NPC Code: Red Riding Hood

Ryoshi finally tagged along and followed through with my suggestion as the two of us bypassed the soldiers once more.

Since the two of us already knew the drill, passing through these guards was like a breeze. We did not even need to find any shrubs or plants that we could coat Ryoshi's arrow. Even if we needed a distraction of some sort, those soldiers would not stand a chance against the two of us.

We would always make them unconscious if we wanted to, especially when we avoided killing humans. We would only do it if necessary.

"The mountain's other side would be around 50 miles. It would take us approximately 14 hours to reach our goal," Ryoshi spelt out, with his eyes kept looking at the mountain.

"How did you know that?" I asked.

I knew the mountain occupied masses of space, but I did not expect it would be that wide! It would take us ages before arriving on the other side. And this guy beside me already guessed everything that would happen.

"Nothing," Ryoshi answered.

I shrugged my shoulders and carried on with our journey, knowing it would take us around hours before stepping foot into our destination. We were still fortunate that the soldiers did not swarm the place or even patrolled the area compared to the dwarven kingdom's entrance.

Although the soldier's intel hit the mark, they did not know how to enter the cave. And even if they paved that road, a trial would welcome them inside.

The pit that the two of us were heading towards did not have any of those tests. As long as we could dig our way to the kingdom's insides like thieves, we would arrive on the other side. Since I already went into that burrow once, we could go into that hole again.

I just hoped we would not stumble at problems along the way. However, considering the place, our first obstacle would appear shortly.

There was no doubt about that.

Upon looking at the skies, the orange clouds turned dark and blue. The moon entered the fray, with the stars aligned beside it. All the warm sensations brought by the sun disappeared and got replaced by the chilling touch of the night sky.

I held back Ryoshi and motioned my head to the sides. "I think we need to rest for the time being. This place reeks with ominous killing intentions."

Ryoshi nodded his head and replied, "I think so too."

"It would be best to camp here in the open. Since the monsters value animals more than humans, they would not attack us… I think," I added, and pointed at the place surrounding us.

I knew that camping in open space only spelt doom to wandering people. However, that was not the only case. The dwarven kingdom did not have any ferocious beasts, unlike from the Mainland or even around Alice in Wonderland.

I could not even compare those monsters to anything but death! It would take around three to four monsters to defeat one dire wolf around this area. Since monsters barely visit this place, competition amongst themselves did not apply. There would not be a competition if there were no competitors in the area.

The place brimmed with mines and toxic metals that could harm both humans and beasts. So living in this area meant health risks. It was the reason these dwarves made themselves a home underground while placing their necessities to live without smelling the polluted air.

Ryoshi and I had already placed our defences before coming into this place, knowing that it would decrease our health. If someone sniffed the atmosphere, their health points would continuously decrease… until they die.

All of those remained as my assumptions. But I still thought my guess would hit the bullseye.

Ryoshi always came prepared as he already found a place where we could get some firewood for our camp. He even gathered berries, herbs, and vegetables during our trip. Despite his annoying demeanour, Ryoshi was still a reliable guy.

It pained me to say this, but he was the brains of this operation. I would have lived and completed my task. But having Ryoshi around, all those difficult situations became elementary missions meant for beginners.

There was no crisis at all… that was what I believed. I would feel nuts if I jinxed our situation.

"Are we going to eat healthy for today, chef?" I asked, while mocking Ryoshi.

Despite his efforts, I couldn't help myself but tease that guy. He was like my punching bag of words that turned into a person.

"Cut me some slack, Okami. I was the one who did everything. All you gotta do is protect me," Ryoshi answered.

"Yes, yes. I have to protect the damsel in distress. You should be grateful to me, Ryoshi! I could even let you kiss my feet if you're that expressive."

"What did you say, punk?"

"I said, you could kiss my feet! And who are you calling a punk, punk!?"

Like always, we fought against each other before eating our meal. Although the two of us were such great friends, fighting became our routine. It was as if Ryoshi was a dog and I was the cat,

But no matter how much we despised each other through our jokes, we still got each other's backs.

"So, how do you want to do this?" I asked.

"Let me take the first shift, Okami," Ryoshi answered.

"And why would I do that?"

I stepped closer to Ryoshi and pushed him over to the make-shift bed. The two of us stared at each other's eyes for a few seconds before breaking the tension. Ryoshi did not let my sentence through, and he was yet to finish his part as well.

But before something could happen, I stood up and went to him to tap his shoulders. "I appreciate your concerns. But let me take care of this."

"Hey, you-!"

I stared into his eyes and continued, "I know you're frustrated, thinking that you can't do anything on your own. But I rely on you… So you can rely on me too. I will do the fighting ones. You just sit back there and relax and do the thinking. My brain would get toasted if I were to think of a plan. That's your part, not mine."

Ryoshi fell silent after hearing my words. But every word I mentioned was the truth I wanted to express. It was my sincere feelings, despite being embarrassed.

Who would even think a man would express his own feelings to another man? Well… I do. In this death game, embarrassment won't bring you alive. If you did something terrible, tell it. If you did something good, be humble but proud.

My sister told me that phrase as it kept ringing inside my head. It was as if I was a blaring alarm clock, telling me what to do in this grim world.

After hearing my words, Ryoshi looked down and went to sleep. He did not utter a word that night, considering how ashamed he was after getting defeated by my words. It was the truth, and Ryoshi needed to accept that.

Our shift would last around six hours. After six hours, I would be the one sleeping on that mat, while Ryoshi did his stuff. I volunteered to be the watcher for tonight, considering that the dark hue already covered the sky.

Ryoshi had the wits of a talented person, but he lacked combat experience. Even in this game, he was a wimp that could not defend himself without my help. If I left him out in the open, I doubt he could defend himself against these soldiers, even with a plan.

As the night grew old, I watched the stars from above. Those were the only company I had, besides the snoring sounds I constantly heard from my rear. Those inhumane sounds came from my friend. I wanted to wake him up, but that would make me a rude person.

I was an asshole, but I had my limits.

"I will snore as loud as he did if we switched places!" I swore to myself while flashing the sky with my grin.

But the world above me was not the only visitor I had. My system notified me that there was someone following me. Even my sixth sense knew that I was alone. My [lycanthrope] class really paid off during this time when someone would scheme to ambush me.

"I know you're out there. God, your disguise is terrible. Even my friend could do something better than that," I provoked the eerie creature, while preparing my dagger.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Much to my surprise, the mysterious entity replied to my words.

A swift sound came from my side and went towards my sleeping friend. However, I was quick enough to block the attack and defend Ryoshi's body. Even after hearing the clashes of our sword, Ryoshi slept like a log.