Chapter 151 - 152: The Game

Chapter 151: Chapter 152: The Game

They traveled for hours with the sun climbing higher in the sky and the road stretching out before them like a long, dusty ribbon that had no end and no beginning, and the wagon swayed and creaked and rolled along with the kind of steady rhythm that could lull a person to sleep if they let it.

Daniel sat in the wagon with his back against the rough wood and his legs stretched out in front of him and his eyes fixed on the window where the same scenery kept passing by in an endless loop of trees and fields and more trees and more fields until he thought he might go mad from the monotony.

He was bored.

He looked at the others and saw that they were bored too, because Lyra was staring at the ceiling with the expression of someone who had run out of things to think about and Fluffy was curled up in a tight ball with her tail wrapped around her body and Cheeky was picking at a loose thread on her sleeve with the kind of obsessive attention that came from having nothing better to do and Mittens was watching the window with her cat ears flat and Paul was trying to sleep but failing because the wagon kept hitting bumps and Brick Head was picking his nose with the kind of deep concentration that suggested he had found something interesting up there.

Daniel sighed and sat up and looked at the others. "All right," he said. "Let’s play a game."

They looked at him with curiosity in their eyes.

"What game?" Lyra asked.

Daniel thought about it for a moment. "It’s called Two Truths and a Lie."

Fluffy tilted her head with confusion. "Two truths and a lie?"

"Yes. One person says three things about themselves. Two of them are true. One of them is a lie. The others have to guess which one is the lie."

Fluffy nodded with understanding. "Fluffy understands."

"Good. I’ll go first."

He cleared his throat and considered his options carefully. "Okay. Three things about me. One, I once ate an entire pizza by myself. Two, I have a pet cat named Whiskers. Three, I once got stuck in a tree for three hours."

The others stared at him with thinking expressions on their faces.

"The lie is the cat," Lyra said.

Daniel blinked with surprise. "How did you know?"

"You don’t seem like a cat person."

Daniel sighed. "You’re right. I don’t have a cat. I’m allergic."

"Then why did you say you had one?"

"I was trying to be interesting."

"You’re already interesting."

Daniel smiled. "Thanks."

It was Paul’s turn and he thought about it with the kind of seriousness that suggested he was taking this game very seriously indeed. "Okay," he said. "Three things about me. One, I once dated a noble’s daughter. Two, I can cook a five-star meal. Three, I once fought a bear with my bare hands."

The others stared at him with thinking expressions.

"The bear is the lie," Cheeky said.

Paul blinked. "How did you know?"

"You don’t seem like the type to fight a bear."

"You’re right. I’m not. I would run away."

"Then why did you say you fought one?"

"I was trying to be impressive."

"You’re already impressive."

Paul smiled. "Thanks."

It was Fluffy’s turn and she spoke with complete confidence. "Okay. Three things about Fluffy. One, Fluffy loves meat. Two, Fluffy is a shadow. Three, Fluffy once ate a whole cow."

The others stared at her with thinking expressions.

"The cow is the lie," Lyra said.

Fluffy blinked. "How did you know?"

"You’re small. You couldn’t eat a whole cow."

"Fluffy could try."

"But you couldn’t finish."

"Fluffy could try really hard."

Lyra laughed. "Okay. You could try."

Fluffy smiled. "Fluffy is right. The cow is a lie."

It was Cheeky’s turn and she spoke with nervousness in her voice but determination in her eyes. "Okay. Three things about me. One, I once had a pet bird. Two, I can speak three languages. Three, I once got lost in a forest for three days."

The others stared at her with thinking expressions.

"The bird is the lie," Paul said.

Cheeky blinked. "How did you know?"

"You don’t seem like a bird person."

"You’re right. I’m not. I’m allergic."

"Then why did you say you had one?"

"I was trying to be interesting."

"You’re already interesting."

Cheeky smiled. "Thanks."

It was Mittens’s turn and she was nervous and scared and trembling, but she spoke in a small voice. "I... I don’t know if I can do this."

