Shoukyu

walking together

Great. I just walked into a video game, didn't I?

I asked Insanity to let me process this world a little. She agreed, but now I kinda wished I didn't think about it. Looking at my surroundings once more, I noticed a bar at the bottom left corner of my vision. It was a white bar with the words, 'Life' across the bar. I noticed that the bar was half-empty, with two small boxes that read 'Nausea' and 'Bleeding', which I guessing are status effects. Needless to say, my body wasn't in the best condition. Which, now that I mention it, holy shit! The entirety of my body hurts so bad, it felt like I was mangled by a car. I ask Insanity if she had anything to ease my pain. She gave me a cup and told me to drink what was inside. As I drank the liquid ---- well, first off, it tastes like shit, second of all I could see my life rising up exponentially, however, the status effects were still there. Insanity tapped my shoulder, "Hey, so we're thinking about going back to my place. We have some supplies that'll help your status effects go away. Wanna join?" I didn't really have a choice since I knew these status effects would take a toll on me if I didn't do something, so I nodded. She smiled and signaled the others to start walking, then turned around and started walking with them. I look up at the sky in the wonder of this world, and then I followed them.

Thus, whether I liked it or not, my journey began, and my fate began to change.

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We kept along a pathway through the woods. Kyu was checking her phone, not surprisingly. Yuka was adding to her flower collection, and Aeio was just looking around, analyzing the scenery around him. On the other hand, I felt very cautious. There's a disturbance in the air. Kyu taps my shoulder, "Is something wrong?" I shook my head quickly, "Nah, it's nothing." I don't know whether I was trying to convince her or myself, but my fears were confirmed. Growling. Snarling. I didn't want to believe it, but I had no choice. The only thing I could do was to scream and dodge. "Guys, watch out!" As soon as everyone ducked, an explosion rang over our heads, as the shockwave pushed us down on the floor. I got back up, "Are you guys okay?" Aeio was the next to stand, "Uh, physically or mentally?" Yuka got up next. "It seems we have been ambushed." Kyu got up last, "No, really?" Yuka scoffed at that. "However, the real question is, who ambushed us?"  I looked in front of us and saw two dog-like creatures, one red, one blue. Their fangs showed off for all to see that they were ready to wreak havoc. "Hellhounds." Kyu was shocked and was in disbelief, "No way! B-but those are--" Yuka cut her off. "Lich's lapdogs, huh?" She grinned, "The old geezer's back at it again, huh? Alright, this will be interesting." Aeio looked the most confused out of all of us, so I pulled something out of my pocket. A crystal-shaped structure that can form into a weapon. I gave it to him. "I'll explain everything later. Right now fight for your life." He seemed to understand and nodded. Yuka, Kyu, and I pulled out our crystals too. We all activated our weapons, and after watching us do it, Aeio activated his too. I gave him a sword-based weapon with a gun attached to it. Pretty strong, but very heavy. He seemed to carry it fine, though, so his strength stat may be high then. Yuka carried a lightweight scythe, fast and furious, just like her. Kyu's weapon was a staff. She was the mage of the group, and could heal us, but also use magic and even melee the enemy. My weapon, or weapons, in this case, are also sword-based. Two short, one-handed swords that are hard to use in skill, but I had figured it out after years of practice. After all our weapons were materialized, we charged at the hellhounds, and they charged at us. Aeio and I handled the red hound, while Yuka and Kyu handled the blue one. I slashed twice with my right sword at the hound, but it dodged my attack and grabbed my leg, I screamed in pain, but the grip was suddenly loosened. The hound's leg was blown off, smoking. I looked towards Aeio, He had his sword held up and used the built-in gun to shoot the leg. He was analyzing the sword, "This has a gun built in? That's so cool!" I chuckled a bit at his geekiness, "Hey, come on! Pay attention and let's kill it already!" He looked up, and chuckled, "Whoops, sorry." As the hound was on the ground without a leg, it couldn't move. Aeio threw the sword into its chest, and I sliced it in thirds, killing it instantly. The hound did whisper something peculiar though before dying.

"Daughter."

