"I'm afraid that there's no alternative." Dollian's voice came after some seconds of waiting.
Brunos felt happy for some odd reasons as he joked, "I'm also afraid that you want to say something else."
"Of course I have to congratulate you," she said. "Seeing you survive such a fall was a miracle, but meeting an emerald elf was a disaster. I thought my time with an idiot like you was about to end. There's no way you're going to seduce her."
"Are you unhappy that I did it?" Brunos asked thinking to himself, 'so she is an emerald elf?'
"Yeah! She is an emerald elf," she replied. "And I'm happy instead. I told you you are quite interesting. I'm loving your adventure."
When Dollian answered his silent question, it reminded him that he didn't need to open his mouth while chatting with her. This was going to help him a lot in the future. He could tell she knew almost everything since she had told him of the witch and her daughter, Valeria and things he didn't know about himself.
'Does it mean you were worried about me?'
"Stop that unrealistic imagination of yours and ask me what you have to ask. I don't have my forever reserved for you."
Before Brunos could comment, she asked, "How can't I worry about a weakling like you?"
Chuckling he replied, "I see! It means you feel something for me. So strange since it's the first day we've met."
When he heard Dollian complaining, he changed the topic. "Make me strong, Dollian."
"There will be a compulsory quest every night. The fastest way to grow powerful. Failure to do so will end up diminishing your life span."
When he first saw the penalty for shortening his life, he hadn't thought much about it. But now that she had brought it back, he had become confused.
"Aren't demons immortal? If I can live as long as I please or..." He found it difficult for him to ask the question. "I mean, if the years I can live are infinite, how would you subtract from them?"
"That's true! Demons are immortal."She explained. "But they can die. When killed, without energy or something. When your life span diminishes, it means you become weaker."
"And when I'm weak I will die? OK! Tell me more about the system then. I don't want to be weak."
"I'm here to help you when you need me not when you want me. Is that right?"
Why is she angry all of a sudden?
"Of course I'm angry at you. The dashboard has all the basic information you need. You better explore the system first instead of expecting me to spoon feed you everything. I..."
Brunos put his hands on his ears to muffle her loud voice but then remembered she was inside.
'Wanna burst my head?'
She increased the volume. "Explore the system now!"
'Alright then.'
When the screen displayed, Brunos could tell the system was vast. There were many chambers to explore. Dashboard, Inventory, Shop...
Something poked him so he closed the screen to check what it was. Someone.
The petite.
Her blue eyes widened when he opened his. The faint glow from them made his sight blur for seconds but when he got used to it, he could tell she was frightened. Her index finger was frozen in mid-air as she hovered over him.
"Seems like you were the one poking at me. Don't worry! I'm alive."
He might have disturbed her deep slumber when he raised his hands to block the loud sound of that goddess in his head. He was too engrossed in the chat that he had forgotten about this petite.
"Why are you afraid?" He asked as he stood up. The faint sounds made by creatures in the forest, probably monsters, were a sign that he had to find his way out of the forest as soon as possible.
Seems like surprises are still coming. He thought as he saw the petite fall on her knees in front of him instead of answering his question. She buried her head between his feet and her hands reached for his ankles.
Taken aback, he asked, "What are you doing?"
The petite became even more frightened and tightened her grip on him. Brunos stared at her long tail which she had pressed on the grass and tailed it until his gaze landed on her body. Brown clothing, more like animal skin but soft and flexible, covered her buttocks and another of the same kind wrapped around her little poor melons, covering the upper part of her back.
He wasn't a porn addict, but he knew the exact name of such a pose. Doggie. If only I was behind her. Trying to step back, he chuckled in an effort to dismiss his dirty thoughts.
If he insisted he would fall. Her grip was so tight. I'm confused again. She is more powerful than me, why frightened? Maybe her gestures mean something else.
Realizing that confronting her with words was of no use, he reached for her shoulders and gently made her stand up.
'OK! How do I start afresh? Greetings. Yeah, greetings.'
As he extended his arm, he said, "I'm Brunos Pegrinan."
