Chapter 48: [Day 17] – “Kidnapped” (1/2)
∼ Day 17 ∼
‹ Elias ›
Walking out of the guild master's tent, we all share the same despondent and tired look on our faces.
After searching through most of the glades for multiple days, we haven't found a single trace of the sanguinite hive or queen. This makes no sense as there should be positively swarming with the little buggers by now.
”Seriously, this is sooo exhausting! We've already wasted so many days being ”guides”, and there's no sign of these stupid fucking bugs...” - Me
”Urgh, shut it, Elias.” - Darshan
I simply slouch in despondence at everything we're being put through.
”Cheer up kiddo' it shouldn't take much longer.” -Yrmel
Hearing the words from Yrmel, I couldn't help but perk up with a bit of a more cheerful expression on my sour face.
While it's already bad that this wonderful girl is my friend's woman, it doesn't help the fact that I'm madly in love with her... I can't help but feel like a puppy around her...
While Darshan doesn't realize this since he's literally as dense as a brick, I had already revealed how I feel to directly her. But I was only shot down in a rather depressing matter...
She said only saw me like the goofy little brother, which only stung my heart even more than her initial rejection. I've thought about leaving the group, but I'm too pathetic to leave as I'm still head over heels for her...
I shake the thoughts about our sad party dynamics by leaving the party to discuss with each other as I walk over to the campfire for some grub. Sitting down heavily on one of the wooden makeshift benches and call out for Henry.
”Yo Henry! Can a weary fella get something in his stomach?” - Me
A long moment passes with no response. Looking up and around, I fail to spot Henry anywhere in the camp. Spotting the apparently unattended cauldron of stew over the campfire, I wonder where the hell he could've gone.
I go over the boiling cauldron and move the lid. But I only curse as most of the food had been overcooked. Seriously where the hell had he gone?
Henry was one of the strongest members of the extermination squad and he was also a killer cook, so he stood for feeding everyone.
But what was really weird here was the fact that Henry treated cooking even more important than he did his own life when fighting. So how the hell could've he had let this food spoil, just like that.
A thing like wasting good cooking or spoiling it was basically like sacrilege to that old geezer, which is something I had found out the hard way.
While I doubted that anything other than the monster, Lily the guild master, could defeat that man one on one, there must be something wrong.
As I was about to go over and tell Lily about the missing Henry, I heard a noise over by the foliage of the treeline. Against all better judgment, I decide to go over and check.
But as soon as I part the bushes I meet gazes with a pair of eery blood-red eyes. Before I could scream for help, I felt a slight sting on my neck that made sure I couldn't.
Before I can even make a sound, my entire body lost mobility and I'm was now being dragged into the foliage without even being able to resist.
I try with my entire being to move my body or produce a sound. But it's to no avail. No matter how much I struggled, I simply couldn't get my body to listen to my brain.
Feeling my skin chafe under the dirt and gravel as I'm dragged across the earth, I wince internally.
I try to get a better look at my assailant. But I could only catch small glances of what seemingly was a fourteen or fifteen-year-old boy dragging me by my ankle.
But those deep crimson eyes and odd features led me to believe that definitely was no child. This was a monster. I've never ever seen anything like those creatures before, not even in the guild's bestiary for the common adventures. In the surroundings, there should be no such creature.
Once I started to regain my ability to command my body I became immensely happy but that lasted only a few seconds as the monster-boy-thing nicked my skin once again. Immediately making my body tensed up as I once again lost all control.
I screamed internally in both panic and despair. I did not want to die here, I was too young, I've yet to accomplish anything, I'm even still a virgin for fuck's sake!
Before whatever had paralyzed me started wearing off once again, we had already traveled quite far from the camp so screaming wouldn't even help.
Despair consuming my mind, I begin to sob with what little facial movement I've regained.
”(Sob) P-plesh, d-d-don't (Sob) ki- meh...” - Me
I only managed to get out a few broken words as I've yet to gain back full control of both my mouth and vocal cords. But the creature definitely heard me as it looked back at me with it's cold and red eyes.
His gaze seemed to pierce my soul which made every single hair on my body stand on end. Hearing his voice did not help in any sort of way. It was eery and it an uncanny feeling of not being entirely human. It was only successful in making my skin crawl.
”Shut up. Die you might not” - ???
While I had begged through my sobs for it not to kill me, I had not expected it to be either able to talk or even talk in Mordrian. Although a little broken in structure and pronunciation, the intent was easily conveyed.
But something weird happened when it spoke. Some of the creatures killing intent leaked into its voice, and that distinct aura he released somehow gave me deja vu... but I simply couldn't put my finger on why though.
Cresting a large tree, my eyes caught the unconscious form of Henry slumped against that tree.
”H-Henry!” - Me
I blurted out his name. But that was obviously a bad move as the creature hauling me along shot me a deadly glare. I didn't need any more prompting as the cold sweat glistening on my body was more than enough to wisely help me shut my stupid mouth.
Propping me against the tree next to the unconscious Henry, the boy-monster-thing crouched in front of us both. Suddenly the monster slapped the face of Henry quite hard which made him promptly wake up.