"No! Please, don't!" Maru yelled and started to run away from the ugly looking man. He got only a few feet before he was stopped by the unwelcome intruder. His neck got held so tightly that he could barely get air to come into his lungs. He was slowly suffocating. Maru cried from fear and tears went flowing freely down his cheeks.
"You better cooperate, kid. Or else, it might get bad for you real quick. Hehehe. You will have to serve me well.
You can do it with pain or no pain. Either way, your ass is mine. Hahaha! Choose wisely, kid." The ugly looking man said to Maru after he released his tight grip from the boy's scrawny neck.
"Hah.. hahh… hahhh…." Maru was gasping for breath. His neck hurt a lot. Deep imprints of the ugly man's fingers were decorating his neck like an unnerving collar. A mark of doom and a symbol of possession.
"Please. I will do anything. Just don't kill me. My family won't survive without me!" Maru begged loudly. He almost passed out from the lack of oxygen earlier and he was afraid that if that had happened, he wouldn't get to open his eyes again. Like the mutilated corpse that he had stumbled into. Those glassy eyes would bring nightmares in the coming nights.
"I will not die. I will survive this. Wait for me, mother. Sister." Maru was determined to see them again. His tears were still unabated because of the prior shock and pain. He was as weak as a kitten before the tall ugly looking man.
"You see this, kid? You know what to do, don't you?" the ugly looking man indicated a part, south of his body.
"...….." Maru looked at the ugly looking man, not understanding what the man wanted him to do.
"Do you want me to help you pee, sir?" Maru said after thinking about it for five seconds.
"Hahaha! The innocence of youth! What a gem! So precious yet extremely fragile at the same time. I will take my time breaking you in, kid. Hehehe! Don't call me sir. Call me daddy, understood?!" the ugly looking man instructed Maru.
"Yes, daddy!" Maru answered quickly. He knew that resistance was futile. It would only bring him more bad than good. Maru feared for his life if he did not cooperate with this ugly looking man. His immediate future was bleak.
"Good. Very good! Hahaha! Seems like you adapt fast, kid. Smart. Now, suck it!" the ugly looking man admired smart people. He was one and that's why he was still living to this very day. Dumb people died young in these lands. At least, he could think of only dumb women to be an exception to that rule. No matter what age, they were a commodity that has an ever appreciating price in the black market. No one was created equal. Women had it easy, the ugly looking man thought.
They just had to open their legs wide and they could get free meals. They only had to stay docile within their caged thrones as consequence. Men like him had to lie, steal, kill and bleed to have a chance at life in these wastelands. Equality was a dream of fools. It does not exist. At least, not in this world.
"It's an ugly world. Maybe even uglier than I am. Hahaha!" the ugly looking man thought as he waited for the wide eyed boy before him to get over his stunned state. He believed that the boy was a smart one. The boy will eventually make the right decision.
"Suck that thing?! Why would he let me do that?! Does he want to pee inside my mouth?!" Maru thought. He was shaken when he heard what the ugly looking man wanted him to do. Maru wanted to open his mouth but couldn't find the words to say to his ugly oppressor.
"Hey! Don't freeze on me, kid. Come here and do what I said." The ugly looking man warned Maru.
"But…" Maru started but he wasn't able to finish what he was about to say because the ugly looking man didn't let him. He felt himself fly in the air and then rolled on the ground a couple of times before stopping when he hit one of the tall tree trunks that surrounded them. His face hurt and he could taste blood in his mouth.
"My patience is running thin, kid. If you want to die instead, I will grant you a fast death. Maybe I'll search for your family later. Hahaha! I'm sure they'll be more cooperative than you are right now. Your mother or brother will perhaps suck this in your stead. I will see to it that they will both enjoy our time together. Hehehe!" the ugly looking man said to Maru.
"NOOOOOOOO! Leave them alone. I will do it!" Maru shouted towards the ugly looking man. Maru was caked in dust. When he opened his eyes, he saw the world turned unceasingly. Maru was still dizzied from the attack. He tried to stand up but failed in his attempt.
"I don't have all day, kid. Crawl if you have to. But if within ten breaths you are still not here cleaning my son well, I wouldn't mind tracking your family. Trust me. It would be very easy to do. With these rainless days and this hot sun above us, I can find where you came from even with my eyes closed." The ugly looking man said to Maru. He was a hunter of a group called Sakar's Salvation. It was a mere bandit group but his chief, Sakar, wanted them to sound righteous. A blatant irony of what they truly are.
"Please. Please. Don't hurt my family. I'll stand up now." Maru begged the ugly looking man. He tried to open his eyes again and this time, the world was still. The green roof of leaves made from the trees around him was the first thing he saw. He was lying on his back and struggled to get up from that position.
"One, two, three…" the ugly looking man started counting. He was pleased at his unexpected harvest. His task was to stay awhile and wait for those people who had been hiding when the attack on the village happened. The ugly looking man was surprised when he saw the kid walking towards the village. He will be greatly rewarded for his work this time. Boys can do manual labor and will continue to get stronger fast.
In this life, they had to or they'd be left behind to die. Those who struggle can swim for it. And those who do not, can only sink. It's the natural selection of all those who wish to live.
