Chapter 12
day two
I woke up unsure of my surroundings. My mind was clear. That’s usually how it went every morning. The memories of yesterday started to unearth themselves and I started feeling sick. Did I really throw a tantrum over candy?
As much as I wanted to continue that lovely thought I needed to deal with my current predicament. Something was definitely wrong. For starters, I couldn’t see anything and there was something wrapped around me. It was kind of comforting in a way.
I tried moving but couldn’t. Whatever it was it had a real hold on me. Like when my older cousin would hold me in a head lock. Only I wasn’t crying and this person was a lot softer. Did I make it home? Was this Alice? I wiggled and my head popped out of a blanket.
This room didn’t look familiar. It was kind of dark. One thing was for sure. It wasn’t my room. I could tell because the bed had a canopy and it didn’t resemble my hell spawn bed. This one looked like it was made of a soft white fabric. Definitely not my room. Not from the new world or old. Was this another world? Did I get isekaied again? I wonder what this one is based off of?
I felt what I assumed were arms wrapped around me. It wasn’t just soft it was warm. I tried to wiggle my way out but every time I managed to gain ground. The arms would pull me back and adjust themselves.
What if this was a world based off a movie? I could totally get behind that. What if it’s an anime world? One that’s not full of creepy weirdos trying to kidnap me. If were talking anime then…. Wait, what if I’m in a hentai world! These weren’t arms at all! I’m being held by tentacles!
“No! No! No! Let me go you stupid hentai monster!” I squirmed and fought but couldn’t get free. My voice still sounded like Aku’s. That made it so much worse! I let out a girlish scream.
“Master…. stop it.” I felt something pull me closer. It was just Shadow. She was really warm. Like really warm.
“Shadow! Its you!” I felt relieved. Thank goodness. I thought I was about to become a monsters toy. I almost cried.
She yawned. “Its okay master. Your safe. You were having a bad dream. Quiet down and go back to sleep. It’s only like…. I don’t know five.” She glanced at the clock on the wall. It was to dark to make anything out. “Yeah, it’s dark so its got to be late. Go to bed and we’ll talk in the morning.” She snuggled up against me. I could feel her breath on the side of my head.
I guess it is pretty early. Aww man, I woke her up. I’m such a dummy. I got comfortable and let out a yawn…..
“Wait! I’m married! Let go!” I struggled to get free but she was holding on. Was last nights carrot escape a fluke. And here I thought I might be stronger than her. Well, that sucks.
Shadow grumbled. “Master, your being difficult again. Just go to bed.” She stuffed me under the covers. Then wrapped her arms and legs around me. I felt her give my head a few licks before she was satisfied. It made my skin crawl.
“Shadow please!” I cried but she was already asleep. I could hear her purring like some kind of organic cat shaped heater. It was kinda pleasant.
I tried to get free and even called out her name but she never responded. Once I tired myself out I just laid there. Well I tried. There was nothing I could do. Now hang on, I could use lightning. I contemplated it for a whole minute.
It wasn’t worth it. That would be way to mean. I don’t wanna hurt Shadow. If I hurt her she’ll get really mad. Then she won't wanna be around me no more.
I ended up falling asleep. It was to early for this. I’m sure it’ll be fine.
I woke up later to Shadow pulling the covers away from me. A rush of cold air washed over me chilling me to the bone.
“Ah! What are you doing!” I cried.
“It’s already eight Master. You’ve been sleeping for almost ten hours.” Shadows tail made its way over to my face tickling my nose. It was so annoying. I felt like sneezing.
“Stop it! I don’t wanna get up! If I stay here I wont have to deal with problems anymore!” I grabbed the covers and pulled them back over my head. This was the start of my new life as a shut in NEET. Well if I’m being honest I was always a shut in. The NEET part was new. it was more like I was picking up where I left off and quitting my job.
I heard Shadow make a growl like noise. Compared to my previous kitten-like attempts, hers sounded like a fully grown tiger. I was actually impressed.
I felt her get on the bed and slowly approach me like a lion about to pounce on a zebra. She couldn’t get me as long as I was under the covers. I was perfectly safe……
Wait no! Shadow isn’t an imaginary monster! She was a flesh and blood crazy cat lady with retractable claws!
