Red.
It was a beautiful world.
Red.
Beautiful sky, beautiful ground.
Red.
Beautiful people.
Red.
RED!
RED!
RED!
Arghh- groans were coming out.
Was I walking? What was I even doing. Why? What was the point?
Argh- groans came out.
Red.
Only one thing mattered in the world: hunger. A primordial feeling. A proof of the living. But I wasn't alive. Yet, a scent invited me ever closer-
And that beautiful aroma- almost dragging me closer. That sweet, sweet scent-
Faint voices- someone or something was screaming. Ineligible.
So many people, so much red; so much food. Mouth watered. Heart fastened. Every breath felt as though spears impaled. Every gulp of saliva only festered the everlasting, never ending hunger even more. I had to take a bite or my heart was about to explode- just one bite- just- And I wanted that bite too. I wanted it badly.
One step, two step- and before I knew it, I was about to lounge over a poor soul and-
Crunch!
The red disappeared as my mouth filled with a salty, meaty, somewhat fatty delight. Fresh mutton.
"Made it!" Escalor howled with exhaustion before collapsing.
Siarre was panting too. "I apologize my lord, we should have known you needed an offering to quench your thirst when you'd just been born."
I was listening to them, crunching at the bare mutton and looking at the frightened passersby and the little girl I was so close to devouring. Her mother was also there, panting beside her; the mother was really holding her daughter tight, both crying. But neither of them were running away or screaming. Actually, it was almost as though they were offering themselves to quench my thirst of blood.
But- "This thing's too dry," I mumbled.
It was just raw mutton. There was nothing more, nothing less. Did taste kind of good though. And it was good enough to make me forget about the atrocity I was just about to commit.
But- the hunger wasn't going away. Yet, I didn't stop. I just ate- and ate….
It wasn't that I alluding myself to believe this could keep me sustained, eventually I'll crave blood or meat again and this wouldn't be able to satisfy me for a second time… not while I was almost on the verge even while chewing it. I had to do something now. "Let's go get something a bit more 'fresh'," I said.
I could barely hold myself. What was I doing before this? What was I going to do afterwards? Didn't matter. Right now, I needed something. And I needed it bad!
I had to quench this thirst: I had to satiate this hunger!
"Ri-right!" Escalor picked himself up, still a little tired.
But we moved along.
I didn't offer an apology to the kid or the frightened mother, and I didn't need to either. They had their head lowered and ready to offer themselves to me.
Odd. Odd, the word didn't begin to describe the feeling. Nor it did help express it completely. 'This is how it feels to have control…over other's lives.' I didn't fully understand why they were so willing; I didn't understand what made skeletons so much superior that they'd just die than fight against it but I also didn't understand why I didn't feel an ounce of guilt while I pondered about what would have happened if Escalor hadn't made it and I'd eaten her? "Where are we going?" I asked.
"Something from the butcher probably won't be enough," Siarre said. "I've had those urges before. But never that bad. I think you need actual blood right now. Why not buy a slave and-" And she paused, giving Escalor a glance.
"We don't have enough money for a slave right now," he said. "But we did pick up three quests from the guild and if we complete, we should have enough money to buy slaves. But for now, why not hunt beasts and eat them fresh?"
I could tell my hunger, this feeling of thirst, was different and wanted something far different from what they were referring to. But- "Lead on." I didn't want to just randomly devour someone either. Not because I felt bad about it but because there could be real world consequences. Consequences I wasn't yet aware of and I had no intention of taking that unnecessary risk, yet.
But before we could do that, Escalor suggested, I leave the clothes behind and wear his backup leather armor: I obliged.
***
We were back.
Back in the plains.
We didn't actually go through the same gate as the last time. There were more gates. And some gates specifically led out than in. This was one of them. This gate led us out to the western part of the city, the plains with farmlands.
"Our first quest is to destroy a nest of goblins that's been stealing livestock. They've made a nest underground near those marshes," Escalor said.
I was wearing leather. It fit me loosely, reminding me again, I didn't have flesh. But I sure wanted some lovely flesh.
'Where the fuck is this going though?'
"Second and third?" Siarre asked.
"Take their kids and wives…" Escalor mumbled. "It's a full goblin subjugation quest with three tiers."
Rows of tomatoes and cauliflowers stretched through the horizon. It wasn't cold enough for broccoli.
She sighed. "I thought we were done abducting women and children?"
Their armors didn't make sound. Despite being so damn covered, they were rather silent.
"We need the money."
"This is not why we became adventurers and you know!"
"Then what? Beg? Beg them, 'please let us access the network or our lord will eat you!?"
The fuck were these idiots going on about? Network? Abduction and-
Wait, didn't they already use the damn network or whatever? Or had I run out before anything could happen and… oh….
Siarre craned back at me. "This isn't what we normally do but it's part of the job. Goblins destroy our crop and livestock so we have to cull their numbers." Yet she was apologetic about it somehow.
Neither carried any weapons or bags.
"But why their kids and women?"
"The kids are trained and used for labor…" She said. "And the women… for-"
"They use the women as cheap one-time prostitutes," Escalor said.
"One time because-"
"Most goblin women kill themselves after," he didn't look me in the eye and neither wanted to do this. "Better than suffering again and again…."
But these two had no choice.
One, they badly needed the money. Two, I needed to feed and three- this was how life worked in this world. And although I thought I'd feel bad about it all, although I thought I'd feel pity: I didn't.
I didn't feel anything.
In fact, I wanted to do this. Not because I wanted to do what adventurers do or pretend like I was in a brand-new world with overpowered stats to have fun- no. I wanted to do this for just one thing.
Red.
Blood.
I wanted to quench this fucking thirst.