User blog:JeielYozama/Tale Of The Mark Maker - Hilas

''Men, women (I hope there are here) and gents, here we have the 4th installment.Yeah, I know. 2 weeks was a heck of a wait. Sorry. Things were troubling on my end. But in one night, I wrote down the story like a hailstorm rained on me. Owch. That kinda sounded hurting.''

''Anyway, you might find the title unrelating. Odd, huh? (Usually, its a MG) Actually, it's an easter egg on someone related to the chapter. To both Zmey and our jittery Hero. To know how, read on. And dread. Enjoy! The climax beckons... on the next chapter.''

Right now, I could rate this week as the most eventful one I’ve had in a span of two years being Hero.



Don’t get me wrong. My time as kingdom champion isn’t that uneventful. The occasional stalking of mana-hungry Mamonos and my efforts to dispel them through absolutely random (albeit accidental) shenanigans are already a norm I’ve come to accept, and frankly, I never thought it could elevate to a more elaborate situation.

Apparently, I was wrong.

In the course of five days, here’s a rundown of what plagued my sleep and messed with my loins.

First, I met Ryla, a Dragon with no-nonsense issues. After getting trapped with her in a chasm for several hours due to a stupid mistake I did, treating her injury and being more honest with myself, the girl falls in love with me. That of course, isn’t the worst outcome.

Next, a death-flag in the form of the masochistic seductress Wurm Nadredda (Ada for short. She likes that nickname even better) crashes out into the open after chasing me for two years and declares I be her lawfully-wedded boy-toy. OH, the horror.

To make matters worse, the two dragon females wage war and battle for ownership of me, like I’m some sort of prized livestock at a country fair. Talk about being parlay in the classic ‘tug-o-war’. Well, save for the possible outcome I can lose an arm or two.

And now, for my latest series of mayhem-filled days, I get my sorry arse kidnapped by a Chimaera under the service of an unknown dark master.



Crazy, isn’t it?

That’s life. Its unpredictability is what keeps us afloat, as what I know.



I could blame a lot of things for my life to spiral to this point. It could be because I’m a god of misery in the flesh. Or because I’m still a weak-willed warrior no matter how much I break my bones to earn my keep.

Or this could be divine punishment. For being a step close to bailing out on my duties as Hero.



Are you HAPPY NOW, CHIEF??!

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">I know the gods can hear me. Most especially, HER, the almighty one on her golden throne. They’re just being themselves, doing the awkward silence façade as usual. They never answer back to the complaints of mortals. Usually, they leave it to Angels, Houris’ and Valkyries to send their proclamations and other sorts of dirty work in tow. Dreams work as a convenient message-carrier too, and that tends to mess up your head when you wake up.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">But do they have a right to keep their mouths shut when I’m swearing at them hundreds of feet in open air?

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left:74.25pt;mso-add-space:auto; text-indent:5.25pt">*      *    *      *     *

<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left:74.25pt;mso-add-space:auto; text-indent:5.25pt">

<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left:74.25pt;mso-add-space:auto; text-indent:5.25pt">

<p class="MsoNormal">“HEY! HEYYYYYY!!! Where are we NOW?! OY, ZMEY!”

<p class="MsoNormal">Miles above the cloud-strafed heavens, far from the outraged screams of people who would label me ‘heretic’ once they hear about my blunders as a Hero, I was under the ungodly arms of a partially-emotionless Chimaera named Zmey, inquiring about our location and our situation. As to how I ended up in her capable clutches, I could only sum it up with three particular sentences:  Ryla and Ada were threatened. She claims to work for someone. I want to know who.

<p class="MsoNormal">The blazing afternoon sun hung high overhead that time, casting its life-giving rays on realm inhabitants both human and Mamono down below. It was pleasant at first, but then the temperature spiked to sweltering hot within minutes. In spite of being exposed to a part of the sky where winds blow hard enough to keep you cool, Zmey and I were flying so close to the ball of inferno I was sweating buckets. There was one point I had to check my shirt mail by the hour to ensure it hadn’t caught fire. I am not about to be buck-naked in mid-air, thank you very much.

