“Hey”
……
“Hey!!! Wake up!”
A voice seemed to speak from everywhere, including inside him. It was not something he could ignore and go back to sleep listening to, far to loud and odd.
Neal opens his eyes, looking around confused as it was still dark.
Oh right, the cave.
He moved to sit up properly, rubbing at his head subconstiously to see how the scab felt.
Except besides the crustyness of dried blood, he didn’t feel any kind of bump. It was odd, but he had to much of a headache to put to much thought into it.
“Hello?” He calls out in a confused tone into the dark, wondering who else could possibly be in this dark cave.
The scent of lavendar fills his nose yet again, reminding him of a scented candle in a small room.
“Hi there! Don’t bother looking around, I am right here!” The voice came again. A masculine and cheery voice unfamiliar to him, yet felt it came from withi him yet all around him at the same time. It made him feel rather uncomfortable.
“Who are you?”
“My name is not important, what is important here is today is your lucky day!”
“…” The tone the typical sales man used rung in his ears. So cheerful, confident and most off all…loud.
Without a reply from Neal, the voice continued.
” In return for freeing me I wish to offer you a deal! Oh yes, a once in a life time, rarity, deal! Tell me a anything you want and I shall grant you it, and all I ask in return is you lending me something of yours!” These words felt really sketchy to Neal, that and he was just getting more annoyed by the second.
“I don’t care, I don’t feel like making a deal with you” Neal states flatly, not wanting to deal with making a deal then having this guy stick around longer because of it. Perhaps try to sell him….offer him more things along the way, so undesirable!
“W…What? Come on here! This is such a special thing! Surely their is something you want? Like perhaps getting out of this cave, I can shove that boulder aside easy peasy!” The voice has disbelief in it, shaking a bit with nervous laughter as it made another pitch of its ‘wish granting’ abilities.
“No need..I will just figure out a way on my own.” Neal didn’t trust the voice, that and he really just wanted it to shut up. Just where was this person? How have they not lost their voice already? Ugh he didn’t want to deal with this after all that happened, he just wanted to go back to sleep.
He shut his eyes and began ignoring the voice as it began talking about all the other things it could do.
“I said I’m not interested, could you please leave already? I am trying to sleep here!” He spoke without bothering to open his eyes, instead rolling over into a more comfortable position. Well as comfortable as one could be when laying on a hard stone floor.
“Sleep? You do realize you will die in here if you don’t get out, right?! What use will you be to me then!”
“Use? What is it you want from me anyway?” Neal knew this voice was sketchy, this little slip up confirming his suspicions.
“Ugh! I just want to grant you a wish! Nothing else to it! Don’t you have anything you desire?”The voice grew more nervous, yet also a tinge of annoyance was in its tone.
“If I make a wish I have to do something in return and honestly..I don’t feel much like doing anything” Neal moved to get up, deciding to just try and start ignoring the voice and find a way out of here. His mouth felt dry, and the oncoming thirst felt a good enough reason to get on moving.
Obviously he could not go the way he came in, so he instead walked deeper into the cave while touching the wall for guidance.
“You want to get out right? Just ask me to! That is way less work for you then searching around aimlessly like this” the voice tried to nudge him into making a wish with it, however it got no reply as he walked on.
“Are..are you ignoring me right now? Seriously?!” The voice grew more frustrated, wondering what was wrong with this boy.
–
The sunlight is bright, Neal finds himself having trouble keeping his eyes open as he takes a few more steps forward back into the outside world.
Luckily he had managed to find a small break in the stone, which was like a path through the cave walls leading out to a vine covered crack. It didn’t take to much to shove them aside and squeeze through, although something had scratched his arms and face when he had been walking through.
Perhaps some sharp rock or thorns on the vines, whatever the reason Neal didn’t care. He was just happy to be back outside, now he could find himself some water.
“You know you could have made it out sooner if you just wished for it! More then half the day passed already!”
“I’m out now so what does that matter? Now shut up please, your annoying. I’m not making a wish so you can just leave” His own tone clearly showed how annoyed he was. Teeth clenched and tired looking eyes glaring off at nothing.
He looked behind him, then around. Their was no one around him at all, but the voice still sounded the same as it did before.
“Where are you?” He asked, continuing to walk on, leaving the cave behind him.
“As I stated before, I am here! Don’t bother looking, I am not exactly in a physical form here.” The voice had stopped its sales man tone, instead now speaking fairly normal, besides wherever it was coming from.
“Ghost?” Neal felt this made a lot of sense.
