Chapter 219: Man-o-beast

He was called Otik.

A human, not his real name.

Ned was given the impression that the Queen has been giving names to hide them from the surface.

This feels like O'rriadt, Ned thought with a smile as he listened to the enthusiastic old man.

At first, Ned thought, that Otik was the same as other humans: abducted and forced to do in the Queen's order, with Moloatiss's parasites leeching their back.

But no, Otik was different. He was abducted, yes. But upon learning that he was to do his scholarly works to open a Gate. His motivation overflowed and intentionally followed his captives. Leaving anyone he knew behind.

" ...but I will not tell you where I came from!" Otik said as he slammed the table in front of him. "That is not part of my fulfillment here. And... For their safety."

For a man of old age, he was filled with vigor. Excited as he shared his experience with Ned before he was abducted.

Ned and the Queen went back to her chamber first. Then proceed to Otik's quarter after she assured Ned that all his needs will be met.

Ned's thought wandered. Kon Sas Koron was empathetic but ruthless if needed. Aside from her, Moloatiss was the mind of the Hive—this made Ned wondered if how old the former miner was—Gogmurch was the brute, ruthless was all he could think of the goblin beast. While Cotilis was unknown to Ned. But his eyes were somewhat familiar as if Ned had seen them before.

"Is it true?" Otik said after a torrent of words. "You connected a symbol?"

Ned nodded.

"How?"

Ned shrugged.

"Okay," the scholar said, "I'm curious. I've been here." He stopped, counted his fingers. "Five and a half years, and connected two. The words, the symbols, the meaning were too deep. So how? Care if you share?"

Ned shook his head. "I don't know how to explain." Was all he could say.

What would be the right answer? Tell him that: "Hey, I'm from a place far far away this language and symbols were common to us." Or "Hey, I have a voice in my head telling me the right meaning."

"How many are you here?" Ned asked.

Otik's brown eyes swept left and right as he counted his fingers. Then raised a finger of four.

Ned nodded. "Were they?"

Otik shook his head. His hair was white, with a streak of black. Ned's mana kept on increasing as his body kept on absorbing the thick mana in the air and the mana stones affixed in every chamber. These mana stones must be residues, Ned thought.

He sighed. The old man in front of Ned studied him.

What now? He thought. This was not what he wanted. To be allied with the beast.

"How do you understand them?" Otik asked Ned. He has been asking him a series of questions that Ned just shrugged them all.

"I... " Said Ned and paused. "Nevermind. I just understand them. I'm sure you'll be fine with that. And how do you speak to them?"

"I've learned their language," Otik said with tantalizing eyes. "It took me only five months to start conversing with them. Like halooman for human, food for wok." He stopped with a long ahh sound and continued. "Table for salumwok, and—"

Ned almost smiled as the knock from behind them rang, breaking the old man's rant.

His smile faded in an instant seeing that the door opened and Moloatiss crawled inside.

"Molo balls," Otik said, a sly grin over his face and was shared at Ned.

Was he that important to let him mock the beasts? Ned shook his head.

"I want answers now—" Ned stood and attempted to walk toward Moloatiss but knocked imbalance as his vision went blurring.

"Ah," he said, giving out a long groan. "Food. As soon as he spoke those words, his stomach grumbled like a beast hungry for prey.

Ned balanced himself with his hands balancing against the table.

"I want answers, now." Ned went back to his seat while Moloatiss proceed forward and opened his mouth.

Otik mimicked a puking sound as he saw Moloatiss opened his mouth that even Ned and Otik's head could be fitted. Then, a necklace appeared with Ned's ring on it.

"You agreed after all," Moloatiss said and handed Ned the ring with slimy liquid. A finger bone hanging at the end of the necklace.

This time, seeing the finger, Otik almost puked for real.

Ned wasn't bothered by the liquid or the finger as the sound of necklace snapped and fitted the ring back to his right ring finger.

[Kamma's Ring connected.]

Ned's thought was notified by a chime. Sorry, he thought and rubbed the ring on his finger.

"Now," he said. "Roy."

"Follow me," Moloatiss said. He tried to gesture Ned with his short hand to follow him, but he couldn't, instead, he crawled outside first and waited for Ned.

After a series of cutting forks, and hallways, and entering chambers with the eyes of the beast warrying on Ned. They arrived at a room closer to the Queen's chamber.

The door was wood, some parts were laden with green moss while the knob was rotting of rust. The door was lighted with a single mana stone affixed just above the door.

In a flash, Ned saw a head not far from them, poking over the edge of the wall. Otik's white hair was visible like a nail halfway against a plank.

"You may proceed." Moloatiss gestured but he couldn't, his hands were too short to do the gesture. "But, you might have a hard time convincing him of whatever you wanted him to do. He was there... Or changed for a long time that he has almost forgotten his past."

Ned's reply was an inhale through his nose. "Roy," he whispered and exhaled over his mouth, and proceed to the room.

There, a man—or a beast? Stood with his half-naked back facing Ned. His skin was melted and burned. Overall, his body was covered with thick callouses from a burn of a long time ago.

"You," Ned said.

The man-o-beast turned around and said, "You." And added. "What now? Why are you here?" He's got a horn poking over his forehead and tiny horns sprouting all over his shoulders. His body was burned and red.

"Cotilis?" Ned asked.

"Oh Queen," the man-o-beast said. "Of course, who could it be?"

"You are... " Ned said under his breath. He heard Moloatiss from behind bursting in laughter. "Roy?"