"Let me see," I said, stepping towards the darkness.
"Stop right there!" Leaning down, her piercing gaze halted me in my tracks. At that moment, it was clear she could easily end my life.
I raised my hands, falling to the pressure. "Okay, fine, whatever you wish."She remained steadfast, with her focus locked onto me, I tried to plead again "If you could just hear me out--"
"Again with that!? First, you wear nothing but a coat, then you try to trick me into thinking I'm missing, and now you trap me here. And yet, you still ask me to hear you out!?" The anger in her voice reverberated through the dungeon, destroying any hope of negotiation.
There was no shaking her opinion, I was in deep trouble. Not to mention, how was I gonna get out anyway? Damn it, I should have read more of that book Albert had given me, perhaps it had the answers. However, judging from her reaction, being trapped in a dungeon was far from normal. Could it be someone's magic? A third entity? regardless, the main problem right now was...
"Hey, what are you thinking!?" She demands, pointing at me.
"...Kill me"
"Huh!?"
"You said I'm suspicious, right? Then kill me, I've given you permission after all." I slowly concealed my hands behind my back, wearing a soft smile. "With your speed, it should be easy."
Gaslighting; is the oldest technique in the book. A normal person by now would have second thoughts before approaching. However, with her... it was a gamble. Her boldness was such that she could actually kill me without hesitation.
From that point on, a silent staring contest unfolded, with nothing but the sound of splashing water filling the background for a while.
"...What do you want?" She finally spoke, prompting a sigh of relief from my side.
I cleared my throat before responding. "Whether you believe me or not, I'll say it again: I don't have any ulterior motives—"
"I don't believe you," she cut me off.
"Well damn, let me speak!" I couldn't help but rebel, catching her off guard.
"..."
"...Sorry, but I don't have much time left. I need to rescue you today for a commission, and my life probably depends on it."
"But I don't need rescuing!" She shouted.
"Fine, I understand," I said in a panic, unrolling the poster and pointing at the other pictures besides hers. "But what about them? They need help, don't they?"
She took a glance, and the ears on her head flicked, her tail swaying. "They are... here."
"Then why didn't you tell me--"
"Not alive, though." She kept her distance while walking past me and into the illuminated side of the dungeon, casting a glance at my way.
I silently followed behind her, passing by the lifeless monsters that remained undisturbed, venturing deeper into a new part of the dungeon I hadn't noticed before. The sound of flowing water grew louder, leading me to a mesmerizing sight.
Before me was a waterfall, pouring into a lengthy body of water that disappeared into a narrow crevice within the walls, its destination unknown. Glowing gemstones were scattered beneath the water's surface, their light refracted, creating an enchanting ambiance. However, what caught my attention the most were the evenly spaced piles of dirt, almost as if they were—
"Their graves?" I inquired, trying to cast away the few troubling memories that occurred as I gazed at them.
"You caught on quick," she remarked, but I remained silent in response. She took a seat on one of the small rocks and continued, "When I came to rescue them, they were already dead. So, I dug them a grave, being the kind-hearted person that I am."
"Rescue them?" I sat down on another rock, a few feet away.
"Yeah, it was for a commission. Apparently, they came here and went missing for a week."
What the!? Just a week? But the poster stated they had been missing for a month.
"...You mentioned that you were only here for a day?" I asked, leaning forward.
"Indeed, I was."
She had been hunting for only a day but had gone missing for a week. As for the others, they had been missing for over a month, yet she believed it was only a week. This could be attributed to...
"Time magic!" She exclaimed, leaping up in joy. "Ha, I'm so smart! Someone here is manipulating time!"
"...I was just about to say that—"
"No, you weren't. I said it first, dumb human!"
...The urge to punch her was strong, but at least she was starting to believe me now.
"So, if this is true, it means time inside this dungeon is slowed down. One day here is equivalent to one week outside... wait, how much time has passed outside since I came here?"
"How long have you been here?" she asked, using her finger to write something on the ground below.
"Like three hours or so..."
"It's easy then, we just need to use math. One day is twenty-four hours, as we all know. Hence, one week would be... twenty-four times seven." Using the ground as a writing surface, she began to multiply the numbers.
I did the same, mentally calculating and using my fingers. After a few minutes of working it out, we both exclaimed our answers.
"One sixty-one!"
