Talking with a new friend
"Some people say the grass is always greener on the other side," Matt chuckled after speaking, curiously observing Stronoff's armor.
There was a brief moment of silence. Gazef thought about Matt's words, licked his lips, and exclaimed in his mind, "That makes sense!" But even though it made sense, it didn't eliminate the feelings of fear in his heart.
"Changing the subject, Sir Matt, What do you think of me?" Gazef question brought a moment of silence and deep observation on Matt's part. It almost seemed as if the good friend he had just met was looking him up and down.
"Are you a warrior? Well, all men feel a strong attraction to battle. I would like to be able to wield a sword and slay beasts, drink with my friends at the end of the day, and just have a good time," Matt changed the subject slightly.
"I don't have an opinion of you, not now. If I had to say something, then I would say that I envy you, Sir Stronoff. You seem like someone who is very respected. Oh, and that waitress is trying to flirt with you, hahaha, you are very handsome, not like me," Matt burst out laughing.
"Envy, huh?" Gazef thought about Matt's words as he raised his hand to call the elf waitress. Maybe he could try to have some fun tonight.
----- End of memories -----
Now, looking at the man in front of him, Stronoff smiles. The elf waitress turned out to be a pure girl, quite pretty, and naive despite her slightly promiscuous behavior.
"I would like to thank you, Sir Matt," Stronoff placed his hand on the counter, lightly caressing the glass and observing the items inside.
"Oh, is that so? And why is that?" Matt replied as he fiddled with a hand pie in his hand, smiling slightly before taking a bite of it, "Hmph, delicious."
"About what you said, the grass is always greener on the other side, and your little envy because I'm a warrior," Gazef lightly scratches the glass, tapping it a little and listening to the sound, he can't help but smile.
"I met a beautiful elf that night, I've been dating her lately, you know, she's very pretty, also, she doesn't let me sleep at night, hahaha" Stronoff boasts as he raises his head only to watch Matt eating an hand pie almost desperately.
"..."
"Hmph, you are a dirty man, How dare you mention that in front of a lonely man like me?" Matt makes a slight noise after finishing the last bite, looks at the warrior in front of him, and raises a thumb in his direction. Then Matt seems to remember something and just lowers his hand, "Forget what I said, old habits..."
The simple movement of his new friend brings a smile to Gazef's face. He thinks for a moment before continuing, "I have one more small question for you, Sir Matt."
Gazef looks at Matt for a moment, his eyes full of doubt due to an issue that has been tormenting him lately. This recent fear had taken hold of him since the incident in the village of Carne. "Sir Matt, Are you afraid of time and death?" he finally asks.
There is a brief moment of silence. Matt, who was watching Ninya not far away with some curiosity, remains motionless, his previously curious eyes dimming slightly, his hands clenching into two fists before relaxing, and his gaze refocusing on Gazef.
A frown passes over his eyes, and in the next moment Matt can't help but sigh, "Hmph, I," he pauses, his lips twitching before he simply smiles, "Yes, in fact, I don't have the body I would like," he says.
Ninya, not far away, focuses on Matt. She was listening silently to the conversation between Matt and Gazef, and now that her man mentions something that seems to torment him, she can't help but prick up her ears. Of course, her recent crush made her forget Matt's earlier words about being a lonely man.
"It was strange, Sir Stronoff, you know, I'm old now, I don't have the youth of a teenager or a twenty-year-old, time has taken its toll on my body and sometimes I find it hard to get out of bed," Matt smiles, gesturing towards his back.
"I'm going to die soon, I know, the end is near. I mean, being almost forty is taking its toll on me. Maybe I'd be happier if I had taken care of myself, the usual stuff: sleep, healthy eating, exercise, and a good skincare routine, hahaha," Matt bursts out laughing, but his laughter is not one of happiness, but of irony.
"You probably don't understand many of the words I say, that's normal, but it's human to be afraid of time, of death, it's inevitable, every day, every second, every minute you get older, your body accumulates irreparable genetic damage, every day you are closer to death, but," he pauses, looking at Gazef for a moment, then looking at his friend's body.
"Do you know what the most painful thing about aging is? It's not death, but the fact that you slowly see your body decaying, first expression lines, then wrinkles, finally your body begins to ask for rest, and soon, you realize that you no longer have the vitality you once had. That's what hurts, seeing your body decay, becoming OLD," Matt finally finished speaking.
Gazef's eyes are bright, his right hand grips the sword in its sheath tightly, his feet are stiff, his body is upright. One could say that he and Matt are almost the same age, and so he can understand Matt.
Gazef understands the pain in his muscles, the loss of elasticity, the wrinkles, his body slowly decaying. If he continues like this, he knows that in less than five years he will have to retire.