<p class="MsoNormal">Checking at my wrist-dial, it had been (more or less) three days since I lost contact with Ryla and Ada. Not that I’m worried, but as the vastness of the open sky continued to expand before my eyes, I realized I don’t know where the two of us were headed. Up above, it was so well-lit I barely had the guts to open my eyes fully and look around. Doubling that were air currents so vicious, they might tear my limbs off at full velocity once my Mamono chaperon leaves me dangling.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">“ZMEY!! Can you at least give me a heads –up on where we are?” I asked, putting a stress on ‘Zmey’ while I waved an arm to draw her attention. Hearing the pristine call of her name, Zmey stared at my human figure with the interest level of a gnat.

<p class="MsoNormal">“We are still on our way, Marden Bale. Please be patient. We will arrive on our destination shortly.” She said, sounding as if she were rehearsing a dialogue.

<p class="MsoNormal">“So… you can’t tell me where we’re at and where we’re headed?”

<p class="MsoNormal">“Correct.” Zmey nodded and gazed back to the empty blue. “It is our master’s orders. We apologize if this troubles you, Marden Bale. Master wishes that he remains as discreet as possible.”

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Okay. That answers everything.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">The Mark Maker is stuck. There, I said it. I don’t have a plan. No idea on where we are and where to go. Now, all that’s left is for my Chimaera captor to take me. To whoever wants my unfortunate head.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Something else bothered me to no end. A haunting series of questions.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">''Will I ever see those two again? Or perhaps, will they ever find me?''

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">I promptly dismiss the thought.

<p class="MsoNormal">Why are you even thinking stuff like that, moron? I’d tell myself.

<p class="MsoNormal">''You know the reason, idiot. They’ve become close to you. Closer than you think.''

<p class="MsoNormal">(Aren’t I brilliant? I answer my own freaking doubts)

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">As if to further downgrade me, the faces of those girls suddenly come to mind.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Ryla, grinning whenever we find ourselves in an impasse.

<p class="MsoNormal">Ada, gazing at me with the intent of carnal assault.

<p class="MsoNormal">Ryla, telling me she wanted me to be her mate.

<p class="MsoNormal">Ada, trying to rape me.

<p class="MsoNormal">Ryla, blowing at my ear at random.

<p class="MsoNormal">Ada, attempting to reach for my nethers -

<p class="MsoNormal"> WHAT THE HECK AM I DAYDREAMING ABOUT?!!

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Granted, I am starting to like Ryla, despite her playful attempts to make me fall for her and infuriate me. With regards to Ada, it may be because she kissed me and now I have the flavor of her saliva on the back of my throat that I’m beginning to feel her charm work me over. Gods, that’s sick.

<p class="MsoNormal">I’m seriously considering admitting myself to a mental rehabilitation center once this is settled with.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">“Are you unwell?”

<p class="MsoNormal">Zmey had turned to look at the sight of me ready to bang my head on her rock-hard dragon shoulder (to which I thought I heard it grunt), eyebrows raised in concern.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Ahh…. I’m… kind of airsick. Just trying to wear it out.”

<p class="MsoNormal">Zmey’s lips curved slightly. “Odd. You were in full health these past few days.”

<p class="MsoNormal">She must be thinking I’m being stupid.

<p class="MsoNormal">I gave her a thin smile in response. “Well… that’s what humans are. Unpredictable.”

<p class="MsoNormal">“Hmm. We suppose you are right.”

<p class="MsoNormal">Zmey paused as if to think of something, then returned her watch on the skyway.

