Remember Summer Days

“So, you ready?” Teri asked as he dropped his bag by the door. He wasn’t exactly sure himself, but something was definitely on the other side of the door. At least he didn’t have to convince Taku to keep pushing through.

“No… But I will back you up.” Taku chuckled as he wiped the sweat from his chin. He dropped his bag too. “I swear."

It hit him. This was his friend’s first fight.

Teri smiled and leaned against the wall on the left side of the door. Keeping Taku in his eyes, he let his back slide until his ass was on the ground. Taku did the same.

“We talked about this before when I was making our stuff. I couldn’t understand half of it. Like, there was a bunch of complicated shit thrown in there. Some of it made sense. You told me to scan the room first. Not only that, you told me what to look out for before I engage. So, I think we’ve covered all the bases already. We got this. I think this is the part where we put our skills to the test. And…” Teri looked away, laughing awkwardly after getting flashbanged by the images of his death. “I’m pretty confident in the way I fight.”

“There’s also the implications. But hold on…” Taku started grinning, slowly. The bastard was being smug about it. “Are you actually cheering me up?”

Teri looked away. “N-no.”

“Holy shit.” Taku held his head, his surprise so genuine and blinding. “My mom was right… Friends actually do this shit! This is amazing! You know there was one time that I came home from school crying because my friends put rocks in my bag and I was wondering why they’re so heavy—”

“The implications, Taku,” Teri interrupted. Whatever the hell Taku was rambling about was too much to unpack right now. “What implications?”

“Oh right, yeah…” Taku chuckled, a bit of brightness returning to his eyes. “I was like… getting into the perspective, y’know. I was just thinking… maybe like… what I would do if the enemy is human or at least humanoid. I kinda see myself as a gentle soul.”

“You need help with that?”

“Kind of… yeah?”

“You want me to tell you what to think? I’m serious.”

“Not if you put it that way.”

“Well…” Teri sighed and scratched the back of his neck. “It gets really complicated when you have the time to think… but in a fight where you can die… you kinda see a glimpse of who you are. So, just ask yourself this when shit goes down. ‘Where are you going to draw the line?’”

“Okay…” Taku dragged his words, a bit confused.

“But yeah, anything works.” Teri continued, raising a finger to keep Taku’s focus on him. “Maybe you draw the line at death. Maybe you wanna look cool. It could also be that you just want to beat your enemies without any proper rhyme or reason. You need to have at least that much resolve if you’re going to throw a punch or actively help me hurt another living creature—whatever it is.”

“Can it be somewhat pathetic?” Taku tilted his head. A small laugh masked his worry.

“Yeah, and I won’t hold it against you.” Teri widened his smile, wishing it to be more comforting. “But I think that it’ll be cool regardless… if it’s you. Besides, it’s something that you don’t necessarily have to be proud or ashamed of. Having it makes you cool already. It’s easier for me to trust someone who knows where he draws the line.”

“I see…” Taku gave himself a moment to think, and bit by bit he regained his usual gleam. He faced Teri with his back pressed against the wall. “Thanks, man… for cheering me up.”

Teri turned his eyes away, again. “I wasn’t, you d-dumb fuck.”

This kind of warmth was welcome.

Teri scratched the back of his head and found himself glaring at Taku once again. He met his stupid grin, and like he was infected by some kind of violent disease, his face cracked and barked a laugh. Taku replied with a chuckle before joining him entirely.

The lingering tension—the sensation that barely chokes him every time he breathes—filling his chest, the ghost-like sharpness ripping through his guts, and the tingling that made the left side of his face lighter seemed to have been lifted just a bit.

But he needed to be realistic. It was true that he didn’t get used to what the dungeon felt overall, he was given the opportunity not to dwell on it since Taku was here. It didn’t mean that Taku wouldn’t stab him in the back. And that was also if they could get far enough into the dungeon that his friend could afford to think about betraying him.

And as much he would like to dwell more on what he was thinking, they still had a room to clear. There was no use in breaking their rhythm now, not after all of that talk. Thankfully, Taku felt the same. He grabbed the doorknob from his side and looked at Teri. Confidence didn’t color his face, but he seemed a bit braver.

“So, you ready?” Teri asked again.

“Yeah,” Taku answered. “I’ll be right behind you.”

“That’s way better.”

Teri picked himself up and urged Taku to do the same. To regain his focus, he pressed himself harder against the wall and listened to his breath. For a moment, it felt like his body was submerged in a warm wall of smoke. Eliminating most of his thoughts, he decided that the enemy on the other side of this door was going to die. He took his sharp gaze to Taku and both of them knew it was time.

Taku slammed the door open. It wasn’t trapped. Next, he touched the floor. It wasn’t trapped either. His eyes shifted to Teri. He snapped his fingers—attempted to—but his fingers were sweaty.

That was the signal.

Teri turned and cut through the short corridor. He took three large steps and used the fourth to leap into the room. But he failed his landing and rolled further than he should have. Although he recovered and got back on his knees with a firm grasp on his shield and weapon, he lost his element of surprise and found himself surrounded with paper-like marble statues caught in the middle of a solemn prayer. He forgot to scan the room.

That overpowering smell of roses, ink, and flesh slammed against his head once again. He wanted to vomit, but he swallowed the feeling and forced himself to regain his focus. Eyes wide and on one knee, he caught a glimpse of a shadow on the ground slithering toward him.

The bastard was in the air.

He snickered and raised his shield just in time to block five spikes about to punch holes through his head. They were fingers and two managed to nick Teri’s face, making him taste his own blood as his lips began to smile.

Above him was a faceless doll with porcelain-like skin and bulges of flesh underneath; it appeared to be a maid with a dress sewn from different types of clothing—dresses, jeans, and even school uniforms. It smelled of soap. Its left hand appeared relatively normal. But most importantly, it was light. It couldn’t have weighed more than fifteen kilos. It felt like he was lifting a toddler

It made sense for Teri to let his shield go and back away. But that was how losers think. He twisted his grin and slammed the doll against a nearby statue, making its body crack and bend though the sculpture itself didn’t even wobble. And when the doll still couldn’t get itself out of his shield, he smashed his spiked wooden club straight into its head.

The monster grunted—no, moaned—as Teri’s weapon cracked through its skin, dug into its flesh, and sprayed blood on the floor. It moaned even more as Teri pulled the club back with some of its flesh still clinging to the nails.

But seemingly encouraged by pain, it spawned its left claw and whipped it upwards. It was too fast. Teri barely dodged the attack, and it left cuts on his left forearm and at the top of his forehead.

Red tinged Teri’s left eye, forcing him to blink. He let go of his shield. He woke up in yet another terrible dream. He stepped back, his smile crumbling while he watched the doll free itself from its burden. He dropped his weapon. Then, he lost the feeling on his legs and he fell to the floor, trembling.

The doll tilted its head as it moved toward him.

Instead of picking up his weapon, to fight to the bitter end, he raised his hand and pressed it against his face to make sure that his left eye was still there.