Woon finally got the hilt of his katana fixed. He nodded to Victor, a sense of relief washing over him. "I'll go now," Woon said. "Jol and the others must be waiting."
Victor, ever the gracious host, offered, "Yeah, sure, you can stay at our place for a while!"
Woon shuddered, remembering Alicia's wrath. "I can't. I feel like I'm gonna die there at any moment!"
Victor just chuckled. "Don't be like that. I'll wait for you at my place!"
"Thanks! I'll go now, I need to hurry!" Woon practically bolted, the image of a furious Alicia burned into his mind.
He navigated the bustling streets, a sea of faces blurring around him, until he remembered the tavern they'd first stumbled upon when they arrived in the capital. "This is it, right?" Woon whispered to himself, peering through the dim light of the establishment.
Inside, Sol, with eyes like a hawk, spotted Woon looking utterly lost. "Hey, Woon!" she waved, a wide grin spreading across her face.
Woon's shoulders sagged in relief. He practically dove inside and plopped down with them. "Sorry for leaving early last night!"
Jol shrugged. "It's okay. Our client even tripled our pay. Don't know why, though!"
"He sure is generous!" Woon mumbled. 'Must be because of Victor!' he thought, a sense of quiet gratitude.
"So, it will be 30 gold coins each, right?" Woon asked.
"Yeah, coming here was definitely worth it!" Jol said, then leaned in, eyes twinkling. "By the way, we got a new request again: a monster subjugation. Wanna come with us?"
Woon shook his head. "I'll stay here for a while. I'll be staying at his place."
"That's a pity," Sol said, a pout forming on her lips. "By the way, where's your handsome friend? I haven't seen him since last night!" Sol's eyes seemed to be scanning the tavern for any sign of Victor.
"He's got business to do, so he can't just go around," Woon replied, trying to sound nonchalant.
"Hmmm," Sol sighed, clearly disappointed.
"I'll be taking my share and leaving. I've got things to do too. Let's meet up again next time!" Woon said, already half-standing.
"Sure, here!" Jol said, handing him a surprisingly heavy pouch overflowing with gold coins.
Woon practically skipped out of the inn, the weight of the gold in his hand momentarily distracting him from his impending doom. He wandered through the streets, window shopping, admiring the luxurious clothes, sparkling jewelry, and other fancy trinkets.
"I need clothes," Woon muttered, eyeing a particularly fashionable tunic. "I can't keep borrowing clothes from Victor!"
"I'll go for now and ask him something later!" Woon decided, pushing the thought of fashion to the back of his mind. He took his time, strolling left and right, sampling various street foods until his stomach was pleasantly full. Finally, he made his way back to the imposing castle, a sense of dread creeping back in.
"Where is he? This castle is so big!" Woon muttered, feeling like a tiny ant in a giant labyrinth. He wandered through countless hallways, each one looking identical to the last, until he found himself back at the guest room.
"Damn, I still can't find him!" Woon groaned, noticing the door had been perfectly repaired, the dagger marks from last night completely gone. He reached for the doorknob, a strange sense of déjà vu washing over him. He twisted it, pushing the door open slowly, cautiously.
And then he saw her. Alicia. Changing. He see her only wearing the same black undergarments.
"Haaaaaaghhhhhh!" Woon's scream was a high-pitched, almost operatic wail.
At the same instant, Alicia let out a piercing shriek of her own. "KYAAAAAAAA!"
Her eyes, blazing with fury, locked onto Woon. "You pervert! You're gonna die this time!"
'I'm so utterly, fucking fucked! Why, oh why, me?!' Woon thought, his mind racing for an escape route. "Please spare me!" he pleaded, already turning and sprinting down the hallway, a blur of panicked motion.
"You're dead meat! Just stop, it's futile! No one's gonna protect you this time!" Alicia's voice echoed through the opulent halls, closer than Woon would have liked, the menacing glint of a long blade already in her hand.
"Fuck! Why?! I was just gonna rest there!" Woon gasped between frantic strides.
"You should have left this castle the moment you met my gaze in the dinner room!" Alicia snarled, her footsteps surprisingly light for someone wielding such a large weapon.
