Escape

Protagonist:

We exchanged glances and continued to follow the beetle. As we tried to figure out what kind of goose he was, he said that he was the Great Goose destined to rule the world. Now he had found an apprentice. However, he mentioned that he was a bit under the weather, and therefore not as strong as he could be.

As we followed the beetle, the goose kept talking nonstop. He had loads of questions and answers, even started singing. However, we convinced him that it's risky considering our unknown location, and it's better to save his talents for a more appropriate time.

After a while, the caves became tidier, with a smoothly even corridor illuminated by ordinary glowing stones found everywhere. We started walking more carefully – by "we" I mean Xia Tao and I – while the goose continued to stomp loudly, spreading the sound of its footsteps far and wide.

When asked to be quieter, the goose retorted that we needed to "grow some balls" and not get scared easily.

Eventually, we arrived at a wide, flat space that elevated into a platform within a grand hall.

On the platform below, covered with bloody symbols, there were two individuals dressed in the attire of the inner circle of the sect. Several spirit beast ants were running around them, and they were placing stones with runes in various spots under the guidance of one of the individuals.

Next to us, on the stone platform, lay a girl who seemed to be unconscious, with closed eyes, dressed in the attire of an inner circle disciple.

Oh God, I recognized her – it was Holy Daughter of the sect. What was she doing here?

From below came a voice:

"Hahaha, Zhang Feng, everything is finally ready! We will offer her as a sacrifice, and our pact will be sealed. You'll get what you wanted, and I'll have the body of my dreams. Hey you" he pointed at one of the ants, "bring the girl here!" The ant began to approach, and we had about 30 seconds before it reached the girl. It was unclear what would happen next, but despite being the protagonist, this situation seemed seriously dangerous.

The attire and authority suggested this was an Elder of the inner circle, capable of kill us without anyone noticing.

While lost in my thoughts, Xia Tao whispered, "Why are we just standing here? Let's quickly grab the girl and run – we can't leave her here." He nudged me, snapping me out of my reverie.

*Ding*

Random Quest Activated: Save Li Meiying!

"save the holy daughter of the sect! What could be easier? You are the protagonist after all!"

1. Save Li Meiying

"Of course I'll save her. Look at her face – the face of my future wife. How can I leave her here?"

Reward: Depending on the process

Failure: Li Meiying's death, Blue Mist Elder's enmity, potential sect problems

2. Don't save her.

"What kind of Holy Daughter of the sect can't handle such problems? She got herself into this mess, let her get herself out! Am I her nanny or something?"

Reward: Li Meiying's death, Blue Mist Elder's ignorance/gratitude depending on the process

3. Help take her to the altar. "Why not help such a good and respected Elder?"

Reward: Depending on the process

While I was reading the info, Xia Tao bypassed me and went to Li Meiying. As I finished reading, the goose kicked me forward, so I became visible to the people below.

"Let's not pussyfoot around! The procedure will be swift, and you'll become kind and affectionate – well, maybe gain a little extra fluff. ahahah"

In the end, I chose the first option, as it was obviously the right thing to do.

The goose joined me at the edge of the cliff and looked down, shouting:

"Hey, you bald fuck! Do you remember me Faggot? You've become even uglier since our last encounter. Haha, watch as I shit on your face! I'll ruin your whole plan! Ahahaha!"

After this, Xia Tao picked up the girl and handed her over to me. While he was doing something in the passage, we ran in the direction the beetle indicated. Angry cries of people echoed from behind!

Damn that crazy goose! We could have just saved the girl and escaped. Why did they need to see my face? Damn the protagonist's luck! On the other hand, this is fun! I wanted a life filled with adrenaline and beautiful girls.

Oh yeah! While I was contemplating what would happen next, I pulled out a mine trap I had made earlier, activated it, and threw it against the wall. The goose waved its wings and redirected it slightly, saying,

"Boy, that's cool! You've come up with something great. Ahahaha, I'll adjust our flight a bit to make it easier for us."

With the goose's quacking, we continued running as the explosion occurred, causing something to collapse.

We kept running ahead. I was quite certain we were approaching the exit. Then, I began to feel my strength wane.

Glancing back, I saw that an ant's head had latched onto my leg, dripping some green liquid. When the heck did that happen? I thought, before succumbing to unconsciousness, fuck.

Xia Tao:

After we freed the goose and started heading back, I checked my condition in the system:

Blue Balls 13/20 - Why did it speed up? And there's more

Uncontrollable Lust 1/10. Holy mother of God, I'm afraid to imagine what might happen if I stay here in the cave with the Protagonist and the Goose. One option seems scarier than the other.

When we arrived at the plateau, I saw what was happening. Of course, some idiots just had to sacrifice a girl or even several to do something weird.

While Ye Chen was lost in though, I quickly grabbed the girl and handed her over to the protagonist, setting up all the traps available.

That's how we ended up in a situation where I was running with the waddle of a penguin, carrying the protagonist on my back because he had blacked out again. A talking goose was running behind us, yelling at those who were pursuing us. And I had an unconscious beauty in my arms, with Uncontrollable Lust threatening to overwhelm me.

What are great day! fuck!

Damn, more explosions echoed from behind, from sources I couldn't pinpoint.

We seemed to have made it to safety. Interestingly enough, we found ourselves within the territory of the outer circle of the sect. I quickly got my bearings and ran towards the nearby river. There were no other options to throw off our pursuers that I knew of.

At the same time, I wasn't sure if this would work or not. The goose seemed to have gone nuts; it stopped hurling insults as we distanced ourselves. But now it was circling me as I ran, giggling, and saying:

"Magnificent! Haha, what an adventure! ahahahah" We reached the river, and I plunged in, carrying everyone on my back, and started running along the riverbank toward the desert.

After about twenty minutes, I stopped, smeared myself and everyone else with some pungent herbs, and continued running.

Soon, exhaustion set in, and the urge for unsavory things began to overwhelm me. I needed to get home urgently. However, dragging them along would be slow, and I sensed I had less than a day left before my state worsened.

I needed to figure out which direction our home was in.

Finding some ruins, I carefully set down my burden and asked the goose, "Any ideas on what to do?"

To which I received the response, "Are you retarded? We need to hide!"

I thanked for the incredibly useful response (sarcasm) and started assessing what I had with me in this situation. I quickly found some general medicinal concoctions and gave them to the protagonist and the girl. I had no idea what was wrong with them or what to do, so I hoped the antidote would help. Oh God, I was so exhausted. "I'm done" I said and blacked out.