-Break-

As Statilla talks to members of the campsite, she smiles with all her heart and soul. She tries to be completely and utterly defenceless as she tries to allow people to come near her heart, but still, she can’t help but be rigid, and one man seeing this decides he must do something about it.

Moving up stealthily behind her, Nero puts his hands on her waist and starts to tickle her nonstop.

As she laughs, she says, “What are you doing Nero!?”

“You are being way too closed off, let out the beast that I have seen these past three days.”

“Stop!” She says while laughing.

“I can’t hear you!”

As Nero continues to tickle her, she continues to laugh, until she is able to gain enough power to grab him and throw him right onto the ground. Then while she towers over him Statilla starts to pound his head with her foot repeatedly.

Nero screams in terror, “Stop!”

Statilla with a demonic smile, says, “I can’t hear you!”

Statlilla continues to stamp against Nero’s head for a little while until she runs out of breath. “Next time you do that I will stomp out your privates.”

Beaten on the ground, Nero says, “Yes mam.”

Behind the both of them, a string of claps go off, and with countless people in the campsite making faces of wonder.

Turning around in shock, Statilla says, “Sorry for my barbaric behaviour.”

But to her surprise, the members of the campsite sing her praises.

“That throw was amazing.”

“I didn’t know a dainty girl like you could pull off something like that.”

“You got some arm strength.”

Charles sticks up his thumb at her and says, “Good job!”

All this praise causes Statilla to blush and say, “It was no big deal, I simply did it on reflex. If you guys would like to know I could teach you.”

The group of people rush up towards Statilla and put up their hands saying, “I would love to know.”

“Teach me.”

“I want to know how to beat Nero’s butt as well.”

Nero screams, “HEY YOU TRAITORS WHAT’S WITH THIS BETRAYAL! ESPECIALLY YOU CHARLES!”

Charles moving over to Nero says, “You caused this for yourself.”

“HOW!”

Charles moving close to Nero’s ear says, “Because they all still remember how you used the technique Dónal taught you to beat them up.”

Nero screams, “YOU PETTY LITTLE CHILDREN THAT WAS OVER FOUR YEARS AGO GROW UP!”

The crowd screams back, “YOU GROW UP, WE STILL HAVE SCARS!”

Standing up, Nero says, “Well then I will give you more.”

As Nero prepares to walk forward, grabs his arm and knocks him on the floor and while on the floor she puts him in a grapple hold. Nero screams in pain but he is completely ignored.

Then looking at the crowd, she says, “If you put your foe in a move like this, you can break their arm really easily.”

“I see,” Charles says.

Moving over to Nero’s other arm, Charles copies the same move Statilla just used on his free arm.

“Like this?” Charles asks.

“Woah that’s an almost perfect copy, you're really talented!”

Suddenly a voice says to us all, “What’s going on here.”

Turning my head, I look at who is speaking and I see a woman with a rather huge belly.

Charles who is still holding onto his arm, lets go and gets up then runs towards the woman. “Sandra we were practising offensive attacks on Nero.”

Sighing, the woman says, “Could you all please stop this noise isn’t good for me or the little one.”

Realizing what I am seeing I let go and get on my hands and knees in front of Sandra and say, “Sorry for disturbing you and your baby.”

“Please don’t do that it is embarrassing.”

As I arise from the floor, Charles says, “But you married Pluso, so doesn’t that mean you don’t care about embarrassing things?” Charles says.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

Sighing, Sandra says, “If that sentence had come out of anyone else’s mouth they would deserve a slap, Charles.”

Charles asks, “Is what I said bad?”

Screaming at him, I say, “YES!”

Sandra then holds her stomach, while making a pained face. Freaking out, I say, “Is something wrong, is the baby coming now?”

“No, I just get those little pains every now and then. Things like loud noises make it worse, so could you all keep it down?”

I nod my head, repeatedly!

But behind me, someone didn’t understand her words. Nero says, “It’s time for round two.”

Turning around, I hold myself back from screaming at him and quickly move to attack him.

But before I even reach he is grabbed by the collar and pulled back. Looking past Nero I see a beautiful girl behind him, and stop completely in my tracks.

If Nero looked like a prince to me, then she would be a goddess. Her clothes are just like everyone else, tattered and ugly. But despite that, I still felt the need to bow down and ask to look upon her.

As Statilla stands there memorised by the girl, Nero looks at her with fright and says, “Hey Mariana, why are you making you’re, I am going to kill you face?”

With a bright smile, Mariana says, “Because I am going to kill you.”

Despite looking like a goddess she strikes Nero with the forces of a demon!

-Break-

The next day

Location: A few meters away from the River Lúide

Φ Standing close to the edge of a giant channel dug into the ground, Nero says, “I don’t understand Mariana’s problem.”

Charles beside, me says, “Is that anything new?”

“OF course, it is! I used to be able to always understand what was on her mind, but as she has gotten older she makes a whole lot less sense to me!”

“But didn’t she make very little sense when you first met?”

With a serious face, I say, “Hey Charles remember I told you not to bring up the incident from that period in time.”

“You mean when you kept trying to get close to Mariana but were acting like a fool, or the time when you cried because I hit you?”

Embarrassed, he says, “ALL OF IT! FORGET ALL OF IT.”

