Dear Father,
I'm writing to you today to give my recent list of complaints, all compiled in this novel for your enjoyment, you sadistic fuck.
Yesterday, I walked into the cafe hoping to have a peaceful first day at work, but not only were the workers there subpar—they ignored basic dress code, wearing a hoodie to work at a maid cafe. A war crime in itself.
How does someone even get a hoodie in a fantasy world like this? It makes no sense!
And now I'm stuck on the back of a cart going God knows where, with the risk of dying to some bandits somewhere! If I die, it's going to be all your fault!
"What are you doing—" Yui muttered, watching me scribble in a book, the both of us on the ends of the cart, the subtle bouncing throwing off my writing just a tad as it bounced over the rocks that littered the dirt road.
"Writing…" I snapped, though my voice carried a tone of annoyance.
She snatched the book away from me, the pages slipping from my grasp before I could even react. "Hey!"
"I can't read this—" she muttered to herself, her eyes squinting to decipher the words scribbled on the page.
"Of course you can't," I hissed, trying to take the book back, but her grasp was too strong, her arms not even budging for a minute. "It's a language from the Nuverra continent!"
My words were lined with struggle as I kept trying to pull the book from her grasp, Yui pushing me away effortlessly with her tail. She glanced at me, ears twitching with curiosity.
"Nuverra? What kind of name is that? Sounds like bad wine."
"It's a prestigious continent, actually," I grumbled, still wrestling with her tail like a toddler throwing hands at a python. "But of course, a commoner like you won't get i—"
Before I could finish my sentence, it felt like the world was turned on its head. The horses that pulled the cart cried out at the sudden shift as the cart fell on its side. I landed headfirst into the crates we carried, the stacks scattering all over the cart interior.
"What was that?!" Yui sprang up, a sudden rush of urgency flooding her senses. An oppressive shadow loomed over us. The man at the reins was stuck under the cart's weight, his leg trapped. He watched in horror as a giant pseudo-drake towered above him, its lizard-like eyes focusing on his pitiful state.
Pseudo-drakes are typically smaller than most dragon-like monsters, about the size of an elephant at best. Their golden scales are hard and impenetrable—stronger than a drake's. Yet their wings are so small they're practically useless. But despite that, their hard outer skin and speed make them literal bullet trains!!
"A pseudo-drake?! They're not supposed to be around here this season!" Yui gritted her teeth, stepping out of the cart as I slowly regained my bearings despite my soreness.
Dear Father,
This is it. This marks the end of my life in this fantasy world—
The pseudo-drake dropped its head slowly, its mouth opening to swallow the man whole. He gritted his teeth and turned away, bracing for his fate to come to pass. Just as the drake got close enough…
CLANG
The sound of metal rang through his ears. He opened his eyes to see the beast stepping back, Yui holding an axe in hand, her grip tightening as she stared the beast down.
The creature stood up on its hind legs, letting out a fearsome cry. Yui's eyes narrowed through it. The man flinched under it all. I peeked from the cart, watching as everything went down.
"Yui, what the hell are you doing?! Get back before that thing kills you!"
My words fell on deaf ears as the creature dropped back to all fours, shaking the earth ever so slightly—commencing the battle.
Yui twirled her axe in her hand before pushing off the earth with a start. The sudden movement immediately aggravated her foe as it too began to charge. Its feet were practically flying off the ground as it rushed forward.
She spun before getting to her knees, gliding across the field as though it was nothing but butter carrying her toward the creature.
She leaned back at just the right moment, sliding under the creature's stomach. Quickly, she grabbed her axe, running it through its scaly exterior. Sparks flew in the heat of it all, causing bursts of spontaneous light.
The creature turned, its cry even louder than before, the sheer intensity of it causing a strong, sudden gust of wind to gush by, blowing her hair in her face—though she remained unfazed. The axe spun in her grip like a deadly ribbon, catching the light as it whirled.
With practiced ease, she settled it above her crown, the wooden shaft resting across her back and shoulder—her stance a coiled spring, relaxed in appearance but with an unspoken promise of what was to come.
The pseudo-drake's scales flared, rubbing against each other in a way that made them seem almost alive. Yui sprang forward, and the drake did the same. Just as their attacks were about to collide, the creature's scales let out a blinding spark that lasted for only a second.
"Tch," Yui clicked her tongue in annoyance as the light blinded her vision, her body colliding with the creature's massive tail, sending her skidding across the field.
"Yui!" I shouted out almost instinctively. My hands turned into fists as I considered getting out to help… Who am I kidding, I'm no match for that thing—I'll only get in the way…
"Excuse me, young man?" the man grunted softly below me, still trapped under the wagon. "Can you help me out here?"
"R-right, sorry!"
Yui recovered, landing on her feet before pushing off once more into a twirling spin, the creature following her every movement to land another blow. Her grip tightened on her axe, her breath slowing for a mere moment as water enveloped the blade. With a harsh swing, blurred by light, the axe came down on the creature's head, breaking off the scales that rooted themselves into its skull.
Water gushed everywhere, shooting up into the sky like a pressurized geyser. The creature fell onto the field, its body limp from the impact, as a soft downpour of rain came down around her from her attack.
"Threat neutralized…" she said, more to herself than anyone else. She turned to the cart to see me helping the driver loose, a soft smile playing at her lips before walking over to us.
"Man, this blows," I groaned as the cart stopped for the night. The stars stretched endlessly above us, the campfire flickering at our feet. Yui looked over at me, my head hung between my legs, my thumbs pressed against my skull as if I could squeeze the stress out of my brow.
She sipped from a waterskin, then handed it to me without a word.
"Thanks…" I murmured, taking a drink myself. There was a small silence between us, only interrupted by the crackling flames and the occasional snore of the man who came with us.
"You were impressive… out there, by the way… Thanks for that—"
Yui looked at me, her brow raised in surprise at my word of thanks, but nodded with a smile anyway.
"Do you both normally do stuff like this?" I pondered, still shaken up by my previous encounter.
Yui, noticing my expression, took a minute and nodded.
"This is a far-off village. Not many people know about it, so adventurers are at an all-time low…" she explained, looking to the fire as it danced to the soft night breeze and the buzzing crickets.
"Because of that, so many issues are left unsolved… so that's where Bao and I come in."
I took a minute, processing her words, a small grin finding its way to my face as I too turned to the fire.
Dear Father,
Today, I almost died. A giant, pissed-off pseudo-drake with armor for skin and the personality of a battering ram nearly turned me into paste.
Though Yui took care of it without a second thought… I felt useless in that moment, watching her fight to take that thing down. I hated that feeling.
I do know one thing, though.
I'm not running this time.
Sincerely (and begrudgingly),
Your disappointment of a son