All The Best Laid Plans (Extended)

I watched as the carriage drew closer, seeing a man in the front driving it—or at least making the two horses pull it. From what I could see, the carriage itself didn’t seem to be moving quickly; in fact, it seemed to be moving quite slowly. But even with this in mind, the carriage looked to be moving faster than I could manage. And as a result, I probably only had one chance to get onto it.

Still, it was difficult to gauge a place to hop onto due to the horses blocking my view. I considered trying any possible steps into the entrance, but if there wasn’t one, then I probably wouldn’t have a chance to try again. It might be easier to just try to get onto the carriage first and work from there.

As the carriage drew closer, I noticed a little bar—next to the body of the carriage—that I could hop on. But unlike the ledges I had leaped onto prior, this was a moving target. I would have to time things just right if I wanted to get on.

I turned toward my front and remained still as the hooves continued to get louder. Then, I saw the first row of hooves pass by me, and a few seconds later, the second row followed. And when I saw the bar entering my periphery, I jumped.

Unfortunately, my jump turned out to be a little premature, as when I landed, I did so on the edge of the bar, causing me to begin to fall off. Thankfully, a backwards kick from one of the horses pushed me back upright. After all this, I looked toward the carriage driver looming in my periphery. I waited for a moment to see if he noticed my arrival. But if he had, then he wasn’t showing it, as his gaze remained turned toward the road ahead.

As the carriage began to cross the bridge, I thought about what to do next. Before, when that boy killed the dragon, I was helpless to do anything. But now I was in a position where I could actually do something, though the question remained as to what.

I looked toward my right and saw a step leading to a curtained entrance—one that was only a few leaps away. It would be so easy for me to just go in there, attack them, and die in the process. But at the same time, if I did that, what would actually change apart from my own demise? And as much as I wanted to die, I didn’t see much use in dying in vain.

Another option was to somehow get that carriage to fall off the bridge—or off one of the slopes. The impact would probably be enough to kill all of them, even from just a few meters above. But if I carried through with such an act—murder specifically—how would that make me any better than them? I paused, trying to clear my thoughts. Before I did anything too hasty, it would probably be a good idea to check if they were even on this carriage in the first place.

I hopped over to the step to listen in on whoever was inside. However, I was unable to hear anything inside the carriage other than muffled voices. Looking up at the curtain, I began to wonder if I should go inside to check. Doing so would be risky, but I reasoned that a little peak probably wouldn’t hurt.

I leaped up onto the ledge and carefully scooted through the curtain to see what was inside. Unfortunately, I was unable to see much. Most of the carriage’s interior was in a blind spot above me, and the tightness of the space certainly wasn’t helping either. However, I was able to make out the sound of voices, and it wasn’t long before I recognized who they belonged to. And sure enough, it was them.

“I can't believe we slept in for a whole day.” I heard the boy say.

“I know,” the elfgirl said from nearby. “It was nice.”

“Speak for yourself,” the demongirl muttered from behind them.

“What’s wrong?” The wide-eyed girl asked, also from behind.

“Did any of you feel like we were being watched?” The demongirl asked.

“Don’t be silly!” The wide-eyed girl replied. “Who would do that?”

“I don’t know,” the demongirl responded. “It’s just a feeling.”

“Why did we have to leave?” The elfgirl interjected. “The beds were comfy!”

“We stayed for long enough already.” The boy replied.

The elfgirl grumbled. “That was our only break in months.”

“But who would want a break from all the fun we’re having?” the wide-eyed girl responded.

“Yeah,” the elfgirl began to say. “Who would…”

“Exactly!” the boy declared in response.

“Just let me get some more sleep,” the elfgirl grumbled to the others. “Please don’t disturb me.”

I was about to head back out when I heard some shouting in the back. Immediately following this, I saw a blur of motion above in my periphery. And when it stopped, I saw part of a blue tail wagging above me. I groaned internally—they still had the kid with them. I had hoped that she had gotten free from their clutches beforehand, but that was clearly not the case. It was probably a good idea to get her out of harm's way before I did anything else. After all, this was a child, not old enough to know better, unlike the other members of that group. However, if I attempted to get her out, I ran the risk of alerting the rest of the group in the process.
I could also try to warn her from a distance, since her giant cat ears might be better at picking up sounds than the ears of the people she was with. On the other hand, I also remembered seeing what looked like a pair of human ears from behind that catgirl’s hair. Because of this, I was unsure as to which pair of ears was actually real, or even if both of them were real, but I digress.