“Ok.”

“And anyways a lot of things have changed since then. I am finally starting to look like a man. Your cuteness has all but faded away since you're fifteen now, and Sandra is pregnant. Even this castle has changed. It is almost completed and any month now we are going to finally start flooding it with water.”

“You’re right. But won’t that also mean it is normal for Mariana to change.”

With a voice of distraught, I say, “YOU’RE RIGHT, AND IT IS DESTORYING ME. I didn’t even do anything wrong this time.”

Standing up, Charles says, “Do you want me to tell you why this is happening.”

Turning to him, I place my hands on his shoulders and say, “Yes please tell me you’re secret knowledge.”

“It is because you’re always Nerrowing your view of her, so if you expand it you will find the Maright answer to your problem.”

I simply standstill and stare into Charles's eyes, then moments later I put my arm around his head then squeeze, “WAS THAT SUPPOSED TO BE A JOKE!”

Charles struggling says, “I am practising my comedy.”

“WHY!”

“Because I want to make people laugh like Pluso does.”

Tightening my grip, I say, “One Pluso is naturally laughable it is not something one could ever hope to achieve by training, and second, YOU GOT TO PICK A TIME AND PLACE TO USE THEM!”

“I am sorry.”

“You better be,” I say as I let go of Charles. Walking away from Charles, I say, “I only have one thing left to do!”

-Break-

Location: Animal pens

Φ In front of a pen with countless pigs, in it Mariana stands and smiles saying, “I missed you guys so much.”

Getting close to the pigs Mariana grabs them and gives hugs saying, “I couldn’t see you guys since the beastkin were taking care of you during our work, but now I am back to absorb your wonderfulness.”

Looking at my children, I say, “Pinky you’re looking as vibrant as always. Marsella you're looking wonderful as well, even you Hank you make me want to give kisses to all of you.”

With a smile, I say, “The last three days have been really bothersome, thanks to a certain somebody but now that I get to see you I am really-,” My words as Interrupted as I feel two cold objects touch both of my cheeks.

Jumping away, I look around and see Nero who is holding his hands in front of his face. “I gotcha pig princess,” He says with a smile. “You’ve been so hot-headed I thought you needed to cool down a bit.”

With a smile, I look at Nero which causes him to say, “Why are you making, you're I am going to kill you face,” with sweat trickling down his face.

Ignoring him, I kick open the door to the pigs' enclosure and then point at Nero while saying, “Attack.”

The pigs all rush and attack Nero. He screams, “I was just trying to cheer you up since you’ve been angry for no reason.”

“The fact you think I am angry for no reason is what makes me mad.”

“Then why are you angry.”

“You should know!”

“HOW!”

“WELL FIGURE IT OUT.”

I walk away as my pigs continue to attack him, and then from my right side I hear, “You look tired Mariana.”

Looking, I see Charles so I hug him whilst saying, “Nero was just annoying me, but now that you are here I feel better. Why can’t that idiot just behave smarter.”

Beside me, Charles says, “Mariana I think you’re being stupid.”

Hearing this I stop, and look at him, and say, “You meant Nero right.”

“I think he is stupid as well, but so are you and since you're smarter than him I think it is really bad for you.”

“How stupid am I being.”

“Pluso level stupid.”

I fall to the ground and scream, “NOOOOOO! Anything but that!”

Looking over at Charles, with a saddened expression, I say, “Soi what can I do to fix this.”

“Tomorrow I won’t be there for learning, so just talk to Nero or else you will continue to be Pluso stupid.”

With tears falling down my eyes, I hug Charles and say, “Ok then I will try my best.”

-Break-

The next day

Location: Far east of the River Lúide, inside a nearby forest

As Mariana and Nero sit in front of the omega owl, they say nothing to each other.

“Hey, Mariana.”

“What Nero?”

“We have been sitting here for thirty minutes, aren’t we going to do some studying.”

“No.”

“Then why are we here!”

“SHUT UP!”

With a docile tone, Nero says, “Ok Mam.”

Dammint, I really thought I knew what to say to him but now I am confused, my head a mess thinking of how I am going to order my thoughts.

Suddenly I feel a hand rubbing my head, and then I hear Nero say, “Please don’t be stressed out.”

Looking at him, I say, “What are you doing?”

“Whatever I can to make you happy again. I don’t know what I did to make you upset but please whatever, it is I am sorry.”

Suddenly my heart calms, and I say, “For the past three days you have been ignoring me.”

“No, I wasn’t, I was just helping Statilla get used to the campsite.”

“But when you returned to our hut every night you just went to bed and didn’t say anything to me.”

“I couldn’t talk to you.”

“Why!?”

“Because whenever I talk to you I get loud, and my voice starts becoming too loud. If the beastkin heard us they could have hit you, and I promised to never let that happen.”

Sighing, I say, “Couldn’t you just have spoken quietly.”

“Impossible, when I am around you I am too happy to do that.”

The air around both of them becomes heavy. What the hell is even going on I am starting to feel weird, I feel like something is about to happen. Wait Mariana what are you even thinking!?

With her face bright red, Mariana gets up and runs away.

Nero gets up and runs after her, screaming, “You really are not well!”

“STAY AWAY FROM ME!”