by Neven Iliev
“Chraar!” (Look at that shiny thing!)
“Chra! Shreehss?” (Wow! Did this deadbeat always have such a thing?)
“Krrrr…” (So shiny…)
“Hrack! Hrarrrak.” (No way! He can barely afford mushroom wine.)
“Hrakrr?” (So, should we take it instead?)
“Grrrrr!” (Paws off, it’s mine!)
“Grrrrrr!” (No, the shiny is mine!)
“Graaaar! Hurrrrrrr!” (Quiet you idiots! I’m the boss here so it’s mine!)
Minic had no idea what was going on, but judging from how their chittering and soft purring grew into dangerous-sounding growls, this clearly wasn’t going to end in a fluffy situation. Therefore, Minic decided now was a good time to leave. So, while the three fluff-furs were busy hissing and snarling at one another, Minic carefully climbed off its seat and tried to skitter away.
“Hr? Shrraaaararaara!” (Huh? The shiny is trying to run away!)
However, it appeared they saw through Minic’s escape attempt almost immediately. One of the fluff-furs jumped at Minic and tried to snatch it up, but Minic managed to leap out of the way of its grabby-claws. Minic wanted to run away and tried its best to do so, but another fluff-fur managed to grab Minic before it gained any speed. He lifted Minic above his head and let out a triumphant cry.
“Krraaa!” (Shinyyy!)
“GRAR!” (I SAID MINE!)
The one with the knife moved forward and cut him on the back. He howled in pain and stumbled forward, dropping Minic in the process. He retaliated by turning around and clawing his attacker across the face, causing some juice to gush out from the knife-holder’s see-hole. The third one took advantage of the confusion and chased after Minic, but Minic had already bounced away at top speed in a random direction. The much taller fluff-fur would have easily caught up to Minic, but for better or for worse, Minic ended up running into the crowd of fluff-furs.
Howls, roars, chitters, and other sounds intensified around it as the big stone box’s interior was thrown into chaos. Two of the fluff-furs grabbed Minic on either side with one paw each and started punching and clawing each other while pulling on Minic from both directions. A pointy-tipped wooden stick suddenly appeared and slid into one’s shoulder, causing him to fall to one side and let go of Minic. The other fluff-fur held onto Minic firmly and made a run for it only to be hit by a thick piece of metal from the side. Possession of Minic was then forcibly relinquished to the really big and tough-looking fluff-fur that was holding that metal.
This one kept moving around while swatting other fluff-furs with one hand as if they were nothing, all while holding onto the struggling Minic. Pretty soon, the other fluff-furs gave up on coming near the big and tough one, and merely hissed and growled from a distance. Just when it appeared that things had more or less calmed down, a streak of fire flew in out of nowhere. It struck the big fluff-fur, making him stumble while also singing much of his softness.
“Hrahr! Shraaaararara!” (Iron-Club! Drop the shiny if you know what’s good for you!)
The one yelling was a fluff-fur missing a see-ball and wearing an old filthy rag as a pointy hat. He was waving a weirdly shaped stick in the tough one’s general direction.
“Grraahr! Rrrrargh!” (Stupid Flame-Eye! If you want it then come at me!)
“Hraerhalt!” (Firebolt!)
The tough fluff-fur’s protests were cut short by another plume of flame that just barely grazed his listen-holes.
“Hrahrahraaa! Khat! Gehahnnn!” (That was a warning shot! Give up! You can’t beat me!)
“Grmph!” (Bring it, fool!)
“Gah! Hraerhalt!” (You asked for it! Firebolt!)
Another lump of heat came flying at the fluff-fur still clinging onto Minic, but this time he dodged it entirely. However, he moved a bit too far to the left, prompting one of the surrounding fluff-furs to leap out of the sidelines and bite into his exposed arm. The two of them struggled for a few moments while the hat-wearer prepared to do his thing again. Just as he was about to unleash his fire, yet another random fluff-fur from the crowd leaped at the tough one. Their heads collided, forcing the big one to fall over with a yelp while finally letting go of his captive. The sudden motion flung Minic into the air with the worst possible angle and timing.
