“So... will you answer my question now.” The taunt in Marianne's voice didn’t go unnoticed, and Alpheus couldn’t suppress the indignation he felt.
“Yes... Yes, I was...I was about to ask another question...” He said, looking at the ground and pouting.
“I see! I expected better from you, Alpheus! That was quite shameful of you! I suggest respecting the rules from now on!”
Alpheus probably thought that the glare he gave her, but it was pretty much the opposite. It was the kind of expression that only a child could make. Instead of feeling intimidated, one couldn’t help but feel endeared. It’s also enjoyable to see him grow the guts to glare at her in the first place.
“Are you going to ask your question now?”
Alpheus pondered for a while on what to ask. He was really startled by her previous answer, so he figured.
“Where... are you from?”
She didn’t hesitate to answer.
“From a faraway land!” She gave him the vaguest answer possible, which irritated him immensely. It seems she wouldn’t give him a satisfying answer.
Apparently, he needed to be smart about the questions he posed.
“Try harder, squirt!” Marianne had to admit that she was getting a bit childish, but she had too much fun now that she learned how to push his buttons.
“What is a...!?” He was about to ask but covered his mouth before it was too late. She regarded him with a sardonic smile as he kept quiet briefly. She's pretty sure he's just beating himself up over feeling like a complete idiot.
“Hmmmmmm, You’re starting to learn, don’t you?” It took a while for this sentence to reach Alpheus’ mind palace, but as soon as it registered and he returned to reality, he flinched and raised his head hastily.
“Yes, I am! I’m not going to fall for those tricks again!” He shouted this from the top of his lungs before deflating and letting out a heavy sigh. It seems like he was already overwhelmed. She was worried that she would need to find a way to prevent him from giving up already. That concern was unnecessary because he clapt back immediately.
Just like that, he pointed his finger at her, dramatically so.
“What is a squirt!?”
He looked a bit too proud about the resurgence. Marianne couldn’t keep a straight face.
She broke into laughter and didn’t quiet down for a while. After she calmed down and wiped some tears, her eyes revealed Alpheus pumping his fist. He looked genuinely proud of himself.
“Miss Marianne! You broke the second rule! Now I get a command, too!” Marianne thought that his grin couldn’t possibly grow wider. It seems like he started to understand the game now. He also learned how to make her laugh.
“Oh dear, I was bested!”
To say those words made him gleeful would be a major understatement. He just stood there, looking like he was about to run around the area at the speed of sound. When he returned to reality and remembered where he was, he looked towards Marianne, who was smiling at him gently.
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
“Good job, Alpheus.” Those words made him blush.
“Uhm... thank you!”
Wow, he’s truly getting better at this. He’s not stuttering nearly as much as before!
“I suppose I need to answer your question now. A squirt is a small and incompetent child that’s easy to make fun of.”
Alpheus, visibly offended, was about to object, but she interrupted him.
“But I suppose that insult was inaccurate on my part. It seems like you’re plenty competent. Forgive me for the arrogance.”
Alpheus was at a loss for words to have Marianne bow her head to him. Overwhelmed, he managed to say.
“I-It’s ok! It’s not... a major issue...”
She smiled.
“Well then! It’s time to end the game now.”
“What!? But we’ve only started playing!”
“You got your point, didn’t you?”
That caught him off guard.
“But...”
He stumbled over his words to find a way to convince her to continue, but he came to a sudden realization.
He gasped and looked up to see Marianne grinning at him. At that moment, she looked like she was truly evil incarnate.
“I.asked.a.question.” She pointed a finger at the shell-shocked boy.
“You...!” That betrayal shook him to the core.
“I guess I’ve got one more command now! Now then, regarding my question....” It seems like she will be able to ask the real questions from now on. She trailed off, awaiting the response she knew was coming.
“Yes, I have a point now. And I will take even more from now on, too!”
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As the two engaged in this stupidly childish competition, the humans pursuing them continued their search after meeting the elf.
“Everyone! Gather your stuff and get going.” He gave the command and turned to see that the elven woman didn’t even bother to discuss any further matters with them and continued walking. Everyone, save for the leader, gripped their weapons and glared at the woman with deep-seated anger. She had her backs turned on them, so they were likely considering how to ambush her. However, the swordsman gave them a startling shout.
“Didn’t you hear me the first time?! Get going!”
Irritated by the intruder’s appearance, they weren’t about to ignore his orders.
Usually, the leader would have responded to such blatant mockery by their guest with violence.
Even without his short temper, he couldn’t afford to take such actions of disrespect lightly. As a mercenary group, they mostly found clients in nobles who needed to get dirty work done outside the usual border to care for their unsavory business discreetly. There’s no way to acquire such connections and build that reputation without developing ruthlessness that doesn't hesitate to cut someone down.
This would be the case usually, but this matter was different entirely. Given her identity, he had to keep a tight lid on this situation, but his subordinates didn’t think the same way. The men held their weapons with uninhibited bloodlust. Their thoughts seemed to intertwine as the mutual malice spilled forth in their minds.
“Who does this bitch think she is?”
“She came here uninvited and thinks she can order us around!”
“What is our leader doing, just taking it?”
“He’s going to kiss that woman’s ass now?”
“She must be getting a big head 'cause she’s a damn elf.”
“Nothing but a pretty face.”
“Their kind has always been an annoyance, fuck!”
"Just cause humans are supposed to be buddies with all these other creatures?"
"We're the ones with weapons."
"We humans overtook your thrones long ago; you damn degenerates."
“I want to cleave her head right off her shoulder.”
“She should be on all fours, begging for mercy.”
“I want to kill her.”
“I want to kill her.”
“I want to kill her.”
“I want to kill her.”
“I want to kill her.”
“I want to kill her.”
“I want to kill her.”
“I want to kill her.”
“I want to kill her.”
“I want to kill her.”
“I want to kill her.”
“I want to kill her.”
“I want to kill her.”
“I want to kill her.”
“I want to kill her.”
“I want to kill her.”
“I want to kill her.”
“I want to kill her.”
“I want to kill her.”
“I want to kill her.”
“I want to kill her."
----------------------------------------
In the far distance, somewhere, many smaller animals began running around the area in hordes. Everything moved in a panic, from the smallest critters to some of the largest local predators. They were escaping something.
Further ahead, a wind pressure erupted, blowing nearby trees away and ripping them off the ground. The ground erupted, and birds flew away.
Something growled.