Chef (8)

When he got back to the logging and gathering area, everything seemed completely normal.

As if nothing unusual had ever happened.

If there were to be a change, it would be that the women, children, and young adults would be gone.

Lisa, her two babies, and her twin sons had disappeared.

The older black lady and teenager with dreads are gone.

A couple of teenagers who had been gathering plants with their mom had also disappeared.

Yet…everyone acted like it was perfectly normal.

It was eerie.

Additionally, the yellow pollen that had been floating in the air was gone, leaving behind a refreshing breeze.

"Sergeant? Contractor? Oh, thank god you're here! But why are you like this? Did you just finish fighting an enemy?" the soldier that had originally been harassing Cyril let out a sigh of relief before catching sight of him and yelling.

"You damn bastard! You ran away from work!"

"Is everything okay?

This guy rushed us here saying that you were in danger and going to die?" the leader of the soldiers Cyril was with asked in a stern tone.

"Die? Not at all, sir. The number of fox rabbit beasts was increasing, but it was still at a level that we could handle. We did lose a couple of people who made a run for it, but that's usual; the majority of people are here. The issue would be the path through the meadow for us to exit. Due to an incident with that man, the plants were agitated." The soldier pointed at Cyril while glaring angrily.

"So it was you who caused the issue! You ran away and then made up stories. I'll detain you myself for questioning."

As the soldiers that had rushed back to the gathering area at his urging turned to surround Cyril, he patted Alexei's back as hard as he could while meeting their eyes.

"Attorney Alexei Vasilios, I choose you. Go forth and defend my honor. Also, retrieve that black bookbag; it's mine."

Alexei gave him a dirty look before turning towards the soldiers with a gentle smile.

"Firstly, let's take a look while gathering everybody together so we can leave. Since he's my client, I'll figure out what happened and give you all a proper explanation. If needed, I'll take responsibility for his actions."

"But he caused trouble and-"

"To be frank, he barely understands English. Can't you tell he's a foreigner? And he's spoiled to boot, with no life or speaking skills. Don't worry, I'll deal with it and make sure you're compensated appropriately."

"Hmph! This is only because I trust you, Contractor."

Once the soldiers began dispersing after handing over his bag and insulting his honor, Cyril took it back and began wandering around, looking around like a curious hound that smelled a bone.

"Didn't you say people are in trouble? It seems fine, and people who try to escape show up every day. They want the crystals for themselves. Why are you concerned?" Alexei asked as he followed behind him.

He rarely paid attention to what the soldiers told him, but he'd seen people lose it for the crystals that came out when the monsters were killed.

The fact that people controlled themselves due to hunger and guns instead of killing themselves for crystals was notable.

It was understandable that people would try to kill monsters themselves when they saw how easily the soldiers dealt with them.

"Only the women and children are gone. You don't find that weird?"

"Not particularly. They tend to send them back earlier. And even they want crystals to make themselves stronger. Especially as the laws are becoming lax."

Cyril pondered his words for a moment before shaking his head.

"I ran from here to that tunnel area in 10 minutes, stayed there, and came back with you. Only the women and children who were here are gone, which is odd. Even if some of the people here deserted, there was a single mom with four little kids, and I can't believe that she ran away. Let's say they were let off early. Is there a different path to take to leave this place?"

"…No. Why did you leave in the first place."

"I felt scared. My body dozed off for a brief moment."

Alexei: "….."

Although that was a rare occurrence, it could be explained by the situation, but…it could also be an ability used on him by someone else.

"You're tired. Even your body would eventually break down going so many days without sleeping. Give me another reason."

It was silent for a moment as Cyril thought back.

"…The air was gradually filled with enough pollen to cover my clothes, and suddenly, the soldier speaking to me began yawning. Repeatedly. It was weird."

As Cyril gestured to the white clothes covered in fine yellow dust, Alexei immediately grabbed his arm, and black chains suddenly burst from his wrist to cocoon Cyril.

At the same time, he activated the mana nullification area.

He spread it out to the limit, but nothing in the surroundings changed at all. Not even a faint waver or ripple came from the yellow dust on Cyril's clothes.

