Chương 79: Hush, Hush, Little One

I have never heard of ships made of steel, and certainly not of ships that were made of steel that could rust. Whose bright idea could that have been? Hopefully, the steel ship concept was a setting the nightmare had invented… Ships were already unpopular enough as they were.

When I was little, I would hear stories of brave explorers who would challenge the ocean only to have an epic fight with a sea monster, or discover some riches, or even discover an island after a storm that left their ship battered, only to live a better and more fulfilling life. But that was all bollocks! Anyone who goes anywhere far into the ocean dies! Their ship is turned to splinters by a storm, by a wave, or by a sea monster so horrifying that the mere sight of it would cause people to puke!

Ships were only useful when used on inland bodies of water or when kept very close to the coasts. This was why we had basically zero contact with other lands, past a certain distance, sailing was a death sentence. And it seemed like this nightmare had decided to make use of this well-known fact… As I looked through a dusty, round window, I saw darkness, but distant lightning whose thunder couldn't be heard illuminated it all for my eyes to see. There was no sign of dry land anywhere.

The water was turbulent, and I am fairly certain I saw something move beneath the surface… What a freaky nightmare, I quite like it! Say, Nara… Will the actual 'Nightmare Form' allow me to choose the setting of nightmares? Yes, although the range is limited at first, and there will be a need to abide by the 'objective' of the nightmare. It is not permitted to create a nightmare that is impossible for the victim to beat I see, that's very good. This form is looking better and better…

The halls of the steel ship were rather narrow. With every step, I had to worry that I might just go right through the ground… Good thing the form I had taken here was my human one, apart from my plushie self, all of the others would have been far heavier. Not to say that I was a featherweight, all that glorious muscle had its mass… In any case, I had appeared at a dead end, so as I progressed, I made sure to check every room and to shut doors when possible. The doors here were a bit odd.

They were all impressively heavy and required me to turn some sort of rotary handles. One downside of my current form was that I certainly was way weaker than I had grown used to. I was effectively back to being a human at the moment, and although I still benefited from not getting tired and the like, my brute force meant that I struggled to turn these rusted handles. Sometimes, even the doors themselves would prove troublesome.

The rust was everywhere and caused some of them to get stuck in place or become excessively difficult to move, not to mention how awfully loud they were. Thankfully, the ambience was to my liking. The sound of the murderous waves crashing against the side of the hull, and the banging of what I presumed to be barely comprehensible horrors… I found it most relaxing. Had I still had a need for sleep, I would have found myself a bed and taken a nap. Mmh… I wonder how much the girls would like a place like this?

Considering the sort of places that had seemingly been created for their enjoyment within my mindscape… I figured that they weren't exactly big fans of this sort of atmosphere. But who knows? Maybe they would like it. It was my job as the big sister to make them discover things they would otherwise miss or ignore. I heard a distant clanging. My gaze sharpened, I felt it in my guts–Which weren't metaphorical for once–This wasn't an ambient noise of this place. My prey had dropped something… Was it a distraction?

Was it a mistake? He had faced many nightmares, so it could be an attempt to lure what he believed would be the same monster as usual… But he had also failed much more than he had succeeded, so was he actually smart enough to attempt such a strategy? He should be well aware that his objective this time was simply to survive, so it was a bit odd to attempt a diversion tactic. Even if it worked, it was likely that this would just result in the 'monster' now being closer than ever.

I don't know if I'm just thinking too deeply about this, but it seems more likely that he foolishly made some noise… Slowly, I crept up to the source and kept myself as attentive as possible. The constant motions of the ship and the crashing of waves provided a rather good auditory cover for my prey, but the loudness of it all was inconsistent. Sometimes, there would be a few seconds of near silence, and it was when one came that I heard footsteps down one hallway.

The sound was somewhat echoing, so he wasn't close just yet, but I was on his tracks… I'll shut the doors around here then, if he tries to backtrack, he'll just lock himself into a dead end. I was highly doubtful that he, with his twig-like arms and offensive athletic capabilities, would be able to open any door. Especially not after I forced them shut as hard as I possibly could. It has been a while since I have felt my arms actually bulging like this…

Unfortunately, the satisfying tiredness and soreness of a good workout were entirely absent due to my inability to get even a slight bit tired. Nonetheless, there was definitely something enjoyable about my human form. As inferior as it may be compared to my new ones, it is the original me, and still the way I view myself within my own head. I am naturally quite attached to it. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

Mmh, I'll really need to try out Elowen's training hall in my mind palace. Actually feeling each muscle move is quite enjoyable. Whilst I was casually thinking about topics wholly unrelated to the situations, I searched every room I came across, giving them the same treatment as those from before. As I sought, it became quite apparent that this nightmare was a trial. Hiding spots were rather common, and obstacles that could be used to lose a pursuer were also often seen.

