"It smells really good here, there are too many snacks waiting to enter my mouth."
A strange voice murmured in the darkness, its shrill, malicious tone making anyone who heard it feel uncomfortable.
*Drip*
"But that guy is here... he's very dangerous!!"
The humanoid creature's sharp claws scraped its fangs and saliva dripped from its open mouth, its gaze directed at the many children running back and forth, some with balloons, others with candyfloss.
"Don't be a COWARD!!!'
"YOU HAVE TO MOVE AND FACE IT!!!"
The whisper suddenly changed to angry shouts. It was the same voice, but the personality sounded more aggressive, less cowardly.
"No... I can't, that guy scares me. Did you see what he did to the King's army? They were like moths running towards the fire, burning up as soon as they got close enough..."
"BUT... we ran away from him, we're better than all of THEM put together!!!"
"Better than the... King?!!"
"OF COURSE, now go over there and catch a human child, go for one that's alone and stay as far away as you can from THAT GUY'S SPEAR!!!"
The malicious creature's gaze shifted away from the handsome young man with blond hair, who was dressed in a white sweatshirt and struggling to carry a huge teddy bear through the large crowd. His friends were doing their best to clear the way a little.
"Alone, alone, alone... that one over there looks good, a little skinny and smells sick, but he'll do for now!"
"LET'S GO!"
The little creature turned its gaze to a small boy walking alone among the food stalls and fairground games. The crowd seemed to make him uncomfortable, as he always stayed on the edge.
"Hey, what are you looking at over there?" (A)
"Didn't you hear a voice? It sounded strange." (B)
"A voice, from that old rubbish tip?" (A)
"So you heard it too?" (B)
"It could have been a raccoon. Come on, I heard there's a stall where a kid easily won a huge stuffed animal. Let's try it!" (A)
The two lads put the subject aside; they had better things to do than worry about the noises coming from inside an old rubbish dump.
Harvest Festival - Hay bales decorated with pumpkins.
"Do you like it, Enid?" (Ajax)
"Yes... what are you talking about?!" (Eugene)
Eugene gave Ajax a panicked look. They both watched William throw a large net over the big teddy bear, which they would tie to the roof of Tony's car.
"I was wondering why you asked me to bring a cargo net." (Tony)
"This is just the first one. It turns out Austin is doing very well in sales. He recommended another position to me that comes with a huge prize." (William)
"The people who saw Will win and now think it's easy have quite a long queue now." (Divina)
It took Eugene a few moments to calm down from his initial panic. They were both some distance away from William and the rest. He adjusted his braces and glasses before asking Ajax.
"Do you think William knows?" (Eugene)
"He definitely knows. It's fine that you like Enid, just try not to stare at her too much or you'll make her feel uncomfortable." (Ajax)
Cotton candy stand.
"What's up, kid? Want one?"
The sudden, pleasant voice snapped Toby out of his stupor. He gazed longingly at the different colours of cotton candy. He had wandered away from his mother, who had to take a call from the hospital. His father had been in a serious accident in the forest a few days ago and was still in a delicate state of health.
"I don't have any money, and Mum can't spend it on my whims." (Toby)
Toby waved his hands hurriedly, and the beautiful older lady dressed in a leather jacket and pink lipstick smiled sweetly at him.
"Don't worry, I'll treat you. Excuse me, would you like some candyfloss? What colour would you like?" (Valerie)
"...Blue." (Toby)
"Here you are, miss. Enjoy." (Seller)
"Now let's go and find your mother. My name is Valerie. What's your name?" (Valerie)
"I'm Tobias, but everyone calls me Toby." (Toby)
Valerie took the boy's hand. She planned to walk around the festival until she found Toby's mother, who must be frantic, searching everywhere for her missing son.
"Come on!!! Young people, old people, men, women, boys and girls, test your strength at the Hammer of Judgement!!
A young man shouted in a loud, cheerful voice to the crowd in front of him. It all started just five minutes ago when William and his friends arrived to try out the game.
"It's the young man from earlier, the one in the video."
"Let's see if he wins this game too!"
Murmurs could be heard everywhere.
(Austin told me about you. You got a big crowd to gather around your stall, but mine won't be so easy to win.) (Manager)
"For just a few dollars, you can win a big prize. Hit the bell with the hammer and win!"
"Who will be the first to try?" (Manager)
The excited manager waved the wooden hammer with both arms. It was big and heavy.
"I'll go first." (Bob)
"I want to try!" (Enid)
Enid raised both hands excitedly. The first prize was a large stuffed wolf that Enid wanted for her stuffed animal collection, and the second voice belonged to a big guy with a shaved head.
They looked at each other for a moment before Enid backed away, not minding waiting with the rest.