I waited in anticipation for her attack, frozen under the white fabric. I didn’t dare breathe or move. She can’t see me as long as I don’t move…… Ah. Nope, that was from that one movie. Stupid brain stop imagining things! I need to run! It was to late. She’s gonna eat me!
“Alright master you asked for it.” Her nails dug into my ribs as she started to tickle me. I squirmed uncontrollably letting out a laughing cry. My ribs Were hurting! She was so rough! Her nails were like blades!
“No, no, no, okay! I give!” She finally stopped when I sat up in bed. I really had to pee. That was so close. There was no way I’d let that happen a second time. Once was bad enough. Shadow hugged me and innocently kissed my head.
She was starting to get really clingy. Did something happen last night to make her like that. She was protective before but now it was like she’d take any excuse to hug me.
I thought she was mad at me. I'm missing something. How the hell did I even get in her bed? I…. I remember crying in her arms?…… when did that happen? My memories are all scrambled.
The urge to pee got worse so I decided to end that thought there. How do I get out of this death hug. I don't want to tell her I have to use the restroom. She'll do something weird.
I did something I’d only ever seen my little cousins do. My body became limp and to Shadow’s surprise. I slipped right out of her arms. Like some kind of boneless blob. This only worked because we were both sitting up. “Sorry Shadow! I'll play with you later. I have to..… do a thing!”
I crawled out of bed at the speed of a frightened cockroach and landed on my feet. The cold stone made my body protest, but I needed to pee like right now. My nighty went from riding up my back to covering my legs.
“What’s the matter Master? Do you need to go potty?” She asked sarcastically. Her smile was that of a mischievous cat.
Why did she word it like that! I decided to bring balance to her tease. “I gotta take a piss! Leave me alone you crazy cat lady!” I ran out of the room.
“language young lady!” her voice chased after me. There was a hint of anger in its tone.
I ignored her teasing and made a B-line to the nearest restroom. It was around the corner. I tried the door, but it was locked.
“Occupied!” Came Luca’s voice. The desperation running through me was immense but I managed to hold it all together. There was another toilet on the other side of the castle.
I power skipped all the way cutting the trip to a few seconds. As soon as I entered I ran to the toilet, pulling my nighty up and my underwear down. I stood in front of it and…..
“That’s not right…. Where’s?…..”
The stream made a small ark but once it lost pressure I was left with the all familiar feeling of piss running down my legs. I stood there in shock not sure on what to do. Honestly I should of tried to sit but I was so busy calling myself an idiot that it didn’t come to mind. Anger swelled up inside me and I let out a yell.
“God fucking dammit!” My voice reverberated throughout the castle. Even Mantis heard it.
Shadow gave me another talking to about my choice of language followed by detailed instructions about how to go to the bathroom as a girl.
I didn’t take notes but apparently it’s very important to sit on the toilet and in the case of a public restroom you were supposed to use a paper doily. If that was not available then you needed to hover over the toilet like an alien saucer abducting cows. This was mostly stuff I already knew. Not necessarily things I’ve put into practice but definitely things I’ve heard of. It wasn’t my fault I forgot my dick was inverted.
Now to make things clear. I was not crying because I pissed all over the floor. I cried because Shadow insisted on making it a big deal even going as far as to include Luca in on the conversation. Luca had fun tearing into me. I thought we were best buds now. Why was she acting like we hadn’t shared a moment.
Was she mad about me slipping out of her bed and somehow ending up in Shadow's arms. I left Snowball with her. Did that not count for anything? I hope she doesn’t hold Snowball hostage.
“All I’m saying Master is next time you need to go potty ask me or Luca for help.” Luca nodded along with Shadows words. Shadow leaned in forcing me to look her in the eyes. Then in a low growl said “Okaaaaay?”
There was no way I was gonna do that and I wasn’t even sure if she was serious. To end the conversation I nodded my head.
I Just wanted it to be over so I decided not to say anything in hopes of it dying. I sniffed and wiped away my tears. This would be the last time for sure.
“Come on then. You need another bath.” She tugged on my arm pulling me along. Luca waved me goodbye. “Have fun chief.” I stuck my tongue out at her.
The castle had several restrooms on each floor but the showers and bath were only in one place. That would be in the back of the castle.
