Valon tried to wake up from what seemed to be a journey to hell. He felt like he went all around the world wearing high-heeled shoes while being chased by Road Runner who was holding a knife while the world was slowly being devoured by a giant donut. Yes, he didn't know what all that would feel like nor how all that would happen because that's exactly the predicament he was in—he didn't know what the hell just happened to him.
He felt sick, dizzy, and disoriented. His organs felt like they're in the wrong places and he couldn't stand up from whatever he was lying on because he couldn't move his arms or legs properly. He wanted to throw up but nothing came out of his mouth and it wasn't really a good idea to throw up while wearing a helmet. That would most definitely just make his current situation even worse.
He stayed like an anarchic mess until he felt his body stabilize from the side effects of warp travel. Opening his eyes, he stood up from his lying position. He looked around him and saw nothing out of the ordinary.
Huh, this looks lovely! Clear skies, grassy fields, tree—
Valon suddenly felt his world turned upside down as he came to realize his current situation. The first thing he realized was that he was no longer wearing his helmet. He didn't see the user interface that he usually saw throughout his peripheral vision. He instinctively looked around him and felt his insides perish out of existence as he saw the devastating scene of his broken S.P.A.C.E. suit scattered around in pieces.
"No, no, no..."
Adrenaline rushed throughout his entire body as he quickly but carefully picked up the remains of his suit. After grabbing a good amount, he tried to make use of the pieces until he realized that some of the major components of the suit were missing and that the others were completely destroyed in the sense that repairing it would be impossible, also taking the fact that he only had his utility tools and not the complex machines he wished he had to work with. Valon then remembered that he brought a reserved suit pack in case the one he used was destroyed. He instantly grabbed the container that held the spare parts and opened it. His hopes were once again crushed when he took every part he could grab inside.
I only brought parts for a helmet!
Up until then, Valon understood how stupid he was for forgetting to bring such important materials. He then noticed that the laser rifle that was somehow on the ground was also broken. He quickly grabbed the gun to inspect the damage, feeling slightly relieved when he realized that it could still be repaired.
The energy cell is broken and the barrel might not be able to handle another shot, but they could still be repaired with the right parts.
Valon placed the rifle in its holster in his backpack as he checked for the other tools and gadgets that he brought with him to see if they were in working condition. When he saw that only his suit and his gun were the only ones that were affected during the transport, he decided to check his surroundings. If he was already shocked from having his S.P.A.C.E. suit shattered into millions of pieces, then this took it to the next level.
He saw what he assumed was the sun shining brightly. There were clouds from the sky, trees, and other forms of flora, and finally, the fauna such as birds and various insects flying and hopping around. He couldn't keep his mind straight after looking at the sight before him.
"A-am I... just on Earth?"
Valon felt a bit stupid for not realizing why he didn't die yet without his helmet. He was, at first, expecting to be on a totally new planet or on the farthest side of the galaxy after being transported by the Warpgate, which would mean that he would die if he wasn't wearing his S.P.A.C.E. suit, but it seemed as though he was only sent back to Earth. He didn't know where exactly on Earth but that's what it initially felt like to him.
He immediately turned to activate his M.A.D., feeling relieved after hearing the device switched on.
"M.A.D. perform maximum field scan of the area."
A scanning device popped out of his M.A.D., producing a low-powered dome-shaped laser that expanded around him which disappeared quickly after a few seconds.
"Scan complete."
Valon pressed a button on his device to expand the formatted data for easy reading.
Gravity is 9.807 meters per second squared which is oddly similar to Earth. The surface temperature is 78.8 degrees Fahrenheit. Surface pressure is 1013.25 millibars, which again, is accurately similar to Earth. It would also appear that there are gases present with a 20.95% oxygen level which at least means that I'm not breathing toxic air or something. W-w-wait... am I really just on Earth?
Valon narrowed his eyes as he continued skimming through the results of the field scan. Everything looked almost similar to Earth, from the weather to the other present gases that the Earth's atmosphere had. He even looked at the time and noticed that only a few hours had passed after he stepped into the Warpgate. Whether time worked differently from wherever he was, was still yet to be further inspected. Valon then quickly took a look around himself as he walked on the grassy fields. Everything was intriguingly similar to Earth until something clicked on him.
"M.A.D. connect me to the nearest satellite."
Valon was half-expecting a long response from the device but he wasn't surprised at all when it answered immediately.
"Performance error. Cannot connect to a nearby satellite."
I knew it.
It took him a while, even after seeing it firsthand, but he finally found out what it was. This 'planet' seemed to look like his home planet until he discerned what he saw with his own two eyes. He didn't even have to perform a field scan to know because he already saw the difference. The readings were very similar to Earth but they were a few numbers too short or too long.
Ever since the incident that happened on the planet in the year 2032, Earth changed drastically. There were levels of gravity that sometimes shifted and warp due to the exposure of vast amounts of cosmic materials and how they alter in different places. The air also became heavily polluted with a decrease in the percentage of nitrogen and oxygen which made some areas around the planet inhabitable. Animals were also no longer roaming around freely after the incident due to the hazardous changes to the natural environment.
So while the readings from the scan were almost accurate, they'd only be as exact if it was before the incident or in the more controlled environments in the planet. And Valon wouldn't blame himself if he also thought that he was back on Earth, but how could he? It looked clean and peaceful. The trees were swaying in the breeze and the plant life indicated their healthy conditions, and of course, the vast presence of critters around him. He could reason that he was just probably in a randomly hidden place on the planet that was untouched by Aresian territory but that was incredibly unlikely given the circumstances.
Confirming the suspicions he had, he moved on to the next issue: where the hell was he? If he was on another planet that was somehow similar to Earth or rather, former Earth, then he'd be the first person from Earth to be in one. It would be a massive breakthrough! In all of the organization's 30 years of space exploration, they had not found a planet that was habitable for human conditions or anything that had closely similar properties to Earth.
The creation of the Warpgates was their first solution for interplanetary habitation. But even with advanced progressive technology, terraforming other planets in the local solar system already proved to be difficult. Mars became the first planet in the solar system that held slightly optimal results for terraformation and even still, the entire planet wasn't habitable yet, for reasons Valon already knew. And that was why finding more planets was one of the objectives of the higher divisions and so far, they found none that was similar to Earth.
