Ogre Tyrant

Ogre Tyrant: Chapter 03 – Dues of heroism – Part Two {Rewrite}

Ogre Tyrant: Chapter 03 - Dues of heroism - Part Two {Rewrite}

Walking back to the inn, I stopped in my tracks as the familiar message appeared in front of my eyes and pain flared in my head. Involuntarily dropping Toofy’s new toilet seat by the front door, I staggered and braced against the wall to keep my balance.

[ Your master has given you a command. ]

“You have got to be joking?! She doesn't even have to be within earshot?!” I quickly made my way towards the gate to the town, causing the pain to disappear for the time being.

Okay, so maybe they need my help out in the plains? Otherwise, the pain wouldn’t have stopped right?

“Toofy, did you get an order from Emelia just now?” I ask while hustling to the gate.

“No,” Toofy replied curiously, peeking outside the apron pocket. “Master call Tim?”

“Yes,” I grunted.

Now standing at the open gate, my attention is drawn to a small battle taking place out in the plain. A group of adventurers was being attacked by what looked like Orcs and Goblins. Experimentally moving in that direction, I was surprised that the pain in my head was not receding.

Looking around the plains, I could see other adventurers running back towards town or towards the battle. However, I saw no sign of Emelia, Nadine or Clarice. Moving quickly around the wall of the town, I was relieved by the pain in my head lessening somewhat.

[ Your master has given you a command. ]

The latest command nearly made me lose my footing as it obscured my vision, but as I steadied myself I noticed something.

[ Emelia - HP: 8/25 - Bloodied ]

Emelia’s HP had plummeted at some point in the last couple of minutes. This confirmed it, the girls were in danger and most likely fighting for their lives. Pulling Toofy out of my apron, I moved her up onto my shoulders, “Make sure you hold on tight Toofy!”

Toofy obediently climbed up onto my shoulders and hooked her legs around my neck.

With my legs now unrestricted, I began to run.

[ Your master has given you a command. ]

[Emelia - HP: 2/25 - Bloodied ]

Emelia’s HP had taken another big hit and I couldn’t help but wonder what would happen to me if Emelia died. Nothing good. Guild regulations stopped other adventurers from attacking me because Emelia was my ‘owner’. If she died, that protected status would disappear. At best, I could hope to be Enslaved by someone else, at worst...they might kill me.

Running as fast as I was able, I relied on the absence of pain to serve as my guide. I could see another small battle taking place in the fields ahead of me. Larger in scale than the last, there were at least a dozen adventurers beset on all sides. Fending off hulking brutish humanoids from the front while Vrabbits came at them from the direction of the town.

“Toofy see master!” Toofy shouted excitedly pointing to the middle of the battle.

[ Your master has given you a command. ]

“Nng!” Each order had multiplied the pain and my brain felt like it was on fire. “RAAAAAGH!!!” I charged towards the battlefield with reckless abandon, my legs pumping in rhythm to the pulsing pain in my head.

[You have slain {Vrabbit: 1 } +1 Exp], [You have slain {Vrabbit: 1 } +1 Exp], [You have slain {Vrabbit: 1 } +1 Exp]...

Blinded by a flurry of notifications, I was entirely reliant on the pain to show me the way.

“Oh shit! One of them got behind us!” A male voice cried.

“Someone, move to block it!” Cried another.

“TIM!” Nadine cried desperately, “TIM, OVER HERE!”

I saw a flash of metal from my unobstructed peripheral vision and a sword swiped against my stomach.

“Gah!” Whoever was responsible cried out in pain as I rushed past without breaking stride.

“It's broken through!” Someone cried fearfully.

“Damnit!” Cried someone else.

The notifications cleared and I found myself hurtling towards a naked barrel-chested man brandishing a crude stone axe. Noticing his tapered ears and missing nose, I could only assume he was an Orc.

Emelia was knocked down in the grass and had lost her weapon, desperately scrambling to get away from the Orc that was now behind her.

A fresh wave of pain surged through my mind, I couldn’t think anymore.

Just as the Orc raised its axe to strike Emelia in the back, I delivered a punch to his gut that sent him sprawling.

Retrieving the Orc’s stone axe, I prepared to strike the fallen Orc.

Something struck my back, but I ignored it, splitting the fallen Orc’s head open with its own weapon and spattering my face with its blood.

[ You have slain {Orc: 1 } +100 Exp ]

“Tim! Help!” Nadine was being overwhelmed. Even though Nadine’s opponent was only using a crude wooden spear, the Orc was a much better fighter and far stronger than her. Nadine was already covered in minor wounds and was barely holding on.

Focusing on the Orc, I felt the sudden absence of pain and nearly fainted. Staggering forwards, I prepared the stone axe to attack.

The Orc saw me coming and changed targets, “Grobguk want you dead!” He hollered, thrusting the spear into my chest.

“Oof...” I was temporarily stunned by having the wind knocked out of me.

“NO HURT TIM!” Toofy shrieked, leaping off my shoulders and into the face of the bewildered Orc. “DIE! DIE! DIE!” Toofy’s right arm thrust back and forth with manic swiftness, the shiv and her right hand dyed red with blood.

The Orc thrashed about wildly with its spear, blood pumping from its neck and down its chest.

Toofy didn’t hang around, leaping off the Orc and into the grass. Her sudden departure revealing the savage damage she had inflicted on the Orc.

Bleeding profusely from his neck, the Orc staggered for a moment before collapsing into the grass.

The instant the Orc fell, Toofy pounced onto his chest and drove her shiv through the Orcs eye.

[ Toofy has slain {Orc: 1 } +100 Exp ]

“Tim! Look out!” Nadine cried.

I turned to look towards Nadine in time to feel something hard crack into the back of my head.

Nadine had been pointing behind me, her panic increasing as I was driven to my knees.

