Bab 29: Mr.Doubt, The Third wheel (Fixed)
Many months had passed since the trip to the desert. No signs of Rei or the other skeletons returning. I'm assuming they all had their hands full... hopefully.
Besides that, things have been going smoothly in the city! I hired more builders/secretaries for my building community.
Teles has been a great help to me too!
Having someone who could teleport, and keep track of her previous locations via maps that she draws, is crazy good for gathering resources and instantly teleporting home! I also feel like she's been a little more... How do I put this... Affectionate with me lately? I mean I have nothing wrong with it, just an observation....
Besides helping me, I'm glad Teles is also slowly gaining a better reputation with some of the residents of the village!
Sure there are still tons of people who'd rather stick to their opinions, but I'm glad she isn't constantly being thrown under the bus with everyone who crosses paths with her.
However, I feel that I'm going sort of backward on my mental health lately as if it's like I'm starting to feel insecure again ever since I got back from the desert... But it doesn't feel like a straight 'care what people think' sort of thing, but something far worse!
⛏⛏⛏
It was sunset, Teles and I were walking back to my base from Minemore's city square.
"This map of yours is really coming along huh?" I complimented
Teles beamed "Thanks! I'm glad I finally got a desert region on here!"
I study the new portion of the map next to her as we walk.
"Oh yea, and there's the desert temple we stayed at..."
I stopped what I was doing and looked around while we walked. There weren't many people around us, but we were getting stares from all those who were.
I got rather nervous and broke away from Teles and walked ahead a little bit, not too far from Teles, but had a bit more distance.
Teles folded up her map and focused on me.
"Is everything okay Tak?"
I flinch a bit, "Oh it's nothing, I just thought I say something strange up ahead..."
I wish I could say I was lying, but I feel like I see a strange faint shadow ahead, leaning against the wall of the smither's shop!
⛏⛏⛏
We get inside, I slump down on the couch while Teles goes to her room to finish setting up her map.
I try to collect myself while I rest, Why am I suddenly losing it here? I was as good as my old self until today, so why the sudden change?
Is it because I'm starting to CARE about this world? Was I not taking things all that seriously at first, as if I still think everything's still a game despite what I experienced?
And why do I keep asking myself these questions!?!?! That's when A shadowy figure with red eyes started to form by me on my couch.
| Hey, Buddy! Long time no see!!! | It said
'Oh no...' I thought
| Wow, I went out of my way to visit you after some time, and THIS is how you thank me? |
"Just go away! I've been fine before you came back!"
| Oh have you now? Because what it looks like to me is that you've been plagued with doubt, with regret! |
"It was just one time! Almost everyone I've met so far has accepted me! I've been able to speak my mind with no problems!"
| Do they actually accept you now? Or are they just using you for your work? Maybe they're trying to trick you, trying to kill you! |
"Hmm..."
| Don't you think it's a little strange that they'd just accept an outsider for no reason??? |
I stood up in frustration.
"S-shut up! If these people were that dangerous, they would've done something a while ago! We've been living here a little over a year!"
| They fear you! You have some kind of special power, you bring the demi-monsters into their village! So you should fear them! Treat them exactly how you treated "HIM"!|
"**** *****!"
I slumped back down onto the couch, but the figure just walked in front of me.
| In fact! I have a gift for you... A gift from one friend to another, I have your back, you should make the first move, use this... |
The figure handed me something, and it appeared in my hands as if I just took something out of my inventory.
"W-wait... Is that my... KNIFE!?!? My knife from the other world I came from!?!??"
| You couldn't tell? Everything that you had on you is also transported to this world | It said while folding its hands.
Sure I knew about my phone and wallet in my inventory when I got transported here, but I guess I always had a mystery item with me to begin with. I always wondered what the ??? item was!
I look at the figure with a bit of disbelief
"Why do I have this, and why are you bringing it up?!?!"
| You never know, sometimes a person's mind will go into denial. Maybe you still had it on you, but you chose to ignore it |
"Whatever! I crafted swords and such, I don't even need a pocket knife at this point."
| You might as well keep it just in case, it saved your life before, and it could save you again. |
"Huh? Why would I need to-" I said before getting interrupted
"What do you have there?" Teles said as she walked over to me with a glass of wine.