But it also wouldn't make any sense if they hid vital information such as a new habitable planet discovery to the public. They literally had no reasons to hide such information, even if they were addicted to hiding things and telling lies. If anything, they'd be gaining the people's trust despite their highly condescending nature...
And even if they did hide it, he'd be caught immediately if the higher divisions were keeping this 'planet' or 'place' under close observation. It'd be like the scenario from breaking in the investigation facility all over again. He knew just how strict they were when it came to hiding confidential information.
Valon's thoughts were broken when he heard a notification sound on his M.A.D. He checked what it was about, widening his eyes in shock after seeing what he saw. His radar was picking up a red signal from another M.A.D. device that was detected nearby within its range. All of his thoughts a while ago were instantly replaced by the most important thing he sought out to do—the mission to find his brother and the missing members of the Delta Cosmoknights.
I have to remember why I got here in the first place. Don't get too distracted.
With that in mind, Valon followed the location of the blinking dot on his radar.
Valon continued to walk until he found a forest. He wanted to take precautionary measures and turned to activate his exoshield when he saw that it was under cooldown.
Great... it broke during the warp. Thanks for not figuring a way out of the cooldown, C.O.S.M.O.
With little regard to safety because of his curiosity, he ventured deep into the woods to find the source of the signal. The reasons for the missing M.A.D. didn't fully matter as long as he found out what may have happened to its owner. It'd be better if it belonged to his younger brother's, despite the possible outcomes between separation or death. Although, he really hoped it wasn't the latter.
After an indefinite time of walking, he found parts of machinery that he easily recognized laying on the ground. He then saw the broken M.A.D. amongst the rubble and picked it up to determine whom it belonged to.
Delta User 175!
Valon widened his eyes in shock. What he was currently holding was from someone from the Delta Division and after seeing the broken equipment and the recognizable torn uniform, he knew what job the owner had.
This belongs to a Delta Cosmoknight! Then, they really are here!
Even if it didn't belong to his brother's, the pieces of evidence around him proved one of his suspicions. The Delta Cosmoknights that were sent by the Warpgate to an unknown location was here! Not necessarily nearby from where he was but they were somewhere around this place.
T-they're here! The Delta Cosmoknights... they were sent here... Ralph was sent here...
The thought of being reunited with his brother sent a smile to his face. After so long of waiting for the organization's updates of the search that led him to build his own Warpgate to find the missing personnel, he finally had the chance to be with his brother again. After all the work he spent on creating the device, he can officially begin his search. The resolve he had after seeing his machine work became even stronger. Even with other variables such as if something bad happened to them or if they somehow figured a way out of this planet through different means of interstellar travel didn't deter him.
He was going to find his brother no matter what, now that he knew that everyone who was on that Warpgate incident, was once here. Nothing was going to stop him; not the higher divisions, not the possible risks from the totally new environment he was in, nothing at all. Now all he had to do was to determine where they could've gone to. Finding traces of leftover equipment was as a good start as any. And after what happened with his S.P.A.C.E. suit and his laser rifle, he figured that salvaging the broken pieces of equipment would prove useful and practical for future utilization.
He found various metallic parts that appeared to have been from a beacon device that the higher divisions used for making waypoints and marking important locations, and he would probably use them for making some sort of device. He also happened to see some flashbombs, a few firearm modifications for a laser rifle, and a broken propulsion cannon.
Dang, I hit the jackpot right here! I know they all belong to someone else but it'd be a waste not to hoard all of these.
Valon grabbed every salvageable part he could find. He grabbed the pieces that still seemed to be in good condition for various purposes and stored them all in his backpack. Grabbing new and useful resources was also a good start if he was going to traverse a foreign environment without much knowledge, even if the place heavily resembled a somehow healthy-looking Earth.
Just because it looks like Earth doesn't mean that every corner of the planet is. There are still undefined variables I have to look out for and now's not the time to be complacent.
"Oh my, what do we have here? A delicious-looking human?" Valon heard a voice behind him that made his blood freeze.
He considered what he was going to do, quickly thinking in his mind about the situation. He remained still from his crouching position, not once turning his head to the stranger behind him. What startled him wasn't the fact that he heard a female voice who spoke to him in a language he could understand, which he initially assumed was the owner of the lost parts he found. No, what startled him was the way this stranger said those words.
The tone felt disturbingly seductive and the words 'delicious' and 'human' drew a lot of red flags. His mind started to begin its fight or flight response while keeping the forming adrenaline in his body in check. He didn't want to give his 'visitor' a chance to do anything bad the longer he stayed there but he also didn't want to attract any unwanted attention more than he should have considering he didn't fully know what he dealing with.
Since she initiated with a dialog, at least I know I'm dealing with some sort of intelligent lifeform that can communicate. Of course, by calling me 'human,' it's safe to assume that she isn't human. The fact that she hasn't done anything yet, well at least not from what I see from my peripheral vision, while I'm still thinking quickly here means that she must be willing to talk, or she's waiting for me to respond, or she's also planning to do something bad to me. Well, she hasn't appeared to show any signs of aggression yet. The cooldown from my exoshield hasn't disappeared and I'm physically defenseless without my S.P.A.C.E. suit. I also don't know how she might react if I try to grab any of my weapons...
Deciding his course of action, Valon slowly turned around to take a good look at what the creature looked like. Immediately after seeing the creature's appearance, Valon's thinking circuits exploded into tiny chunks. It was definitely female in form. She had the upper appearance of a woman; with a humanoid face, torso, arms, and half of her lower limbs. The ones that didn't resemble a human were her blue viscous fluid that complemented the bottom part of her limbs and her overall slimy translucent form, which was emphasized from the jiggling of her body and the dripping noise her various body parts produced.
Valon was utterly speechless that he wasn't able to avoid dropping his jaws, and if it was possible, they'd literally be contacting the ground. The 'slimy lady creature' or 'slime girl' just laughed at his shocked expression.
"Oh? Could it be that it's your first time seeing a monster?"
Valon's brain was burning in smoke as he was still trying to process everything about the creature, from her appearance to the way she behaved until he heard a word that made him confused.
Wait, 'monster?'
