So, you know how ASSA started repeating herself about the numerous floors of this place? Well yeah, I guess there was actually a reason for her to keep saying the same thing over and over, because hot damn are there a ton of floors here! I get that they’re Gods and all, but how the hell do these two manage to navigate through this place on a daily basis?! It’s a damned maze!

That being said, we seemed to have found a guest bedroom of sorts in one of the upper floors, so we decided to make ourselves at home and regain our strength while we had the opportunity. If you recall, my nose got blown off just about an hour ago, and despite what you may think, it really does still hurt like hell. Honestly, I’m questioning if I’m even still alive at this point. Certainly, getting your nose blown clean off wouldn’t be a survivable injury, would it?

“How about we lay down and take a quick nap?” Cecily suggested, “You should probably heal yourself back up the moment you get the chance to.”

“Good point, but that’ll take a while.” I uttered, “Heal takes up a ton of my energy and concentration, plus I think I’m way passed the limits of what I’m actually capable of doing with Iro Abilities.”

“So wait, how much can you actually heal with that ability?” She asked, “I mean, if you have a limit to how many things you create, then is there a limit to how much you can heal?”

“That’s the thing.” I noted, “I can’t regrow body parts, only lizards can do that.”

“Awe you gonna stay like that fowevew?” Nelly began crying.

“Hold on, Nelly! You didn’t let me finish! I can’t regrow limbs, but it seems reattaching them is completely fine!”

Tilting their heads in confusion, the two girls finally realized what I meant when I had pointed to my pocket. A bit of blood was leaking out of it, indicating that something inside was spewing out some blood. Cecily gagged, but Nelly was all but happy that I at least could salvage my face and not have to have a bandage straight across my face for the rest of my life.

“Alright, everyone get some shut-eye okay?” I clapped my hands together, “No one can get us here, we’re essentially as safe as can be, so just focus on regaining your strength and we’ll see what we can do from there.”

“Alright, but what about you?” Cecily pondered, “Is it difficult to breathe without a nose?”

Cecily was actually asking me this as I was in the process of laying down on my back. Indeed, it was a bit difficult to breathe, and I’d sometimes get random sharp pains in my nasal area, leading to me jolting back up, but honestly it wasn’t that different from sleeping with a stuffed nose. Actually, if it wasn’t for the bandage covering my nose hole, I’m pretty sure I’d be sleeping like a baby.

“I’m fine, Cecily. Just sleep for now.” I replied.

Now I know it’s a bit disgusting to think about, but well, I gotta remain optimistic somehow, and taking a nap in order to regain my strength so that I can hopefully reattach my nose when I wake up is the best way to do so in my opinion. Honestly though, this whole debacle seems like a fake scenario, but thankfully it’s a debacle I can hopefully get myself out of. Just gotta take a short nap, and everything will be fine… Ugh, gotta breathe using my mouth, since I don’t have a nose...

Twisting and turning in my bed for what felt like an everlasting eternity, it seems as though my nose was in fact causing me difficulties with sleeping. Getting up to check our surroundings because I had nothing better to do, I put my boots back on and proceeded to walk to the who knows which numbered main hall of the Throne.

Actually, my stomach was kind of rumbling, so I was kind of hoping to find a refrigerator or something like that and get myself something to eat. Looking through room after room though, it seems that I had only succeeded in getting myself even more lost. That’s a bit of a problem too, as I really don’t want to worry Cecily and Nelly by not being there when they wake up. That being said, that probably leaves me with an hour or so to get back to where I was.

“Hold on, could it be…?” My eyes glistened upon seeing it, “There it is…! A fridge!”

Making sure to run as fast as I could, and almost slipping in the process, I had practically slammed open the door to it only to see…

“You’ve gotta be kidding me.” I uttered.

Inside there were only thousands of drinks laid out. There was everything, from beer, to wine, to even some softer drinks like fruit juices and teas. With a rumbling in my stomach, and a frown on my face, I reached out to at least quench my thirst a bit before hearing the familiar sound of an AFP getting cocked behind my head.

“Hold it right there, rookie.” The burly voiced echoed throughout the halls, “Or should I call you traitor?”

“Oh, it’s just you, Pierre.” I nonchalantly continued my action of taking two bottles of tea out of the fridge, “Let’s talk about all this over a nice cold cup of ice tea, shall we?”

“I-Ice t-! Hey!” He knocked the bottle to the floor with a flick of the AFP, shattering it on the ground, “Stop trying to trick me!”

