put a finger to his lips. "And we don't want you to be going after them again, right?"
"No Lyze. I guess not. Still...what a weird way to take down a Bloodsaurus."
"Do I get praise for it?"
"...Go get the items."
"Yes, captain."
---
Lyze poked the fire as it crackled, spitting out sparks across the ground, each one illuminating the darkness of the 36th Floor. It was currently night once again and most of the Familia was tucked up in their futons inside their tents. Soft snores reverberated around the tight campsite.
The forest was not really as open as the other floors so the adventurers had to pull up their tents a little closer. It was also much harder to find a good spot for a campfire as the obvious unspoken rule is to never light a fire beneath a tree. Lyze still remained in his Goddess form, not yet ready to drop it.
It was so soothing, having Light Magic continuously running through his blood and replenishing his spirit and vitality. It was almost as bad as a drug, but Lyze kept it in moderation. Wrapped in a blanket under one of his wings and nuzzled into his side again was Ais as she softly snored away. Her bare feet were about the only visible part of her as she slept soundly and Lyze rested his cheek on top of her head as he basked in her presence.
She'd become oddly more physical and intimate with him over the span of 24 hours. Every opportunity she got, she'd want some form of cuddle with him. He chalked it up to her still being paranoid of him dying or nearly getting killed all of a sudden. But whereas he would have pushed her away a little before, he openly welcomed her advances. Having her around provided him more comfort than any amount of holy magic.
"You two have grown quite close, huh?" Tsubaki appeared in his vision as she sat across from him.
"Hey Teach." Lyze said quietly so he wouldn't rouse the girl. "Have the others come back yet?"
"If you're talking about your executives, they're still trying to track down that other Bloodsaurus. Shouldn't take too long." Tsubaki poured something from a flask into a cup and offered it to him.
"No thanks." Lyze gestured over to Ais. "Not really an appropriate company here."
"You're missing out." Tsubaki encouraged.
"I miss out anyway. I can't be intoxicated."
"Fair enough." The half-dwarf gulped down her drink and sighed in satisfaction. "I have a question Lyze."
"Go ahead."
"Do you aspire to anything?" Tsubaki asked. "You look to be chasing something...but out of everything I know about you and everything you've spoken of, it looks like you have some sort of material objective. What are you trying to find?"
"How did you come by that from my behaviour alone?" Lyze asked with a raised brow.
"I may be only able to use one eye, but I can be very astute." Tsubaki said. "And based off of how you received my question, it seems I'm right."
"Let us assume that you yourself have the correct assumption, what is the question here?"
"Once you have obtained whatever it is you're looking for, what then? What comes afterwards? What do you want to be?"
"The best version of myself that I can be." Lyze said. "It is how it has always been. I have always strived to be the strongest that my existence is capable of being and to be fulfilled in both my destiny and my potential. Being weak and being aimless has always been the one thing that has terrified me. I have digressed a little in my chase of this one thing that I seek, but once I do find it, I'm going right back to my journey of self-improvement."
"But are there not other things you value in life besides that?" Tsubaki said. "You certainly have an aim...but do you have vision?"
"Clearly I don't." Lyze said cheekily as he pointed to his blindfolds which he'd put back on.
"Come on. Be serious." Tsubaki chided with a half-smile. "You certainly have an objective. But what picture does it create in your mind? Are you going to be walking that path of self-improvement alone, it being your only singular focus? Is there not any other part of life you want to explore? Are there no places you want to go and see?" Tsubaki nodded to the sleeping girl that Lyze was cuddling. "Is there nobody you want to share that life with?"
"...Is it really that obvious?"
"Kid, it's been obvious to everybody for a long time now. There are even some gods who were there at the the discussion of your alias who put you both in the same boat." Tsubaki paused. "I'm just surprised you're mature enough to realise it. You really don't act like a kid you know? Somehow you know things at times that you just shouldn't."
"Don't overthink it." Lyze said as he held Ais tighter. "Of course, I don't plan on being alone. Whether I want to share it with a significant other...it's too early for me to consider since I'm far too early in my path. But I will cherish all that are close to me."
"And does that include her?" Tsubaki pointed to the sleeping Ais.
"She has a special place waiting for her in that." Lyze said. "But whether she wants to take it, will be entirely up to her. When the time comes and she's old enough to decide, we'll see. But until then, I'm going to focus on finding my way before I even consider being responsible for someone else."
"I understand." Tsubaki said. "Just wanted to make sure."
"I can't really see what the point of this conversation was...but if I've satisfied you, then you're welcome I guess."
"I never thanked you."
"~What can I say except, 'You're welcome'~"
"What?"
"Don't mind me. Ever since I took this form, I get spikes of positive emotions from time to time." Lyze chuckled as he buried his nose into Ais's hair and she leaned her face into his neck. Tsubaki eyed the interaction and smiled.
"Anyway." The half-dwarf said. "We're alone, in the night over a campfire. It's the perfect setting for a horror story. Know any good ones?"
"I do as a matter of fact. But it's more of a little brain kicker than a horror story. The twist at the end, if you can find it, is the actual horror part. Otherwise it's just a normal story."