"Well, I would lie if I didn't say you have a nice-looking face yourself," the 'monster' purred. "Most men would have run away by now, just by encountering a monster. You seem to be not like them. Could it be that you're willing to give me your semen? I'm feeling hungry for some!"
What...
If his mind would shatter like glass after hearing that last statement by this creature in front of him, it would've been in millions of pieces right now. Valon, however, didn't have enough time to capably process things when he felt something slimy crawling from his shoes. His innate instincts quickly took over him.
"W-what are you doing?" Valon asked in uncertainty, as more slime crawled over his body.
"Shhh..." the slimy creature tried to comfort him in a hushed tone as she slowly made her way to the confusedly terrified man. "Just relax and let me squeeze out all your semen. You'll enjoy it, I promise~"
Valon didn't know what was completely going on but he knew one thing; he was about to be violated by a female slimy creature. One particularly similar traumatic experience suddenly materialized in his mind and took full control of him, motivating him to escape and run away from his assailant.
"G-get off me!" Valon yelled as he forcefully struggle against the slimy substance that was slowly wrapping him.
Eventually, Valon was able to get out of the slime's grasp.
"Awww... you got out," the slime girl pouted. "I was going to give you the greatest pleasure you'd never forget. Don't you want me to rub your penis? It'll feel really good~"
Valon was too focused to escape to register the lewd remarks coming from the weird perverted creature he just met. He turned to run in a random direction when he felt his left foot trip over something.
"Oof!" Valon groaned after falling to the ground. The slimy creature took this opportunity to grab him with her slimy tentacles. He quickly stood up to make a run for it when he felt something slimy grab on his left leg that refused to let go of him. He turned to face the creature who was approaching him.
Quickly thinking of an idea, Valon grabbed one of the flashbombs that he previously found and threw it on the ground near the creature, exploding the moment it impacted the ground. The non-lethal explosion heavily disoriented the creature's senses and balance that rendered her dizzy and unable to perceive her surroundings properly.
Valon, who was only slightly dazed because he was a good distance away from the explosion, managed to get out of the creature's grasp and used the opportunity to run away to safety. He ran further into the forest and climbed on one of the trees in case he was spotted by another creature. He sat on the large tree branch and took that moment to take a break from running away as he tried to comprehend everything that just happened.
I hopped into the makeshift Warpgate, my S.P.A.C.E. suit and my laser rifle were destroyed in the process, analyzed and deduced that the world or place I was in was similar to Earth, found one of the Delta Cosmoknight's broken equipment, and then... this slime thing that apparently wanted my 'stuff?!'
Valon shivered in disgust after realizing the sexual assault that he almost experienced from the slime creature. He didn't know what the hell that thing's deal was and he didn't know why she wanted to violate him. He knew that the alien or creature or monster or whatever in tarnation it was, was at least female if the breasts and the voice weren't any indications. Now all he wanted the answer to was why? Why was that thing hungry for semen? What was that thing anyway? Was it a local creature of the planet he was currently residing in? Was it an intelligent alien species that apparently feed on semen?
But if they knew what a human was and knew what semen was... does that mean... no way!
Valon felt shocked by the possible implications as he carefully drew a conclusion in his head. The slime creature he just encountered, obviously wasn't human but was aware that he was human. She also described him in between their ridiculously lewd conversation, if Valon even acknowledged it as a 'conversation,' that he was 'delicious' and that she said that she was hungry for semen. Valon tried to not throw up from the way she said those words and focused on the numerous implications of her statements.
There are humans here!
It was the only logical explanation based on the information he gathered from the slime creature's words. If the slime girl he saw was one of the creatures that exist or live in this place and there were other forms of creatures that may or may not be similar to her, which if he was to assume that there were indeed other forms of intelligent life on this planet, then that would mean that he was no longer on Earth but a planet similar to Earth inhabited by different otherworldly creatures. But if they knew what a human was, then that would ultimately mean that humans also inhabit this planet.
The funniest thing was that he couldn't deny the argument. If humans, at least the ones he knew, only discovered this planet recently, there was no way that the slime girl he just encountered would behave the way she did after meeting him. Even if that creature out of a bajillion chance, happened to have English as their way of communication and language, there was no was still no way she'd act so casual, not to mention extremely perverted in nature. And he was incredibly baffled by the fact that she wanted to 'squeeze' semen from him.
I mean who the hell goes to meet a random person they don't even know and ask for their semen like nothing's wrong with it?
Her behavior from Valon's perspective was just so out-of-place, that ironically wasn't at the same time. The slime girl was already aware of what he was even if they haven't met at all. He also remembered her saying that she was 'hungry' for 'some.'
Even if you didn't take that statement in the literal sense, what she said basically told me was that she WANTED or rather NEEDED semen, whether for fun or if she really eats the damn thing. She even told me about how 'most men' would run away from her and that apparently I was the exception.
If humans really did just discover this planet recently and that the local creatures who inhabit the planet just knew about the existence of humans; the slime creature would've not asked for his semen, she wouldn't have acted the way she did as if she was seducing him, nor would she talk to him in a casual and extremely perverted manner, even comforting him about how it would feel good if he just let the creature violate him. And if the humans were just 'visitors' on this planet, the slime creature wouldn't have known that humans, specifically males, even have semen in their reproductive organs.
Creatures don't just have an intuition for semen, I mean it'd be really wrong if they did, which I really hope they don't. They would've at least spent a long time with humans if they are now feeding on their semen which also further proves my point. She wasn't even intimidated by my presence. The way she asked for my... stuff... felt as if she'd done it before. It was almost as if it was a natural thing for her, like semen was a thing she actually eats like a meal.
Everything he just deduced, all pointed out into one single conclusion—humans live on this planet. Not just as visitors but actual inhabitants who were already living in this place for a long time. It made complete sense if he really dug deep into every little bit of information the moment he was transported in such a place.
Valon was brought to a place that was hugely similar to Earth. He could see a star in the sky, which he was having trouble determining if it was the same sun from the solar system or just another star that seemed to be in an appropriate distance away from the planet he was in. There were clouds that were slowly moving, indicating that this planet's atmosphere was similar to that of the planet Earth and that this was also revolving and rotating around the aforementioned star.
