Chương 12: Clown of the group

"Ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch""What? Mister, what happened?"

"My arms hurt."

"Old man needs to drink milk," Lania declared. Was Pyiari not enough that now I have to handle another one.

"Oh, sorry," Pyiari released the hug, and my arms were finally free of the pain.

"Whose fault do you think it is?"

"Yours, why would you try to parry my toy's attacks?" Lania turned away in a huff, her short hair bounced twice before settling back. Just like Pyiari, she too was bony, had sunken cheeks and wore a simple white gown. Though unlike Pyiari, she bore not only track marks but also scars from repeated whippings on her forearms and legs. What monsters would beat a kid like that?

"Well, that's true," I rotated my right wrist, but that was a mistake. I immediately writhed in pain.

"So, how are you gonna take us out of here?" Lania inquired, not showing any concern for me at all.

"Looks like we will have to go back to the pharmacy again to get you some medicine," Pyiari suggested.

"Yeah, the muscles and bones in my arms are torn, and I have a plan, just follow me."

"And what is this plan of yours?" To follow the same path as the protagonist of j. m. k67' s book.

"The sewage system is connected to a network of underground caves. We will be able to escape from there."

"Yuck, I am not going through the sewage," Pyiari wrinkled her nose.

"Neither am I." Lania agreed with Pyiari. They both nodded their heads together.

"Don't worry. The route is adjacent to the sewage, so we won't need to go through the sewage. If it was like that, I would have left the two of you back and gone through the rift myself, hahaha." Maybe making a joke about that was not a good idea, because none of the girls laughed.

"So, this is the mister you trusted so much, Pyiari?"

"I guess I was wrong and we really shouldn't have trusted him."

"Then what do we do now?"

"Do what you must, Lania."

"Umm…guys, come on, it was a joke, and you know that."

"HAHAHAHA," the sleeping toy awoke and laughed hysterically.

"LET'S PLAY, LET'S PLAY""Moly, play with this mister." The middle head of the three looked at me.

"NEW PERSON TO PLAY WITH, HAHAHAHA""Hey, hey, hey, Lania, I was just joking. Pyiari say something."

"It was nice knowing you, mister. Oh teddy give salvation to Mister's soul."

"LET'S PLAY, LET'S PLAY""Stop it, you know I would never abandon you guys."

"You just said you would," Lania said, and Pyiari agreed with a nod.

"I don't believe I believed you." Strange Toy lunged at me. Shit, shit, shit, shit. I can't even fight back because my arms are fucked, and my legs hurt from all the hopping I did earlier. It opened its two front legs in a big hug and grabbed me.

"Ahhhh," Its sharp claws grabbed my waist and picked me up in the air. It then put me down on its back.

"Eh?"

"LET'S PLAY, LET'S PLAY" It started to dance. It moved left and right like a crab, which made me remember those amusement park rides. Confused, I looked at Lania and Pyiari. Both of them were barely concealing their laughs, and when I looked at them with my confused face, they couldn't contain it anymore.

"Hahahahaha," Both of them laughed together. They laughed so hard that tears formed in their eyes.

"Haha, did you hear how Mister screamed?" This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"He went 'ahhhh,' it was so funny""hahaha""Hahaha" Wow, looks like I have become the group's clown. All jokes are gonna be made at me. Both girls laughed, holding their bellies. It was a nice sight, watching them laugh like that.

"LET'S PLAY, LET'S PLAY." It did not stop dancing.

"Can you stop this now?" I shouted, which made both of them stop and look at me.

"LET'S PLAY, LET'S PLAY""Pfft-hahaha," they started laughing again. Sigh, will this misery ever end? I looked at the ceiling, clouds, and a sun was painted on it.

'LETS PLAY LETS PLAY""We go through the maze to the pharmacy, grab Mister some medicines, then go to the sewage."

"That sounds about right." I agreed with Pyiari.

"Jiji pick us," The left of the three heads looked towards Lania.

"DON'T ORDER ME," it said, but heeded the command. Two of its legs extended towards each of the girls. Lania sat on it while Pyiari hung from it.

"Wooohooo," Pyiari fully enjoyed the small ride. They dropped on top of the Strange Toy, taking their place in front of me.

"Let's go," Lania said as she sat in the front, her enthusiasm apparent.

"Let's go," Pyiari followed suit.

"Let's go," I did the same to match the group's energy.

"Ehhh," Both of them together looked at me with a deadpan expression.

"What?"

"Mister, please stop acting like a child. You are an adult now." Lania nodded in agreement. These girls are not gonna let a moment pass without mocking me, are they? There was more than enough space for all three of us on Strange Toy's back. We took the same path which we had come from. How it changed back from the corridor to the maze, I couldn't comprehend. So I asked the girls.

"I have no idea," Pyiari answered.

"Neither do I,""Yet you travel through them with such confidence?"

"I told you I know all the routes, didn't I?

