Childish Monstrosity I

Kies searched around the area for more magic crystals that he could absorb magic from but found none. It was expected. Something like that was very hard to come by and wasn't going to present itself again like that.

Kies looked around for something to help him decide where he should go when a rift opened up in front of him. Kies raised his hand and got ready for a fight when a familiar head popped out. "You... uh, my apologies for not knowing your name," Fae said as he stuck his head out of the rift. He skeptically looked around the place and saw all the bodies. "Oh my... It looks like we suffered a really big loss," he said in an aloof voice. Fae didn't sound shocked nor surprised to see so many of the witch's army had fallen.

"It's Kies. Also, how did you find me?" Kies asked Fae.

"Oh, we weren't exactly trying to find you. A certain traitor escaped here, and coincidentally, you are here as well. Speaking of which, did you see anyone around here?" Fae continued looking around skeptically, searching for the person he was referring to.

"Are you referring to that undead with a sword?"

"Yes, Lisler is his name I believe."

So it turns out that the witch was already aware of the masked undead's betrayal. Either that or the undead made it clear by doing something that obviously showed that he wasn't on their side.

"Anyway..." Fae fidgeted with his staff nervously. "Please get in fast if you would. I have this strange feeling that we are being watched right now. I don't feel safe here and I really don't like this feeling." He shifted to the side of the rift to give Kies enough space to enter.

Kies walked up to the rift and just as he was about to step into it, a tremble shook the earth and caused Fae to fall out of the rift. Immediately after leaving the rift, it closed, leaving the two of them stranded in the forest.

Fae got up and gripped his staff tightly and looked around with eyes filled with paranoia. "Oh, I knew something was off. We're in big trouble now."

"Can't you just open the rift again?" Kies asked.

"No, it could only be opened from the other side. Furthermore, I didn't close it. It was forcibly closed which means-" A high-pitched childish laughter interrupted Fae and echoed the trees around them. The bodies of the greater undeads all began to turn to dust and scatter into the air and dirt.

Kies felt a shiver go down his neck and he turned, lashing out at whatever was trying to creep up behind but found nothing.

"Don't move!" Fae warned Kies. "And don't make a sound either!" he said in a loud whisper. The undead gripped his staff tightly and stood still like a scarecrow. Kies did as he was told and kept still and silent as well.

Everything was quiet for a moment before the laughter came around again. "Ha ha ha. La la la. Haa la da." The voice sounded like a child's. It sounded playful and carefree. But at the same time, there was something very wrong with it. "Hello!? Is there anyone there?" the voice called out. "Hello!? Hellooo!?"

Kies saw something appear from the trees in front of him. The creature was surrounded by darkness. "I know you're here!" the voice suddenly turned demonic. "I felt your magic. Come out!"

'Huh?' Could the creature not see them even though they were right in front of it? Kies wanted to ask Fae about it but it probably wasn't a good idea right now. It probably had something to do with what the undead had told him. Maybe it couldn't see and relied on sound to find its prey.

The creature took a few more steps and then stood motionless a few meters in front of Kies. It tilted its head and started swaying around creepily. After a bit, it turned its head and looked Kies straight in his eyes. Kies flinched a little but kept his composure otherwise.

The creature stared at Kies for a few seconds before it broke contact with him and turned to its left and pounced up, letting out a hideous screech. "FOUND YOU!" The creature grabbed a spirit that was flying by and brought it to the ground. "How dare you ignore me... Don't you know that I am the best at finding things!?"

The spirit squealed and wiggled around, struggling to break free of the monster's grasp. "Since I found you, I win and you lose. And because you lose, you deserve a punishment." The creature began to laugh in its childish voice again before tearing the spirit apart with its hands and shoving it down its throat which was a giant empty hole of darkness.

After finishing its meal, the creature skipped away happily, laughing childishly as it disappeared back into the trees.

The two of them continued to stand still and silently for another minute until the laugh completely faded away in the distance. Fae let out a sigh of relief and pulled Kies's shirt and said, "We need to go quickly before that thing returns."

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