A Well-Deserved Explanation

It hasn't been that long since Luis closed his eyes and he is already regretting it. He felt like a house rat imitating an opossum.

The shame crawled from his spine down to every part of his being.

'Why do I need to overreact like that!' Luis lamented as disgrace seeps down to his bones.

Truth be told, he isn't completely sober until a few seconds ago. His head was aching and disoriented from the explosion of a not-so-pleasant news right in his face. He is in the state of awake but not entirely awake.

However, how can he explain that to the other?

The moon elf lord shut his eyes tighter.

Even a three-year-old toddler would know he is faking it.

"It is a nice morning, Moon Elf Lord," Xagrien said, the previous coldness cannot be heard. Luis has no idea that there is a perceptible arch on Xagrien's lips and there is a hint of a laugh in his eyes.

"I will just leave your breakfast here. You can finish it whenever you want but I suggest you eat it while it is still hot."

Luis opened a tiny gap in his left eye and peeked. However, his conscience is poking him, urging him to explain that he wasn't talking sh*t about him.

'It was the system fault!' Luis made an A+ effort to justify his dirty mouth.

But really, who told him to curse so loudly?

"Wait!" Luis hurriedly stopped the retreating of the other. The moon elf lord stood up but was rendered speechless. His shame is instantly cured upon seeing the other's thirst trap. 

This time, the gorgeous Moon Elf is in a leather skin armour. 

With a tall slick back and that long muscled legs that are exposed by the animal skin skirt, it would not be an exaggeration to say that Xagrien's back profile is enough to get him pregnant!

Xagrien turned and looked at Luis quizzically. Luis cannot explain the look that this male God has. It looked soft, yet... "Yes, Moon Elf Lord?"

Luis was snapped back from his reverie. He then asked, still distracted. "How did you change? Where are your shirt and pants?"

"I washed it," The young moon elf was petrified for a moment and then he answered abruptly.

The moon elf lord almost smacked his own head. He didn't need to know the answer to his first question since looking at his surroundings, they must be back at Xagrien's home. Hence, he's got a change of clothes.

However, he scrutinized the expression of the handsome moon elf.

Luis detected a little discomfort from the tone of Xagrien so he thoughtfully look at the male.

"Don't you like it? It looked perfect to you." 

"It was nice, but it isn't comfortable when I run with it..." Xagrien blushed, as if remembering something.

Luis's eyes trailed downwards, stopping on a certain bulge. 

'I can see that…' Luis' imagination almost caused him to bleed. This seems to be another way to die for the virgin moon elf lord.

Xagrien cleared his drying throat, "Is there anything else, Moon Elf Lord?" The conspicuous redness in his face didn't subside but his posture remained tall and sturdy.

Luis, although he finds such contrast in the male moon elf endearing, he collected his wandering thoughts and asked the most pressing concern. Those abominations will attack the Amber Forest, five days from now.

"So how did we manage to escape that swarm of Root Crawlers?" Luis asked after taking two deep breaths to clear his mind.

Xagrien's blush intensified, "I carried you when you are suddenly unresponsive. And I-I ran."

Luis is a bit skeptical of that answer. 'How can you have such a reaction when it is as simple as that?'

Clearly, there must be something that happened when he was out.

"Anything wrong?" Luis asked, trying to gauge if the Xagrien is willing to say it.

Xagrien denied it. This is low-key suspicious.

The moon elf lord's curiosity is scratching at his patience and virtues like a cat in heat but he didn't dare to speak about it. 

If Xagrien is not willing to talk about it then Luis can't force him.

"Did you destroy the tunnel after we escaped?" He decisively changed the topic. The male is standing on the opposite side, staring at him.

Xagrien turned serious and explained it in his masculine voice.

After they manage to reach the end of the tunnel, Xagrien bombarded the connecting pathways near the exit. In this way, those abominations will not pour out and instead be trapped underground.

"It is not realistic to destroy the entire network of tunnels in the first place. Such a vast and complicated structure. You should call that a labyrinth." Luis stated after hearing Xagrien's account of what happened last night.

"You sound concerned about those creatures, do you have anything weighing in your mind?"

Luis nodded. "And you seem to be unfamiliar with those humanoid beasts." His tone is certain.

"We haven't encountered anything of that kind in the north, Moon Elf Lord. Even in the Good Pine Plain where the woods are growing everywhere, there are no traces of human-like beasts in the forests where we have been to." 

The moon elf lord's heart skipped a beat. It wasn't out of spark or true love but a nefarious hunch is poking at his guts.

"For real?" Luis tried to clarify that.

Xagrien reaffirmed, "That is the case for the northern and eastern part of Immortal's Glade that we have been to. But since this is the west I am not certain about the beasts that can be found here."

Right, different lands will have a different compositions of ecosystems. It is natural that some animals did not exist in another place.

His alarmist side almost jumped to a conclusion.

"How long have you been staying here?"

"Thirty days," Xagrien answered in his usual man-of-few-words manner.

The moon elf lord's eyes almost pop. That is a little shorter than what he expected considering that the tunnel was made complicated. This is a pleasant surprise! 

Luis made a mental note to employ whoever made those underground structures. They have great engineering talent!

Now more determined to win these moon elves, Luis dropped a nice piece of advice.

"Then you should be mindful of those creatures. They are called root crawlers. They are invasive creatures that could reproduce faster than when you say s*x. They suck on the vitality of the trees and feed on the meat of their prey. Root crawlers do not attack when unprovoked but they are vicious when bothered." Luis explained what he learned from Olyn and Legland.

"Then why did they attack us in swarms?" Xagrien questioned. 

Luis noticed that there is a palpable tension coming from Xagrien and then his next question stunned him

"You have an assumption about this, right? Will something happen?"

"Why do you think so?" Luis questioned back. He did an indian sit and lazily used his palm to hold his chin. He did not want to say it outright or swear any certainty.

It's not like he can say, 'Hey, I've got a nosy system and an obnoxious system administrator backing me up. So it is confirmed that those root crawlers will f*ck us up within or after five days!'

Luis has to know the attitude of Xagrien about this. If he and his clansmen (rogues) are willing to listen then it will be easy for him. But if not, then he needs to come up with a plan to make them cooperate with him.

The two punishments are weighing on his mind. Death and land infestation. Both of these are consequences that they must avoid.

"Beast tide," Xagrien stated.

"What about it?" Luis eagerly asked. His heart is accelerating.

It is a term that he only get to read in fantasy novels. He needs to hear all the known information about this phenomenon.

Maybe this will serve as a clue to conquer this hell of a quest.

Xagrien looked at the enthusiastic image of the moon elf lord while his head filled with a complicated mix of adoration, worry and calculation. After a few silent self-encouragement, he decided to trust the playful moon elf lord.

"I am not knowledgeable to explain this but I know someone who can," Xagrien said schematically.

Luis' interest was piqued. Since he feels that Xagrien, contrary to his taciturn and straightforward personality, is calculating him.

"Oh, then let me meet him then," he willingly jumped into the trap because why not? Luis stood up and smoothen his clothes.

"Eh?" Luis uttered after noticing a suspicious stain on his clothes. "What is this dried white thing?"

Luis is of course not so innocent. He slowly raised his head and looked at the possible culprit.

Xagrien visibly stiffened, his ears inflamed, "Eat your breakfast first then I will take you to meet someone."

The male moon elf turned his back and left as if his soles are on fire.

Luis is holding himself from cackling so badly.

"Xagrien! You actually dare to do this to a moon elf lord! I deserve an explanation!" and a diabolical laugh resounded in the earth house.