NPC Code: Red Riding Hood

"Red, we have met again."

The mysterious voice called out for my attention. As I raised my head, the merchant's image greeted my eyes.

"You…. Merchant, you've found me," I said, with the last ounce of strength inside my body.

Despite meeting the Merchant, I still couldn't find Match on this island. I searched far and wide, but couldn't get a clue about that girl. And unfortunately, my body fell and collapsed on the ground. After exhausting myself from looking around this place, my body shut down and forced itself to rest on its own.

However, despite this occurrence, the tradesperson saved me again. The dragonewt caught me in a pinch for the nth time as soon as he witnessed me kissing the ground.

I did not even have the time to thank the dragonewt for finding my weakened body on the ground. If this was another person or a stranger, I would have already died in vain.

"I know a spot where we can continue our conversation. Can I consent myself to carry you towards that destination?" the dragonewt asked, with his hands resting on his chest.

"You may, dragonewt…. And thank you for stopping by."

I wanted to ask the merchant about his agenda in visiting this island. According to Okami, the game developers hid this place for most people playing the game. Only a few individuals among the billions of players knew this area.

I could only assume this trader knew this place because…. he was also a mysterious being inside Code. There were a thousand things I still did not know about this world. Only Okami, Ryoshi, and Alice could answer my queries.

"Your face looks like you want to ask something. Maybe you want to know why I appeared before you in the time you needed someone the most," the dragonewt asked, as if reading my mind.

I did not have any energy left inside of my body. But if only I reserved some stamina, my face would have shown, my eyes expanding at each side.

"I will tell you later as soon as we arrive at the safer place. For now, Red, focus on rejuvenating what's left inside your body. There's a faint arcane glowing inside of you. And that is not a sign of good health, Red."

I weakly nodded my head and agreed to the dragonewt's words. Upon closing my eyes, I let my body loose for the merchant to carry me. That dragonewt seized the opportunity and lifted my feather-like body, voided with energy. As soon as I nestled on top of this creature, I journeyed inside my dreamland.

.......

By the time I woke up, the dragonewt was still marching onwards. This merchant still carried me on his back, complaining nothing about my weight.

It also did not look like this merchant got lost, carrying me on his shoulders. As I gazed around, the dragonewt walked on a man-made road. I could only assume that this place was a secret place hidden from the players.

I did not know what happened, since I fell asleep throughout our travel. Fortunately, I did not have any scratch on my body, and someone did not touch me.

"You are awake, Red?" the dragonewt asked, as he felt my body squirming around.

"Yes…..," I answered. "Thanks again for carrying me, merchant. I owe you my life."

The merchant shook his head and answered, "Do not thank me, Red. You are a valuable customer to my eyes. I am just a merchant who happened to see you lying around on that field. Nothing more, nothing less."

"Do not worry, Red. I will tell you the history of my journey once we arrive at the place," the man continued.

I fell silent throughout our trip while observing my surroundings. When I searched the area, a sea of darkened trees entered my view. There were no life forms within our vicinity, not even insects penetrating the ground. As I gazed below, the weeds did not have any life in them. Even though we walked deeper in the forest, the grass touching my feet had no life in them.

My mind concluded there was some magic disturbance lingering inside this woodland. That arcane covering the place fended off other life forms, which resulted in this isolated forest.

Thankfully, the silence helped me calm down my senses. Throughout our trek, Match was the only person my mind thought about. I could never erase her inside of my mind. Even if I tried, Match's figure remained pasted on my eyes, following me everywhere I went.

It only took one mistake to crumble the relationship we built together. The two of us could have talked things out, but fighting Alice exhausted us physically and mentally. Match and I were like the same peas in a pond. But after our talk, we went our separate ways, with Match running away from me.

She might have thought that I remained a killer even when I was with her. Since Match was still a young girl, she still couldn't believe what I did…..

I abandoned the two players who had helped us reach this place and died because of it. I blamed myself for trusting Alice. But when that occurrence happened, I had to choose the betterment of Match's life….

"Was this really what I wanted?" I asked myself, while gritting my teeth.

"I could see that you're not with someone else for this trip. But before I could continue my sentence, I will ask you if it's okay to peer into your…. problems," the merchant asked, while slowing the pace of his walk. "If you are unable to tell me, that is fine as well. I do not want to force you to explain everything to me. A merchant's job does not to give concrete advice about problems. But you might need an ear or two to relinquish your problems."

This dragonewt could have heard me mumble those words when those thoughts scrambled my head. It was too late for me to avoid this topic right now, considering that the merchant kindled it.

But as the dragonewt mentioned, I needed someone to tell me my problems. And that someone was already beside me.

(Author's note: The dragonewt and Red are not going to be lovers. This is happening for a reason.)

"It's fine, merchant…. I can handle this. This is nothing. Thank you for concerning yourselves to me. I greatly appreciate your effort," I answered, while wiping off the sweat on my face. "You know what? I will tell you what happened!"

"Do not worry yourself, Red. It would take us two hours before reaching the place we desire," the merchant assured."

"That's quite a distance!"

After saying those latter phrases, I narrated everything that happened to Match and me. The merchant kept listening to my blabber, even if it did not involve Match. And it took us exactly two hours before finishing my story.

"I wanted to save those two players! But Alice offered me a deal to save Okami, Ryoshi, and Match! But if I had known Alice would stab me in the back, I would have fought until the end!" I ranted, while weeping a stream of tears. "And now Match left me because she thinks I would throw her away like the two players…. I mean people!!! Okami lost his life because of me when he protected Match! I actually don't care about those two, but Match! Why does it have to be like this! They are no friends of mine, but Match believed in them. I can't bring myself to trust those boys. But after letting those guys kill themselves by Alice, Match thought of me as a murderer."

After snorting out the snot inside my head, I continued, "I never wanted to destroy the trust Match and I had. She was there for me, and I was always there for her. That should always be the case…. But I messed up…. But on the other hand, I somehow think it's for the best to leave her in a safer place. Maybe Match went somewhere away from the player's sight. If that happened, I would rest in peace while heading towards my goal. I'm only like this because Match left me, not from the players."

When I finished my narration, the merchant did not say a word for a few moments. But after a few seconds, the dragonewt finally spoke his words.

"That is an interesting story you told me, Red. And you ought to wipe your tears with a cloth soon. Now, where should I start? I believe those players you mentioned are still alive somewhere in this world," the dragonewt exclaimed, as he continued marching forward.

"Really? But the castle exploded and left no one alive!" I retorted.

"Yes. But take my claim with a grain of salt. Those two players you mentioned may be alive but badly injured. If you told me that person was the strongest being ever lived in this world, that guy would have survived that explosion," the merchant explained, while pointing his fingers in front.. "We are here."