Maybe I'm Asking For Death After All

I had the impression that my companions weren't thrilled at the prospect of our next flight together, not even in the mood to joke. They'd taken me to the princess themselves, but I don't think they expected this turn of events. Perhaps they were just hoping the princess would conduct some kind of interrogation, gather valuable information, and then get rid of me.

The atmosphere was so thick that I was almost certain if I would have fallen, but I would land on something hard and bruise my tailbone. It wasn't my fault. Like everyone else, I was trying to survive, and I lacked the technology that made existence more bearable, especially kitten videos. Would I ever get to see even one again? Do they even have cats in this world?

Tifia's father had to adjust his grip, which snapped me out of my lethargy and my thoughts about domesticated animals in this world. I clutched my crutches tighter and glanced at him reproachfully.

"Don't move," he said menacingly, his paw tightening on my shoulder. It stung, so I unnecessarily snapped back.

"How on earth are you related to someone as nice as Tifia?" I muttered, not particularly lowering my voice, though their hearing was perfect.

"Don't you dare speak my daughter's name," he drawled in such a tone that I immediately regretted speaking, making me want to fall to my knees and apologize for sullying his child's name.

"If you want to survive this journey, I advise you to stay silent," the second kidnapper suggested with complete indifference. "The princess hasn't told us the details of her plans for you, human, except that we are to take you to the other side of the wall and await your return in three months. In short, we don't trust you, and we don't care about your safety. We haven't received orders to get you there in one piece."

That was enough; I was going to be more careful and bite my tongue every time I thought of speaking, at least until my feet touched the ground. The rest of the flight was even more stressful, feeling like I was keeping my muscles tense just to avoid getting in the way. Every time one of them adjusted their grip, my heart would skip a beat, and I just hoped there was something beneath me that would cushion my fall so I wouldn't die in this new world. I really wasn't hero material, not even a minor side character, let alone a main character. Oh, I wonder if we're flying over the desert right now? Well, my companions weren't exactly eager to play tourist guide.

I wanted us to be there, and I breathed a sigh of relief when I finally saw the wall. Only now did I realize it was quite a substantial structure, stretching off into the horizon. A bit clumsy, but certainly fulfilling its purpose. Not that I wanted to start exploring or carrying out my mission, but simply to get as far away as possible from beings who would seize the opportunity to get rid of me while remaining faithful to the princess's orders. They had plenty of interpretations and possibilities, and they reminded me even more clearly of their reluctance when they didn't even carry me to the other side but rather sat me on the wall and then seemingly accidentally pushed me off it. Luckily, I fell without aggravating the ankle injury, and I looked up reproachfully; I saw only disappointed faces.

"What a shame, you're still alive," Tifia's father muttered.

"Whatever you have to do, human, good luck," the other said. "See you in three months. Or preferably not at all."

"I won't miss you either!" My nerves finally calmed, but I hadn't expected such a reaction from them. I thought they'd burst out laughing rather than start looking around anxiously and then disappear from my sight.

I waited a while, making sure they didn't want anything more from me, and then I pondered what to do next. After all, I wasn't sure what would happen in that time, or if he even intended to return, but I preferred to remember where it should be. The problem was there were no real reference points.

Okay, that's for later. I sat down by the wall and finally looked through the supplies I'd been given, which weren't many. Some fruit, a blanket—oh, how kind of them—a sheet of something resembling paper, and a piece of charcoal. I immediately got dirty, but at least I could draw a map. I walked a few steps away from the structure and examined the arrangement of stones, searching for anything distinctive enough… Wait, I immediately thought I saw something resembling an arched doorway there. Perhaps the builder had assumed they'd be needed someday, and all they had to do was knock out a few boulders, and the whole thing wouldn't collapse. I nodded appreciatively, offering my appreciation and silently thanking him for the existence of such a distinct shape.

It was getting dark, and I quickly mapped out my location, though I hadn't placed anything specific on the map except the wall, the gate, as I called it, and the forest that surrounded me. I had neither the strength nor the desire to wander around at night, especially when I didn't know what to expect or which direction to take. I decided to spend the night there and only set off in the morning. Trying not to strain my ankle, I gathered some branches, arranged something resembling a fire, and realized I had no clue how to even make a spark. I cursed loudly at the inability to use matches or a lighter, terrified that I would be left another night without a source of light or heat.

I leaned back against the wall, hoping it would provide some tenuous sense of security. Being a little thankful, I wrapped myself in a blanket and began to shake. Finally, all my emotions began to drain away. In the darkness, I was already searching for the eyes of wild animals that could easily tear me apart. At least my problems would be over, and they would be fed. Fear and frustration tore through me alternately; I only dreamed of returning to the safety of my bed and scrolling through my phone. I longed for the predictability and steady rhythm of my days. How I hated change, but I had to accept it and learn to adapt. "Decision, change, adaptation," I repeated to myself over and over, jumping at every slight sound, and there were so many of them everywhere. I alternated between despairing over my situation and giving myself over to contemplation.

The stress further weakened my already exhausted body, so I inevitably dozed off anyway. I lost my train of thought while pondering the name for dragon-people and probably agreed with myself to call them Dragonids. I woke up some time later, surprised to find myself cheerfully crackling fire. Instead of wondering how this had happened, I focused on how warm I felt, having fallen asleep again. They were right about calling me stupid, damn right, but even if I died, who would miss me?