There were trees, bushes, birds, and insects he immediately recognized the species of, which meant that not only that this planet had flora and fauna but this planet had the same exact species you could see on Earth. And finally, the existence of humans, which he had yet to see but something he had sufficient knowledge of thanks to his inconvenient encounter with the slime girl.
Of course, he already knew this wasn't Earth, or at least, not the Earth he knew and lived in. This planet was, in a way, cleaner and looked like what it was before the 2032 incident. But what made Valon really think that he wasn't on the Earth that he knew was the existence of these creatures or 'monsters,' the term that the slime girl used. Whatever these 'monsters' were, they act similarly to humans, based on what he observed on one of them so far.
With the way they look, act, and talk, you wouldn't be able to tell their difference from any human being; apart from the fact that their overall forms did not resemble anything human at all.
The odd concept that he was still having trouble grasping on, was that particular monster wanted to violate him. She was eager to rape him, hell, she was hungry for his semen. Her slime was touching him sexually and even tried to grab him with the slimy appendages that extended from her body when he escaped.
He had some doubts in a part of his mind if they completely act like humans or just adapting to the human nature. Maybe that slime monster creature thing just happened to be in heat, or in the loose sense, horny. He didn't know if that was their normal behavior or something weird just happened to that creature that made her do the things she did.
But the weirdest part was, somehow, all of what happened to him and the slime monster felt vaguely familiar. It wasn't in the sense that it happened before, well not exactly the way it happened, but something was telling him in the back of his mind that he had already seen something like this. And it didn't help that the appearance of the slime girl was oddly familiar to him.
"I found you!"
Valon wasn't too quick to respond when suddenly, something grabbed him from his foot and he was pulled off the tree he was sitting on.
"Ack!" Valon hissed in pain but it was replaced by the feeling of pleasure as he felt something slimy caress his body gently. Valon turned to his captor and saw the sultry expression of a familiar face, one where he wished he never saw again. He then realized that the left half of his body was slowly being wrapped in slime.
"You thought you could get away from me, huh?"
Crap, I forgot she can grab me with her slime!
"How did you find me?" Valon asked as he struggled from the large slime wrapping over him.
"Well, I just followed that path and I just happen to spot you on one of the trees."
The slime that was wrapping on him started to caress Valon's groin as the slime girl slowly approached him. Acknowledging the hint of what she was doing, Valon lost control and went for a punch. He knew that the creature wasn't actually violent nor bloodthirsty nor acting like she was out to kill and eat her prey viciously when he first observed the creature's antics, so he wouldn't normally act with violence or self-defense unless he was being harmed physically. But a seemingly-familiar sensation that he felt a while ago momentarily took over his mind once again, enabling his instinct for defense, as he went for deciding to punch the creature on the chest.
But as he landed the punch, he was surprised when his fist got stuck as it went deeper through the slime's body. The slime also felt surprised about the act but her expression quickly changed to a salacious smile.
"Oh my, I didn't know you were so straightforward. If you wanted to grope my breasts so badly, you could've just asked~"
It really is like slime...
Valon gritted his teeth as he tried to struggle out of the creature's body. Panic started to take over him when he realized he couldn't get out. He was desperately thinking of a way out of his predicament. It was too late to activate his exoshield because his right arm was stuck inside the slime's body so he went to reach for his utility belt until he saw that the holsters that contained the flashbombs and the foambombs were also stuck inside the slime's body. The only holster that was still accessible was the one that contained his explosive sharp-edged boomerangs.
Valon pondered whether it was wise to use one, as using one of them against the slime that was now in front of him would give death-inducing results. He would have no trouble using them even with the possible risks of death if he didn't have an important mission to accomplish.
"Hey! Leave that man alone!"
Both Valon and the slime girl diverted their attention to the newcomer. He had a short stature that made him look like a kid. He had light purple hair and the clothes he was wearing looked like they came from someone living in the Medieval ages; with a long-sleeved shirt, a pale brown vest, a belt with a scabbard strapped on its waist, gray pants, steel-plated boots, a pair of gloves, and a maroon cape. His overall appearance was that of a young war hero.
Valon felt slightly relieved and surprised to find another human in this almost-foreign environment. However, when he tried to take a good look at the 'kid' again, he felt utterly shocked.
T-that... that's... no... there's just... no... no way... no way in hell...
"Oh? Another human? And an incredibly cute one at that!" the slime girl remarked. "Today must be my lucky day!"
With the creature's momentary distraction from the seemingly familiar newcomer, Valon exploited the opportunity to struggle with all his might. Eventually, he was able to escape, but without rolling from the gained momentum, making him hit his back from the tree.
"My back!" Valon hissed in pain, reflexively rubbing his back from the impact produced from hitting the tree.
"Sir! Are you alright?" the boy asked as he tried to approach the injured man when he felt his legs being wrapped in something viscous.
"Awww... too bad I couldn't squeeze semen out of him," the slime girl pouted before turning to her new captive. "I'll just milk yours then!"
"Gah!" the boy flinched from the slime puddle that wrapped around his foot.
"Now, now, why don't you just relax and let me make you feel good~"
Before the slime was able to reach his lower limbs, the boy quickly struggled with extreme effort and was able to get out of the slime.
"Aww... come on, I just want your semen."
"Uh... I'm sorry but I can't do that. One of Ilias's five commandments forbids it, so I can't let you have any of my energy."
The boy momentarily looked over to the man that was sitting by the tree who was rubbing his back. He contemplated whether if it was safer to take him to the village first or deal with the slime girl that threatened both of them. He got his answer when he felt the slime girl's tentacles grab him.
"Don't you want my slime to wrap around your penis, and bring you the ultimate pleasure?" the slime girl laughed seductively.
"I wanted to settle this peacefully, but I can't let you harm anyone anymore! Here goes!"
The boy went for a large slash. Though it offered momentum, the attack was slow enough for the slime to avoid.
"Eh?"
"Such a slow attack, how could that hit anyone?"
"So if I use a quicker attack, will I be able to hit you?"
"Uhhh... take this!"
The slime girl reached out to the boy's groin with one of her slimy tentacles. The boy moaned in pleasure before countering with a small but swift slash from his iron sword. He felt slightly concerned when he saw his attack slice through the slime's body. It was then quickly replaced by utter disbelief when he saw the slime's parts recombine to their usual appearance.
