Chapter 09 Nightfall

(remember that my pc broke? I have laptop now IT's quite bad and old But at least does the job... Sorry if this chapter felt Weak bland but I'm quite busy right now) (also i wrote more than half of this chapter in phone... My respect for those who mainly do it on phone) (PERHAPS LATER ON I'll add more stuff PERHAPS just a 20% Anyways this is the last chapter wait until the sunday for one or the next monday)

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After that shot, they started to crumble easily with fewer members.

Now, only one remained.

The goblin was struggling to regain its footing. Before he recovers and runs away, I use the most POWERFUL technique known by any telekinetic user.

I screamed, "TESTICULAR TORSION!!!"

The sound that followed was the nightmare of any man. It was the sound of something fragile and precious meeting a gruesome fate.

The goblin fell to the ground, desperately shielding his balls with his hands, tears of agony streaming down his face. Perhaps that was overkill.

Icaxis stared at me with a mixture of horror and disbelief as he gulped down saliva out of fear.

For some reason, the surge to justify myself made me answer. "What? If he escaped no one would catch him."

Icaxis: "But was necessary to use that... You could just now you know stop him from moving..."

I responded hesitantly, my head moving in sync with my uncertainty. "Yeah... Maybe... No..." As I stammer a few more words, Daniel swiftly dispatched the goblin, ending its misery.

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You have leveled up

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I try to shift the mood by changing the theme. "Oh hey I leveled up"

Daniel just assented with his head, confirming that he, too.

I opened the system and spent those 0.10 points in Magic. From what I have seen, MOST transformations use this stat mainly. Also, I should invest some points in Health. Being a glass cannon doesn't sound funny when your life depends on it.

"Is everyone ok?"

Daniel: "Just scratches."

My gaze shifted to Winfred, who had a bleeding arm. He tried to reassure me, saying, "Don't worry, this will heal. Just give it some time."

We kept walking, trying to find something, and we did it again. Another pack of goblins, 4, to be exact.

The battle unfolded more smoothly than the last encounter. Our teamwork had improved, and we dispatched them quickly, partly due to the smaller numbers.

No, I didn't use the TESTICULAR TORSION!!! Because I need direct vision to calculate what to snap. So this doesn't work unless they don't have pants or those pants are total rags.

What? In Love and War, Everything is fair. I wonder if snapping necks Can be possible in the future.

Apart from that, the rest of our journey was just animals and insects. A giant lizard crossed our path alongside peculiar insects and oversized jungle animals. Most of them ignored us, except for one. Its gaze was fixated just on me.

Being so tiny doesn't help. I am between 60-90 cm. To put it in perspective, I need a tower of 3 I's to match Daniel's height.

The sun is already setting. In a few hours, nightfall would soon come. I underestimated how fast time passes.

Daniel: "We need to search for shelter."

Icaxis, with an anime-like pose and hand on his face, chimed: "This is my time to shine."

However, a thought struck me. Didn't I have the ability to generate light?

"Icaxis, I'm sorry, but ACTUALLY, it's my time to shine."

Sparks start sprouting from my horn. A feeble light emerged, slowly taking shape until it blossomed, becoming bright enough to illuminate around us.

"Much better..."

They are giving me dead looks for my joke. "What? I thought It was funny."

Mental note. Don't make more jokes. Life didn't make me a comedian for a reason.

...

As we continued our search for shelter, the landscape offered nothing but trees, plants, and the occasional small animals or insects.

"Huh..." A swarm of fireflies drawn to the light my horn sparkles, encircling me. They are tiny and seem attracted by my light.

Yet they are pretty... irritating.

They turned their light off when they got close enough. Even a few dared to touch my horn.

I shake my head to scare them, but there is no avail. I had to shake them off using telekinesis. They are a bit disgusting, giving me repulsion probably for my ability as I don't recall getting aversion from insects. 

Icaxis seemed to find the fireflies endearing: "Don't You think they are cute?"

I answer with a cold, dry "No."

More insects of various sizes and species joined the growing carnival.

We kept walking like this until there were TOO MANY BUGS.

"I CAN'T STAND IT ANYMORE!!!" My light turned off. In hope they will disperse.

To my dismay, the fireflies responded by turning their lights on continuing to hover around me.

Icaxis was chuckling. "They REALLY like you."

As we kept walking, the firefly's lights flickered unnaturally. Most of them started pathing away from us.

Icaxis made a suggestion, "Hey! We should follow them. We won't miss much anyway."

With evident disbelief, I say, "Let me get this straight. You want to put our hopes in some insects?"

Icaxis corrected me, "Magical insects."

I looked at Winfred, who answered me with, "Sure. Like Icaxis said, they are magical."

My eyes fixed upon our last member. His face conveys to me, 'Are we gonna do this?'

And so, we followed the fireflies', which led us to a dead tree. Its branches were devoid of life, save for the fireflies that nestled among them, mimicking leaves.

Icaxis: "Woah, the tree is huge."

Daniel: "The tree may be hollow inside. I can see many holes."

Indeed, the tree appeared to be a hollow shell. Probably something devoured its insides. This is perfect for hiding or sleeping inside it.

"I guess this will do."

Daniel decided that he would stay awake to do guard. The possibility of unwanted visitors at night is low but not zero.

Daniel: After me, who wants to keep going, I'll do most. My body only needs 4 hours of sleep.

Winfred: "Sure, I'll take second."

As I settled in for the night, my OCD kicked in once more.