“Hraerhalt!” (Firebolt!)
The surrounding fluff-furs watched with mouths and see-balls wide open as the hat-wearer’s magic flew straight at Minic. The projectile would undoubtedly burn Minic to a crisp, possibly breaking its shiny gem. Thankfully, that did not happen. Instead, the plume of flame curved unnaturally to the right just as it was about to hit Minic and struck one of the bystander fluff-furs instead.
[A special action has been performed. LCK +1.]
Oh, hey! Minic’s old friend Mr. Think-Box was back! Unfortunately, Minic didn’t have time to chat right now and had to send it away. Minic knew it was rude, but it had a duty as Big Bro’s sibling to return home at all costs. This was a good chance for it, too, since all the fluff-furs’ attention was focused on the one that was just hit. Minic took the opportunity and skittered across the dirty floor with all its might. A few of the surrounding fluff-furs stepped away when they saw it approach, but one of them pounced on it and held it down with both claws.
“Hraerhalt!” (Firebolt!)
However, that hat-wearer refused to quit and threw yet more fire. The fluff-fur holding onto Minic held Minic up so that it was once more in the path of the incoming lump of heat. Like before, the projectile’s flight path swerved illogically around Minic in a perfect half-circle before striking the fluff-fur right in the sniffer. He fell over without uttering a yell while a very confused and startled Minic fell out of his suddenly limp paws.
[A special action has been performed. LCK +1.]
Minic was a bit happy to see Mr. Think-box was back so soon, but had to dismiss it once again with a silent apology. Minic had landed upside-down on its lid, but it managed to flip itself over by opening its mouth really wide. Just as Minic was about to break out into another run, it realized that the fluff-furs had drawn back even farther away from Minic. Even that persistent hat-wearer was looking at it funny, seemingly wondering something.
“… Hraerhalt?” (… Firebolt?)
Yet another fiery projectile flew towards Minic. This one, like the others, swung bizarrely around Minic and flew right back at its owner, burning the hat-wearer’s hat clean off of his fluffy head. The fluff-fur ran away screaming so quickly that he forgot his weird-stick. Minic felt bad about this turn of events. The formerly-hatted-one had put on such a fun light show, yet Minic hadn’t thanked it. Minic was a good Minic, so it wanted to make amends. It trotted over to the dropped weird-stick, carefully picked it up with its mouth, and turned towards the crowd of fluff-furs.
“Yip! Yip!” (Excuse me! I’d like to return this!)
For some reason, every last fluff-fur started running away while yelling. Even the big, tough one limped off with great speed even though his leg had a weird bend in it. This puzzled and troubled Minic greatly. Did Minic somehow ruin the fluff-furs’ collective fluffiness? That couldn’t be the case. Minic was a good Minic and would never do that. Perhaps this was some fun game? That one called ‘hide and seek’ came to mind. Yes, that was surely it. What other reason could there possibly be for so many things to run from Minic?
Having internally resolved that misunderstanding, Minic decided to play along and had lots of fun chasing the fluff-furs around. They seemed to enjoy it as well since they threw lots of gifts at Minic. None of those presents touched Minic, since they kept changing course at the last second, but that was fine. Minic would have liked to accept those rocks and pointy metal things, but it had to politely decline since it couldn’t carry them all.
[A special action has been performed. LCK +1.]
Mr. Think-box came back a few more times, but Minic wasn’t surprised. Mr. Think-box only dropped by when pretty lights and tiny gifts were being exchanged. Minic couldn’t chat with
Mr. Think-box like this, but Minic didn’t mind. Okay, Minic minded it a little, but only because Minic wanted to catch up with its old friend. In any event, Minic was getting pretty hungry, so it spat out the weird-stick, yipped a quick goodbye, and then ran off. Minic was eager to return to Her Softness and munch on more big-tree-fruit, so it moved as fast as its stubby legs could carry it.
