“Have you heard of a gun?” Cake says for me.

“Yes,” Gothalyn replies.

Well, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised if this world has trucks and modern clothing than guns are basically guaranteed.

“What about the internet?”

“Yes?” Gothalyn replies, looking at me strangely.

Holy shit! This world has the internet! What else does it have!

“A smartphone?”

“Yes? How? Know?” Gothalyn replies, shaking her head in confusion and finally ending the petting which allows me to regain some of my lost dignity.

It has smartphones, too! Although, I probably need to think of a good excuse as to why a talking monster knows about some of this world’s technology, actually, do I really have to hide that I'm from another world somewhat similar to this one from Gothalyn I mean she already knows a decent amount about me.

“Here’s a hint: if you so much as read the first rule of the contract you signed it would read out the following, ‘Under no circumstances shall the signee spread the idea of their past lives amongst non-bound individuals,” GagOs says to me.

Welp looks like I have to come up with a convincing enough lie for Gothalyn, mind helping me with that too GagOs.

“No, it is not mandated that I do, so I won’t...but I will be watching in interest on your solution so I can prepare a 2000 page review on each mistake,” GagOs responds to my mental thought.

I thought GagOs was going to say that but I’m obviously going to ask since it doesn’t cost me anything, I don’t even have to speak that’s how little it costs me. My non-existent jaw muscles will never go sore!

Ahh, but I need to think of an excuse for Gothalyn, well uh...I guess I’ll try to pretend she didn’t ask anything and ask her about her life that’s always a good way to avoid questions you don’t want to answer.

“What do you like to do in your free time; I mean when you aren’t you know...hanging out with me,” Cake speaks for me.

Gothalyn looks out the front of the window and her face shows a brand new expression, that of a slightly curved gentle smile, not a creepy one like usual, but a gentle kind one.

“I...hang out. sister.” Gothalyn replies.

Oh thank god, it worked. I didn’t know how that was gonna go if she kept pressuring me about it, but luckily due to my innate charm I was able to subdue the goth girl and her curious questions into my private life so I’ll let her keep daydreaming about her sister or whatever her weird short sentences mean half the time. Honestly, I am very curious about why she speaks like that, but I think I’ll wait until she completely forgets about asking me, why I know so much as a monster trapped in a cave.

“Yesterday. I. Wrapped. Her. Up. In. A. Blanket.”

She should probably forget once she finishes this whole spiel about her sister.

5 hours later:

I regret ever entering this truck with this psycho woman! I swear to god she just described in accurate detail an entire decade's worth of interaction she had with her sister, using single words!

“I. Watched. Her. Boyfriend.” Gothalyn continues on about her sister.

‘Cake, kill me,’ I mentally ask Cake to end my suffering.

‘Meister, I cannot go along with that request. I apologize if you see me as less than for failing to meet your needs,’ Cake says over the mental communication.

‘ZzzZzz,’ Kiwi rustles in her sleep due to my comment causing her unease.

Now I feel bad on top of having to listen to some stalker's story about Valentine's day! I didn’t really want Cake to murder me; I just don’t want to hear any more of Gothalyn’s weird stories.

I silently clamor through the open window into the back of the truck with Cake and Kiwi, as to avoid disturbing Gothalyn and being dragged back into any more conversations while she is talking about her sister. Kiwi also at some point moved from inside of Cake’s shell and into the empty box in the corner to sleep, I guess Kiwi just wanted to explore the wooden bedding.

‘Cake, I didn’t really mean for you to actually kill me, it was a joke,’ I mentally apologize to Cake.

‘Oh! It was a very funny joke, Meister!’ Cake mentally replies.

Oh? If it was so funny then why didn’t you laugh, instead of making me feel bad! I’m obviously not going to say that to Cake since I’m about 99% certain that Cake and Kiwi have no ability to discern jokes from reality, but at least Cake is trying to help me feel better about it.

"Puffball?" Gothalyn asks from upfront.

Ah! She finally stopped talking about her sister, hopefully, she also forgot about asking me for my personal details.

“So, how far are we from this human civilization?” Cake asks a new question for me in a manner that is less suspicious than asking about the internet.

“Where? You? At?” Gothalyn speaks in single words as usual.

“In the back,” Cake responds for me.

“Stay,” Gothalyn says.

You want me to stay back here? Honestly, did my brain invasion of you cause you some type of brain damage and that’s why you only speak in either single words or short bursts? Why do you go from wanting to pet me to telling me to stay in the back!

“Customs,” Gothalyn says.

Customs? You mean like at an airport? Wait! If we are going through customs, aren’t they going to search the back! Hey isn’t that road in the distance of my vision!

Gothalyn closes the window to look into the front and locks it behind a metal plate.

“Quiet,” Gothalyn says.

I’m not taking any risks with being trapped in a small box with no way to look out; I guess it’s time to test out my ability to puncture through sheet metal.

I move up the ceiling and try to grip onto it as much as possible before activating my newest ability.

