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mazm-imagines · 2 years ago

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Some Call It Stalking, I Say Walking Just Extremely Close Behind

hi guys. remember the illness fic i was talking abt for months. well. I finished it. 6956 words. oh my god what is wrong with me. TW for sh/cutting, it is not used in that context but just in case yk. Blood and stuff like that. also MAJOR THY CREATURE SPOILERS !!!! This is abt boss 3 so if ur not there yet dont read if u dont want spoilers teehee. fic under the cut

The Mad Scientist didn’t know much.

He didn’t know how, when, or why he was born.

All he knew from the moment of his birth was that he wanted to know.

That thirst for knowledge consumed every part of him. Not even a minute passed from conception and he had already shuffled through the papers below him, dim green glow of various bioluminescent specimens aided him in his reading. Even without them, a Nepe’s superior senses would have been sufficient enough.

From there he learned about matters of science, of humanities, of theology, and much more. Each book he pored through only multiplied the lust for knowledge. Papers, journals, artifacts, samples, it was never enough. No fact was forgotten. The Scientist couldn’t stay content to be confined in that library much longer. As of that point, he was only a mere concept. The word he could have described it as was ‘madness.’

It was almost cruel, to never be satiated, to know everything yet nothing.

He wandered yes- of course he did. A curious mind couldn’t stay idle. He had long since familiarized himself with the other creatures that were just like him.

Boring.

He already knew how Nepe worked.

The residents of the tower were where his real curiosities lay. He was always watching, hearing from the shadows, especially careful to not get caught by the hunter. Even in her old age her keen senses would have sniffed him out.

The other residents… not so much. The seamstress and the sailor seemed to be dimwitted enough. The farmer already lost most of his memories and the painter was near catatonic from grief. Perhaps if the raging alcoholic of a manager was sober he would be observant enough.

The only one with their head attached to their shoulders was the mortician he knew as Noah.

Noah could be described as… stingy, analytical, calm. It felt as if Noah’s eyes could look right at him. At least before the Mad Scientist would induce a dizzy spell on him– another one of the Nepe’s abilities.

Even when bickering with the seamstress– Justine– he’d stay poised. But the Scientist had the privilege to read Noah’s ledger. Suffice to say, Noah certainly had some pent up feelings.

And sometimes Noah prayed. Noah prayed for many things: for prosperity, for his loved ones, and for their souls.

In humanities and theology, the Scientist often read of the concept of a soul. What was a soul? According to what he had read, a soul consisted of many things, of memories and of humanity.

In the anatomical diagrams he examined, no human looked like him.

Golden horns, paper white skin and hair, and black sclera with goat-like pupils.

He wasn’t a human at all, but that was a forgone conclusion. As for memories, he had memories right? He could remember reading his favorite books or what he had done a minute ago. But there was a certain memory that started to arise the more he came to himself.

A memory that didn’t belong to him.

A memory of a man poring through documents, just as he would that entire time.

The first glimpse into that memory was when he had found a sheet of paper: an experiment log documenting research on what made a human. Concepts of willpower and emotion scattered throughout.

The back of a black-haired man flashed before his eyes.

“More… more…”

The man spouted a mantra of madness whilst filtering through the books strewn around: all useless junk to him.

That was the first time he had ever seen that man, but it wasn’t the last.

He scanned the page again, searching for a name.

And a name he got.

“Victor.”

Victor was a common name from what he had known. It meant winner, triumphant, champion, all that was virtuous in the world.

The Mad Scientist didn’t have a name. There was no one that even knew of his existence to even call him anything.

It was always quiet in the library, but the newfound revelation of his memory made the silence deafening.

His core… was Victor. It was a human’s.

Perhaps it was time to christen himself.

In humanities, he had read of Erysichthon, a Greek king cursed with an insatiable hunger. Even if it was a literal hunger, he couldn’t help but empathize. He too was cursed with an insatiable hunger: the hunger for knowledge. It was a suitable mantle to take up in his eyes.

No point in contemplating now, he had a world to dissect. His name from that point on became Erysichthon.

What was a human? What was a Nepe? Who determined such arbitrary terms? What was the difference? Was it the soul? Flesh? So many research questions and so little practice.

The definition of a soul was so… flimsy. Centuries of philosophical debate and no true answer? Erysichthon was determined to find out. As of late, he had felt more and more restless– unrestrained.

He only knew of the green earth from behind the pages. He had no need of theoreticals anymore, only hands-on, personal experience could ever satisfy him again.

