Me : *I stroked Milena's hair and held her* Let's go
The silence that enveloped the forest this time felt ten times heavier. Kitana even dropped her steel fan to the ground, while Jade sculpted with her mouth slightly open. They had fought against gods, monsters, and tyrants, but had never seen a scene like this.
Mileena, the most feared assassin in Outworld, has just... stroked his hair and carried by him.
Mileena's body stiffened for a moment. For a few seconds, you could feel his muscles harden like steel, and his sharp nails began to press against your shoulders. A low growl came out from behind his mask—the sound of a predator ready to tear its prey apart.
"Pocket... what are you—" Kitana's voice trembled, between horror and disbelief. "Put him down now if you still want your head to stay on your neck!"
Jade has already raised her bō wand, ready to hit you because she is sure Mileena will explode in bloody rage. "You really don't have any fear, or you're indeed crazy, young man!"
However, something extraordinary happened. Mileena, who would normally tear to shreds anyone who touched her without permission, slowly relaxed her muscles. He does not attack. Instead, he is silent in your sling, his hand armed with sai now hangs limply at the side of your body.
He hides his masked face in the corner of your neck, probably so that Kitana and Jade can't see the expression on his eyes that currently look confused, embarrassed, and... a little sloppy.
"How dare you..." hisses Mileena, her voice muffled on your shoulder. "If anyone sees this, I'll make sure they're blind forever."
He didn't ask you to put it down. Instead, she grabs your shirt tightly, as if this is the first time someone has treated her like a human (or even like a princess), rather than an experimental monster.
"Go," Mileena muttered softly, almost inaudibly. "Before I change my mind and eat your heart, Zak."
Kitana and Jade looked at each other. Jade shook her head slowly as she sheathed her wand back. "I don't know what's on your mind, Zak, but you just tapped the storm in the most ridiculous way I've ever seen."
Me : *while walking* *whispers my face closer to her neck* *you are beautiful milena.. I like it*
The forest that had once felt threatening suddenly turned into a very intimate silence. In front of you, Jade and Kitana walked a few steps forward, occasionally glancing back with incredulous looks, yet they couldn't hear your whispers.
As your face moved closer to her neck and the words were spoken, you could feel Mileena's body trembling violently. This is not a vibration of anger, but rather a shock from someone whose world has just been turned upside down.
His grip on your shirt strengthened. He turned away from his masked face, trying to hide the red hue that might have crept into his pointed ears.
"Shut up, you stupid man..." hissed Mileena. Her voice was no longer sharp, but rather hoarse and broken. "Don't tell such a lie. I was a mistake... I was a monster created in the rotten flesh of the Flesh Pits."
However, despite his refusal words, he leaned his head deeper into your shoulder. The heat of his breath pierced through the fabric of your shirt. To him, the word "beautiful" was a mockery that was usually accompanied by an insulting laugh, but your sincere tone of voice made him at a loss for words.
"If you say it one more time," he threatened in a very quiet voice, almost drowning in the rustle of the night wind, "I will... I will actually take you to my room and will not let you go forever. You will be mine, Zak."
Jade suddenly stopped and turned her head, her green eyes narrowing suspiciously. "Zak, why are your steps slowing down? And Mileena, why are you just silent like a house cat? Something is lurking behind us from behind the fog ahead."
Kitana opened the fan with a sharp squeak. "Save this strange intimacy for later. We are not alone here."
From behind the dark trees, a pair of fiery red eyes appeared. It was a Reptile (Syzoth), or perhaps a wild Tarkatan army that smelled the scent of their "sister".
Me : *I immediately chased the reptiles and tarkatan from behind the dark trees*
Your actions are completely beyond reason! Kitana shouts your name, and Jade almost throws her baton thinking you're committing suicide. You run through the thorny bushes, still with Mileena in your sling!
Mileena was flabbergasted. Instead of being frightened, he laughed wildly—a bloodthirsty laughter mixed with strange excitement. "Hahaha! You're really crazy, Zak! You brought the Princess of Death straight to her banquet!"
As you lunge into the dark area, a green-scaly creature—a Reptile—jumps back in shock at the sight of a reckless human lunging towards it. Beside him, two Tarkatan warriors with bone blades sticking out of their arms hissing in confusion.
