Under the guise of the warm sun, None my disciple and I were currently taking a morning stroll through the Oakwood Forest in search of wild tomatoes.
"See any?" I turned back to ask None, who was currently following me at an incredibly slow pace.
"*Huff Huff * This one, *Huff Huff* doesn't see any!" She answered in a voice that reeked of exhaustion, raising her hand to swiped the sweat droplets from her forehead.
"Weird. The map clearly said it should be around here." I frowned while pulling out the map along with the quest parchment to check whether I had come to the right place.
"*Huff Huff* Could this one rest for a while?" she asked.
"Sure you can, and be remember to stay hydrated, okay?" I gave her a nod and a thumbs-up. Seeing a child like this in such agony hurt me emotionally.
"Thank you, Master!" She said with a forced smile, then took a seat on a nearby boulder that was completely covered in moss.
*Ding!*
A sound rang throughout the area with a deafening chime as the boulder None was sitting on began to shake like an earthquake all over again. This time, I supposed there wasn't any table for me to hide under, though.
None, through quick thinking, hastily jumped down from the boulder and immediately took a fighting stance with her sword and shield. Her legs were constantly shaking. Maybe she was afraid of what might happen next, just like me.
The boulder rose up from the ground, revealing a door-like carving on its surface. On the carving lay some kind of strange runes that were completely incomprehensible to me.
Meanwhile, I stood there dumbfounded, looking down at the map in my hand and then at the quest parchment. Yep. It seemed the wild tomatoes were supposed to be in there.
At that moment, the runes on the carving began to glow.
"DNA sequence checking… Complete! Heroic status confirmed! Open the gate!"
After that, the carving started to crack open like an eggshell about to birth a new chick.
*Crack!*
The carved area of the boulder crumbled away, revealing a hole with a metal ladder leading deep into the ground below.
Damn. A security system just to safeguard a few tomatoes is pretty intense around here. Still, I figured it wouldn't be anything dangerous. It was guarding just a few wild tomatoes, after all.
"W… What do we do next, Master?" None asked, panic creeping into her voice.
"Onward, The tomatoes are down there!" I declared confidently, then walked up to the ladder and immediately began descending. None, seeing my lead, followed me down.
---
*Thump!*
My boots connected with the ground below. The first thing I noticed was… nothing, because I couldn't see a thing in the dark at all. But that didn't concern me one bit, because I brought a box of matches as an emergency item. I truly am the master of preparation.
I lit the first match and… could somewhat see what lies ahead... for just a little bit more than before.
At least I could make out the silhouette of the path ahead, which split into left and right tunnels".
"Huff Huff* W–which way do we go next? *Huff Huff*" None asked in her tired voice, constantly out of breath. Maybe she was afraid of these adventuring activities.
Taking on the role of a clearly responsible adult to give her confidence, I spoke up immediately.
"Let's go left!" I said with a smirk, then took the lead. "Bad luck on the right, good fortune on the left" That's the idioms my mom used to say.
"!?!!!!" None let out a small cry, like a frightened cat. It seemed she was afraid of the dark, but don't be fear, kid. A responsible adult is here to save you!
Although I couldn't see clearly, one hand brushed along the uneven and sometime bumpy walls to keep our direction, while the other held up the match to catch small glimpses of the way forward.
I walked past an area that chilled my bones, like winter… or maybe a graveyard, Scary.
I walked past an area that made me feel strangely serene, like being in a sacred place, Weird.
I walked past an area that smelled like a rotten corpse, Eww Nastyy.
Eventually, I came to the end of the tunnel. Rays of sunlight poured down from the sunny blue sky above through a large hole left by the collapsed roof. The fallen debris formed a natural stairway that safely led back outside.
Even better, around the stone ground where the sunlight met the floor below, dense green tomato vines had sprouted and wrapped themselves around the fallen debris, forming a small colony. Which, of course, meant a lot of tomatoes to harvest.
"None, hand me a sack" I said, turning back to face her.