For that, he would need a new form, so as to not… scare his specimens.

Research question: Can a Nepe be human?

The form he held now was raw, untainted, untouched by all influence except madness. But it wasn’t human.

He could change his form, that was a skill he learned by looking on a piece of shattered glass. On a whim he wished to change his white hair to green, and there it was. Ever since then he would toy around with his form. A Nepe can afford to be malleable.

Now it was time to push the limit, innovation came from necessity as they say.

He’d have to clear up the marks on his face first- lest he looked like the notebook he scribbled in. Then there was the matter of his skin and hair. The pale white was considered unnatural, unless he was an albino- but he wasn’t even a human! He was at least two times the size of one.

Horns atop his head were monstrous, no creature on earth could compare. His pupils were akin to a goat’s, not to mention pitch black sclera.

Unfortunately, those would have to go too.

Erysichthon had never interacted with a living breathing human up close, but he had interacted with a dead one. Many, many dead ones. They were mainly mangled corpses he dissected, but he could piece two and two together as to what a living human should be by now. All the research and… observing wouldn’t be for nothing.

In one thought, he could feel himself getting smaller, frail. It wasn’t a permanent transformation, his power still remained intact enough to turn back.

Floating hands seceded to nothing, and from the dead space under his coat legs grew out. Muscles, bones, and sinew all manifested from thin air faster than one could comprehend.

As soon as the feet touched the ground, Erysichthon’s legs gave in. It was a strange feeling to walk on two legs rather than floating about. With a clumsy step forward he planted his face onto the stacks of books below him. Ouch.

The face that gazed back at him on the base of the bronze statue in the theology room was near unrecognizable. The only features that stayed even remotely intact were the green tips that lined the newfound raven black hair and slitted black pupils centered on yellow irises. Tsk, can’t change it all he supposed.

Old fashioned clothes that barely held onto his shoulders weighed him down. Ah, he forgot to account for that as well.

It was time to discard them too, the large bowknots and fur-lined coat was so last century–

–But he didn’t want to let go of them either…

From what he had read, children often dressed in non-threatening fashion. Shorts or shortened dresses, vibrant colors, and adorned in decorations. The Nepe girl he had met certainly looked the part. It was in his taste to say the least, but would it be suitable? He’d often read that adults and children were expected to present differently. Maybe he should blur the lines a little.

Research question: Why are adults and children expected to wear different clothes?

The black turtleneck shrunk down to a white blouse, with cuffs and neckline adorned by signature yellow bowknots. His fur coat morphed into shorts and suspenders.

Can’t forget the footwear-

Simple dress shoes and knee-high socks were good enough.

The oversized green bag of notes shrunk down as well to fit his new size.

The new form felt odd, to say the least. His height had been cut by half: places he could reach before were now off-limits. The sensation of placing one foot after another was oh so very foreign. There was nothing Erysichthon couldn’t learn though. This was merely a trial in his experiments.

However… What were the limits of this new body? What was inside? It was a rough shell of what a human should be. Humans bled, cried, drooled- and many other functions. This vessel was under his mercy, if he so desired, he wouldn’t have to do any of those things.

This was his first experiment.

After taking a shard of glass off the floor, Erysichthon pulled up his right sleeve. With one painless swipe against his arm, he started to observe the results.

…

Perhaps he made a miscalculation, if the smoke leaking out indicated anything. In the span of 5 seconds, the wound sealed up.

There were two things to be noted:

No nerve endings to feel anything. Pain, pleasure, warmth, or coldness would be rendered null. No nerve system.

No blood either, he was lacking the blood vessels or any parts at all to even have a functioning cardiovascular system.

This meant he had no organs, supposedly. He had a cheap imitation of a muscular system at least.

It was an oversight, nothing a little willpower couldn't remedy. His dissections and research would finally come in hand.

Erysichthon managed to will a heart into existence, or at least the simulation of one. Placing a palm over his chest met him with the rhythmic thumping of a heartbeat. How lovely…

Not stopping at that, he made room for the rest of his organs. Nerves slowly manifested in flesh, he had now felt the absence of warmth in the room- and the warmth in his face.

This should do the trick.

Once again he picked up the shard of glass and swiped over his arm.

Ow- It hurts!

He cried out before looking into the wound.

Yet before he had even noticed the blood dripping out, he recognized the water leaking from his eyes. Slender fingers crawled up to his cheeks to paw at the tears.