The type of hiding spot that was most numerous was some sort of steel closet with only one door and some slits. They were the perfect size for a person to get into, and somehow, all light sources were placed in a way that made it so their shine never revealed anything besides darkness through the slits, ensuring that I, the hunter in this situation, would have to open or listen for breathing if I wanted to make sure that no one was hidden within. These nightmares seem quite generous to the victims…

How can so many of them fail to win repeatedly? They lack skill and allow fear to mess with them The fear part seems like an excuse for the lack of skill and intelligence… Oh–He dropped something again. How clumsy can one be…? Ah… He isn't dropping stuff, I see. Poking my head out from behind a corner, I finally catch sight of my target.

He is holding some sort of rusted steel pipe, presumably as a makeshift weapon, but he is so awkward with it that he banged it against the top of a doorframe, and since that is also made of steel, the resulting noise is rather loud. Alright, I can tell why this one struggled to survive. Heh… Once again, I am really doing a favour to the kingdom and the human species as a whole by eliminating him before he reproduces. Can you imagine if that thing were allowed to multiply, Nara?

This is how great kingdoms and empires fall. The degeneration of the population into… This. That's why war is good. We can send people like these on the frontline to get shredded without any pushback, but without war? These sorts of low-lives grow in numbers, and they start to seep in places where they have no business being, such as nobility or the court… I think you are slightly exaggerating the problem Trust me, I am minimising it.

He glanced to the side and saw my head peering from the corner, which caused him to jump back in fright and hit his back against the corner of the doorframe, hurting himself like an idiot.

"Hey, don't get scared!"

"H-Huh…?"

"I've been looking for someone else for ages. I thought I was alone in these endless nightmares""You… You're a real person?"

"Obviously! Do I look like that horrid monstrosity?"

"N-No! Of course not…" Bastard was already blushing. There are cute girls in the orphanage with you, for the sake of the gods! Go talk to them a bit…

"How long have you been having these nightmares? It's been nearly a month for me""A-About the same for me… I… Have you been managing to get away from it?"

"Yes, pretty consistently, what about you?"

"Well… Not quite…" I stepped up to him, and only now did he seem to realise that I was taller than him by a rather noticeable margin as he cranked his neck upward to look at me.

"And? Are you doing alright?"

"No… I swear I can feel my death coming! If… If I can't escape this nightmare… I just know that something bad will happen to me! Please, can you help me, Miss?" He switched from having a crush to depending on me like I am his mother, real quick. Frankly, I would rather he lust after me. I am not working at Harvey's Diner anymore. I only take care of my cute little sisters now. And frankly, I don't see boys as cute at all, which is a big prerequisite for the slight possibility of me being nice to a spawnling.

"Well, I just have to survive for a while, isn't it the same for you?"

"It is…"

"Then, what's the problem? The monstrosity isn't the smartest thing around. We just need to lock ourselves in a room and stay hidden. It worked every time for me""Really?"

"Of course, why would I lie to you, Little Buddy? Just get in this room and I'll help you lock it""T-Thank you, Miss!"

"No need to thank me…" I casually put my hand against his back as he entered the room, slightly pushing him inside before quickly shutting the rusty door and twisting the rotary handle on the inside to the maximum possible.

"I should still thank you… I really feel like my life depends on whether I can succeed in living in this nightmare… Maybe… Maybe it will come to eat me if I fail this time…?"

"It? Do you mean the creature that provoked these nightmares?"

"Yes… It looked a bit similar to the monster here, but… But not quite the same, it has been forcing me to do nonsensical tasks day after day after day after day… I don't know what it wants! And it has attacked several other people in my orphanage as well!"

"I tried to warn them, but no one believed me at first…" A smile made its way onto my face.

"That's how it always is… It's always the least trustworthy–The boy who cries wolf easily, who is targeted first. After all, what better target is there than the one who has no credibility?"

"Huh?" Putting my hand into my coat, I pulled out the chef's knife and slashed my prey right across the throat before he could even understand what had been said. He fell to the ground, clutching his neck as blood poured out. I bent my knees, looking directly into his eyes, my head slightly tilted as I brought my index finger in front of my lips.

"Shhhh… It's time to sleep"