Minic made its way through the completely unfamiliar maze of underground tunnels until it somehow reached the surface. Looking up, Minic saw that the big ceiling-bright was just about to get back to its post atop the Grand Ceiling. People were already out and about, so Minic had to be extra careful not to get stepped on by a stranger on its way back home. Despite its best efforts, however, Minic ended up accidentally bumping into someone’s leg.
“Oy, watch it!” the limb’s owner jumped lightly. “Wait, Minic? Is Rowana here with you?”
The pointy-listen-holed man looked around for a bit then knelt down and held out his hand towards Minic. Minic recognized him as the same person that Minic stayed with awhile back, though Minic still wasn’t sure why Minic was sent there in the first place. Still, he wasn’t a stranger, so Minic decided to be on its best behavior. It walked up to and lightly bumped against the man’s outstretched hand before offering a cordial greeting.
“Yip!” (Why hello there, good sir! A pleasure to see you are of still of sound mind and body! Forgive the sudden disturbance, but would you be willing to assist me?)
“Hehe, lively as ever, huh? Still, you’re a long way from home. Even if you like exploring, this is a bit much, mate.”
“Yap!” (Marvelous! Then I would be deeply grateful if sir would be kind enough to escort me to Her Royal Softness and Honorable Elder Sister’s box of residence.)
“This busy street is no place for you. C’mere, you little bugger! Let’s get you back to where you belong.”
Minic was gently picked up and carried off in the direction Minic was trying to go. It would seem Minic managed to relay its intent despite the language barrier. Minic was quite proud of itself for accomplishing such a feat. And indeed, just as promised, the nice man brought Minic right to Her Softness’s box and knocked on its lid. Her Softness noticed the signal and opened the lid within a few moments.
“Morning, Miss Slyth.”
“Good morning, Mr. Cunningham. Oh, Minic! There you are!”
Minic was passed from one set of hands to the other, feeling the distinct sensation of Her Softness’s softies pressing against its frame.
“Thanks so much for bringing him over. I hope it wasn’t a bother.”
“Ha-ha, no worries, Miss Slyth. I know full well he’s quite the slippery bugger. Has way too much energy for such a tiny pipsqueak.”
“I’ll say. I still have no idea how he manages to move around so much even though he never sleeps. We take him for walks and everything, but he never seems to tire out.”
“Well, what can you do. That’s part of the little guy’s charm.”
“I suppose you’re right. Would you like to come in for a cup of tea while you’re here?”
“No, that’s quite alright. I actually have to get ready for work. Good thing for our little friend here that I decided to leave early, eh? Ah, that reminds me, you might want to stay home for the next few hours.”
“What? Why?”
“Whole lot of racoonians spewed out of the sewers just before dawn, been causing quite the commotion since. I hear the guards are trying to get them under control, but the fuzzy bastards are too slippery for ‘em.”
“My word. It’s only at times like these I’m glad I live this high up… That’s weird, though. Aren’t racoonians just a bunch of cowardly vermin that live off of garbage?”
“That may be so, but they’re still monsters. They’re violent buggers when provoked.”
“So something spooked them? In the sewers?”
Her Softness’s grip on Minic tightened a bit, pressing it against her softies even more.
“Seems so. They’re still running around down there in a mad panic, attacking anyone and anything in their way.”
“No fatalities I hope.”
“Not that I’m aware, but plenty of scratches and bites.”
“Oh, no. The clinic’s gonna be flooded with smellitis and pusculosis cases.”
Minic saw that Her Softness was making a face of ‘do not want’ and tried to cheer her up, but Minic was held too tightly to offer words of wisdom.
“Indeed. That’s why I wanted to get to work early, actually. I imagine the morning shift would appreciate having an extra pair of hands to handle the influx of cases.”
“Want me to come too?”
“No, no, it’s quite alright.”
“You’re sure?”
“Absolutely. It’s not as if confused noses and oozing pustules are life threatening. Besides, I wouldn’t dare intrude upon you and your girlfriend’s time together.”
“Uhm… Th-thanks.”