I’m… crying…

I’m crying in pain!

Just as he couldn’t help the tears, he couldn’t help the mad laughter erupting from his throat.

I’m crying! I’m bleeding! I really have become human…

Before that moment, he had never cried before. There was a bizarre delight to be found in weeping. But Erysichthon was a bizarre creature.

Just as easily as he willed the wound open, he shut it back closed. Smeared blood evaporated back into the smoke it came from.

Now that he had perfected his form, it was time to roam around.

Erysichthon pulled open the door of the library and carefully peeked out, not a soul could be seen as far as his eyes could tell.

Instead there were Nepes made of green ooze. Oh yes, he knew of these creatures. This was his domain, and they would leave him alone well enough.

The foot he placed forward nearly stumbled, he wasn’t ready to leave the support of the walls quite yet. Hugging the walls, he carefully moved to different rooms, calling out a demure ‘hello?’ in each one.

It was apparent there would be no humans there, well, nothing wrong with using a bit of omnipotence right?

2 humans were located on the first floor, another was located on the second. A few more were located on the fourth.

If he were to approach any other floor besides the first, they would surely have gotten suspicious. The corruption of the tower led by Nepes kept the residents on edge.

Another touch of omnipotence wouldn’t hurt-

And just like that, he found himself at the imposing front doors of the tower.

Oh this would be fun.

What wasn’t fun was the numerous Nepes imitating mangled dolls that patrolled the halls.

–

“Noah, we're damn stuck! We’re going to die! Stop laughing!”

“Pfffft… how can I not when you tripped over your own dress? We are going to die, can’t I go out with a laugh?”

“Stop! Stop it! I’ll sew your mouth shut!”

“Alright alright I’ll stop.”

“Hmph!”

“...Klutz.”

“You-! Bastard!”

Justine balled up her fists before plunging them straight into Noah’s chest. Her victim could only stifle a weary laugh behind a hand.

Just as Noah was about to open his mouth, a crash was heard from behind them.

“Who’s there?” Noah stepped in front of Justine so as to take initiative. Turning his head had let his calculating eyes gaze upon the intruder.

Currently said intruder was planted face first on the floor– An even bigger klutz than Justine.

Is that a child?

“Sir William?!” Did Justine know this person?

“William?! I’m not William!” Ah. She was mistaken. The boy she mistook for “William” raised his head to look back at them. Noah couldn’t tell if it was his bleariness, but something looked unnatural about the irises that met his own. He wasn’t exactly at his sharpest of senses but something was certainly off.

Upon further inspection, the “boy” was… a man surely. Childish clothes had almost convinced Noah of his youth, but his neck and limbs indicated otherwise. Oh God he’s one of those.

Those bastards that wouldn’t fess up their age no matter what.

Noah felt the blood leak from his face once he realized the sort of person he would be dealing with. But his age wasn’t one of the more important questions Noah had.

Yellow eyes with slitted pupils…

“Justine get behind me- and you- stay back.” From the pocket of Noah’s pitch black coat, Justine vaguely made out a glint.

“Wah?! What’s wrong?!”

“Stay there. Move any closer and I won’t hesitate.”

“Hesitate to what?!” The black-haired man cried out.

“Noah, you're scaring him! Stop! Please…” Justine had rarely seen this anger from the poised Noah. It was terrifying to hear the steely voice from his bandaged neck. And not once had he raised said voice. Considering he had been on edge the past week or so, perhaps this was the culmination of his exhaustion.

She tugged at Noah’s sleeve as a silent plea to calm down. Biting blue eyes looked down Justine’s honeyed brown ones.

That was enough to defrost Noah’s temperament it seemed, as his furrowed eyebrows loosened.

“Fine. I have a few questions for you. And you better start talking.” “Yes sir!”

“What’s your name?”

“I’m uhm I’m Ery- E-”

“Out with it.” The more Noah pressed, the more the black-haired man flushed in embarrassment.

He had no mercy! Perhaps that no-nonsense attitude is what EL liked most about him.

“Noah!- Take your time! Don’t listen to him alright?”

Truth be told, Justine was wary of the new stranger. Something about him… felt off.

But he looked just like William-! At least, what he would have looked like if he managed to grow older. On the off chance that this was a victim of the tower, she couldn’t let Noah throw him to the dogs! Or well, the Nepes.

“I’m EL…” “How did you get in here? The doors are shut. I’ve tried for damn ages to open it! We were just there. Even the back is closed- And here you are, waltzing in…” The last words trailed off as Noah started to grumble to himself in irritation.

