บท 94: Camp bed with Ais
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(Lyze POV)
I tossed and turned in my makeshift bed, trying to find the most comfortable position to sleep in on the uneven and hard ground. It seemed I'd become too used to mattresses again and was having trouble falling asleep on the ground. No doubt I'd have to do something about that. It was important to be able to max out on as much sleep as you could down here in the dungeon.
Or maybe it was just my excitement on it being my first night down here. I don't know, but I was awake enough to hear the whispers of the night watch as they patrolled around our campsite. Attacks on the congregation had happened before by monsters coming down from the upper floors. Thankfully no-one's life had been claimed yet due to a silly mistake but Finn had assigned more of them to guard duty ever since he read my report on the fight with Claw down here.
I doubted the smelly ape would spawn again since it was a unique monster, apparently existing only for my benefit from what I gathered from my convo with Soltra. Still though, you could never be too careful.
Then again, my restlessness could also be credited to the fact that I hadn't been able to burnout as much energy as I would usually do when making it down this far. I sighed and unwrapped my blindfold before setting it in its place by my head. I had a bad habit of forgetting to take it off when going to bed and it usually left me with sore eyelids in the morning.
The boost in stamina between level 2 and 3 was no joke. Before I would be exhausted by the time I made it down here to the safe zone all on my own. Yet I was still slightly buzzing with energy. I also had to re-evaluate the way I dealt with monsters now. Before when I was level two, it still took a bit of effort on my part to yank off a minotaur's head. But now I just needed to give it one juicy slap across the face and it would be killed instantly.
That was not counting the apparent strength boost that my 'Cratus' skill gave me, which I still had not found a good opportunity to use.
And then there was obviously my ability now to one-shot Goliath out of existence. I'd half lied about using Disaster back up there. While it was true that I had used it, I only did so because I wanted no damage done to the core. The last couple of times I'd destroyed it, I'd had to kick myself as I didn't realize the worth of a fully intact Goliath core. Monster cores were after all the equivalent of fossil fuel in this world. Cores were needed to help society function.
And a big one like that allowed me to demand whatever price I wanted.
But coming back to the main point, my strength had grown so considerably, I knew if I had put a bit more effort into my swing, Goliath would have been bisected with ease. Even I had underestimated just how strong I was becoming.
But what was bothering me was the fact that Ottar still didn't seem like he was taking me seriously. I mean we were three levels apart yeah, but he still didn't seem like my strength bothered him much. It made me realize just how strong that boar was, and this was a weaker version of him. Level 7 Ottar in Canon had been stronger in his base than Alfia and Zald, and that was without his magic or that beastification power-up of the beastman races that he didn't like using.
It was a whole other realm of power which I hadn't even scraped yet. I also chalked it up to one of his development abilities, [Strong Body]. If the name was not an obvious indication, it was an ability that granted him more potent physical strength and even more resilience than was normal of his level. I made my decision that the next time I levelled up, if that ability was available to me, I would choose it. And perhaps I would go with [Luck] or something magic related afterwards.
The reason I wouldn't be going for any other weapon related Development abilities was first and foremost, I was a swordsman. Second, I had a sneaking suspicion that a specific Beast was waiting for me down here in the Dungeon like Claw and Soltra. And if it had a certain piece of the Golden Armour I so desperately desired...I would probably never need another weapons related development ability ever again.
My thoughts drifted over to the evening I'd just had with my Familia. I honestly didn't know how to deal with myself. These people had once been an animation on my screen, devoid of life, voiced by other humans and forced to go along the plot written down by Oomori's pen.
But now it had become a reality, and those drawings had become real people...people that I had bonded with. I laughed and sang my heart out around them. I drank and played with them and generally enjoyed the time I spent with them, even if they were all a means-to-an-end when it was all said and done. But now I had feelings for them, and I was willing to put myself on the line for them.
