14th Tick: Out The Forest
1108 Words
“I’m hungry.” Rose grumbled.
“I understand, but can you shut up about food for two seconds?” Thomas asked.
Approximately two seconds after he said it, Rose said, “I’m hungry.”
“You’re really asking to be abandoned.” Thomas said.
“We’ve been walking for a few days, our provisions have already ran out, when will we reach the next town?” Rose asked.
“Soon.” Thomas told her.
“Are you lost?” She asked.
“So what?”
“You don’t know where we’re going?”
“Yeah, I barely come to the human world, what did you expect?”
“How long have we been lost?”
“I would say around a day.”
Rose crouched, covering her head. She complained, “We’ve been walking for so long, and you choose now of all times to tell me we’re lost? At this rate, we are going to run out of food and die.”
“Speak for yourself, I haven’t been eating.” Thomas replied.
“Fine, I’m going to die at this rate.”
“Trust me, in about another day, we should reach a town.”
“You checked?”
“No, pure instinct.”
“Are all Myths this unreliable?” Rose asked, genuinely concerned.
“Hey, there are only four of us, and I’m the most reliable.” He retorted.
“Oh God, I’m dead.”
“Well, look alive, I can always find a way if you actually die.”
“That’s not encouraging in the slightest.” Rose sighed.
“I’ve revived you once before, twice if you count your wish. Judging by the record, I would say I’m pretty reliable.” Thomas told her.
“Yeah, you’re so reliable that we’ve been in the forest for about a week.”
“It’s only a week.”
“What do you mean only?”
“I did this thing called the century march before, I just walked between worlds for a century in stopped time.”
Rose gave Thomas a concerned look. “Look here, Tom. You may be a Myth, but that’s unbelievable.”
“Firstly, for the fiftieth time, my name is Thomas, stop calling me Tom. Secondly, I did do it, so too bad for you.” Thomas argued.
“Any evidence?”
“I can send you back in time.”
“On second thought, never mind.”
“Okay, now that you know, let’s continue walking already. I feel like the town is nearby.”
“I’m dying soon, aren’t I?”
Rose got up shakily and followed after Thomas, walking through the forest once again. When their journey had just begun, she had looked at the trees and nature with much enthusiasm, but at some point, they became annoying. She was bored of staring at trees, she wanted to see other people, eat proper food.
Thomas led the way, manoeuvring through the forest in such a random manner that Rose felt like he had gone in circles several times. She stopped him at some point, saying, “Stop.”
“Why?” He countered.
“Because we’re getting nowhere like this.” Rose said.
“Fine, if you think you can find a town faster than me, be my guest.”
“That I shall.”
Rose started walking, Thomas following behind her. She used her sixth sense, roughly estimating the right path to follow and which parts to avoid. It did not take long before they could see a faint light shining through the trees far from them, a sign that it was the border of the forest. Rose turned, giving Thomas a smug look.
“You were lucky this time.” Thomas said.
“I did this all by myself.” She huffed. “I better get the better bed when we rent a tavern to sleep in.”
“Who said anything about sleeping?” Thomas asked.
Rose went close to him. “Listen here, buddy. I haven’t had a shower, much less a bath for the last week or so. We haven’t eaten properly or gotten any proper sleep. The forest is extremely uncomfortable to sleep, okay? When we get there, we’re renting a room, or two, and we’re sleeping there. I’m going to take a relaxing bath and then we’re going to have a warm meal.”
“Whatever you want, I’m just going to see the situation in the town, check for any demon generals.” Thomas sighed. “You can do all that yourself.”
“You’re joining me for the meal.” Rose demanded.
“Why?”
“Because it’s awkward to have a meal alone.”
“It doesn’t matter, just eat by yourself, no one would be watching anyways.”
“I brought us here, we’re doing what I say.”
“I refu-” Thomas started, but was interrupted.
“I’m going to make another wish if you don’t do as I say.”
He hesitated, but sighed. “Only for one day.”
They walked out to the edge of the forest and overlooked the town. It was surprising, the town was built like a fortress. High walls on four sides, guarded by demons, a town inside those four walls. From where they stood, they could see some children playing inside, a mix of demons and humans. Rose looked at Thomas, he looked back.
“Are you travellers?” Someone asked them.
Rose turned around, seeing a person. He was a demon, wearing a monk’s clothes and a straw hat. His horns poked through the hat, he had dark skin. Compared to the demons Rose had previously seen, he was thinner, most of his frame hidden in his clothes. He had red eyes and jagged teeth, his hair tied into a simple ponytail. His expression was soft, he held a gentle smile and even spoke the human language.
Rose was unsure of how to respond, Thomas said, “Yeah, we were curious on how we could visit the city.”
The demon nodded and reached into his clothes. He pulled out a wooden plate with letters engraved on it. He smiled and handed it to Thomas, saying, “Well, I can help you two, after all, I don’t need to return to the town any time soon.”
“May I know the name of the town?” Rose asked.
“Name?” The demon asked, rubbing his chin. “No, there’s no need for one. It’s a place hated by both demons and humans, it’s relatively unknown.”
“Because of coexistence?”
The demon nodded. “We have worked for a century, and have barely managed to achieve coexistence within the city. Here, demons and humans can live together, they can live peacefully here.”
Rose took a look at his monk outfit and asked, “Were you born here?”
The demon looked at her and gave her a cheeky smile. “I wished the place I grew up in was as beautiful as this.”
Thomas held the wooden plate and the demon bowed, turning around. He told them, “May the two of you find what you are looking for.”
“Thank you very much!” Rose thanked, the demon walking away.
She had never seen one, a demon who did not scare Rose, a demon that treated her as an equal.
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- Writer
