NOVEL WEB Volume 1 – Chapter 2
We were standing next to a toilet, well… if you could even call it that. This world hadn’t yet invented toilets, so this was a hole in the ground with a wooden step area around it. It had a very seedy feel to it. It was dirty, smelly and stank of human waste. We were still in the theatre building turned slave market, which currently was empty but for a young girl in a lolita outfit longing staring at a stinking latrine. Oh and the slave trader – or what was left of him.
This was already awkward, but that wasn’t the problem. The problem was that I was completely glued to Elissa’s lower body. By this I mean, the material I was made of was like a second skin. And you shouldn’t have to strip off your skin to go to the bathroom!
I had to think of a solution soon before Elissa would either relieve herself where she stood, or she’d opt to rip a hole in me, if that was even possible. Thinking of that, how tough am I exactly? I didn’t feel any damage or as much a small tear after the fight. And now she’s pulling and tugging on me something fierce. Andshe’s monstrously strong. Is this the power of ourcontract? Did I unlock some kind of hidden strength in her?
Seriously though, who would create a magical sentient pair of tights and not come up with some solution for the most obvious problem in the world?! As much as I hate to say it, but this is where stockings are superior to tights!
[NOTICE: Couture skill unlocked.]
I instantly felt myself shifting and sliding along Elissa’s skin like a snake. I departed from the Holy Land and the sides of her hips. It was a really disorientingexperience. What just happened?!
I inspected myself and quickly realised I was no longer me! Well, I was still me, but a different version! I had turned into something resembling a one piece stocking and garter belt combo!
Success! Hooray! Mission accomplished!
It didn’t take Elissa long to seize this opportunity as she stepped over the latrine.
…
…
I want to say I closed my eyes, but it is impossible for me to fully block out my senses. Elissa’s (completely justified) noises of relief made it hard for me not to instinctively twitch and break out of my Locate embargo as well.
“Change back”, Elissa said.
“I’m not wearing anything under you and it’s drafty down there…”
Oh shit! Got it! Wait… aren’t you going to find a pair of underwear and wear me in “stockings mode”? Are you sure you’re ok with me returning to the Holy Land?!
“I don’t mind…”
Alright!! I mean, alright… there’s no reason I should be this enthusiastic about it. Even though I’ve lost all of my human libido and care for humanity, this really made me tear up. I was born as a pair of tights after all, and obsessed over them in my previous life, so it felt like my natural state was being just that, a pair of tights, not stockings!
Hold on a moment, speaking of “minds”. Did she just read mine? My spooky-ass voice changer didn’t kick in this time, so how did she know what I was thinking? But right now, I better perform my duty and make things comfortable for Elissa.
Couture!
Just as before, I got disorientated, this time not as strongly, and felt myself crawling along Elissa’s warm skin, returning to my original form. Notably, shifting this time seemed way more lewd than shifting into “stockings mode”. I put this and other thoughts to the back of my mind, as there were other things more pressing to worry about.
Such as Elissa’s overwhelming evil aura. If we were to step outside right now at best, people would runscreaming in all directions, and at worst they’d collapse, piss themselves and probably give up the ghost to the great beyond.
Was this my fault? Is it because of our contract? I remember something about alignment conversion or fusion. Is this the same as Elissa’s insane strength? She didn’t look very strong when I first saw her. In fact, I’m certain she was malnourished and neglected in ways I couldn’t even imagine. Her natural growth was probably stunted.
So what do I do about it? We need to buy time to work things out, and we can’t buy ourselves time if we bring attention to ourselves, and at worst catch the attention of some righteous, evil-slaying heroes — if they exist in this world.
I know Elissa is strong, but is she strong enough to take on whatever this world holds in store? I’m only level 5 after all. We need to conceal ourselves, or rather, conceal Elissa’s evil aura…
{EVIL SEEKS SHELTER IN THE SMALLEST OF VESSELS}
Well, here I go Darth Vadering again, wait…
[NOTICE: Conceal Aura skill unlocked.]
Oh, man! I’m good! I can’t claim any credit for that, or anything else actually, but I still will anyway! Conceal Aura!
“…”
Elissa looked down at herself, but said nothing.
It was time to leave this miserable theatre.
{THE TIME FOR YOUR TASK IS AT HAND}
We went through the front door and walked out into the street. The sun had set hours ago. I was looking through Elissa’s eyes and not using Locate, but I could see everything as if it was daylight. Was this maybe how everyone’s eyeballs in the worldfunctioned, or was this another consequence of our contract?
Wait, are those three lights in the sky… moons!? There were three of them! One looked like the Earth’s moon, but around five times as big. The other two were smaller and redder. This really was a different world!
As we were sauntering down the empty street, I concluded we had to find somewhere to stay theright and come up with a plan of what to do next. But we didn’t have any money for an inn, and returning to pilfer some “loot drops” from the slave tradermight be a bad idea. Surely word would spread quickly about what happened in the slave market.