Regardless, I had no guarantees that any warning I tried to put out wouldn’t also be heard by the rest of them. Because of this, it might be easier to use someone else as a liaison. I didn’t want to use any members of that group, for their hands were still drenched in blood, as far as I was concerned. However, I then recalled the carriage driver. And judging by what I had seen from him before, it was possible that he was sympathetic, though this was something I wasn’t sure of. Either way, it wouldn’t hurt to check.

I backed away, going underneath the curtain, until I was outside once again. At this point, I was just about level with the woods, probably a hundred meters or so from the bridge. I could see the bases of some trees, though not much beyond that. In fact, it looked like the trees were forming a wall of sorts, planted in such a way that it was difficult—if not impossible—to look past them.

Putting this aside, I hopped back to the area of the carriage that I started at. I turned toward him and thought about what to say. I wasn’t sure how he would react to me, but given the company that he was already harboring, as well as the world we were in, I doubted he would freak out too much.

At the same time, I couldn’t be sure that he’d even be receptive to what I was trying to do. If he was loyal to that group, he probably wouldn’t be sympathetic to my concerns. Additionally, since my vision was still covered in paint when I previously saw him, it was possible that I had seen signs that weren’t actually there. Still, there wasn’t any use in not trying, and it’s not like I had much to lose anyway.

I hopped over to a ledge that was level with where he was sitting. Unless I chose to jump onto him—in which case he’d most likely just shake me off—it didn’t look like I could go any higher. And as a result, I had to figure out another way to get his attention.

I considered making some noise, but the horses would likely drown out any sounds I could make. It might be a good idea to make the carriage stop first—that would probably quiet things down enough for me to speak with him. I wasn’t sure how I could, however. I probably couldn’t jump high enough to reach his eyes, and the horses were still far louder than me. If I jumped onto him, that could burn any bridges I wanted to build, and it would probably be ineffective.

But then I looked toward the ropes he was holding. It was low enough that I could jump to it, and it was high enough to potentially be within his eyeshot. And if I was heavy enough, that could certainly help as well. However, since the ropes were far apart, I would have to aim for just one. And when I landed, I would almost certainly fall due to my width. Furthermore, I had no guarantees that would be enough, even if I brought the rope down with me. And even so, that could very well backfire as well. This probably wasn’t the best option.

I paused to think about what to do. What to do, what to do. Should I wait until town?

While it seemed like a good idea on the surface, it probably wasn't the best idea. It was far easier to confront them when they were in a confined space like this. And as for the catgirl, though it would be far easier for her to hide from them in that town, from what I had seen, the people there seemed to be quite seedy. Probably not the best place to have a child running around.

I wasn’t sure what to do, so I paused for a moment, listening to the horses. Interestingly, they seemed to be moving in a rhythmic motion, like the marching band of a parade: One, two; One, two; One, two; and so on. Perhaps I could use that to my advantage. If I timed my jumps just right, maybe I could get him to hear me.

I leapt down onto the seat itself, next to where he was sitting physically. That way, when I jumped, I would be near his ears.

And after this, I listened to the horses and tried a test jump in the moment that the horses were silent. I leaped up, reaching his ear. But when I did, one of the horses was taking a step, which would probably be enough to block any sound I made. Subsequently, I fell back down, making an audible thump as I landed.

I suspected that the thump may have been loud enough for the driver to hear, and as I looked up, I saw him staring down at me. Was this my chance?

However, he subsequently moved the rope that was in one of his hands to the other. And the instant he did so, I leaped toward the floor. And as I was falling in that split second, I looked up and saw a hand swinging above me, its grip beginning to close. When I did land, there was another thump, and in that moment I looked for a place to hide. Unfortunately, I didn’t see a place I could go underneath; there was essentially just a wall there.

And so, I went back over to where I started, where I hoped that I was out of his range. However, as I looked back, it seemed that the carriage driver wasn’t giving me any more thought. Instead, he resumed holding the ropes with each of his hands while the horses continued to move forward.

I considered trying again, but given how he responded the first time, I had doubts that a second try would yield any better results. As long as the horses were moving, he wouldn’t be able to hear me, at least not to the extent I was hoping for. And even if he could hear me, given how quickly he tried to grab me before, I had doubts that he would listen to me either.

After all, who would listen to what a rock has to say?

