You know, it's been said that your life will flash before your eyes when you're about to die. There's some kind of science to it, having to do with neurons firing or something like that. I'm not a science man, so I don't really know the specifics. What I do know, however, is that it's completely true. As I laid dying on the side of the road, I definitely did get hit with a 2-ton sack of my own memories. Now, I won't regale you with my entire life, as that was slated to soon be a moot point anyways. I'll just cover the important bits to get you up to speed.
For most of my adult life, I'd considered myself to be a normal individual. I led a normal life, in which I held a normal job, so I could gather a normal salary. I had a normal apartment in a normal town, where I'd lived for the entirety of my mundane life.
To put it plainly, I was fucking boring.
Harsh as it is to say, there wasn't much remarkable about me. I'd had a pretty good childhood, with parents who put up with my bullshit even when they probably shouldn't have. As an adult, my life was completely mundane. Every day, I worked 9-5 at the local bank. I was just a teller, nothing more.
And, to be perfectly honest with you, I was completely happy with that. I had a stable career, I wasn't starving, and I had a roof over my head! On top of that, I even had some free time occasionally! It was nice, really. I don't think I could've done any better for myself.
So of course something had to ruin it.
It had been a normal August morning. I was walking to work, like I had every day, for the past several years. The sun was shining, and the air felt pleasantly warm. I didn't have a care in the world as I calmly walked across the sidewalk.
I never even saw the van coming.
Striking me like a meteor, the errant vehicle threw me about sixty or seventy feet. The force of the impact was so severe that it completely bisected me, my top and bottom halves sailing off in different directions. I wasn't sure how fast they'd been going, but it had to have been at least 80 miles per hour (About 129 Kilometers per hour, for the Europeans out there).
Now, I'm sure it was agonizing. I mean, for god's sake, I got ripped in half. But honestly, I don't remember much about that. I was already fading away when my face impacted the tarmac. I didn't really feel anything at that point. Guess that's what happens when you're losing liters of blood in a matter of seconds.
So, just like that, I bled out on the side of the road. I can only hope that the shitter who was responsible got charged with involuntary manslaughter, and never got behind the wheel of a car again. Hell, actually, I wanted way worse to happen to him. I wanted him to watch his family die. I wanted him to suffer for what he did to me! To cry in emotional and physical agony as everything important is slowly ripped away from-
Okay, wow! I'm cutting that train of thought off before it gets out of hand! Now isn't the time for such things. I can save the seething rage for later.
...If you can't tell, I've got a pretty serious case of anger issues. Always have. I'm slightly better about it now, but back when I was a child, I was a little hellion! I bit, scratched, and otherwise hurt just about whatever earned my ire. Nowadays, I mostly stuck to hurling verbal abuse and whatnot.
...Yeah, I didn't have many friends, if you couldn't tell. I was a piece of shit, and I knew that. Granted, I was normally much more restrained than this, but these were extenuating circumstances. It's not every day that you die to a distracted driver.
And, don't get me wrong, I'm not proud of how I act. My anger got me into a lot of trouble (still does, occasionally!), and after a while, it got so bad that they made me take meds for it. Well, that, and the numerous other mental illnesses I was diagnosed with upon being forced to meet a psychiatrist. I thought most of what he said I had was bullshit, but I can't deny that I was one angry little crotch-goblin.
But, as much as I'd love to ramble on about my childhood, and how angry I was about my death, that's not what we're here to talk about.
You see, somehow, someway, I didn't die in that accident. Or... I guess I did, but that death didn't really stick. I don't know how to describe it. One minute, I was little more than paste along the side of the highway, and then, suddenly, I find myself laying on my back, completely intact.
Yeah, I didn't get it, either. Part of me felt like this was one of those anime tropes a buddy of mine used to go on and on about. However, since I wasn't really into stuff like that, I didn't remember what it was called. Hell, outside of a few hentai games I'd pirated over the years, I didn't really consume any kind of media from Japan.
Anyways, so far as I could tell, I was in a forest of some kind. I figured that from the massive trees that surrounded the entire area, dwarfing me and everything else. The grass was also pretty big too, and so were the leaves on the ground. Actually, everything seemed bigger than normal. That was... odd.
Letting out a half-sigh, half-yawn, I rubbed my eyes, hoping the world would make more sense if I rubbed away some gunk. However, as I brought my hands up to my face, I noticed something quite strange. My hands, and by extension, my arms, were much... smaller, for lack of a better word. On top of that, all of the hair on my arms was seemingly gone. It was as if I'd never grown any at all.
"What the-" I began, before pausing as I noticed yet another odd phenomenon. For some ungodly reason, my voice was super high-pitched. As if my balls had not only never dropped, but had barely even developed in the first place. To put it simply, I sounded like a small child.
This was about the point where the gears in my head started turning. Quickly, I sat up, taking a hard look at my body. To my horror, not only was I tiny, but my body seemed to mirror the physical age of a 5-year-old!
I was almost immediately bent double by a pang of sheer fear lancing through my heart. My breath caught in my throat as my body shook from the most intense feeling of terror I'd ever experienced. Tears sprung from my eyes, as I let out a silent scream of sheer mental anguish. Curling up in the fetal position, all I could hear was the pounding of my own heartbeat, and my quick, shallow breaths.
This was probably more than a little bit of an overreaction. I mean, don't get me wrong, a freak-out is definitely necessitated here, but this was too much. For some odd reason, my emotions were hitting me way harder than they should've been.
Of course, I didn't recognize that at the time. I don't think there was much of anything going on in my head at that moment, other than mind-numbing panic.
