-I'm like so sick so if any of this is weird blame all the cold medicine i took today-
monsters are
Giroro-Ganrougel
Keroro-Kurse
Tamama-Taiki
Dororo-Aldmora
Kururu-Krueger
-Nella out... passed out with a bag of goldfish in my hand (preferably)-
"Fine." Ganrougel sighed as he stepped back out into the world. Natsumi and Fuyuki followed behind him as far as the gate. Ganrougel closed his eyes and forced his body to change. Natsumi watched in shock as the red monster turned into the rotten deer she saw long ago. Bones snapping and muscles twisting to the new shape. Once he was finished he turned to Natsumi. "Remember once we get there you have to do exactly as I say, down to the littlest of demands ok?"
Natsumi nodded. "But why are you going as a deer?"
"You don't think it would scare the average humans we go by to see a mutated and bloodstained man? Besides I run faster like this and we can fly by them without too much disturbance." Ganrougel lowered himself down. "Hurry up and get on."
"You mean... ride you?" Natsumi turned red. She wasn't sure how comfortable she would be riding a dead deer. "What if someone recognizes me?"
"Like I said we'll be running too fast." Ganrougel explained not seeing her point. Natsumi nervously complied and held her skirts down as she climbed up. She placed one hand over Ganrougel's shoulder. Ganrougel chuckled. "You're going to want to hold on better than that."
"I have to hold down my skirt! If we run as fast as you say everyone's going to see my underwear!" Natsumi shrieked as her face flushed.
Ganrougel huffed. "No one will have the time to notice that and you don't want to get thrown off and crash into a tree or something."
Natsumi whimpered quietly to herself as she let go of her skirts and placed both hands on his shoulders.
"Are you ready?" Ganrougel looked over his shoulder to her. Natsumi gulped and nodded. "Here we go."
Ganrougel instantly leapt over the gate. Natsumi was surprised and wrapped her arms around Ganrougel's neck so she wouldn't slide from his back. His hooves clacked carefully over the road as they ran. Natsumi held her eyes tightly closed as the sound rang through her mind helping her to ignore the slight breeze on her inner thighs and rear.
"You're not afraid are you?" Ganrougel laughed.
"No way!" Natsumi refused to let him make fun of her and opened her eyes. She watched buildings and cars and people blur past them. She felt her hair whip through the wind and couldn't stop the bubbly feeling it gave her. She straightened up a bit but kept her arms firmly around Ganrougel's neck. She started to smile at the rush of excitement. "This is amazing!"
"I knew you'd like it." Ganrougel softly bleated as he picked up his pace.
It wasn't too long before they were in the woods of the country. Ganrougel slowed to a trot now that they were far from onlooking humans. Natsumi sat up feeling confident in her balance. Ganrougel felt her hand carefully slide down from his neck and shoulders. There it was again, a new sensation she showed. Ganrougel had never been touched so soft and caring before he met her. It was warm and he liked it.
"Are we almost there?" Natsumi asked as she looked through the trees around them.
"Yes. His place is hidden in the woods because he hates humans even more than me." Ganrougel explained as he pushed his previous thoughts aside. "I just try to avoid the ones I don't need to kill but he doesn't have a real preference for which he destroys. He'll take anyone who finds him and when he's bored he'll pick up the nearest target."
"Really?" Natsumi felt a lump in her throat.
"He does have one human 'friend' if you can call him that. The only one he won't kill which still confuses me." Ganrougel went on.
Natsumi didn't really want to know the one human that this creature wouldn't kill. They might be just as horrible and cruel as Ganrougel described the monster. "So what should I expect?"
"He used to be a volunteer for scientific research and it got him some unwanted upgrades. He has extra limbs as well as some replacement parts from other animals. The scientists were trying to create the perfect hybrid by taking a significant feature of each animal. He was their favorite subject because he's smarter than an average person." Ganrougel spoke as he stepped over a small stream.
"So he's pretty much like Frankenstein's monster from the story?" Natsumi asked trying to grasp the idea.
"Yes, except he wasn't built of dead parts. He's still a living person." Ganrougel walked past a few more trees before he stopped. Natsumi looked around but didn't see anything other than trees, rocks, and plants. "We're here, you can get off now if you want."