<p class="MsoNormal">I sighed in relief. Clearly I’m becoming a delusional Hero. Next thing I know, I dream about defeating the Demon Lord when in fact I’ve only succeeded on dicing up a fallen log in my sleep.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Speaking of which, I learned quite a lot about my mysterious consort (Zmey, who else) from this trip alone. Compared to Ryla (the closet enthusiast) and Ada (the sexual predator), Zmey rarely spoke. When we do talk, it’s as if she limits the conversation to a number of sentences, then she goes back to silence or starts a full-blown bickerfest with her other personas. Her otherwise servant-ish attitude reminded me of an introvert Shoggoth.

<p class="MsoNormal">She seemed abnormally fidgety too. Probably because I’m a man, and it’s her Mamono nature kicking in. She was trying her earnest not to crush me as she kept holding my waist. Droplets of sweat trickled down her neck.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">That didn’t stop me from trying to talk to her.

<p class="MsoNormal">(I mean, she still is a girl. And for three days, all we’ve had between us is a lingering threshold of silence.)

<p class="MsoNormal">“Hey, Zmey?”

<p class="MsoNormal">No response.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Zmey.”

<p class="MsoNormal">Nothing.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Geez, I need a good conversation-starter. What can we talk about? Think, Marden, think.

<p class="MsoNormal">Interests? Nah.

<p class="MsoNormal">Names? Okay. Let’s go with that.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">“Zmey is a regal name, don’t you think?”

<p class="MsoNormal">Zmey bobbed her head in agreement. “Yes.” She replied, eyes still glued forward. “It was the name of a terrible dragon in the ages past, so we have learned.”

<p class="MsoNormal">“Was it a name your father gave you?”

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">A small frown formed on her lips. “I… We do not remember having a father.”

<p class="MsoNormal">“I – see…”

<p class="MsoNormal">I stroked my cheek and laughed nervously. Losing a family member wasn’t a topic that strayed too far on my block, especially when… my brother…

<p class="MsoNormal">Shake it off, Marden. No hurtful memories this time.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">“Sorry. I had no idea.”

<p class="MsoNormal">“The notion does not trouble us, Marden Bale. Please do not worry about it.”

<p class="MsoNormal">“This master of yours… he was the one who named you, then?” I asked.

<p class="MsoNormal">Zmey nodded. “Master.. is my only family.”

<p class="MsoNormal">“How about that? He must be a very… kind person.” I mused at her absent-mindedly. The winds began to pick up, making me shut my eyes for a split second as it brushed my hair aside.

<p class="MsoNormal">Sh*t. I said something hugely offensive.

<p class="MsoNormal">I waved my hands in panic, turning my head away. “H-hey, d-don’t get me wrong! I mean, sure, he’d be kind to you, and I’m just a complete stranger anyway, s-s-so don’t take it as if though I’m trying to be a judge of character, and whatnot – “

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">A faint giggle behind my neck made my nerves jump.

<p class="MsoNormal">Did she just –

<p class="MsoNormal">I looked and my jaw dropped on its own.

<p class="MsoNormal">Zmey’s face blossomed in red, drowning out her calm demeanor in no less than milliseconds. She erupted in laughter. It wasn’t forced or out of habit. She was doing it for real.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">“A-uh-uh… What’s so funny?!” I yelled. I was genuinely happy that I could see her normal for once, but her laughing on my anxiety was embarrassing as heck.

<p class="MsoNormal">She stifled her teasing and gave me a complacent grin. “It would appear you’re flummoxed on how to appeal to us in an emotional manner, Marden Bale.”

<p class="MsoNormal">“I – I most certainly am NOT!” I said, trying to disagree when in fact she’s partially right. “And what the ell does flummoxed mean?”

<p class="MsoNormal">Zmey held her chin and thought aloud. “How amusing. Even Master does not dwindle his thoughts on such ideals. Is that it? Some men do worry on how to pique a woman’s interest from the beginning.”

<p class="MsoNormal">“So.. you’re an expert on reading people? That’s a start.” I told her. Zmey giggled momentarily.