"One seventy-five!"
What followed was a tense silence, with only the sound of water in the background.
"No way you're actually that dumb," I commented, wearing a concerned expression.
"Dumb, me!? I'm clearly the only one who knows math here," she retorted, fueling the flames of our dispute.
"Listen, seven times four is twenty-one. Then you add the one—"
"Bullshit, seven times four is thirty-five! Were you not even given a basic education?"
"That's right, I wasn't, but I do know basic multiplication!"
"Humans are so egotistical. Even I never went to school, but I still know basic math. Clearly, you don't!"
The argument escalated, and time passed by as our throats grew sore from yelling.
"Damn it, I'm thirsty now," she grumbled, standing up and heading toward the body of water. She collected some of it in the palm of her hand.
"You sure that's clean?" I commented, my gaze fixed on the surprisingly clear water.
"What do you think?" She drank the water from her hand, making me gulp in thirst.
Crouching down, I collected the water in my own palm. It appeared clear, so I assumed it was safe to drink. I brought it to my mouth, quenching my thirst. Gradually, I drank more and more until I felt satisfied.
Feeling pleasantly refreshed, I splashed some of the water on my face as well. Glancing at her, I noticed that her mouth was puffed up. "Why aren't you drinking--"
"Poof!" She spit out everything from her mouth. Her demeanor completely changing.
"...Oh no."
I immediately thrust my finger into my throat in an attempt to expel whatever I had just consumed. Coughing harshly, my eyes watered as I struggled to see, my breath grew shallow, and my muscles weakened.
"You--" A strange metallic taste lingered in my mouth, and I was unable to utter a word. I lay there, barely able to move my pupils, but I remained conscious, able to faintly hear footsteps and murmurs.
A cold sensation enveloped me from below, and my body felt weightless, as though I was floating in the air, a sensation of freedom washing over me. Strange, intricate patterns appeared and refused to release their grip on my vision. They multiplied, zooming in and out, unlike any words or numbers, yet strangely familiar, their colors indescribable. My bones seemed to vibrate gently as something soft wrapped around my body. There was no pain, only the tranquility of chaos.
Unrhythmic notes of music played softly in the background, high and low voices adding more patterns that covered my senses. It wasn't suffocating; it was pure bliss. Outside, it was cold, but inside, I felt warmth. I was dissolving into something, yet it wasn't scary or enlightening; it was simply bliss. Perhaps, she too, can now be in bliss. Bliss. Bliss. Bliss. Bliss. Bliss. Bliss. Bliss. Bliss. Bliss. Bliss. Bliss. Bliss. Bliss. Bliss. Bliss. Bliss. Bliss. Bliss. Bliss.
"Oi!"
.
.
.
Bliss? Where am I?
"You sure had one hell of a trip there." The voice of an old man reverberated in my head. "Huh, it seems you haven't recovered fully."
I gradually regained my senses, but at that moment, it felt like mere seconds had passed. "Wh...ar-"
"Stop talking; you're still under the influence," I could hear his words clearly, but my own voice was barely audible.
Everything seemed to be zooming out, my mouth growing increasingly parched. I gasped, feeling anxious.
Shifting my gaze, I noticed what appeared to be an old man, but as I looked closer, I realized it was mainly his white beard and hair that gave him that appearance. His voice and physique suggested he was at least in his mid-twenties.
"Observing me, ay?"
I attempted to move my limbs but found myself unable to, partly due to fatigue and the ropes binding me. "Who are you?" I asked again.
"Nobody, just call me Nobody." The man, dressed in tattered clothes, approached me for a closer inspection, crawling on all fours. His foul breath and worn-down teeth just inches away from my face made for a rather unique experience.
"Where is the girl?" I inquired, drenched in sweat.
"Girl? Which one? I have like twenty of them." He casually responded.
"The one... with dog ears."
"Ahh, that one, she is taking a dump"
I raised an eyebrow, surveying the surroundings. The once-glowing gems had disappeared, leaving only the walls. The sole source of illumination was a small, man-made fire, with a pot simmering above it.
Noticing my confusion, the man grinned before stepping away. "It appears you don't understand," he remarked, carefully removing the pot and setting it on the ground. "You've been kidnapped, my friend."
"Yeah, no shit," I quickly retorted, but he only nodded in response.