Bath time was silent. Thank God. Today I decided to wear one of the dresses I’d gotten from the NPCs. It was a white dress with sky blue frills along the hem and short sleeves. It had a sky blue bow on the chest.
This thing only gave a charm boost. I didn’t see the point in wearing actual gear seeing as I couldn’t wear armor. Sure I could get some elemental resistance or magic resistance. Maybe even a boost to a stat, But the moment the clothes got torn the effects would no longer work.
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
I came to this realization when Shadow handed me my mage gear after washing it and I realized it no longer had any stat boosts, aside from the usual charm. She ended up doing the same to her gee but she didn’t look all that heart broken. Instead she just seemed to laugh it off.
Let me tell you. It was devastating. To think something as simple as washing clothes could destroy its fabric enough for it to no longer give any boosts or protections.
From what I could tell equipment stats were just enchantments. They weren’t like the regular enchantments you could put on gear. They were like a line of invisible code that permeated the entire item. One rip in the fabric or crack in the metal, and the whole thing became useless.
Armor and weapons were different from clothes. Those types of gear didn’t break so easily. If I could get my hands on some light armor. Something like a chest plate and other stuff along those lines. It might actually be worth it. With the right enchantments I could make some serious gear. Cindy was already working on the chest plate.
Wearing none player clothes meant I wouldn’t get any boosts towards stats but that was okay. If I needed a boost to a stat. I could always just equip the gear I needed during the fight. No longer did you have to wait till you were out of battle. I guess it made sense.
The only reason you couldn’t change your equipment, class, or hot bar around was because the fighting menu was different from the regular menu. Nowadays they were one in the same.
Though I don’t know if it’s a good idea to open your menu in the middle of battle. On the other hand I was able to pull that gun on Mantis relatively easy by just thinking about it. It took focus though and sometimes focus was hard to achieve during the heat of battle.
I was surprised at how comfortable the dress was. I also wore some white tights and a pair of light blue Mary Janes on my feet. I wanted to wear the pink ribbon, but it would clash with the outfit. I’d either sacrifice fashion or my life.
If I sacrifice fashion and die anyway. That meant I’d be laying in my coffin clashing colors but if I sacrifice my life then I’d look nice for when they bury me. What a dilemma. I didn't know what to do. That was until I got a quest.
New Qwest!
Quest: pink is the new black
Description: Aku is having a fashion crisis! Her favorite ribbon clashes with her new dress. In order to rectify this injustice. You must pray to Cosmo for divine intervention.
EXP: 0
Coin: 0
Reward: upgrade pink ribbon.
Was this for real? Cosmo? Why does that sound familiar. There was a memory of some lady but I don’t remember the context. If I'm supposed to pray to her….. then, I guess she’s some kind of God. So do I just pray? Like actually pray?
I looked to Shadow. She was busy brushing her hair. We were back in her room. She’d already brushed my hair for me.
The cat girl was wearing a pair of blue jean booty shorts and a white top. Under the shorts she had on black leggings. Over the top she wore a jacket. I’m pretty sure she had on a thong. I wasn’t sure though. On her feet were a pair of black sneakers.
The pants had a hole in them for her tail. It looked like all the clothes in her inventory came with a hole for her tail. It must be similar to how items got locked to the size of the last person that used them.
I figured it wouldn’t hurt to try and complete the quest. The pink ribbon was pretty useful. I mean it’s effects have yet to be seen but by their description it sounded good. It was also the only real gear I had.
I moved away from the mirrors line of sight so Shadow wouldn’t see me. Then put my hands together and dropped to my knees. I thought to an empty white void with a light blue haired E-girl sitting on a bluish white throne. I asked this Cosmo to help with my bow. And surely enough I felt something in my chest. A moment later the quest was complete.
I pulled the ribbon out of storage and it looked the same. I inspected it to make sure. What I found was interesting.
Originally it was ranked as unique but now. The ribbon had gone up to legendary.
The ranks in order from weakest to strongest went common, rare, unique, legendary, and mythical. Mythical was also referred to as SS by players since it was easier to type out in chat. I wasn’t sure what SS actually stood for but it was a product of an older game. They should of gone with M but I guess SS was just a more popular term.
There was also a rank above mythical. Which was known as prestige. It was usually known by players as the XD rank.
