Everyone chipped in to buy a vehicle as we have no other means of transportation and the west is too far for us to walk, not to mention that we have limited time as well since recently, I felt a slight pain on my neck, as if Maelsa was trying to remind us that we are taking too much time with the mission.
We haven't found Deus yet or else his ability to conjure magical steeds would've been very helpful.
Of course, Khamsin can't fly that far as it will require a huge amount of magical energy that even Lion or Leon himself doesn't have that kind of amount.
Also, if they consume a lot of potions to help with it, it will cause devastating consequences on their body, not to mention suffering from extremely excruciating pain that death will be a relief, which does not happen immediately.
It's only Sly who can manage to fly that far but we haven't found him yet also.
Orm and Alpha embraced me while I sobbed, making Bubu sob also while cursing Maelsa. Despite being in her silly self, she behaved when she saw me suffering from intense pain from my neck.
Khamsin tried to remove the cuff from my neck using his magic but to no avail.
Afterwards, he just sat down near us while reading all sorts of scrolls, reassuring me that he will try to find a way to remove the cuff from my neck.
Thankfully, the pain went away after awhile in which both Alpha and Orm gave me all sorts of potions to heal the wound on my neck.
It took quite sometime for my wound to heal, reminding me the effectiveness of Sly's blood.
Sly...
I wonder how he is?
Is he safe?
I missed him.
I remembered that I took quite a bit of time to warm up to him as I used to be afraid of him. It's quite funny to think that I used to bring Pinky with me everywhere just not to be alone with him.
He was always kind and patient to me even though I put a wall between us when he gave me hints of his feelings towards me.
My mind was still closed at that time to the thought of someone else loving me besides Lion. I was afraid of being unable to give them what they deserve as everyone knows that it's always Lion that I loved the most.
Back then, my human mind cannot grasp this world's concept of love.
Even until now.
For instance:
The transcendent kind of love that Lion kept on telling me about on how love can exist outside of time and space.
We humans are used to having a specific timeline for everything, including love. That explains why I was so hesitant to accept Lion's affection at first.
Same with accepting Sly's unconditional love. Not to mention when he told me the story on how he first saw me.
It used to be hard for me to accept his love for a long, long time as I can't understand how an individual would be willing to love someone wholeheartedly despite not being the first in their heart.
And not being able to give your whole self to them.
Another thing is, how the way Sly noticed me at first is similar to imprinting. It took him a long time on convincing me that loving me was not an obligation to him and that they can still decide if they want to pursue their fated mate or not.
I was surprised upon hearing that as what I learned from my fantasy books is that once you imprint a person or a creature, you are bound to them for eternity regardless if you like them or not.
To be fair, dragons in this world are polygamous except for Sly, which I can't understand why.
Remembering all his efforts just to show me how I'm the center of his life despite him knowing that he's not the center of mine finally convinced me of his unconditional love towards me though it broke my heart.
But I didn't want to love him out of pity.
Sly didn't want it either as he kept reminding me back then that I shouldn't try to understand him. He wants me to love him on my own terms.
So he patiently continued to love me until his efforts finally succeeded.
Yes, I love him though not in the same way like Lion and he knows that.
He knows that Lion will always be the first in my heart but regardless of that, he told me that he is content of knowing that I love him too.
And with that, I opened my heart to him completely.
When I told him that I cherished him greatly, I can see the intense joy in his eyes upon hearing the words that he had yearned for a long time.
I didn't regret telling him that and will continue to do so until my life ends.
I miss you Sly.
....
We finally arrived at the ancient city.
To be more precise, the ruins of an ancient city.
The locals living near the area called it, The City of Treasures or something similar to it as I'm not that well-versed yet with their language.
Despite having an interesting reputation and numerous rumors about it, nobody tried to investigate and explore the inside of the ruins as in the past, someone attempted to enter the area and ended up getting...
Killed but not in a pretty way, to put it mildly.
Of course we HAVE to enter it as Maelsa had given me a reminder recently about the importance of our mission.
We are there for the rumored magic stone, not for the treasures though it wouldn't hurt if we loot some while exploring.
Oh, for.. we'll just loot everything as long as it's not cursed as buying the vehicle put a dent on each of our budget for this mission.