“Ogre weak!” Someone grunted from behind me.

Pushing myself to my feet, I was hit again, this time on my left shoulder.

Snarling, I rounded on my attacker and was not surprised to find it was another Orc wielding a stone sledge.

“Me kill weak Ogre! Me strongest!” The Orc growled in challenge, preparing to swing the sledge again.

My shoulder was throbbing painfully, but the instant I considered backing down, the pain in my head would intensify and drive me forward again. Narrowly avoiding the overhead blow from the Orc, I swung my stone axe at his left arm. The poorly made weapon couldn’t handle the strain and came apart, leaving the axehead behind in the Orc’s now broken forearm.

“GRAH!” The Orc howled and tried to retreat, nursing his left arm to his chest and dragging the sledge behind him.

“DIE!” Toofy charged at the crippled Orc from behind, burying her shiv in the back of the Orc’s knee and then nimbly leaping away.

The Orc stumbled and fell. Trying to stand back up, the Orc’s leg was unable to support his weight, forcing him to abandon his sledge and try to crawl away from the battle.

Curiously, Toofy did not pursue the Orc, instead, grinning malevolently as the tall grass near the Orc began to move.

Within seconds, a small pack of Vrabbits had erupted from the grass and began tearing into the crippled Orc.

“Tim!” Nadine called my name again. She was half carrying Emelia, who was bleeding pretty badly and seemed to be unconscious. “We need to get back to the foothold!”

[ Toofy has slain {Orc: 3 } +150 Exp ]

The remaining Orcs were fleeing back into the forest, leaving their wounded for dead.

The adventurers were similarly trying to organise a retreat of their own. Half of them were badly injured, and at least two were unconscious, dying or already dead.

“TIM! FOCUS!” Nadine's voice cracked, “You need to take as many of the wounded back as you can carry!”

[ Toofy has slain {Vrabbit: 1 } +1 Exp ]

[ Toofy has slain {Orc: 1 } +50 Exp ]

I took a deep breath and nodded.

[ Emelia - HP: 0/25 - Bloodied, Unconscious ]

Taking Emelia from Nadine, I began picking up the other fallen adventurers. Carrying the strangers on my shoulders and Emelia in my arms, I quickly tried to find Toofy. I found her a few moments later, burying her shiv in an Orc’s neck.

[Toofy has slain {Orc: 1 } +50 Exp ]

“Toofy!” I called out, trying to think of a plan. I didn’t have much time.

Toofy came running over almost immediately. She smiled up at me with a suspiciously bloody mouth.

“I need you to stay with Nadine. Kill any biters that try to attack her, Okay?” I hated the idea of leaving her behind, but I didn’t think I had much fo a choice. Preparing to elave, I really hoped that Toofy would be alright.

“Toofy do!” Toofy agreed, running over to Nadine and snarling at the surrounding grass.

With no time to spare, I adjusted my grip as best I could and began running back towards the town.

[ Toofy has slain {Vrabbit: 1 } +1 Exp ]

The notification made me flinch and I did my best to try and stop myself from dwelling on the fight that would be ahead of the adventurers I was leaving behind. With so many of them wounded, the Vrabbits would be drawn to them like sharks to chum.

[ Clarice has slain {Vrabbit: 1 } +1 Exp ]

I hadn’t seen Clarice earlier, so it was a relief to see the notification with her name on it.

[ Toofy has slain {Vrabbit: 1 } +1 Exp ]

Toofy’s kill notification was the last I received before making it into town.

Seeing a bedraggled line of adventurers heading for the inn, I assumed that it was the emergency gathering point and would have treatment materials. So I rushed over as fast as I could manage.

The common room was in a state of barely organized chaos. Bloodied young men and women were sitting wherever there was space. Those too injured to sit were laying on the tables. Using my size to push my way through the crowd, I gently lowered Emelia onto a table before offloading the other two adventurers nearby. Quickly looking around the room for medical supplies, I found only a few remaining rolls of bandages on a nearby table. I was relieved to find that Emelia at least seemed to still be relatively stable.

[ Emelia - HP: -1/25 - Bloodied, Unconscious ]

Quickly looking Emelia over, I identified a couple of broken ribs in addition to some deep cuts on her left arm, right leg and shoulder. Pulling out my sewing kit, I used the shears to cut away the tunic so I could bind her shoulder. Snatching up the bandages from the nearby table, I bound Emelia’s shoulder and arm. Ideally, Emelia should get stitches, but right now the priority was stopping the bleeding. Repeating the process for the cut in Amelia's thigh, I used up the last of the available bandages. What I used from that moment onwards came be from my own supply.

Besides Rose and Kirk, there was no one else tending to the injured adventurers.

Shouldn’t there be a doctor around here or something?! What about the Guild?

Shifting my attention to more productive avenues of thought, I moved over to the pair of adventurers I had brought over from the battlefield. The first was a young man with a broken arm and a bleeding head injury. The second was a young woman with short blonde hair. She had a nasty puncture wound to her stomach and shoulder.

Starting to feel overwhelmed, I took a deep breath, “Just stop the bleeding,” I muttered, “Stop the bleeding and buy time to worry about everything else.” Bunching my muscles, I ripped off the young man's tunic and tore it into strips. Since it was his clothing that was sacrificed, I tended the young man's injuries first, starting by binding his head wound. Resetting the protruding bone back into his arm was trickier. Even though I had more than enough strength to force the bone back into place, the feeling beneath my hands made me feel ill. I had to ‘borrow’ a couple of pieces of firewood from the kitchen to serve as a splint.

Shifting my attention to the young woman, I realised that I did not have enough of the young man’s shirt remaining to treat both her injuries. So I decided to use the improvised bandages on her shoulder before taking a closer look at the puncture wound to her stomach. I tried to smell the wound, only to remember that my sense of smell had still not returned. With a deep sigh, I wadded the fabric patches from my sewing kit against the wound and used the remaining bandages Nadine had bought to bind them in place. It wasn't pretty, but until I had actual supplies, it would have to do.