At some point, I started sobbing loudly. I wasn't in control of myself at that moment, so I couldn't even begin to stop myself. It was pathetic, and, looking back, really fucking dumb. I mean, anything could've been wandering out there. Why, if a wild animal had found me, I'd have been toast.
Of course, what did end up finding me was both much better and worse than I could've ever imagined.
"Oh? What's a small human doing all the way out here?" A bubbly female voice muttered, her words accompanied by a strange sloshing sound.
Slowly, I raised my head, looking up at the source of the voice. What I saw basically caused my brain to blue-screen.
Stood a few feet away from me, was an honest-to-god slimegirl! She was a pretty blue, with a generous bust, and a rather cute face. Said face was looking at me with an inquisitive expression, and I could immediately tell by the look in her eyes that she was a bit of a dullard.
However, despite all that, her appearance wasn't the strangest thing about the situation. No, what was really weird was the fact that I recognized her!
'...No fucking way.' I thought to myself, as I realized just what I was looking at.
There's no point in beating around the bush. That slime girl was the first enemy of Monster Girl Quest, an infamous hentai game where the tagline is literally "Lose and be Raped!" It was one of those games that you beat off to, and then immediately feel bad about afterwards. Though, the story wasn't all too bad, from what I remembered...
Well, none of that's important right now. What was important was the fact that I was most assuredly in danger.
"Oh, you're crying?" The slime girl asked, giving me a pitying look. That was quickly replaced by a disgustingly lewd expression. "Don't worry, I know just how to make you feel better~"
Yep, definitely in danger.
I... How on earth?! WHY on earth?! Why was I in a literal hentai? I mean, I knew multiverse theory was a thing, but I'd never thought there'd be an alternate universe that was literally just porn! What the actual fuck?!
Despite the desperate urge to flee that bubbled up in my stomach, I couldn't bring myself to move. My feet were rooted in place, and no matter how much I strained, I couldn't seem to will my body to so much as twitch. I was so overcome by fear that I was completely frozen. I couldn't even let out a scream.
"Hm... You look scared. Am I the first monster you've seen?" She asked, tilting her head as she approached me. "Don't worry, boy. We'll have plenty of time to get acquainted after I-"
Faster than I could even process, something whizzed by me, slamming into the slime girl's head and splattering it all over the place. The suddenness of it shocked me out of my petrified state, and I leapt back with a yelp, blinking the sticky fluid out of my eyes.
"Leave that child alone." An icy-cold voice rang out, simultaneously dead calm, and brimming with righteous anger. Turning my head in the direction of the noise, I was greeted with the sight of a tall, light-skinned woman. Her long black hair, a veritable waterfall that reached down to the middle of her back, flowed ominously in the whistling wind. Barely poking out from her sides of said hair were two distinctly-pointed ears, signifying that she was an elf.
Her emerald-green eyes were locked onto the slime girl, who was slowly reforming her head. In the elf's hand was a rock, clearly picked up from the ground below.
"H-Hey, what was that for, meanie?!" The slime asked upon reforming her face, her tone indignant. "I'm kind of in the middle of something here!"
The elf frowned, her disdain for the slime clear as day. With a sigh, she leaned back, the rock in one hand. Then, she pitched it right into the middle of the slime's body, once again splattering her everywhere.
"Attacking a child like that... You should be ashamed of yourself!" The elf declared, her tone containing a mountain of barely-restrained rage. With a smooth motion, she unsheathed the short-sword that was strapped to her side, pointing it at the half-formed puddle.
The slime, despite completely lacking a head, managed to squeak out "I-I'm sorry! P-Please... let me go!"
The elf growled, and for a moment, it looked like she was about to bring her sword down upon the puddle. She paused at the last moment however, glancing over at me. Immediately, her eyes softened immensely, losing some of the anger. In that one moment, she seemed almost torn, pondering on some sort of choice.
After a moment, she resolved whatever decision she was working on in her mind, sheathing her blade. With an almost exasperated tone of voice, she said: "Alright. Get out of my sight."
The slime didn't need to be told twice, squirming away without so much as a word.
For a moment afterwards, there was silence. The elf woman kept her eye on the slime as she sped away, making sure she wasn't about to turn around. When the strange creature was no longer in sight however, she turned to me, her eyes holding none of the malice they displayed mere seconds ago. Gingerly, she held out her hand, offering me some help up. I reluctantly acquiesced, allowing her to pull me to my feet.
It was about that moment when I was struck by how tall this woman was. I mean, I estimated myself to be about four and a half feet or so in height. I was definitely small, so I knew things would look a bit bigger. However, the top of my head didn't even come up to the elf's (admittedly ample) breasts. She had to be at least six and a half feet tall.
"Are you alright?" She asked softly, her voice taking on a comforting quality, despite being almost entirely neutral. "She didn't hurt you, did she?"
Nervously, I shook my head, feeling a bit put-pff at the woman's proximity. I mean, she seemed nice, but for all I knew, that could be a ruse. She was a monster, after all. And I didn't like taking any chances.
"… What is a child as young as yourself doing out here?" She asked, her face remaining as impassive as it had been the entire time. There was clear concern showing through in her eyes, though.
I opened my mouth to speak, only to realize that I didn't have an answer. At least, not one that she'd believe.
I mean, I could tell her about how I'd seemingly died, and ended up here, but I felt like that wouldn't really improve things. Best-case scenario, she'd think I was a liar, and end up growing hostile. Worst-case... she'd think I was insane. And I personally didn't want to end up in this world's version of a medieval mental asylum, if not outright killed. I had enough on my plate already.
"...I'm very lost." I ended up saying, feeling my shoulders sag as I let myself relax somewhat. Hell, that wasn't even a lie! I had absolutely no idea where I was at that moment.
The elf nodded, accepting my answer.
"I figured that." She chuckled slightly, giving me the barest hint of a smile. "So what happened? Did you get separated from your parents?"
...I couldn't answer that question without lying. And I couldn't lie to save my life. Fuck.
The annoyance I felt quickly turned into a tidal-wave of anger, temporarily flushing my common sense down the drain. Unable to control myself, I said the first thing that came to mind.
"Go fuck yourself, knife-ears!" I growled, my voice absolutely caustic. God, I just so badly wanted to wrap my hands around her throat and squeeze until she stopped fucking mo-
"Excuse me?!" She responded, more baffled than angry. Her wide-eyed stare snapped me out of my thoughts, my anger draining from me like water in a sink.
Immediately, I was left with a cold, sick feeling in my stomach. Just where the hell had all that come from?! I mean, I was feeling a bit annoyed and then... that all just came forwards. Like a rushing geyser of salt. It was... disconcerting, to say the least.
"Uhm... I mean, I suppose you could say that." I muttered eventually, not daring to look her in the eyes.
She was silent for a moment, still clearly unsure of how to react. That was simultaneously both comforting and terrifying. Because on one hand, she hadn't exploded with anger yet. On the other hand, the anticipation of what she would do was slowly killing me.
"...You have quite the mouth on you, little one." She said eventually, her mostly flat voice containing the barest hint of shock. "Did I say something to offend you? If so, I apologize."
I shook my head, letting out a small, sheepish sigh.
"No, It's not your fault. I'm just unusually snappy today." I responded morosely, feeling somewhat embarrassed over my little outburst.
She stared at me, deep in thought. Were I a more perceptive man, I might've been able to guess what she was thinking about. Unfortunately, perceptive is not a trait that I have. In fact, I think it would be within reason to say that I was so socially inept that I could be considered legally blind.
"So anyways, child... what's your name?" The elf asked, tilting her head. "I am known as Yuri."
Oh, finally, a question I could answer! Thank god!
"My name's Alex. Alex Smith." I said, giving her a small smile. "Now, I don't mean to be rude, but where the fuck are we?"
Yuri blinked, looking almost surprised at the question.
"Well, we're close to Enrika, the village I live in. But as for a human settlement, we're more than a day out from the closest, which is Iliasburg." She explained simply.
Hearing the names of those locations sent a shiver down my spine, as they were just more proof that I was currently trapped in an actual hentai world. Fuck... I don't even... I don't even know what to think about that. Actually, scratch that. I do know what to think about that! I think that I should be fucking terrified!
Also, on top of that, I was close to the only monster village on the fucking continent! My chances for being raped were already at an all-time high, and were only increasing!
I mean, at least this one didn't seem to want me like that. But then again, she was a monster, so you never know! This could still be an elaborate ploy, and there wasn't jack shit I could do to defend myself!
"O-Okay... Um, could you possibly tell me how to get back to Iliasburg?" I asked, wincing at how my voice was shaking with blatant fear. "I-I think I can figure things out from there..."
Yuri's expression softened upon hearing the nervousness in my voice. With one hand, she patted my head, which was both annoying as hell, and also strangely comforting.
"Alex, there is no need to be afraid. I'm not going to hurt you. And I won't let anyone else lay a hand on you while I'm around." She spoke in a soothing voice that made me feel oddly fuzzy inside. This was... odd. Was it possibly some kind of magic? Maybe a charm? Whatever it was, it was hard to resist. I remained steadfast however. The thoughts of what might happen if I ended up in this woman's clutches were far too horrific to ponder on.
I mean, to be fair, I probably wouldn't have thought of it like that had my body not been like, five. Without those pesky hormones, the rapiness of these horny monster girls became way more disturbing.
"I... Damn it, what the hell did you do to me?!" I shouted at her, the control over my anger slipping yet again. "I saw through that charm you tried to place on me! You just wanna get into my pants, don't you!"
The elf blinked, her eyes widening in shock at the accusation.
"What?! I didn't put any kind of charm on you! I don't even know any spells like that!" She exclaimed, looking appalled at the idea. "And no, I don't want to molest you, child! What kind of woman do you take me for?!"
Her reaction seemed so very genuine, that I almost believed her. I mean, I can't even imagine the practice needed to fake such a reaction so convincingly. However, despite that, I was still quite suspicious. I mean, she was a monster girl, after all. They were all really rapey, without fail. Even if she was a genuinely nice girl, I couldn't afford to trust her.
"I take you for a monster girl! I know damn well what you people are like! You rape any man you can get your hands on! Well I'm not fooled by your nice act! You damned degenerate! I-"
She leapt forwards suddenly, cutting me off with a squawk. Faster than I could even react, I was wrapped in a tight, almost crushing hug. I struggled against her, growling and snarling as I tried my best to escape. She held firm, however, keeping me in an embrace which I was convinced was about to turn lewd.
"Calm down. I'm not going to molest you." Yuri stated gently, one hand stroking my hair while the other kept me pressed against her. "I know that you're scared. You've been taught to fear monsters for your entire life. And that's not... unreasonable, to be fair. But I swear to you that I will not let any harm come to you, physical or otherwise."
I felt my resistance waning, her words cutting through my defenses like a hot knife through butter. A big part of me wanted to just give up right there and then. To just let things happen. Still, I persisted, though I knew that probably wouldn't last much longer.
"That's not... I can't trust you!" I said, partly to her, and partly to myself.
She let out a tired sigh, and stood up, lifting me off the ground like I weighed nothing.
"Tell you what. How about we discuss this at Enrika? It'll start getting dark soon, and I'm sure you don't want to be out here alone." She said, beginning to walk somewhere, with me still in her grip.
My struggles immediately began anew as I realized she was on the move. I thrashed and shook wildly against her, to no avail. Her grip was as solid as iron. I wasn't going anywhere.
"Alex, stop moving." She said suddenly, her her gentle voice gaining a slight edge. "You are coming with me. I'm sorry if I made it seem like you had a choice, but you don't. It's too dangerous out here for you."
I let out a snarl, being filled with a toxic mix of anger and fear. In my desperation to get away from this woman, I did the first thing that came to mind. As hard as I could, I bit down on her shoulder, my eyes widening when it didn't even break the skin. It was like biting into an invincible marshmallow. Soft as hell, but unbreakable. Hell, she didn't even seem to notice. If I wasn't so scared, I'd have been insulted.
She carried me for quite a while. I wasn't sure how much time had passed, but eventually the sun began to set. It was almost night when we finally were confronted by someone.
As we were walking down a narrow path, a dark-elf stepped out from behind a tree. She had silver hair, and wore a green tunic. She relaxed somewhat when she saw Yuri, but paused when she spotted me.
"...Finally taking a man for yourself, Yuri? I respect it, but isn't he a bit... young?" She asked, the slightest hint of disgust in her voice. "I mean, can he even cum yet?"
...I hate it here. I hate it here so fucking much. It hasn't even been a full day and I already want to raze this village to the ground. Why would she bring that up? I mean, for all she knows, I'm a five-year-old. The fact that she came to that conclusion so readily was sickening.
Yuri sighed, seeming annoyed, but otherwise unsurprised. "No, I'm not taking him as a mate. I found him alone by himself, so I figured I'd take him in, at least for the night."
The dark-elf nodded, accepting her answer with a neutral expression.
"If you're not planning on bedding him, then I'd keep him away from Layla. You know how she is with younger boys." The guard shuddered slightly, shaking her head. "I don't like to kinkshame normally but... she goes too far."
I blinked, wondering just how depraved a monster had to be to go "too far" in the eyes of others. After a moment, I realized that entire train of thought was completely ruinous, and served only to piss me off. So I cut it off right then and there, before it brought my mood down even further.
I was still struggling by the way. I hadn't stopped since she picked me up. She still refused to even acknowledge it, either unaware or uncaring of my rage. The dark-elf didn't seem to notice either. Or, if she did, she certainly didn't comment on it. To be fair, it probably wasn't the first time she'd seen someone drag a human somewhere against their will. That was... a rather harrowing thought, actually. Just how many people in this village were sexual deviants? I mean, Enrika was supposed to be a peaceful village, but then again, it's almost entirely made up of monsters. So... the answer to that question might not be something I actually want to know, now that I think about it.
Yuri spoke with the dark-elf for another moment or two. I'd already tuned them out by then, still trying to escape from Yuri's grasp. Eventually however, she decided to move on, carrying me into the village proper.
Enrika was a small village. Barely more than a hamlet, actually. This made sense, considering the fact that it was supposed to be hidden. It wouldn't do to have a secret village be the size of a small city. Something like that would be impossible to cover up.
Most of the houses were squat, with with wooden roofs and walls. There were a couple buildings made with stone, but they were rather rare. It was almost as if this village hadn't existed for all that long. Or, if it did, it had only recently become even this big.
"We're going to see Micaela." Yuri said suddenly, grabbing my attention. "This place is supposed to be hidden from humans, so I'll have to get the OK from her before you can stay here."
...Oh yeah, Micaela was the mayor of Enrika. That certainly wasn't someone I'd wanted to meet anytime soon, if at all. She wasn't a bad person per se, but she'd lived for thousands upon thousands of years. I had no doubt in my mind that she'd see through my bullshit the very instant I told any sort of lie. And... I couldn't even imagine the consequences of being caught lying to her. She may have been sealed, but that didn't mean she couldn't rip the head from my shoulders in an instant.
Suddenly, I felt a chill run down my spine. I had to be very careful about what I said when meeting the disguised seraph. I mean, I doubt she'd have any real reason to kill me, but that doesn't change the fact that she could.
If I was lucky, I wouldn't have to say anything at all. Maybe I'd nod my head and introduce myself, but that would be about it. After all, people ignore children all the time. Yuri's probably just gonna ask if I can stay with her, so she'll be doing most of the talking.
...Knowing my luck, that probably wasn't gonna happen. But a man can dream.
Eventually, Yuri made her way towards a large, stone building in the center of town (carrying me the whole way, of course.). It looked a bit older than the rest of the village, though it was very well-kept.
Upon reaching the door made of solid oak, she knocked three times, letting whoever was inside know that someone was at the door. It was silent for a few moments, but eventually, we heard the tell-tale scraping of a chair on a floor, signifying that someone was getting up to greet us.
The door opened slowly, revealing a woman with waist-length blonde hair, and piercing-blue eyes. She wore a dark-green, tunic-like outfit that had a generous boob window. I would've oogled it, had I not been physically 5, and had the woman not been able to literally obliterate me in an instant.
Yep. That was Micaela alright. A being that was genuinely millions of years old, with the power to crush basically anything on this continent... and she was literally less than five feet from me.
Oh boy.
"Oh, Yuri, it's nice to see you." The disguised seraph said, her radiant voice carrying not even a hint of malice. She was just being genuinely friendly, which did help to ease my worries. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all...
"...Why are you holding a child in your arms?" She continued, giving me a strange look. "And why does he look so terrified?"
I flinched upon having my apparent fear be called out. Damn it! I didn't want to bring attention to myself, and yet I did anyways! God, I'm so fucking useless! All I had to do was act normal, and I fucking blew it!
I felt frustrated tears well up in my eyes, my body shaking from the sheer emotional tidal wave that had just randomly appeared, sweeping my proverbial legs out from under me yet again. Before I could manage to stop myself, I let out a choked sob, crying like the little bitch that I probably was.
Immediately, the blonde-haired woman's eyes widened in alarm, clearly taken aback by my sudden fit. Before she could say anything however, Yuri tightened her embrace around me, ruffling my hair softly with one hand.
"Shhh. It's okay." Yuri whispered in my ear, doing her best to calm me down. "There's no need to be afraid. Micaela won't hurt you."
Yet again, I felt that strange sense of comfort as she hugged me. I wasn't sure why I felt even slightly content in the arms of the stranger who kidnapped me. It had to have been some kind of magic.
Or... now that I think about it, it could be a natural reaction. I mean, I think it's quite obvious by now that I don't really have much control over my emotions. In my life, I'd never the most stable person, but these past few hours had been way over the line, even for me. Clearly, something was amiss.
If I had to guess, I'd say it was a hormone thing. I mean, I may have still been blessed with an adult mind, but a child body is a child body. Kids have almost no emotional control, due to a combination of mental and physical development. Physical being the key word here, of course. To put it plainly, I had all the hormones and emotional instability of a regular toddler, but with none of the accompanying innocence.
So, in essence, I was an unstable mess. Wonderful.
Reluctantly, I allowed the embrace to calm me. Things were bad enough already, but if I calmed down now, then I could surely salvage the situation. However, I was getting quite annoyed at how my arms were wrapping around the elf against my will.
"...Why don't we discuss this inside?" Micaela suggested, her voice cutting through the not-quite-consensual emotional moment. "I'll make some tea."
Quickly, she ushered the two of us into her home, closing the door behind us. It was noticeably warmer inside the house than outside, but not to an uncomfortable degree. It was quite lovely, actually.
She led us through a small hallway that led to a kitchen/dining room. There were doors that led to other places of course, but I didn't really pay attention to those. Partly because it'd be impolite to pry, and partly because I couldn't give less of a shit if I tried.
Yuri sat me down at a table in the middle of the room, taking a chair right beside me. She glanced over at me, giving me a quick, reassuring smile. Then she turned her attention back to Micaela, who currently had her back to us. She was using magic to heat up a tea kettle. It was almost strange to see something so wonderous and esoteric as magic be used for such a mundane task. But, then again, that was probably normal in this world.
"So, Yuri... why don't you tell me what happened." The disguised seraph said eventually, as she began to pour some steaming cups of tea.
As Yuri began to explain how she'd come upon me, I found myself zoning out somewhat. I mean, I knew damn well what happened, so I had no real need to pay attention. On top of that, I had a lot of things to think on, such as how I might be able to control my emotions. I'd lost control multiple times already, and that was unacceptable. If I wanted to survive in this world, I had to act in a reasonable manner. God forbid I piss off some horny (or hungry) monstergirl, and get dry-fished/eaten. Being in such a young body certainly didn't help either, as there were a concerning number of monsters that had a special appreciation for younger men.
Ugh... I think I just got a bit sick from thinking that.
"So, Alex, what were you doing in the woods on your own?" Micaela asked suddenly, snapping me out of my thoughts. "I'm sure your parents are worried sick about you."
I winced as she mentioned my parents, suddenly feeling an intense pang of homesickness. I wondered if my Mom and Dad knew what happened to me. Well, I mean, obviously they didn't know I'd been reincarnated in a fucking hentai game, but I wondered if they knew I'd died. I never spoke to them all that often...
'And now I'll never be able to again' A traitorous thought from the back of my mind called out, serving no purpose other than completely and utterly wrecking my already fragile emotional state. Quickly, I tried to banish it from whence it came, but it was too late.
The dam broke hard, and all at once I was a sobbing mess yet again, putting my face in my hands to avoid eye-contact with the others in the room. I didn't even react when I felt Yuri pull me into a tight hug, as I was far too distraught to care.
In hindsight, breaking down into tears at the very mention of my parents probably raised some red flags in the minds of the two adults. I mean, were I the adult in this situation, I'd come up with some pretty nasty conclusions about the child's family.
"...You don't have any parents, do you?" Micaela said quietly, her voice taking on a somber, pitying tone. If I hadn't been in the throes of grief at the time, that would have pissed me the fuck off.
My response to the question was to sob even harder, shaking the table with my cries. Hot, wet tears ran down my face, my eyes stinging from all the moisture.
Yuri squeezed me even tighter, my face nestling up against her sizable breasts. Had I been ten years older, I'd have found the position scandalous. Alas, my body was too young to care. And even if it wasn't, the absolute sorrow I was currently feeling would've definitely put a stop to all that.
"Let's maybe talk about all that later, okay?" Yuri suggested, her voice still calm, but now with a trace of annoyance in it. It clearly was directed at Micaela, but still, something about it made me shrink in on myself even further.
She squeezed me tighter, noticing my distress.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Alex..." She whispered softly into my ear. "I didn't mean to scare you. Tell you what. Why don't you sit in the hallway while me and Micaela talk about adult stuff, okay?"
Before I could even respond, she scooped me up, and plopped me outside the door to the kitchen. I almost reached out for her as she shut the door behind her, instinctively seeking the warm embrace that I'd just been pried from. I resisted however, as I knew that my desire for such things were rooted in instinct rather than any logical reason.
For a moment I just sat there, unsure of what to do. It occurred to me that I could simply get up and leave, but honestly, that seemed like a really bad idea. I mean, I'd be all alone, completely vulnerable in the middle of a monster village. That was like, guaranteed diddling. And maybe it was just the lack of hormones talking, but that really didn't sound all that appealing. Doubly so when you considered that some of the villagers might try and rape me to death.
Yuri, as creepy as she was, seemed genuine in her concern for me. And she was friends with Micaela, who was a good person as far as I remembered. I wasn't 100% sure, since it'd been almost a year since I'd played MGQ, but I didn't remember her doing anything bad...
So, since I couldn't leave, I simply decided to eavesdrop on their conversation through the door. Now, that might've been a rude thing to do, but I didn't really care. I wasn't just gonna let them discuss things without my knowledge. Especially when it more than likely concerned me.
Pressing my ear up against the cold wood of the door, I initially struggled to hear what they were saying. After a few moments however, my ears managed to adjust to the low volume somewhat, allowing me to listen in.
"So, do you think he's an orphan? It doesn't make sense for him to be this far out in the woods by himself, unless he doesn't have anyone looking out for him." I heard Yuri say, her voice much more cold and flat than when she was comforting me.
My eyes immediately began to water once more as soon as she mentioned my parents. I choked back a cry, biting hard on my thumb to keep myself from making any noise. I didn't want to alert them to the fact that I was listening, after all.
"...I think he was abandoned." Micaela said suddenly, her voice quiet, but clearly angry. "It's not so common nowadays, but back in times of hardship, human parents would sometimes take their kids into the forest, and leave them there to fend for themselves."
I paused, my confusion strong enough to break through the unstable emotions I was currently feeling. Just how on earth had she come to that conclusion?
"How can you tell?" Yuri asked, evidently as puzzled as I was. "We can't just assume anything like that... And I'm not sure asking him about it would be a good idea."
Micaela hummed, and in my head, I pictured her nodding, perhaps even stroking her chin. One of those little actions that symbolizes thinking. It just seemed like that's something she'd do, considering the situation.
"I have a couple reasons for my suspicions." The disguised seraph stated after a moment. "Firstly, his eyes look... wrong, for a child of his age. There is no manner of youthful innocence in them. All I've seen in those eyes of his are fear and sorrow."
I froze in place, an ice-cold spike of dread running through my heart. How... How did she see all of that just from looking into my eyes? Oh good god, I was so much closer to being found out than I'd thought! Code red! Fucking panic!
The temptation to run was growing harder and harder to ignore. Still, I remained rooted to the spot, mostly out of terror.
"...I noticed that as well. But I assumed that being scared in a situation like this would be normal for a child." Yuri said hesitantly.
I heard Micaela sigh. "Were it that simple... But no. He clearly understands the gravity of the situation. I'm not sure how to explain it, but... it seems like he knows exactly what would happen if a monster got ahold of him. The fact that he seems to trust you even slightly is a miracle."
"...Do you think he's been... touched?" Yuri's voice was low and dangerous. "I thought I'd intervened in time to save him from the slime, but..."
"No" Micaela interrupted the elf. "If he'd been raped by a monster, they would've definitely dragged him off, either as a slave, or to be eaten. But still, he must've experienced something bad to have the level of understanding he does..."
They pondered on just what I might've been through for a few minutes. It was... mystifying, to be perfectly honest. I wasn't sure how they were coming up with all that stuff. I mean, to be fair, I get that a child alone in the woods is suspicious, but surely there are other, more plausible explanations than 'he was abandoned.' I mean, I could have just gotten lost/separated from my hypothetical parents. The fact that they were jumping to extremes was... odd.
To be fair though, I wasn't going to correct them. Hell, they were practically just thinking up a backstory for me. I just had to conform to whatever they thought, and I'd be free of suspicion! Too easy.
...Ok, I felt a bit manipulative after that last thought. But honestly, I didn't really have much of a choice. I couldn't just tell them "Hey, I'm actually an adult who got reincarnated into the body of a child, so uh... yeah." They wouldn't believe that! No sane person would!
...To be fair, magic is a thing in this world, so maybe it's not impossible. But still, I didn't want to risk it. There was a pretty significant chance that they'd just think I was insane. And, as mentioned previously, I did not want to see the inside of a mental asylum.
"My second reason for thinking he was abandoned is how readily he accepted your comfort and affection." Micaela said eventually, after a while of talking about what I may or may not have been through. "It's almost like he's starved for it. You might be the first person to actually hug him in a long time, if ever. So that's probably why he trusts you."
...I felt strangely incensed about that comment. I wasn't sure why, but her suggestion that I might be desperate for hugs was... quite infuriating to me. I actually almost interrupted them, but managed to stop myself by simply biting down harder on my thumb, drawing a bit of blood in the process.
"I wouldn't say he trusts me. Hell, a few hours ago, he accused me of trying to charm and molest him." Yuri deadpanned. "But he did give in pretty easily, now that I think about it."
I'd only given in because I had no choice! That, and this damn body seemed to instinctively crave affection! I so desperately wanted to shout that at them, but I held off. My self-control was waning, however. And I wasn't sure how much longer it would last.
"My point is, he's clearly not been well-loved, and he probably doesn't have anywhere to go." Micaela continued, pausing for a slight moment. "And yes, I know that you're about to ask if you can raise him in the village. You have my permission."
...Wait, what did she just say?
Yuri let out a slight, embarrassed cough. "W-Well, I may or may not have been about to bring it up." She stammered nervously, before letting out a long sigh. "Thank you, Micaela. That means a lot to me."
Was... was she talking about adopting me? Had they really just decided on that without even fucking asking me?! I have rights! They can't just do that!
I clenched my fists, my entire body shaking with rage. I took my thumb out of my mouth, because I knew that I was about to bite clean through it if I got much angrier. It burned with a searing pain, hot rivulets of blood seeping through my fingers.
"Hmm... perhaps you shouldn't bring this up to him at first. It might make him cry again." I heard Micaela gently suggest. "Maybe bring it up after he stays with you for a couple days."
...Ok, I'm fucking done with this. Not only was this cunt going to "adopt" me against my will, but she was also planning on basically trying to deceive me?! Yeah, no. This shit was far past unacceptable.
Before I could stop myself, I kicked the door open, producing a violent crash when it slammed against the stone wall. Both Yuri and Micaela were giving me wide-eyed, nervous looks. The kind of looks that screamed "Oh shit, we've been caught!"
"You worthless sacks of shit!" I roared, my throat straining from the sheer volume my mouth was outputting. "You were just gonna keep me here? And you weren't gonna tell me?! I should slit both your fucking throats!"
I felt angrier than I ever had been in my life. I was out of control, and a small part of me knew that even at the time. However, when you're filled with blinding rage, calming down is the last thing on your mind. To put it simply, I wasn't gonna stop ranting until I was forced to.
"Young man, you should never say something like-" Micaela began, a stern look appearing on her face. Normally, I'd be scared at the thought of angering a literal angel, but my sense of self-preservation had been lost in the roaring sea of rage that swirled within my head.
"Shut your fucking mouth, blondie!" I spat at her, using the first insult I could come up with. "I'm not going to just sit here while you motherfuckers decide what to do with me! What happens is my decision, not yours! And right now, I want to be out of this fucking village!"
Yuri stood up, walking towards me with her arms outstretched.
"Calm down, Alex. Now, I'm not sure what you heard, but I can tell-" She began to say in a patronizing tone that honestly just pissed me the hell off. I cut her off like I did Micaela.
"I heard everything, you conniving cunt! You were gonna keep me with you against my will! You never even considered asking me! You both just made your own fucking assumptions, and decided that whatever I might have to say is unimportant! Well fuck the two of you! I hope you both get syphilis!"
I turned and stomped towards the exit, no longer giving a damn whether or not it was safe outside. I was completely and utterly over all that shit. I just wanted to be left alone. If I went off and died, oh fucking well. It would've been my fault.
However, I didn't really get the chance to do all that. I'd made it about three steps towards the door before Yuri came behind me, and hoisted me up into her arms. I struggled fiercely, kicking, scratching, and biting at her. However, it simply didn't work. Like before, she was completely and utterly unaffected. It was like punching a brick wall. Granted, a very soft brick wall, but still. You get the point.
"Alex, please." She said softly, giving me a slight frown. "I'm sorry that you feel betrayed, but I only just want to help you."
I glared hatefully at her, still trying to wriggle out of her hold.
"Bullshit! If you wanted to help me, you'd just take me to Iliasburg! Not kidnap me and take me to a monster village in the middle of god-knows where!" I snarled, thrashing around as she tightened her grip.
Micaela was stood behind Yuri, watching the scene play out with a baffled, almost disturbed expression. It was clear that she wasn't quite sure what to do in this situation.
"If you really don't want to live with me, I'll take you to Iliasburg." Yuri said, her voice low, her tone patient. "But only if I know you have somewhere to go. I will not let a child be out on the streets when I could have helped them."
...Oh, this bitch. She only said that because she knew damn well I didn't have a place to go! She was taunting me, even if she didn't realize it. Well I wasn't about to play ball.
"There are orphanages there, so it's not like I'll be destitute. And anyways, I'd rather be homeless than with perverted, semen-sucking monsters!" I yelled at her. "I will not be molested by the likes of you!"
Micaela was starting to grow pale, looking between the two of us nervously. I wasn't sure why. It's not like she had anything to fear, after all. Honestly, in hindsight, that was probably a sign that I was fucking up. Unfortunately, I really didn't give a damn at that moment. My emotions were running rampant, and I wasn't really in control of myself.
"For the last time, I am not going to molest you!" Yuri yelled suddenly, her composure finally snapping like a dry twig. "We both know you don't have anywhere to go, and I'm not just letting you go to an orphanage when I could give you a better life!"
I snarled at her, still futilely attempting to escape her grip. I could see that she was really starting to get annoyed. However, as angry as I was, I kind of wanted that to happen. It might sound childish, but I wanted her to be upset. I wanted to push her as far as I could. That was probably stupid, but I really didn't give a damn. I was already in a literal fucking reverse-rape hentai. My fate was practically sealed from the get-go.
"I don't want your help! And stop making assumptions about my life!" I roared at her, digging my fingernails into her arm. "You don't just get to meddle in my affairs! So leave me the hell alone!"
Yuri shook her head, giving me an annoyed frown.
"No can do, Alex. As harsh as it sounds, you really don't have a choice in the matter. Maybe when you're older, we'll talk about this again." She said, before pausing a moment, a contemplative expression coming over her face. "Also, that's a lot of really big words for someone your age. I'm impressed."
I was about to retort, but winced upon hearing the last thing she said. Man, I really had been just been saying whatever. That... yeah, that probably made me look really weird. Shit.
Quickly, I glanced over at Micaela, hoping she didn't think too much about what I was saying. Fortunately, it seemed like she was still too preoccupied with the argument as a whole to process my words. That was... unbelievably lucky, actually.
"And why are you so against living with me, anyways?" Yuri asked, her tone gentle, yet confused. "I'm not going to hurt you. I get that you might've been told some bad things about monsters, but they're not... entirely true."
Is it just me... or was she being kind of patronizing? It felt as if she was talking to me like I was stupid. What, did she think I was a kid or something?
...Oh yeah, she probably did.
"I... Fuck you!" Was my petulant response. "You probably just wanna rape me or something!"
Yuri facepalmed, letting out an annoyed growl.
"How many times do I have to say it? I am NOT going to molest you!" She groaned, exasperated. "Why won't you believe me?!"
Just as I was about to respond, we were both interrupted by the sound of Micaela clearing her throat. Looking over at her, it was clear to see that she was starting to get rather annoyed.
"This is going nowhere. You're both going in circles." She snapped, her eyebrow twitching. "Alex. I understand why you might be afraid, but I swear that you're not in any danger. Yuri isn't going to hurt you. She just wants to take care of you."
Once again, I was unsure of what to say. I mean, I was fairly certain that Yuri didn't want to hurt me. But also, I was still really, really angry. And, as shameful as it is to say, that was kind of ruling my decisions at the moment. Well, there was no kind of without it. I was being stupid, and in hindsight, I damn well know that. But, you know, when I get mad, my IQ drops like 30 or 40 points. Hell, even though Micaela was vouching for her (which was probably the best honor one could realistically receive in this pervy hellscape), I still wanted to refuse, just out of spite.
But, on the other hand, this was starting to drag on. Even as pissed as I was, I could see that.
"...I hate that I'm even considering this." I growled, ceasing in my attempts to scratch up Yuri's arms. "But how do you even plan on taking care of me? Because you'd better have not just decided on this without a plan."
Yuri gave me a wide, toothy grin, and for just a moment, I couldn't help but think how cute she was. I dashed that line of thinking moments later. If I was going to be living with this woman for an extended period of time, thoughts like that would be ruinous.
"I've got a spare room with a bed. I don't have any extra clothes for you right now, but I'm sure I can find something." She said, suddenly speaking in a quick, excited manner. "Oh, maybe I can even teach you how to read! Would you like that?"
She was practically vibrating with excitement. I could have sworn she was about to literally squeal. It seemed she was... very into this idea. There was so much childlike glee that it cut straight through my anger, hitting me in the heart with a pang of pity. She really was just that lonely, huh...
I shook my head, trying to banish the sudden empathy I felt. Sad and lonely or not, she still tried to kidnap me. But... maybe I didn't have to be super mean to her. Just cold and aloof. Yeah, that'd do.
"I already know how to read, sorry to burst your bubble." I said, wincing as I watched her face fall. "But hey, less work for you, right?"
Why did I say that? Why was I trying to make her feel better? I hated her!
...Right?
As she pulled me into another tight hug, I felt a bit less sure about that.
As Micaela watched her old friend exit her house, child in tow, she let out a long, tired sigh. Already feeling a headache beginning to form, she quickly set another pot of tea to boil. That'd soothe her throbbing brain. It always did.
Once that was done, she sat down at her desk, her newly-made cup of tea steaming with heat. Tentatively, she took a sip, wincing at how it burned her throat. Pain was something she'd never really gotten used to, even after so many years in her human form.
With practiced motions, she pulled out a quill and inkwell from one of the many drawers of her solid oak desk. From another, she pulled a stack of blank papers.
Writing down her thoughts had always been an easy way for Micaela to collect herself. To organize her ideas, theories, and whatnot. And that's exactly what she was doing at that very instant.
Alex was, to put it mildly, a bit odd for a child. He appeared to be no more than five years of age, and yet his vocabulary and mannerisms were far beyond that, like that of a fully-grown man. He'd even claimed to be able to read near the end of that conversation, something that almost no human kid should be able to do that young. For Ilias' sake, there were plenty of adults who were completely illiterate. Which definitely made Alex a bit of an oddball.
And yet, despite that, he had zero emotional control. Something like that would generally be expected for someone his age, but paired with his intelligence and maturity in other aspects, it just didn't really make any sense.
But that wasn't too important at the moment. No, the important thing was finding out his origin. From what Yuri had told her, she'd initially believed the child to be separated from his parents. Micaela had initially assumed him to be abandoned, but that just didn't make sense in hindsight. Why go through all the effort of teaching a child to read (and probably other subjects as well, she guessed.) only to cruelly discard them? No, that didn't add up at all.
But if that was the case, why did he burst into tears whenever his parents were brought up? Perhaps he simply had gotten separated, but that kind of reaction to the mention of familial figures was a bit too extreme for that. Maybe they'd died? That was the best answer she could come up with, but there definitely seemed to be more.
As Micaela's mind swirled with theories and hypotheticals, she madly scratched her quill against the paper, writing out a tapestry of words and ideas. Her handwriting had never exactly been elegant, and in haste, it was especially atrocious. That was fine, however. It wasn't like anyone else was meant to see this.
There was definitely more to Alex than met the eye. It would've been concerning, had he not been a small child. She hadn't detected anything all that strange from him, aside from a decent helping of monster blood. Powerful stuff, too. She couldn't quite tell the heritage, but he must've been closely related to a pretty strong monster.
Hm... perhaps a physical was in order. She'd finance it herself, of course. Didn't want to put too much strain on Yuri's pockets. That woman was the closest thing Micaela had to a friend, despite the elf's... morally reprehensible past.
"Hmm... Just what secrets are you hiding, Alex?" The disguised seraph muttered, taking another sip of tea as she looked over her writings. She was already at 5 pages, and had been going on for only double that number in minutes.
It was going to be a long night...
A/N: So, this is a bit of an experiment. I initially just wanted to rewrite the chapters and replace them in the original story. However, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that wasn't quite possible. I'm seeking to rewrite a good chunk of the story, and I'll inevitably end up changing stuff. My question is, should I bother with a rewrite, or should I just focus on finishing the Road Less Traveled as it already is? Let me know in the comments, because personally, I'm pretty split down the middle on this. Any suggestions or insight would be greatly appreciated.