61: Not-cool Hero

(Haris)

After days...

I'm standing with my eyes close here on top near the brink of the mountain. Resting some peace in my mind before dealing with the great chaos. And after all, I've finished the dreadful training—which didn't improved only the control, but even my sensitivity. I somewhat dislike that fact since what I'm feeling right now are atrocities slowly devouring this nation.

The Quede.

Actions must be haste, but never neglect the cleverness. Ms. Anna stood beside me; I knew it without looking. When she spake, she made me open my eyes and gave her a contact.

"You... said something?"

"I said it's your mother. She want to talk to you from the world of the dead."

Overwhelmed. That's what I'm feeling. "Then—!"

"However, I can't reach her yet. I still need more time to restore my gift," she said. I bit my lip.

I was about to cheer her up on retrieving that creepy gift when Poc ambushes me from behind. His attempt failed when I dodged him, and lucky enough to have those tiny wings to save him from the fall. He's in a form of a gnome.

"Are you sure you're leaving?! Alone! No! I'm coming with you!"

"You answer your own question..." I murmured.

"You need back up! You need me! Someone stronger than you!"

"You'll scare the hell out of them when you come with me."

"How dare you!~"

"Everything's set. We'll wait for your return then we'll depart," said Ms. Tough when she came closer to us.

"Alright! No time to be waste! Ms. Tough, please heal me after this."

She simply gave me a giggle, "Don't make me repeat my complain."

Don't make her a healer. If that's the case, then I'll look for the real healer.

What am planning right now is to travel and use too much teleportation to visit the people we've met and make alliance. But my great intention is to return the pearl to Shining-Pearl Kingdom.

And honestly, we broke Aishmalen's trust.

I bid my witty farewell before leaving, I jump down the brink—that's how my teleportation began. I'm falling down to a wide hill and farm; from here, I can feel the dead atmosphere. A lifeless nature with a living being. I opened the umbrella and reached the ground, few Orc farmers found me and I waved at them.

I came back here to Leylicendie Village; where Orcs dwell.

While coming close to the village, as expected, the twins meet me with excitement. I knelt down to hug them both, then they talk chronologically.

"It's good to see you again!" Princkle said.

"It's been a long time!" then said Twinkle.

"How's the long travel!"

"You're not wearing that mask!"

"Yah! That looks great on you!"

"How was the passed months?"

"Tell us a story!"

"But where is that woman?"

"...Ashti!" they both said.

"She's... somewhere safe," I said. "Where is the Chief? I need to talk to him."

"Aren't you supposed to look to for Ashti?" a synchronized utterance again.

"Maybe next time. I still have some important matters to deal with."

They took me inside the room of the Chief, only the two of us are here to talk personally. He's sipping wine—judging from the empty bottles on the corner depicts that he drunk too much.

"It's been months! What brings you here?" he said as he slammed the glass on the table in front of us.

"Is it funny if I answer that I came here to visit?"

He took a sip again. "That would be consoling," he replied. I smile a bit, yet he seem so weary.

"Nah. I also wanted to know the current status of the Orcs here. And just in case... we need more forces. This is war."

He look at me firm and hefty. "I'm sorry young friend, we have our own war here too."

I replied a furrow, and to answer my confusion, he took me on the seashore.

The waters turned gray.

"The battle of drought. That's what I meant. Every parts of the waters around this village became the same. It's dangerous even by skin contact."

Reminds me of the curse Aishmalen told us. The whole see was invaded by this mysterious gray-thing mixed in the waters. "So you have to travel farther for water supply?"

"No. At first, yes. But as months passed, the situation got worse. We only depend on the rain. However, the sky barely drops rain. Most of our numbers decreased because of heat which the body can no longer endure. So I'm sorry if I can't satisfy your vassal."

I didn't dare to feel the waves of the water. The image itself is intimidating; must be cautious or dead.

"Have you tried any experiments?"

He didn't answer my question, but he wanted me to follow him and led me inside their crafting shop. They lend me a tiny glass box hidden inside their restricted base. And this box contains silver sands. But as I look closely, it looks like pebbles. Extreme pebbles. I ponder if this is the fault of climate or a god.

If King Nemesis did this, how could he control a sand?

"What happens after the contact from the water?"

He took me again inside another room and found patients lying and hovering. "Their skin turns rough and the same color."

I stand beside the sleeping victim, its skin turns rough. In other words, the whole body is slowly being petrifed. And I know only one person who can do this. I can feel the frail heart beat inside this victim. They could die anytime, unless their heart endures longer.

"Can I borrow a boat?" I asked the Chief beside me.

Even some of their boats are petrified when they tried to fish. The heaviness will sink the boat right away. Whereas, I chose to ride it. I left a motivating farewell to the Chief, that I will restore their substance for water.

While pushing the boat to the water, I felt a tickle at my back. And there where Poc appeared.

"At last! I found yah!" He's chasing his breath.

"You came all the way here just to annoy me?"

"That's not all; I don't want to stay with those prideful ladies!"

"You're supposed to protect those ladies—"

"No way! I hate it! They have brains! They are goddesses! They can protect themselves!"

"You just want me by your side," I tease.

"Wohoh! Don't blame me. That was the dunce princess ordered me!"

He might be talking about the the latest order from Princess Jexica. Then I transferred my mood to seriousness.

"I'll let you come with me, but let's have a deal. Keep it a secret," I said.

"What? The death of Emia? Truth will always prevail. But deal, I'll hide that."