"It sounds interesting already." Tsubaki leaned forward. "I like challenges. Hit me with it."
And so Lyze began.
...
There was a man who would walk a certain road every morning to go to work. The road which he would take was one of many in a great city. And where you have great cities, you will have great misery too. One of those miseries, being the beggars that would sit under buildings and in alleys, begging for even a measly pittance.
The man was quite used to seeing these people. But one of them stood out from all the other beggars. Like any other, he was a dirty, rugged man but he never approached anybody. Instead, he would sit under a wall with his leg stretched out and his hat at his feet, and he would be satisfied with whatever people gave of their own volition.
But he had noticed a habit with this particular beggar. This beggar would eye every person that passed him, and every time he did so, he would mutter something. It would always be some small movement of the lips, indicating that the beggar would have been talking more to himself than talking to somebody else.
The man could not help his curiosity, and soon he would walk closer to this beggar to see if he could catch whatever this strange vagabond would say. One day, the man decided to stick close, to see if he could hear the actual words.
On that day, a quite rotund woman passed by and the beggar eyed her as he did everyone else, before he said "Pig".
The man was quite shocked, assuming that the beggar had slighted the woman's weight and he felt it was quite a harsh judgement. The beggar then looked at quite a wealthy looking man who rode by on a great stallion, bred for racing and grandeur. And the beggar eyed him and said, "Human".
A beautiful woman passed by, of slim figure and lovely proportions and a twinkle in her eye, who had a feather tied to her hair. This woman turned the head of every man in the street, including the beggar. The beggar eyed her and said, "Bird."
Confused by the whole thing, the man came to assume that the beggar was insulting people or stereotyping people as they would pass him. And it disgusted him quite a bit. But another thing about this man was that he did not have a romantic partner, and he did not know if he had the visible qualities to attract a woman.
So perhaps the honesty of the beggar would help the man see where he stood and he could work on it. And so for the first time ever, he walked up to the beggar. As he approached, the beggar looked up and eyed him, before saying "Bread."
Now the man was confused. What about him could ever look like anything akin to bread of all things? Yes, his skin was dry at the moment because of the punishing heat of the sun but so was the case with everyone else. So what did the beggar mean when he called him 'Bread'?
"Tell me beggar." The man said. "Why do you name-call those who may have coin for your hat? Do you not think that it would not afford you any charity?"
The beggar looked at him confused. "Whatever do you mean?" He replied to the first man's question.
"A woman of great roundness went by and you called her a pig. Another woman of great beauty passed and you characterized her as a bird. Now I come to you, perhaps with a dry appearance, but you liken me to bread. What reward do you seek for generalization, for this sort of unkind judgement?"
"My good man." The beggar said. "I do not name-call. I have a special ability you see, that tells me of a certain thing about the person I see."
"And what would that be?" The man asked.
"I can tell the very last thing a person has eaten." The beggar said. "The fat woman who went by had eaten a plate of perhaps pig meat, or something that involved pig meat. And the beautiful woman hunted a bird and ate it. She then took one of its feathers and tied it to her hair. And you my good man, what was it last that you ate?"
The man pondered over this question. And he remembered that to sate his hunger when he got up from sleep that morning, he'd had a bowl of bread and cheese for breakfast.
But surely, it was just a coincidence yes?
Humoured by this, the man laughed and waved it off. But for the beggar's efforts in making him laugh, he dropped a silver piece into the man's hat and moved on. He set down the road that the beautiful woman had taken, hoping to see her once more and see if he had any chance.
The beggar eyed the man as he left before he shook his head, laughed and said in his mirth. "They never believe."
...
Tsubaki blinked as she digested this story, trying to find the part about it that pertained to anything about horror or anything scary.
"I don't get it." The half-dwarf conceded. "What's the twist?"
"Dwell on it." Lyze said. "You will come to know the answer easy enough. I'm going to bed."
Lyze picked up the snoring Ais in a princess carry and entered his tent so he could put themselves to bed, leaving the half-dwarf to still figure out the scary part of his story. A minute later, the obscure twist hit her and indeed, Tsubaki twisted her mouth in both disgust and horror as she realized it.
"Oh, Lyze. You are sick!"
---
Lyze closed his tent and watched Ais as she slept and the dilemma of his love for her surfaced once more as he hesitated to lay beside her. There was nobody amongst his Familia who could understand him properly if he wanted to confide in them.
But there was someone else who could.
Lyze lifted his blindfold and opened his eyes, unleashing the influence of Chaos once more. Around him, space distorted itself as he pictured his destination in his mind. Soon the tent disappeared, replaced by carpets, curtains and moonlight. When his surroundings settled again, he found himself in quite a luxurious bedroom at the foot of a large bed at the top of Babel Tower.
And in the bed sat upright a beautiful woman roused from sleep as the blanket slipped off of her body, revealing one of the rungs of her nightwear sliding off of her shoulder. Her hair clung around her confused face in slight clumps due to a little sweat.
Her confused face then turned to a smile of pleasure as she recognised him.
"Odr!" She exclaimed.
"Hello Freya." The boy smiled back, his void filled eyes staring at her as his glowing purple irises stared deep into her own.
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