Was he mistaken?

"What the hell are you doing?" Cyril asked with only his eyes visible from within the black chain cocoon.

"Bodyguarding."

Cyril: ಠ_ಠ

"Can you bodyguard me by letting me go and moving that downed tree? It wasn't there before."

A singular chain unraveled from the cocoon and wrapped the recently down tree before slowly lifting it up.

The only thing there amoung the flattened leaves and grass was a small raised mound of dirt, like an ant hill.

Nothing else was there.

Noting the other downed trees, Cyril made Alexei lift each one, but all he saw were little dirt mounds that could barely fit an ant much less a human.

And even when he sat alone, sneaking the bodies of rabbit fox monsters into his bag while Alexei questioned people, the response was the same.

Women and children had run off, one or two at a time, and disappeared while soldiers dealt with a sudden charge of the rabbit fox monsters.

Nobody remembered being sleepy, and nobody thought anything was strange.

Stumped at the strange situation, Cyril just dazedly followed along as Alexei led him out of the dungeon after somehow dealing with the rioting plants.

Even as he ended up tied to Alexei's back by chains, he was examining his memory , trying to remember if he had missed something.

Unfortunately, his brain was foggy from lack of sleep.

"Is this the place?"

"Ye haaaaaahh, you said you had coins right? Come in." As he got down from Alexei's back while yawning, Cyril walked into the warmly lit waystation.

Seeing the guard dog staring at him at full size in the middle of the hallway, Cyril gave it a wide smile and the middle finger.

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

"This a guest. You know you can't harm guests, right? Can't be noisy, can't attack, can't be rude. Let's try being quiet, so they have a premium experience."

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

As the wolf angrily growled at Cyril, Cyril completely ignored it and tiredly led Alexei to the area he had designated as the sign-in area.

From inside his desk, he pulled out the guest book and a small machine that looked like a mini white POS system covered in H.E.L.P. Apocalypse Co. Branding.

After writing Alexei's information in the guestbook, he began conveying the details he had memorized while yawning.

Since a glorious night of sleep was in sight, his exhaustion had finally caught up with him.

"There's only one room and one bathroom; the price is 100 life energy coins per night. Special meals not included."

At the completely outlandish number, Alexei blinked before making an utterly outlandish offer.

"Let me just pay for six months right now. 18000 coins, right? Let's get it over with."

Unfortunately, he was completely ignored.

"That'll be one day and one night. Please sign here for a total of 100 coins. Thank you. Please tap here for a 50-coin tip. Thank you. Now come along, and let me show you around."

Before Alexei could even get a word in, his hand was forced to sign a form, tapped on a machine, and then Cyril began a speed tour.

"Kitchen, bar, dining. Eat and drink whatever you want. Common room, sleep as you please. The bathroom down here has no shower. The bathroom upstairs has a shower. Use it as you please; however, if you drip water everywhere, I'll kill you. Shoes on the furniture, I'll kill you. This is your assigned bedroom, but I'll be using it for now. Here's a blanket and a pillow, so make yourself comfortable in the common room. If the wolf messes with you, tell it that you're a guest. See you whenever I wake up. Goodbye."

Slam!

The door was promptly slammed in Alexei's face before he could speak as a pillow and blanket were tossed in his face.

Making his way down to the common room, he ignored the staring black wolf and tapped the black band on his wrist, noticing the deduction of 150 coins.

Although he had many questions about this place and what exactly was going on, his main issue was…

"Tsk. What kind of place forces a 50% tip? What a scammer. Well…I'll let him off just this once since he hasn't slept in a while. The reason for that must be you."

Alexei looked up to see the large black wolf staring at him with baleful yellow eyes while snarling.

Not frightened in the least, Alexei gave it a gentle smile. It was the smile that Cyril would say meant he wanted to pound something into the ground.

"Try messing around with his sleep while I'm here, and I'll show you how humans decimated over 90% of your kind. Puppy."

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

"Shut up. I'm a guest, and I'm trying to sleep. If you want to fight wait until tomorrow."

As the wolf snapped its mouth shut, Alexei pointed at the window.

