Morte watched as Kirie scarfed down his sand jellyfish. She couldn't understand how he could eat so much of that vile food. Maybe it was his favorite she contemplated. After all, he did serve it to her instead of the sand whale she ordered earlier.
"So, what are you gonna do now?"
He looked at her with his mouth still full and asked, "What can I do now? The café's ruined and they know I'm human. Plus, I have nowhere to go home to anyway."
He noticed her not eating the vermin jellyfish and promptly asked for it. She looked on as he helped himself to the rest of the food. He had no home, just like her and yet, looked to be so content eating the food of strangers and chatting idly away with the one who'd been so willing to take him hostage earlier. Actually, he wasn't bad looking and seemed well natured. A genuinely nice guy she concluded.
"Morte, why don't you do the same?"
She inhaled a deep breath. Her face was one of more than mild surprise. She hadn't realized she'd been staring until she pictured the two of them settling down as a couple in that small village, eventually having a cute kid like the little girl Linan she'd just met. The lamp in the corner, lighting the room flickered momentarily. In another world and another time, maybe that would be nice. Some romantic fantasy lived out like the kind from story books. But – it wasn't her reality. Morte hardened her heart and told him of her plan to destroy the world. Kirie was incredulous and immediately pointed out many flaws but he didn't react in the extreme way most people did when hearing her plans. An obnoxious gasp, bulging eyes, hand covering their mouth etc. Instead, it was almost like he wanted to give her advice on her way of going about it.
'Heh, he doesn't know I have the Destruct Code to make matters simple.'
"With this, it only takes one person" she said with the dubious black orb held out over the table. Kirie had since stopped eating and reached out a hand to touch it, inexplicably drawn to it. Morte recoiled and the orb glowed green in the presence of its true owner, unbeknownst to either of the teens. Yellowish eyes appearing in various places with snake like coils making up the majority of whatever was inside. She'd never seen it do that before!
"Don't touch it! It has the power to destroy the world in the blink of an eye! You shouldn't get involved with me… You should just put on those fake ears and quietly wait it out in some café until the end of the world comes. Because I'll be the one to end it." Even as she said this, part of her wished she didn't have to complete this journey alone. Even she didn't want to have no one by her side as the world disappeared into nothing and every thought with it. Morte's eyes were downcast, her spirit feeling much older than her young age of 16. Kirie didn't deserve to die… but neither did her brother or parents. This was her destiny and she couldn't falter after obtaining the key to her plans. Not after coming this far. She decided to share her resolve outwardly, hoping to reinforce it in her own heart by hearing it again. She couldn't let him convince her to stay here with him.
"I won't let anyone stand in my way -…" He was asleep! 'That jerk' she thought sourly. Morte was instantly irritated but soon sighed and let it go. Her thoughts of what her life in this world could be like taking over instead. As she slept, she dreamt about a past that would never change, and a future that would never come to be. Restless, her sleep was superficial. She woke. Too many unnecessary thoughts. 'Where are these coming from? Humph, I haven't had to deal with frustrating thoughts about any of the other idiots I've met along the way. None of this will matter soon anyhow.' She would destroy this twisted world with her own two hands and that's all there was to it. Human and beastman alike would finally accomplish something in tandem with one another. Perishing in a cataclysm of absolute doom. An event that would know no partiality, extend any mercy, or feel remorse. Just pure destruction.
Morte lay awake staring at ceiling now with a grim smile, the back of one hand resting against her forehead. Her newfound fellow wanderer, 'Goodness he's a terrible liar' was still sleeping in a heap at the table. She wondered if the villagers had given them this one bed cabin assuming that they'd be sleeping together as a couple. Cuddled up close to keep warm, his arms wrapped around her and hers on his chest, face snuggled into his neck… Her face blushed red and her morbid smile was now a morbid frown.