Prestige gear was special gear you could only get from tournaments. I never managed to get one since it was reserved for the top three winners. That's why it’s called prestige gear because whoever has it deserves respect.
Rhyme had one. It was called an arcane shadow Canon. I say canon but really it was more of a pistol. It basically fired dark magic. Nothing crazy. More like a low powered shadow bolt. It also had the ability to fire six low powered homing shadow lances.
The focus cost was kinda high to activate the ability and She had two of them. I was jealous.
The bow to start. It was no longer called a pink ribbon. now it was known as a ghost ribbon. It gave a 10% boost to charm now. I don’t get it. It looks the same as before.
The effect phase was upgraded to phase II. Kind of a shame since I never got to see the original ability at work. Then again that would mean I’d of been at risk. Phase II had a 35% chance at activating when attacked. That was pretty high. That might actually be broken. On the other hand even getting hit once might actually get me killed so it kind of balanced itself out.
It also had a new effect called ghost. It was basically a skill that made it harder to be spotted when using stealth. The movement speed boost it gave had gone from 5% to 10%.
To my surprise it had another effect attached though this one was less battle oriented. The effect was called color wheel. The ribbon could now change colors to match what ever clothes the person was wearing. It even changed your eye color.
It felt like I didn’t deserve it. I didn’t actually do anything to get the upgrade. I could of upgraded it myself with the guilds resources but something told me I would have gotten lesser results from it.
I could upgrade it myself to mythical but something told me it would be more beneficial for me to wait for another upgrade quest to pop up.
Whoever this Cosmo was. They must have something to do with the system. I wonder if that’s the key to getting home. For now there’s nothing I can really do so I was just gonna leave it at that.
I had to try this out. I made my way over to the mirror standing next to Shadow. She eyed me curiously. I equipped the bow and it attached itself to the top of my head. It shimmered with energy and changed color to match the blue of my dress.
A moment passed and my eyes started glowing. They were once pink but now they were a light blue. I could still see the hearts in my eyes but that was okay.
“Wow! That’s crazy!” I was so amazed. It didn’t even hurt. Did it change my eyes or is it some kind of illusion? Either way I was happy my eyes were no longer pink.
“How did you do that? Don’t tell me. Are you gonna turn yourself back into a guy?” She looked worried. Why was she worried that would be grate.
“No, I finished a quest and got an upgrade to the bow. It can change its color, and the color of my eyes to match whatever I’m wearing.” She looked relieved.
“Oh thank god. I don’t know what I’d do if I couldn’t see Aku anymore.” She went back to brushing her hair.
So in other words she liked my avatar more than me. Is this what it feels like to be one of those hot women. Where the guy supposedly is listening to everything they say but really he’s just staring at her boobs.
I was just a doll to this lady! I looked in the mirror and felt warmth flood my mind. What a cutie! With the dress and bow I was up to a 35% charm boost. The dress gave a 25% boost for some reason.
I noticed that clothes without stats have more charm than the ones with actual effects. I wonder if I can get the seamstress to make me something with a higher charm boost. I might be able to mind control people if I got it high enough.
Not that I wanted to control people. On second thought maybe that was a bad idea.
Shadow finished brushing her hair and looked to me smiling. “Master can you do a twirl for me.”
I crossed my arms over my body and took a step back. “No way!” I looked away to hide my embarrassment.
She leaned over and spoke in an enticing voice. Like a demon trying to make a deal with a low intelligence goth kid. “You know master… if you twirl for me….. I’ll make whatever you want for breakfast.”
That got my two brain cells moving. “Anything?” I asked.
She nodded. “Anything.” Her smile grew and her pupils became black slits.
I narrowed my eyes. “I want pancakes and coffee.”
Her smile dropped and she froze. I knew she wouldn't agree. Pancakes was whatever but coffee. That was a hard one.
“Sure.” She stood back up.
“What! Really?” I almost did a back flip to celebrate but then remembered I might hit the ceiling if I got to excited.
“Yeah sure, why not.” She nodded her head up and down as if coming to terms with the situation.
I did an enthusiastic twirl causing the dress to swing. It was a strange feeling to have the hem spin around like that. I did it again this time of my own interest. It was so satisfying to feel the fabric rush around my legs. It was almost like swinging a sword around in a perfect circle.