“H-hey,” someone took hold of my arm.

Turning around to look at them, I saw a young woman nursing her shoulder and looking up at me with a fearful yet determined look in her eyes.

“C-can you help my friend? He is badly hurt and I don’t know what to do,” she clutched at my arm desperately, giving me the impression that she wouldn’t let go until I answered.

“I can try,” I agreed, “But I don’t have any more bandages.”

She didn’t seem to hear the second part, instead, she was determinedly trying to drag me over to another table.

Following her through the crowd, I could see why she was so desperate. The clothes of the young man on the table were badly shredded, soaked in blood and his skin was deathly pale. Pressing my fingers to his throat, I tried to find a pulse. Even though I was not optimistic, I managed to feel a faint pulse. “I need bandages!” I stated loudly, using my shears to cut away his tunic to see the damage.

This was not good. The young man’s chest was a mess of cuts. Some of them were shallow and could be ignored, but most were quite deep. Strangely, this was the first injury I had seen with clean cuts. All of the others had been ragged and accompanied by substantial bruising. The kinds of injury you would expect after getting hit with something like a stone axe or knife.

Had he been attacked by another adventurer?

With no sign of bandages, I sighed and wondered what the damages would be. “I will be right back,” I called out as I headed towards the kitchen. With Rose and Kirk already occupied, I entered the kitchen uncontested. Passing through the kitchen, I entered the walled-off laundry area and pilfered four of the damp bedsheets hanging on the line. Viciously ripping two of them into strips and the remaining pair into quarters, I hurried back into the inn.

Muscling through the crowd, I quickly folded over a quarter of the damp sheet and covered the young man's chest. There were too many cuts to pad each wound individually, so instead, I was using the folded sheet to cover them all and now began wrapping the strips of bedsheet to bind it in place. “Make sure no one moves him,” I grunted, working as quickly as I dared. If the young woman said anything I didn't hear it. After binding his chest, I was mollified to see that the bleeding had slowed dramatically. Binding the cuts on his arms and legs, I was really starting to feel sick.

I was covered in blood and couldn’t stop my hands from shaking. Stumbling through the crowd I tried to calm down by breathing in the fresh air outside. But somehow, the air just tasted even more strongly of blood than it had inside. Trying to take another steadying breath, I wasn’t ready for the fresh wave of nausea and doubled over as I retched up a torrent of bile. Pushing myself back to my feet, I tried to spit the lingering bile from my mouth.

“He is over here,” someone said loudly, “Hey, you need to help my party member too! His leg is bleeding!”

“He needs to help my friend first!” Another argued, “The Orcs broke her arm and the bone is sticking through!”

A small crowd of less injured adventurers were beginning to surround me. Each of them arguing why their request was more justified than the others. With so many people shouting at me, I began to panic. Everyone was being so loud and there was so much blood... My insides writhed and I felt another wave of bile rising up my throat. Leaning heavily against the wall, I vomited for the second time and nearly fell to my knees.

I couldn’t stop my hands from shaking and no matter how vigorously I wiped them against the apron, they kept coming back sticky with blood. My tunic was soaked through with sweat and for the first time in a very long time, I felt cold. “I can't do this...” I whispered. With my back pressed against the wall of the inn, my knees buckled and I fell on my ass.

“Hey get up!” One of the people crowding around me demanded, “This is no time to take a break!”

“Stupid monster! Get up! If my friend dies, it’s your fault!” Yelled another.

“If he dies, I'll kill you m-” Another member of the crowd began to shout, but I covered my ears and didn’t hear anything else.

I want to go home! This isn’t real! Wake up!

*****

Limping heavily through the foothold gate, Nadine felt an immeasurable degree of relief. Both Clarice and herself were so tired that neither of them was sure who exactly was supporting whom as they leaned on one another and tried to keep moving forward.

In comparison, Toofy, who was trotting along beside Nadine, was positively chipper. This was kind of awkward, considering that Toofy had done the majority of the fighting on the long walk back to the foothold. Nadine was forced to admit that Emelia’s choice to make Tim a Taskmaster had probably saved her life today.

“What’s going on in front of the inn?” Clarice asked woozily, “Why are there so many people outside?”

“Maybe someone from the Guild is making an announcement?” Nadine suggested, still too far away to see any more than Clarice.

Drawing closer, Nadine and Clarice heard the angry shouts and saw that some members of the crowd were swinging weapons.

“Did someone bring back an Orc?” Clarice asked, confused.

“TIM!” Toofy shrieked and dashed towards the crowd. After taking no more than two steps from Nadine’s side, Toofy pitched to the ground and began clutching desperately at her head. “T-TIM!” Toofy feebly tried crawling forward but made little progress using only one arm while clutching her head with the other. Collapsing outright, Toofy’s body continued to shudder as if she were having a seizure.

“The hell is going on?! Ung!” Clarice bent down and dragged Toofy closer to take a look.

Almost immediately, Toofy’s convulsions subsided and she shakily staggered to her feet.

“THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING!” The familiar voice boomed like thunder, rattling the nearby buildings.

The crowd by the entrance to the inn had scattered backwards further into the street, revealing the innkeeper Kirk standing in the doorway, his clothes smeared with blood and his face blackened with anger.

With the crowd now dispersed, Nadine would now see Tim curled up on the ground. Covered in blood, his clothes were in ruins.

As Nadine and Clarice drew closer, they could see that Tim wasn’t moving.

Toofy tried rushing forward again, making it slightly further before collapsing into another seizure.

“Clarice! You have to keep hold of Toofy!” Tim had ordered Toofy to stay by Nadine’s side. No match for Tim’s ridiculous level of Willpower, Toofy would fry her brain if she kept trying to leave.