Natsumi carefully hopped down to the ground and watched Ganrougel change back into his more humanoid form, still wincing as the bones cracked. I hope that doesn't hurt. Ganrougel grabbed the edges of a huge rock slab and lifted it up easily. He let it fall to the side, revealing a metal hatch. He opened it to show the ladder rungs descending into pitch darkness.
"I'll go first then you can climb down." Ganrougel jumped down through the darkness.
"Monsters are crazy." Natsumi mumbled to herself before beginning her descent. After a while it became harder to see the rungs. Natsumi almost slipped off of one but quickly regained her grip.
"Good, you're almost there." Ganrougel's voice startled Natsumi, calling from a short distance further down.
"Wait! You can see in this darkness?" Natsumi reflexively pressed her skirt against her legs.
"Yes and I'm not looking at your skirt I promise." Ganrougel sighed. Natsumi steamed with annoyance before storming down the rest of the ladder. "Now keep your eyes closed and follow me."
"I can't even see in the first place, how am I supposed to follow you?" Natsumi glared in the direction she expected him to be standing. Suddenly she felt warm slender fingers slowly wrapping around her hand. "Oh my god! That's you right?"
"Yes." Ganrougel was entertained to say the least as he watched her jump knowing she couldn't see him.
"Freakin' warn me next time!" Natsumi yelled. She would have punched him if she knew where he was exactly. Ganrougel only grinned as he lead her on down the dark tunnel. Natsumi kept as close to him as she could so she wouldn't bump into any walls or turns.
After a while Natsumi still couldn't adjust to the darkness. She couldn't even see Ganrougel's red skin less than a foot in front of her. All she heard was her soft footsteps overpowered by Ganrougel's hooves clopping on the stone floor. So far the floor seemed pretty flat so she didn't worry about tripping over something. The air was cold and Natsumi fought hard to restrain her shivers and goosebumps. She realized how she was starting to cling to Ganrougel's hand for warmth and blushed. She hated feeling like she had to rely on anyone for anything, especially Ganrougel. I won't let him see how weak I am.
Soon Ganrougel stopped with Natsumi only one step from walking right into him. He turned to her and continued to hold her hand. "This is your last chance to close your eyes. I don't want you to really see what he has in there."
"Why not? What kind of things could he be hiding?" Natsumi whispered as her imagination started warping stories she had heard through her life.
"He has a collection of 'trophies', his term not mine, and some of his own experiments." Ganrougel spoke softly implying the real horrors it could be. Natsumi nodded and close her eyes. Ganrougel opened a large bolted door. Natsumi could hear the stress of the metal as it swung. A soft glow of light rested on her eyes but was soon overcast by a figure's shadow. She could tell it was taller than her as they stepped into the room.
"My my Ganrougel have you brought me a present?" A scratchy voice cracked up, walking closer to Natsumi. It quickly approached and Natsumi could feel the sour breath on her cheeks. It gave a curdling laugh as it inspected her. "She looks so young. What is she like fifte-?!"
Natsumi flinched by his sudden cut off as Ganrougel growled beside her.
"You don't get to touch her. She isn't here for you." Ganrougel's voice was course and easily full of hateful venom.
"Oh my, did you find you're own toy?" The figure stepped back and laughed.
"I am no one's toy!" Natsumi snapped.
"Then why are your eyes closed? I bet he told you to do it didn't he? Why are you doing what he said if you aren't his hmm?" The figure teased. His chuckle returned crackling under his breath.
"Natsumi, don't let him get to you." Ganrougel calmly urged.
"Look at that, he's telling you what to do."
"I'm here because I want to learn what kind of monsters are in the world so I can protect my friends and family!" Natsumi spoke up, standing firm.
"Now I see that he's become your toy. So prove it to me little girl. Stare me down if you're so fierce." The figure taunted.
Natsumi refused to hide behind eyelids and opened to see a tall slender man. He had tentacles resting on his head trailing down the center of his scalp most of which had been tied together with an elastic band. He had a pair of crooked and cracked glasses pushed up onto his face so many times it sat in a groove on his nose. On the shoulder of his left arm was another arm with a darker skin tone stitched on; the hand on his natural left arm was missing it's pointer finger. He had scars and belts strapped over his torso. The further down Natsumi glanced the more horrified she became. The right leg replaced with four enlarged spider legs was the last thing she saw before Ganrougel's hand covered her eyes.
"You shouldn't walk around like you can suddenly handle every monster hiding in the world." The monster laughed harder, leaning in close to Natsumi's face. "Call me Krueger."