He would no longer be the "strongest man in Re-estize," nor the "strongest warrior," but rather an old man feeding pigeons in the main square of Re-estize.
Gazef lowers his head, his heart is restless, his brain is working overtime, his soul is hurting, and as he looks at the counter, he can't find an answer.
"Perhaps you would like to purchase one of my items from the store? I will give you a 99% discount for being an old friend," Matt smiles. After all, he can see himself reflected in Gazef. In the warrior standing before him, he can see the man he wanted to become: a powerful, virile warrior.
"But you are also on the verge of aging, and soon time will erase your existence," Matt thinks, disconsolate.
For his part, Gazef looks at the items in the store, everything from weapons to strange things, but nothing in the store catches his attention. It is as if everything in front of him were just things to decorate the table, and he is not a fan of decorations.
"No, I appreciate your kindness, Sir Matt, but there's really nothing that catches my eye," Gazef bows his head slightly.
"But time is all-powerful, Sir Stronoff. Do what you want to do now. Try it. If anything, in the future you will feel more proud of having tried and failed than of not having tried and remembering, remembering in your old age how you could have done it, that, what would have happened if you had done this, it will kill you in the future," Matt advises. It's something he learned in his previous life, and although it's not absolute, it's something he has always tried to follow.
"I understand," the warrior nods, his eyes focused on Matt. Those words don't ease his pain, but perhaps they lessen the pain in his soul.
"Matt, thanks again, by the way, I brought a gift for you," he leaves a small gift wrapped in white cloth on the counter before leaving the store.
...
"Darling?" Ninya murmurs softly from nearby, walking with light steps, her face slightly worried, her arms moving, her hair waving as she walks toward Matt.
"Can I do anything to ease that pain?" she murmurs close to Matt's ear, warming one of his ears, pressing her almost non-existent breasts against Matt's back, and smiling flirtatiously.
However, Matt simply shakes his head, "I've learned to live with it," he murmurs before opening the gift his friend left him, "Hmph," a slight murmur escapes his mouth as he looks at the exposed fabric inside, "It's a wedding invitation."
---
To Sir Matt and Lady Ninya, you are cordially invited to our wedding....
---
Matt reads the small card before opening the music box that came underneath it. A moment later, beautiful piano music plays inside. Once the inside of the box is revealed when it is uncovered, two figures, a man and a woman, dance together on top of a mound, their movements graceful and beautiful.
"Yay!!! How beautiful!!" Ninya shouts before bringing her face close to the small music box.
"I see," Matt smiles, "This is the reason you were thankful?" Matt murmurs as he hugs Ninya.
In the dungeon.
Hiyama watched, with eyes wide, breathing heavily, moaning constantly, and his body trembling as The Forgotten One opens his giant eyes. The girls of Blue Roses are on the slippery floor, spitting saliva and blood as heart-wrenching screams escape from their mouths. Their delicate and beautiful bodies are slowly being torn apart, as if something were stretching their skin, their red eyes constantly spilling a thick, black liquid.
The Forgotten One's gigantic body throbs, his eyes with irises resembling a universe move from side to side, "Human, it's been a while, ha ha ha, so..." The Forgotten One speaks with a voice that seems to be a mixture of several high-pitched and low-pitched voices.
"Boy, you are losing your sanity, this is not like you, this is just a spell of MADNESS cast by that beast, you need to let me take control, You have to let me take control!!!" Kel'thuzad murmurs with impatience, concern, and anger mixed in his voice.
Hiyama trembles constantly, barely able to muster even a shred of consciousness to analyze Kel'thuzad's voice. He simply falls to his knees, his eyes focused on one of The Forgotten One's giant eyes. That gigantic iris seems to reflect the universe, the void, death, and the eternity of chaos.
For a moment, Hiyama's eyes widened enormously. His mind, overwhelmed by ancient magic, could not function properly, but even so, a small thought came to him: "I'm dead. I shouldn't have entered the dungeon."
He had easily defeated King Sasquatch, but it was not his doing, but that of Deathbringer, whom he had summoned. However, a moment ago, Deathbringer was imprisoned by The Forgotten One.
The once imposing orc lies kneeling, spectral obsidian chains surrounding his entire body, all thanks to a powerful spell cast by The Forgotten One. Deathbringer wants to scream, but it is impossible; his mouth has been sealed. He can only watch as Hiyama slowly descends into madness.
"Wirt's leg..." The Forgotten One almost screams, many voices mixed in his voice, small tentacles emerging from his pulsating fleshy body, his eye closest to Hiyama narrowing.
-----
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