I remember Anna telling me about a mountain that glowed with fairies living on its peak. She said it was a magical place where the stars and the fireflies danced together in harmony.
I wonder if she was referring to this mountain range that radiated blue light? But I never saw any fairy at all. Did they also flee from Frederick?
Kazu, out.
◇
Have you ever encountered a person who only talks about their own experience and always brings back the story to them, no matter what the topic is? I don't mind listening to their exciting or amusing escapades once in a while, but please remind me to pack a pillow beforehand.
Human?
I squint at the person lying in front of me. A human. Should I be happy to encounter one? Maybe I would have felt a surge of adrenaline or curiosity if I had seen a human before, but now… I shrug. I don't really care. Well, at least this confirms that there are not only monsters in this place.
I lean closer to examine him. He is buried under a pile of yellow sludge that has no smell for some unknown reason. The sight of it is enough to make me gag. It's a good thing it doesn't smell. Only his face and left arm are visible. He has a muscular build. Is that the trend here? I glance at my arm. Even if I wanted to bulk up, it would be pointless since I would lose it all when I restart.
I push that thought away and poke him with my knife. He doesn't move. How did he end up in the giant's stomach? How did he get swallowed by Frederick?
Wait a minute. Was he the one who fought Frederick? The fly? Can he fly? Does he have a magic stone? My eyes light up as I imagine the possibility of flying too. 'Heh, fighting Frederick would be more fun then.' I grin wickedly.
I reach for his magic stone, but I stop when I see his face. He looks peaceful, almost innocent. His eyes are closed and his lips are slightly parted. His skin is pale and he is bald. He reminds me of someone.
I loosen the grip on my knife. 'Tsk, so this is where I draw the line, huh.' Something that I won't cross. 'Too bad for me. You're lucky you're human.' You're lucky that the ones I enjoy killing are monsters. I have no intention of killing an innocent bystander. That feels like killing an animal. I'm done with that. Besides, if you're human, you might not have a magic stone anyway.
Suddenly…
Cough!
He coughs out some of the shit from his mouth, making me cringe. Some of it even comes out of his nose, adding to the grossness. What a complete mess he looks like.
I tear off a piece of my shirt and hand it to him. I can't stand watching him like that. It makes me feel sick and sorry for him.
"Cough! Thank you." He croaks. "Ugh, resisting such temptation is quite a torture." He sounds weak and drained.
I just gaze at him as he keeps ranting about his life drama. He seems to have endured a hellish ordeal and barely escaped alive.
"Can you help me? I think I have some internal bleeding, my joints hurt." He begs me. He sounds desperate and hopeless. He needs some assistance and support.
I keep gazing at him. Should I help him? But he has shit all over him. He makes me want to puke.
"Fine, I'll rest for a bit. Cough!"
Eww, I move away not wanting to get anything on me. But when I look at my hand I see some of it and remember. 'Right, I already touched it, even almost licked it.' I quickly wipe my hand and even restart. Phew, if this continues I might become obsessed with cleanliness by the end of the day.
He won't stop talking, his words spilling out like a broken faucet. "Dude, I thought you said you're going to rest, that's not resting." I tune him out, wishing he would take the hint and leave me alone.
"…was a goner. He chewed me, almost depleting my artifact…"
I don't know what to do with him. I'm torn between two options. I still haven't had my revenge on Frederick and I don't want to kill this guy or help him. Just go away, man, so I can settle my score with this giant. He's the reason why I'm here in the first place.
But then again, maybe this isn't so bad. Frederick seems to be snoozing for the whole day and I might not run into another human for a while. Besides, I won't lose anything if I listen to him, and I might learn some valuable information, like old times. A pang of nostalgia hits me. 'Sigh, I kinda suddenly miss Anna.'
"…almost peed myself. I really thought they sent me here to sentence me to death. Haha, I should know better, after all they gave me a lot of artifacts. Kah, I still remember my first artifact. It shaped like a ring, but it could produce breeze, very useful in flipping girls' skirts…"
Artifact, huh. Sitting cross-legged, I listen to him with half an ear, he always switches between his back story and his current situation. 'Yawn! Heh, I almost forgot this kind of feeling.' Maybe I should think about not restarting when I feel sleepy, it kind of feels nice. It feels like a natural way of resting and relaxing.
The chatterbox keeps talking in the background as if he is singing me a lullaby. This shit-dude doesn't seem to notice or care that I'm not interested or engaged. He just keeps babbling on and on about his life and his artifacts.
"…it exploded. My pet at that time didn't survive, that was my 105th artifact. Kahh, talking really helps me recover fast. Ah next, my 106th artifact is quite unique, it can…"
"…longer. Too long, I was amazed a knife can be a sword. My whole life changed in an instant. Well, it wasn't actually mine, but he lent it to me for a few minutes, and that was my 471st artifact…"
"…imitation, that's why a relic is still more powerful than any artifact. I still remember, the first artifact I saw…"
'Zzzz, huh!', Is he still not done?
"…boom! It was a horror there, but it was just a dream, I woke up late because of that. But when they sent me here to defeat a giant, and a Class A at that! Goodness, I almost deserted. Looking at this giant, the sunlight really helps them recover quicker. This is actually my first time fighting one. Well, I never knew they would send support, what unit do you belong to, my friend?"
'Ha! Huh? Sunlight? Wait, huh? Friend… what again?' I jolted at my dozing. Heh, napping is quite good. It's intoxicating, does laziness start here? Anyway, is he asking me now? He switched to prompt mode? Done with your monologue?
As I focus my vision, he is already seated, wiping the shit on his armpit. But… fuck he is not human!
I spring up, and take my stance, twirling my knife in my finger.
The shit-dude has four arms, clearly he is human in appearance but having four arms is definitely not a human trait. He must be some kind of mutant or alien or monster.
I squint my eyes as I'm blinded by the light that bounced off his bald head.
"Kikung weiq fanf maie ihh wei wei mensk ak" he says.
What? Is he casting some sort of magic? So magic can be done that way too? Yeah, the rite of protection seems to be similar. It's a ritual that involves chanting and singing.
He stumbles backward, and his eyes show fear. You're the one casting magic, why are you scared of me?
He keeps on casting, "Didi sifgukfak kah ak bal fedmel ak!" then touches a necklace on his neck. A thin layer of orb-like energy encircles him.
Wow, that's kinda awesome. He really is casting magic. He just made a shield around himself.
So, are we going to fight now?
I might be the one who started this, after all I suddenly took a fighting stance. I acted on impulse, without thinking.
Are you still casting magic? Tsk, if he continues casting, a fight might be inevitable. I prefer fighting Frederick, 'Sell a fight with me for later, man.' However, you should take a bath first, what if that yellow goo on your armpit comes alive and attacks me?
"Kahh iek meh fli wei qui dihuvhsavh ak" he says.
Crap, he told stories of having many artifacts. Tsk, if he plans to fight, I'm not letting myself die without a fight.
This might be a misunderstanding because I somehow provoked him but… I smirk. I can get his magic stone now, right? After all, he is not human. Let's see if he can actually fly.
Kukuku, just imagining about flying makes my heart pound in excitement.