"Yeah, you did, but that isn't what I meant." Each of Strange Toy's legs made a thudding sound when they striked the floor.

"The first time I went through it was the Maze, then when we came back from the Learning Centre, it had changed, and now when we entered it back again, it had changed yet again. Don't you want to know why?"

"I do, but do you have any sort of hint as to where we can find the answer?" Pyiari inquired.

"Hmm, maybe we can find something in the records room," Lania added.

"Yeah, we might find some hints there."

"Then do you wanna go there, mister? It's in the opposite direction from the pharmacy.

"Oh, scrap it then. Getting you two out of here is the priority right now. Obviously, after we fix my beaten-down arms.

"Didn't you say you want to help the other kids, too. Yet you are abandoning them right now." Lania questioned.

"I do, and I am not abandoning anyone. I can always come back, you know. If we were to travel in an even bigger entourage right now, and encounter someone we don't want to, it would be hard to escape. So, after I confirm the escape route and your shelter in the outside world, I will come back for the other kids."

"Mister is such a kind person."

"He is, I have never seen someone like him."

"Where did that come from?" Both of them turned to look at my face, then smiled mischievously.

"Now that I look at him properly," Lania said, squinting her eyes to see properly. She did that a lot, maybe because her eyesight was weak.

"He is kind of handsome."

"Yup. Tall, lean, and handsome. Clear skin, neatly shaped brows. If mister tries, he can easily land a role in those dramas."

"I think he is prettier than the actors in it."

"Where is all this coming from?" My face was hot from embarrassment. When was the last time someone had complimented me? Was it when I went home last time? No, mom said I had grown thinner and fed me so much food that I gained five kilos in a week.

"I am not handsome at all, you guys can stop."

"No, mister, you totally are." She grabbed my hands and clasped them between her's. My embarrassment overwhelmed my pain receptors.

"Have a bit more confidence in yourself." She had a serious expression.

"Yes, yes, have a little more confidence in yourself," Lania spoke from behind Pyiari.

"Really?" I asked. They did not answer. A second passes, then another, and they burst laughing.

"Not again,""Hahaha" They kept talking about how I reacted, taking jabs at me the entire way. I had to endure it for half an hour. I silently thanked whatever power governed this maze for making the trip short.

"Lania and I will go and grab the medicine. Mister, you stay outside."

"Why? I can accompany you."

"What use will you be? You cry like a baby anytime you have to move your arms." Lania was even more brutal than Pyiari in her remarks"Okay."

"Mister, sit tight, we will be back."

"Be careful." Pyiari slid the door open. Both of them entered, and the door closed behind them. I waited on Strange Toy' s back. Minutes passed. No sound came from the inside. I grew worried and was about to get down to check myself when the door slid open.

"What took you so long?"

"Finding and putting it all in a sack took time," Pyiari answered.

"Put in a bag?"

"Why am I dragging this?" Lania came out, dragging a pack half her size.

"Because you are the older one."

"Did you loot the whole thing?"

"Nope, only one row. Now that we won't be staying here, I don't have to worry about the repercussions. And from how mister reacted last time, I thought your world doesn't have medicines like this, and that we sell it for a high price."

"Wow, Pyiari is so smart." I wanted to clap for her, but my hands wouldn't let me.

"Arrgh, I can't drag it anymore. Doku grab it." The right head of the three woke up.

"YOU WILL HURT YOURSELF. LET ME HELP" It extended one of its leg, grabbed the bag and put it on its wooden back.

"LET ME HELP," then it grabbed Pyiari and Lania and put them up. Pyiari went through the bag and took out a small bottle.

"Here, mister, this one will work." Silver mend Suxang was researching a poison that couldn't be detected, but made a potion that could fix internal muscle tearing and bone fractures by mistake. He felt shame for making a potion as a master of poisons. He made a deal with his assistant, giving it away for not telling anybody that he was the creator. The assistant happily complied. Recorded in the akashic system in the year 133275. What a strange story.

Shouldn't a master of poison also have an antidote for every poison?

"Okay, mister say aahh""Huh?" Pyiari had opened the bottle and was standing near me, urging me to open my mouth so she could pour it in.

"I can drink myself."

"Come on, mister, don't be embarrassed."

"Not like you can hold it from your beaten arms," Lania said.

"Well, you are right." I was sitting while Pyiari stood. She was above my head right now. I tilted my head and slowly opened my mouth, then closed it shut.

"Will this hurt as the last one did?"

"I don't know. I have never seen it being used. Now don't dilly dally and open your mouth." I hesitated but did so, and yeah, it hurt just like Whale's Salvate did.

"Come on, it can't be that bad." Lania poked my cheeks as I lay on the wood.

"You will know when you drink it." I sat upright. Pyiari was sitting on the pile of medicines.

"How did you drag all of this out of there? Was Orand asleep?"

"Mr. Orand wasn't there," Pyiari answered. What? He left his territory?