"MOVE OUT!"
I'm the first person to speak my mind, my hand clutch my spear harder. Not unnaturally yet, but I'm ready, my legs bend, ready to rush forward, all while sounds surround me.
"What in the fuck!?"
Jenna do some sort of gasp before grabbing her bow and balrow do a sort of groan as he ready himself.
But I don't have time to deal with that, I knew it. This woodboy was a woodman!
I FUCKING KNEW IT! I CALLED IT! You remember right? I was right to be worried! I did well preparing me during all those days!
Malfoy spit on the ground, dodge a bad swing. Do a better thrust on his face.
It does nothing.
Litterally, it's wood, obviously.
Then he pull his sword back with a slight struggle, and cut the sword arm of the woodenboy.
it flies out.
the soft tube like limb just fly out, letting a flow of blue liquid spray the sand and it's wooden body like a fountain.
Malfoy doesn't wait for longer. He just front kick the fucker, badly, but just enough to let the uncordinated shit fall down before using his sword as some sort of executioner axe.
Sharp. More blue liquid.
[Congratulation on beating the second wave! Third wave incoming!]
Ah.
My grip on my spear calm down as the woodenboy get dispatched pretty fucking easily.
Okay, maybe it's not that worrying. But...it's still a bit threatening right?
He got dispatched easily but....
I look at malfoy standing up over it's dead body, not even out of breath after getting serious.
Well he more or less got destroyed, it was more bullying than anything to be honest.
But still...
"W-well....you gave us a fright here" jenna is the only one who talk as malfoy look back at us from afar, over the wooden body.
He doesn't answer -don't even know if he heard this- but I keep walking toward him and the whole death scene.
Just like the others do.
"That was dangerous."
Balrow speak out, but annie answer back "ehhh, at the end it was pretty much bullying"
Yeah it was. Looking at malfoy again, something make me feel odd.
Malfoy look weird.
The second anny speak out his eyes focus on her as if he finally speak out "exactly, it was nothing but bullying. There was no danger here"
His hand come up to wipe his shirt. There is no dirt or anything on it, but he takes the time to wipe his shoulder as long as it can.
"Yeah, just need to be more careful, don't worry balrow" annie answer back to support balrow.
Me, I still don't speak. Just walk forward, eyes going from the wood to malfoy, one time, two time, three time.
When we finally reach him, I speak up "he hit hard huh?" He raise an eyebrow and move his lips to answer but the door start opening.
Doors grating, it's pretty useless to speak here. It's just too loud. instead he simply roll his eyes and look at the next door.
We all give it a glance, but my gaze focus back on his stomach.
Guess it was just him being dumb.
[side challenge: destroy the magical automatons with as less people as possible.
Only swordman: full reward to the end.
One helper: limited reward locked.
Two helper: moderate reward.
Full team: refiller 101]
My mind shift from thoughts to thoughts.
From how strange he's acting, from the way he was in the room, eager to leave, to fight.
It's not like I'm not too, but he doesn't have my title.
Unless he has another one? And he's lying about his magic?
Alright alright, no need for this kind of theorizing now, let's just observe and see what's that full reward, I hope it's good, better than my necklace at least.
My necklace is fucking useless I swear. Got scammed.
Looking at everyone I see them all do their little things.
Jenna is beside malfoy, worrying about how he's possibly hurt, he's acting normally.
Kinda, he still look odd, gazing a bit too much at the wooden guy.
Annie is pushing her fingers in her ears, the sound is annoying for sure, almost want to do the same.
And balrow is just staring at the next door.
My head turn, my thoughts calmer, more focused than before.
Looking at the dead body of the wooden boy make me think, I focus on the wooden sword.
I wish to know more, know everything about it....
Tell me system.
Inspect.
I keep staring for three seconds, nothing.
Those rules are so arbitrary.
Then my eyes focus on the body, I want to know more, know everything about it. For a second my focus is pure on one single entity, the dead body.
What?
I look around at the others, they still doing their things, looking around, at the opening doors and waiting.
Don't they feel that? It's a me thing then.
What am I feeling? How am I feeling?
Weird.
Indecisive.
Not the kind of indecisive that come from normal means, it just...came up.
Rubbing my eyes with my palm, I look at the body again.
What happen? I really want to know what happened.
[Liquid essence:]
What? My eyes focus on the blue liquid flowing out of the wood tube.
Wait.
[Ludger Emellini
-body: 10
-mind: 10
-magic: 2
Essence: 25/100
Tier: tutorial attendee
1 free point.]
________
Titles: Homicidal
________
Skills:]
I don't know if I should look at the door, who just opened.
Or do something restless and drink the blood of my enemies.
It's an intrusive thought. Caused by the coiling in my lower gut that's slowly rising to the back of my throat.
Looking behind me, my eyes pick out on the next woodboy.
Boys?
There are three of them, two small ones, the ones that fell off and litterally died.
And then there is a big one, bigger than us, bigger than the one we killed. Pretty big, around seven feet tall maybe?
I'll need to jump to reach his head, or lift my hand high up.
Not focusing much on all of this, I focus on my allies instead.
Should I tell them all the things I learned?
The side mission, our theory was right, the pattern on the doors, the....liquid experience.
Something hungry coil itself in my gut, and my choice is easily made as it coil and rage.
I won't, that's fine for now.
"You sure you don't need help" the worryheart of the team ask malfoy again as he shrug it off "I am certainly sure, no need to worry I shall come soon"
Without much else to say malfoy leave with a pep in his step, toward the next opponents, weapon ready.
...should I push for the best reward?
It coils.
As I see malfoy leave for a while, I wonder.
Maybe it could be something really useful? He clearly want to fight alone anyway...I wouldn't even need to try to push him toward it.
I just need to put him in danger.
They coil, harder and harder. I'm hungry. Peckish.
Those wooden things are weak for sure, but they hit hard, I did kicked malfoy hard in training before. Didn't do it in purpose.
Mid sparring.
He didn't react like that.
It was a mistake he was taken by surprise too.
You're telling me those wooden shit are hitting harder than me?
The snake in my gut still sounds tentalizing.
Just need to put him into trouble, that's fine...a good reward could help me get home faster.
It could right? That's not an excuse, right?
That's fine.
He want to do a balrow and fight like a dumbass that's not my problem.
It's possible to do this challenge alone apparently, so he's free to do it.
Maybe he can do it, even if the difficulty square when you fight multiples opponent, instead of additioning like many people think.
Malfoy keep going, keep walking forward.
That's fine.
I look at the weak tubes of those wooden thingies, something sharp to cut them would be good. My spear is too pointy, I'm not accurate enough. And for the wood and attacks? Balrow shield would do good, would also allow to hit the wooden thingies.
Maybe he can take them? Is that counted as helping him and throw the reward away?
Whatever, I won't risk it, we never know...
That's fine. That's fine.
I don't know if that's I'm getting sicker and sicker from this annoying feeling, the one climbing in my throat, the one I need to fucking negotiate with to appease.
But my next words left my mouth by themselves. Maybe it's defiance, maybe it's just a whim.
What's sure is that I say them.
"Hey annie can you lend me your dagger?"