CHAPTER 27: DEPARTURE

[Lukas PoV, a few days later]

The vast, expansive desert was as homogeneous as ever. Lukas wondered how many camps there were down there, doing their best to survive the mountain’s tyranny.

Even while in the sky, the mountain’s unrelenting hold was still barely resistible. It was the same for Pokey and the rest as well. The only one who seemed to be unaffected was the Spigon.

Alara, Fred, Lukas, and the other five goblins chosen to aid in the quest were all slaves to the mountain.

And, according to Pokey, they still had two days before they arrived at the camp.

In the meantime, Lukas had tried several ways to effectively boost his storage for free, as the ice cream had long since reached its maximum storage of 34.

However, none of them worked. Until he arrived at the new camp, 34 units of ice cream were going to be the most he could sell.

’Such a drag,’ Lukas lamented before deciding to shift his focus to something more pleasant: the soft breathing of Alara as she slept.

’For someone so rough, it’s kinda insane how peacefully you sleep,’ Lukas thought with a small smile before adding, ’Little princess.’

She really was quite beautiful, though. Even more than usual somehow.

Her legs were tucked in near to her chest, with one hand lying under her head and the other hovering over her scarf. Sunlight radiated off her cute little nose. Opened just a crack, her mouth looked particularly inviting as it breathed softly, each little breath sounding like an inviting, whispering wind—

’Get a grip,’ Lukas told himself half-heartedly as he forced his gaze away. ’We have a quest to complete, remember? One with a fucking terminator god asshole.’

Still, he couldn’t help but look at Alara again. Her beauty was really an ethereal sight.

And besides, the entire scarf thing was perplexing.

Lukas wondered how it could be so important that she’d wear it all the time. The desert heat was threatening to turn him into a stripper at any moment, but here she was casually wearing winter clothes.

’Whatever the reason,’ Lukas began thinking before lying down, looking at the sky and its tapestry of stars. ’I just hope it’s a fond memory.’

...

Bang!

’What the hell?’

Lukas jolted awake to the feeling of suddenly flying through the air.

Opening his eyes, Lukas immediately raised a hand to block the wind slapping against his face.

’Fuck me...’

A large bat-like creature was zooming through the air, flying right for Lukas. He assumed that it was the creature that had sent him flying through the air.

Not like it mattered.

The Spigon was nowhere in sight. Alara, Fred, Pokey... he had no idea where they could be.

All he could see was the giant, black creature coming right for him.

"Fuck!" Lukas bellowed as it gripped him in its talons.

For a second, the beast looked down at Lukas. It almost seemed as if its black, beady eyes were smiling.

Then it turned away, flapping its giant wings with an excited chitter. In just a few seconds, he had become a five-star meal for a fucking bat.

’Damnit,’ Lukas lamented.

At first, he tried to move, but the talons were far too constricting. Each movement only seemed to crush his ribs anymore.

If there was something that was going to get him out, it wasn’t himself. His best hope was that Alara or Fred could somehow fight this beast.

’How pathetic,’ Lukas grimaced as his body shook in disgust. ’All you’ve been doing since you got here was rely on others, you fucking pussy.’

The more he shook, the more he was crushed by the bat’s talons. However, Lukas could barely feel them in this moment.

’If it wasn’t for Alara and the goblins’ endless stupidity, you’d be dead right now. So of course you’d think of some loser shit like waiting for their help.’

’You have an entire system and you still can’t do shit. The most you’ve done is trick some goblins. But you think you can beat some god, or a hero with godly talent?’

Even in the precarious situation, Lukas couldn’t help but laugh at his own supposed uselessness.

’Please. You can’t even stop a bat. Even Alara thinks you’re useless. Why do you think she told you to give up swordsmanship?’

’If you’re in the back, it’s easier to protect you. That’s it. You’re never the fighter, never the one to pull your trigger.’

Lukas closed his eyes in pain, but the pain wasn’t caused by the bat’s constricting talons.

It was caused by his own failure. The day he died, leaving his brother alone to face the cruel world of Earth.

’Of course you have to wait for Alara, you useless piece of shit. If you had the strength to fight, to kill somebody yourself, you wouldn’t even be in this world right now.’

’But once again, you’re going to hide behind your cute little army, aren’t you? Stupid Lukas.’

He wasn’t going to cry, not even close. But Lukas couldn’t help but hate himself in that moment.

Whether it was fair or not, he knew that he was responsible for his brother.

He shouldn’t have been. He should’ve had parents to raise them, both of them.

But they died.

It wasn’t anyone’s fault. Nobody but fate decided to crash that plane.

Still, he was eight and his brother was five. Orphanages never worked out, so he got a job at fifteen and took on the responsibility of adulthood for both of them.

Then one thing led to another, and he was a coward ratting out gangs to each other. Hiding behind mob bosses as he chose who lived and died.

Whoever he worked for suddenly had the utmost protection, as they knew everything about any other gang. The rest could have their blood enrich New York’s gardens for all Lukas cared.

It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that he was responsible for thousands of deaths. However, until the day he had died, he never once raised his own blade against someone else.

Never felt another person’s blood decorate his own hands.

So of course that wouldn’t change here.

"Hey, Ygroa!" A familiar voice called out, followed by Lukas free-falling once again.

’What... was that...?’

Something grabbed him out of the air, but this time it wasn’t the harsh talons of a bat.

It was the soft embrace of Alara.

’Is she?’ Lukas thought, looking down out of instinct.

Yes. Somehow, they were floating hundreds of meters above the sky.

Casting him a small smile, she said, "Dumb god, you’re not supposed to let a bat steal you!"

Then her face grew serious as she turned to the bat.

Inside, at first, he could do nothing but agree with her. That he shouldn’t need saving.

But then, that feeling quickly left for something else. An undying conviction to fight.