Pre-Story Notes:
Remember when I said that the fic was dead and that it wouldn't be finished?
I lied.
Surprise, motherfucker!
Chapter 07 - Think again, boyo.
With a terrible jolt, I found myself falling out of bed and scrambling to my feet in a great panic until I recognised my surroundings. I was still in the inn I'd fallen asleep in the previous night. Not back home in my comfy Earth bed, but in Wonderland.
I wanted to grab one of the chairs of the table I'd been sitting at the previous night, and just let loose on everything in the room. Smash, and scream, and wail, and curse everything for jerking me around so. Of all the dreams, of all the fucking dreams I had to suffer, it had to be one of waking up back home, back where I was safe.
But then I remembered the Cheshire at the end, and my fury was quelled, if only mostly. As terrible and disheartening of a dream as that was, it meant that the Mamono hadn't found their way into my world, that Earth was safe.
I breathed a sigh of mixed emotions, relief, anger, sorrow, resentment… Seems as though it's not going to be as easy as that. Gonna have to buck up and make it to the Queen of Hearts if I want out of this hellhole.
I stood from the bed, lifted my jacket from the table, and withdrew the playing card Elizabeth had given me earlier. I just had to make it to the Queen of Hearts, and this nightmare would end.
I deposited the card back into the jacket's inner breast pocket, threw the outer layer back on, and promptly slid my katana back into its frog on my hip.
"You won't break me." I stated aloud, to nobody in particular, though also to the realm itself. "You fucking hear me, Wonderland, you wretched pile of degenerate shit? You. Won't. Break. Me."
As I stepped into the Inn's main reception, bar, and apparent party area, it quickly became apparent that the crew there had gone on all night, and only recently passed out if the thick stench of that horrid drug Calajorn's still being present in the air despite the lack of smoke was any indication.
I glanced around the room which was filled to the brim with passed out Mamono and Incubi all piled up on top of each other in random heaps, to notice Camille waving to me from the bar, which was being staffed by a cow girl from the looks of it.
Though I was tempted to just leave without engaging her, knowing better than to trust a Mamono, I would need a guide and food if it was really a two-week long trip, and she'd know better what could be foraged and eaten better than I.
So only mostly against my better judgement, I approached her, and did my best to ignore the curious gaze of the cowgirl barmaid that seemed rather surprised by my presence.
"Good morning, Jet." The scantily clad dhampire chirped. "You seem to have slept well."
I couldn't help but snort derisively as I responded. "I'll have to disagree with you there." She looked somewhat concerned before I waved it off. "Doesn't matter, I'm sore as shit, but I'm at least not tired anymore. So, that aside, I'm going to cut to the chase here because I don't want to waste any time. Would you be willing to guide me to the Queen of Hearts?"
She seemed a tad taken aback at how forward I was being, and her eyes narrowed as she looked off to the side, seeming to consider my proposal- "Yes." She responded quickly.
"Oh," I started lamely. "Wasn't expecting you to say yes so rapidly."
She stood from her stool with a stretch. "Any excuse to get away from that insufferable Lucrezia is one I'll happily jump on." She responded with a smile. "And any dhampire would be quick to help a person in need. It's in our nature to be helpful towards your kind."
And she'll be trying to get into my pants the entire way… But if I'm remembering correctly, she won't attempt to force herself on me at any point, she'll keep other mamono from forcing themselves on me, and with my apparent resistance to the corruption, I should be able to hold out and keep my dick out of her.
...Though that would be difficult if she starts actively courting me, I admitted internally, finding it difficult to not notice her voluptuous, well-toned and mostly uncovered body even when focusing on her face. Be strong. I commanded myself. Buckle for nothing and no-one. You will not be bested, you are unbreakable.
I nodded appreciatively. "You have my most heartfelt thanks, regardless."
"Think nothing of it, Jet." She asserted with a wide, beautiful smile.
You. Are. Unbreakable.
I coughed and decided to press the issue of moving on. "So, what will we be needing for the trip?"
Camille nodded, and turned to address the barmaid. "We'll need enough travelling rations to make it to the next settlement, and a tent, if you happen to have any."
With my new, local-made canvas and leather backpack in place on my back along with my trusty messenger bag, containing enough food to get us by for a few days which probably wouldn't corrupt me as well as a small tent only just big enough for two (seems another human that got Shanghai'd into the realm had left it there before being Incubized by a jubjub, so the barmaid just let us take it), we passed by the village limits and found ourselves marching along the cliff's edge trail I'd noticed on my way into the village.
Camille was significantly stronger than me, but if we got into a fight I didn't want her loaded down with a bunch of crap when the rapier suggests she's a nimble type, so I'd decided that I'd be the designated pack mule for the duration of the trip.
"Okay, so," Camille started as we neared the sharp turn that would place the cliff between us and the jubjub village. "It should take us two days to reach the Whispering Meadows, which is where the next closest village on the way to the capital is." Apparently most settlements didn't bother to name themselves in Wonderland, for whatever reason. "We'll have to pass through the Fertile Woods on our way there if we want to waste as little time as possible. There are a lot of Cheshire Cats there, but they should keep their distance when they notice that I'm travelling with you."
"And why is that?" I grunted as I adjusted the heavy bag on my back.
"Cheshires aren't known to make advances on another Mamono's man, and most will assume that we're together." She stated nonchalantly. In any other case, I might have protested such an assumption, but if it'll keep Mamono from bothering us, then I'll suck it up.
"You sure about not telling your partner that we're leaving?" I asked warily.
"She'll eventually find the note I left for her in her room." She sighed. "And I'd really rather not have her around while I'm with you. Like all Jabberwocks, she thinks she has the right to dominate men as it pleases her, and I wouldn't be able to tolerate that kind of behaviour with someone I've sworn to protect." She stated resolutely, never taking her eyes off the map she was looking over.
I grunted non-committedly and redirected my gaze down into the valley the stacked cliffs we were travelling along overlooked. The technicolour fields and forests really were just flat-out beautiful and pleasant to look at. Shame about the whole rape dimension thing, but I could see why some ignorant people might think that Demon Realms might not be so bad, given how gorgeous most everything had been up to this point.
Of course, I knew better than the average peasant living in settlement that borders a demon realm, but the sights were lovely if nothing else.
Eventually the persistent squawking of the jubjubs and ever-present sounds of unrestrained sex faded behind us, leaving only the wind and the occasional chirping of ordinary (by Wonderland standards) birds that were perched atop the occasional underdeveloped tree which clung to the side of the evidently nutrient-poor soil of the trail. There were also a few flying lizard things, and what I could only describe as a living balloon animal that lazily floated by us in the empty air overlooking the valley.
It was… Pretty nice, actually. If I ignored that the far too pretty girl walking along me was a literal monster girl, and didn't focus too much on the fantastical flora and fauna, it was almost as though I was out on a regular hike again.
...Fuck hiking, I'm never going into nature again once I find my way back home. Fucking random forest portal to Wonderland bullshit.
Putting one foot in front of the other, I buried my frustrations, took a deep breath, and forced myself to keep moving as I rested my off hand on the hilt of my katana. Giving up now would be bullshit, and lord help me, much as I know I'll hate every step along the way, how I'll probably wind up regretting everything before this is all done…
I will see this journey through to the fucking end. This world...
Will. Not. Break. Me.