Clarice grunted in acknowledgement and dragged Toofy back again. This time, she held Toofy around the waist as they continued slowly hobbling towards the inn.

Kirk was kneeling down beside Tim and looked like he was trying to assess his injuries. Seeing Nadine and Clarice approaching from a short distance away, Kirk hurried over to them.

“What is wrong with Tim?” Nadine asked urgently, “Is he badly hurt?”

Kirk shook his head, “I don’t know. It Doesn't look like the troublemakers managed much more than a few light cuts and bruises. But there is a huge bump on the back of his head and he isn’t responding. It could be brain damage.”

Nadine paled, she had seen Tim take the blow to the back of the head earlier. He had seemed to just shrug it off, so Nadine hadn’t thought much about it. After all, Tim’s Toughness and Racial Ability combined should have meant he took little if any damage at all from such a poor weapon.

“Are either of you critically injured?” Kirk asked worriedly, “The Guild hasn’t sent a Surgeon yet, so it is just me and RoseI, so I need to get back in there.”

“We can wait,” Clarice interjected before Nadine had a chance to say anything, “Is Emelia alright?” She got beat up pretty bad.”

Kirk nodded, “Tim already patched up Emelia and the other adventurers he brought with him. Rose also checked his work to be sure, and it looks fine. There isn’t much room left inside, but if you wait outside next to Tim, Rose and I will get to you when we can.” Kirk rushed back off towards the inn again.

Staggering over to Tim, Clarice let Toofy go and leaned heavily against the wall. Nadine all but collapsed sliding down the wall, too tired and sore to move.

“What do you think happened?” Clarice asked worriedly, “You think maybe they were gonna try and lynch him?”

Nadine looked tiredly over at Tim and nodded. Emotions were running high, people had very likely lost friends and party members out on the plains today from the surprise Orc attacks. Everything had gone wrong faster than anyone could process what was happening. It made sense that the more impulsive and aggrieved adventurers would try and get some payback.

Toofy had now armed herself with a small club in addition to her shiv and was standing beside Tim protectively. It was both touching and absurd to look at, given that even laying down, Tim was still almost taller than Toofy.

“The Guild is going to have to put up an extermination quest after this,” Clarice observed dryly.

Nadine nodded in agreement, “For monsters to behave this aggressively, a raid on the foothold would not be far behind.“

“You think they will let the more injured adventurers leave?” Clarice asked with concern. “It’s gonna be at least a week until some of us are able to walk again, let alone fight. They will factor that in right?”

Nadine shook her head, “I don’t know. The rules are pretty clear though, if you can hold a weapon, you are supposed to stay.”

“Shit!...” Clarice cursed angrily.

As of right now, any adventurers trying to leave this floor of the Labyrinth before the Guild made its ruling, would be blacklisted. Effectively, they were now trapped and had to make a decision that had dire potential consequences. Stay and fight, or flee and become blacklisted, ending their adventuring careers before they ever started.

“Shit!...” Clarice repeated, hissing through her teeth as she contemplated the impossible decision.

*****

I woke up in my bed int he inn.

No, that’s not right. I still have not woken up yet. I am still dreaming, still trapped in this nightmare.

Sitting up, I found that someone had taken almost all of my clothes, leaving me with only my underwear. Looking around the room, I saw no sign of my clothes, the messenger satchel, or the sewing kit.

I staggered over to the window and tried to breathe in the night air to clear my head.

Shaking my head, I could still see the face of the Orc I killed, the fear in his eyes as I brought his own weapon down on his head and dashed his brains onto the grass. The taste of his blood in my open mouth.

I'm found it hard to keep a clear line of thought. I felt dizzy, disconnected... Even the room was struggling to remain focused, the floor growing wider, expanding in all directions as a black yawning pit opened up beneath my feet.

I fell through the darkness for what seemed like an eternity. I began to forget, to remember something important. It is there, If only I knew what it was, I could reach out and touch it, be made whole again.

I was screaming, I didn’t want to die, but it is inevitable. When I stopped falling, I wouldl die, this was an inescapable truth. I was falling, but the one screaming is not me. There was a light below, but it’s too bright, I can’t look and have to close my eyes.

With a ragged gasp, I opened my eyes. My head was killing me, and my eyes feel like someone used them as stress balls for a few hours.

What was with that messed up dream? Am I having a mental breakdown?

Cautiously getting up off the bed, I could tell that it was daytime thanks to the light filtering through the gap in the window shutters. However, even that small amount of light felt almost like it was too much to bear. My skin was hot and I realised that I was probably running a fever.

Barely able to see, I staggered to the door and tryed to turn the handle, only to find that it was locked.

Why is the door to my bedroom locked? What, my bedroom door doesn't have a lock... That means...

I forced my eyes open and focused on my surroundings. “Fuck...”

I am still in this world after all?

I groaned and stumbled back over to the bed. My head hurt too much to deal with this right now. Embracing sweet oblivion, I swore I could hear someone quietly laughing.

Waking up again, I felt like a lot of time had passed. With my eyes feeling much better, I bravely glanced towards the window. Faint golden light filtering through the shutters meant that the day was just ending, or beginning.

Getting to my feet with only minimal dizziness, I staggered over to the door. Testing the handle, I was not surprised to find that it was locked, but I had hoped that it wouldn’t be. Turning around and heading back towards the bed, I heard someone's footsteps coming down the hall.

A few moments later, a key rattled in the lock and the door opened.

Standing in the doorway was the innkeeper's wife, Rose, holding a tray with a large jug and a small dishrag. “Oh!” Rose gave a sudden start as she looked up and noticed me by the door. “Tim, you gave me a bit of a fright. You have not stirred for days and now you're suddenly up and about! How are you? The girls are worried sick!” Rose stepped back out into the hallway, “Come on, follow me!” She insisted without giving me a chance to answer, her sharp tone making it clear that it was not a suggestion.

