"Huh? Where am I?" Mike opened his eyes and asked in confusion as he looked around. The boy was lying on a floor made of hard, uncomfortable stones. He glanced around, but all he could see were rocks on the walls and ceiling. After a few seconds of trying to make sense of what he was seeing, Mike was certain, he was inside a cave.
Cautiously, Mike stood up. He had no idea how he had ended up here, as his last memory was losing consciousness after seeing the golden disc in the dark area. However, recalling the bloody scene he had witnessed before fainting, Mike was far from calm. He began walking carefully toward the only exit he could see, feeling the cold air of the cave pressing against his body. But his steps were quickly interrupted by a noise.
"Yip! Yip!" Mike heard the familiar barks of the red-and-blue fox coming from the direction of the exit. Soon, the colorful creature appeared before him, leaving Mike frozen in place. After being forcibly carried through the air by this fox, Mike knew he stood no chance against the creature in a fight. But that didn't stop him from truly hating the little colorful fox.
Mike glared intensely at the creature responsible for bringing him to this cave. Even though he didn't know how he got here, why, or who the deep voice and golden disc that caused him to faint belonged to, Mike was sure this fox had everything to do with it. Since he knew he couldn't fight the creature, all he could do was stare at it, imagining himself eating roasted fox meat.
"Yip!" The fox seemed to sense Mike's hatred toward it and let out a bark that sounded a bit sad. The fox stared at Mike with its large white eyes and wagged its snow-white tail rapidly before turning and walking toward the exit it had come from.
Mike stared at the scene, unsure how to react. After all, when he had glared at the creature and imagined eating roasted fox meat, the last thing he expected was for the fox to look sad.
"Yip!" But before Mike could do anything, the fox barked again, looking at him. Mike had the distinct feeling the creature wanted him to follow, and since he wasn't ready to die yet, he decided to obey. So, the boy followed the colorful fox as they walked through the dimly lit cave.
Mike walked for a while until he spotted a brightly burning torch mounted on the cave wall. As he and the fox approached the torch, he saw an exit next to it. The fox darted toward the exit, leaving Mike curious about what lay beyond but also cautious of the dangers that might be on the other side.
"Yip!" Unfortunately for Mike, the fox didn't seem to be giving him a choice. While he hesitated, debating whether or not to enter, the colorful fox poked its little head out of the passage and barked at him, making Mike sigh before reluctantly following.
"Damn!" As soon as Mike entered and saw what was inside, he exclaimed in amazement. Before him was a massive pile of glowing objects radiating a powerful magical energy.
"Magical treasures!" Mike muttered in shock, staring in disbelief at the towering pile. Even in his small village, he had heard of magical treasures. While he didn't know much about them, he knew they were powerful, and incredibly expensive.
Mike took a step toward the enormous pile, but only when he heard a bark "Yip!" did he notice the place he was entering. Even though they were still inside the cave, this area was massive, resembling a grand hall. Beyond the towering pile of treasures at the center, the space was filled with various strange objects and plants Mike had never seen before.
"Yip!" After the second bark, Mike finally turned toward the source of the sound. The colorful fox was standing beneath a small tree with a silver trunk and emerald-green leaves, looking at him. Perhaps because he was growing accustomed to the fox's behavior, Mike understood it wanted him to come closer, and so he did.
"Yip!" As Mike approached the creature, the fox barked and leaped into the tree's canopy, startling him slightly. Mike cautiously peered up into the tree, searching for the fox. Soon, he spotted its colorful body moving among the emerald-green, glowing leaves, shaking the canopy as it moved.
POFT! POFT! POFT!
Mike watched as several small silver fruits began falling from the tree's canopy to the ground. After a few dozen fruits had fallen, the fox stopped shaking the tree and jumped back to the ground.
"Yip!" The fox barked and nudged one of the silver fruits toward Mike with its snout.
"You want me to eat this?" Mike asked, suspicious as he tried to understand the fox's intentions while staring at the colorful creature.
"Yip! Yip!" The fox barked excitedly, nodding its head up and down while wagging its fluffy white tail. Seeing the fox's enthusiastic response, Mike felt sure it genuinely wanted him to eat the silver fruit. Even so, he hesitated, wondering if he should trust this unknown fruit.
On one hand, one of the primary rules of survival in the wild was to never eat anything suspicious. And a small silver fruit from a strange tree he'd never seen before was definitely suspicious. Adding to his concern was the fact that it was the fox offering the fruit. On the other hand, the fox might be friendly now, but what if refusing the fruit angered it? Mike could only imagine the terrible things the fox might do to him if he upset it.
"Ha... whatever," Mike sighed and murmured as he crouched down to pick up the small silver fruit. Even if it was poisonous, it seemed better than being brutally killed by a fox. Besides, why would a creature capable of easily killing him bother poisoning him?
Mike studied the fruit in his hand for a moment. It was small and spherical, about the size of a grape. What caught his attention were the intricate silver engravings that glowed faintly against the slightly darker silver surface of the fruit. These engravings were so fine that Mike only noticed them after careful observation, but he had no idea what they meant. All he knew was that this fruit was far from ordinary.
Shrugging, Mike stopped trying to unravel the fruit's mysteries. He quickly tossed it into his mouth and bit down.
To his surprise, the fruit dissolved easily, releasing a cool, sweet liquid that filled his mouth.
GULP!
Mike swallowed the fruit without hesitation. He had never tasted anything like it before, the sweetness was simply incredible. However, as soon as the fruit's liquid passed down his throat, what was already good became even better. A refreshing sensation spread throughout his body, and he could distinctly feel the liquid travel effortlessly to his stomach.
But again, when the liquid finally reached the center of his belly, what had been great became extraordinary. Mike felt an indescribable pleasure as a strange energy emanated from his core and resonated with the refreshing liquid.
"Ah!" Mike let out a short moan of pleasure, feeling his "little Mike" stir in his pants and dampen the front of his underwear, with something that wasn't urine. Even for a teenage boy going through puberty, this was the first time Mike had experienced such an immediate reaction. Little did he know, this was one of the worst nightmares a man could face. But in that moment, Mike didn't care.
He was overwhelmed by an intense pleasure as the two energies in his belly merged into one. His legs nearly gave out, but fortunately, the energy within him calmed, allowing Mike to recover, though he remained slightly dazed from the incredible sensation he had just experienced.