This is a short story by the same author as Home of the Zerg that I decided to do for my birthday. So I hope you enjoy this birthday release from me.
-Addis
Chapter 5: Returned Home on an Empty Stomach
Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations
Editor: KarateChopMonkey
Alphard’s surveillance continued for nearly half a month. Brand’s work in the town went smoothly; he could handle any physical labor, as he claimed. Gradually, Alphard felt it unnecessary to waste too much time watching this seemingly uninteresting fool. Yet he couldn’t easily trust others, always considering that Brand’s actions might be deceptive, so Alphard had to keep the dead bird nearby to remind himself that Brand wasn’t so easily fooled.
He wondered what Brand was thinking. At least outwardly, he showed no resentment, working diligently daily, moving bricks, cutting wood, and exchanging sweat for copper coins and food for this period.
Occasionally, Alphard would watch in silence as Brand covertly eyed the town’s young men with a hungry ghost expression. Still, he seemed to know that being discovered as an incubus at this point could mean losing everything. So Brand would only lick his lips and occasionally find a place to hide away for self-gratification.
Alphard generally didn’t watch the final step. He found it hard to understand why this guy had so much excess physical desire.
At the end of March, Brand finally amassed enough bricks and mortar, bought some food with the remaining copper coins, and borrowed a cart from a kind old lady who could hold all his tools. Because he had helped this elderly woman take care of her rice fields, where her children went to earn a living in the city, she didn’t even ask for a deposit, trusting Brand to return it later.
With a grateful smile, Brand repeatedly assured her that he would definitely come back, and then he started on his way home, pulling the cart along.
This time, the dead bird didn’t hover in the sky but landed shortly after leaving the village, standing solemnly on the cart bricks.
“Hey, Alphard, is that you? How have you been in the tower lately?”
It’s Mr. Hydras. Alphard glared at Brand, but he could only use the dead bird’s body and couldn’t make it speak human language. So, Brand couldn’t perceive Alphard’s inner correction.
“I’m quite efficient, right? Just wait a few days. Hey, it’s much slower to carry a load than to walk. Pulling the cart uphill is also a challenge. Once this batch arrives, I can get to work!” Brand rambled on, wiping the sweat from his forehead. It was very hot wearing a turban daily to hide his horns, but he had been diligent lately to avoid trouble.
Brand hibernated for several months, feeling that his muscles had significantly atrophied. The intense physical labor during this time revitalized his muscles, making each one firm and full of vitality when exerted.
“I’ve brought back some bread too. I’ll repay you for what you lent me. I also bought some smoked meat, potatoes, and frozen tomatoes with the spare copper coins. Don’t judge me by my clumsy appearance; I’m quite skilled in cooking. I dare say my cooking skills are on par with my… you know, oral skills!” He turned around, looking proudly at the dead bird, and without waiting for any response, he naïvely asked, “Don’t you agree?”
“…”
“Oh, you can’t speak now. If you agree, lift your right wing; if you disagree, lift your left. That way, we can communicate.”
The dead bird completely ignored him, turning its back to Brand with a deadpan expression. Being ignored didn’t stop Brand from babbling on. Alphard was getting annoyed.
Brand didn’t get a response, thinking maybe the dead bird’s wings weren’t very flexible. He didn’t mind and started talking about other topics. He usually wandered between villages and towns alone, but having a dead bird accompany him on the road this time, knowing that Alphard was listening behind it, even without speaking, still boosted Brand’s spirits.
It took Brand nearly six days to haul the cart from the town to the Mage Tower gate. Even with his exceptional strength, hauling a cart full of heavy bricks uphill was challenging. If there was any advantage, it was that due to his physical exhaustion, he temporarily set aside his daily unfulfilled desires and would easily drift into sleep as soon as he closed his eyes against the cart.
“Phew, finally…”
The skeletal dog was, as usual, squatting at the gate and guarding. It was like a fixed decoration at the Mage Tower gate, rarely wandering around. Brand didn’t know its name, so he used the most basic term: “Doggy, long time no see! Is your master home these days? His bird died shortly after going up the mountain, lying motionless on the cart. I was a bit worried. Did he voluntarily withdraw his magic? Or is he just asleep?”
The skeletal dog sat motionless, its hollow skull “looking” at Brand. It seemed to say, what’s the problem? Does my master ever leave home for long? It seemed to lack the intelligence of a typical living dog but retained most of its canine features. When Brand approached, it retreated warily a few steps, but after a few strokes along its spine, it suddenly became very pleased, spinning around in place.
Hardly anyone had touched it before! Opening its jaw a few times as if sticking out a non-existent tongue, the skeletal dog fidgeted in place, running around restlessly, signaling to Alphard that the big guy had returned.