Somewhat awkwardly, I followed Rose down the hall. I still felt somewhat light-headed, so it was difficult keeping my balance.

Rose opened the door to the girls shared room.

“Rose! Is there any news on...” Nadine’s voice trailed off momentarily as she caught sight of me lingering in the hallway. Nadine was sitting up in bed with her right arm in a sling and wearing a short-sleeved ankle-length nightgown. “Tim! You're awake!” Nadine cried out in surprise.

“Huh?” Clarice, also wearing a similar yet shorter nightgown shuffled into view from beside the door. Her left ankle was heavily bandaged and she was struggling to put her weight on it.

“TIM!” Toofy had been hidden under the bed, and desperately began scrambling towards me, only for Nadine to grab the back of Toofy’s tunic at the last moment and drag her back.

“Toofy. No!” Nadine chided authoritatively, “You have to stay close to me, remember?”

Toofy didn’t let up, redoubling her effort and began slipping out of her oversized tunic.

“Urgh, Tim! Could you get in here please!” Nadine gasped, straining to hold Toofy back with only her left arm.

Rose smiled apologetically and stepped aside to let me pass through.

The moment I came within arms reach, Nadine let go of Toofy, “Ugh...” Nadine groaned, “I think I pulled a muscle.”

Toofy scrambled up my front and hugged me tightly around my neck. “Tim gone, Toofy scared,” she whimpered, wet tears falling on my shoulder, “Tim no leave Toofy!” Toofy demanded, hugging me tighter.

I couldn’t help but feel incredibly selfish. I had pretty much forgotten about Toofy. Whether this was all a fever dream or hallucination, it sickened me that I could be so heartless.

If this was a representation of my subconscious, wouldn’t that make everything I do here all the more important?

I hugged Toofy back, “It’s alright now,” I reassured her, ‘I won’t leave you behind again, okay?”

“O-o-okay,” Toofy sniffled, wiping her snotty nose on my bare shoulder.

“Tim,” Nadine waved her hand slightly to get my attention, “You still need to revoke the last command you gave to Toofy. She could accidentally hurt herself again if you don’t.”

Her words were like a sucker punch to the gut. I was all too aware of the pain I experienced under Emelia’s commands, to think of Toofy suffering through that made me feel sick. “Toofy, you don't have to follow Nadine anymore okay?”

“K-kay,” Toofy sniffled.

“You brought them back safe, just like I asked you to. I am proud of you,” I tousled her hair and moved to go sit on the corner of the bed.

During this whole exchange, Emelia had remained asleep with a contented expression on her face.

[Emelia - HP: 3/25 - Bloodied ]

Rose placed the tray down by the window and placed the back of her hand against my forehead, “Hrm, no sign of the fever, good. How do you feel?” She asked, scanning me from head to toe.

“My eyes hurt a little,” I admitted.

Rose nodded, “That’s normal, it should pass some time in the next day or two. Just make sure you get plenty of rest,” she insisted.

I nodded, even though I didn’t really feel tired. There were still some light activities I could do in the meantime. However, with all my belongings currently missing, that would be quite difficult. “Ah, have you seen my sewing kit?” I asked nervously, worried that one of the less scrupulous adventurers had stolen it in the confusion.

OH NO!

“Ah, there was also a custom made toilet seat for Toofy, I dropped it...somewhere,” trying to think about where I had left it, made my head hurt.

“Oh, we were wondering who that belonged to,” Rose giggled, “It’s alright, we have all of the unclaimed belongings locked away to prevent sticky fingers. I will bring you your things a little later alright? Oh, but unfortunately, there wasn’t much we could do to save your clothes I am afraid, sorry.

I nodded, but couldn’t remember what happened to my clothes either. I remember that they had gotten pretty bloody and tattered, but a decent wash should have been alright.

“Anyway, I should leave you all to get some rest. Oh, here,” Rose handed me a room key, “So you can lock your door. After what happened, Kirk wants to play things safe. So be safe, alright?” She straightened her apron, excused herself and closed the door.

“Why do I need to lock my door?” I asked, a little confused over what I have apparently missed.

Nadine looked worried, “You don’t remember what happened?”

I shrug helplessly, “Remember what exactly? I remember receiving Emelia’s commands, sort of, but bits and pieces are a blur.”

Nadine nodded sombrely, “What is the last thing you remember?”

“I think...I think it was bandaging up one of the seriously injured adventurers, but it's kinda fuzzy,” I shook my head, “I don’t even know that person's name, maybe I imagined it?”

Nadine and Clarice shared a look, “Mathis,” they answered in unison.

“The surgeon says you saved his life Tim,” Nadine explained, “He didn't believe it when everyone kept telling him that it was you who did it.”

“Still didn’t by the time he left,” Clarice grunted irritably, “Snotty prick.”

Judging by the way Nadine let Clarice’s comment slide without challenge, it seemed like her assessment was not altogether inaccurate.

Nadine stared at me for a moment, her expression a mess of conflicting emotions, “We are alive because of you Tim. No matter what happens, I just want you to know that I won't forget it.”

“Me either,” Clarice grunted brusquely in agreement, “Someone has a problem with you, they have a problem with me too!”

“Toofy too!” Toofy insisted.

I didn’t know what to say. “Thank you,” I replied lamely, embarrassed by the intense focus of their attention. “I uh, should probably go rest,” I muttered awkwardly. Standing back up, I gave the girls a brief wave in parting and closed the door behind myself.

Heading back to my room with Toofy in tow, I noticed a young woman with short chestnut coloured hair and hazel eyes, staring at me from the landing to the stairs leading down to the common room.

She had a curious expression on her face as if making up her mind about something. The young woman shrugged and headed downstairs, but she kept looking at me from the corner of her eye until disappearing from view.