“I- uhm… I came here right around the time of the attacks! I got stuck… and hic…”

“It’s been two weeks and you think I’d believe that?”

“It’s true! Please believe me! I passed out in the middle of it… I just woke up…”

“Noah… be nice.”

EL didn’t particularly mind the pressing, not when he could finally meet his dear specimens. But it would be suspicious if he didn’t put up any resistance, especially for someone like Noah.

He just couldn’t contain his excitement to meet them!

I can't wait to harvest them~

As a Nepe of madness, Erysichthon had an unusual ability: the ability to impart obsession onto those weak of mind. A natural charm that allured the vulnerable. Slowly yet surely, he watched Justine’s hesitation waver.

EL was practically imprisoning his overwhelming joy within a pitiful expression. From his limited vision on the floor he could see Justine take slow steps from behind Noah, approaching cautiously before she knelt by him.

She fell for it… just as hypothesized~

“Justine- What are you doing? You can’t just-!”

“Noah, he’s one of us. He’s scared and alone.”

“Look at his eyes! Only damn Nepes have those yellow eyes!” Damn, he did make a good point.

“Can you stop making assumptions? You think you know everything? Let’s ask EL alright?”

“Alright EL. What’s with those eyes of yours hm?”

“I, uhm, have a condition… It’s just like that… I swear I’m not a Nepe!”

Damn! He was as observant as EL hypothesized, but this would be troublesome…

He could eat that memory later, for now he had to ensure their trust. With a quick nod of his head, he induced another bout of exhaustion onto the other man.

“Is that so? You must think I’m stupid if-” before Noah could finish his snide remark the low growl of a Nepe was made apparent.

“Grrrrrr…”

“Dammit. We stayed here for too long. Justine, we have to go.”

“What about EL?!”

“You already know. But whatever, you do what you want. I feel dizzy.” With that Noah ran off leaving Justine alone with EL.

This is my chance… To take her as a specimen-!

“Well… he’s not saying no! Let’s go EL!” EL was snapped out of his thoughts by Justine offering a hand to him. He only gave a cheerful smile in return.

“Oh! Thank you… thank you so much!”

“It’s no problem!"

Mustn't get too hasty… I could secure the whole camp.

One mental note later and EL was being led out by Justine to the stairs.

“Oh wow EL! Your grip is… really strong!”

“Ahahaha… I hear that a lot. I’ve just been carrying a lot around! I used to work at a library so-! Just used to carrying books around.”

EL wasn’t sure when he had gotten used to lying as easily as he “breathed.” Perhaps Justine was stupid and his lies were flimsy or he just really was a natural at it. Either way, Noah wouldn’t be fooled.

“And EL… are your legs alright? I noticed that you’ve been limping a lot. Is that why you tripped earlier?”

“Oh! I was running away from a Nepe and I just… tripped. It hurts-!” EL whined out to sell his story. He was just a klutz but whatever made Justine pity him he would gladly take advantage of. To further encourage sympathy, EL willed open a few blood vessels around his knees to simulate bruising. His newfound pain receptors forced him to wince for real this time. The pain was enough to make EL drop- he had never experienced such agony before... He never experienced pain at all till an hour ago!

Justine’s eyes darted downwards once she felt the pressure on her hand pull her down as well.

“Oh EL! You poor thing! I didn’t even notice before! We have to get out first but as soon as we get there I’ll wrap it up.” Justine gave a reassuring squeeze to EL’s hand before helping him back up.

That squeeze… for what possible reason could she have done that for? The concept of love was quite foreign to EL. Yes he knew of it from his research, but he’s never felt love in its true form. He loved his specimens technically. But Justine’s pure affection? Strange… It wasn’t a bad feeling at all. EL could feel his face heat up for some odd reason.

“Are you okay EL? Your face is quite red too…”

“Ah! Yes yes I’m alright! Don’t worry!” Perhaps he should try to show his affection too, as an experiment that is.

—

After carefully navigating around the Nepes, the two could finally make their way to the gallery hallway.

“The stairs are coming up soon, our camp is on the fourth floor though… Don’t worry, if me and Noah could come down here, I'm sure we can go up just as easily! Leon’s on the second floor too just in case.” Justine let out a nervous smile, bottom lip quivering ever so slightly. Perhaps EL should return the favor from earlier.

“It’ll be alright! I think-” EL’s attention was drawn away to a shine on the floor. Ever a curious mind, EL let go of Justine's hand to examine.