Even now I was wondering and worrying if Lili was alright on the surface. The little girl was quite clingy and seemed to find comfort in my shadow and nowhere else. Yet I'd had to leave her behind. I had left special request to certain people to keep an eye on her and make sure she was not in trouble. But the fact remained I had stepped into the big brother role that she so readily assigned me and I didn't even realize that I was doing it.
For the first time ever, I began wondering if my motivations were at all the correct ones...
I sensed someone leave the larger tent that some of the women were using. We all had our own tents and futons, but there were some large tents specifically made so that large groups could share them or so that two people could use them for certain 'activities' provided they were at the very edge of camp.
My tent was stationed on the side of camp that was mostly occupied by the females, between a large tent for some of the young girls and another that I knew Riveria shared with her elves. Apparently this was so that I could be kept an 'eye on'. Whatever. If I wanted to leave my tent, I could just teleport out of there. My range had grown considerable. These last five days, I'd been practicing non-stop and I was able to teleport over 200 metres away. Still poor compared to what mages could do in Britannia, whom were able to skip entire kingdoms, but I was learning.
The individual had left from the former tent and had padded softly over to mine. I felt them wiggle their way through the opening into my tent and worm straight under my covers until their head popped beside my own. I wasn't using any sort of vision at the moment but a familiar smell was all it took for me to know who it was. I knew who it was anyway since there was only one person who did this sort of thing. Their voice just provided the last bit of confirmation I needed.
"Can I sleep with you tonight?" Ais asked me.
"You're supposed to ask before you do something but sure." I replied as I turned over to face her.
Ais let out a pleased hum and I felt her head rest on my pillow as she drew the covers around her. Even though it was a single futon, we were still kids and therefore the bed was quite large for us. We remained there for a few moments, getting used to the body heat that was now being shared between us.
For a fleeting moment I was glad that my body was not that of a teen's since boys tended to smell after a day like mine and the stench would soak into the bedding. But luckily I was still young and so my sweat was essentially scentless. I still did miss my old body though, even if the one I had now was way stronger and way fitter.
And begrudging for me to admit, but more handsome than my old one. At least from the way it seemed I was developing. Ais's hair had grown quite a bit and it was almost at the length that was usually depicted of her. So it splayed out all over the pillow in a golden mess.
In the anime, her hair had been a very light yellow-gold colour. But here, it leaned more to a golden blond side. I guess that was realistics settling in. And if any were wondering as I am narrating this, how the world looked to me.
I'd say it wasn't quite like an animation. It was still 3d just like normal life except the...realism?...was not there. Colours were bright, nobody around me had the usual blemishes and pimples you'd find in normal life. Nor did they really seem to have any hair except for what was on their head, on their face and I guess places downstairs. But no-one had armpit hair, nor were there any darkenings of the armpit skin due to excessive sweating that you would find in normal life. You couldn't see the colour of their veins in their wrists. Their palms and the underneath of their feet were the exact same as their skin colour.
And then of course there was the gravity defying locks of hair on some people's heads.
I don't know how to describe it because it was something that I'd gotten used to even before my memories came back and I just didn't see a difference afterwards.
Even the massive eyes. Back on Earth I'd seen depictions of anime characters depicted in real life and I had to say that their eyes were demonic looking at the size they were. Hot anime girls instantly became less attractive the moment you saw art like those but here it just seemed totally normal. The strange proportions were quite normal, and the people were even better looking than they were in animation.
They were also uglier when it came to cases like Phryne's but sucks to be them I guess. There were a lot of things that were different here compared to how I perceived things in normal life but the game was the game. I wasn't complaining.
As a man of culture, these differences actually enticed me more and made me quite grateful.
"Lyze?" I heard her soft voice say from behind me.
"Hm?"
"Why are you strong?"
"That question can be interpreted in a number of different ways. Explain."
"How is it that you grow so strong so quickly?"
"I can't exactly tell you that Ais."
"Why though?"