And with all this in mind, I thought about what to do. I turned toward the nearby ‘straps’ connecting the top and bottom of the carriage. Maybe I should just get this over with: Just break the straps and go down with the ship when it sinks. After all, there wasn’t much else I could do while I was still like this. I thought about the catgirl. Should I try to get her out before I do this? Perhaps not. If she was as nimble as an actual cat, then she should be fine regardless.

I focused on the strap closest to me. Interestingly, rather than being hooked or bolted into it, the straps looked like they were physically fused to the rest of the carriage. It was weird, but it didn’t seem to be making much of an impact on things, so I put it aside for the time being.

So instead, I leaped toward the strap. But when I impacted it, all of my momentum was halted, and I was immediately ejected back onto the bar. I looked up at it again. Maybe I aimed at the wrong spot. I looked and saw a thinner area. I leaped at it, only to once again be flung back to the bar. I tried again several more times, but the result remained the same. In the end, the strap looked to be too elastic to break, and it was probably the same for the others too.

So what could I do? I looked towards the curtains, which remained still even as the carriage moved. Should I just go in and confront them myself? It would be a suicide mission, but it’s not like I was intending for this to be anything else. Additionally, even if I wasn’t able to do something substantial with my final moments, perhaps I could at least make them quick.

And with that, I began to leap over to the curtains, ready to accept my fate. But once I reached the ledge where the curtains were, I stopped. For a moment, I wondered whether or not I should proceed. Did I really want to do this? Well, there wasn’t much else I could accomplish here—certainly not like this. With that in mind, I began to scoot my way inside.

But as soon as I went through the curtain, I bumped into a white mass, with toes peeking above it—a sandal. I looked up and saw the catgirl staring down at me. And strangely, I also noticed some bandages on her forehead. I did not recall seeing them on her when I last saw that group, so it must have happened after. In any case, it looked like—whether by accident or not—that this group had gotten that child into harm's way. And before I met my end, I still wanted to get her out of here and somewhere safe. So as I continued looking up at her, I began to ‘speak’, for lack of a better word.

“Young girl, For your own safety, please get out of here now.”

The catgirl’s cat ears twitched as I said this, and there was a moment of silence. But then she suddenly began to cry, and loudly at that.

“Nooo!” She bawled, gigantic fountains of tears streaming from her face. “Don’t take me away!”

I paused. Did I come across too strongly?

“My apologies,” I began to say. “But—”

“Is something wrong, Kit-chan?” The boy interjected before I could continue.

The catgirl turned away from me and leaped onto the boy’s lap.

“I don’t wanna go!” she sobbed. “I don't wanna go! I wanna stay here with you!”

“Who said anything about you leaving?” the boy asked.

“Down there!” She cried, pointing down at me. “That meanie wants to take me from yooz!”

I saw the boy looking down toward me. Was this it? Was my time in this world finally coming to an end?

However, the boy turned his attention back to the catgirl.

“Kit-chan,” The boy began to say. “That’s just a rock,”

Following this, I noticed one of the catgirl’s fists clench.

“Make it go away, master-sama!” She began to shout, getting even closer to his face. “Pweeeease?”

There was a pause.

“Aww, Kit-chan,” he chuckled. “You know that I can’t resist when you make a face like that!” I couldn’t see what kind of face he was referring to, but I digress.
“Oh, thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” the catgirl squealed in response to the boy before laying on his lap, staring directly at me, as her pupils narrowed and a smile appeared on her face.
This whole situation was strange, to say the least. But at the same time, this is what I wanted, right? To die a meaningful death. But for some reason, as the boy aimed his finger toward me, I panicked and quickly backed out of the carriage amidst a blinding flash of light.

For a moment, everything remained bright. Was it all over? But after a few seconds, my vision began to return, and I began to make out the outside world. And from that, it appeared that I was back on the step again.

Though my vision was still brightened, I looked up to the ledge of the carriage, from which I was able to make out a tiny bit of smoke. If I had waited just a split second longer, I would have bit the dust. But then, I saw the curtains begin to move. Once again overtaken by panic, I rolled down to the ground, quickly darting underneath the middle of the carriage, where I would likely not be seen.

However, I quickly realized that I would probably be visible after the carriage finished passing over me. With this in mind, I continued moving forward, heading toward the grass. But as I was about to reach it, I was interrupted by one of the back wheels passing by me. Fortunately, this interruption only lasted momentarily, and as soon as the wheel passed me, I leaped into the grass. Once I did, I remained still, simply looking back as the carriage slowly disappeared from view.