The shining item seemed to be a scalpel. Justine hovered behind him in intrigue as well till a realization froze her in place.

“This- this is Noah’s…”

“Really?” EL pocketed it away, just in case he could return it later.

“Maybe he dropped it…”

No matter how much Justine tried to hide her anxiety, EL could feel it practically radiating off of her. Nepe’s sense and all.

“Maybe he did! It’s okay Justine. It’ll be okay!” EL wasn’t particularly knowledgeable about what to say, all he could do was regurgitate trite words he read from novels. But an attempt to comfort was made nonetheless.

“I… I hope so. Let’s go…” Justine gave a smile tinted with melancholy before shaking her head.

After grabbing EL’s hand again, Justine carefully inched toward the stairwell door.

One peek around the corner and Justine immediately gagged.

What on Earth could she have seen?

“N-Noah!” Before he could even ask, he received an answer. EL stole a look for himself and-

Noah was propped up a corner, smoke flowed out from the top of his head as a hollow expression graced his features. A Nepe was sitting on top of him, feasting. EL noted the scalpel lodged into its forehead, all the while it remained unbothered. Noah put up a fight it seemed.

Perhaps he overdid it with the exhaustion spells these past few weeks or so.

“He’s… No... no no no no no.” Justine cried to herself. Her legs caved as all her worries were confirmed right then and there. Tears streamed down her face with choked sobs shackling her judgment like a collar.

It seemed she would be out of the picture.

EL could have done something, at the very least.

“Justine… I must say, I enjoyed this time with you. Stay here alright?” EL was about to do something quite reckless. Science was all about alternating variables. At the very least, he couldn’t let his specimens get tarnished.

“EL… No! No! Please don’t… don’t!” Justine tugged on his sleeve in an attempt to get him to stay. Unfortunately EL was far stronger than she would be as he pulled his sleeve away to prepare.

“I’ll kill it.”

“I’ll… I’ll come with you then.” Justine hastily wiped away her tears with a sleeve. Clumsily, she stood back up with a newfound determination.

She wasn't as weak as he thought after all.

Research question: If I were to rip a Nepe open, what would happen?

With no particular plan, EL ran into the Nepe as fast as he could, plunging a scalpel into its chest before shoving it into an adjacent wall.

“Justine! Drag Noah out! I’ll take care of this.”

“Got it!” Justine took Noah by the underarms before dragging him away. At least, attempting to- he was two times her size. Not that EL cared. He had to retrieve Noah’s memory before it got digested.

That wouldn’t be an easy task. Now that EL had shrunk down by half, he realized just how small a human was compared to a Nepe. Even with Noah’s 210 centimeters, the Nepe was a third taller than him.

The Nepe attempted to bite at his skull which EL would dodge haphazardly.

Left right left right. A tedious dance and song.

Sit still would you.

EL pulled out the scalpel in its stomach before jabbing it back into the Nepe’s neck, hopefully pinning it to the wall. Just for good measure, he wrapped a lithe hand around its throat, squeezing ever so slightly. After ripping out the scalpel from its head, EL slashed across its stomach to rummage around for memories.

The lack of organs would be accounted for by the black smoke. EL had an approximate 5 minutes to retrieve the memory, yet he could feel the smoke attempt to seal around his wrist.

It didn’t take long before EL found the small stone- stones? This Nepe seemed to have collected quite a few memories from Noah. Just touching them gave him a bout of hunger. He couldn’t eat these today though.

“Justine-! Take these!” EL lazily tossed them to her with one hand, paying no mind as to what she was actually doing.

“Oof! Got them!” Justine dropped Noah in favor of holding the memories. Which one was Noah’s?! Were they all his?!

Now EL had full freedom to play as he wished. Ripping the scalpel out from its neck would give Erysichthon two blades to slash with.

Oh oh oh- I wish it was a human… Oh well!

He gave a little pout at the fact he couldn’t just dissect a live human, but that didn’t stop his desire to cut up a creature all the same.

That troublesome Nepe had been going after his head that entire time. Perhaps he should return the favor. With a forceful stab across the Nepe’s neck, he managed to behead it in one fell swoop. Huh, that wasn’t supposed to happen.

The Nepe was merely a doll made of fabric then, that was the only reasoning he had for being able to behead a 8 ft monster.

It certainly made his job easier! WIthout much of a complaint, he proceeded to cut away at the body maniacally. A look of madness crept up to his face, yet he was far too consumed by the euphoria of it all to even hide it.