It was time to go. Something wasn't right about this village anyway. Her 'friend' was sleeping a little too deeply for it to be considered natural. Especially considering he was in a hard wooden chair, being chased by the World Salvation Committee and in a foreign place where who knows if these people were trustworthy. She wouldn't be surprised if these people had drugged their food. Anything was a possibility when dealing with either human or beastman alike. It didn't matter. If even blondie there could figure out her identity after only a few stolen glances and an ugly wanted poster that looked absolutely nothing like her, then she could be in trouble. Unless he was smarter than he looked… she took a second to observe the drooling buffoon at the table muttering in his sleep and decided, that wasn't the case. Then these villagers could very well have put two and two together. She didn't miss the shifty way the men exchanged glances upon discovering they could offer the 'travelers' a place to stay. Whether they feared retribution from the beastmen for harboring criminals or they had their own agenda, Morte's gut told her to take precautions.
Hood on her head, weapon on her back, no destination in mind but a goal firmly affixed, she trod through the forest in silence. There was one main trail that looked often used heading out of the village in the opposite direction of town. Suddenly, not far from the village at all yet, another set of footsteps approached. Morte, being the stealthy and cautious person that she was ducked into the brush and waited for the figure to pass. She jumped out behind? Linan!
Morte's face immediately changed into surprise and worry. The little one just about had tears in her eyes! She must've been so frightened with that weapon at her neck! Morte half-heartedly listened, feeling guilty as the child exclaimed about trouble until she realized that her new friend was about to be eaten alive in her place all because he happened to get caught up in her haphazard battle at the diner earlier. Brave Linan wasn't worried about harm coming to herself right now in the slightest. It was Kirie who needed taking care of instead. 'He doesn't deserve that!' She was on the move in an instant, urging Linan to lead her to the man whose peril rested on her shoulders. Her brow scrunched in frustration and her determination set, she arrived at the scene of this sacrifice the girl spoke of. The enemy appeared to be a gang of cats none of which were over 3 feet tall. 'Leave it to him to be so easily captured' her eyes rolled subconsciously and she instantly felt that she'd be looking after this guy for some time to come if today's events were any indication.
The moon shone down on a scene of fanatics and one even bigger fanatic. She'd heard of the Cat Master sacrificing human girls to ensure economic prosperity before, but this was truly ridiculous. Feeding someone to a beast so sand-fishermen could catch a good haul for a few months made no sense at all. The idiots were already chanting incessantly and it was grating on her ears. 'Let's make this quick.'
Time to act. No plan needed to be formulated. She was simply going to do what she was good at, then grab Kirie and run. Nice and simple. Morte strode forward purposefully. Cat Master's ears twitched upon hearing heavy footsteps approaching. He turned quickly to survey the intrusion to their sacred ceremony.
"Hey what you doing here huma-?" was as far as he got before Morte punted him into the air, a shrill scream, fur standing on end and plenty of saliva flying through the air to accompany his literal fall from grace. Just as the giant octopus-like monster was gaining interest in Kirie's slumbering form, it was hit in the head by a soft blob of meat.
'Oh good, more food' was the extent of the creature's intelligence. He made quick work of the Cat Master despite his pleas for mercy and empty promises of riches upon his rescue. None of his feline companions were so daring and everyone else present was a clear enemy no matter how you looked at it. Morte hadn't planned on the creature choosing to devour the cat so quickly but she honestly thought it was fitting. How many innocent girls like Linan had been eaten alive for the superstitious attitude of that one beastman? Destruction for this world was the only true cure but a little retribution along the way couldn't hurt either. The giant creature had popped the cat into his mouth and began sawing through bone and flesh, chewing the Cat Master thoroughly before swallowing the carcass in one big gulp.
Kirie had woken up just in time to see a cat tail sticking out of the mouth of the monstrous beast, accompanied by the screams and sickening sounds of bones snapping in rapid succession. It was not what some would consider a quick death despite lasting a matter of 2 seconds. The octopus monster soon slurped the tail inside as well and in exchange a small stream of blood had dribbled out onto the sand below. From the moment he awoke, Kirie was not confused about the fact that he was next. How did it end up this way? Why am I tied up with melons against my chest to represent… fake breasts? Nothing was making sense right now. Kirie had these thoughts running through his mind trying to squirm away from the monster that was now trying to drag him off the stone platform in its sand pond but the only thing he could voice was his pure terror in the form of unmanly screams. Just as he thought his life would end here. A small bear landed atop the predator and plunged a knife into its head, wounding but not killing it. "I'm here to save you, Kuma!" Kirie went limp from relief and the bear arrived at his side. "Everything's ok now miss a true hero is here to – GACK! You're no fair maiden, Kuma!"