"Alright, since I don't want to waste your effort catching up, just paddle for me."

He complained from the job, not because it's tiresome but because it's too easy for him. He pushed the boat through the might of his wings, and as expected, everyone has their limit. His strength reduced to exhaustion when no land is visible on our spot.

He asked about my real intention and about this strange waters. But I answered him, "Paco."

"What?!"

"The giant turtle under the sea. The same Mount as you."

"Paco! That slowpoke is here?!"

I pointed the water under this boat—telling him that Paco is underneath. It's also new that the sea is calm. I left the cane standing alone beside me, then the water made ripple. And our spot is the origin. The ripple continues as we both feel the water shaking. Not just shaking, we're elevating.

I used a mass power from the cane to lift this sleeping turtle. And its weight exerts a lot of energy. I emit that, until Paco surmounted at the surface; not just Paco but also the sand he's leaning at. I'm sure this made a wide earthquake.

The boat, or we are above Paco's enormous shell. After the lifting, I feel fatigue—and drowsy. I was alarmed and awaken when the boat slid going down the shell. And it was helpful that Poc controlled the boat's fall and succeeded to a safe landing.

I calmed and relax myself a bit before attempting to stand.

Afterwards I discovered that Paco was petrified. If Aishmalen said the Merfens are hiding inside, they could die. Yet my lip smiles, I can feel they're alive—but not all.

"Who could have done such tragic curse to him?!"

"I am sure of it. The god of dominion did. Only he can."

"What?! Who's that?! An enemy?!"

"A victim," I answered. "He was hypnotized just like you, and my wild guess... he did this curse unconsciously. However the big problem is the wrong interpretation of Aishmalen; he's hunting King Xavier, not King Nemesis."

"I don't have the slightest idea what you're babbling about!"

I sigh. Then I ordered him to hunt some fresh meats as many as he can on land and take those here. He left together with his complain. And I took the time to enter inside Paco since its mouth is open and stuck.

Every single gold here are petrified. I searched for the wide hall where the Merfens could be until I found them. There's a stairway down, I'm standing higher than them and they don't seem to notice my presence. Some of them are corpse, severely ill, hungry; now I've learned they can survive this long.

One of them saw me, from his perspective, I am a meal. The scream he made disturbs everyone, and now they're coming after me. I don't want to do this, but I don't want to die either. I glare at the first Merfen who noticed me, then fear was conveyed to him and throughout the hall. They all cancelled their chase for prey.

I step down the stairs going to the treasure box across the hall. Across them all. And because of the menace I made them feel, they're giving way for me. I picked up an empty wine bottle—which is supposed to be a golden bottle. Then I stood in the middle of them, reviewing their expressions and message of the glances.

"Speak! What do you need? Water? Food?"

They exchanges look to each other.

"Where is Aishmalen?" asked the little boy on the right. He's under the arms of his mother.

"I don't know. But he's looking for a way to save you all."

Disappointments are encoded in their minds. "For now, wait for his return... alive," I added.

I slammed the bottle to the ground and removed the top, continuous clear water flows from the bottle. There's no enough tears to be shed for joy when they finally feel safe waters again. And then I left them, leaving the hall is the same as casting the fear away.

I wait for Poc's return outside, I sat on the wet sand and sunk the bottom of the cane to leave it standing, then I talk to it.

"That was so uncool, Haris! At least try to infect them with your smile!" I lowered me voice, "But if I did that, they'll eat me, for sure. So I scared them... no! Maybe this isn't the perfect place for me to practice being benign."

"Why the hell are you talking to yourself, scumbag?!" He's standing in the air with his arms folded.

"Don't be bothered. I never criticize your nasty appearance before," I said.

"Now you already did! I brought the meat you asked for! Unfortunately, this nation is dead. I only hunted four boars."

Only four?! It's impossible to satisfy the throng with the tittle meat!

"What?! You wanted to feed those survivors?!"

He noticed my silence.

"I was supposed to. But—"

"Then give it!" he insisted. "That's the best you can do anyway!"

It may be embarrassing, nevertheless I came inside with Poc to give the meats. We found the hall is flooded by clear water, and I know all of them are underwater. Happy. But hungry. With Poc's single snap, the meats he gathered appeared on the floor.

I've decided to leave the meats here and let them recognize; later on, the kid from before came out from the water and converse with me—asking for the return of their Prince.

"Please tell him to come back. We need him."

"Actually... he asked me to send help. So I came. He'll be here soon."

"Hey kid! Make sure you eat for appreciation to my hard work ! It's not easy to hunt nowadays! If only I could offer a human meat..."

The kid bid his gratitude and took all the meats to his fellows. And before he vanish from my sight, we exchanged smile. He was so delighted with the succor we lend.

Even I.

We left the inside of Paco then here goes Poc's rant. On the other hand, I didn't gave him attention. I'm thinking about this joy-dragging news for Aishmalen. Most of them will survive in fatigue, but no one will survive with the god's curse. If he figured out that King Xavier is the cause, it'll kill him because of the covenant he pledged.

In other words, I have to inform the King earlier before they could ever cross paths. For now, I still have a lot of place to visit.

"Are you listening to me?! Did you hear what I said?! Scumbag! So what's next?! Travel the whole nation and feed the survivors?! So uncool! I hate it!~"

"Then leave me alone and guard those two ladies instead."

"What's the next destination?" he asked. My giggle reduced to laugh.