He saw a small sparkle within the Nepe.

More memories? They didn’t seem to be Noah’s at least, based on the aura he was receiving.

Just as he was about to pull out the last batch of memories deeper within the shadows, EL shrieked in pain at a stabbing sensation around his ankles.

What the hell was that?!

“EL!” A shrill scream called his name from across the room, snapping EL back into his senses. Looking down met him with his attacker.

The Nepe head he threw away earlier came back with a fury, currently it was biting away at his ankles.

Well, that was a sign, if any to finally leave. Taking both scalpels, EL jammed them into the Nepe before scrambling to Justine and Noah, blood trailed not far behind.

“EL! Are you okay?!”

“Yes- yes- How’s Noah?” He asked through gritted teeth.

“He’s taken in some of his memories and fell back asleep… What do we do?!”

“Wake him back up of course!”

Justine stared at him with a confounded look before nodding.

“I suppose you’re right…”

Noah was laying down beside Justine, sleeping peacefully with glasses lopsided. For all his sternness while those eyes were open, he looked quite gentle in slumber. As if in sync, both EL and Justine shook him to break that peace.

“Noah! Wake up! Someone just robbed your store!” Unorthodox method from Justine, but it worked.

“Huh- huh wuh huh-” Dark lashes fluttered open, revealing the piercing blue underneath.

“What happened… Blood… I smell blood.” Noah removed his glasses from the bridge of his nose before rubbing at his eyes. A quick sniff let Noah assess the situation as he replaced the spectacles.

“Oh, it’s you.”

“Noah! He saved you!”

“I- I can see that…” Noah immediately jumped to his disdain for the intruder, completely missing the fact that he was his savior. It wasn’t till his eyes wandered down to the bite marks at EL’s legs did he realize. Of course he could never admit he was ever wrong, Justine would surely have a field day if he did.

“We don’t have much time till the Nepe gets back up, we have to get out of here-” EL gasped out in pain as the blood kept dripping, his small hands could barely hold the wound shut. Yes he could have just willed it closed, but not in front of Justine and Noah! Noticing his pain, Noah rummaged around his pockets to look for something. EL didn’t know what for till the hand came out with a small roll.

He was actually going to help him? EL could feel his face heat up at the kind(?) gesture. An equally warm feeling lit from somewhere within.

“Did you get a fever too? Stick your legs out. You have an abnormally large amount of blood, it just won't stop…” EL complied wordlessly, readjusting his position for easier access. Noah examined the wounds before unrolling the bandages.

“This won’t be a bang-up job, I’ll treat you properly when we get back.”

“You’re taking him back with us?!” Justine beamed at his newfound acceptance, eyes that were shining with tears now shone with joy.

“Hm, I don’t think Nepes attack each other.” Erysichthon just had, but they don’t need to know about that. Without batting an eye, Noah continued to wrap up EL’s legs, albeit hurriedly. He seemed to be still on edge as from a distance, the faint growls of the Nepe could be heard.

“I was right! I was right! Bet you feel a bit stupid now Noah.” Justine playfully elbowed him in the rib until he stared her down. His stare was enough to make her retract her arm.

“Hahaha. I’ll speak to you two later, right now I need some maze flower tea…” With one final wrap around, Noah tied the bandages into place and offered a hand to EL.

“Get up. We don’t have much time. Do you need help walking?” Justine stood up with him to also offer a hand.

“Ehehe… just a little!” The warm feeling in his face returned, the pink blush wouldn’t go unnoticed by his new companions.

“Oh EL- your face! Are you… happy? Oh wait you must be sick! Ohhhh we have to get out!” In a rush, EL grasped their hands firmly in his. The force slightly pulled Noah down as his eyes widened in shock. He didn’t expect such strength from such a tiny body. In a few seconds EL could see the emotions dancing in Noah’s eyes before they settled in indifference.

“He’s fine, probably embarrassed. His hands are cold.” There was a world of difference between Justine and Noah’s hands. Justine’s were small, the same size as EL’s own, yet calloused from labor. Noah’s meanwhile were quite large, enveloping his own hand in a comforting grip. The consistent feature between the two was steadiness that could carry a soul.

Justine took the initiative in letting EL lean on her shoulder as Noah was far too tall to shoulder him. Instead Noah squatted near the Nepe head.

“What are you doing?! We have to go!”

“Give me a second Justine.”

