16. Watashiato

While Emma screamed and enjoyed the blood raining onto her, I felt something behind me. A force held onto my leg and pulled me under the collapsed tent.

Swiftly, I pierced the ground with my blade and held onto it, resisting the force. I kicked furiously. The name of the zombie showed up, below its remaining health points.

[ Zombie (Lv. 1) ]
[ 13/13 HP ]

It was strange. Despite being empowered by the failed potion, this one was not as powerful as the others. It was not an elite, nor was its maximum health anything I could not fight.

Yet there was something off about it.

As I kicked and kicked, the tent fell off, and its face was revealed. A male, his eyes pale white, his skin turning to a greyish blue. He looked much like me.

A chill ran down my spine.

The zombie held firmly onto my leg and forced its way upon me. I began to panic, calling out to Emma for assistance, but her maniacal laughing was too loud. She did not hear me. And soon enough, the zombie climbed above me, forcing my hands to the side.

And at that moment, I froze.

There was something off about this one. Something... wrong.

It did not attack me like a crazed animal. Nor did it try outsmarting me.

It lingered above me, almost as if looking into my eyes disappointedly. How shameful it was that I managed to get overpowered by an ordinary zombie; how much he was angered to know I had lost.

And then, my perspective shattered.

“You... You don’t deserve this!”

The zombie spoke. I froze, nearly letting go of him.

He tried to grab my neck. I fought him to it, but he was stronger.

“You...” The zombie yelled. “You fucking nerd! It was supposed to be me! Me! I had a good thing going for me... I was finally someone in this world until you came along! You took away my life! GIVE IT BACK!”

He grabbed me by the throat and tightened his grip. I tried to move his arms, but it was futile.

I was choking. Without air, I could not use enough force to get him off. I was dying.

My vision darkened. My body numbed.

Everything felt so incredibly light as if I was floating in space.

The song of the forest began to waver, the sun flickered above. The pain of the zombie’s grip on my throat faded into a tiny push. My head throbbed with every heartbeat.

The last thing I remember was seeing a shadow behind the zombie emerge and cut down its head with the end of a flail. And then, my consciousness escaped.

– – –

I woke feeling something soft behind my back. Considering I still heard birds chirping and leaves rattling, I deduced I had not died.

“Even my pain is gone,” I thought to myself.

Rubbing the side of my head, I felt the smoothness of my skin. It was intact once again.

How? Magic. Not just in a funny way of saying I don’t know. I could tell by that slight tingly feeling under my skin. It was really, absolutely, magic.

I raised my head and looked around. The bodies were gone. What remained of the tent was folded into the neat pillow under my head.

Emma’s fiery anger lost its flame. She scraped through the broken remains of her once proud alchemical equipment. The glasses shattered in our fight. Her ingredients scattered across and about, losing their potence to the dirt and blood.

Tears filled her eyes as she observed one of the broken flasks. “Oh no,” she squealed and covered her face, “Oh no!”

I sat up and looked at her. Undead blood still dripped from her armour.

“I was only out for a few minutes, was I?” I asked. “I see the blood is still fresh on your armour.”

Emma nodded but did not speak.

“I bet once your power trip stopped, you must have been worried about the state of your stuff. Yet you only look at it now, ten minutes after getting off me that zombie. You healed me first, didn’t you?”

“It’s basic human decency,” she spoke with a dead voice, “My stuff can be repaired and new flasks can be brought any time, even if they cost a lot... and I mean it, a lot.” She stopped for a second, then sighed. “But a life is something invaluable, its cost incalculable. Do you see why you were my top priority?”

“Don’t hide behind big words; I know you are not smart!”

“So rude!” She pouted. “I just saved you, yet you act like an ass!”

“The ‘hell are you talking about?! You wore glasses to make yourself smart. That’s something a fifth grader would do to impress her friends! Besides, I wouldn’t have needed you to save me if your potion didn’t fail!”

“Oh yeah? Well, uh...” She looked around, searching for anything to point out. “...check your pants, dummy!”

I looked down to see a large wet spot on my pants. Yup. That was not spilled water. That was exactly what it seemed like.

“What the––“

“You got so scared by the zombies, you pissed yourself!” She stuck her tongue out. “Piss boy! Piss boy! Bleh!”

My head turned tomato red from embarrassment. I was so angry, I wanted to dropkick that gal.

Yet, I could not, no matter how awkward the situation got. After all, she did save my life. No matter the sentimental explanation or philosophy that sounded like something she read out of a beauty magazine, she valued my life above her equipment.

An act of true kindness.

I smiled, and joining her laugh, I asked without hesitation:

“Do you want to join my party?”

She stopped laughing and tilted her head. “Excuse me?”

“Your stuff seemed pretty expensive to be covered by just a few coins, and since you got exiled from Whatever-The-Fuck Clan, my bet is on you got no one to back you up. So, why don’t you join me as an adventurer till you rebuild your arsenal?”

She pondered for a moment, shown clearly by a forced chin rub. “Hm,” she thought aloud, “I guess that’s not a bad idea. Certainly not as good as what I had in mind, but fine! I will join you.”

“Dope!” I reached out to her.

She smiled and shook my hand. “Piss boy!”