"Because it's a secret. Telling you the secret to my power is also revealing a vital weakness Ais. That is something you should keep hidden to everyone including your allies. Because once someone else knows it, it's out in the open."
There was a silence before I heard her take a deep shaky breath.
"I fight for my mother." She said quietly.
I couldn't speak for a moment. Not because I'd been hit with a bombshell. I already knew why she fought but I didn't expect the conversation to progress in this direction so fast.
"I once lived a happy life with my mother and father." She continued. "Mama would sit with me and read hero stories while Papa would go out and train or go in the dungeon. Then he would come home and we'd be a family."
"That sounds nice." I said. "I'm sure you were happy."
"...I was. Until a terrible monster came." I heard a tiny fist clenching with my boosted hearing. A sudden draught came out of seemingly nowhere and ruffled my clothes under the sheet. "It killed my Papa and took my Mama away. I haven't seen her since. That's why I fight. To become stronger. So I can kill that monster...and find my Mama, if she's still alive."
"And I assume Loki found you not long afterwards." I said.
"Mhm. Now I've told you my secret, you have to tell me yours."
"Huh?"
"Come on. You have to! It's only fair."
"We didn't agree upon anything like that."
"You have to tell me now. You can't let me tell you my secret and then not tell me yours. That's very mean."
I could almost picture the pout on her face.
"It seems you have the wrong idea then." I said as I turned around to face her. Sure enough, there was a deep pout on her face. "That's not a secret to strength, that is a motivation."
"What's a motivation?" She said tilting her head cutely. I forgot sometimes she was still a kid and didn't have an expansive vocabulary.
"A reason for why you do something. Like your motivation for becoming strong is finding your mom and avenging your dad." I said. "It's not the way you actually become strong."
"Then what's your motivation?" She asked. "I won't forget about it, so don't try." She said challengingly.
I smiled at her.
"Then perhaps we are not so different Ais." I said.
"What?"
"I'm also fighting to find my mother."
"I thought you said she was dead."
"...She is. I'm talking about someone else who was also a mother to me."
"Oh I get it. She treated you like a son, so she was like a mother to you."
"...Something like that. I loved her very much, like a lot." I smiled as more memories began to surface. "There was noone I loved more in my life than her. She was so kind, so patient. She was a person that you would probably only meet once in your life. I had the privilege of living with her, knowing her, being a son to her." I sighed forlornly, the tears long dried up at this point.
"What happened?" Ais asked tentatively.
"...I made a silly mistake. And it cost me, greatly. Before long, I found myself far away from her, to a point where we were literally separated from each other. And that was where I met my master. He told me I had a great power inside of me, and it could help me find her again. But I was not yet strong enough to use it. So to use it, I had to become strong...strong like nobody in this world had ever seen. And when I finally reached the very top, only then could I find her and we'd be together again."
I couldn't quite understand the look she was giving me. But her hand had in the meantime slid over to mine and grabbed it in what I thought was a comforting grip.
"I don't where she is now." I sighed. "It's been so many years. She could be dead for all I know. She was strong in character but not in body. And she was very vulnerable. The worst pain is that I have no way of knowing the truth. I'm forced to accept that I will only be able to get my answer when I reach the pinnacle of power in this world. And who knows how long that will take me?"
"We really are just like each other." Ais said as she shuffled closer to me. "We both want to become strong so we can find our moms."
"Yes. I did mention that."
"I thought it was some other reason." Ais said in wonder. "I thought you had some dream, like you wanted to be the most powerful or you wanted to be a hero or something. But you're just like me."
"Heroes are just ordinary people at the end of the day Ais." I said. "They have their own weaknesses and their own insecurities. They're not special besides their powers. Or their ideals. By the way, I am anything but heroic."
"What? Of course you are!"
"Ais. I'm really not, honestly."
"But you are. You're strong, you help the poor and the weak. You saved Lili and you're always so nice to everybody, except when they're being bad people. And you're able to fight strong bad people as well." She held my hand in both hers now. "And you saved my life as well. If that doesn't make you a hero, then at least you're my hero."
