Leyland Adventures Chapter Seven: Part Six

"Here we are, John's Family Bar!"

Tysashi glanced at the building, its size was that of a fast food restaurant. Smiling, Susana took him inside and within seconds, he could tell that the bar was unusual than any other bar. The wooden floors were spotless, customers were well-dressed, the television was in color and never bugged out, and even the bartender who donned a lovely tuxedo serving everyone was friendly. Very different from a standard bar.

"You weren't kidding about this place not serving alcohol."

"Yup, all they serve is juice, soda, milkshakes, tea, and water. Come on, let's get a seat!" She smiled as she took control of his hand once again before sitting him down near the bartender.

He immediately noticed Susana's scent before a wide smile appeared on his face.

"Susana!," He shouted while reaching over the counter to receive a hug.

"John, it's been too long!" Susana playfully ruffled with his straight pink hair. The two shared laughs between each other before John noticed Tysashi.

"You must be Tysashi right, the new guy from another planet?"

Before he answered, the young hero scanned his figure, John's smile and smooth light skin made him seem harmless enough to the point where he can trust him.

"Yeah, I'm Tysashi."

"Hey, you beat everyone in the arena, congratulations. So Susana, you want the regular?"

"Uh-huh!"

"Anything you'd like, Tysashi?"

"Umm, a large mint milkshake with whipped cream and a cherry on top."

"Coming right up!" He began to fix the drinks as Susana occupied his attention with a question.

"So what activities do you do in Lenovo?"

"Oh well I fight monsters, hunt for treasure with my brother, save people, and hang out with my friends. Normal teenage stuff."

"Wow...so is everyday action-packed?"

"Yeah, I fight monsters all day, if there are no monsters, I'll spend time with my friends and girlfriend."

"I wish Leyland was that exciting, so far everything has been boring before you came. The only type of action I see is when I get home late and I hear sounds from my parent's bedroom."

He became frozen for a second before replying.

"Oh...well you know it isn't easy. You should enjoy the peace, in my world, you wouldn't get a day off unless you were lucky."

Their drinks were placed down in front of them.

"There you go, for you, Susana, sparkling grape soda and for Tysashi, mint milkshake!"

Susana began drinking as she thanked him as Tysashi did the same. The milkshake tasted like what'd you usually expect, a creamy and divine taste that soothes the soul.

"The milkshake is pretty good."

"Heh, well it's nothing special. Say, how'd you get here?"

"Through teleportation, big accident."

"I see, well Peoria is your only hope, just collect ten gemstones and go to her location. She'll get you back home."

"Yeah, I know all of that."

"Oh, alright. I've been hearing a lot of stuff about you, I hear that your opponents got it out for you. Some people are labeling you as "'dangerous'".

Tysashi sealed his eyes shut while taking another sip. "Figures."

"If you need some knowledge about the history of Leyland and more facts about the planet, you should visit the library in the Orchtune Area, it's east of the Kula Outlet. There's a female librarian that should help you."

"Orchtune Area....I'll check it out."

"Another one please!" Susana politely raised her cup out for more which John happily responded to her needs as he went to satisfy other customers before coming back.

"Thank you!" She began drinking with a radiant smile.

John returned the expression as his ocean blue eyes found themselves with Tysashi. "Orchtune Area is a pretty fancy area, you can find the most exquisite places and high-quality gear there."

"Good to know. Hey, do you know what this item does?"

Tysashi placed the pocket watch down, allowing John's eyes to scan the object. It wasn't long until both John and Susana stated that neither of them had seen the item before, however it does possess the power of psychic fairies. Thanking them anyway, he returned the item back to his pocket.

Shortly after, Susana's speech became slurred, her cheeks blushing, and her eyes barely open. There was no alcohol in the establishment so Tysashi was definitely confused.

"Is she...ok?"

He chuckled. "Oh she gets drunk off soda, she'll be fine."

Tysashi took another look at her, her drunken smile and unpredictable movements didn't really convey that she was ok, however she was able to speak with slight hiccups in voice. She stated that she was going to close out for the night as she reached into her purse before being stopped verbally by Tysashi.

"I'll take care of it, how much do I own you?"

"Heh, it's on the house. You defeated Jackal and this is my way of saying congratulations and Susana, you always get free drinks."

"John, t- that's not how you r- run a business."

Despite being tipsy, Susana's speech was clear as untainted water...well at least she thought so.

"Susana, if it wasn't for you none of this would exist. You supported my dream ever since middle school and I can't thank you enough. I mean, a homosexual bartender serving non-alcoholic drinks, nobody would be interested in that. You were there for me and this is my way of showing eternal gratitude."

The two held hands, a symbol of an extensive friendship. Susana pulled him in for a hug, preparing to depart. Unable to let her go alone, Tysashi walked outside with her while blessing John with a "Goodnight."

Before Susana walked any further, Tysashi placed a hand on her shoulder, asking if she was capable of reaching home by herself. Surprisingly, she was perfectly able to return home by herself without any issue. The hyperactive waitress was always able to perform such a feat.

"Well, I should be going now."

Just before he could move his body, warmth slowly rushed through his soul as the arms around him grew tighter.

"I'll miss y- you."

Her eyes were closed and her grasp grew tighter. Susana finally felt comfortable around a man, a man unaffected by his urges and keeps chivalry alive in his heart. At the same time, Tysashi could feel what she felt as well, her golden hair riding the chilling nighttime breeze along with her scent.

"I'll come back someday, don't worry."

"Do you ha- have a phone?"

"No, it shattered when I arrived here."

"Oh. I'm sorry. Ok I need to g- get home b- before I don't get much sleep. B- bye!"

She released him just as he got to see her image get further and further away.

"I really hope that doesn't count as cheating."

