Chapter 8

“You two humans?” the woman asked, her voice slow and powerful. She kicked the two broken dolls to make sure that they’re really dead.

Teri glanced at Taku. He looked back at her. She’s approaching them. And Taku… well, he seemed flushed about this entire encounter. He’s really refusing to let go of his staff. Getting killed because of his best friend’s behavior is now part of his worries.

The real question was how she killed those dolls. Other than her gloves, she’s practically unarmored and unarmed. And given that her clothes were bloodied, it means that the fight happened up close. Granted, it’s possible that she came after Taku bound those monsters and led the rest outside. Teri lowered his head, keeping his eyes close to her. The girl can use magic, and a strong, offensive one at that.

Teri stepped forward. “Yep. We are.”

There’s two reasons why a person deems it necessary to approach another in potentially dangerous situations such as this. One, they want to clearly establish their dominance. Two, they need to get the other person in range. And if this woman is that confident, then there’s really nothing that would stop her from killing them outright.

Teri would be lying if he said that there’s nothing he could do about it. So, he willingly entered the girl’s presumed rage, still keeping his hands in the air but with an even sharper gaze. From this point on, it’s a gamble. Will she be offended and kill him? Or will she be interested and let him approach and then kill him? At least he could do something about the latter.

The girl needs to think that they have an ace up their sleeve. If she’s smart, she’ll at least question what they’re doing. And the less certain she becomes of what will happen if things go south, the more she becomes open to talking. Add that to the fact that she’s unarmored and her bag of supplies is nowhere in sight, she’s most likely not gonna do anything risky. She’s strong, but getting wounded here—in this dungeon—means a death sentence.

“Now. This is a first.” The girl chuckled as she exaggerated her steps. Raising her head, she cupped her chin with her finger touching the corner of her lips. “You’re approaching me.”

“I am,” Teri replied, grimacing.

“Oh. You’re really approaching me.” She combed her hair with her fingers. Her lips bent even more to show an interested, daunting smile. “You're picking a fight, then?”

“Definitely not.” Teri found himself grinning back at her. Barely, he resisted the urge to flinch and prayed that the shadows cast by the room would do its magic and make him more menacing somehow.

About three meters. Not a lot of distance between them anymore. Nothing suspicious with her hands. No sudden movements. No slow, sustained actions either. Teri felt his grin becoming a bit more helpless. Magic can be activated by saying a specific word. It could also be a gesture. Either way, there will be a tell.

“And instead of running, you’re coming closer.” She lowered her head. Her smile was still there, but her eyes made it seem like she’s staring at a piece of meat. “How very confident of you. I feel like you guys have been through a lot… or are you this desperate? Like a student taking an exam with seconds left on the clock…”

“But I can’t talk to you without getting any closer.”

“Oh really?” The girl replied with a sweet chuckle. “Then by all means, come as close as you like.”

A few wireless seconds passed. Now, they’re one step apart. Teri, for sure, didn’t think that it would go this far. If the girl’s magic activates through words, he’s fucked. But if her magic triggers through a gesture, he’ll grab her hand and put a spike through her neck. And to tip the tides a little bit in his favor, Taku could probably bind her from a safe distance; the man is focused and reliable in situations like this.

Teri glanced over his shoulder. The man, the myth, and the legend himself was about two meters away from him. Definitely within her range. He’s still refusing to let go of his staff. Though he did for a moment so he can give both of them a small, shy wave.

Teri pressed his gaze against her, definitely overcompensating for something. How was he able to say that with sheer confidence? Did he even do it with confidence? He doesn’t know. He knows that he’s fucked. Yes, he’s casting his shadow over the girl, but that just makes him the most satisfying target ever. But maybe, there’s a way out of this. Maybe, he can double down. If his confidence can’t do it, maybe cringe can.

“Is this too comfortable for you?”

She looked straight into his eyes. This isn’t staring daggers. More like staring chainsaws. “Interesting. I didn’t think you’d stop.”

“Yes,” Teri dryly replied, “we would hit each other if I kept walking.”

She cracked a smile, almost breaking into a laugh. She examined the room, glanced at Taku, and eyed Teri up and down. “Let’s hear it. What do you want to say to me… for you to be up this close? Is it a proposition? A good joke, maybe, that you really have to whisper in my ear for it to work? Or is this a trap?”

The air fell dead. Nope. Cringe didn’t work. Teri almost laughed. He gave up trying to find the right words and just glared at her. If anything, he’s not confident about his ability to beg. A joke to lighten the mood might work, but that might also encourage her to kill them right then and there. Taku’s position is also compromised. Both of them are in range; she can just wave her hand and send their heads flying. But her hand. Well, this is something he can be confident about. Teri could just grab her hand and then put a spike through her neck. A decent idea. He has to protect Taku, after all. They still have the initiative. The element of surprise. Teri’s eyes widened. Maybe the best option right now is to kill her.

“Both of you guys are overcomplicating things.”

Taku’s cheerful voice smoked out the thoughts in Teri’s mind. He moved forward with little regard for his safety and blew the bad air brewing between them. Teri blinked a couple of times, in disbelief until he breathed out the heaviness in his chest. She stepped back in confusion but remained poised—Taku didn’t care. The man, the myth, and the legend himself wiped his grimy hands on his cloak and approached her for a handshake.

“The name is Taku, future wizard king of this new world, tanky as hell, and currently single,” he started with a very macho voice. “Back there is my boy, Teri. Smart. Strong. Reliable. He likes men.”

“I like women,” Teri firmly interjected, crossing his arms and realizing that he might’ve done himself more bad than good.

The woman reluctantly took Taku’s hand. He looked at Teri, at Taku, and then Teri once more with a straight face. “I’m Yayoi.”

Taku refused to let go of her hand for a good five seconds. Taku looked at Teri, and then at Yayoi, and then at Teri, and then at Yayoi once again. He did one final shake and stepped back moments before the air suggested that Yayoi could’ve cut his arm. “So anyway, that’s us. We didn’t come far. In fact, this is our second room. I see you don’t have some supplies and all. So, do you wanna rest, find a corner and relax, and break some bread together? It’s on us.”

So that was her weakness. Teri smiled as he effectively hid behind Taku’s shadow. Sheer fucking optimism.

Yayoi glared at them. “If you try anything funny—”

“Nah.” Taku turned around and pointed them at the north-eastern corner of the room. Yep. Sheer fucking optimism. And yep. She could’ve killed him right then and there. “We’re good,” he shouted, “and besides, I feel like we have some stuff to catch up on as our new dungeon buddy.”

“That’s just him.” Teri shrugged at the girl. It doesn’t feel like she’s out for blood anymore. As expected, Taku is amazing with people. And right now, the best he could do is follow Taku’s example and throw everything at her court. He walked away, dismissing his worry of being backstabbed as much as he could. They should have the door to the room closed if they wanted to have a chance of getting a more decent rest.

“Then. If that’s the case…” Yayoi waved at Teri and followed Taku’s back. “I’ll take you up on your offer. Both of you.”

Teri caught this at the corner of his eye. He didn’t bother to wave back. Not like this. It was hard for Teri to admit. He looked at his right hand. It’s still shaking. He was about to kill her. He’s glad that Taku was with him. But his heart stings. So, this was all he could amount to.