Robbery or theft were some options, but neither sounded like a good idea, given our circumstances. We could also beg, but this didn’t sit well with me, plus it wasn’t daylight.
“I used to steal to survive. We need a safe place, right? I know of an inn that doesn’t ask questions, one my father would use when he was with his mistresses,” Elissa said.
Ok, she’s definitely reading my mind, or perhaps my intentions or will. I’ll just assume the latter two, because the alternative is too embarrassing!
So theft it was.
The streets were only lit by the candlelight seeping out from the surrounding houses and buildings and the three moons. There were fewer people about, as was to be expected, most of whom were the town guard going about their night watch, torches in hand. Elissa skilfully evaded their patrols and eluded their attention. When necessary, she moved withsuperhuman speed and reflexes. Was she a ninja in her previous life?!
In time, we found ourselves in a narrow alleyway, away from the main roads and the light of the moons. This was a perfect spot for a robbery, not pick pocketing some coin!
“I’m lost! Could somebody please help me!” Elissa called out in a sweet voice.
Are you sure this is a good idea?! We will be the ones getting robbed, or worse!
Not a heartbeat later did three burly figures turn the corner. I could see their ugly faces perfectly with Elissa’s night vision.
“We’ll help you, little girl! Just come this way,” one said, barely concealing his delighted cackling.
This would not end well.
Elissa followed the thug’s beckoning calls and stopped right in front of them.
“What’s a pretty girl like you doing out so late without your daddy?”
“Hasn’t your mother taught you not to talk to strangers?”
“Walking around dressed like that, you might meet some nasty guys...” they each spoke, in turn.
“You don’t know what some men in this town would do to fuck a beautiful face like-“
He was cut short. I mean by Elissa’s roundhouse kick, which cleanly ripped his head off before he could finish. But this wasn’t an ordinary kick. The arc of Elissa’s foot continued and made contact with the second thug’s face. He was instantly decapitated as well, just not as cleanly. His head was left barely attached by the fat and skin of his neck.
The third just stood there dumbfounded, the stupid smirk still frozen on his face.
If I could, I’d feel sorry for him.
“Lick the soles of my shoe”, Elissa demanded after giving the remaining thug a polite few seconds to process what happened. He probably didn’t expect the forecast for tonight would be a double beheading with a shower of his buddies’s blood.
The thug fell backwards onto his ass.
“This can’t be right! Who… who are you?!” he said as he looked up, trembling.
“I am Elissa, and thank you for helping me out here. I was worried some nasty men might try to have their way with me, but you saved me! Oh, I’m ever so grateful!” she said with a glimmer of gratitude in her eyes.
“Why won’t you accept a reward? I couldn’t possibly let you go without some kind of recompense for your troubles,” she continued.
She lifted her right food in front of his face andpointed the soles of her shoe right in his face.
“You… you can’t…” the thug blurted out.
“Oh, my apologies. I forgot the garnish.”
Elissa brought her foot down on the barely attached head of thug number two, crushing his skull with a loud crack. Blood, bone and brain matter exploded everywhere – worst of all, all over me!
Hey! Have some consideration here!
Lifting her foot up again, pink pieces of flesh stuck themselves to her sole, and she returned the“serving” to the “customer”, with… “garnish”.
Completely overwhelmed, the thug started crying. He wasn’t begging for his life. Just sobbing like a baby.
He stuck his tongue out cautiously and licked the grisly remains of his friend.
“Completely clean, not a spot left. You know it’s a sin to waste food,” Elissa said with an innocent smile.
“Swallow and savour every piece as if it was your last.”
The man was now licking the sole of Elissa’s shoe and all around it in earnest, lest he leave anything remaining. I could feel his stinking saliva seeping into my fibres. Tears were streaming down his cheeks. At a number of points I was sure he was going to throw up. It was quite the visceral scene.
In the end, I have to say he ate everything, and not a trace of blood or brain matter was left behind.
He looked up after a moment of hesitation.
“I have been blessed! My name is Johan, I have seen the light! I will never commit any sins from this day forth, I swear to you great and wise Elissa, I am now a holy man!”
“Well that’s a bit of a problem, Johan, for I’m a sinful little girl, and I really can’t stand holy men,” Elissa replied cooly.
Elissa then shoved her whole foot into Johan’s mouth, breaking his teeth and dislocating his jaw, then kicked with an upward arc toward the heavens. She sent the upper half of his head flying… off to somewhere, because I didn’t hear it land.
And that’s how I became an accomplice to theft, which actually became robbery, which somehow ended up in bloody murder.
I’m certain my old self would have been throwing up right now if he saw all that transpired. But this turn of events made me feel… satisfied somehow? As if I had just been treated to an appetiser myself?
[Experience gained. Level 6 attained.]
Elissa worked her way through the pockets of the headless trio and found 3 gold coins and 5 silvers in total. I didn’t know if that was enough for an inn, but it better be, for the sake of any other miscreants in this city.