He began his travel back to the castle without further interruptions, or that's what was expected. Just as he made it past Calleri Desert, a group of dwarf-sized men surrounded them. They carried the image of a toddler wearing a black garbage bag covered in leaves with eye holes cut out for vision. These were known as Hobbits.

Tysashi scanned their beady ruby eyes and they appeared to have some business with the young teen. Of course, this isn't the first time he's dealt with situations like this so his heart wasn't racing and his palms weren't sweaty. Instead, he approached them politely.

"Can I help all six of you?"

"No...we don't have a need for your assistance," one Hobbit inched towards him as the others repeated the action. The voice was grim and scratchy, empty of positivity.

"Oh. Well I'm a hero so if there's anything you need help with I'd be happy to...well maybe not now because it's dark but maybe tomorrow. Sorry."

"I wish we could say the same. You have one choice. Come with us or we'll make you. Be lucky you're at our mercy because she wouldn't give you much luck."

"She? He must be talking about Corcyra."

"Listen, I don't want any trouble but I'm afraid I have someone special to return to so if you'll excuse me."

Right as Tysashi began to move, sharp vines and thorns appeared all over their bodies as their eyes grew into a darker, devilish shade of red.

"So you failed to make a choice. Too bad."

Within seconds, all six of them came rushing towards Tysashi. In a moment of desperation, he pulled out the pocket watch.

"Stop!"

As his voice echoed, the watch emitted a blast that froze the Hobbits in place, still as statues. Confused, he placed a finger on the frozen foe and a small display of information appeared in holographic form. He was able to read data about the creature, its objective, uncover the future events it had planned, its connection with Corcyra and other useful information.

"Whoa. So it stops time and allows me to access information when I touch someone. All right let's see what we got."

The data read the following.

Creature Name: Forest Hobbit

Habitat: Dark Forest Areas

Diet: Fruits, Vegetables, and Smaller Insects

Bio: Hobbits are small, versatile creatures who normally thrive in the darkness. Their red eyes allow them to see within the darkness, allowing them to easily hunt predators. Hobbits are able to gain special abilities based on what they eat, if they eat a plant with thorns, they will be able to grow thorns for a defense mechanism. Because of this amazing ability, Hobbits are one of the most powerful creatures of their ecosystem. Hobbits typically have a depending life span and their size varies on the environment and what they consume. These little guys, despite seeming adorable, are actually quite dangerous and can be mistaken for a fairy. Hobbits are known to consume fairies and intimate their voice while also gaining height. However, if you supply them with food, Hobbits will be willing to carry out any task for their master. Once they stop receiving food, they return to their natural habitat. Hobbits have an amazing memory so they won't forget you. Because of this, they usually hunt alone. One weakness of a Forest Hobbit is their body structure, they are extremely weak to fire attacks and can have their body crushed quite easily though they are able to regenerate with water.

Predators: Hobbits are hunted by a variety of creatures such as Tailswipes and Gulpers. Hobbits are vulnerable to creatures larger and more dangerous than them.

"Whoa so they weren't even fairies, they were just animals. An animal that can look like a fairy...and sound like one, that's incredible."

Tysashi turned his attention back at the watch, the second and minute hand were gradually returning to normal time as the watch itself began to flash with blue light. He could only come to the conclusion that he was under a time limit so he unleashed a series of attacks on each Hobbit before he returned to normal time. The creatures began to fall apart and their bodies disassembled. Their eyes lost the glow as they sat on the grass, the bodies being absorbed into the ground.

Such a sight was undoubtedly frightening but Tysashi remained unaffected, this was nothing off the unpredictable nature of life. Just as the bodies began to completely dissolve into food for the plants, he continued his walk home with the watch in his pocket.

Aradressa just finished her dinner as her mother stared at her, inhaling fear. Once in her room, she grabbed the ice cold pen and her emotions began to spread over the page.

Diary Entry #7

"Corcyra attacked the greenhouse and placed a Black Death Flower within it. Thankfully only the greenhouse was harmed for the reason that I believe is connected to her addiction to anything plant-related. We were able to receive the Green Life Flower and I met an old friend of my mother. Shortly after, we obtained some gear to prepare for Corcyra's return. I feel anxious but I shouldn't. I fought my mother once again, that makes for the fifteenth time we've fought for training and the same number of times I've lost. Speaking of lost, I wish I knew where Tysashi is, he just left without a warning but tomorrow we'll make up for lost time with the coupon I won. Hopefully he won't run off again."

End of Entry Seven

Soon after pouring her feelings, she dragged herself into the shower just as Tysashi entered the castle. He saw a plate prepared for him, perfectly heated. He sat down and began to eat as Marissa joined him.

"How was your day?"

"Pretty good, I made two new friends."

"That's lovely. You won't be going anywhere tomorrow right?"

"No."

"Well, Aradressa won a coupon to visit Palm Tree Beach and you two are going tomorrow."

"All right, it sounds fun."

"A gemstone can be found there but of course you are supposed to have fun and make sure she gets consumed in ease."

Tysashi ceased eating for a second. "Is she...stressed?"

"Don't worry about it, she'll be fine. That's why you two should go tomorrow, to ease her as soon as possible."

"You can count on me."

Marissa nodded, exiting the area. He didn't know what to think, what if Aradressa was really stressed and she was on the brink of losing her sanity. He just couldn't handle the thought and quickly finishing his meal before relaxing himself in warm water and heading towards her room only to find that she was overwhelmed by her own thoughts, thus sleeping in early.

Her calming snores and comfortable position made everything seem peaceful, as if the world paused because of a sleeping princess.

"Goodnight, Aradressa," he smiled before joining just as he removed the items from his being. His thoughts became clear as his conscious dwindled, his new goal was to cause the least amount of stress possible, even if it requires him to go insane.