Nine Tales [BL]

2.12

Renshu kicked his legs against the glass counter, watching Eli try the spell again.

Tiny sparks fizzled out of Eli's hands and he let out a groan. "I'm trying, Casimir, I really am."

"Focus on the lodestones. Channel your magic into it." Renshu urged, using Rein Nett's advice.

The front door interrupted them as it jiggled and the two went silent. Renshu stared at the door, locked and closed sign up. It had been that way for two weeks now. Eli wrote a note explaining the boss had gone out for an unknown told amount of time and pasted it on the shuttered windows. It didn't seem too farfetched since the owner had gone out a few times looking for treasure, one time bringing back Renshu's doll body and the boy.

The silence stretched and when the two deemed it safe, went back to their conversation.

"Why do I have to learn this spell?" Eli complained, grabbing Renshu and hugging him to his lap.

"If we don't deal with the Witcher sooner rather than later, we will be killed. This spell..."Renshu chuckled. "It can get rid of all our problems. Let's kill two idiots with one stone."

"Hmm." Eli hummed, nuzzling Renshu's hair. "...and you're not worried I'll use it on you?"

Renshu paused. He would be lying if he said that thought hadn't crossed his mind.

"We are not even sure it would work on a puppet," Renshu said.

"You don't know it wouldn't." Eli countered.

"Should I be worried?" Renshu tensed but kept his voice relaxed.

Eli went silent. Renshu looked up at his face and saw a struggle warring in his eyes.

"I'm scared," Eli admitted quietly.

"Scared?" Renshu couldn't follow.

"Mother and sister are gone. I would be all alone without you. When the Witcher is gone...I don't want to be alone."

Renshu felt pity for the boy. Children always got the brute of tragedy, whether in his world or this one it seemed. The boy also seemed to know Renshu wasn't staying forever.

However, Renshu wouldn't feed the boy lies or his delusions.

"If I leave, what will you do?"

Immediately, that foreign bloody aura erupted, the boy's sad eyes darkening with churning shadows. His hold tightened. "You can't leave. I won't let you."

"Are you going to lock me up?" Renshu asked with forced calmness. The thought of being trapped again sent horrific memories of Idan into his mind. His whole body buzzed with the need to escape but still, the fox forced himself to keep a facade of calm.

Eli hesitated, the battle raging again. The virus and the boy were at odds.

"If you lock me up, I won't talk to you again. I won't move. You will just have a puppet." Renshu could hide in his memories thanks to Rein Nett. If it came down to it, that's where he could stay for a couple of years.

"I could make you talk to me! Control you, bend you to my will." Eli shouted, fingers digging into the puppet's wooden arm.

"You will just have a puppet," Renshu repeated.

"But why?" The madness died down in Eli's eyes as tears fell down his cheeks. "Why won't you stay with me? Why do you always leave?" The words started to wobble, Eli's hands spasmed. It was like he was breaking down.

[Host, the virus is raging!] System screamed. [It's consuming Eli's soul!]

"Eli!" Renshu shouted, grabbing a hold of Eli's cheeks.

Eli's eyes were wide with fear, a strange mixture of voices leaving his lips, similar to the Witcher. "C-R-A-E-S-N-A-S-I-H-M-U-I-R."

"If you don't want me to leave then- then follow me!" Renshu threw out thoughtlessly, staring in horror at the strange black cracks forming up Eli's skin, like little squares.

"F-O-L-L-O-W-?"

"Yeah, just-" Renshu waved his hand around, grasping for words. "If I'm going somewhere, just follow me. Don't try to trap me cause I'll be pissed and probably stab you. Just follow. Sure, I will think you are annoying and stuff but I won't-I won't kill you over it."

"YOU'LL-LET-ME-FOLLOW-?"

Renshu nodded tiredly, watching the strange cracks disappear.

"I-CAN-STAY-?"

Renshu suddenly wondered who he was talking to. The look in Eli's eyes was a strange mix of emotion, his face twisted like it couldn't decide what to do as if too many thoughts were shoved inside one vessel.

"You...." Fuck it. "Yeah, you can follow me." Whatever you are. "Just don't get in my way."

The chaos in Eli slowly calmed down. Renshu was waiting for a thank you, maybe even a willing slavery contract to be handed to him but instead, the boy squeezed him into another crushing hug. Tears soaking into Renshu's yarn hair as the boy sobbed. "I'm sorry."

Renshu didn't know what for but he wasn't about to ask. One opened can of worms was enough. Instead, he just let Eli cry.

"Is everything stable, System?"

[adfirmitive. The virus has settled. We can now confirm the virus is hiding inside Eli.]

"Is it spreading?"

[Inside the Eli vessel, yes. Strangely enough, it is not affecting much of the world. A few blips here and there, but it is strangely isolated in places.]

"Is that virus sentient?"

[...it shouldn't be...]

"Bullshit."

[＼(>o<)ノ] Rein Nett teared up. I don't know what to tell you, this never happened before to me Wuwu, Creator, come get me!....huh?

[AHHHHHH!]

Renshu jumped. "Rein Nett, stop screaming!"

[Host, Host! I'm connected! Creator must have heard my plea!]

"What?" Renshu tapped into the System.

[UPDATING....COMPLETE!]

[Restrictions]

[Puppet Body Curse: Needs a still-beating heart to operate. Bigger heart=longer battery life. *Time Limit: 168.13 hours*]

"Calculate that into days."

[Calculating....7 days.]

[Rank: 8

Comment: [I'm loving this! The ML is so cute, can't wait to see him grown up. We already got the hint that the puppet is this Prince Casimir but why is he a puppet? and why is the Witcher after our precious Eli? Need to know!]

Relief hit Renshu hard. The Rank is high. I haven't screwed it up.

"Why are they complaining about not knowing the plot?" Renshu complained.

[Host, why you get the complete plot, the gods do not, they only know what the protagonist knows.]

"That's annoying."

[*beep* Progress of Plot: 98%

Task: Donate a kidney.]

"FML, I forgot about the damn task."

[You will be human in just a week. It shouldn't be hard then, Host.]

"Who the hell will want my kidney? Never mind. What happens when the plot reaches 100%?"

[Don't worry, Host. The plot is the recommended time limit to finish the task and get a Rank 10. If you fail to do so before the plot reaches 100%, a penalty of -1 Rank is given.]

"So I won't die?"

[No.]

"That's all that matters." Renshu rolled his shoulders. "Alright, I got this."

[Go Host go! Go Host go!] \(^0^)/

"We got this," Renshu repeated.