Spearhead! I don’t really have to shout it internally, but it seemed appropriate.

A tendril in my body, coils and hardens before shooting out at an incredible speed and pierces a small hole straight through the very thin metal and I’m able to peer through the hole to be able to see the outside again.

I’m even able to spot another human driving a truck as well, luckily they don’t know they are being watched due to my unique eyesight.

It’s just some guy driving a truck similar to our own except he actually looks like a truck driver, unlike Gothalyn. Big bushy beard, decently large muscles, a beer belly, a stained tank top. Eventually, his truck comes to a stop in one of the other lanes, but we continue making our way down the far-left lane.

There are so many TRUCKS! There has to be at least two hundred of them just waiting in these lines to go through customs and we’re just skipping straight past the line! Is Gothalyn some type of baller or something, I mean I thought she was maybe just some type of military girl or something in this world but...she might actually be something more than that?

She is the only truck in this lane that has to make her special!

As I’m thinking about Gothalyn’s previous occupation, a large concrete wall enters my vision and at first it looks to be about 20ft tall but as we get closer more and more of it enters my vision, 20, 40, 80, 150, 200, 300?! After that I’m not able to see any higher and I’m forced to just stare in awe at it.

It’s fucking huge, I can’t even see the top of it with maxed out distance!

As I’m gawking at the wall Gothalyn pulls the truck into a slotted square area of the wall that has a small window with a woman behind it and a computer. The woman speaks to Gothalyn.

“I’m afraid, I’m going to have to ask you to turn around. This lane is for emergency vehicles only.” The short woman says to Gothalyn.

“I'm. Sorry. I. Thought. This. Was. Lane. A4.” Gothalyn rolls down the window and says.

“One moment, please.” The woman behind the window says, completely shifting her tone and pulls out a piece of paper attached to a clipboard and hits a couple buttons on the computer.

“Alright, I turned off the surveillance cameras. It looks like you already paid in full, so it seems I don’t have to warn you about paying your debt back to Mr. Green. Whatever you got in the back or who you are, I don’t care. If anyone asks about our little arrangement you keep quiet, hear me.” The woman behind the window says in a very threatening voice before the gates in front of us open up and we move through the massive wall and enter the city.

Okay, I think Gothalyn might be more than just some military girl... wait is that!

I immediately spot a billboard with a picture of a man in a skin suit that reads, ‘Vote for your favorite aspiring hero online at mmm.HeroAcademy/vote.net or in person at the Hero Academy at the Super Office; where you might even be able to see them in person!’

Aspiring Hero?

….

Hero Academy?

…

Hero.

…

Like Superhero?

…

Like I defeat evil monsters and bad guys type of superhero.

...

Doesn’t that mean if I ever get found out I’m going to be chased by a bunch of men and women in tight latex suits!

…

I swear I’m a good tentacle monster! I can use my cute mind slaves to tear apart all of the actual monsters and then use their flesh and Biomass to get stronger and protect all of the citizens.

Actually that doesn’t sound very heroic, I need to work on that. How can I make “mind slave” into something that the kids would enjoy.

Ah, I know!

Helpful Servant.

*clap clap clap*

“Oh, good. My slow clap processor is still functioning. I’m celebrating your accomplishment for being the biggest moron I have ever witnessed, which is a bar that is set very low,” GagOs says.

Hey! I have to prepare for all possible scenarios, and who knows there might be a scenario where me and all my “Helpful Servants,” become heroes and save the world from something nefarious!

*clap clap clap*

“It would appear you just beat your own record and only 3 seconds later, what an accomplishment,” GagOs says passive-aggressively.

Is that all you have to say about ruining my idea of becoming a superhero or do you want me to mute you again.

“Oh, by the way, a bird just flew above us.” GagOs comments on a pigeon above me.

So? What does that have to do with anything? It’s just a normal pigeon? I don’t see what is so special about it?

*plop*

‘Meister, are you okay!’ Cake says as I fall from the ceiling as an immediate reaction.

Alright, I’m officially creating a hit list on all my enemies.

1. That pigeon, who aimed his bird dropping right down my hole in the roof.

2. That pigeon, who aimed his bird dropping right down my hole in the roof.

3. That pigeon, who aimed his bird dropping right down my hole in the roof.

4. Did I mention that pigeon, yet?

===

Brooklyn slid open the window to the back and spotted the hole in the ceiling which let light into the back, Puffball on the ground trying to clean some type of bird dropping off their body, Cake in shock trying to help Puffball, and the mantis she doesn’t know the name of is sleeping in a box.

Brooklyn decided it was best not to ask any questions and after a few minutes of questioning whether she was losing her sanity or whether Puffball was becoming more and more human-like. She arrived at the perfect training ground for training a group of intelligent monsters in a city full of people who would love to get their hands on them.

The Gumtrap Abandoned Water-Treatment Plant; or as Joy would call it.

The Sewage Sanctuary