...Why were my cheeks becoming hot?
"Th-Thanks I guess." I stammered, unsure how to feel about that. "You definitely know how to cheer me up."
Her hand came up to my closed eyes, and rubbed over my eyelids.
"I really wish I could see your eyes." She said. "What colour were they?"
"A light purple if I remember correctly. It's honestly been so long since I last saw them that I can't recall it properly."
"Hm." Ais said. At this point I decided I wanted to sleep so I stopped channelling Chaos magic to my eyes and my vision went dark. But before I could give my goodnight wishes, I felt a soft, warm sensation on my lips.
I froze completely, my mind fizzing as I both knew and couldn't believe what I was feeling. But as I felt her nose blowing air over mine, I knew for sure that indeed that was what was happening.
The...you know what...lasted for about 5 seconds before I felt her pull away and my mouth was left open aghast as for the very first time in my life, I was taken aback to the point where I couldn't speak. My lips flapped open and closed like a pathetic fish as my voicebox refused to make any sound.
"That was for the kiss you gave me from that time." Ais said innocently. "Aki said that when a boy gives you a kiss, you have to give one back to him. And it's best to give it on the lips."
"...I-I-Is that what she told you?" I gasped.
"Mhm." She said as she snuggled into my chest, the warmth between us increasing as the chill of the night settled in more. "Goodnight Lyze...and thank you for being my friend." She yawned as she drifted off to sleep quite fast. One of the things I'd learned about her was that she was able to fall asleep very quickly when she wanted. "Let's get stronger together...so we can find our moms together." She said as she drifted off to sleep.
I was left to lay there, as a plethora of emotions ran through me. Disbelief, delight, anxiety, delight, guilt...it was endless.
Guilty because it felt wrong sharing a kiss with her. On one hand, I was mentally older than her by far while she was still just a minor who already had complications with emotions, let alone the most complex and powerful of all. Then there was the fact that she was not supposed to be mine.
Her past self had been the wife of Argonaut, and everybody knew she was the intended lover for Bell Cranel in the end. To let things continue from this point would be me interfering with that. I did not contain the extreme dislike for the albino protagonist that I once harboured. Not anymore. In fact, I wanted to actually help him now that I knew how difficult and how shitty this world could get.
But more than anything else was extreme embarrassment because...
'That was my first kiss...in both my past life and this one...'
As Alex Turner, I never really had an interest in relationships. I was a confirmed heterosexual and passionately so. But back then I was only ever interested in sports like fencing and martial arts. I also had a great interest in cooking and I'd surmised that if I did not go into sports, I would go into cooking and become a chef. I never really found the time nor had I been bothered about romance.
So this had been the first time 'ever' that any female other than my mother had ever shared such an intimate moment with me. And that...pissed me off a little...because I realised yet another thing I'd missed out on in my past life. The feelings I had now were slowly starting to become replaced with extreme discontent and resentment.
I needed an outlet...and conveniently, Ais had given me one in the form of a certain cat-person.
That little moggy definitely set me up! I was going to drown her in the Water Temple if it was the last thing I did...not before torturing her nice and slowly.
As if she sensed my negative emotions, Ais cuddled me tighter sharing more of her warmth with me. Her legs locked with mine and her breath fell on my face. Miraculously, complete serenity befell me again.
Sighing, I wrapped my arms around her and brought her closer. Ais probably didn't know the significance of what she did. She was after all, quite gullible and quite an air-head. Not to mention a complete simpleton who believed almost anything anyone said unless it was blatantly obvious that they were lying.
Like someone saying the sky was green for instance, when it was obviously blue. That kind of obvious lying.
More probable than anything, it was a part of Anakitty's pranks on me to get me back for some of the reverse cards I pulled on her. I smiled chillingly on what what was coming for her. For now, I would hold this little airhead in my arms...and pray that I would have the restraint to not strangle that stupid cat.
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