“Holy crap! this is kind of fun! Check it out Shadow!”. I spun around again. The twirl tickled my imagination and the illusion of a magical wave of energy extending out from the dress, played out in my mind.
I started giggling. “Yeah!” I spun again “Take that hentai monster!” another spin and I made an explosion sound with my mouth “ka-boooom!”
Shadow’s smile faded and that same “is this person crazy” look came over her. I realized what I was doing and stopped, blushing in the process.
“Haha…” I scratched my face averting my eyes. “Did I do something weird again…. Sorry"
She shook her head. “No, of course not. Your fine… actually, I wish I had a camera.” Her ears were doing that weird twitchy thing.
Oh yeah I wanted to ask her but forgot all about it after what happened this morning. “Shadow…. How did I end up in your bed?” I regretted it the moment I said it. A flash of memories that weren’t mine made themselves known. Not completely but glimpses of a night that never happened. A night that I didn’t remember.
She went quiet. I was afraid of what she might say. Before she could answer I hesitantly said “You don't…. You don't have to answer that. I'm really sorry if I did something strange. I might of not been myself last night.” I looked away.
There were these memories that I couldn’t quite put together. They were like an itch I couldn’t scratch. The bits and fragments I did see told a story that I really hoped was just a dream.
Shadow wrapped her arms around me. I felt a tear spill. It rolled down my face before I could even register it. Why was I crying? “Its okay master. You did absolutely nothing wrong.” My crying intensified and I couldn't hold it back any longer.
“I’m sorry! I shouldn't of said anything!” she cried along side me and held me tighter as memories of a broken Aku talking about her abusive mother flashed before my mind.
What right did that dam child have to give my burden away like that! It’s mine! It’s mine to carry! How could Aku have done that to another person! Especially to Shadow! It was mine to carry! Not hers to give!
We didn’t stay that way for long. It only went on for ten minutes but it felt like hours. I was thankful to have Shadow by my side. Without her I would of broken before I ever managed to leave the castle.
With that out of the way we left the room to attend to our own devices. I asked her to make extra because there was people coming over.
While Shadow got to work I headed outside to wait for them. As soon as I opened the door. Fresh air swallowed me whole.
It was chilly but not uncomfortable. That bubble thing was back and it kept me wrapped in a neutral temperature. I still didn’t really understand how it worked but I wasn’t complaining.
From what I could tell. It was produced when ever I moved around. Like how a windmill produces electricity. The bubble was fuzzy like static. It reacted to my actions and if I focused on it I could condense it around my body creating some kind of shell. I think it reinforced me somehow. Like a brace or armor.
If I focus it on a body part I can make it stronger. At least it felt that way. It needed more testing. That’s what I wanted to do but right now I was busy. I needed to watch out for the socialists.
I made my way over to the steps and sat down staring out at the street. I never actually gave them a time. I just said morning and breakfast. Oh well. For all I knew they might not even show up. I looked around at the property.
Our castle wasn't really a castle. While the building itself was an actual castle like structure. We didn't actually have the wall to go with it.
Instead of a stone wall we had a giant black metal fence with a few gates. The entire enclosure was a giant square with one large gate on the same side as the castle entrance and two smaller gates on each of the other sides.
Our property had a giant lawn. In total it was about ten acres. Most of the land was behind the castle. The entrance was actually about two hundred feet away from the front gate. Connecting the castle to the gate was a stone road outlined by trees. Each tree was about forty feet apart. This was a major upgrade to the tiny apartment I used to live in. I wish Alice was here. She’d love this place.
The castle wasn’t the only thing on the property. There was Clara’s garden. The stables where we kept all of Fish's tamer class mobs. Now that I think about it were we supposed to feed them? I’m pretty sure Mao hired an NPC for that. I’ll check on that later.
Let’s see what else did we have. There was the dojo Eco used from time to time to power up his monk skills. Then there’s also the underground library that boosts all types of magic for the whole city. Luca was insistent on getting that one.
Clara had Mao build her an alter to increase the effectiveness of her sacred arts and bless the property with some kind of protection.
Huh….. you know what. There’s no one to maintain the property. I should hire some NPCs to look after it. Shadow cleans and stuff but she can’t handle the entire place. What happens if the grass grows to high. What if the toilet gets clogged. Who’s gonna take out the trash. I need a real man to come in and fix stuff.