<p class="MsoNormal">“I will not lie. We have been curious on human physiology and psychology from the time we were under Master’s care. We always took our time, reading books he collected from his many travels. You can say we are, among our own kin, experts on human diplomacy.” She said as if to brag.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Sounds fairly conclusive.”

<p class="MsoNormal">I mumbled the words ‘Holy Ares’ to myself.

<p class="MsoNormal">“It is no surprise. Your expressions also indicate you are attracted to me.”

<p class="MsoNormal">“Yeah, that must be why – WAIT, WHAT?!”

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">I recant my earlier statement. She’s not abnormally fidgety. She’s waltzing all over me like I’m a bearskin rug.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Yes. Isn’t your breathing rather rapid for an average human person?”

<p class="MsoNormal">“Uhh… No.”

<p class="MsoNormal">“And your heart rate is elevated.”

<p class="MsoNormal">“You’re mistaken.”

<p class="MsoNormal">Too late. My heart acted on instinct and did exactly as she predicted it.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Is it improper to say we can read you like a book, Marden Bale?” She questioned with a smug beam on her lips

<p class="MsoNormal">“Smite me.”

<p class="MsoNormal">Maybe the light was giving me hallucinations, but she was starting to mirror Ryla.

<p class="MsoNormal">She laughed again. “I regret to inform you, Mark Maker, but we cannot reciprocate your feelings. Our fealty lies with Master alone.” “True dat.”

<p class="MsoNormal">“True.. dat?”

<p class="MsoNormal">“It’s colloquial. Don’t mind.”

<p class="MsoNormal">I followed her gaze overhead. The wind blew at a steady pace, enrapturing me in that cool feeling that made me forget the midday heat. Tranquil and serene were the perfect words to capture this moment. We weren’t feeling awkward anymore.

<p class="MsoNormal">But.

<p class="MsoNormal">I had a nagging thought on my head. A thought I had to tell her.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">“You.. really care for him, don’t you?”

<p class="MsoNormal">As if struck by a stone, she jerked her head in alarm. Her grip on my waist tightened, then went awry. She smiled in a subtle manner and blushed.

<p class="MsoNormal">“More than our own lives.”

<p class="MsoNormal">Zmey pulled my free hand and extended it. Her draconic hand ran mine through her neatly placed hair, and what greeted my fingers next was a gaping scar on her forehead.

<p class="MsoNormal">“We could always remember we were alone. Abandoned. There were no others we could call as brothers, sisters, mother or father. As such, we always wandered from village to village. Searching for the warmth of a family. It was not a favorable opinion.”

<p class="MsoNormal">I remembered there were sightings of a young Chimaera on the outskirts of my village when I was younger. That must’ve been her.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Humans never liked me around. After all, I was a Chimaera. A Mamono whose unholy demonic power is heard of, even by the Order. Whenever someone would spot me approaching, a hail of anything they could get their hands on would follow, and I would be forced to flee. But it did not hinder me at all.

<p class="MsoNormal">“One day, I came upon Bastion. It was in the boundary of the anti-monster states. People carried their pitchforks and tools and ran after me. One of them happened to pelt a chiseled rock on my forehead and it bled. I cried. They did not care that I was small, that I was already staggering with bruises all over. They were about to stampede me to death, until… he came.”

<p class="MsoNormal">Zmey’s hands hugged my own.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Master came in front of me and sternly implored them they leave me alone. When they refused, he silenced them.”

<p class="MsoNormal">Somehow, there was something wrong with how she pronounced that last bunch of words because they remotely made me shiver.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Master took me in his arms and healed me. He asked me if I had a name, and I said ‘No, I do not.’ He was still at first, and then he gave me the name ‘Zmey’. When I was better, he instructed me to follow him. And… I did. I swore then I would never abandon him. He is my savior.”

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">I fell silent. No other words jumbled out of my mouth.