"What?"
"I'm a slime you moron!" the slime girl mocked. "Your weapon is useless against me."
"N-no... way..." the boy responded in shock.
The slime continued to assault the boy with her slimy caresses while the boy struggled to fight against her. His attacks weren't damaging the slime as whenever he hit a part of her body, they just recombined once more. While the boy had difficulties fighting, the slime girl was overwhelming him with pleasure attacks. As the boy tried to figure out a way of attack, Valon observed the one-sided onslaught from his position. The moment he saw the purple-haired boy, his shocked expression never left him.
No, no, no, no, no! I-it c-can't be! It can't be him, right?! He may look almost like him but there's no way that's him, right? Right?!
Valon watched the battle in disbelief, although, he was more focused on the boy's disturbingly familiar resemblance to someone rather than the fight itself.
"Just give up and offer yourself to me! You'll feel way better~"
"I... I... c-can't give... up..." the boy panted with exhaustion.
It was safe to say that the slime girl was overwhelming the poor swordsman. As he noticed the boy's apparent fatigue, Valon's thoughts were temporarily put aside as he decided to help him. He contemplated his plan of action on how exactly he was going to help the boy.
He obviously didn't want to just stand there and witness a child rape, even if he somehow knew in the back of his mind that he wasn't a child, it would still count as rape nonetheless. He thought of ways how he would help him whether directly or indirectly.
Denial thoughts aside, if this really was happening, I don't know if it's reasonable to help him directly. I don't know what the possible consequences of direct foreign intervention are if my thoughts are right, but I do know that I can't use my weapons.
Valon wouldn't be able to help the boy with the weapons he had at his disposal. The sharp-edged boomerangs were too dangerous to use since the slime girl and the boy were fighting at a short distance with each other, and he might just end up hurting the boy even if the boomerang directly hit the slime girl as the boomerang had a three-second timer before exploding.
His laser rifle was obviously not going to be of any help considering it was broken. Both his flashbombs and foambombs would only create a momentary distraction that wouldn't completely deal with the problem and would most likely affect the boy as well. And the grapple hook that he recently installed in his M.A.D. would only be able to grab the boy out of harm's way, but again, useless against the slime girl.
If I can't use any weapons then maybe... no... my physical attacks wouldn't do anything either! Wait a minute, that's it!
"Hey, kid!" Valon called out the young boy, catching his attention.
"Huh?"
"Flail your sword wildly! Don't just settle with a single attack but bombard her with continuous slashes!"
The boy was a bit confused with what the man told him to do but he did as he was told. He gripped his sword tightly and swung his blade in different directions, cutting through the slime's body. The chaotic barrage was too quick for the slime girl's ability to regenerate.
"Ahh! Stop it! Meanie!"
Hurt from the carving blows, the slime girl ran away. The exhausted boy felt satisfied after the fight. He may have struggled a lot from the beginning but he was able to fend off the monster without even killing her. The boy celebrated his victory from his first fight against a monster when he heard a pained groan that came from the man who was once again rubbing his back.
"How hard was that tree that I hit?!"
"Sir, are you alright?" the boy asked in concern as he approached the man. "I'm glad that the slime girl didn't harm you any further. But you must have hit that tree pretty hard. Uh, why don't you come with me to the village? I know someone who can tend to your injuries."
Valon thought about what he should do. Normally in a situation such as this, he would be slightly skeptical from the offer, considering he was in a foreign environment with little overall knowledge of the place. Even if the boy was human, there were things to consider like what the locals were like? What do they do for a living? Are they dangerous? Are they intelligent enough to trick other intelligent lifeforms? And what are their motives?
But the problem was that he knew the place, now that he was subjected to the elements. He now knew what that slime creature was and why it wanted his semen and worst of all, he recognized the boy he was talking to. If his mind wasn't already broken from trying to process the latest events that happened to him, it now was. No, the appropriate word wouldn't be broken, it was downright decimated.
If he really is him... then...
"Uhh... yeah... that would be nice..." Valon replied with all the strength he could muster from the pain that was starting to form throughout his body. "Say, what's your name kid? I'd at least want to show gratitude for helping me from that slime."
"Oh, my name's Luka!" the boy replied happily.
Luka
Luka
Luka
LUKA
LUKA
LUKA!
And then the remains of Valon's mind, if there was still any, blew up to hell. The pieces flung off in the infinite void never to be seen or heard from ever again. Valon covered his mouth, fighting the urge to throw up as he slightly felt the bile rising from his esophagus. The gesture was instantly noticed by the boy whose expression changed back to a concerned one.
"Sir, we can hurry up if you're not feeling well anymore!"
"N-n-no... I-I'm f-f-fine, d-don't w-w-worry about m-me!"
Valon started to feel dizzy. The answer the boy gave him confirmed his suspicions, one where he wished he was proven wrong. He felt sick to the core and he wanted to run away from the boy to gather his thoughts. As the boy continued to guide the 'dying' man, the sound of a large impact reverberated around the area making the ground shake.
"W-what was that?" Luka asked in concern.
Not wasting the opportunity, Valon turned to Luka as he let his mind guide his words.
"Hey, listen, Luka. I'm just going to run quickly to the village. Why don't you check out the source of that noise?"
"W-what? B-but what about you?"
Luka certainly felt surprised by the sound of the impact but he was more shocked by what the man told him to do. He wanted to help the man first because of his current condition and he assumed that the man was also in need of immediate medical attention, so he felt genuinely surprised by his unexpected request.
"I can check that later, but you need—"
"I know what I need but I can head to the village on my own if I follow this road here. I can get there fast despite my current condition, trust me," Valon reassured the worried boy, albeit poorly because of his shivering voice.
"B-but..."
"Look, I'll be fine. But the people might not be if whatever caused that noise poses a threat to the village. Of course, if it truly does pose a threat but you'll never know if you don't check, am I right?"
"I supposed you're right..."
"Go and investigate. I'll... see you later."
Valon ran away as fast as he could. The words he told the boy were only the result of his adrenaline and the instinct to provide leeway. The truth was that he wanted to get as far away from the boy as possible until he was able to organize and fully assess his bothersome thoughts. He followed the road and sure enough, he was met with the sight of a village one would find if they were in the Middle Ages.
