The Legendary Toymaker

Chapter 3 Peak to the future

*Sometime in the future*

A mysterious man wearing a suit and a sumptuous cape stood in front of what seems to be a mass of revolting energy. Beside him were numerous creatures wearing lab robes, running from place to place.

One scientist came toward the man and kneeled. “Emperor! We have reached the next phase. Your daughter will be able to cross the portal next week, but…” he paused hesitantly. 

The mysterious man expressionlessly turned at him “Proceed.”

***

‘I survived?’ Donovan laid on a mattress made of cloth. He was bandaged in the places where he was hurt the most. After checking his body, he looked around as if trying to find where he was. The walls and floor were made of mud and there was no window, but the overall size of the room was good.  

He steadily got up. His trapezius injury was almost healed, but it still hurt a little. Then he tried to remember what happened before and after he fell through the c***k. ‘I was going to my first day of art school, but I run into some thugs. Then…’ 

Donovan was not a good artist, and although his parents supported his decision at the beginning, their attitude changed a year later after almost every art school in the city rejected him. 

In the end, they forced him to get a job. So he had struggled for two more years, working and practicing. Until he was finally accepted into a suspicious-looking academy. But alas! Destiny had other plans. 

Right after he beat the crap out of the thugs and stole their money, a mighty earthquake began. Buildings fell instantly, and the ground split in seconds. He, of course, fell into one of those cracks. 

Donovan seemed dispirited. Regardless he remembered the screen that appeared after he killed the giant zombie, and his face lit up because it had not disappeared!. 

After reading carefully, he decided to summon the [Protector]. 

“Protector!”

An intense spherical light illuminated the whole room the moment he willed it to appear. Moments later, a chubby doll as tall as a one-year-old baby with a head as a body was formed. Its eyes were made of bottoms, and the body appeared to be sewn with thick and colorless threads. 

[Protector] {LVL 1}

“And this is supposed to protect me?” the doll, as if understanding what he had said, became so big that he was pushed to the mud wall. The hut rapidly showed signs of breaking. 

Seconds later, angry yelling was heard from the neighboring hut “Shut up! Decent people sleep this early!.” 

“Go back to normal” Donovan muttered the order. It immediately followed his command and reduce its size to normal. Right at that moment expectation and euphoria dominated his body, a tickling sensation started rising within him, it reached the point where he began laughing uncontrollably. 

It was understandable, having a power of any sort and imagining the possibilities would make anyone feel elated. 

“Can you shut up already!?” 

Donovan forced himself to calm down. He didn’t know where he was or if it was safe, but annoying someone right after waking up was unwise. 

After checking the other skills, he decided to try [Toy servant crafting]. “It needs to be humanoid or beast-like. Then basically, I can create any kind of form!” 

He took a blanket and then broke some of the rags of the mattress to form a ball with it. Right after, he ripped a strip of cloth. 

With everything prepared, he extended the blanket, placed the ball in the middle, and using the strip of cloth, he tied it to form arms. The overall look was that of a cartoonish ghost with a scarf. 

“Umm… something is missing. It needs personality.” after muttering that, he took a black strip of the mattress and tore apart two holes in it. Then he tied it in its head. “Now, how do I activate the skill.” 

He stared at the thing intendedly imagining his energy flow out of his body and attaching life to the thing, creating a bond between master and servant. Alas, it didn’t work. “I should have known, those stupid and extremely entertaining novels had it all wrong.” 

He took the doll and started shaking it with both hands while repeatedly thinking ‘I command you to rise, come to life!’ 

Suddenly the door was kicked open by the woman who saved him. “Come with me, I’ll take you to the leader... “ she paused as her expression changed from serious to surprise and finally to disgust. “So you made yourself a girlfriend... Come with me now.” 

He took his girlfriend and started following the woman. ‘crap! I have to explain what I was doing. I am not that kind of a man.’ when he got out, he could see many huts similar to the one he spent the night in—houses of mud, grass, and no windows.   

People looked to be extremely poor, their clothes were old and badly torn. ‘what happened here?’ Donovan had a plain expression, but he was feeling bad about these people. 

After some time of walking, the scenery started to change. Houses that survived the earthquake could be seen in this zone, the ground was paved with small stones, and people were either wearing medieval equipment or decent clothes. 

“I’m Colette…”

“Donovan.”

“You must have many questions, and they will be answered with time. For now, know that the civilization you used to live in is dead. No countries, cities, malls, or anything you knew matters anymore because we are the law now.”

As she finished speaking, they entered into a luxurious mansion that was somewhat damaged, but well enough to live in it. At the center of the main hall, there was a burly man seated on a stone throne. 

“So you are the new ruler.” a menacing voice came out of the burly man “I’ll be clear. To save you, we use some expensive medicine, so you will have to pay for our services with labor.” The man grinned mischievously. “Five years of free labor, plus your weekly quota of [Ruler’s gift] should suffice.”