This was becoming increasingly annoying. Inheriting a part of their personality is horrible. It could go wrong with someone who isn't mentally stable or weird quirks. I need to ask the system for a way to un-transform. This can't keep going.

I muttered "I- I'm not- I'm not going to slee-"

I exited the tree for a few materials: leaves, bark and wood. With my telekinesis, I carried all the materials. and started to sew inside

The leaves provided a soft and flexible base, while the bark added durability and structure. The wooden components were the framework, creating a solid yet comfortable hammock. My concentration intensified as I intertwined the pieces. Forming a beautiful and elegant hammock

To my surprise, This was entertaining and fun. A wave of pride and satisfaction washed over me when I completed it.

Everyone is looking at me in disbelief.

"What? It's not my fault... I won't be able to sleep without this."

As soon as I settled into my newly crafted hammock, Icaxis asked, "Wait, can you make one for everyone?"

Without hesitation, I responded, "Sure!" My telekinesis swung into action, gathering more materials for additional hammocks.

The more I worked, the more I wanted to sing something. It was a curious feeling that overcame me 

"♫ When you're rife with devastation, There's a simple explanation

You're a toymaker's creation Trapped inside a crystal ball♫

...

"♫When you've bungled all your bangles And your loved ones have been mangled, Listen to the jingle jangle Of my gypsy tambourine.♫" I kept muttering gypsy bard the whole time.

After finishing, I returned to my hammock, and everyone thanked me.

I stumble upon my bed, closing my eyes.

...

...

...

I can't sleep. My eyes are closed, but I can't sleep.

I shifted and turned, growing increasingly frustrated.

Finally, I gave up with a silent "AHHH!"

Quietly, I exited the hammock, tiptoeing out of the tree to avoid waking the others.

There, I found Daniel. He resembled one of those animals who live in Africa. What was their name... meerkat?

My gaze became entwined with the sky. I couldn't recall ever seeing a night sky so resplendent and beautiful. A rush of melancholy and a multitude of emotions washed over me.

I stood beside Daniel briefly before breaking the silence with an "It's quite beautiful, isn't it?"

Daniel glanced up at the stars and replied, "Yes..."

I couldn't help but tease him for his answer, "You became more reserved... A total contrast to when I met you in the tutorial." 

Daniel: "..."

Probably, I won't be able to sleep for a while. How can I start a conversation theme...

"Do you wish to go back?"

Daniel: "Maybe..."

"I always asked myself, why do you know how to use a sword? You come from a place where interstellar travel is a thing. Why use such an old relic?"

Daniel looked thoughtful momentarily before responding: "It clicked with me..." The tone these words carried was completely different from his other answers

"It might sound incoherent and stupid, but it was one of the few things that I actually liked..."

As we conversed under the shimmering dance of fireflies, their ethereal glow cast a surreal ambient around us. One even posed in my horn as if trying to join our conversation.

"I've come from a "normal place" Everything here feels like it's been plucked from a fiction book."

I take a pause, then continue.

"About my past, I don't think I'll miss it. It wasn't that bad, but I always felt it... hollow... empty... lacking something."

For some reason, I shared a turmoil that's been bothering me since I transformed. "You know I'm pretty scared, but not for this place, if not about myself. I-I'm slowly deteriorating. The more time passed the more it became evident that This isn't me."

Realizing my ramblings, I laughed softly. "What am I even saying? I just can't sleep. I'll stop bothering you."

I was ready to move to my bed and stay there for a few hours, but Daniel answered me: "I... might not understand you, but Everything here is alien to me. I'm trying to reason without letting my emotions devour me..." 

He continues, "Before coming to this place, I wanted to be a mech pilot..."

I ask, "What does have being a mech pilot? It sounds cool."

Daniel: "In paper, just like you said, it sounds fantastic. But in reality, they are mainly used for shows... like the equivalent of being a clown."

"But why aren't mech supposed to be war machines?"

Daniel: "Yes, they are, but they became obsolete. Warships surpassed them in every sense. Even though. I didn't care about practicality. The feeling of being in a mech can't be compared."

"Then why weren't you piloting one?"

Daniel: "My family had a great pride. A really big one..."

"Hey, I've seen a few mechs before in the lobby. Perhaps they're viable here."

A big chuckle exits my mouth.

"I didn't expect saying all of this stuff would be so refreshing. Perhaps that was why many people started a podcast. I'll stop bothering you for real this time. Um... Good night?"

Daniel: "Good night..."

Returning to my hammock inside the tree, I tried to sleep again, but insomnia Didn't let me sleep for another 30 minutes.

Frustrated, I couldn't help but sigh, "Fucking insomnia..."

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FF: Humans tend to be more careless and honest at night (is similar to being barely drunk... just barely drunk)

Authors stuff:

Let's make something (POLL) (no really answer it. Maybe it will change the plot)

¿Do you prefer him to be strong or weak?

Cuz I have a way to make him strong but cripple him at the same time. 

¿what would you prefer him quickly escalating or realistic escalating?

¿Do you prefer a long-range mage or a close combat mage?

Authors note:

YES i know it took me a lot but the stuff my friend asked and in IRL in this week I'm gonna be really busy also I'm finally going outside :D 

Every sunday I'll go to the house of a friend... wow what an outcast I am... meh I'll ask that friend ideas to input in the novel Oh yes if u had a thought just say it I AM A NEWBIE and i want to git gut I really liked writing