"Morteee!"
"Shut up you fool!" She was down in the alcove area now swiping at the beast with her weapon to get it to back off. The creature reared up its head long enough to give the two humans and bear another brief respite, not favoring the small cuts it was receiving from its new 'prey'. Morte took this time to free Kirie from his foot restraints and put him behind a rock out of harm's way. "Wait! Untie my hands too!" After all, the World Salvation Committee had begun repelling down into the pit shooting furiously. Morte ignored her useless companion leaving him still partially bound and began to ward off the nearby WSC soldiers. "Take him and go!" she yelled, choosing to trust the small beastman with her companion's safety for now.
"Hey, just untie me!"
"All of you stop telling me what to do, Kuma!"
That was the end of the discussion as Toppy hauled Kirie over his shoulder and leapt out from the cavern and began sprinting across the field towards the forest. "Hey, you could be a little gentler, carrying me like this!"
Images of carrying this obviously useless young man bridal style with his arms around his neck made Toppy stop running and gag, dropping Kirie in the process. Thoughts of a much too close for comfort, blushing blond man, groveling saying "Oh Toppy! You're my hero!" made him throw up in his mouth a little.
'Never again.' He cut Kirie loose and commanded him to 'fend for himself if he was a man, kuma' as Morte approached having defeated the majority of nearby soldiers. She reached them and stopped only to ask Kirie if he was ok. Her face was scrunched in extreme worry, her brow starting to sweat slightly from the recent combat. Kirie thought that she looked like a beautiful warrior under the moonlight. Except that he voiced that thought aloud instead of merely keeping it to himself. Morte's face turned from worry to absolute impassivity to uncomfortable confusion in seconds. They stood atop the grass staring at one another, each confused about what the other could possibly be thinking. It wasn't like he'd told her aloud what he was thinking right?
"Goodness Kuma! You two can get a room and stare into each other's souls later! Right now, we need to go, Kuma!"
The two looked from Toppy to each other three times each, spluttering about not being in a relationship and misunderstandings, both red in the face now.
This distraction was all the WSC needed to surround and corner them. "Kirie, get down!" Shots rang out in the night once again. The black orb rolled from Morte's pocket next to Kirie's head. Kirie reached above his head near his ear with some difficulty as Morte lay atop him, eyes wide as she realized her most prized possession had come from its storage place.
"Surrender now WDC, we've got you surrounded!" shouted one of the masked soldiers with a blue stripe running from his shoulder to his hip, indicating a position of command. "That beastman must be an accomplice too" Toppy heard another soldier mutter afterwards. 'Grrr, this is just what I was trying to avoid Kuma' he thought bitterly, sweat beginning to form anew on his temple.
Morte stood brusquely, kneeing Kirie in the stomach as she placed her weight there to push herself up. "OOF!" Some of the nearby soldiers cringed at the harsh behavior Morte was exhibiting. Seeing her ruthless attitude as she didn't even look down at Kirie after harming him gave them pause. Was the World Destruction Committee so ruthless that they didn't even mind harming their own comrades? And she was the only woman no less. How savage could these fiends get?
"Nobody move or we'll activate the Destruct Code!"
"She's bluffing!" yelled the commander.
"We'll do it, you better believe we'll destroy everything and everyone you love right freaking now!"
The moment was filled with a pregnant silence until Kirie rose, scowling at Morte. "That wasn't necessary you know!" No sooner had he said those words then the Destruct Code glowed its blinding ominous green, undermining the splendor of the full moon that night and making some of the soldiers shield their eyes. A high-pitched ringing sound began coming from the orb and everyone including the WDC gasped, mouths agape.
Fortunately for them, Morte recovered first. "If you care about any of the inhabitants on this dusty planet, you'll let us pass!"
"They're really gonna do it! Everyone stand down!"
Morte, grabbed Kirie by the scruff of his collar and began dragging him away, the orb still glowing, giving Toppy only a nod signaling him to simply play along. The three of them had made it into the forest by the time the orb stopped its display.
"Hey mister, I guess it wasn't my sister who needed the help but thanks for coming"
The group of three turned to look at the two siblings holding hands, beaming brightly.