And the price for the vehicle is ridiculously high but I didn't haggle since there's nothing else.
It's either pay for it or walk under the blistering sun.
Of course, everyone enthusiastically paid for it.
It is quite suspicious on how there were rumors about the magic stone if nobody attempted to go inside after the incident.
Could it be a trap?
But of course, we have to explore and investigate it since we don't have any idea where the magic stone is located.
Any rumor should be taken importance because who knows? It might be true.
And also, I'm hoping we can find our remaining four companions too.
Lion, Sly, Ghost and Deus.
Though Bubu kept insisting that we just don't mind Deus at all.
I thought he is her parent of some sorts?!
Bubu just grinned at me mysteriously and then admitted that it would be interesting to see him getting hurt or in danger.
What...
That's just...
Nevermind. I don't want to know.
....
Bubu carried me on her back as she can run faster than me even though I'm in good condition.
But I didn't complain as we were being chased by endless amounts of canine-like monsters that are a bit taller than me.
Why am I so short in this world?!
Or why is it almost every creature and being are taller than me? Especially monsters?
Why can't they be shorter than me!!
We got separated from the three males earlier when Bubu accidentally stepped on something that teleported us in another area of the ruins.
We roamed around the place, nearly getting killed by several traps as we tried to find a way out.
Unfortunately, one of the traps wounded me on my shoulder in which we suddenly heard ferocious growls from the dark.
Well, the hallway we are in is quite dim but not too dim that we can't see our surroundings.
Imagine my fright when I saw numerous glowing eyes in the dark corners of the hallway.
Bubu at first tried to snarl and made her nails grew long but soon, I can see the terrified look in her face when the numerous glowing eyes turned out to be monsters that are taller than me but a tiny bit shorter than her.
It would be okay if it's only 3-5 that we are facing but soon, numerous numbers of them came out of the dark and their growling started to intensify.
The monsters looked canine-like but have two heads instead of one and six legs instead of four. Their ears are quite long that made me realize that they are sensitive to sounds.
But what terrified me the most are their eyes. They looked like they have been starving for a long time.
Oh, why can't they eat each other instead if they are starving?!!
AHHHHH!!!!!
There's no other way for us but to run for our lives.
But I know that we can't find a way to hide as I'm bleeding from my wound.
Good thing that Bubu can run fast and doesn't seem to get tired of carrying me.
We can't fight them off as they are too many and I don't have a weapon as I have no idea who has my Buddhist staff.
The howls and snarls from the monsters are getting louder as both of us saw that they are catching up to us no matter how fast Bubu tried to run.
Bubu spoke several reassurances to me after I told her to leave me behind so that she can escape as I felt like a burden to her.
And it doesn't help that the wound on my shoulder kept bleeding, preventing us from hiding.
After a long time of trying to escape, Bubu made a daring jump from a high point and thankfully, landed on a surface without any problems.
With that, we have a considerable distance between us and the monsters.
....
Bubu placed me down on the floor as she rested.
We found a small hiding place that would've been perfect if it weren't for my wound as it kept bleeding even though I already wrapped my scarf around it.
Both of us are drenched in sweat, with me bleeding also and I'm tempted to ask Bubu to cut my hair as it got tangled earlier when we were trying to escape.
To my surprise, Bubu seems to know my thoughts as she told me that she won't do that as she likes my hair a lot.
I don't have any hair tie with me and it's getting annoying as it kept sticking on my face.
I want it a bit shorter!
No. Bubu won't allow it.
Using her nails, Bubu tore off a bit of my dress and used it to tie my hair into a knot.
Hey! This is better!
Bubu grinned at me and told me that I should not cut my hair as everyone loves my hair, especially Lion.
After thinking for a bit, she told me that I can trim my hair instead but not cut it too short.
Oohhh.. we should definitely do that with Alpha's help!
I need a new hairstyle!
We were soon engrossed with talking about hairstyles that we didn't notice that one of the monsters had managed to follow us and was right behind Bubu when I noticed it.
BUBU!!!
WATCH OUT!!!
I immediately pushed Bubu out of the way, preventing her from getting bitten by the monster but not without a consequence as I'm the one getting bitten instead.
Now both of my shoulders are wounded though one of them looks uglier than the other.