<p class="MsoNormal">Funny how the situation turned out. I never expected she would bare her soul to a complete stranger, but she did. I made her pour her emotions out. Achievement unlocked, you hopeless Hero.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">I had to bust the quietness, though.

<p class="MsoNormal">“ You.. weren’t using ‘we’.”

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">STUPID. IS THAT THE ONLY THING YOU HAVE TO SAY?!

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Zmey turned crimson and suddenly swerved away. She must have realized she was giving me a gigantic glimpse on her private life. She stooped to converse with her personas animatedly.

<p class="MsoNormal">“No. We have said too much. I apologize. Master musn’t know.” She went back to me. “Please forget you heard what we had rambled, Mark Maker.”

<p class="MsoNormal">Yeah, you said quite a lot. But mum’s the word.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Okay, first things first. Can you drop the formalities? You can call me Marden.”

<p class="MsoNormal">“You.. do not want us to honor you?”

<p class="MsoNormal">“What? No.”  I straightened myself up and turned my attention to her. “I think it’d be better if you address me in a way I’m used to. People don’t really say my name like that.”

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Half-truth. What I usually hear from my human relations are pervert, scumbag, screw-up and ''mistake. ''Way to twist the truth around your fingertips, bub.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">“I… We might say your name wrong.” She said, a hint of worry added in it.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Eh?? My name’s fairly easy to comprehend. Don’t worry.” I reassured.

<p class="MsoNormal">I swear I saw her smile at the concept.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">“As you wish, Marden.”

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">WHOA.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Call me weird, but the minute she spoke my name, a tingly feeling crawled up the back of my neck and made me tremble. In a good sense, it was abnormally arousing. Bad sense-wise, it made me think erotica (which I’ve been deprived of since Ryla came for reasons it might just send a bad sign).

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Instantaneous magic. It must be.

<p class="MsoNormal">Charm-speak?

<p class="MsoNormal">Maybe she doesn’t know she has it. It just.. manifested in an instant. Now my body’s reacting in a way that it wants her to say my name again.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">“Uhh… you know what? M-maybe it’s better you use the title-thing. “

<p class="MsoNormal">Zmey tilted her head and looked at me straight in the eye. “We do not understand. At first, you suggest we address you as Marden. Now you advise us not to name you as Marden. Is there something really the matter, Marden?”

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Again. The chills.

<p class="MsoNormal">My hands and feet sagged into that familiar jelly-like feeling. The quivering rose, extending up to my lower regions.

<p class="MsoNormal">She said my name thrice. Three times the troubling, rapturous feeling.

<p class="MsoNormal">Even worse, the shaft between my legs had gone close to ‘making a stand’.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Ahh—uhh – there’s n-n-nothing wrong! I just  t-th-think – “

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">In a matter of milliseconds, disaster struck and nulled our comfy talk to nada.

<p class="MsoNormal">A stray gust of wind blew me full-blast on the face. Dazed, my arms began to spin and one caught Zmey by the breast (Yes, I felt it through her cover. Strangle me, if you’d like). Before she could react, the two of us pirouetted in the air like a windmill, moving faster as the wind carried our fragile forms  - and sent us free-falling to our deaths.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">At that moment, it dawned on me. The Chief God’s backlash after a mouthful of curses I spewed at her.

<p class="MsoNormal">Really, Chief? You do that now, of all times?!

<p class="MsoNormal">Both a nice save, and a terrible way to get back at someone.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">And now, we’re surely going to die.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst">*       *       *      *

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast">

<p class="MsoNormal">If I were Zmey, I’d drop the silence and hit the idiot who tries to grope AND kill me.

<p class="MsoNormal">She’s probably mad. I mean, all my encounters with Mamonos end up in mishaps like these. Zmey was evidently, of no exception. At least, I didn’t touch something else, compared to the ones before I met Ryla and Ada. I had to dodge a Shirohebi for weeks trying to explain myself while she shrieked something on the lines of ‘defilement’ and ‘responsibility’, firing blue flames that heaven knows what they do to men.

