13: Out of the woods

Awe, come on! Give him a break!

He just finished a mission a few hours ago, and now the System is giving him another one. At least it's kind enough to tell him that it's starting in two days, which is better than no warnings at all. Well, two days is still a lot of prep time depending on the situation, and having any prep time is better than having none at all.

Prep time for what actually? The mission's title is "Baby's First Words," so what is Jay preparing for? He sure can't really prepare for anything unless he knows the details.

'So...' The baby's lips moved on his own, but the words that came out were still gibberish, yet the Red King gave him his full attention complete with an excited smile and all. Well, it's a good thing that the transmigrator is still speaking gibberish after all, his precious EXP points will be reduced for OOC if his caretaker understands even one word he's saying. 'System, what's the details for that mission?'

[ SYSTEM IS NOT ALLOWED TO DISCLOSE THE DETAILS UNTIL IT'S 12 HOURS BEFORE THE MISSION'S STARTING POINT. ]

Oh, is there a setting to turn it on? Undo this? Make the detail available for him?

[ UNFORTUNATELY, NO. ]

The baby let out a sigh, dissatisfied with the answer. Meanwhile, his caregiver let out a chuckle. Jay pouted at the teen boy. Well, he's just an adorable baby who failed to communicate with an older person, so anything he does would be funny to anyone.

"Why suddenly so grumbly, little guy?" The Red King asked with excitement shining in his eyes. Who knew that the soon-to-be super villain likes children?

Baby Kaon pouted even more, and he began babbling, 'Are we really leaving today sundown? Yesterday, wasn't it you who said it's dangerous to travel at night?'

A weight was dropped on the plastic banner behind him, and he felt a pair of gloved hands slowly pinching on his cheeks. His caretaker's touch wasn't enough to hurt, but it was enough to be annoying.

"Such a cutie pie," JJ cooed at the baby as she gently pulled on his cheeks. "Learning how to speak, are you? Yeah? Yes, you are!"

Though she sounded genuinely happy, Jay had no choice but to use his tiny useless hands to slap her fingers away from his cheeks. Though he somewhat enjoyed the attention he got, the transmigrator couldn't help but wonder how long the good things would last?

True to their words, the cabin was empty by sundown. The window frame and railings were free of clothing, and they left the place with clean laundry done using the sink's tap water and the detergent found in the basement closet.

Then, baby Jay enjoyed the prime entertainment of his caregivers arguing with each other about whether or not they should bring the detergent. It's a useful item to have, but it's also an additional load to carry as they make their long journey. In the end, the two teens decided not to bring it, and instead hid the detergent back where they found it just in case they come here and need it again.

The argument took so long that the transmigrator wished he was older so that he could make the decision for both of his caretakers. It was obvious that they didn't have space for the detergent, but Jay the teenage boy insisted that they take it while Jay the teenage girl said they must keep it here.

Jay the baby was just glad that they didn't have to go through the tunnels to get to where they wanted to be. Well, where his caretakers want to take him, honestly.

Travelling by night is a lot harder than the transmigrator thought it would be. Even though he's not the one who's doing all the physical work, he could feel the tiredness and a small hint of anxiety coming from his caretakers as they traversed through the woods. The missing sounds of wildlife and insects still haunt Jay, and he couldn't help but be on high alert.

The baby was passed around between the two teens. JJ had the bright idea of each of them should hold little Kaon on the make shift baby carrier for an hour each because they should distribute the weight load, and she achieved that by checking her watch ever so often, then gave the baby to her partner.

After three hours of walking since the sun was setting until the sky was pitched black, violent eyes landed on a city in the distance. The skyscrapers and large artistic buildings were giving off lights, which is a good sigh that the city is occupied. He doesn't recognize the city from the skyline alone, so it must be a new one that's not base on any real city from the world he came from.

Jay couldn't help but look at the city from away in awe. Well, in his defense, he hasn't seen a proper city in days since he came back in the body of a baby.

"There it is. The city of Esther." The Red King was breathing hard, but it didn't deter him from smiling at the baby. "Pretty, right, little buddy?"

Just like a good kid he is, baby Jay immediately clapped his hands and chuckled in response, which received a quick pat on his head from JJ. He's being held by his female care giver, and the teenage girl was rather delighted when she heard his laugh.

"Do you have a place in mind?" JJ began asking the real question as they walked down the hill towards the city. "I don't want to go back to the base. Fallen debris are too dangerous, and who knows about scavengers. Ah! And heroes who went there to vent their anger or look for any survivors."

The Red King nodded at his partner's input. "Good point, dummy. We can stay at the slums or something. Or maybe rent a cheap place for a few nights. Don't you wanna sleep on a real bed for once?"

The transmigrator could feel the teen girl rolling her eyes even though he didn't see her face. Jay felt like he knew these two people for a life time even though he technically just met them a few days ago.

"Stop trying to convince me to overuse my power, you dick. I'm still drained." The annoyance in her voice was evident, but there's no malice behind it. "As long as it's safe for us three. Safety is priority, and then you can find some scrap metals, then I'll counterfeit more of the gold coins."

"Hey, sounds like a plan." The Red King's rumbling laughed echoed through the edge of the forest as they walked down the path into the city.

"One bedroom, queen bed for me, my wife and our son." The teenage boy put a single gold coin on the receptionist's desk.

The middle aged woman behind the counter picked up the gold coin, and she put on a pair of glasses that was hanging from her neck. "I never thought I'd see one of these around. Real gold?"

Jay the baby tired to look at what the receptionist was doing, but he his vision was partially shielded by his female caretaker's hand and his hoodie. Just like JJ, the baby had his hoodie up as soon as they got to the closest motel.

"Desperate times call for desperate measures." His male caregiver's voice was a few tones deeper than his usual voice. "We ran out of silver and platinum. Would be kind of you if you give us all of the change in silver."

"Why silver?" The reception raised an eyebrow at them.

The Red King didn't drop his composure, and he put his a hand on the counter. "Easier to spend on our travels. Now cut the crap, lady. Do you have a room or no?"

In just a second, a gun was pointing at them, and baby Jay held back a scream. A baby wouldn't know what a gun is, right?