That was weird. I didn’t remember having seen her around before either.

Was she one of the adventurers Kirk was trying to get the inn prepared for? Or was she perhaps part of some reinforcements sent by the Guild? Without asking her, which I was in no rush to do, I had no way of knowing who she was and why she was here.

Before going to bed, I made sure to lock the door and double-check it just to be sure. Something about that woman had put me on edge.

With nothing else to do, I spent most of the day lightly dozing on my bed.

Toofy had draped herself over my chest and tried to bite me every time I tried to move her, so there she remained. Toofy was only temporarily dislodged when Kirk delivered a large bowl of fried Vrabbit meat. But only until we finished eating.

After sleeping through the night without incident, Toofy became slightly less clingy. She only insisted on remaining next to me.

Waking up well and truly before just about everyone else, Toofy and I did not have to wait in line to use the toilets. All things considered, I still found sending Toofy in to use the toilet alone somewhat nerve-wracking. I couldn’t help but worry that she would fall in somehow.

But my worrying was ultimately for nothing. After a few minutes, Toofy pushed open the door and walked out proudly carrying the custom toilet seat under one arm. “Toofy smart,” she reminded me with a grin.

I chuckled and tousled Toofy’s hair, “Yes you are," I agreed happily. It was so satisfying, knowing that I wouldn’t have to accompany Toofy to the toilet anymore. Partly, because of how awkward it was, but mostly because my sense of smell was slowly coming back.

Returning to our room, I finalised my plans for making alterations to Toofy’s clothes. The overall concept was just to downsize the tunic and pants. There was obviously more than enough fabric to do it, but since Toofy lacked any form of underwear I thought it might be best to start with the pants. At least this way Toofy would still basically be wearing a dress while I worked.

Before sewing together the much smaller pair of trousers, I stitched together a couple of pairs of underwear for Toofy from the leftover fabric. It felt super awkward trying to design panties for her, so I just made drawstring boxers instead. Working on the tunic next, I decided that I would make Toofy a cloth belt, coin purse and a shoulder strap singlet from the leftover materials.

Toofy really didn’t understand my insistence on wearing two layers of clothing, but she eventually relented.

“Oh! Toofy warm!” Toofy announced cheerily, hugging herself and rolling around on the bed.

So long as Toofy was happy and wearing underwear, I would take it as a win.

Now I was left to lament my own clothing situation. While not naked, I was far from comfortable walking around in my underwear. With only a few scraps of cloth leftover, the only other fabric I had to work with was Nadine’s bedroll. I could try and make a kilt, but I was fairly certain that the fabric was way too thick.

“Ugh! this is so annoying!” I grunted in frustration. I resolved myself to head downstairs and ask Rose what happened to my clothes, “Come on Toofy, we are going downstairs.”

“Okay!” Toofy agreed eagerly, nimbly jumping off the bed and clambering up my back to hang off my shoulder.

Contrary to my expectations, despite being early in the early evening, the common room was mostly empty. I could only assume that most adventurers must be resting up in their rooms or something.

Ignoring Kirk, who was struggling to keep a straight face, I determinedly walked through to the kitchen.

“Oh, hello Tim,” Rose welcomed me warmly from over by the cooking pot. “When did you buy new clothes?” She asked, pointing at Toofy.

“I didn’t,” I sighed, “I made these out of the clothes Toofy was wearing before.”

“Really?” this seemed to have piqued Rose's interest. “Mind if I take a look?”

“Go ahead, it’s nothing special. I just did what I could with what I had,” I shrugged. I probably couldn't do much better unless I somehow found a magical sewing machine or something, my finger dexterity leaves a lot to be desired.

“No, you did a pretty good job,” Rose insisted, testing the seams and darning, “I am honestly surprised you can use a sewing needle with those large fingers of yours.”

I shrugged. It was more an act of patience than actual skill on my part.

“Oh! You even made underclothes for her!” Rose commented in surprise, unabashedly looking down the front of Toofy’s tunic.

“Ah, so Rose, I was wondering if there was anything left of my clothes? Even if they are a bit tattered, I can stitch them back up," I explained.

Rose stiffened somewhat before quickly returning to making a show of looking over Toofy’s new clothes, pretending she had not heard me “Hrm? Oh look at this! How darling!”

Well, that is incredibly suspicious. What happened to my clothes?! If Rose won’t tell me, I’ll try asking Kirk, and if Kirk won't tell me, I’ll ask Clarice. Why not Nadine? Because Clarice likes stirring the pot, and if she won't tell me, no one will. “We should be heading back to bed then, I’ll see you later Rose,” I turned and left somewhat abruptly, hopefully making it clear that I didn’t appreciate the cloak and dagger nonsense regarding the fate of my clothes!

“Oh, good night,” Rose called out hastily.

I was going to take a seat at the bar but noticed Kirk deliberately avoiding eye contact.

Well, that's a bust too then. What the hell is going on?! What happened? What am I not remembering?

Getting pretty annoyed at this point, I headed upstairs to the girls shared room. If Clarice was going to tell me anything, she wouldn’t care if there was a disapproving audience or not, so it didn't really matter.

“Grrr” Toofy stiffened, digging her thick pointed nails into my neck and back, growling quietly at the door to the girls room.

Stopping outside their door, I could hear a conversation already progress with another woman I don’t recognise.

“-just for tomorrow as a trial run and we split the coin one and three so everyone’s nice and happy, okay?” The stranger suggested good-naturedly.

“You said that already,” Nadine replied suspiciously, “But you still didn’t explain why a level ten is interested in hunting on this floor of the Labyrinth. Forgive me, but this really doesn’t seem worth your time...”

They were discussing inviting another person to the party? But even Nadine, who was the most mobile of the group at the moment, was still fairly injured.