<p class="MsoNormal">It could’ve been worse. Thankfully, It hadn’t gotten that far.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">“Marden!”

<p class="MsoNormal">I must be hearing things. Zmey, calling my name earnestly.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Marden, you leave us no choice.”

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">I didn’t expect a heavy slap to land across my cheek amidst the fall.

<p class="MsoNormal">I bolted up at the instance of throbbing pain and saw Zmey was on top of me. In any regular day, I’d flip and flop like a fish out of water, knowing how upsetting it looked. This, however, was not any day like that. She had reverted to her emotionally barren demeanor, except her eyebrows were raised. Her lion hand tugged at my collar, while the dragon hand was preparing to hit me for a second time. I saw the background moving past as we plummeted. The winds screamed into my ears and blustered upwards. We were still falling, apparently.

<p class="MsoNormal">Zmey didn’t pay heed to any of that detail. Rather, she was fixated at me.

<p class="MsoNormal">“So this… was what Master had warned me about.”

<p class="MsoNormal">“HUH?”

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Why? Why do Mamonos speak in riddles?

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">As that idea hit me, my shirt-mail began to heat up, my skin along with it.

<p class="MsoNormal">“ZMEY…!!!”

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">She didn’t have to wait for my ‘go-‘signal. Her pointed, demonic wings of opposing hues stretched out into the open sky, blotting the sun. One flap was all it took, and she was back on flight. She grabbed me by the hem of my shirt and ascended.

<p class="MsoNormal">Fate intervened at that same moment.

<p class="MsoNormal">She had me in her grasp. I was aware of it. Unexpectedly, the hem in her fingertips parted with a deafening rip, splitting my only piece of upper clothing left in two. She screamed my name after me.

<p class="MsoNormal">I fell.

<p class="MsoNormal">My hapless form distanced from her reach with every passing second. I plunged towards the earth, the old tale of Icarus, the foolish boy who wanted to touch the sky ringing in my head,  wheedling me to yodel on top of my short-lived lungs -

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal"> “SH******************T!!!”

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Zmey rushed to scoop me into her arms. Sadly, she was a little too late.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">I was welcomed by the embrace of tree branches.

<p class="MsoNormal">They hurt a lot.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">“OW!”

<p class="MsoNormal">“AH!”

<p class="MsoNormal">“AAAH!”

<p class="MsoNormal">“YOWCH!”

<p class="MsoNormal">“GAH!”

<p class="MsoNormal">“OWOWOWOWOWOWO!”

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">I crashed back- first, expecting instant death when I hit the ground –  on a humongous pile of a leaves that had gathered below.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">I was stunned. I began to touch myself from top to bottom, reassuring myself of signs of life.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">I’m alive.

<p class="MsoNormal">I’m ALIVE!

<p class="MsoNormal">Oh, thank you, Gods, thank you – AAACK!

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">I realize my left arm had bent back like a jackknife. An agonizing sting pulsated throughout the affected limb. I gritted my teeth as the painful sensation sank in my system.

<p class="MsoNormal">My arm, wrecked. That’s a save, alright.

<p class="MsoNormal">And out of all places, did it have to be the one I use in combat?

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">'' I let you live. You have to suffer instead. ''

<p class="MsoNormal">I could just hear it in the back of my head. The Chief God’s exact words. Karmic repercussions, so to speak. I want to get back at her so much. It was just too plain impossible to happen.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">“Marden!”

<p class="MsoNormal">Zmey landed on a clearing beside me. She was anxious to see my state of health. Her wings folded as she rushed to my side. She spotted my broke arm. “You are hurt.”

<p class="MsoNormal">“I… know. Don’t.. AHH!”

<p class="MsoNormal">“Do not move it now.” She motioned I prop it by my knees to keep it lifted. She seized a fallen branch the size of my arm and a coil of vines hanging nearby. Carefully, she angled the branch under my arm, then bundled soft leaves around it and tied it up using the vines. “Hold still.”

