𝐢𝐝𝐲𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐜 | 𝐫𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐩𝐧

𝟒𝟒| 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐚: 𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐳𝐲... 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐩𝐢𝐝... 𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐝.

   𝐖𝐡𝐨𝐚! 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 as they had to sprint to catch up with Mister. He's gone full speed ahead right out the door! "Pick up the pace, will ya?" He shouted.

   "No joke, he's really fast," Emma panted, "and he's lugging around that heavy gun, too. I guess adults are just on another level."

   "Ha ha! Kids suck at this!" He laughed.

   Ray pointed at him angrily, "he acts like a spoiled kid though!"

   "We gotta clear this area as fast as we can. There's nothing particularly dangerous around... Though it's not really safe either. Beyond the wastelands, there won't be any more areas that they conveniently avoid. As long as you journey within the wastelands, the chance of meeting 'demons' is nil. When you can go ahead safely, don't waste time. Just go. I don't wanna loiter around the shelter entrance like a friggin' idiot, too. First we'll head straight east and leave the wasteland. The search for Minerva... the journey to A 08-63 really starts once we get there. Y/n pulled out the pent, remembering the time they went through the maps they found.

   "Look at this map," Ray said, pointing to it, "there's Grace Field. This shelter is here. Therefore A 08-63 must be... around here."

   "A lake?" Emma questioned, "all those 'X' marks along the way, it's full of demon settlements, isn't it."

   "A 08-63..." Y/n muttered.

   "Is there anything out there? Will Minerva even be there?"

   "I have no idea..." Ray replied, "and it's pretty clear that leaving the wastelands is very dangerous. The journey to B 06-32 was probably kid's play compared to this."

   Y/n smiled, "but there's something waiting for us over there. In B 06-32 we found this shelter. Minerva prepared all this for our sakes... a safe place for cattle children, and all this information. So A 08-63 has to have something for us, too. 'Go beyond living here in peace'. That must be a lead about how to get into the human world. Let's go. It's the only way to be sure. That alone is already worth it, I think."

   "Right on," Emma and Ray smiled.

   They continued to run in silence before Ray spoke up, "after Gilda's ultimatum, he's sure planning to kill one of us... but not all three."

   Emma nodded, "yes... but rather than killing, I think he's planning to let one of us die. I feel like he's someone who can commit to murder if needed, but would prefer to avoid it."

   "I feel like, deep down he's not a bad person," Y/n added, "he's in pain. But, living by himself, he's lost all hope of overcoming it." Our main goal is to reach A 08-63 without dying. But, if it goes well, I also want to use this trip to get to know him... Talk to him openly without schemes.

   Ray frowned at Y/n. That's too naive. Perhaps he was a nice guy once, but not now. I'm not letting him hurt Y/n or the rest of our family. If it comes down to it, I myself am ready to kill him.

   The children huffed as Mister stood before the forest, unfazed, "not a bad pace. Wasteland's done. We'll aim for a four day trip. Our goal is A 08-63... Goldy Pond. If you were to fool around and waste time, you could also go through this super long, winding track which takes three weeks but is comparatively easier and safer. But I don't wanna. Out of the question. Get some water down yer throats. First comes this forest. It's where the packs of man-eaters nest. They see you, you die. Let go and clear it before sunset."

   The kids looked around as they walked in curiosity. Y/n touched a tree trunk. Stone?

   The man spoke again, "in this forest, there's no end to them. The ones in this area, they're wild, but know how to form packs. They always keep in groups. Where there's one, there's more. On top of that, all varieties are very aggressive. In other words, if you're seen, you're dead. They will call for more, and the band will fall on you. They will share the food together and even crunch your bones. I can only think of one ebay to survive an encounter, kill the hell out of 'em before they can call for more. But twerps like you three? Zero chance of pulling that off."

   "How long do we have?" Emma asked.

   Ray checked his compass, "maybe two hours before it gets dark."

   "I see. Let's do our best."

   "Yeah, the distance's not bad either. So far the trip's been alright."

   Mister was lost in his thoughts, the trip so far, alright? They learn fast, way too fast, actually. It's crazy. Though they're total newbies at everything... In these few hours, they've become able to walk without noise. Learn by watching? But they're not just following me around playing copycat. "To the right," he instructed.

   Ray and Y/n looked down to see fresh footprints, "right, really?"

   "No, left." Damn you- not so easy to fool them, either. Maybe they don't know much, but it's enough to pick up on my lies.

   "Nice catch, guys!" Emma smiled, "I didn't spot it."

   "Thanks!"

   Got it. Antenna is probably the guide... Sleepy head is the wits... but, Cuckoo... She's the glue to this family, huh. In other words, one is more fundamentally more troublesome than anyone else. And he's the one who basically lends a hand from the background. She's both optimistic, but smart about it. She makes sure everyone's morale stays intact... I wonder which ones will shut up more... when they see the other one dead. How should I put it, doing alright is friggin' boring.

   Y/n tensed up, feeling small tremors in the ground. Ray looked at her, "what's the matter, Y/n?"

   "Don't you feel it?"

   The tremors felt stronger as they looked around when Ray saw the demon lunge at them, "Y/n!" He pulled the girl before the demon could grasp her in its clutches.

   "Ray!" Emma yelled as she pulled out her gun, shooting it along with Mister.

   Y/n stood frozen. What-

   Ray noticed the girl shaking, "Y/n! Y/n!"

   "Eh? Im... I'm alive?!"

   "Huh?"

   Mister chuckled, "thought yer dead, didn't cha. You died for real right now, kid. Couldn't even pull out your weapon in time. Man, that was funny! Guess ya never seen man eaters who come from above, huh? There's a bunch in this area! Well, I already knew that."

   She smiled at the man, "but... thank you, Mister! You saved me... you too, Ray... Emma... Thank you. Right, let's move on... before the rest of its pack finds the body here."

   Mister smiled, "I didn't save no one, ya know."

   "What?" Ray questioned.

   "No ones saved. Man-eaters don't die that easily."

   "Huh?"

   "They rise again very fast... it'll call the others now."

   "You bastard! If it's not dead, say something!"

   "It was on purpose."

   "What?!"

   "I didn't kill it and kept quiet on purpose, to have fun with you."

   "You..."

   "'S alright, it's alright! I am not dying here. But you're three... bit of a pinch, innit? You messed with their meal and attacked one of the pack... They're pretty pissed off. This is even more terrifying than just letting them call the band."

   "You goddamn jerk-!"

   "This is just the first stop in your journey to hell! Your lives are mine to play with now. Well then, kids. Let's see you try and survive this."

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𝐡𝐞 𝐯𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐫

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