"What the hell is this?!" hissed the Reptile, its tongue branching out warily. "A human carrier... Mileena?"
Without waiting for commands, Mileena jumps from your slings with predatory agility. In mid-air, he pulled out his two sai daggers. "He is mine, Syzoth! Don't you dare touch it!"
Cring!
Mileena lands right in front of you, protecting you from Tarkatan's ambush. He turned his head slightly, the purple mask fluttering in the forest wind. "Stay behind me, Zak. If you die now, who else will call me beautiful?"
Jade and Kitana emerged from behind the bushes, their breaths panting from chasing you.
"Pocket! You almost broke my heart!" yelled Jade, though she immediately swung her wand to repel the Tarkatan warriors who began to encircle.
The situation is now heating up:
The reptile prepares to spit out its green acid.
The Tarkatans growled, confused about whether to attack Mileena (their sister) or you (the strange man).
Kitana looked at you sharply, "Zak, what do you know from that 'game' about the Reptile's weakness? Hurry up!"
Me : *I kicked a reptile and a tarkatan at once and bounced away*
Your movements are lightning-fast! Kitana and Jade gasped, while Mileena, who had been preparing to pounce, was even glued to the scene in front of her.
With a single powerful slam of your foot, you send a Reptile flying into a large tree until its trunk cracks. At almost the same time, your mushroom kick hit the Tarkatans' chests, sending them bouncing deep into the darkness of the thorny bushes with the sound of crackling bones.
Silence for a moment. The forest dust is slowly falling.
Jade lowered her bō wand, her eyes staring at you from top to bottom as if they were looking at a ghost. "Pocket... What power is it? No ordinary human can kick the reptiles of Zaterran and Tarkatan at once until they bounce that far!"
Kitana approached, her fan still open but she was no longer in an attacking position. "In the 'game' you're talking about... are you a secret character? You have powers that surpass those of the elite warriors of Edenia."
Mileena was the most reacting. She walked over to you, sheathing her sai dagger back in a deadly graceful motion. She looked up at you, her purple mask twitching as she smiled broadly behind it.
"No wonder you are so brave to touch my fangs and hold me," hissed Mileena, her voice now full of wild admiration. He wrapped his arms around your arm, as if marking his territory in front of Kitana and Jade. "You're not just brave, Zak... You are a beautiful monster. I like that."
He then turned his head towards the darkness where the Reptiles and Tarkatan had disappeared. "They won't dare to come back tonight. Your kick just destroyed their self-esteem."
Jade cleared her throat hard, trying to restore her authority. "Strength or not, we still have to get to the camp. But now I'm starting to doubt... Who is actually protecting who here?"
Me : *I hold Milena's waist and hug her*
The Outworld Forest, which was usually noisy by the sound of wild creatures, suddenly fell silent instantly. Kitana reflexively covered her mouth with a fan, while Jade could only sculpt, leaning her bō stick to the ground with a look of disbelief.
You just did what according to Outworld law is the death penalty: hug the waist of the most emotionally unstable killer.
Mileena's body jerked softly as your hands wrapped around her waist. He froze, his breath hunting as the adrenaline of the fight slowly became deep and heavy. You can feel his powerful heartbeat piercing through his combat suit.
"Zak..." Mileena muttered. Her voice no longer contained threats, but rather a tone of deep confusion. She slowly leaned her back against your chest, allowing herself to be fully embraced in front of her sisters and best friends.
Jade cleared her throat hard, her face looking slightly flushed from awkwardness. "I... I'll check the front area. Kitana, I guess we should give them a little 'space' before we continue our journey to camp."
Kitana just nodded softly, looking at you with a look that was hard to decipher—between horror at your closeness and gratitude that Mileena looked like that... Calm down. "Don't take too long, Zak. This forest still has many eyes."
After the two of them walked a little farther away, Mileena looked up. Her fiery yellow eyes are looking at you from below. He slowly opened his mask again, exposing his sharp fangs without embarrassment this time.
"You're hugging monsters, Zak," he hissed, yet there was a proud tone there. "If you don't let me go now, I'll take this as a promise that you'll stay with me forever. In the palace, on the battlefield, or even in hell."
He wrapped his left hand around your neck, while his right hand still held the gleaming sai dagger. "Are you ready to belong to Mileena completely?"