Don't Hug Me I'm The Chosen One: Bound With Fate (Book 2)

swamp, sword, and story

Right in front of me is a giant goblin that has 10 tentacles-like limbs. I covered my ears as the creature growls at me in an unbelievably loud volume. But I know I need to do something more than just cowering in one place. I ducked as one of the tentacles dashed towards me and grabbed another. That's when I've realized what sharp claws it's been hiding.

Few drops of blood fell. This almost discouraged me but then I once again caught glimpse of the white stone. I wrestled the tentacle and jumped. The creature growls in frustration. Luckily, I was fast enough to avoid the upcoming tentacle. I ran on one of its long limbs and jumped towards the wall of the maze. One of the vines reached out, giving me the opportunity to grab on it as the tentacle seizes one of my legs.

I let the vine pull me away from the tentacle goblin and landed on top of a wall. My hands glowed as they touched the vines. First thing that happened to came into my mind, I must do the manipulation again. Soon, the vines are following my movements, one by one, from one strand to a bundle. I jumped off the wall and ran around the creature, slowly binding, tangling, and choking it.

The tentacles tried to fight off the vines but they just got weaker over time. For the final movement, I pulled and let electricity flow through the vines. I watched, amazed, as the tentacle goblin gets stunned and paralyzed.

"THE VICTORY IS MINE!" I shouted happily while running towards the exit of the maze.

Shrignold and the other high-ranked members were already waiting outside. I seized the white stone and marveled it. It's bright snowy color was so beautiful to stare at. It reminds me of the clouds that hover up the sky (and it happens that right now I'm on the clouds). Shrignold congrats me with open arms.

"Wonderful! Absolutely wonderful!" he remarked joyfully. "Now do you know why the second task involves getting this stone?"

"What is it?" I asked curiously.

"This stone is a gateway to your third task. But for now, you gotta wait as we're preparing some procedures for your next quest."

For some reason, instead of inside the chamber like earlier, I was led into a garden. Franklin informs me that the third task will start in this garden. I got bored so I lied down below a tree.

"Hey there!"

"AGH-"

I got startled as I heard a voice speak. I look around and saw that the tree now has a face and is alive.

"Sorry for scaring you but are you the new you around here?" he asked.

"Uhh yeah?"

"Oh that's great! Wanna hear a story?"

"I don't see why not," I replied.

"Here's the story of Michael, the loneliest boy in town," introduced the tree.

Well, the story was about a boy named Michael. He was known to be the ugliest in town. Due to his ugliness, people disgraced and insulated him. They would throw rocks at him and shout slurs at him. In other words, he was an outcast. Because of that, he never had any friends at all. That made Michael really lonely.

One day, he decided he couldn't take this harsh treatment any longer. Michael found a tunnel and went inside it. He went deeper and deeper until he was sure that nobody would be able to find him anymore. Michael disappeared from everyone. And from the underground, where he lives on his own, his life started to change.

"How did his life change?" I asked curiously.

"It's a grave secret," said the tree. "The story just ends in that."

"What? The story just ends there? It's too short," I complained.

"I'm back, Manny!"

I turned around to see Shrignold has arrived. Beside him is Michelle. She was holding the white stone.

"It's time I show you what this stone does," said Shrignold.

He grabs the white stone from Michelle's hands and walks towards a boulder. In the middle of the boulder, there were cracks, which formed a hole. I watched as Shrignold inserts the stone inside the hole and screws it around like a round switch. All of a sudden, the boulder vibrates. It then splits into two, forming a small doorway. In the middle of it is a portal.

The third task is going to take place in a swamp below the clouds. Yes, I'm returning to Dehamis for a while just for this quest. Michelle is going to accompany me this time. For this task, I have to find 5 pieces of a powerful sword hidden deep in the swamp. Then I'm going to use the sword I formed to defeat the dtauntri, which is guarding the badge of the 2nd lowest rank hidden inside the biggest tree found in the swampa. I don't know what kind of creature is the dtauntri but I'm certain it's very challenging to defeat. That badge the dtauntri is guarding will serve as my trophy for finishing all the 3 quests.

However, there are rules. In the first 2 tasks, the only rule is no cheating. But in this one, I'm not only allowed to cheat. I'm also not allowed to wander off outside the swamp. That means I can't get to catch some glimpse of my adoptive fathers for a while and it's making me sad. But Shrignold promised me that once I reached the highest rank someday I would be able to visit them anytime I want. Soon, I started to forget Robin and Harry even exist.

"Are you ready?" Michelle asked with a smile.

"Ehh not really," I chuckled.

"C'mon, we can do this."

I removed my shoes and socks because I don't want them to get soaked in water and mud. However, Michelle didn't remove hers. I didn't question it because she probably has a personal reason why. Soon, we started searching for the pieces of the sword. I felt bad for the swamp residents as they've been disturbed but I was left to no choice but finish this task.

"Watch your steps, you yellow bastard!" scolded a toad after I accidentally stepped on his small table below a mangrove.

Soon, I found something shimmering behind a bush. My heart skipped in excitement and ran there. Unfortunately, it's just a sleeping firefly. And I accidentally woke it up.

"Rude," scoffed the firefly and flew away.

Right beside the place where the  insect slept on is a buried piece of blade. And it's glistening bright! At first, I was scared I might accidentally slice my hands as I pull out my first piece of the sword but it didn't happen. Instead, I felt slightly sharp pain on my palms and there's a scratch on each of them but no wounds present, nor a drop of blood. I went to find Michelle.

"I found one!" I announced happily.

"Me too!"

Michelle and I worked together to find all other pieces of the sword. After quite some time, we got 4 of them. Now we have to find the last piece. But while I was searching hard, I accidentally wandered off outside the swamp. I found myself inside a forest. And in a distance, I found fading burnt marks, forming a trail towards somewhere. That's when I started to remember everything.

I remembered the first time Shrignold found me. All of the details, how I got lost in the forest, arriving in the realm of critters, having a spaghetti dinner with my adoptive parents. That's when I realized why I'm having occasional headaches while being up the clouds. I was supposed to have visions but there's something stopping me from doing it. Before I could even recall what my dad's look like, someone grabs my shoulder.