Pink Strawberries

I didn’t want to set off Ren’s fuse again, so the awkward silence from earlier crept back in and overstayed its welcome. The silence wasn’t just awkward however; it was also challenging — for me, at least.

I was afraid even the slightest noise would drive Ren back into the angry state he erupted into just a moment ago. I inhaled quietly and exhaled as silently as possible, treading lightly with every step.

The biggest problem with walking in silence was that I had nothing to distract me. So I got lost in my thoughts again — something I was trying my best to avoid.

Fortunately, my mind resisted falling back into its spiral of misery. However, it was substituted for something I loathed to think was true.

Had Ren really chosen the easier path in the Jungle? Did he purposefully lead us through the path where there were crab-like monsters? Was that all part of his plan to get back at me and prove what a weakling I was?

I hated myself for even considering it, but it wasn’t exactly unlikely. He had laughed before they appeared. He had told Izumi he was hungry so she would fetch the berry and trigger the attack. And he was probably aware of my fear.

After all, we were twins. Though I cannot recall ever mentioning it to him, I wouldn’t be surprised if it came up at least once while we were growing up. That’s the sort of thing siblings don’t forget — they love to take advantage of your vulnerabilities for their own satisfaction.

No. Ren isn’t like that.

I felt awful for thinking that could’ve been true. Ren isn’t a monster; he doesn’t ever hurt anyone without a good reason or unless someone needs protecting.

He was just doing whatever he thought was best for us.

Even if he were angry, he wouldn’t let it blind him from his objective. He proved that to me as he had correctly guided us to The Store.

Normally when you hear the term ‘The Store’, you think of, at the very least, some sort of building structure that is reasonably well-kept, appealing, and appears safe for the customer.

That was not the case here.

There was no safe-looking structure. It hadn’t been reasonably well-kept, and it didn’t appear very safe to step too close to.

It was nothing but a half-broken stall with a poorly-painted wooden box that had what I guessed were supposed to be windows. I couldn’t really tell.

Couldn't the game developers have designed something a little more…attractive? I thought to myself.

Then again, I had heard about how every gamer has that one game they hold dear to their heart, no matter how old or unpopular.

The man at The Store, however, was inviting. Well, his mannerisms were.

Beyond his disgustingly yellowy-green teeth and his brutishly greasy, long grey hair, he seemed quite nice. Not to look at, but to talk to.

“Stay quiet. Remember, I’m doing the talking” Ren assertively commanded.

I hadn’t even said anything for the last hour. I know he knew I wasn’t going to try to speak. He just wanted a reason to say something in a mean demeanour to me again.

As Ren approached the man, I perused what was in the structure.

I could see quite a few weapons. Some long swords, a few shorter swords, and then a few weapons I couldn’t really make out what they were. To be honest, I wasn’t even sure they were weapons at all. They were so twisty and unnatural-looking I couldn’t figure out how they’d be used to fight a monster.

Next to them were what appeared to be pink strawberries. I thought they were quite interesting. Usually if you see a berry like that you’d think they are poisonous and so wouldn’t go near it. But I was intrigued to hear what they did, and so I listened to Ren’s conversation with the man.

I also wanted to see how Ren was actually going to purchase whatever he was going to buy.

“Give me six berries, 10 level-up potions, and a sword…please.”

“Okay. Here you go, sir.”

Ren then passed over some coins – which I didn’t know he had – and the man passed over what Ren had asked for.

That was all I heard. Nothing new was learned. An unsuccessful endeavour. I hoped Ren was going to explain.

Ren swiftly turned around, his hands full, and steadily began walking towards me. His face looked glum and his eyes looked past me, rather than at me.

“Don’t look so surprised. If you weren’t so busy crying like a little baby, you would’ve noticed that some of the goblins and the crab-like monsters dropped coins after you killed them. That’s how I managed to get us all of this stuff.”

I tried my best to play off that I was aware of that, but the slight fear creeping inside of me forced me to fail in doing so.

“The pink strawberries help you transform into a bigger, stronger, faster version of yourself. I’ll let you know when we should use them. The level-up potions…well, you can figure that out yourself. And, here, take this,” Ren said to me as he threw the sword at me, while unapologetically stomping past me.

He didn’t take any care with his throw. He expected me to figure out how to catch it safely.

“You can use this from now on. Don’t worry, it’s not that easy to cut yourself.”

I managed to catch it, but that wasn’t without almost making myself look the fool as my clumsy hands came close to dropping it straight onto my foot.

The sword felt strange in my hands. It was heavier than expected, cold, and slightly uneven in its grip. It didn’t nestle into my hand like my pens did.

But still, there was something about it. Something solid. Something that made me feel a little less like the useless weight I’d been earlier. Was it placebo, or did I actually feel more capable? I guess finding out had to wait.

A sudden, jittery laugh cracked through the stillness. Expectedly, the man’s laugh was rough, broken, and weirdly snarly. He hadn’t moved an inch since Ren finished buying everything from him. I turned, lightly startled, only to find his yellowing eyes staring in two different directions. Perhaps he was laughing at two different things at once, and that’s why he had laughed so hard.

I took my eyes off of him, but that’s when I noticed something tucked off to the side of the stall.

Tiny knitted figurines — roughly shaped, but undeniably detailed. I crept closer, curiosity dragging my feet and the sword across the dirty grounds. They weren’t any random figurines. They…they were us.

Not Sabar. Me.

The same for Ren. He had replaced whatever Khrom was supposed to look like.

Before I could look any longer, Ren cut in with a disgruntled remark. “Don’t bother. We’ve got no money left, and I wouldn’t waste any on that crap if we did.”

“I just found it weird,” I muttered back.

People who were addicted to toys always struck me as a bit…obsessive, in a weird way. Childish too.

“Your potions and strawberries.” Ren gestured towards the ground.

I spotted the vials and strawberries by my feet and bent over to scoop them up, laying my sword down in the process.

I placed the strawberries in my pocket, and started drinking the potions.

As I drank them, I noticed something new about Ren. I couldn’t help but ask this time. “Where’d you get your new sword from? I didn’t see it in the stall.”

Ren didn’t look at me. “Somewhere in one of those bushes.” He nodded over to a messy group of bushes not so far away from where we were standing.

“Awesome! Is it one of those special one—”

“Yep.”

His tone ended the conversation before it really even started. He was still dodging me. Still keeping his distance.

The potions tasted like burning metal and crayons mixed together. But almost immediately, I felt it — a slow surge spreading through my entire body. My body felt heavier and sturdier. I flexed my fingers and felt a faint tremble of power hum beneath my skin.

Level 12. That’s the level I had achieved. I was just behind Ren who had reached 16. I only knew because I peeked a glance when Ren checked his.

I think he looked even bigger than before. But then again, so did I. It was harder to compare since we’d both changed.

Still, a small grin crept onto my face as I looked over at Izumi and saw her smiling at me.

Her look made me wonder if she preferred bigger guys.