What I saw was None, her whole body clearly shaking from fear of the dark. Poor you…
She slowly opened her backpack and handed me a sack.
I patted her head first to calm her down. "Everything will be fine… everything will be fine…" I said warmly, continuing to pat her head while my other hand picked up the sack and gathered all the tomatoes I could grab until it was full.
"Let's leave, then." I said nonchalantly, starting up the debris stairway while None followed me slowly.
"W–what's next, Master?" she asked, her voice still somehow fearful.
"Let's go back to the village and find something tasty to eat." I said with a smile, pulling out a map and a compass.
Because I truly am the master of preparation.
---
None POV:
From a while ago, I was just a nameless orphan with many temporary nicknames, some granted by the church and others given by the few friends I had.
But after that fateful day, when I took a nap in the forest and was abducted by bandits, my life was never the same.
One day, I protected the governor's daughter from the bandit's abuse and was hurt in the process. That was also the day I gained a new friend.
Another day, I met an unassuming man who was only a bit older than me. He helped free both me and my new friend from captivity. I am truly grateful to him.
Later, it turned out that this man was an adventurer who allegedly single-handedly slew all the bandits to rescue us. That made me deeply curious. I wanted to know more about him. I wanted him to teach me. I wanted to become stronger.
So I followed my heart, which yearned for him, and decided to become his disciple.
He bought me a weapon and armor, black as a midnight sun. Yet their weight was heavy and burdensome, like carrying an entire mountain on my body. Still, through sheer willpower, I continued to walk beside him. This must be my training.
And today, I, now bearing the permanent name my master bestowed upon me, "None" am going on an adventure alongside him for the very first time.
As it turned out, today's quest was just to gather wild tomatoes. Nothing dangerous… or so I thought.
Somehow, we discovered a secret entrance hidden within a magical boulder rising from the ground. I immediately went on high alert, yet my master showed no concern at all. Just how experienced was he?
After descending into the underground area, I used my feline bestial darkvision to observe our surroundings. The path ahead split into two directions, right and left.
The right path had a stone sign carved with symbols of fruits and vegetables. Clearly a garden, or perhaps a greenhouse.
The left path, on the other hand, bore a skull-shaped stone sign with crossed bones behind prison bars. Talismans were plastered all over it, as if sealing away something evil. Clearly a prison, and obviously dangerous.
But in that moment, my master nonchalantly said, "Let's go left!"
I let out an embarrassing screech in response, but he didn't care and pushed forward with such confidence that I couldn't help but admire him.
After a few minutes, we entered a new chamber. It was a long walkway filled with skeletal remains frozen in various postures, all encased in glacial ice. Terrifying, but they appeared to be ordinary remains rather than monsters.
My master paid them no attention. Instead, he lifted one hand and pressed it against the wall as he continued moving forward.
Soon, we came across a massive iron door, perhaps five meters tall and ten meters wide. Beside it was a large red button that clearly screamed, "DO NOT PRESS!!!"
My master pressed it without hesitation and walked past as if there were nothing to worry about.
I trembled in terror as I saw something enormous and monstrous slowly crawling out from behind the door. The temperature around us began to drop rapidly.
But we kept walking forward, never once looking back at what we had unleashed.
We continued on and arrived at a sacred, yet deeply unsettling area filled with holy relics from many different religions, all radiating a clearly divine aura.
And there it was again. The same massive door. The same large red button.
And guess what my master did?
He pressed it and walked past, while something huge and majestic emerged from the chamber behind us.
Still, we continued onward.
The next area was clearly some kind of laboratory, filled with strange alchemical equipment and brine-filled jars containing animals, fetuses, and organs.
And once again, the same door. You already know the deal.
This time, something both organic and mechanical stepped out from behind it.
And still, we continued forward.
Eventually, we reached the exit, where, somehow, a colony of tomatoes had grown undisturbed.
But now, I can feel nothing but fear. Fear of what we have unleashed… and fear of whatever plan my master has for doing all of this.
What exactly is my master preparing for?!