It was only for a split moment, but I could feel the children’s hands from my nightmares form around the back of my head, intending to drag me down to Hell. It seems my instincts were once again correct, because I had successfully predicted that he’d shoot and ducked just in the nick of time.

“Whoa! Calm down there, dude!” I chuckled, “You almost shot all the drinks in the fridge!”

As I turned around to face him, it seems he finally saw the state of my face and donned a disgusted and confused expression himself. “What happened to your nose?”

“Got it blown off by one of your men. Don’t worry though, I can reattach it if I just rest for a little bit. The nose is actually safely tucked in here.” I patted my bloody pocket.

This action of mine made him uncomfortable. Well, uncomfortable wasn’t the correct word. I think the proper word is horrified, or maybe nauseous. In any case, whatever it was, it was enough to make him gag, then puke on the ground in front of me. Yuck dude, not in front of the drinks….

***

After he threw up, he was pretty much completely out of commission. Now that I think about it, just what the hell was he doing here? Didn’t he say that he was only a Drill Sergeant for the Lis side new recruits? Why was he even in the battlefield to begin with if he can’t handle seeing a bit of gore?

That being said, there was a benefit in his condition, and that was that I could now easily steal the gun away from him, even without using Materialize, and then pick him up and take him to a nearby table. The table was huge, by the way, fit for a God. Seems like the room we were in right now was actually used as some sort of kitchen or dining room of sorts…

“Here’s some of that ice tea I promised.” I handed him a bottle, “Never tried it myself, and honestly if it wasn’t for the words ICE TEA being written on the label, I wouldn’t have even guessed what it was myself.”

“…” He sheepishly took it without a word, “Why are you being so polite to me? Y’know, after I tried to k-kill you and all that…”

“Because,” I replied, “I don’t like eating or drinking alone.”

He opened his eyes wide at my remark before chuckling and taking a nice hard swig of the bottle. “Mmm! Delicious! Here, give it a try yourself!”

“Well, if you insist…” I temporarily traded my bottle of orange juice for his ice tea, “Whoa! You’re right, this is totally different than regular tea! I wonder, just what leaves are they using in the brew?”

“I know, right?” He replied, “There’s a faint taste of chamomile, so maybe that? If so, then I’m surely switching to ice tea from now on! To think there were so many ways to prepare tea!”

This sudden little tea party of ours was cut short after he had once again gotten serious with his question. “Rookie, where is your family?”

“You’re talking about Cecily and Nelly? They’re sleeping in the other room.” I replied before asking a question myself, “And you? What are you doing here all alone? No, better yet, how did you get here even?”

“The same way you did. After I saw you falling down the cliff face, I had gotten up the mountain myself and saw some mysterious hill of mattresses spread out across the Throne. It took all the courage I could muster, but I too made it down safely.”

Hoho! Look at Pierre here getting all brave suddenly! Well, I guess it’s to be expected, since he is a Drill Sergeant in a war, but I mean, looking at him you really can’t see him doing such a reckless thing! So like, good on him for stepping out of his comfort zone, I guess.

“What are you planning here?” He cut to the chase, “I assume that you have some grand objective if it means you’ve climbed partway through Auros’ Throne with your family instead of leaving this dangerous continent?”

“Sharp as ever, Serge!” I did the finger gun motion, “Although I can’t say just yet, just know that it’s in everyone’s best interest for you to let us go. That being said, you’re free to join us if you want.”

“Hmm, I don’t really know if I can…”

“Well, it’s either you let us pass or we make you pass on, since you’re in no shape to take us on. Your choice though, I’m not gonna force you.”

Sighing a bit before laughing at my absurd joke, he had finally gotten up from his seat and finished his drink. Walking up to the fridge to grab another bottle of ice tea for the road, he shook my hand and agreed to follow us.

“Great!” I replied, “Now all we need to do is find-!”

“Daddy, you meanie!” Nelly ran up and kicked me in the shin, “I told you not to leave us! I was so scawed!”

“Whoa, whoa!” I laughed, “Don’t hit me, I’m sorry okay? Look, I’ll make it up to you, but you won’t believe who I found!”

“I don’t cawe about that!” Nelly whimpered, “I’m saying this because mom is suuuupew angwy at you.”

Finally realizing why it is that she was so scared, I had looked up to see the epitome of horror glaring down at me. Her presence was huge, despite her being half a head shorter than me, and her Yellow Eyes had cut straight through my skull. Indeed, I was talking about none other than Cecily herself. Oh, and let me tell you, she is pissed.

“So…” She cracked her fingers with a wicked smile, “Did you sleep well?”

…Go easy on me, will ya?