“What? No! I am not dead, besides what kind of ghost can grant wishes? I am far more admirable and powerful then a ghost!” The voice sounded offended, as if he had just deeply insulted him.
“A magical ghost?”
“Okay now listen her-” he tunes to voice out, instead focusing on the cart close by on a dirt path. The horses drinking from the river while a long bearded man ate a sandwich while sitting on a fallen tree.
It looked like he was transporting a lot of hay, and a couple barrels of something on the cart.
Neal felt this would be a good chance to get a ride to another town, where he would be able to get some good food and drinks. However…he would need money, wouldn’t he?
He patted his pocked where he shoved some of the plants in. The ones that had pretty flower shaped gems. Could he possibly use these to trade for things? That man from the other village had been pretty happy when he gave them all those other plants.
“Hey there Sir…um I see you are transporting hay.” Neals voice was soft, unhurried and a bit nervous as he approached the man.
The man looks over at him, taking another, almost aggressive, bite of his sandwich while looking Neal over.
“What da ya want?” He cut straight to the chase in a rough voice. Clearly seeing Neals desire for something.
“I was wondering if I could catch a ride with you…” before the man could flat out refuse him, he reached into his pockets and fished out a couple gems. He showed them to the man while looking at him hopefully.
“This is all I have..but I am hoping I can exchange this for getting a ride with you.”
The man looked at the gems, pausing mid chew.
This..was more then enough. Did this boy not understand what these gems were? Not that the man would bother telling him. As this was a good chance for the man to get something so highly valued for something as cheap as bringing the boy with him.
Neal ignored the voice as it seemed to almost shout at him how it could get him to the next town quicker then the cart ever could.
“Eh…I guess that is fine. But ya better not steal any of my goods. It ain’t gonna be no comfy ride either, and I don’t want no complaining” he takes another bite of the sandwich, speaking with his mouth full making Neals stomach twist in disgust.
“Okay…thank you very much. I promise I will not steal or make any noise.” He then handed the man the gems, a bubble of accomplishment and joy bouncing around inside him from managing to get this ride.
–
“Hey! Wake up ya sleepy head!” The man shouted, it was beyond him how the light haired boy fell asleep in such a bumpy carriage. Curled up in the hay sleeping like a new born babe, did this kid suffer a head injury? He did have blood on him on his forehead after all.
“Ah..sorry..” Neal rubbed at his eyes, trying to erase the fogginess of sleep from them.
“I don’t have all day! Ya said you were just gonna get off the next town I stopped at, we are here now so get off.” The man is rude but Neal paid no mind. Only nodding and making his way off of the cart.
He says goodbye to the man before looking around to take in the busy market around him. This place was a lot bigger then the village he had been in, and seemed to have more money in it as some walked around pretty dresses and no dirt on their clothes. Although their was also many who did look like they had a long day working under the sun, not bothering to wash up before grabbing some grocery’s for the house.
This..seems good. Now, he wondered if he could use the gems to buy a room to sleep in for the night, perhaps even get some food and water.
–
Well, it seemed these gems worked pretty well to use in place of currency! He managed to get plenty of food and sweets with just one of them, while another gave him two week in one of the better inns of the small town.
Neal had a bit of a suspicion the man scammed him taking two gems for the ride, but still he was grateful for the ride and their was nothing he could do about it now.
“That man scammed you! Look at how much these gems are worth, I mean two weeks at an inn for one gem? I think you should get revenge on that man! Just wish it and I can knock him down a peg or too!” The voice was back at it again trying to make Neal make a wish.
“Why would I want that? He did drive me here and I see no satisfaction in chasing him down and getting revenge for it.” Neal muttered under his breath as he fluffed the pillow on the inn bed.
“You seriously are just gonna let yourself be taken advantage like that? What about those villagers that locked you in that cave? Surely you want payback against them!” The voice seemed to be talking to Neal like he was an idiot, letting himself be pushed around and not taking the opportunity he had before him.
“Shush, I’m going to sleep now. Go bother someone else” Neal told the voice before jumping on the bed and snuggling into the sheets. He has not even bothered to shower, just wanting to enjoy the bed and his full stomach once again.
“Ugh this human, why is he so stubborn? Like I am gonna leave when he is the ideal body for me to use, so much magical energy..it could handle me better then a normal humans. I just need to find the one thing he wants the most…then maybe he will make a deal with me!” The voice talked out loud to itself in a frustrated mutter, going unheard by the already asleep Neal.
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