The first thing that came to his mind was the act of confirmation that kept bugging him. He first wanted to verify the sneaking suspicions he had ever since meeting the boy, which happened to also confirm his speculations from the familiar appearance of the slime creature he encountered earlier. Thinking on his feet, he approached one of the locals of the village for questioning.
"Uhh, excuse me sir?"
"Hmmm? What is it, lad?" the old man, who was plowing the ground, asked.
"Uhh, can you tell me where I am? This village and a little information about it?"
"Hmm, not from around here, ey?"
"A tourist err... a visiting scholar! I like to travel through different places and know something valuable about them, you know?"
"I see! Well, lad. You're in one of the most sacred settlements in the world—the Ilias Village!"
What in the actual fuc—
"You're in the southernmost part of the Ilias continent where the most faithful to Ilias resides. The famous Shrine of Ilias, where people receive their blessings from the goddess herself and become heroes, is found in the center of this village over there!" the old man replied, pointing towards the giant majestic temple. "Pilgrims and priests usually visit this place, but for some reason, we no longer see them anymore."
Would it be insane of me if I somehow knew the reason why?
"Has the people's faith in Ilias weakened?" the old man mumbled. "How about you, lad? Is your faith in Ilias strong?"
"Uhhh..." Valon couldn't think of an appropriate response.
"And the people who live here wonder why we were just attacked by a monster," the old man shook his head in disappointment. "Well, I'm kind of in the middle of something here. If you want to learn more, go ask the soldiers over there."
"Uhh... sure, thanks for the information... sir..."
Valon quickly left as he ran towards the bushes to hide and like any normal person would do if they had the same experience he had, he threw up. The bile discharging from him left a bitter and horrible aftertaste, but nothing was more horrible compared to what he just discovered.
I'm... in... MONSTER GIRL QUEST!
Valon silently roared in confused rage. He didn't even know if he was actually angry, he just was. In fact, he didn't even know how he should feel. If people wanted an almost accurate analogy for World War 3, it would be what was currently happening in his mind. It was as if his brain just killed itself and was brought back to life only to kill itself again. There were so many questions in his mind, he already had a lot the moment he got here, and now his mind was completely flooded with them.
Okay... okay... calm down Valon, calm down. Breathe in, breathe out.
Valon knew that panicking aimlessly would only delay valuable time and energy. Even if his situation was completely and inevitably ridiculous, nothing good will happen to him if he continuously questioned his sanity. He turned to his M.A.D. and checked his body conditions. His heart rate and anxiety levels were flying off the charts and he also noticed his hand intensely shivering. He needed to compose himself and relax.
Inhale... exhale...
Valon tried to steady his breathing and slowly counted to ten to calm himself down. It took him a while but eventually, he was able to relax.
Okay, why don't I try to calmly and carefully process everything that's happened and try to make sense out of them?
From the beginning, his troubles began with something self-explanatory—adapting to the new environment. Like any man in their right mind, they'd try to understand and adapt to the given situations presented to them in a place that was completely foreign. Even if that place absurdly resembled his home planet in many ways, there were other unknown variables he would have to look out for, if he really wasn't on Earth which was proven easily.
So I got here, on this planet, that seemed to resemble the pre-2032 Earth a lot. I didn't have to perform a field scan to distinguish the differences. Besides the completely new environment, my first problem was that both my S.P.A.C.E. suit and laser rifle were destroyed during the transport. The bad news was that the S.P.A.C.E. suit was utterly broken and I wouldn't be able to repair it in any way without any advanced equipment from the organization, which I don't. I could theoretically make my own suit but it'll take more than scrap metal to do that. The good news was that the laser rifle can still be repaired as only the energy cell and the barrel were damaged.
But with the inconvenience of a broken suit along with my best weapon, I'd be more vulnerable than with a working suit and rifle. And if I wanted to fix them, I would need to gather more resources. And gathering resources would require me to explore the foreign environment. I was able to find spare parts earlier that would no doubt help me repair my laser rifle and possibly build a new suit, though I probably wouldn't be able to completely replicate the suit, and I require more parts.
Everything was actually quite manageable. But then everything went wrong the moment I heard the slime girl's voice.
At first, Valon felt fear because of an encounter with an unknown species that he didn't know anything about, which was something he expected to appear later on. Cliche as it may sound, but aliens and foreign planets sometimes aligned. Add the fact that Valon already acknowledged the existence of alien species. But that concept he initially considered was broken into millions of pieces after hearing the creature's voice and way of communication.
Everything she told me made me even more confused and I wasn't able to wrap my head around it not until my encounter with HIM. The slime girl was not only aware of humanity but also gave away implications that she spent a lot of time around humans or at least she spent enough time knowing different things about them. The way she talked, acted, and showed her expressions were almost human. Of course, her entire biostructure and physiology weren't human, that much was clear. But what made it worse was that she was so eager to rape... me...
It wasn't even the concept of the violation itself that fully disturbed him. It was how she knew what she was trying to do to him and the way she acted to get what she wanted. She knew what 'rape' was and she knew that male humans have semen. She even tried to convince him with sultry words to seduce him—a humanlike behavior. She possessed intelligence, sentience, and she knew how to express her emotions—human emotions. She wasn't just some creature who tried to communicate to him in a language he coincidentally can understand, no, she was a creature who 'humanly' tried to rape him.
To think that the first thing an alien you just encountered did to you was commit a human crime. Imagine encountering something you'd never seen in your life, presumably, an alien lifeform. If you had the chance to try and describe it, what would you list down? If you had the same mindset as I do, you'd probably go with something like aggressive, capable of flight, shoots toxic blobs, enhanced sense of sight or smell, etc.—you get the point.
So we'll take that to consideration and bring you an alien that isn't anything like those traits at all. Rather an alien who wanted to rape the living hell out of you and feed on your reproductive juices. Even if you considered yourself one of those degenerates and would probably enjoy an alien like that, let's be honest, an alien with those characteristics would be the last thing on your mind when you hear the word 'alien.'
Not wanting to repeat a bad incident that happened to him before, Valon fought with every fiber of his being as he struggled against the slime girl's grasp. He was able to get out and he climbed on a tree to process his thoughts until he was pulled down by the same slime girl, only to be stopped by the one that truly demolished his sanity. The face of someone he never thought he'd see in actuality.