From his barely visible tent behind him, he took out a bowl and some utensils, pouring the pot's contents onto the plate.
"So, why was I kidnapped? Do I look like someone who has money?"
"No, definitely not," he replied. Taking a spoonful of the food, he blew on it before our eyes met. "But you have a body. Although, not a pretty one, you can still be sold as a slave."
With widened eyes and a hanging jaw, my expression gradually morphed into a wry smile. "Slave... haha, even in another world, I end up like this." I couldn't help but giggle at the absurdity.
"Another world? Are you still high or something?" Perplexed, he took a bite of his meal, only to quickly spit it out back into his plate. "Damn, too hot."
The sound of approaching footsteps caught my attention, causing me to awkwardly tilt my head back due to my immobility. She stood there, looking down at me, clearly intrigued.
"What? Not gonna say anything?" She inquired, adjusting her short pants.
I wanted to say a lot of things, but at that moment, I simply couldn't. I couldn't muster the energy, or perhaps, I was just tired. Tired of hearing the word 'slave' so many times.
"Hey, don't feel down. Judging by your physique, you probably won't be a sex slave, just a regular worker," He said with an encouraging tone, holding a spoonful of his food in front of me.
At this point, I might have preferred the prospect of being a sex slave; at least it sounded more interesting.
Taking the offered spoon, I finally gave in, consuming the sloppy dish. However, to my surprise, it actually tasted pretty good, with a satisfying blend of sour and sweet flavors. It was certainly better than I had expected, especially considering its peculiar smell.
"How is it?"
"...Good enough."
"See! I told you, Kate, I can make some serious gourmet shit." he declared, proudly waving his spoon.
"He said it was good enough, not some gourmet shit." She responded dismissively, retreating into the tent. "Now don't disturb me!" Quickly turning her back, she closed the tent.
"Sleepy already? I guess I'll take a nap as well." Scraping off the last bits of food, he licked his spoon before getting up.
"How many more have you kidnapped?" I asked, observing as he extinguished the fire.
"Lost count. It's been a while,' he replied, disappearing into the darkness. "Anyways, goodnight, kiddo."
I lay there for a while, fidgeting occasionally, but the rope seemed to be tied to the ground as if it were a part of it. Any attempt to free myself was futile. All around me, darkness prevailed, accompanied by the frequent sound of snoring. If I stared hard enough, I could start to discern faint patterns in the darkness. That was until one of those patterns came to life.
"Yo" A faint voice called out, but I couldn't make out whose it was at first.
It took a while for my eyes to adjust, but the outline of her petite and her strange smell removed any doubt.
"Why are you here?" I asked, tilting my head up.
"Master is a big snorer, so I sleep outside when he gets in."
"...Master?"
"Right."
"You are a slave?" the tone of my voice increased, but the snoring drowned it out.
"...Right."
"You--"
"You ask too many questions, human." She let out, turning the other way. "Now let me sleep."
I stayed quiet, but not for long as curiosity took hold of me "How long have you been a slave for?"
There was no answer, not like I was expecting one. I slowly laid my head back down in defeat, but just as I did.
"Thirteen? Fourteen? Somewhere around that."
Same age as me then.
A strange sense filled my heart. Was it sympathy? Or was it... happiness? Happy that I found someone like me in this new world?
"Are you taking pity on me?" The sudden change in her tone catches me by surprise, "If so, I don't need it."
"I'm not pitying you... I have been in the same situation too--"
"But you hated it, correct?" She interrupted. The sound of snoring seemingly stopped.
"...Of course I did, who wouldn't--"
"Then you are different, unlike me."
"What? How?" My tone grew louder, "Are you telling me you like being a slave?"
She pauses, before continuing "Master is a nice guy, unlike other slave owners."
"Just because he treats you good, doesn't make it justifiable--"
"I don't care! It is better than only living for yourself!" She exclaimed, her words echoing throughout the dungeon.
I didn't know what else to say. How could such a person even exist was beyond me. She was definitely brainwashed or something, I'm certain of it. Living for yourself? What is wrong with living for yourself? Isn't that what freedom means?
The ambient noise of the dungeon slowly took over as the snoring sound crept back again.
"By the way, I checked up with Master while you were out. The answer was one sixty-eight."
Not knowing how to respond, I stayed silent, closing my eyes.
"...Sorry about that," She said before going quiet.