The woman laughed a little in response before stopping suddenly, “Oh, you're serious? I thought I already explained myself quite well though? I am a Synergist, I need qualified party members to work at my full potential. Since no one else from my charter accepted this Guild request, I need at least one strong partner I can rely on. From what I hear, your Ogre is the strongest on the floor.”

“His name is Tim!” Clarice growled.

The stranger gave a loud exaggerated sigh, “Fine, Tim, whatever. Anyway, we can make the deal through the Guild if it makes you feel better, make it nice and legal,” she offered appeasingly, “You really mean to tell me you three have enough savings to just sit here and do nothing for at least another week, HOPING that the raid doesn't hit before you can stand on your own two feet and defend yourselves?”

“Shut up!” Clarice snapped angrily, “How do we know you won't just gank Tim the moment you take him outside the foothold?!”

The stranger snorted derisively, “Really? Assuming we make this deal through the Guild, why the hell would I risk my career over this? And in case you have forgotten something, I am stuck here like the rest of you until this raid is dealt with! The extermination request has Orc heads at ten copper each and Goblin heads at five copper each. With three-quarters of the bounty going to your party, you can make some quick easy moolah.”

“That’s the part I don’t understand,” Nadine replied coldly, “Why take on so much danger for so little reward?”

The stranger groaned loudly, “Seriously?! Are you not listening? I AM A SYNERGIST! So teaming up with an Ogre and hunting Orcs would make me the safest adventurer on this floor. Geez, if I could afford my own monsters, I wouldn’t even be making this offer.”

“We need to think about this,” Nadine reluctantly conceded.

“That's all I am asking,” the stranger said in exasperation, “Geez!”

The door opened and the chestnut-haired woman from earlier looked up at me, “Oh hello there handsome. I was just talking about you,” she smirked and by the look in her eyes I could tell she knew I was listening to most of the conversation that transpired. She gave my stomach a playful slap as she passed by me into the hall and headed off to the stairs.

There was something really off about her.

“Tim what are you doing here so late in the evening?” Nadine asked nervously.

Trying to put that strange woman out of mind, I focused on my original reason for coming here. “Clarice? What happened to my clothes?”

Clarice and Nadine glance awkwardly at one another but say nothing.

Emelia looks confused, “Wait, why is Tim basically naked again?! Did someone steal Tim’s clothes?!” She stared accusingly at Clarice.

“Uh...no,” Clarice answered awkwardly.

Emelia narrowed her eyes and glared, “Clarice, give Tim back his clothes!” She demanded, “If you don’t I’ll tell Tim about-”

“I didn’t steal his clothes!” Clarice interjected with a panicked expression on her face.

Emelia was unconvinced, “Prove it,” she demanded.

“How?!” Clarice countered, “I don't have them and I don’t know where they went. So how do you expect me to prove I didn’t steal them?” She demanded angrily.

“Oh,” Emelia scratched her head and her hardened expression softened again, “I didn’t think of that,” her eyes suddenly went wide and Emelia pointed her finger accusingly at Nadine, “Then it was you!”

Well, this was going nowhere fast.

Nadine let out a long-suffering sigh and massaged her temple, “Look, Tim, your clothes were badly damaged in the Orc attack. Rose took them to The Tailor for us, to get them patched up, but something happened...” She shifted uncomfortably, “Rose says The Tailor won't give the clothes back unless you collect them in person...It hasn’t done that before...”

I shivered remembering the tailor’s minor change in appearance as I was leaving the shop. “What is the tailor? Is it a monster or something?” I blurted out, unable to handle the unknowns of it all. The tailor had really freaked me out. And there was no way in hell I was going back in there again without knowing more about it.

Nadine nodded in understanding, her anxious expression a reflection of how I felt, ”The Labyrinth doesn't just make monsters. Sometimes it makes people too-”

I gulped hard and tried not to look too suspicious.

“-The people made by the Labyrinth are divided into two types, quest givers and vendors. Both types are very predictable and you can pretty much immediately tell that they aren’t people. The quest givers will offer rewards for doing specific things, usually something dangerous, but the reward is almost always worth it. The vendors are mostly the same, charging high prices but selling items made of monster materials. But sometimes...sometimes the people the Labyrinth makes are a bit...wrong...” Nadine shivered.

So I wasn’t the only one who had seen what was wrong with the tailor, Nadine must have seen it as well. It’s somewhat of a relief to know that I am not crazy....less crazy? Hrm...

Nadine took a steadying breath before continuing, glancing somewhat nervously towards the window, “The Tailor is something unique to this Labyrinth and it has a shop on every known floor. That in and of itself is pretty weird, a Labyrinth will rarely outright copy something like that so perfectly. Most of the time, it’s just that woman, completely normal, just like every other vendor, predictable and forgettable. But every so often, The Tailor breaks script and talks to people,” she shivered again, “But its appearance changes, like it is just borrowing the shopkeeper’s body to communicate. This has started the rumour that The Tailor isn’t just part of the Labyrinth, but the Labyrinth itself.”

“Wait, so the tailor is a monster then?” I asked, wanting this confirmed.

Nadine scrunched up her face and shrugged, “It’s complicated. By Guild definition, yes, it is a creature made by the Labyrinth, so it is a monster. But every attempt by epic level Monster Tamer’s and Slaver’s to capture The Tailor have met with disaster. The Guild’s current policy is now to just observe. So long as no one antagonizes it, the Guild seems content to leave it be. There are even rumours of the Guild offices on other floors making deals with it in secret. But those are just rumours, of course.”

This all had a Halloween type of vibe to it that I really wanted no part of. For the first time in my life, I was seriously considering whether I needed to wear clothes. To let something that insanely dangerous live inside the town just seemed insane. It was like knowing Pennywise wass living in a house across the street and sending your kids trick or treating anyway.