“No worries. Anyway, I really need to get going. Enjoy your time off and I’ll see you at work in a few days. Ta-ta, Miss Slyth.”
The man departed with a smile and a wave as Her Softness brought Minic inside the comfortable old box. She seemed displeased with Minic’s griminess from the adventure, so it would probably be bubble-water time soon. Minic looked around for Big Sis and saw her sitting in the corner, fiddling with those springy, clicky, and poppy things she liked to play with.
Oh wait, no, that was actually Mother. She and Big Sis sometimes traded places, probably as part of some fun game. Minic could immediately tell them apart, even though others mixed them up quite often. Minic understood their confusion, though. Those two really looked quite alike when they wanted to, probably because they were so close. Minic could tell there was an oddly nostalgic bond between Big Sis and Mother. It felt almost the same as the one that existed between Mother and Father.
Thinking about such things reminded Minic of a better, fluffier time when Father and all of Minic's siblings were still around in that noisy, constantly rowdy place. Sweepy, Cookers, Sir Seatmeister the Third, Wardrobzilla, Tablesworth, the Bowl Triplets, and all the rest – Minic missed every last one of them. Minic went through some rather unfluffy experiences since their separation, but things were better now. Minic had people that it could share many fluffy times with. For the first time since that fateful day when Father disappeared, Minic finally had a home again. Granted, this one was smaller, a bit dirtier, and didn’t have any of its siblings, but Minic didn’t mind.
Minic didn’t mind a single bit.
Chapter Three
Positive Reinforcement
Part One
“Power Shot!”
The Ranger pulled a trigger as he spoke those words. That simple action initiated a basic mechanism resulting in the near-instantaneous release of a latch, which freed a taut string from its grip. The string was attached to horizontal wooden limbs that sprang forward as they recovered from their malformed shape. The thread causing the deformity was pulled forward as well, pressing into the bottom of a narrow wooden shaft. This precise application of force propelled the steel-tipped object along a groove which sent it flying through the air.
The crossbow launched its bolt without a hitch. The perfectly executed Martial Art empowered the projectile, allowing it to fly impossibly straight while carrying significantly more force than physics allowed. The steel-tipped shaft’s magic left a bright red trail of light as it soared through the battlefield. One of the first things it passed over was the corpse of a male elf. His once-shining silver armor was split asunder and covered with blood – both his own and that of his enemies. The long-handled axe that caused his mortal wound was still lodged in his chest, although its owner was nowhere to be seen. However, the traces of blood and torn skin on the weapon’s handle suggested that the elf’s killer hadn’t met a pleasant fate.
The crossbow bolt continued on its way completely unhindered by the grisly scene beneath it. Not that it had a choice
in the matter, being an inanimate object and all. Nor could it do anything to avoid the shard of jagged ice ahead. The Spell flew in a direction that intersected with the bolt’s path, albeit much slower. Their relative speeds were so different that they could be compared to an athlete in a dead sprint and a drunkard stumbling down an alley. Thus, the wooden projectile pulled ahead before its magical counterpart got in its way, allowing both to continue towards their intended targets.
However, the crossbow bolt’s intended victim was currently locked in close quarters combat. He had been kicked brutally in the abdomen just as the bolt was launched, and his head swayed just enough to barely avoid a remote stabbing. The Power-Shot-imbued bolt passed behind his ears without inflicting so much as a scratch and continued flying unhindered for a dozen more meters before it finally struck something.
*CLANGGG*
Something white, round, and metal.
[Your body has been pierced. HP -107.]
Or rather, someone.
"Oy! Watch the pants!"
Fizzy couldn’t help but voice her displeasure through gritted teeth. An arrow impact to the rear was not something she needed while struggling with some Monster Tamer’s pet janther. The massive six-legged feline predator clenched its powerful jaws around the golem’s signature wrench, locking the two in a contest of strength. The smaller, relatively lighter Paladin was pinned in place as the janther’s titanic weight pressed down on her from above. If her body had been made of flesh and blood rather than mithril, then she’d most likely be a bloody smear on the ground right now.
"Come on! You know we gotta do this!"