"Please! Wait. I'm coming." Maru said as he stood on shaky legs."You seem to forget something, kid." The ugly looking man reminded Maru."I'm coming, daddy." Maru indulged the sick fantasy of the ugly looking man. The weak have no right to complain. He was determined to do this and get it over with. Maru only wished to live through this ordeal."Hahaha! Smart kid! You will see your family again after this. I promise." The ugly looking man said to Maru. Lying was a way of life for him. He felt no guilt whatsoever in toying with the boy."Thank you, daddy." Maru replied towards the ugly looking man. There was hope as long as he still lives. No matter what he will go through, the word surrender would never be his. For he knew that there were people waiting for him to come back home safely. Maru would go through hell and back just to see them once more. To be with his mother and sister, that was all that mattered
The dagger aimed for the fatal spot in one of the carotid arteries located at the neck of the boy. The ugly looking man was successful in his right handed slash but the tip of the dagger missed by a mere centimeter. His attack was dodged. He tried to do a second combination offense by throwing a left punch but he was stopped in his tracks by a heavy force."Thank you for giving me the opportunity to get out. Too bad you lasted prematurely. I would have loved to give you a ride you won't forget. Goodbye." Madame Ais said in farewell. Her right hand had gone through the ribcage and crushed the ugly looking man's heart, literally. Her victim tried to open his mouth to say his last words but he was not given the luxury of it. He died with his eyes open in disbelief."What happened, Madame Ais? Maru asked when he was forced to awake from his slumber."The target has been eliminated, Maru." Madame Ais replied."Is he dead
"I know, brother. I'm big now and very responsible." Uwyn said as she smiled at Maru. He was the foundation of the family since her mother succumbed to sickness. She looked at him with love and adoration."Yes. You're a big girl now, Uwyn. Wait here." Maru said to his sister. He went outside to kill the light from the torch in order to conserve it for further usage."Come here, Uwyn. Don't make a noise, okay? We don't want to disturb mom's sleep." Maru said after he went inside and closed the door of the hut. He was now sitting on his bed. Both then huddled in the corner, away from their mother's ears."Okay, brother. Where's the surprise?" Uwyn whispered to her brother. She looked at Maru's hands to see if he was holding something but was disappointed. Her brother's palms were empty."Wait a moment, Uwyn. Just stay quiet for now." Maru said to his sister. He deliberately closed his eyes to give a mystical effect on
"Okay, brother." Uwyn replied. Her eyes were wide in excitement as she waited for her brother to do some magic."How come I know which are the food fabricator and the medicine fabricator, Madame Ais?" Maru asked the system after he closed his eyes in front of his sister. He and Uwyn don't know how to read. Even his mother, Olivia, also didn't know how to read and write. No books were present in their humble home. They could barely find food to eat. How could they afford those expensive books which contain knowledge from their ancestors? But Maru could see the different letters in the book and instinctively knows which is which between the two books."You are connected to the system, Maru. Items on your inventory will be recognized by you spontaneously." Madame Ais replied
"Okay. But first wait, Uwyn. I have something left to show you." Maru said to his sister."What is it, brother?" Uwyn asked Maru. She was curious about what other magical things her brother would let her see. Maybe another delicious food, she guessed cheerfully."It's a secret for now. Let me concentrate, okay? So that my magic can work." Maru asked his sister, Uwyn.".........…." Uwyn didn't reply with words but only motioned a zipping action with a hand on her mouth as her bright big eyes waited for another surprise, expecting to see her brother's magic once again. She was quite playful and energetic after she consumed one Fairy Yumyum and finished her milk.
"Get your sister to her bed, Maru." Olivia said to her son. After ten minutes of crying, she saw her daughter had fallen asleep already. Her position was quite uncomfortable as her knees were alighted in the hard wood of her brother's makeshift bed. Maru perfectly mirrored her situation."Okay, mom." Maru answered his mother. His voice was hoarse from crying so much. He went around his mother's cot and lifted Uwyn. Although he was thinner than his sister, that doesn't mean that he was weaker. His year in the slums, hiding and running away from the bullies, had raised his strength as well as his physical endurance. Maru even felt stronger now since Madame Ais had healed him. Uwyn weighed like feathers in his arms."Can you tell me what happened, Maru? Why were you two cryi
"Thank you, Maru." Olivia whispered while her son was hugging her after she cried for about two minutes. Both rarely had the opportunity to talk but that does not mean that the love they felt inside was any lesser. She thanked the heavens that she was given a son like Maru. Her husband may have left her. But he also left behind two wonderful gifts. Her children were her life now. They were the ones that sustained her to fight this sickness."I have something for you, mom." Maru said in reply to his mother. He disengaged from the hug and a basket appeared out of thin air between them. Her mom wasn't aware of the magical thing before her. She only saw her son reached for something in his front and then a bottle magically materialized atop his outstretched hand."So it's rea
"Yes we will, Uwyn. Not tomorrow, okay? But someday, we will." Maru replied to his sister. He knew that being isolated out here in the wilderness was not good for them. They can live here indefinitely but that would also mean that they could not relate with other people. Uwyn misses her friends and even if she doesn't show it, she misses the city very much. Even though life was still hard there, at least she could have fun with children her age and play until sunset. That was why she cried so much when they left the city before."You promise!?" Uwyn asked her brother immediately. Her hope of coming back into the city was renewed after she heard Maru's words. She wanted to know how her friends were by now and if they were missing her also. What she felt was the intense longing of returning to their home. It was also home here. But their home ins