With a mighty pull, Noah wrung out the scalpels before plunging them back in a few times or so. For good measure, he kicked the slowly reattaching torso across the room.

“Alright I’m done. Let’s go”

—

“Ahhh Justine! Noah! You’re back! AND-! Is that a new comrade?! Huzzah! Huzzah! Although… You all look like-”

“We know Leon. Do you have the bag?”

“Yes! I would never forget! Care to at least regale me of what happened?!”

“Mhm later. Not now. Set him down there Justine.”

Justine carefully plopped him up on a dusty table for Noah to examine. EL made a mental note prior to hold back on the blood quantity this time, lest Noah gets suspicious.

“Your rapid blood loss was a miracle, I’m surprised you didn’t pass out then and there. But you’re one unusual human I suppose.”

Human! He called him a human! EL’s face was graced with a rosy blush once again, this time in delight.

“That too I guess.”

“What’s your name, little guy?”

“I’m EL!” What started as a rushed mispronunciation ended up as his new epithet. What was even the point of coming up with a name only to not even use it? Well, not that he minded.

“EL really saved us back there! You won’t believe it Leon!”

“Wahhhh?! Really?! Little guy I thank you for saving my comrades! Tell me all about it later alright?” The man named Leon smiled brighter than the bioluminescent specimens of the third floor. His excitability matched EL’s own it seemed. He had more to him up close than Erysichthon would have thought from a distance. This experiment was truly a success.

“My name isn’t little guy! I’m EL!”

“Ahahaha my mistake!” Leon gave a light-hearted thump on EL’s back, only to be met with a loud cough. Unfortunately that cough would land right on Noah who was currently sanitizing the bite marks.

“Didn’t anyone ever tell you to cover your mouth when you cough?’

“Sorry! It just hurt-”

“That’s what antiseptic does.” EL didn’t even notice the slight stinging compared to the newfound sensation of getting thumped on the back. Justine came over to rub his back instead in an attempt to soothe it.

“Leon, didn’t Alex tell you not to do that.” Noah dryly let out.

“I uhm- Yes! Sorry sorry- I just got excited! We have a new friend!”

“You can play with him later.”

“Don’t worry Leon! He’s here to stay.”

To stay… for now he could indulge in that “eternity.”

“To stay?! Huzzah new friend! I can’t wait to show you to Alex!”

The hunter… She would see through his disguise surely?! Unless Noah and Justine were to pull a favor for him.

“Mhm. Alright EL, hop off.” With one final wrap around, Noah completed the treatment. EL silently obeyed the command, however he underestimated the pain that came with applying force directly on his ankles. Mindlessly he jumped down from the table instead of slowly sliding off.

“Ye-OWCH!” He fell with bandaged knees hitting the carpet. Noah groaned in frustration whilst Justine and Leon came to his aid.

“EL! Are you okay?”

“Little guy! You gotta be more careful!”

“Wahhh! I’m alright! Just- hurts a little.”

“Why on Earth would you jump down? What am I going to do with you…” Noah inevitably kneeled by the two doting on EL. Were you born yesterday? He would’ve asked if this ditz didn’t just save his life. EL was an absolute klutz in his eyes, but admittedly his kindness was charming. He seemed to be determined too, Noah could respect that.

“Sorry! Sorry… You worked so hard on my legs and I messed it up-” This guy was hopeless. Although, he vaguely reminded Noah of the kids back at Winston in a way even though he was an adult.

“Justine, Leon, you two can go on ahead. I promise I won’t put EL in a coffin. I’ll get him back safe.”

“Eh? Why?”

“Indeed! Why so?”

“I need to have a private word with him. Besides, I think he burst something again.”

“But! But we just met! And the Nepes- Can’t we go back together?!”

“Are you afraid Leon?”

“No! Of course not! I was merely worried for you two! Ahaha!”

“You can stay by the next set of stairs then, or wander around. Try seeing if the third floor is safe.”

“Noah, are you sure? You nearly became a Nepe’s dinner and-”

“I took a rest, I'll be fine Justine. Look at me.”

“I- alright. Don’t get caught again, alright?!”

“I know I know. Thanks.” With a final send-off, Noah dismissed the other two to the third floor. With no witnesses, Noah was finally free to discuss with EL.

“Alright EL, are you okay now? Nothing hurts?”

“No sir!”

“Oh quit it with that sir business. You’re making me feel old. How old are you anyways?” Finally, the moment of truth.