I used Cleanse again to wash off the blood andvarious other human bits and pieces stuck to Elissa’s dress, shoes, and me. This time Elissa seemed ready because she hadn’t gotten any water down her mouth.
We made our way to the inn, and indeed it looked like a shady establishment.
It had one door and no sign. It was still open, so we stepped inside. The interior was dimly lit, with lots of wooden tables and chairs, mostly covered in dust.
A single man stood behind the counter, a dark-haired, middle-aged fellow. He was cleaning the bar top with a rag.
“Excuse me, do you have rooms available?” Elissaasked politely.
He gave us a hard glance and said,
“I do. 2 silvers a night.”
“That sounds fair. How many beds are there?”
“Just one. The room is big enough for three, but I couldn‘t recommend it to a girl like you. There is a rat or two here.”
“That will be fine”, Elissa answered and put 2 silvers on the counter.
“What about dinner?”
It was well past dinnertime.
“You can have whatever is in the kitchen. I serve my meals by first come, first served. If you are lucky, I might find something left over.”
“Thank you. I’ll eat whatever is left,” Elissa responded.
She took a chair at one of the less dusty tables. The inn-keeper soon returned with a bowl of a greasy-looking stew and some stale, hard bread.
After pausing for a moment, she picked up the spoon, and then dug in.
She ate quickly and wolfed it all down in a minute.
She was starving, I could very well tell, because I felt what she felt.
“Ah! That was the best meal of my life!” she announced.
The inn-keeper kept his quiet, seemingly focused on wiping that bench.
We went upstairs to our room and found it pretty much as advertised. Two rats were chewing on the legs of the bed. It came with a complementary bucket and washcloth, though. The room probably used to house more beds, but it didn’t look like business was booming.
Elisa made a beeline for the bed and threw herself on it with her arms up and legs apart.
“Phew! That was quite a day! Thank you for saving me.”
…
It hasn’t dawned on me. She might be a little eccentric, alright – evil, at least by this world’s human standards. But she was still a girl.
“I don’t know your name. Do you have one?”
My name? I had my old human name, but I wouldn’t dare think about it right now. I’m still not entirely convinced she can’t read my mind for real. My name made my cringe. It was just embarrassing. I suffered through endless teasing and even bullying at school. Later in adult life it only led to ridicule and bemused looks from strangers. I still remember their faces, their curled eyebrows and mocking lips. They’re burned into my memories. What was going through my parent’s minds when they named me “Hero”?!
{ HERO }
God damn it! The one time the voice changer didn’t take creative liberties with its eldritch horror poetry recital, it just had to be now!
I don’t think I’ll ever live this down–
“It’s nice. It suits you, Hero.”
My human vision faded as Elissa fell asleep.
It was the first time anyone had ever said anything good about my name.
I didn’t need, or rather I was incapable of sleep, so I took to my vigil by scanning the surroundings. Almost everyone in the inn was retired to the beds. One or two people were pacing back and forth in their rooms, probably ruminating about something.
Our room was dead silent. The only sound was the occasional squeaking of a rat running across thefloor.
I felt the warmth of Elissa’s body as I enveloped her lower half. She tossed and turned and flexed her toes. I spent the night thinking about everything the happened. I made a contract with Elissa. We escaped and got enough money to pay for lodging and food for the foreseeable future. We also killed four men. Elissa certainly seemed to have a wide range in dealing with people… I felt her rage and indignation, her joy at a simple meal of leftovers, her… ecstasy when she crushed those thugs, but also herinnocence. And she liked my name…
Morning came soon enough and so did a new day.
The city was already buzzing like a busy bee going about its business. A group of rowdy men were gathered around a building near the central square. Their attention was fixated on a town guard as he affixed a poster to the building wall.
“WANTED: The Midnight Decapitator. He who brings reliable information regarding the culprit or his accomplices to the town guard shall be rewarded with 6 silvers. He who captures the perpetrator shall be rewarded the sum of 10 gold.”
…
I don’t suppose there’s someone else in this town also with a penchant for removing heads in the dead of the night? Curiously there was no mention of what happened at the slave auction.
Two things came to mind.
First, thanks to Locate, I knew there were no witnesses. So I wasn’t worried.
Second, I could read.
By that I mean I could understand this country’s language. When did that happen?! Why couldn’t I do it before? It practically looked like hieroglyphs to me, but now I could grasp the words as if I was born and raised in this world. Was is again because of my bond with Elissa? That was the only possible explanation.
“Good morning Hero!!” Elissa announced out of nowhere as she opened her eyes and jumped out of the bed onto her feet enthusiastically. She wasn’t wearing her shoes so the sudden sensation of the cold wooden floor was something of a shock.
“Let’s go into the town’s dungeon today! I’ve always wanted to be an adventurer!”
You mean that massive labyrinth underneath the city? The one crawling with monsters?!