Daniel smiled at her with encouragement in his eyes. "It’s okay. Just say three things."

Mittens took a breath and gathered her courage. "Okay. Three things about me. One, I was a slave. Two, I can climb trees really fast. Three, I once ate a bug."

The others stared at her with thinking expressions.

"The bug is the lie," Fluffy said.

Mittens blinked. "How did you know?"

"You don’t seem like a bug eater."

"You’re right. I’m not. I would never eat a bug."

"Then why did you say you did?"

"I was trying to be interesting."

"You’re already interesting."

Mittens smiled a small and fragile smile. "Thanks."

It was Brick Head’s turn and he spoke with the kind of confidence that only came from having no idea what he was doing. "Okay. Three things about me. One, I once saved a village from a dragon. Two, I can speak to animals. Three, I once ate a whole chicken in one bite."

The others stared at him with thinking expressions.

"The dragon is the lie," Daniel said.

Brick Head blinked. "How did you know?"

"You don’t seem like the type to save a village."

"You’re right. I’m not. I would probably run away."

"Then why did you say you saved one?"

"I was trying to be impressive."

"You’re not impressive."

"I know."

They kept playing and they laughed and joked and had fun and it was a good time and a happy time and a time they would remember.

Then the wagon stopped.

Daniel looked out the window and saw that they were in a clearing that was small and quiet and a good place to rest, and Aldric’s voice echoed through the caravan.

"We’ll rest here for an hour! Stretch your legs! Use the bathroom! We leave in an hour!"

Daniel stood up and stretched and looked at the others. "Let’s get out," he said.

They climbed out of the wagon and stretched their legs and walked around and breathed the fresh air, and Daniel looked around at the trees and the grass and the sky and smiled at how peaceful and quiet and nice it all was.

"Let’s do something fun," he said.

The others looked at him with curiosity in their eyes.

"Like what?" Lyra asked.

Daniel thought about it. "How about a race?"

"A race?"

"Yes. A race. To that tree and back."

He pointed at a large oak tree in the distance that was far but not too far.

"First one back wins," he said.

The others looked at each other with excitement in their eyes.

"I’m in," Paul said.

"Me too," Lyra said.

"Fluffy is in!"

"Me too," Cheeky said.

"I’m in," Mittens whispered.

"I’m in!" Brick Head shouted.

Daniel smiled. "All right. On your marks. Get set. Go!"

They ran.

The race was chaotic in the best possible way, with Paul using his wind to propel himself forward and Lyra using her gunslinger agility to weave through the trees and Fluffy using her shadow step to disappear and reappear ahead of everyone else and Cheeky using her iron skin to plow through obstacles without slowing down and Mittens using her cat agility to leap and climb and scramble and Brick Head using his stupidity to run directly into a tree and fall down and get up and keep running.

Daniel used his speed to catch up and they reached the tree and turned and ran back, and Paul reached the wagon first with his hands thrown up in victory.

"I win!" he shouted.

The others reached the wagon with their breathing hard and their sweating faces and their smiling mouths.

"Good race," Daniel said.

"Good race," they agreed.

They rested for the rest of the hour and ate a quick snack and drank some water and stretched their legs, and then Aldric’s voice echoed through the caravan.

"Alright! Break’s over! Everyone back in the wagons! We’re leaving!"

They climbed back into the wagon and sat down and prepared to leave, and Daniel looked at the others with warmth in his chest.

"That was fun," he said.

They nodded with happiness in their eyes.

"We should do it again," Lyra said.

"We will," Daniel said.

The caravan started moving and the wagons rolled and the oxen walked and the men followed, and they were on their way to Heaven’s Domain and the guild exam and the future.

Daniel looked out the window at the trees and the fields and the road ahead, and he smiled a warm and genuine smile.

"Here we go," he said.

[Magic Castle = 5 bonus Chapter’s the same day]

[Space craft= 15 bonus Chapter’s the same day]

[Golden gachapon= 25 bonus Chapter’s]