[spoilerChapter 1:3uaywrmm]“SKREEEE!â€
Goddangit, when will this thing die?! you thought, clenching your teeth as you dodged and slashed at the creature. Scratches and bruises already littered your body as you ducked its claws.
The overgrown cat yowled as you managed to cut it. It hissed at you and swiped its paw yet again, this time landing a cuff straight at your face.
You just got slapped by a cat. Good job, [name].
“You’re doing it wrong, [name],†you could hear your partner and best friend, [favorite character], say.
“What am I supposed to do, then?!†you demanded, ducking out of the cat’s attack and rolling under it as it tried to pounce on you. The cat’s crystal floated right above its tail, which was waving about furiously.
“You do this.†The first thing you could see was [favorite character] leaping into the air, straight at the cat, [his/her] sword out. Then, the next thing you see is the cat lying on the ground, dead, as the crystal at its tail dissolved into the air.
“Why… didn’t you tell me that?†you asked, panting, trying to recover from the pain the cat inflicted.
“I thought you’d know. Didn’t you pay attention?†[he/she] asked, looking at you.
“No. That was boring,†you replied. “But you could’ve at least helped me! Look at me, I’m covered in scratches. I’m too tired to even stand up, [favorite character].â€
“I can carry you if you want.â€
“I can carry myself!†you shouted back, standing up. “I was just exaggerating.â€
“Sure you were.â€
“Sh-Shut up!â€
“Haha.†[favorite character] began walking towards the nearest town.
You sighed and stood up, wobbling a bit, then managed to walk after [him/her]. “Slow down!†you shouted, lagging behind a bit.
“Are you even sure you’re good enough to walk this fast?†[he/she] replied, slowing down as requested. “You need to sleep in the healer’s house again.â€
“Aww, what?! But it’s boring in there!†you complained, sounding like a whining 2-year-old. “Besides, the healer won’t let me out until I’m fully healed! How can we continue adventuring then?â€
[favorite character] sighed. Sometimes, you were just too much. “We wait,†he replied simply, then continued walking.
“…You’re no fun, [favorite character],†you muttered, pouting.
[He/She] just laughed.
——
“It’s so boring here,†you murmured under your breath as you sat in the healer’s bed. The healer went out to gather some herbs for a while, and let [favorite character] visit you as well. The healer says you’ll be out in no time—more like for a day—and that you’ll be good as new the next morning.
Apparently, [favorite character] heard you and laughed. “It’s only for a day, [name]. We’ll travel to the next town tomorrow morning.â€
“Aww, I wanted to travel at night… Oh well,†you said, pouting.
“At least you didn’t whine.â€
“Shut up! I never really did want to travel at night, anyways! Those huge fish are terrifying…â€
Ah, yes. The huge, floating fish that only come out at night. Their crystals are right under their bellies, making them easy to kill. Even so, they’re scary when you see one floating right above you when you travel at night. Apparently, no one knows where those fish go at daytime, but some say that they either go to the lake or float up to the sky.
Of course, there’s the daytime counterpart of the fish; the sky snake. It’s much harder to kill than the fish, having its gem on the roof of its mouth. Only 3 sky snakes have been killed so far in the whole history of Prendea. Those who managed to kill them are deemed worthy by the many towns and cities in Prendea.
Worthy for what, you ask?
Sacrifice. Legends say Prendea lives off on spirits with lots of strength and willpower. They say those spirits last for centuries, thus keeping Prendea safe from any attacks from the outer world.
So, really; who’d want to kill a sky snake? Those who want Prendea to live forever and ever, of course.
You looked out the window to the cloudy sky. At that exact moment, something long slithered from the clouds, spiraled in the air, and retreated to the safety of its habitat.
Sky snake.
You grinned. “One point for me.~â€
There’s this little game going on between you and [favorite character]. Whoever spots a sky snake the most wins. The game ends on the end of the year, and whoever had the most sightings of the sky snake gets to be the leader of the duo.
“A sky snake?†[he/she] asked, looking at the sky as well.
You nodded. “One of them flew out from the clouds. It was quick, but I managed to see it. Heheh.â€
[He/She] shook [his/her] head, smiling.
——
“I’m finally out of that dang healer’s house!†you exclaimed, grinning as you breathed in the morning air. This morning, it was sunny; dew shone on the blades of leaves and flowers surrounding the small house the healer lived in. [favorite character] stood next to you, laughing.
“Come on, then, [name],†[he/she] said, already walking towards the general direction of where [he/she] thought the next town was in.
You grinned excitedly and followed, walking beside them. “You better help me out in those battles next time, especially when we run into any of those overgrown cats,†you said.
[He/She] chuckled. “I will.â€
Both of you continued walking until dusk, and that was when you saw spots of light surrounded by building-shaped silhouettes in the distance. “Hey! Next town!~†you shouted happily, running towards it.
“[name], wait!†you heard [favorite character] shout, but you didn’t seem to slow down. You were too excited to get to the next town and sit in a cozy restaurant or café, reading some books about monsters, or maybe train in the town’s dojo. You needed to brush up on your sword-fighting skills, anyways.
“[name]! Stop!†[favorite character] shouted, a bit of fear, worry, and panic in [his/her] voice.
“Why should I?†you shouted back, laughing as you looked back at them, grinning like a madman—
—before you collided with something. You fell to the ground, trying to regain your balance after the impact, then looked up to see who you bumped into.
A hiss was heard when a huge, floating fish loomed over your small form.
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