I cried out in pain while giving the monster several kicks and punches, giving Bubu enough time to kill it using her nails.
She made all sorts of animalistic angry sounds as she mauled the monster to death.
After killing the monster, she looked kind of pensive for awhile.
Then with ease, she carried the monster on her shoulders and threw it towards the path where we came from. By doing that, it will distract the monsters from us.
Silently, she carried me in her arms and started to run.
....
I think I'm poisoned too.
But I can still think rationally.
My dress and Bubu's clothes are getting shorter as she used pieces of it as some sort of a bandage on my new wound.
I hope I didn't get rabies from the monster.
But I did get poisoned.
Here's another entry of my growing list of dying experiences in this world.
The skin around my bite wound started to turn black and good grief, it looks horrible!
Like I was bitten by a zombie or something!
I really hope I didn't get rabies!
So far, I can still move around.
But I'm getting thirsty... Really thirsty...
Please, not rabies!
....
I'm sure it's not rabies.
I hope.
The color on my entire arm where the bite wound is located has turned black. I'm getting really thirsty and Bubu told me that my skin felt too hot when she touched it.
Ah.
Maybe I'm feeling thirsty because I have a fever as a result of being poisoned, not rabies.
Though I'm not sure as my thoughts are starting to get hazy.
Heh.
Maybe this is the end of me this time.
Bubu gently carried me in her arms as she tried to find an exit of some sorts.
She is quiet, looking like she is deep in thought and I didn't bother her as it's getting really hard for me to make an effort to talk.
After several moments of silence, she asked me in a hesitant voice, the reason why I saved her.
I chuckled then told her that she's my friend and of course, I always treasure my friends.
She pondered for a bit before asking me what a friend is.
Of course, I patiently explained everything to her, which is no problem at all as she already knew that I am not originally from this world. This world has no concept of friendship at all as what Lion and I discussed on one of our early conversations when I was still new in this world.
Though I should definitely control the number of individuals who knows that I am not from this world as I am already in great danger regarding of me being the only human in existence.
After explaining everything to Bubu what a friend is, she became silent for a long time.
She didn't talk for a long time.
I don't mind though as I dozed off every now and then while she's carrying me.
....
The poison is spreading throughout my body.
The color of my upper body turned black and is starting to spread towards my lower extremities.
I can feel that my fever is getting worse.
I kept closing my eyes as it felt too heavy for me to open them.
My constant apologies to Bubu made her get annoyed with me though she was gentle with her scolding.
She reassured me many times that I don't feel heavy at all and no, she can still manage to carry me for a long time.
She kept updating me whenever she find something interesting while trying to find an exit.
I know that she's trying to keep me awake and I'm thankful for her efforts but I'm so tired...
I'm so sleepy...
Bubu nudged me awake and I just nodded at her, telling her in a low voice that I'm just resting my eyes as it felt too heavy.
She told me that if there's anything I want to ask her, I can as she doesn't mind at all and it will prevent me from getting sleepy.
Okay, Bubu...
I gave a little chuckle and told her that I don't want to know how many intercourse partners she has in her entire life.
No, Bubu!
She answered me in an amused voice in which thankfully, my mind is a bit hazy at the moment that I didn't hear it correctly.
With a chuckle as well, she asked me if the pack were the only intercourse partners I have in my entire life.
When I told her that it's only Lion that I had intercourse with, she stopped walking suddenly and asked me if I'm serious.
I slowly opened my eyes and gave her a grin.
She looked astonished at me while mumbling that Lion is definitely favored by the heavens and that the rest of the pack should try harder.
Pausing for a bit, she then added that she also understood why they have to wait for Lion's permission as Lion can easily kill them.
She laughed for several moments before telling me that if it weren't for Lion, Deus would've made a move as well and that I would not regret it as he has a great reputation in pleasing the females in bed.
No, he's her parent of some sorts and yes, she thinks that Lion is a bit like Deus too..
Oh, gross!
I don't want to think of Lion as my parent!
With a teasing grin, Bubu reminded me that both Lion and I have a huge age gap between us...
BUBU STOP!
I can't help it but now I'm laughing hard as well.
At least for awhile, I'm distracted from my current condition.