"Cale told me he hired a hero to come rescue me. I didn't need help this time but I guess your friends there did. Hehe" she gave a brilliant smile and the supposed WDC members couldn't help but smile back at the adorable children. Morte simply gave a nod and turned to walk away. Kirie smiled and waved, following her lead, heading to the nearby shore. Toppy stayed for a while to give the siblings a short lecture about how heroes never left anyone in need with plenty of 'Kuma's' thrown in at the end of each statement, which the kids thought was adorable.
"….in this case, there are two kinds of heroes, Kuma. – "
"Umm, Mr. Kuma, aren't your friends going to leave you behi- "
"I am not a kuma, Kuma." Toppy said with an informative tone, slightly irritated. Then it dawned on him that the human man and woman were no longer beside him and had left in the direction of his sand skiff. Those scoundrels! He voiced a rushed farewell and ran after his supposed 'accomplices'. He looked to the east and noticed that the sun was beginning to cast its rays through the foliage. Those two could be gone by now even if they had walked at a leisurely pace!
"Kirie, come on. Help me untie this." Kirie for the first time ignored Morte. He was looking into every compartment possible like a curious child. A can of sand whale! 'Score!' It was quickly tucked away for later while Morte pretended not to notice.
Just as Morte got the engines started and began to pull away from the shore, they heard a shout.
"Hey! Where do you think you're going in my ship, Kuma?! Scoundrels!" He landed a heel right on Kirie's head right when the ship started to gain speed. Morte looked over her shoulder and gave a small chuckle at Kirie's misfortune. A small lump began to form, glowing red comically. He just couldn't catch a break these past two days.
"Where do you two criminals think you're headed I said! KUMA!" The skiff was a great deal from shore now and Morte put her hands on her hips and turned around to regard the little bear fully.
"Listen, what was your name?"
"Toppy, Kuma!"
"Ok Toppy, my name is Morte and as you already know, we're on a journey to destroy the world." She gave a smirk as if that was supposed to suffice for an explanation of where they were going and why she was commandeering his ship. Both of them ignoring Kirie's cries in the background proclaiming that he couldn't be lumped in with her and her destructive ways. Toppy picked up on this last part though and joined in.
"So! Why should I have to travel around with the world's most heinous criminal organization, Kuma! You two should just find someone else to bug with your couple's squabbles and law breaking, KUMA!"
This reaction only served to spur Morte on further, making her smirk turn into a cocky grin. "Now, now Toppy, let's be reasonable here. They already saw you with us and likely view you as an accomplice. I even heard them say as much after we climbed out of the pit. Besides, the name is cool but those guys at the World Salvation Committee just started calling me that themselves. I didn't ask to be branded this way." Morte completed her statement not sounding upset about the WSC imposed moniker at all, specifically choosing to ignore the comments about being a 'couple' with Kirie.
"But still, Kuma…"
"Look Toppy, just resign yourself. You're a part of our oh so loving World Destruction Committee family now! If you aren't with us, chances are you'll be singled out and submitted to brutal torture in no time. Your fellow beastmen interrogating you endlessly for information on the two of us that you'll never have."
Toppy's jaw dropped as Morte finished her dissertation with a big malicious smile and her arms spread out before her in a grand welcoming gesture. He slumped into one of the seats besides Kirie who had since withdrawn into a shell upon realizing he was going to be ignored for the foreseeable future. Resignation was the main sentiment of 2/3 of the ship's occupants. Morte hmphed and turned back to looking pointedly out over the sandsea from the prow, one foot resting higher than the other in a position of power satisfied with her victory in the battle of wits. She looked like a captain, truly, Kirie mused. A pirate captain specifically, seeing as she had forcefully commandeered this ship for herself. It didn't help that the actual owner of the ship had an eye patch and a bandana around his 'bare' head…or should he say 'beeear head!'
'Hahahaha, I crack myself up' Kirie thought to himself, giving low broken chuckles to himself without realizing it. Toppy grimaced. He was pretty sure the man next to him was beginning to lose his proper mental function, if it was ever there in the first place. Maybe he landed that heel drop a little too hard. He sighed and looked up to the now blazing sun. This was going to be a long journey.