“That’s not my bird. Just a corpse picked up randomly from outside. It’s been dead for a while,” Alphard softly said from inside the room as the door swung open.
“Wow… you’re here! That’s a relief,” Brand sighed, lifting the limp dead bird from the bricks and handing it to Alphard.
Alphard glanced at him, then used his right hand to pinch the wing, lifting it, and walked into the living room. Brand knew he was dirty, and walking onto the floor with muddy shoes might annoy Alphard, so he leaned against the door frame and peeked into the room.
On the opposite side of the spacious living room, many cages of various sizes were hanging on the walls. Some were empty; some contained floating orbs of light. Brand watched as Alphard took out a key and opened a copper-colored cage, then placed the dead bird’s body inside.
This bird was treated pretty well compared to the zombies that could only wander in the yard. Brand muttered to himself.
“Are you going to stand at the door until dawn?” Alphard took a deep breath, impatiently watching Brand’s head suspiciously scanning left and right at the door.
“But my shoes and clothes are dirty, covered in dust. Is it alright…?” Brand rubbed his nose with his finger.
Alphard paused, scanning Brand up and down as if he had just come out of a mine, his tone unfriendly. “Then go wash in the forest lake. Or you can strip naked and come in. You can rest tonight but remember not to dirty the first floor. Maybe you can flap those wings of yours, which are of little use, and move these bricks up to the west side of the outer wall.”
“Oh… okay, got it.” Being able to rest for a night was unexpectedly nice. Brand smiled, agreeing. Then, after two seconds of contemplation, he started taking off his pants right in the doorway.
“…” Alphard didn’t want to watch, turning around and heading back to the basement. He hoped that by this time tomorrow, the second-floor walls would be restored to their original state, though he knew it was an unrealistic fantasy.
At the doorway, with no psychological barriers, Brand quickly stripped down to just his underwear, grabbed his backpack from the cart, and hurried into the house. Besides water and clothes, he had bought some food items in his bag. The once shriveled cloth bag was bulging, making Brand feel very secure.
“Aren’t you coming in? It’s cold outside… although I guess you don’t feel cold,” he said kindly to the skeletal dog before closing the door.
The skeletal dog adjusted its sitting position without a word, its spine more upright. Brand guessed it was trying to express itself as a proud watchdog, so it felt it must stay outside.
Although Alphard seemed indifferent to the skeletal dog, Brand felt that might not be true. Otherwise, the skeletal dog wouldn’t be so lively, almost like a living dog. Its appearance couldn’t deceive anyone.
Closing the door gently, leaving the proud little fellow to continue guarding, Brand, shirtless, nonchalantly carried his backpack and sat cross-legged on the living room carpet. He remembered to wet a dry cloth with the water from his kettle before eating, wiping his face and fingers, then throwing the cloth next to the fireplace to let it dry naturally. Opening his backpack, he tore open the package of smoked meat and began to devour it with large bites, paired with the oval-shaped loaf of bread, uncut.
“Mmm. Can’t eat it all; gotta save some for Alphard.” Brand didn’t forget the agreement, tearing off some of the delicious bread he enjoyed and stuffing it back into the oiled paper bag.
As he ate, as his stomach and body warmed up, Brand began to feel drowsy. Unlike when he was outdoors and would sleep as soon as he felt sleepy in this enclosed space, after many days, he felt the unbearable urge of lust creeping up on him.
March was when the bearfolk mating season began. For the past month, Brand had been enduring the fire of desire, not attacking the men in town, and he was now feeling pent up. He looked at the sofa. Last time, it was here that Alphard let him have a hearty meal… well, sort of hearty.
Brand crawled to the edge of the sofa, sat on the carpet, and buried his head close to the sofa. He deeply inhaled through his nose, greedily absorbing Alphard’s scent left behind, unconsciously licking his lips with his tongue, a faint heart-shaped redness appearing in his eyes.
This scent… I want to taste it again! Just once more! …If I were to say that now and go down to the basement, Alphard would kick me out.
With his horns and tail no longer restrained by clothes, Brand could finally expose them freely to the air. He tried to quickly get his brain to work, thinking of a reason to convince Alphard to let him have another meal, but it wasn’t going well. His thoughts became stagnant as his body focused all its blood on his stomach.
In this state of burning desire, Brand fell into a half-asleep, half-awake state. He felt hot all over, watching the blurry scenery before him become like a layer of pink sunset, believing he had entered a dream state.
Something like this seemed to have happened before… right, back then… what was the situation? Brand stumbled to his feet, swaying by the sofa, his massive figure casting a long shadow under the crackling flames of the fireplace. He stood dazed for a few seconds, sniffed the air, groping like a drunkard, barefoot, heading towards the door that led to the basement — where there was a very enticing smell.
[The writer has something to say]: The next chapter starts with eating.