Valon was already coming to terms with the concept of a 'rapist' creature. He remembered the slime creature calling herself a monster and that gave him the possible understanding of multiple races living amongst a planet that was also somehow inhabited by humans. Valon tried to process that bit of information but he was answered by the arrival of a familiar face. Although if he was being honest, he wished that he received a much different answer.
I'm in a game. A game called Monster Girl Quest...
It wasn't that Valon was into those kinds of games, in fact, he even refused to know more about what that game was when he first heard about it from Allen. Allen, the naughty and stubborn guy he was, just secretly installed the game on Valon's gaming computer.
Eventually, Valon decided to play the game, but not for the reasons people might think. The moment he played the game, he was genuinely immersed in the story. It wasn't a perfect visual-novel game but it was certainly one of the best, although he would never admit that to his friends, especially Allen.
And now the cruelty that was the universe decided to tell me that I was in it, whether or not it was the game world itself or an existing reality of the game, but it's definitely the game. All the pieces of evidence were there: the similarities this place had with Earth, the slime creature that just tried to violate me, the unmistakable face of the main protagonist, the words used like 'Ilias' and 'monsters,' and the same events that happened at the start of the game. They were all there, literally right in front of my face.
And now Valon had another problem.
What the hell am I supposed to do now?
Valon knew that he still needed to accomplish what he came here to do and he was determined to do it no matter the situation he was in. And knowing where he was now, Valon acknowledged that it was a blessing in disguise.
His utmost advantage was that, if he was really sure that he was in that game, then he practically knew everything about the world he was in. He played the game all-throughout and knew a lot of important details to consider. Of course, he still had some doubts about where he was, so until he could somehow prove that he wasn't where he thought he was, he was stuck in the game's world.
But even if he knew where he was and was aware of everything that will happen, there were still a lot of problems he'd have to solve, not including the ones that he already acknowledged. The first was that how he'd be able to proceed with his objective.
If I really am in the world of Monster Girl Quest, which I still have doubts about and I really hope that this isn't Monster Girl Quest despite the concrete pieces of evidence, the entire world presents a lot of hazards and dangers. The obvious threats were the monsters who would happily molest me against my will. Even if I was in the safest continent, traveling to different locations based on the game would prove dangerous because of a possible encounter with a monster. And an encounter wouldn't be optimal to my search, at all.
Valon could theoretically just explore by himself since he had weapons and the somewhat decent fighting experience from all of his training exercises back in Omicron as well as the experience with dealing with alien creatures. But applying simple logic, playing the game was different from being in the game itself. He only had knowledge of the game from the main protagonist's perspective.
And he knew that Luka, the main protagonist from the game, was a half-angel with superpowers and special abilities that will be shown later on. But Valon wasn't a half-angel nor did he posses any superpowers. Sure he had his weapons, but they could only take him so far. He was thinking with experience when he tried to fight the slime girl.
I didn't even fare any better than Luka did before he started to flail violently, and that was just a slime girl—a freaking slime girl! The first opponent Luka fought in the game! Now I may be older and probably have more experience than Luka in terms of hand-to-hand combat but we're talking about the Luka from before he set out on a journey with Alice, which I just noticed that I'm indeed at the beginning of the game.
This was level one Luka. And if both a level one Luka and an experienced extractor Valon were barely able to fend off one of the easiest enemies in the game, how in the hell would I deal against the other monsters in the Sentora and Hellgondo Continent, let alone in the Ilias Continent?
In Valon's defense, however, he would've easily dealt with the slime girl if he had his S.P.A.C.E. suit on and his laser rifle working. But that was the problem, he didn't. He would have to find another way to obtain additional protection and the materials to fix his laser rifle which would lead him to explore more to gather resources. And that would take him back in a loop to have more protection if he was going to venture through different places or he'd be having the risk of encountering monsters who were undeniably more powerful than he currently was.
Valon also knew he couldn't just limit himself to exploring one specific place because the reason he even came here in the first place was to look for his brother. And if he was to think carefully over the given situation, his brother could be anywhere around this god-forsaken world. It'd be easy if he was just around Ilias Continent, but Valon knew the reality, he wouldn't be able to know if he didn't explore the entire world. And to be able to do that, the best course of action would be to—
Travel with Luka and Alice...
Valon wanted to scream to the heavens about the hellish torture he just experienced. He wanted to yell to someone out there to spare him from whatever judgment was passed onto him. He still couldn't fully believe where he was and now, if it was possible, he was going to get involved with the two main protagonists of an eroge video game.
He didn't know if he was in some sick pervert's nightmare turned reality or if he was dead and this was the kind of hell he was sent into. Everything felt wrong. From being sent to a game like some sort of isekai scenario to getting himself involved with the plot of the story, with the main protagonists no less, raised all kinds of red flags.
With a lot of reasons that Valon tried to consider, he didn't know if he really should go with the idea of traveling with Luka and Alice. His thoughts were put to a halt when he heard the familiar voice of the boy. He went out of the bushes to check if he was nearby and then he saw him talking to the villagers.
I don't have that much of a choice. If forgetting to bring a complete suit pack was dumb then what I'm about to do would be even dumber. Extremely ironic, coming from a technician...
As much as he hated it, it was the most logical solution to his predicament. He'd be able to explore the world he was in to search for his brother, considering both Luka and Alice's primary goal was to travel around the world to spread coexistence between humans and monsters.
And he'd be under the protection of the main protagonist, and if his lamia companion tried to help somewhat, which he knew that she did in certain parts of the game besides the end, then he'd be practically safe. If he played his cards right, he should be able to fully scope the game's world and environment.
With a not fully thought-out decision, Valon rushed towards Luka. It seemed that he was finished talking to the people of his village and Valon used that opportunity to talk to him.
"Hey Luka, wait up!"
Luka turned to the source of the voice and saw the man he met a while ago.
"Oh, sir, it's you! I'm glad you're okay!"
"I'm glad you're okay!"
Without warning, Valon received a flashback of his younger brother smiling at him, as if he was standing where Luka was. Valon felt a slight migraine as he discarded the disturbingly random recollection. He decided that he could think about why that happened to him at some other time, because right now, he had a much more important task.