Realizing his stubbornness (is a handshake only for men?), he took a step toward her wondering if she was going to take one backwards. She didn't. Instead, she stiffened and tried to avoid his gaze.
"I'm not a monster, right?"
'How am I going to complete my night task if she keeps acting like this?' He had to go find Lilyon and her maid to execute his plans.
He hugged her and left her trembling.
Though it had rained like a waterfall, the place was hot and dry, leaving him wondering where all the water had gone.
After walking a few meters, he heard leaves crunching beneath someone else's feet. And when he turned around, he saw that the petite was following him.
Pissed, he grabbed her by the shoulders and forced her to look into his eyes. However, he wasn't sure whether to be rude or kind to her since she was not speaking.
'How do I handle this situation?'
"Wanna say... uh... I... what... forget it!"
He chose to use body language since each word of his was making her look even more confused.
He pointed to her, then to his mouth and finally to himself as he waited for the result.
Hesitantly, she raised her hand and pinched the skin on his neck. Brunos felt as if a screwdriver was being applied to him. Thus, he lost patience.
"Hey, stop! It hurts!" He exclaimed but she continued pinching, this time digging her claws deep into his skin. The pain made him dance a weird move as his hands reached for her wrists to stop her. She was strong and invincible compared to him.
The pain slowly became anger and, subconsciously, he activated his powers. With a push, he sent her flying.
"Stay away from me bitch!"
To his surprise, she pointed to her chest. Three dots that made a red glowing triangle were all Brunos could see. But the light was not coming from the Petite. He was the source. He shifted his gaze to a tree nearby to confirm his worries and found it was him. He raised his hand and brought it close to his face to block the light. That's when he realized the glowing dots were embedded in his forehead.
Seems like she have been wanting me to learn about this. What does it mean? Maybe she knows who I am. That when I'm pissed my forehead glows.
He approached her with caution and helped her back to her feet. "Sorry Petite, I misunderstood your intentions."
Whipping away some dry grass from her thick hair, he asked, "Do you know the way out?"
While staring at her still confused face, the area around them became dark as if something had flown above them. No. Someone.
"Eleanor! Eleanor!" He called jumping into the air. He would have flown if there were no branches hovering over them.
"Brunos?" She called back before saying, "My lady, over here!"
A protracted sigh escaped his lips as he waited for Eleanor who had landed in a tree-free area to come to him. She ran with her arms open as if she was about to hug him.
"Uh! " A gasp escaped his lips as she wrapped her arms around him tightly.
"We thought you were dead!" She said, her voice full of emotions.
Just as he was about to touch her back, he remembered the night quest. This is my only opportunity to complete the task.
"That's not how you act in front of a person who almost died." He said as he reached for her cheeks.
When their lips touched, another surprise came. She didn't complain or what. She just stiffened.
'God is on my side.'
He lingered on her lips for a moment, then teased his way inside and she didn't flinch. Instead, her fingers dug into his shoulders.
After a minute, before he could glance at the incoming notification, someone spoke from the distance. "What are you doing?"
Immediately, Eleanor stepped aside, lowering her head. Before Brunos could speak, he felt Lilyon's arms wrap around him. "I don't like jokes."
"Why should I do what you like?"
She punched him lightly on the chest leading to an awkward laughter.
I might be weak or not as handsome as the Fellenes, but at least now I have two people who worry about me. I have something to fight for. I should never disappoint these souls.
The petite caught Lilyon's attention. "Who is this?" she asked. The girl seemed frightened by Lilyon's intimidating gaze.
Brunos didn't know how to describe her. "I should ask you that."
"My new mom?"
"Stop it! I met..."
A thunderous low-pitched sound stopped him from continuing his sentence.
"My lady, it's a Pergus!" Commented Eleanor terrified.
"What's a Pergus?"
"Pergi are the most dangerous creatures in the Succubi Realms. They wake up at night to protect Lust Trees from those who want Lust Leaves." Replied Lilyon, pulling Brunos to run.
~Thank you for reading. I would like to hear from you. Now you can vote if you're enjoying:)