How the hell does the Guild even rationalize it?

“It has never attacked anyone unprovoked,” Clarice explained, giving me a sombre look that made it clear she had guessed at my line of thought. “Only when people try to steal something or attack it. Fuck, you can curse at it all day and it will just raise the prices. So much as slap it, you're done...”

“That does not make me feel better...” I complained.

“Wasn’t meant to,” Clarice scoffed, “It was for context.”

“It’s alright Tim,“ Nadine added hastily, “I can go with you if you want,” she offered reassuringly.

Geez, am I that much of a coward, that I would drag a crippled woman a quarter or less of my weight into a monster den, just to retrieve my clothes?

The answer was yes. There was no way I was going back there alone.

“Toofy too!” Toofy volunteered adamantly.

I had forgotten about Toofy. The prospect of Toofy backing me up was actually much more reassuring than Nadine. Even though Toofy was damned small, I pitied anyone who would pick a fight with her one on one. Not least of all because I still don’t know where she has been hiding that shiv...

“Okay,” I agreed with a depressed sigh.

Let’s go and have a chat with the creepy monster across the street just as the sun is setting. What can go wrong? Nope. To hell with that!

“Let’s go tomorrow morning,” I suggested tactfully.

Nadine nodded, visibly relieved.

Even Clarice looked somewhat relieved.

“Wait... So Rose stole Tim’s clothes?” Emelia asked, obviously confused.

The three of us stared at Emelia incredulously for a moment before Clarice started baying in laughter. Unable to help ourselves, Nadine and I joined in.

“What?” Emelia asked, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment, “Did she not take them then?”

Even Toofy joined in now, “Heeheehee, Master silly.”

“Hrmph!” Emelia pouted, crossing her arms.

It felt good to laugh again. I honestly couldn’t remember the last time I felt like this. To feel it here of all places too, maybe my subconscious knew what it was doing. I hadn't felt this happy in a long time. I was almost disappointed that this was all just a figment of my imagination.

*****

Jacque left the inn and walked across the street to the tailor’s shop. Unlike most, she didn’t hesitate for even a second before entering. Jacque knew about ‘The Tailor’ and the stupid mythos the adventurers Guild had built around her and she couldn’t care less.

“Greetings, customer,” the hollow puppet of a shopkeeper called out in welcome.

“Spare me,” Jacque slid the deadbolt home and locked the door before approaching the counter. “Come on out Kiki, I don't have all night!” She tapped her boot impatiently.

The shopkeeper puppet blinked and subtly began to change, most notably her teeth sharpening like needles. “Ahhh, Jacque!” Kiki hissed, “To what do I owe the pleasure?” Her accent completely out of place for this world and its inhabitants.

“I want to know more about that Ogre, the one the adventurers are calling Tim,” Jacque demanded.

Kiki nodded, the neck of her puppet crackling like dry leaves, “This information will cost you,” she grinned and leaned forward across the counter.

Jacque sighed and removed a small pouch from her belt before upending the contents on the counter. Small quartz-like crimson crystals tumbled into a small pile, “Talk,” Jacque demanded.

Kiki’s grin broadened as she regarded the tiny crystals. Even though there were only ten, they were each the size of her thumbnail and Jacque knew that she likely had not eaten yet today. “A young woman brought him in about five days ago, bought some basic clothes and an apron. All quite ridiculous, like an Ogre even needs anything more than a loincloth.”

Jacque nodded and pushed two of the crystals to Kiki.

Kiki immediately snatched the crystals up, threw them in her mouth and swallowed. “Mmmmmm, that hits the spot,” she purred, covetously eyeing the remaining crystals.

“You want more?” Jacque asked, tracing her finger between the crystals, “Then make it worth my while.”

Kiki hissed and scratched her now lengthening fingernails across the counter in frustration, “You want him? Yes? The Ogre?” Her accent thickened, becoming more difficult to understand.

Jacque nodded.

“I can help! Give him a nudge in the right direction!” Kiki’s attention rapidly altered between Jacque and the crystals.

“Explain,” Jacque demanded cooly, making a show of being unimpressed.

“The clothes! His clothes! I have them, wanted to have a little chat, demanded they bring him to me,” Kiki explained hurriedly, “You want the Ogre? I can offer him a deal!”

Jacque was unimpressed, “And how does this help me?” She demanded.

Kiki hissed angrily, “When his masters take him into the forest to perform my quest, you follow and kill them! Then the Ogre is yours!”

“Your ideas get really stupid when you're hungry, you know that?” Jacque observed dryly.

Kiki bristled at the insult, her mouth growing larger, lips blackening as her skin grew paler.

“Oh, calm down!” Jacque hissed in annoyance, picking up one of the crystals and tossing it into Kiki’s mouth, “Such a drama queen.”

Kiki glared balefully at Jacque but did not spit the crystal back out, quickly swallowing it instead.

“Still, that’s not an entirely stupid idea,” Jacque sighed, “Alright. Offer him a deal to go hunting for the boss monster, or something. His masters are out of commission, so as long as you make the deal sweet enough, we can all come out a winner here. You get a tasty mana crystal, I get some alone time with Tim and his masters get a stack of cash. Deal?” She pushed another two crystals halfway across the counter.

Kiki stared hungrily at the crystals, her long black tongue slipping between her teeth, “I want more!” She demanded.

“I’ll give you the remaining five AFTER,” Jacque countered.

“Done!” Kiki slammed her withered hand down on the counter and swept the two crystals up into her mouth.

Jacque placed the remaining crystals into her pouch again and walked back over to the door, “You better hold up your end of the deal, Kiki!" Leaving the shop and stepping out into the now rapidly darkening street, Jacque looked back over her shoulder at the puppet which had returned to its original unassuming appearance, “Pfft, addicts,” she muttered derisively, rolling her eyes and walking back over to the inn.