Coming back to Ty.
Resting on a soft bed, Ty's bony form squirmed through a dream where normal life and bizarre visions tangled together.
His jaw clacked as he mumbled, "No, no, just call in sick this time... too early."
A grumbling voice intruded on his dreams. "How are you feeling, buddy?" The humor in it dragged him toward wakefulness.
With a slow creaking sound of the joints, Ty's skull rolled to the side, revealing a warmly lit room.
He looked around and found himself in a cluttered room filled with antique furniture and the rich aroma of brewing tea.
His eyes then landed on the sturdy figure, which he was able to recognize.
The figure was Todd, sitting on a wooden chair that looked too small for a goblin of his size.
Ty wondered how the chair had survived him.
After recalling that he had passed out after this fight, he inquired, "What happened after I fell unconscious?"
"Well, first off," Todd started, only for the door to creak open as Kaiko walked in wearing a loose bra and plaid panties.
Ty blurted, "No clothes?"
She chuckled. "Why would I bother wearing too much this early in the morning?
Besides, Todd has seen even less." She gave Todd a sly glance, making him blush slightly as he accepted the hot tea which she offered.
"You're a bone man or skeleton man, so I don't think it's an issue regardless," she added before grabbing a wooden chair and pulling it next to Ty.
Kaiko took a seat. "We had to move hideouts, but your weird one-liner bought us time. Once the Head Captain went down, we escaped before more backup arrived.
Though Todd is still healing from some of his severe burns."
As she said that, she lifted Todd's shirt, revealing black marks that ran along his green-skinned back.
She then continued, "He will make a full recovery, and I'm glad you woke up after almost two days. If you had taken any longer, I might have assumed that you were just bones and had let Todd use you as a toothpick."
Todd made a weak sound of protest from his chair, which only made Kaiko smirk. The room felt too normal for the kind of conversation they were having, and that made Ty even more aware of how tired his bones felt.
As Ty sat with that, memories slowly returned. He remembered slipping into a trance during the fight.
He muttered, "Once the battle began, it felt like I was myself and someone else at the same time. Killing him was never the plan, even if that's how it ended. But thank you for your help and hospitality.
You mentioned that I was out for two days, which means that I need to be on my way to find the Yami King and finish what I started so that I can get back home."
Kaiko set the tray down hard. "Not so fast. You mentioned Elithira's name before Heat Boy attacked us. Elithira vanished over a decade ago, right before everything went to hell.
We have a lot of information to exchange before you head out anywhere. Besides, you're just a skeleton; what is time to you, anyway?"
This sudden turn of events prompted Todd to tighten his grip on the tea cup as he felt the tension in the air was growing heavier.
Kaiko was about to raise her voice but Ty gripped the sheets of the makeshift bed tightly before raising his own.
"I don't know about any of that or anything that's going on here. This isn't my world, and none of this is my problem. My only goal is to get back to my home!"
"But you said --" Kaiko tries to speak out before once again being cut off by Ty.
"The last week of my life has been nothing but a roller coaster of hell, and all I know is that I need to retrieve an item that is most likely locked away with whoever is currently in charge of this place."
Kaiko stared at him blankly for a moment before asking, "Where else could you be from, and what item are you talking about?"
"Listen, it's a long story, but the Demon King called it... uh, a Veil or something along those lines," Ty said as he tried to recall and continued, "But from my understanding, the item allows you to conceal yourself to near perfection.
I need it to get back home without being detected."
With an understanding smile on her face, Kaiko responded, "Oh, I know what is the item that you're talking about. It's the same item that Yami King used to kill King Julius. He was in charge before.
But your story, Ty, is making me more confused the more you share."
"So how about you tell me everything that's happened to you so I might be able to offer better help? I understand time is not on your side, but you should know that rushing might not be the best approach to solving anything," she suggested.
Taking a moment, Ty gazed up at the ceiling before giving a slight nod. "I guess I should start from the night I decided to work overtime."
Over the next two hours, Ty recounted everything that has happened to him, leaving Todd and Kaiko visibly shocked and even doubtful as Ty even talked about the Vampires, the Angelic Race, and even the Demon King.
Concluding his tale, Ty added, "That's about everything. Elithira wasn't even supposed to come here, but she insisted on at least checking in."
Kaiko blinked. "So you live in a realm where the ruler is a Demon King, and other realms exist with different deity creatures called Kings?"
Ty gives a slight nod.
"Based on what I've seen, they're like farmers tending a giant plot of land on a grand scale. But I only spent a brief time with the Demon King and while he seemed to care, it's hard to pinpoint his true intentions.
I hope to find out more once I complete my mission here."
Finally, Todd spoke up, asking, "So when you said you'd take me and my family somewhere safe, you meant with you to the Demon King's home world, is that it?"
Ty gave a light chuckle, "Yes, he kind of owes me for getting me killed, and he stated it's something like a final destination for strong warriors who lead a good life."
Kaiko intervened, "Calm down, Todd. You can daydream about leaving this place later. For now, we need to focus on how to get you close to the Yami King. He's bound to have the Relic item close to his personal stash, given how useful he finds it."
"Maybe if I understood what you all have going on, I might be able to help a bit and even get some idea of where this Relic might be." Ty suggested.
Taking a sip of tea, Kaiko explained, "I suppose, but to keep it quick I will have to get my shop set up soon."
"Roughly 15 years ago, Elithira and Sogetsu killed an evil tyrant and set up King Julius as the ruler, However, after Elithira left, everything quickly crumbled to pieces as the Yami King killed Julius during his yearly speech using the Relic item to make himself look like Sogetsu."
"The rest of the twelve years were the time when the Yami King infected the land and transformed anyone who defied him into lifeless zombies."
Ty perked up at her statement and recalled something, "Hmm, I killed some people who had pale blue skin and acted strangely at Sogetsu's home village."
"Elithira thought it would have been a good place to start, but it turned out Sogetsu's father was rather pissed off with her." Ty stated, dropping his legs to the ground, ready to get up fully.
"I don't blame him. She disappeared almost as quickly as she arrived, so it kinda makes sense. She was the one who planted the idea of a better life in Sogetsu.
I guess it makes sense her stories from being from another land never really added up. But it's possible she was taken captive, and we need to rescue her regardless."
Ty perks up. "What about Sogetsu?"
Kaiko's face grew grim as she stated, "No one has seen him in over ten years. I had Todd take over the work at the prisons to hopefully catch a glimpse of him once if he ever happened to get transferred, but all of it was for nothing."
She continued, "So we assume he was killed. And whether you planned it or not, Mr. Skeleton boy trying to get back home...
You've killed not one, not even two, but three pieces of the Yami King and started making people question his power."
"So we will be activating a beacon to rally the resistance together for one last push. This should hopefully give you a chance to confront the Yami King. We can save Elithira and get some closure. If we die in the process, so be it."
After taking a long pause she continued, "It was nice to see that flame bastard kick the bucket."
Moments later, laughter echoed from the ceiling, proclaiming, "Ha ha, both, you and me, girl."