"Oh umm, it's just a dagger. I-it turns out I actually have some of the items from my other world," I responded nervously
"Interesting, can I see it?" Teles asked
"Ah... sure here!" I said as I handed her the knife
| WHAT ARE YOU DOING!!! Why would you hand one of the monsters that scared you the most a knife? She could stab you right here right now! | The shadow yelled at me
'We're very close, I've known Teles for almost a year! If she wanted me dead she would've done it a long time ago!'
"This is a cool knife." Teles said as she handed it back to me "What else do you have from your old world?" She eagerly asked with a tilted head. Man, how can I ever say no to this one?
I then pulled my smartphone out of my inventory to show Teles, I definitely knew she would have no idea about this thing.
Surprisingly it still had tons of battery left. I guess if food doesn't spoil in my inventory, neither does electronics.
I see Teles' face lit up in curiosity "What is this? I've never seen anything like it!"
"Oh, this is a smartphone, it's a device that allows you to talk to people if they're far away from you," I explained
"Amazing..."
"You can also do other tasks with it too, like taking pictures for example."
I decided to go to my photos and show her the slides of pictures I had taken, unfortunately, there weren't THAT many...
Teles saw a picture of some scenery I took during a trip "Hmm, this world you came from, it looks a lot like our world"
"Yeah, sorry I forgot about this, it could've been something better to help my explanations when we first met!"
"It's okay, this sounds like a pretty cool place to be!" Teles said as she looked at a picture of me at a trampoline park.
"Show me some more photos!" She was even more interested than before.
I proceeded to show her a selfie Stephen and I took a while back.
"Who are they?" Teles asked.
'Oh that's right, my appearance in this world is way different.'
"The guy on the right is my friend Stephen I was always telling you about"
"Oh, that's what he looked like..." Teles studied
"And the guy on the left is me!"
Teles proceeded to look at me confused. Yeah, I can't blame her, I look nothing like how I do currently. So I tried to explain as simply as possible to stop sparking confusion.
"You see, this was how I looked like before being transported here, I guess the way I was sent here mutated my appearance I'm not 100% sure about it. It just sorta happened, however, I'm just the same ol' me!" I said
| Wow, why not just tell her your social security number | The shadow said to me sounding annoyed 'SHUT UP' I said to it.
You see, pictures you take like this are called selfies where I came from" I began explaining to Teles.
"What is the point of these 'Selfies'" Teles asked
"Nothing crazy, it's just fun." I responded, "Say, why don't you and I take one right now?"
It's not like I can make phone calls in this world, no cell towers, so There is no point in trying to save my battery.
"Oh, umm o-okay" Teles said
I pointed my phone's camera at us and told Teles she could fix her appearance by looking at the screen.
"Now what?" she asked
"Make a cool pose, it would make the photo better if we did the same look" I explained "Here let's do something simple."
We did an easy smiling close-up photo while doing V-finger peace signs, I clicked the photo and we took a look at our selfie... Jeez her teeth look sharp, I can see why she never smiles big half the time.
"That came out great!" I said. I turned to Teles, she looked happy with her appearance.
⛏⛏⛏
We finished up what we were doing. Out of curiosity, I tried to dial someone in my contacts. Teles, not sure what I was doing, simply observed everything I was doing out of curiosity.
The phone rang for a bit, but it was clear I couldn't call anyone! I was a bit bummed as I put my phone back in my inventory.
I turned my attention back to Teles.
"How have things been lately?" I ask
She tilted her head "What do you mean?"
"I mean, you've been living here for around a year now! I kinda just want to check up personally you know?"
"Well, it's a bit hard sure, but I had a feeling this new life wouldn't be easy!"
"Are people still treating you nicely?"
"Of course! I'm still pretty close to those who accepted me for who I was, I could never be happier around here!"
|She sounds a little one-sided right now dontcha think?| It said
Teles continued her chat as I tried my best to focus.
"My chorus trees grow surprisingly great here, I was able to get more than enough fruit with today's harvest!" Teles said happily.