"Get out. I don't like animals, especially not in the house."

As the wolf stared at him as if he were crazy, Alexei began fake coughing.

"Cough cough. I'm allergic to dogs. As a guest, I order you outside. Cough cough."

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

"Ahh, please, no growling. My ears are also allergic."

While the guard dog was being thoroughly bullied by Alexei, Cyril was preparing for the best sleep of his life.

He had bathed, put on silk pajamas, eaten a mild snack, and was now tucked into a comfortable fleece blanket.

"Close the windows, blackout blinds, no airflow, soundproof the room and floor, and absolutely do not disturb me. That bratty wolf can't come in here, so let him suffer and support Alexei in whatever way he wants. Got it?"

The sensation of A-ok came back.

"And…it didn't work. Even when I was in a dungeon, the Door didn't open so we have to try something else haaaaaaaaaah."

Cyril was speaking to the wooden seed that contained the sanctuary spark that lay in the bed next to him, exposing the iridescent light from the feather.

As the feather softly brushed over his face in acknowledgment before disappearing, Cyril slowly fell asleep from the oppressive stillness and silence.

Nothing moved, and the only sound was his breathing, which was slowly being absorbed and muffled as the sanctuary spark did everything it could to provide the perfect sleeping environment.

It perfectly maintained the temperature and freshness with no airflow while making sure not a single vibration disturbed Cyril as he slept.

The bed was kept still, no sound could be heard, and even the little hairs that irritated his neck were brushed away by an invisible presence that could be considered the strongest within the waystation, especially when it came to 'guests.'

With the energy that the sanctuary spark absorbed from the bodies given to it by the angry guard dog which did not listen, along with what it had acquired from the Seed, and the recent influx of life energy coins, it had slowly gotten stronger.

But instead of growing in the way programmed by its captor, it slowly modified itself and the waystation according to the wishes of the empty human boy who had chosen to help it over his personal growth and always kept it company when he couldn't sleep, treating it like a little brother instead of an object.

Despite the threats and physical violence it exchanged daily with the empty boy, Little Oasis rather liked him.

And so it began to change to suit him.

Rather than a rigid thing bound to a system, it tried to be a seed that would turn into a tree that could encompass the dreams and wishes of the empty boy who didn't sleep.

Doors to take him wherever he wanted, regardless of the location.

Rooms that could become his world, containing everything he wished.

A flame to keep him warm and protect him from those who tried to hurt him.

Flowers that reminded him of the beauty and strength of a person he missed dearly.

Each and every word Cyril spoke was engraved in its core like the grains in wood.

Although it was weak, weaker than it should be due to its rebellious growth direction, the sanctuary spark always tried to remember Cyril's wishes as it continually absorbed mana from the changing world and energy from killed beings.

The empty boy had sighed while saying that the ability given by the waystation to open doors hadn't worked, but Little Oasis thought differently.

It had been working with the angry wolf, using its energy to explore the land that was bound to it.

Hidden, deep inside the lake, was a dungeon.

The reason why the snake had grown so big was that it greedily devoured the things inside, coming in and out of the dungeon as if it were its own home.

During the battle, when the snake entered its Door, the sanctuary spark memorized the feeling and continually compared it to the open dungeon on its land.

It wasn't trying to do much; it just wanted to figure out how to create a door for its owner to always come back regardless of where he was.

An escape route that could never be blocked.

It had continually run tests, burning its energy as it tried to create a door in the dungeon beneath the lake.

As the sanctuary spark tried once more, its control over the room lapsed momentarily.

"Uhmmm." Cyril began to move around, his eyes fluttering, but everything in the room quickly regained its stillness, and then he went back to sleep.

The sanctuary spark calmed down.

Slowly. Steadily.

It would figure it out.

But for now, the empty boy needed to rest.

Seeing as the dark marks on the pale face slowly disappeared the longer he slept, Little Oasis, the sanctuary spark belonging to Employee 999, focused on making sure its owner could sleep peacefully.

And…

For the first time in almost a week, Cyril slept deeply and peacefully for a full 24 hours.

And when he woke up, it was to a blaring alert.

[🔔Ding!🔔]