"Please! I can't fight you!" Woon cried, dodging a potted plant that suddenly became an obstacle.
"Shut up!" Alicia unsheathed the long blade with a terrifying shing, the sound ringing through the empty corridor. "You're dead! You entered my room without permission, you pervert!" She swung the blade with alarming speed, forcing Woon to contort himself into ridiculous positions.
"Please! Victor said that I should stay here for a few days for the time being, but please stop swinging that thing in your hands!" Woon yelled, his voice cracking as he narrowly avoided a decapitation.
"I don't care whether I'm right or wrong! You're dying today! You've seen me wearing only undergarments two times! I can't let you live!"
"Please, don't! If you're talking about the tattoo on your back, it's beautiful, so please stop swinging that!" Woon wailed, a desperate attempt at flattery that probably just sealed his doom.
Alicia's eyes widened, her face flushing crimson. "You even saw that?! I can't let you live even more!" Her attacks became even more relentless, a whirlwind of steel and fury.
Woon, fueled by pure, unadulterated terror, parkoured down a grand staircase, practically sliding down the bannister. Alicia, however, was shockingly agile, hot on his heels. They streaked through hallways, darted left and right, the chase reaching the night, and she was still chasing him. Woon was so utterly terrified that if he got caught, he was dead for good.
In the dead of night, their chase transformed into a twisted game of hide-and-seek. Woon, now a master of strategic panic, was pressed against a massive oak tree, using his divinity to practically become one with the shadows. Alicia, however, was still relentlessly searching, the long blade in her hand glowing faintly under the moonlight, a beacon of imminent doom.
"Hey! If you show up now, I'm just gonna bury you ten feet underground, so show up now!" Alicia's voice, surprisingly calm despite her murderous intent, drifted through the still air.
Woon clamped a hand over his mouth, stifling every desperate whimper, every ragged breath. His heart hammered against his ribs like a trapped bird. 'Fuck, fuck, fuck, please go now!' he cried internally, sweat prickling his skin.
"Come on, if you don't show up now, I'll go easy on you, so come out now!" Alicia cooed, her voice almost gentle.
'Easy when you're still holding that thing?! Hell nah!' Woon thought, peeking through a gap in the leaves at the terrifying silhouette below.
Suddenly, Jin appeared, strolling casually toward Alicia. "Alicia, have you seen Woon?" he asked, completely oblivious to the life-or-death drama unfolding around him.
Alicia's head snapped up. "No, I didn't. Why?" she replied, her voice a little too sweet, a little too innocent.
"Oh, Mother said we should have dinner with Woon, so I'm finding him right now!" Jin said, a wide, innocent smile on his face.
Alicia's internal fury intensified, but she managed to force a smile for Jin. "I'll tell you if I see him!" she chirped, the smile looking more like a grimace to Woon.
"Okay..." Jin said, his gaze drifting to the rather large, gleaming blade in Alicia's hand, a flicker of confusion crossing his face before he shrugged it off.
Before Jin could wander off completely, Woon practically materialized from behind the tree, clinging to Jin like a terrified limpet. "I'm here! Here!" he squeaked, using Jin as a human shield.
"You come here!" Alicia snarled, her eyes narrowing as she glared at Woon.
"Nah-uh!" Woon retorted, shaking his head vehemently, still pressed against Jin's back.
"I don't know what happened but let's just go to the dinner room. We'll talk about that after eating," Jin said, completely bewildered by the sudden tension, and began walking away, Woon trailing behind him like a shadow.
Alicia watched them go, seething. Woon, that slippery eel, had escaped her grasp yet again! Woon, emboldened by the small victory, risked a glance back. Alicia was staring at him, her eyes glowing a furious, demonic red in the dark. An intense, bone-chilling killing intent radiated from her, piercing Woon like a thousand icy spears. He shivered uncontrollably, a cold dread washing over him.
'Fuck, it's getting harder to breathe!' Woon thought, his chest tightening as Alicia's terrifying gaze continued to bore into him, promising an agonizing demise.