Oh, that's right, she so far could only stomach one kind of food, I still feel bad about it.
I once tried to make her a different kind of food, and she ended up vomiting afterward. (Poor girl!) I wonder what would happen if I did a fusion of something WITH chorus fruit, that should be my next experiment!
"Here!" Teles said as she eagerly handed me a piece of the fruit,
"I have a ton to spare, why don't you try one!"
I was very hesitant, I don't think eating the same thing that caused people to turn into enderman in the first place would be a smart idea.
She read my face and flashed a reassuring smile.
"Don't worry, You'll be fine with just one piece, it would only mutate you if you ate dozens of these things alone for months while being exposed to those crystals!" Teles reassured me.
"T-thanks, I will eat it later!" I said as I put the chorus fruit in my inventory.
|I think she's tryna poison you| The shadow warned.
"**** this thing won't get out of my head!!!"
We talked for a little while longer, later Teles got up from the couch and stretched.
"I think I'll go get ready for bed, it's been a long week!"
"Ah, of course, G'night!" I replied
Before she left, Teles stopped and turned back towards me as I got up from the couch.
"Hmm?" I tilted my head
Teles pouted as she extended her arms toward me. It came back to mind and I went in for the tight embrace, I really needed to get my mind in check if I couldn't even think straight for simple things like that!
"Alright, goodnight for real this time!" Teles said with a wink.
She made her way to her to get ready for bed. Meanwhile, I walked into the kitchen I made to get some water from my infinite water source sink thing!
'That was nice catching up!' I thought 'Tomorrow I will start my build!"
That's when the shadow appeared before me again.
| Are you still trying to make that promise you KNOW you won't keep?|
"Shut up! All that matters is that I make an attempt, purifying the monsters is better than just killing them!" I responded
| Sometimes, killing is the easier way of putting them out of their misery, always keep that in mind.|
"Why are you always like this!?!? What even are you!?!?"
| I'm nothing more than doubt, insecurity, fear, and all the wonderful qualities that you possess through me! We've known each other for quite some time. Why is meeting you in this world so different? I can still tell it's you Takeo! |
"Ah great, why don't I just start calling you Mr.Doubt then you stalker!"
|Ah, so you've finally given me a nickname? I like it! You know, only best friends give each other nicknames. |
"YOU ARE NOT MY FRIEND!"
|Friends also keep each other alive, you'd probably be long dead in the other world if not for me!| Mr.Doubt said
"All you do is give me a stream of bad ideas, what made you come back here all of a sudden? Why weren't you here on day one!??!?!"
|Honestly I was considering retiring from trying to help you, I noticed your hands seemed pretty full. So I decided to leave you alone, but then you started THINKING, and you continued to think and think until your mind was full of pointless thoughts, that's when I knew it was a cry for help. I'm just here to help you make decisions, the RIGHT decisions that will keep you alive!|
"WHAT!?!? All your decisions are terrible!!!" I shouted at Mr.Doubt
|Hey now! Even bad decisions are better than no decisions, making a bad move on the chess board beats wasting time being stuck there for more hours!|
"TCH!"
| I won't overstay my welcome. I must go now, but if you ever start questioning yourself again, give me a call, and I will be here in a flash! | Mr.Doubt said deviously as he laughed and teleported away in small dark clouds.
⛏⛏⛏
I needed to clear my head, so I decided to pull out the chorus fruit from my inventory and have it for a snack.
Personally, I don't know much about this food, I never really spent a ton of time at the end dimension, so I'm quite curious of-
Mr.Doubt quickly came back to tell me one more thing.
| By the way, I wouldn't eat that if I were you, you don't know about it, it could give you food poisoning or even worse! |
"GET OUT OF HERE!!!!!" I shouted at Mr.Doubt
|Suit yourself...| as he vanished again
I then proceeded to eat the chorus fruit, which had the consistency of a plum but tasted like sweetened saltwater.
Jeez, no wonder the explorers went crazy these things taste so strange! As I swallow the chorus fruit, I notice purple particles forming around me. "WHAT THE!?!?!"
⛏⛏⛏
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone