Chapter 8: Journey

I DON'T OWN ANKOKU KISHI MONOGATARI OR KAMEN RIDER, AND THEY BELONG TO THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS.

"I am still hungry."

The creature moaned as it continued to munch on the bones of the human that she had caught some days ago. But it wasn't enough. The creature had a well-laid trap for luring male travelers by assuming the shape of a beautiful woman and singing an alluring song to make them drink the poisoned water, which would then paralyze them. After that, it would devour them whole or sometimes take its time to savor their flavor.

"Let us begin, shall we?" The creature sang a tone, hoping to catch another traveler.

"Nut, wait. It might be dangerous…Oh hello there."

"Hello traveler, it seems you are tired. Why not drink the water so you can refresh yourself?"

A man wearing a hooded long coat and what seemed to be his pet approached the lake where the creature was residing. "How fortunate, you will satiate 'DRAGON,' my hunger. Hmm? What is this human doing and what was in his hand- 'BLAZE BREAK'."

And everything went black.

Kuroki stored the Transblaze gun into his dimensional storage and scratched his head. It had been a month since he had been traveling from Nargol to the Holy Republic of Lenaria. Thanks to his circumstances of being summoned, Kuroki was able to travel faster than with a vehicle. Maybe if someone from his world was summoned here, they could gain exceptional abilities too.

"Kuroki-sama! What was that?"

"Hmm? Oh, I finished her off. As if she could fool me with her appearance. She reeks of human blood and killing intent too. I don't want to bother fighting if I can eliminate in one shot." Kuroki nonchalantly explained to the surprised Nut.

"Oh, okay." Nut just accepted it as it was. His master Kuroki had a really sharp sense that he was surprised whenever Kuroki used that strange weapon to fire randomly, but he was really eliminating things that had bad intentions with them.

They had gone through a lot of cities, usually entering normally, but some cities didn't just allow outsiders inside, so Kuroki would either sneak or fly over the walls to collect info or get some supplies for their travel. Kuroki would also try to seek info about Reiji, but he got nothing more than praise for him that he was getting sick of it.

"I know you are hiding there. You could show yourself now." Kuroki spoke to the direction of a nearby tree.

A beautiful blue-haired girl with long ears slowly appeared from the shadows. She had a look of caution on her face as she stared at Kuroki and Nut.

"Kuroki-sama, it's an elf!"

"Hmm…She is."

One of the things that Lugus had taught him in their learning sessions was about elves. Beautiful beings that had a high affinity for magic and above-human strength. Some of those elves were known as dryads who lived in the woods and kidnapped human men to make them their husbands.

"Uhm..I have no bad intentions, so please don't hurt me." the elf pleaded with Kuroki.

"I know. I don't have any plans to harm you. You are just observing me, right?"

The elf nodded and replied, "That Scylla has been a nuisance for us. To think that you eliminated it with one shot. Are you a divine being?"

"Divine being? No, I am just a human…mostly."

"Huh? Mostly?"

"Ah, don't mind that. Anyway, what do you want from me?"

The elf girl slowly approached Kuroki, whose hood was removed, and asked, "What are you doing in this place?"

"Well, my little friend here and I are searching for a suitable place for rest. Unfortunately, Nut here got enchanted by its song. Well, based on experience, that thing poses as a beautiful woman so it can eat people, so I finished it off."

"Are you searching for a human dwelling?"

"No, I am quite comfortable with camping outside, but having a bed would be nice for a change." Kuroki answered.

"Well, if you don't mind, you could stay at my house for tonight." the elf invited.

Kuroki was a bit surprised by that. An elf girl was asking him to stay for the night despite meeting for the first time. It was very suspicious for him. Kuroki was about to decline when Nut spoke to him.

"Kuroki-sama, why won't you accept her offer? I think it's her way of repaying you for eliminating that Scylla, and I think the elf took a liking to you."

Kuroki just chuckled in amusement and said, "Hmm…fine then, I shall accept your offer."

Kuroki and the elf arrived at her home. The elf girl's name was Tess, and her mother, who greeted them both, introduced herself as Davia. At first glance, they looked like sisters, but due to the elves' longevity, they age very slowly. Kuroki introduced himself as Kuro, a wandering traveler. Davia was surprised that despite how Kuroki looked, he was able to finish off the Scylla that terrorized their woods. In their gratitude, Davia and Tess cooked food for Kuroki and Nut and then showed them a place where they could sleep.

"A warm bed, it's been a while," Kuroki said after lying on his back.

"Yes, Kuroki-sama! But now I realize, aren't they too hospitable for us?" Nut voiced his thoughts.

"Yeah, same here, but maybe they are just really glad that we killed that Scylla. I think I will just ask them if they want something to be hunted for tomorrow. Ah… well, that will be a problem for tomorrow's me. Goodnight, Nut."

"Goodnight."

Tess slowly approached the sleeping Kuroki. After consulting Davia and her father, who had been sleeping for a long time so he would not age, she was determined to make Kuro hers. To ensure that, she would dive inside Kuroki's mind and enchant him from there.

"I hope Kuro will understand, he will be happier with me than with a human girl," Tess convinced herself.

Tess then placed her hand on Kuroki's face and chanted a spell, and everything went black.

Tess opened her eyes expecting that she would be successful in her quest, but instead, she was surprised by what she saw in Kuroki's mindscape.

Everything was so dark, and looking up at the sky was filled with countless celestial bodies. Tess was standing on a grassy field. Tess walked for a bit and then saw a tree with someone sitting underneath it. Focusing her eyesight, it was Kuro, who was staring at the ground with empty eyes.

Tess learned from her mother that the landscape of the mind depends on the person, and all she could feel here was sadness. She tried to approach Kuroki when something or rather someone grabbed her shoulder to stop her. Tess looked behind her, and that thing raised its hand to greet her.

"Yo. Normally, I would obliterate someone who tries to intrude into Kuroki's mind, but since you are kind of cute and sexy, plus the food your hot mother made is delicious, considering the crap we had to endure for the journey, I will answer some of your questions, and you answer mine before sending you back. Is that clear?"

Tess just nodded, knowing if she declined that thing's offer, she would die for real.

"Then why don't we start? By the way, do you know Kuroki likes snuggling into girls' chests, and he likes them big?"

"Thank you for the shelter and food that you gave me yesterday. Are you sure there is nothing that I could do for you?" Kuroki asked the mother and daughter.

"It's alright, Kuro, in fact, we are still grateful for finishing off the Scylla that took some of our brethren. I can assure you that their souls will rest in peace now," Davia replied in gratitude.

"Is that so? Then I shall take my leave."

Tess, who had been strangely silent, suddenly hugged him tight.

"KUROKI!"

"Huh?"

"We will see each other in the future...right?"

"...Maybe."

Kuroki brushed Tess' cheeks to wipe her tears. He was a bit clueless as to why she acted like this, but he couldn't just ruin the moment. Kuroki turned his back and left, raising a hand towards Tess as he walked away.

"Hey, now that I think of it, how did she know my real name?"

"Are you sure about this, Tess?" Davia asked her daughter.

"Yes, Mother. To think he was an otherworlder that was summoned here. I am sure that Kuroki would play a role, and also...I can't even do it if I want to."

"...You mean that something stopped you from approaching Kuroki inside his dream? That's the first time I have heard of it. The consciousness of a living thing should be defenseless at that moment, and there can't be two at the same time."

Tess still couldn't forget what happened last night. That thing that blocked her from approaching Kuroki entertained some of her questions, and it also asked something from her, which she answered as truthfully as possible. Whenever she looked at that thing's eyes, it looked like a predator that was ready to pounce on her once she let down her guard. There she learned that Kuroki was summoned by the Demon King Modes to defeat the heroes sent by the Goddess Alrena. Because that thing was in a good mood or perhaps wanted to amuse itself, it also told her that Kuroki was a hero in his home world, Kamen Rider, but other than that:

"Well, that's it for now. I am quite amused that you planned to make him sleep forever so you can be with him. Too bad I can't allow that~! Time for Kuroki and you to wake up. Ciao!"

Although that thing scared her, Tess still couldn't forget that lonely image of Kuroki sitting on a tree. She wanted to comfort him and tell him that it's alright, but she couldn't. Tess found a goal: the next time she meets Kuroki, Tess will be strong enough to face him and that thing. But until then...

"See you later again, my gallant Kamen Rider."

Kuroki was walking leisurely on the road in the forest. It had been days since he left Tess and Davia's dwelling.

"Just a little bit more, and we will see another city, right Nut?"

"Yes, Kuroki-sama!...Wait, I think I hear screaming humans?"

Two of them saw humans running past them and running away from something. Not minding them, Kuroki moved towards the source of their fear, and he saw a lone man fending off four goblins despite swinging his sword with no skill.

"The human looks kinda weak. It will be a little while before he becomes a goblin's fodder," Nut quipped as they watched the human struggle. Having traveled for a while and adding to his own circumstances, Kuroki really felt distant towards the humans of this world.

"Did...Evolto felt like this when he was on Earth?" Kuroki pondered.

The man is still fighting on and that impresses Kuroki, he can see that the human is fighting hard for his life, this is enough reason for him to intervene.

"Well I will need a guide in the next city, might as well use him."

Kuroki quietly walked, approached the nearest goblin and smashed his fist on the top of its head, killing it instantly. The other goblins were surprised that a human managed to slip through them and faced Kuroki immediately, seeing him as a bigger threat. Kuroki continued by jumping high and then stomped another goblin again in the head. After that he stared at the remaining goblins and emitted an intense killing intent causing them to drop their weapons and run away from him.

Douzomi was slack jawed on what he saw. His savior seems to appear out of thin air and smashes the head of the goblin with his fist. The Goblin's head is said to be the hardest part that even swords wont pierce it but the stranger effortlessly crushed the heads of the goblins.

"Are you alright?" The stranger asked.

"Yeah, thanks. I owe you for that."

Douzomi took a better look at the stranger, he just looks like a young man but his aura that comes out from him seems like he has gone thru a lot of battles.

"Can I ask what your name is?"

"I am Kuro, traveling Freedom Fighter. I am on a journey to go to the Holy Public of Lenaria."

"Ohh, a fellow Freedom Fighter, well you are in luck. I happen to be living there, how about I guide you there as a means of repayment for saving me?" Douzumi offered.

"Sure."

Douzumi then told him that they were assigned to carry a cargo but unfortunately the goblins attacked their entourage. He was basically left for dead and almost lost hope but Kuroki saved him in the nick of time.

Kuroki and Douzumi conversed until they reached the gates of the Holy Republic of Lenaria.

CHAPTER 8 END