"That's it, leave this kind of thing to the men!" (Bob)
"Ugh!!! Are you implying that because I'm a pretty girl, I'm weaker than you?" (Enid)
(He didn't say you were pretty.) (Ajax)
Enid felt offended and indignant, advancing menacingly towards the guy, her sharp claws expanding in size.
"Hold on there, kitty." (William) *Whisper*
William quickly hugged Enid's waist and whispered the last part so that only Enid could hear it.
"Of course that's what I meant, listen to the pretty boy and go play with dolls."
This time it was Enid's turn to stop William.
(Why does everyone like to use that term?) (William)
"Why don't we settle this with a bet?" (Manager)
The stall manager saw an opportunity to promote his stall, an interesting bet between a slim girl and a muscular guy.
(This will be interesting, I've seen so many people that I can tell those muscles weren't the result of much effort.) (Manager)
(And the girl's claws show that she's an Outcast, maybe a vampire...) (Manager)
"Bet, with this little one?" (Bob)
The mention of a bet did not particularly excite the big guy.
"Yes, how about $100 to whoever lifts the weight up to the bell, you know, hitting it with the mallet." (Wilson)
"Or it can be $300, if you're confident in your strength." (Wilson)
The manager's name was Wilson Katen, an old weasel who had spent most of his life moving between fairs, circuses and scams. He knew how to judge people, and two slight nods from William were enough to let him know that he was willing to raise the bet.
"Deal, but I want to see the money first, no 'I don't have any money' after I win." (Bob)
"Are you sure about this? It could be a trap." *whisper* (Friend)
One of the big man's friends tried to stop him, putting his hand on his shoulder and whispering that the whole thing was suspicious.
The people around them began to enjoy themselves, eating popcorn, some decided to record the whole thing, and more people gathered around. Those who had been there longer explained to the newcomers that this made them feel superior to the rest.
"All right, here's my $300" (William)
William easily took three hundred pounds out of his black leather wallet. He had received a five-figure commission from Andreus for helping him deal with the Imp King and letting him keep the Golden Axe carried by a Royal Imp Guard.
"Shut up and lend me $50" *whisper* (Bob)
"I hope you're sure about this, Bob, because I want my money back tomorrow." *whisper* (Friend)
His friend frowned but still took fifty dollars out of his pocket. He had known Bob for a long time. Bob had some good qualities, but for the most part he was an idiot. This was one of the many times he had wondered why he continued to hang out with a guy like him.
"Are you sure, Will?" (Enid) *Whisper*
"I trust you, you can do it, Enid." (William) *Whisper*
William squeezed Enid's hand gently. He knew how strong Enid was as a werewolf, and although he didn't know exactly how strong Bob was, he was definitely weaker than Enid. He could feel it.
(Maybe it's instinct, or a side effect of this thing.) (William)
William looked at the new ring on his left hand. It was made of silver and shaped like the head of the Imp King, with long horns on his head, a long tongue protruding from his mouth full of fangs, and a face wrinkled with anger.
(I need to test your effects soon. What exactly do 'Danger Detection' and 'Submission' mean?) (William)
Near the edge of the crowd.
"Do you know him?" (Toby)
Toby asked Valérie curiously. Toby could sense that she was looking at the blond boy dressed in white differently, which made him feel uncomfortable, although he didn't know why.
"We're just distant acquaintances. He has a girlfriend and... I shouldn't be talking about this with you." (Valerie)
"You can come closer if you want. I'll wait for you on that bench over there." (Toby)
Toby was quite sensible for his age. He would leave Valerie's side and wait for her on a nearby bench just below a brightly lit lamppost.
"We'll be a moment, I'll go say hello and come back, don't move from there." (Valerie)
Valerie aggressively hugged Toby and after ruffling his hair, she pushed her way through the crowd.
"This is stupid, I shouldn't leave a child that age alone..."
When Valerie's eyes fell on William and Enid holding hands, she realised what she had done. She quickly turned her head to look where Toby should be, an empty, desolate bench very close to the woods, his half-eaten candyfloss lying on the ground.
"Toby!!!!"
Valerie opened her eyes in surprise, panic shining in them. She ran, not caring that she was pushing people around her, bumping into their shoulders or causing them to drop their popcorn. Toby was much more important.
"Where are you?!"
She searched everywhere until she saw them on the muddy ground, small footprints and marks indicating that something had been dragged away. The broken branches and leaves to one side suggested that he had been dragged away against his will.
"I should call for help, but... it might be too late."
Valerie's breathing quickened and her hands sweated. She took her phone out of her bag and turned on the torch. She would go and find him before it was too late.
(He's alone out there in the dark forest, he's scared and so am I, but I won't leave him alone!!!)
Valerie gritted her teeth and gripped her mobile phone tightly. She began to run as fast as she could. That thing was fast, but the broken branches and her experience hunting deer allowed Valerie to keep up with it.