Round 2: Is that really a Butt?
"I thought we were a team, Cake?" Eli called out as he pursued her through the dense forest. 'Is she really human?' he wondered, marvelling at the way she moved with the grace and speed of a wild animal.
"Oh, come on... It's a test. There's no way you should trust anyone other than yourself," the girl answered, her face adorned with a teasing smile.
Eli shook his head, acknowledging that she was right.
Yet, she was the one who had given him cake when he was really hungry, even though the key had already been taken by someone else. She had genuinely shared the cake with him.
'Sigh,' Eli thought, realizing there was no point in following her. He stopped running and called out, "Thank you for the cake!"
"Hmm?" The girl slowed down and eventually stopped, turning to face him, "What? Giving up already?" she asked, her tone filled with amusement.
"Yes," Eli responded simply.
The girl flinched, surprised by his sudden giving in. She looked at the key in her hand, then glanced at Eli.
Biting her lip, she threw the key towards him. "Here!" she said, her voice tinged with annoyance.
"Hmm?" Eli frowned as he caught the red key. The girl walked towards him with an irritated expression. "Tsk, you are no fun at all!" she complained.
"So, you're not running anymore?" Eli asked, still puzzled by her behaviour.
"Come on..." The girl blushed in embarrassment and said, "I was just playing with you, you know... payback for hurting my throat!!"
"OH!" Eli exclaimed, forming an 'O' with his mouth as he nodded. Then, he smiled with amusement, making her blush even more, "Let's search for the other key!"
Eli nodded, feeling that this girl was quite amusing and, to his surprise, found her increasingly intriguing. The way she swayed her ass as she walked... it's kind of exciting.
No, Eli wasn't a pervert who ogled women... well, maybe sometimes, but this time it wasn't his fault. The more he noticed her body, the more he started to doubt even his own perception. Her movements were different from those of a normal human.
"What are you staring at?" the girl asked with a frown when she noticed his gaze.
"Your ass—shit! I mean... your... hips?!" Eli immediately corrected himself, but the girl looked horrified as she muttered, "Perverted bastard!!" and stepped back.
"Arrgh!! Come on!" Eli sighed and tried to explain. "I'm not into your ass... Maybe..." he admitted, sometimes brutally honest about his desires.
"EWW!" She made a disgusted face and stepped back even further.
"L-Let me explain this..." Eli pleaded. He motioned with his hands to illustrate, explaining how her hips moved differently like they were moving up, sideways, and down in a way that didn't match normal human movement.... as if something moving it unlike other asses he noticed before.
"VWWWWW!" The girl almost vomited as Eli described this, especially when he used the word 'asses'.
She looked at him like he was a degenerate.
'D-Did I just dig my own grave?' Eli thought before saying, "That's why I am curious about whether this is an illusion or real."
Now the girl was really disgusted by Eli, though she could see his genuine curiosity.
'What the fuck?! He has been staring at my ass!! This fucking perverted bastard!!' she thought, gritting her teeth and covering her rear with her hands.
"...." Eli facepalmed himself, regretting his choice of words.
"Anyhow, after finding the key, we are going different ways... and don't you dare look at my butt again," she glared at him.
As much as she wanted to run away from this perverted bastard, she had just thrown the key to him, so she needed to stick around for now.
She glanced at his awkward face.
'His eyes are keen... He noticed my subtle movements and thought it was an illusion... Hmm.. I guess I learned something new...' she thought. Suddenly, her butt image flickered before swaying like a normal person's.
Now, when Eli glanced at her butt, they moved normally. He smiled inwardly, 'I see... an illusion.'
He was now even more curious to uncover this girl's true identity.
As they walked silently, suddenly,
'Rustle, Rustle'
Both Eli and the girl flinched, becoming alert.
"Looks like we're surrounded," Eli mumbled as he saw a few people staring at them from behind the trees.
'Now... it's getting interesting,' Eli thought, taking out his pitchfork and positioning himself for a fight.
"Something is wrong," the girl mumbled when she saw the four participants' eyes. They were emotionless like robots, and even her charm had no effect on them.
"What do you mean?" Eli asked, a hint of confusion in his voice.
"Someone is manipulating them..." The girl's ice-coloured eyes shone with urgency as she looked at Eli and said, "We need to run."
"Hmm? What are you saying? Those were the same guys from before. I can defeat them," Eli said with pride, puffing out his chest.
However, the girl shook her head vigorously, "They look like puppets that only want to satisfy their master... My gut is telling me to run."
Just as she finished speaking,
BOOOMMMMMM!!!!
A massive explosion erupted where Eli and the girl had been standing. The girl quickly pulled Eli away from the blast zone, and the heat of the explosion touched their heels.
"What the..." Eli was slightly taken aback by the ferocity of the attack. He saw the attackers' murderous intent.
A dangerous glint passed through Eli's eyes. He gripped his pitchfork, his lips curling up slightly, ready to engage when,
"What are you doing? Come on!!" The girl pulled Eli out of his daze, her voice filled with panic.
"H-Huh? We need to fight them--"
"No, fighting them is only bad for us. If we fight here, we won't have enough energy for the next blocks... Come on, Eli!!" she shouted, her voice almost pleading.
Eli stared at the attackers, weighing his options before sighing deeply and running alongside her.
As they sprinted through the forest, they thought they could escape the relentless pursuit. However,
BOOMMMM!!
BOOMMM!!!
BOOOOMMMMMMM!!!
The ground started to crack and splinter as fireballs, waterballs even stones bombarded them continuously from behind. Trees exploded into splinters, and the ground trembled under the assault.
"Are you sure running away is the right idea?" Eli asked, his voice strained as he dodged another explosion.
"I'm telling you, the next blocks are seriously dangerous, so we need to save our energy!!" she shouted back, her breath coming in ragged gasps.
As they ran, Eli noticed the ground starting to slope slightly. His eyes widened in alarm. "Stop!!" he shouted, his voice urgent.
Hearing him, the girl immediately skidded to a halt and stumbled into a nearby tree, her body hitting the rough bark with a thud.
"Ouch!!" She groaned in pain before standing and glaring at Eli. "What was that?" she demanded, rubbing her shoulder.
Eli simply pointed behind the tree.
"What----" She turned around and saw that the path ended in a sheer cliff. She gulped as she looked down, seeing the dizzying drop that awaited them. The height made her stomach churn.
"!!!" She immediately backed away from the edge, her feet stumbling before she fell onto Eli's chest, her heartbeat racing.
"We would have died there..." she mumbled, her voice shaky.
Eli nodded in agreement.
However, the situation was far from over.
BOOOMMMMMM!!!!
Another explosion erupted, this time blasting the cliff itself. The force of the blast sent a shockwave through the ground, destabilizing their footing.
"KKKYYYYYYYYYYYAAAAAA!!"
"....."
The cliff edge crumbled beneath their feet, and both Eli and the girl felt the ground give way. With a sickening lurch, they were sent plummeting into the void below.