After we left Wise, he said he would soon announce our plan to everyone. But first, we had to prepare for the escape. Apparently, Hiroshi didn't have enough gunpowder for the plan and needed more.
Being in a mine, we expected gunpowder to be plentiful, and it was. The Sage told us where to find it, so we set off for it. When I was pulling the wheelbarrow for the gunpowder, I wasn't paying attention and I bumped into something fluffy. It didn't hurt, but the impact knocked my map out of my pocket.
When I picked up my map, it showed that the black dot was right in front of me - meaning the person I was looking for was there. When I put the map away and looked up, I saw something interesting: a panda wearing clothes and a fisherman's hat.
He stood in front of us and tipped his hat slightly, revealing a cute face. He smiled and said,
"I'm sorry, I didn't see you coming. Are you all right?" He asked.
"No, no, I'm fine, thanks for asking."
"As a paramedic, my priority is always the health of others," He replied.
He then looked at us in surprise and kept talking.
"Wait a minute! I've never seen you here before! Or was it you they were talking about?"
"I guess we are. We did not expect the news to spread so fast."
"Yeah, it's not a big place. I would like to ask you something if you don't misunderstand. How did you manage to fall into a hole surrounded by huge rocks and trees?"
"It's a long story. But our goal wasn't to get here - we were looking for someone."
"Wow, I'm curious. What kind of person are you looking for?"
I told Panda directly what our target was because he was exactly who we were looking for, at least that's what the map said.
"We're looking for someone who will fearlessly fight against the Epics with us."
Panda laughed and said, “I’m sorry, but I don’t think you’ll find anyone interested in war here. People here are not very interested in it.”
“But the map points to you,” I replied.
“I’m standing in front of you, yes, but I’m a healer, not a fighter,” Panda explained.
I took out my map and showed it to him. “According to the map, you’re the one we’re looking for. I’ve already asked if the map could be wrong, but I’ve heard that’s not possible.”
Panda took the map and examined it. “I know this map. It’s a rare piece. They say it shows you where you want to go or the person you need. Where did you find it?”
“My uncle gave it to me for my birthday,” I replied.
“I see,” Panda said. “But what I don’t understand is why you would come to this forgotten place and ask for my help to fight the epics when this map could make you rich and allow you to do many things. Can you tell me why?”
“There are many reasons,” I said. “But the most important thing for me is to save lives, just like you. I want to help people and all lineages. I want to show that there’s still hope in the world, but I can’t do it alone. That’s why I need your help.”
“Come in,” Panda said. “Let’s talk before the wise give their speech.”
The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
We went to Panda’s house. It was quite narrow compared to his body structure. After we all found a place to sit, Panda looked at us and said, “I don’t want to waste your time, but I would like to tell you a few things about myself.”
“When I was a child,” he continued, “I had no one. I wasn’t from a lineage. I didn’t know who my family was or where I came from.”
Hiroshi looked at him in surprise. “I thought you were a Haflet,” he said.
Haflets are a lineage of half-human, half-animal people. My uncle had told me a few things about this lineage, so I still had some knowledge about it in my mind.
“I thought so too,” Panda replied. “But I’m not.”
He smiled and added, “I’m just a fluffy talking panda. I don’t have any human traits. So I have nothing to do with that lineage.”
Lezlie asked, “Well, what happened to you then, Panda? What's your story?”
Panda took a deep breath and began to recount his past. “People ostracized me,” he said. “I was sure I was going to die of starvation or something. I didn't know what to do to survive, I was alone in the middle of the forest. But then a father figure appeared and took me in. They say people don't remember much when they are babies, but I remembered every second of that moment. He was a kind-hearted healer known to everyone, but he was also very talented in combat. He fed me and taught me all his knowledge about healing and survival. Whenever I asked him why he did this, he always laughed and said, ‘Every living being has the right to live. This applies even to an insect or plant. No matter what, they must also taste the beauty of life.’”
“After hearing those words,” Panda continued, “I wanted to help people and all other living things with my healing knowledge. So I came back here. When I first arrived, there was no trouble. It was a fairly quiet place. Whenever people were injured during the excavation, I helped them with the knowledge my master had taught me. But it didn’t stay the same forever. From a place they were digging, an unknown dark and cold pit appeared. It was really deep. They entered the pit anyway, but they had no idea what they were facing. Just as I was about to leave, something terrible happened.”
“The creatures attacked them,” Panda said. “I tried to save as many people as I could, but there were too many creatures and they were too fast. So we retreated here. After that, the creatures multiplied more and more, destroying almost all the available exits. No one knows if we’re alive or dead. And no one came to save us. At this rate, we’ll die of food shortages or the mine collapsing on us.”
“How long have you been here?” I asked.
“Two years,” Panda replied.
“Two years is quite a long time, especially for a panda,” Hiroshi said. “Does your master know that you’re here?”
“I sent him letters,” Panda replied. “But I haven’t received a response from anyone in a long time. We’ve tried to get out of here many times, but unfortunately, we haven’t been successful.”
I stood up. “We have an idea to get out of here,” I said. “But we need your help and the help of the people here.”
“Help?” Panda asked. “What can you ask of me?”
“While we distract the creatures, these people need protection,” I explained.
Panda’s eyes shone with happiness. “I understand now!” he exclaimed. “Well then, what’s your plan?”
“My friends and I will distract the creatures and buy you time to dig a tunnel at the entrance to the door,” I said. “You’ll be able to get out easily. But someone has to protect the people, and if you do that, we’ll be very grateful.”
“I'm a little rusty, but I have the strength to protect people. You can trust me on this,” Panda said. “But how will you get out of here?”
“By using the holes, of course,” I replied.
“The holes are almost ten meters high,” Panda pointed out. “How are you going to reach them?”
“If Hiroshi can get enough gunpowder, we can do it with a little power,” I said.
“But even if we do that, the creatures could come out,” Panda warned. “That would be very dangerous for us.”
“That’s why we’re not just going to use gunpowder to escape,” Hiroshi said. “We’re also going to blow this place up. That’s the only way we’re going to get out.”
“I understand that,” Panda said. “Of course, I can help you in this situation, but I have a request for you.”
Hiroshi sighed. “What is it?”
“I have been here a long time and I know these creatures best, I have learned their weaknesses, their postures, many things,” Panda said. “I have also memorized a whole mining route here, so I want to help you to distract the creatures.”
“Panda is right, he has the most knowledge among us here,” Lezlie said.
Hiroshi looked Panda up and down. “A piece of land that will throw us into the air might be a little weak for your weight,” he said. “But with a little more gunpowder, it can be done.”
I suddenly remembered something. “Oh, I’m sorry,” I said. “I forgot to introduce us. I’m Ryuu. This is Hiroshi and this is Lezlie.”
Panda spoke in a soft tone. “Nice to meet you,” he said. “I’m Babu.”
“So, Babu,” I said. “Now that you know our plan and what we're aiming for, I want to know, will you join us? It would be so good to have a healer like you.”
"I can think about it if we get out of here," Babu replied. "Besides, I need to visit my master again."