"You're going on a journey, right?" Valon asked, carefully considering the words he was going to say.
"Huh? Oh yeah, I am! But how did you know?"
If I really plan to join Luka and Alice on their journey, I gotta be careful with the things I say. I don't want to reveal too much information that'll make them suspicious of who I am but I also don't want to appear as if I'm hiding something, especially from Alice.
I also have to adapt some kind of persona within the restrictions of the game itself without hiding some details that would be okay even if I reveal them, like my name, to at least make it seem like I'm being honest. The last thing I want is to be called out by some kind of conflicting evidence with every little info I give out or say to them.
"I kinda overheard everything you said to that man over there. Sorry if I seemed like I was eavesdropping."
"Oh no no no, it's quite alright, I don't mind. But yes, I will be going on a journey, even if I wasn't baptized."
"That's great! Well, I uhh... just wanted to thank you for saving me a while ago."
"No problem, I was just doing my job! But now that you mentioned it, I also wanted to thank you for giving me the idea of flailing my sword wildly. I wouldn't have beaten the slime girl without your advice."
Well, you only managed to hurt her at most, but I don't want to say that out loud. Also, that technique would become useless later on.
"No problem. Figured you needed the assist as well. But I do apologize that I wasn't able to help you directly."
"It's fine, you did hit that tree pretty hard, but it looks like you're okay. Well, I have to head out on my journey now."
"Wait, can I, uhh... come with you?"
Oh boy, here it goes...
"You want to accompany me on my journey?"
"Yes, I do."
Luka was slightly surprised by the man's request to accompany him, considering he was already traveling with someone else.
"Okay, look, I need your help. I am also on a journey right now, or I guess the more appropriate term would be a search or a rescue mission. I originally planned to travel alone but encountering numerous monsters along the way and of course, that slime girl you just saw that caught me, proved how difficult this journey was going to be when traveling alone."
"Rescue mission? You're looking for someone?"
"Yes, my younger brother to be precise."
"You're looking for your brother? What happened? If you don't mind me asking."
"I don't mind. Well you see, my brother went on a trip to explore the world. He would usually write me letters about his travels and his discoveries about the places he visited and the people he met. One day, however, the letters stopped. I came to the post office in Iliasburg to find out why I wasn't receiving any of his letters anymore when I found out that the office hasn't received any letters from him either. I thought to myself that maybe he still has yet to write, and receiving letters in different offices does take a long time. But after waiting for over a year, I got extremely worried. I went back to the post office again but they gave me the same answer. After that, I just couldn't wait any longer and I set off on a journey to find him."
"I'm so sorry to hear that, sir." Luka sympathized from the man's troubling story.
"I know that you have your own journey around the world to fulfill your own objectives. But I also plan to go around the world to find my brother and since we'd both be traveling around the world, even if we may not have the same destination, I thought that maybe I should go with you."
Valon waited for Luka's answer. He knew that he would accept his offer, he just wanted to hear the answer from him.
"Alright, sir! You can come with me. Although, I would've helped you anyway because that's what a hero would do!"
"Really? Thank you so much! You have no idea how much this means to me!"
"Oh, it's really no problem. But if you will travel with me—"
"I already know the risks involved. I already took a huge risk to go on this journey, but I've already made up my mind," Valon replied, fully anticipating what Luka was going to say. "I won't lie when I say that I'm scared and that I'm unprepared to face the upcoming dangers, but I will do everything I can to find him."
"You must really love your brother, huh?"
"Yes, I do."
Luka smiled from the man's determination to find his lost loved one. His resolution reminded him of his own desire to achieve his dream of defeating the Monster Lord and becoming a hero. He was glad that he was going to set out on a journey with someone with the same burning resolve to do anything to achieve their goals. And it would probably make up for the nasty treatment he assumed he was going to receive from his other 'companion,' if his recent conversation with her was of any indication.
"Well, we have to get going then. By the way, I never got to know your name, sir."
"Heh, that's fine," Valon chuckled as he offered a handshake. "Name's Valon, Valon Wakers."
"Marshal Everleigh! Ma'am, I'm here to report something."
A female Cosmoknight hurriedly made her way to her superior's office who was nonchalantly sipping on a cup of coffee.
"Hmm? What is it?"
"One of our trackers has disappeared from our radar."
"You're gonna have to be more specific, darling. We implanted so many of those things."
The Cosmoknight tried to calm herself from the rising anxiety she felt. The news she was about to give wasn't particularly bad, it was that she was more worried about something else.
"A human tracker."
"Go on..."
"One of ours. There was no possibility of death because the signal was still green before its disappearance."
"From which division?"
"It's... from... Omicron."
The Cosmoknight didn't see it but the Space Marshal felt a chilling excitement from the inside while keeping her composed façade.
"May I know their OIP?
"Organization Identity Profile was Omicron User 011."
The Cosmoknight expected a negative reaction but she saw that her superior's demeanor remained the same as it was when she entered her office. After a while, the Space Marshal gently placed the cup down and gave the Cosmoknight a beaming smile.
"Thank you for your report. You may proceed back to your duties."
The Cosmoknight felt genuinely surprised with how the Marshal reacted to her news. Deciding that it was pointless to know why, she walked away as the sliding doors to the Space Marshal's office closed. Instantly, Everleigh's façade broke as she started to laugh maniacally.
"Now this is truly something remarkable. I knew it was going to happen eventually, but I didn't expect it to happen so fast. Now, let's see how all of this will play out. And maybe, just maybe, I can finally set my plans to motion."
The Space Marshal reached out to her earpiece and activated it with a click of a button.
"Hello, this is Delilah Everleigh from C.O.S.M.O. Something just came up and I was wondering if it would be okay if I pay a visit to talk to your superior in person," Delilah spoke as she waited for a response. "You will? Well, thank you, darling. Oh, I'm sure this will be worth her time."
Delilah smirked as she turned off the miniature communication device.
You truly fascinate me, Valon Wakers. I can't wait for more surprises you have in store for me.
And done, another chapter finished. I don't have a fixed schedule for uploading so I apologize if there are times where I don't upload a chapter for a long time. Of course I don't rush my work, not at all, I just wanted to give you guys a heads up about that issue. Also, I wanted to thank all of those who provided feedback, they're very much appreciated.
