Once Lizz had finally calmed down after my little prank we departed and started walking away from the house.

Are you sure this is the right way?

“Yes.”

How can you tell?

She turns around and points back at the house.

“See how the corner pointing this way is painted red?”

Oh.

So how far is it to the town by the way?

“It’s not that far actually, the only reason people haven't come here and disturbed me in my research is because they believe in some “ghost of the mound” going around killing people mumbo jumbo.”

Spirit of the mountain?

However she’s currently flying in front of me while looking forwards so she doesn't see what I say.

*tap* *tap*

“Hmm?”

I said; Spirit of the mountain?

*snap*

“Yeah, that's the one.” She says as she snaps her fingers.

“Wait, don't tell me you believe in them to?!”

Believe and believe, I met one of them. In fact he was the one that pointed me to your house when I was lost.

“What!? You need to take me to him, NOW!”

I don't think so, Charlton, that's his name by the way, said that they aren't too fond of, what did he call them… fleshies? Squishies? But other than that he was a really nice guy!

“Nice guy!? You do realize that every other sentient species is a “fleshy” right?! Even half-insects and demi-insects still have flesh on them!”

Oh.

“‘Oh.’ My ass! That guy would've probably fucking squashed you to death if you were any other fucking species!”

...

*cough* "... Or so the rumors say, not that I believe them or anything...”

And as she says that she turns around again with a slightly flustered face.

*Clang*

*shhhh* “D'you hear that?”

*Clang*

Yeah, what is it?

*Thud*

“Ugh!” we hear someone grunt.

“Hey, you okay Joanne!?” We hear someone else shouting

“I think there's a battle up ahead.” Says Lizz.

Let's go look, we might get some information this way, and we'd better hurry before someone gets killed!

And so we both hurry towards the sound, one of us running and the other flying,until we burst through a bush and onto the main road and see...

Two young girls, one of them, seems to have fallen and is laying down on the road while wearing a giant backpack with loads of pots and pans hanging off of its sides,the other is wearing what I think is leather armor with metal bits attached to it and was trying to help the one who fell get up get up. The one with the backpack has brown haird which covers her eyes and the one with the sword has red, not red like mine but fiery red.

Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

"..."

...

Lizz immediately hides behind my back, seemingly hesitant to meet anyone, and me and red start a stare off.

After staring at each other for a minute or so the girl’s face becomes one shade more crimson.

“What happened Hannah?” The brunette asks.

Red doesn’t respond to her and simply keeps staring at me, so the brunette, seemingly having given up on getting an answer, turns her head towards what red is looking at.

Towards at me.

"Is that a…?” The brunette asks.

“Maybe it is…”  Red replies.

“”Is that a Blessed Doll…!?”” ´They both ask in unison while the red starts blushing more and more and the brunette tries to stand up.

“Oof!” But with no luck.

“!”

Falling again seems to have finally been enough to drag red back to reality as she starts helping the girl back up.

“Thanks Hannah. What would a Blessed Doll be doing here?”

“I honestly have no idéa Joanne, but...”

“Um… Hi…” Without me noticing, Lizz had flown out from behind.

“A half-dragonfly? Are you the creator of this Blessed Doll? And… And why are you here?”

Lizz seems to barely be able to keep herself from breaking down when they call her a half-dragonfly, but she carries on nonetheless, just with a more hollow look to her smile.

“Err… I think I heard you guys call each other Hannah and Joanne, right? I’m Elizabeth, a traveler, I was taking a shortcut through the mountain forest to reach Eastern Lake city when I stumbled upon this guy en route, hes not actually a Blessed Doll but rather seems to be a part of a species called ‘plushy’, mind doing some self introduction?”

“...”

“Plush? What’s wrong?”

“...”

Lizz then smiles mischievously and…

*pok*

Flicks my forehead.

“That’s what you get for earlier!”

And although I would love nothing than to get back at her, I have something more important that I need to know…

Why are they so huge?!? Lizz, I never heard you say anything about giants!!!

Suddenly both the girls flinch and look oddly at me.

“te-text…”

“On his.. face...

And once they finally calm down enough to talk Joanne tells me...

“Oh, um, err… I-I assure you mister…"

"His name is Plush"

"Mister P-plush? We are not g-giants, we are just n-normal run of the m-mill humans.” Says Joanna while stuttering, but...

Like hell you are! You’re four times as tall as me! I write(?) as I point at her.

“Plush!”

What!

“Of course humans are taller than you! you’re only half a meter tall!”

*Shatter*

I could feel my entire world breaking apart like a mirror around me.

‘I… I…’

Losing strength in my legs, I fall forwards into an orz position.

Hannah and Joanna look at me with confusion while Lizz was trying to figure out how to mask what I was doing.

“H-Hannah, Johanne, err… Sorry about that, Plush seems to have been born in the forest so he only knows about the outside world from stories I told him while we were walking through the forest, and, well I guess I didn' clarify enough when I said us half-dragonflies were smaller than humans.”

“A-ah… sure...”

“Err...Yeah… ”

Lizz almost starts crying for just having called herself a half-dragonfly and neither of the girls seem to really know how to respond, and yet all this time Hannah has still kept blushing.

“A-ah, well… how about this, you said you guys were heading to Eastern Lake City right?! Well, we still have something we need to do first... But how about we meet up somewhere when we return?! How about… Our inn! yes! Both me and Johanna live at the Quartets’ Inn, when you get there, uhm… This!”

She quickly takes out what looks like a flat, round, multicolored piece of ceramic from underneath one of the metal plates on her armor.

“Give this emblem to one of the innkeepers and tell them you were sent by Hannah! They’ll give you two a room to stay in, free of charge!”

And as she’s saying that her face has gone fully flushed and her eyes are sparkling while she’s practically forcing the emblem on to me and ignoring Lizz’s existence.

Ah, erm, o-okay? when do you guys think you’ll be back?

Looking at the emblem it’s a flat square which is divided into 4 differently colored areas, one yellow, one blue, one red, and one brown, and they all have a different shape, also the Yellow part had a small "X" in it as well.

“Oh it should only take a day at most.”

Oh. Well in that case we’ll meet up then, b-

“Yes!! I’ll see you then Plush!!”

And as she says that she grabs her sister and runs off.

-ut where’s the inn…

Without reading my whole message…

I stare at their backs as they’re already disappearing from sight and Lizz bursts into laughter again.

W-well, let’s get going to the city then, I think I can see it over there.

And so we resume walking towards the Eastern Lake city.