What am I saying! I am a real man! Oh, who am I kidding even if I know how to do all that. I’m only one person and the property is huge. How long would it take me to get around on my stubby legs. Power skipping everywhere sounded tiring.
I put those thoughts behind me. It was time to check the citizens tab. I gave it a skim and noticed there was a hundred-twenty NPCs missing. Well that wasn’t good.
We’re we under attack? Normally the system would let me know if my settlements were under siege. Grate, guess that wasn’t a thing anymore.
I looked over the details. It looked like there was NPCs missing from all over the place. A quarter of them were the ones I gave gold coins to. It marked their deaths as poisoned which was a funny way of saying over dose.
I checked their history and saw where the money went. Everyone knows if you want to find out who’s responsible you just need to follow the money. It was so easy in this world. The gold went to the same three people. One Regi, one Silver and a player by the name of Brave_Jacks.
A player? That was interesting. It didn’t show his level or anything just his name and that he was a male player. The NPCs weren’t one of mine. Looks like the purchase was made in an alleyway by ovule street. It was off to the south west side of the city.
I’ll deal with them later when I have the necessary man power. I could go in now guns blazing but then they might get away. I needed more info on them. How big was their operation? Who their leader was? Their suppliers. That sort of thing.
With enough man power I could cut off their escape. Like a game of chest. The other deaths were different some were robbery. The others were from hostile take overs. The village Zenith was completely eradicated. Not a single NPC was left. They didn’t even claim the land.
Most likely they didn’t want to deal with building up a village. They were probably only after food, gear, and other essentials. Why kill all the NPCs then. EXP? They were all mostly level ones. Highest level was four.
It just seemed like a lot of trouble to try and exterminate the entire population just to get your hands on resources.
Zenith provided the kingdom with wood from the forest. It also brought in herbs and pelts. Things you normally needed for potions and the like. Demon spider silk was also mined from there.
Hmmm….. what if it was so they couldn’t describe their attackers? Instead of setting up a settlement these guys are just taking what was already there. The buildings weren’t burned down or anything.
Most likely they think I’m gonna restock it on NPCs and they’ll hit it up again once it accumulates resources. Why mine it yourself when you can have someone else pay for it and rob them blind.
If that’s the case then they must be held up somewhere nearby. In the forest maybe? No way, the mobs would be way to annoying for that. Maybe near the cliffs. There are caves over that way. It would be easy to clear it out and post guards at the entrance.
It wouldn’t be to far away from the main road either. I wonder if any merchants or supply carts were taken near that area.
A closer look at the other dead NPCs told me two of them were delivering supplies from Zenith to serenity. So they had to be somewhere between the main road and Zenith. That put them near the cliffs like I thought. I went ahead and put a pin on the map.
That really sucked. Looks like they took them out in the middle of the night while they were sleeping. Even if we had noticed I doubt we would of made it there in time.
Hell, even if I summoned soldiers there. They would of all been slaughtered. Then I’d be out a couple crystal. I can’t help everyone. Not yet.
There were some NPCs missing from other settlements but those were just simple muggings. This was bad. It’s only been a day right and people are already turning to this. Can’t they see the NPCs are people. Maybe they do understand and it’s more of a survival kind of thing.
The hole was quiet today. I thought about stuffing my anxiety into it but decided against it. It didn’t really work out very well yesterday. I’d better be more careful otherwise I’ll end up a mess again.
I held onto the anxiety and anger. It twisted and turned inside me. I wanted to curl up into a ball but instead tried to clear my mind with meditation.
The heat from the sun. I focused on that and felt it mix with my body heat. After a while the anxiety and anger faded and I felt calm. If I’d just done this from the start yesterday I wouldn’t of spilled everything to Shadow.
I stuffed everything into the hole out of convenience and speed. The last thing I wanted was for my guild mates to think I was crazy. Which I wasn't. I was like totally sane. Yeah, totally sane. Totally sane….. sane.
I looked to the gate and could see a group of players there. I could even make out Shade’s black and blue tail. It looked as soft and fluffy as ever. I don’t think they noticed me yet. The fence did have a weird way of blurring things when looking in. I got to my feet and dusted off my dress. Maybe I could have a little fun with them.