<p class="MsoNormal">“You’re good at this.” I said, biting my lip while she worked.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Master taught me the basics. I read the rest on a medical scroll.”

With a nurse's grace, she immediately relocated my broken bone. I flinched at the snap that followed.

<p class="MsoNormal">“AACK! Careful.”

<p class="MsoNormal">“You whine a lot, Marden.”

<p class="MsoNormal">“Do I hear that as a compliment?”

<p class="MsoNormal">Zmey didn’t reply.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Soon, Zmey was finished with her makeshift cast, complete with a sling bound on the side of my neck. I stood up. The pain was there, yet it lessened to a tolerable degree.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Thank you. I – URGH.” I cringed at the occasional thump on the area of damage. “We should.. probably move now.”

<p class="MsoNormal">Zmey stared at the heavens. I noticed it was growing dim. It was close to nighttime.

<p class="MsoNormal">“No. We rest here.”

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">“Excuse me?”

<p class="MsoNormal">“We rest for the night, Marden. You must recuperate. I won’t allow you to move with your arm in that shape. ”

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">I wanted to protest. Staying here would be a waste of time, considering the fact we were already close last time I asked her.

<p class="MsoNormal">I stopped. She was watching my injury uneasily.

<p class="MsoNormal">IS she worried about me?

<p class="MsoNormal">She must be blaming herself for what happened. And in my code, I am not about to let a girl worry any more than she already is.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">“Okay. I guess we’ll.. turn in for the night.”

<p class="MsoNormal">Zmey bowed apologetically. “Please rest now. I’ll keep watch. Do not worry on surveillance.”

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">I sat on the leaf pile I fell on and felt its coziness seep in my fingers. “You can sleep on the other side, Zmey. I’ll sleep here. ” I invited, tapping them repeatedly.

<p class="MsoNormal">“No… It is alright, Marden.” She waved a hand in refusal. “I shall sleep in somewhere else comfortable.”

<p class="MsoNormal">She disappeared behind a tree, leaves rustling behind her.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">I was tempted to peek. I immediately slapped myself. My manic urges are on the rise.

<p class="MsoNormal">“She’s changing, you fiend. Keep your mitts to yourself.” I muttered under my breath. What’s gotten over me this time?

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">You’re attracted to me.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Am I?

<p class="MsoNormal">Zmey talks in such a profound way, she scares me.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Gingerly, I put my aching arm aside and checked my sling bag, tucked behind my weapon to avert my attention.

<p class="MsoNormal">Equipment? Check.

<p class="MsoNormal">Medicine kit? Check.

<p class="MsoNormal">(Seeing my Slime goop-slash-instant healer, I'm reminded I could heal myself. Unlucky for me, the fall broke my best arm. I could imagine the process in doing it really tedious. And it might backfire.)

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Back to business.

<p class="MsoNormal">Map and compass? Check.

<p class="MsoNormal">Extra food, courtesy of Ryla? Check.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">(See? What’d I tell you? She even makes me snacks. She’s training to be a housewife. Don’t I know it?)

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">My eyes darted back to my items set.

<p class="MsoNormal">Map and compass? I unfurled my gnarled map and checked our location. The compass whirled, finding the direction of north. The stars that shone on the gradually darkening sky helped.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">As soon as I found out where we were, my mouth hung open.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Dear Gods….

<p class="MsoNormal">What is she scheming?

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">She’s leading me to a state-level Demon Realm.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">“Marden?”

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">And as if to double my aghast, Zmey walks in on me.

<p class="MsoNormal">Holding her hair up.

<p class="MsoNormal">A hairclip on her mouth.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Without her clothes ON.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal"> NEXT CHAPTER!! The final scene is on its way…!

<p class="MsoNormal"> Dearest dudes, sorry for the delay. The last one will be here in a bit.

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