-

After Kyu and Yuka finished off the blue hound, we all relaxed, as no one else seemed to be attacking us. Aeio was still checking out his weapons, so I patted him on the shoulder, "You did good, for what seemed to be your first fight." Then I bowed in thanks, "Thanks for saving me from that hound grab." He scratched his head. "No problem, but what were those things?" I sighed, "I'll tell you, but we got to make it to my place first. It's a long story. We're almost there, anyway." He nodded as we all kept walking along the path. After a couple of minutes, we finally reach a big house in the woods. It's what I call, "home".

___________________________

"Here we are!" Insanity said casually.

I was impressed, to say the least. The house was like a mansion, even if it was in the middle of nowhere. It looked surprisingly clean and very welcoming. As we walked inside of the house, I could say the same thing. The flooring was a clean and polished oak, the walls had a bright tan color, the tables were big enough for all of us, and there's a god-damn couch-bed (I'm really into couch-beds). Insanity showed me around the house. There was a pool table that could transform into a ping-pong table, a piano room, and a very big basement she used for training. "Well, how do you like it?" I responded, "It's a nice place!" She ran her fingers through her buzzed hair, "Well, it's getting late. I'm going to head to my room now. You need anything, just give me a call, okay?" I nodded. As she left the room, she turned back at me, "Good night!" I returned the good night, then set up the couch bed. I got into bed and tried my best to go to sleep, despite everything that's happened so far. While in bed, I notice that the status effects I had were disappearing, and the health I lost from the effects and the fight started to raise up as well. That's certainly useful. But now replacing that pain was a feeling, a feeling that made me space out from my comedic thoughts. I felt deft. A sense of loss, but what for? He didn't know. I knew nothing really. I felt off, sick, almost. A weird sensation in my head, in my mind, in my-

-growl-

Stomach. I checked my status effects. 'Nausea' and 'Bleeding are gone, but it was replaced by 'Hunger". I'm hungry. "Shoulda' known." I all but grunted and got out of bed. I sauntered down the hall towards the... kitchen? I'm not sure, these walls must be wearing my mind down. I get to the end of the dark hallway and find the kitchen. I checked the refrigerator. There was a chicken pot pie that I heated up for 5 minutes. It tasted good, and it was enough to quench my hunger. I heard a piano play in the distance. Such a somber sound. The piece the piano was playing, I knew it from some time ago, "Pavane for a Dead Princess," I said aloud. I head over to the piano room to see who's playing. After navigating the dark hallways I finally make it to the room, where I see a girl on the piano. A girl with a buzz cut. Insanity. "Can't sleep?" She asks me while continuing to play. I shrugged, "I got hungry." She sighed, "Me too." She got up from the piano and sat on the couch. I sat at the piano this time, playing a piece I knew myself, "Clair de Lune?" the girl behind me asks, and I nodded. "You can tell me whatever's on your mind. You did help me after all." She starts to answer my question from earlier, "Monsters are common in this world. Some are peaceful, some are hostile." I asked, "So the ones who just attacked us was hostile, I assume?" She grits her teeth, "Yes, and No." When she said, 'No', her voice started to break. She continues, "The monsters you saw weren't normal. They were dark." I asked while continuing to play, "Is that why we got rid of them so violently?" She laughed at that, "I guess you could say that. As I got towards the end of the song she explains, "There was someone who sent those monsters after us." I was surprised, "Who could it be? An enemy of yours?" She sighed, "Yeah, you could say that." I got off the piano and sat next to her. I was shocked that an enemy would really be after her, and would kill people for his goal. "What does he want from you?" She looked painfully into my eyes and confessed, "He wants to take me back in alive and strip my power away." I asked, "What power?" She looked down and I could tell she was struggling to speak. "I-It's really c-complicated." I pat her shoulder, "You don't have to tell me now." She smiled at me so painfully, my heart was being ripped in two. I assured her, "Whoever this guy is, I won't let him take your powers or whatever. If he grabs you or something, I'll pop a cap in his ass with that weapon you gave me." She laughed, this time with a real smile and stood up. "Thank you. Maybe I'll get the chance to tell you someday." She sat back down on the piano and played one last song. "Chopin Ballade No. 1 In G Minor Op 53. You're really going off on the sorrowful pieces aren't you?" She laughed, "Hey, same goes for you!" As the sorrowful notes play out on the piano, one by one, two by two, three by three, the both of us drift off to sleep in that room as the moon shines through the window, as if it's calling us to come to walk together under the moonlight.

Edited