“Hm… I can’t tell you that!” Dammit. He was one of those people. Although unbeknownst to Noah, EL didn’t prepare an answer to this question in the first place.

“Touche. Although I suppose that was a personal question anyways. I owe you an apology for earlier. I wasn’t in the best of states, and well. Jumped to conclusions. How silly of me.” Noah turned his head aside in embarrassment. He can’t believe he was being sincere. All the while EL was smiling happily. How peculiar to see this tender side of the ruthless Noah. This was an unexpected outcome.

“It’s alright! I don’t really mind.”

“I’ve seen all sorts of people while carrying out funerals, from corpses to guests. I suppose it’s not entirely strange to see someone with eyes like yours in the first place.”

“Really?! I’d like to see one day.”

“A- a funeral? You want to see… dead people?” Noah was dumbfounded at the desire to see someone dead. With a shocked look on his face he pushed back the glasses on the bridge of his nose. EL really was seeing a rainbow of emotions from Noah today. And he loved every one.

“No!” A lie on EL’s behalf, but he could tell from his reaction that wanting to see dead people wasn’t normal.

“No no no! I meant like- people?”

“Eh? Haven’t seen people before? It really is like you were born… nevermind.”

“I- well I have! It’s just… I didn’t live in a place with many people. I heard there were a lot here so-!” That technically wasn’t a lie, just wording around the truth of the matter.

“Ah. That explains a bit.” Well now Noah felt like a right bastard for bullying a sheltered kid with a mutation.

“Eh? What does that mean?”

“Hm. Nothing.”

“Wait- please tell me!”

“Aren’t you a curious one? I promise it was nothing of value.”

“Okay!” EL stared at Noah with inquisitive eyes. The goat-like pupils started to freak him out ever so slightly, but the innocent expression that framed them made him feel guilty to even think those thoughts in the first place.

“And… I must thank you for saving me. I owe you. Without you, I don’t even know if Justine would have lended a helping hand. I can’t imagine living a life as lost…”

“Hm. I think she would have! She worries a lot, yes, but with some encouragement she can be of use! She cares a lot for you too, I think.”

“You’re right I suppose. Gah, this means I’ll have to tell her my gratitude too.” Noah groaned into his palm. It was not the thanks itself that made him exasperated but rather Justine’s smug face. Perhaps Noah over-estimated how willing Justine was to rib him in the first place.

“Mhm! Don’t worry! She seems really nice! I don’t think she’d say anything bad to you for it right?”

“I guess. Well that’s my problem for later. Let’s go now.” Noah stood up from the floor before dusting himself off. Once he was finished with tidying up, he offered a hand back to EL. A hand he was more than eager to accept.

For the next few months, EL lived happily among his beloved residents. The hunter- Alex- at first was hesitant to accept him, her keen senses nearly sniffed him out. However with the alibis of both Justine and Noah, she left him alone well enough. The alcoholic manager named Chris would boss him around, something about “respecting his elders.” The farmer he knew as Ben was a curious creature, lost. Leon the sailor was a jovial spirit, exciting him with his mere presence. EL had only met the catatonic painter named Hanna briefly. She went back to sleep soon enough. All these humans were so fascinating.

A Nepe like him couldn’t have possibly understood the concept of heaven, but those months were the closest he could've gotten to one. The time he spent with Justine and Noah especially made him experience what could only be undeniably human emotions. He never wanted it to end… perhaps it was time to reap his harvest and keep his darling specimens forever.

“Is that… a human?”

“EEEEK he’s bleeding!” A gagging noise followed by a thud on the floor. Justine had fainted.

“Noah! We have to help them! Justine and this guy!”

“Eugh. Fine, you take care of Justine, I’ll take this guy.” With a hefty pull, the warm hands that once enveloped EL’s own once upon a time ago had shattered into pieces. A sharp gasp followed with heavy grunts.

“Noah! Are you okay?!” Setting Justine aside to a safe place, EL sat by Noah to tend to him instead.

“God have mercy… I’ll- be fine. Please look after Justine. I’ll take care of this guy.”

“At least let me bandage your hands first!”

This human… no. This was no human. No human could crush bones like glass. Another specimen to collect.

Things have turned quite curious indeed.

#mazm #mazm thy creature #mod gwaaaaar #Noah #Mazm noah #EL (thy creature)#Erysichthon #EL #Erysichthon (Thy Creature)#justine moritz #tw s/h #Leon Berger #Noah Evans #thy creature #gwaaaaar writing

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