Memories: My Kingdom

Chapter 18: Colorful Hairy Leeches

Leui chuckled. “The owner of the Stinky Flower Shop also got mad. She said we’re all friends with each other, so she made the guy apologize. The guy is actually kind. He just said it as a passing joke. Thus, he gifted me this bottle of adhesive.” He explained.

Tinum finally sighed in relief. But, his face is still cold. “I already told you not to associate yourself with other races.” He said and resumed walking.

Mhir’s eyes widened in anger. “You - !” she said, feeling offended. However, Tinum just ignored her.

Leui patted Mhir’s shoulder and told her they should continue walking. They are now halfway to the swamp. Mhir nodded and took Leui’s hand to guide her.

However, not long after and they heard a buzzing noise, followed by something slithering and a low growl. Tinum stopped and looked ahead even if it’s just darkness. “Seems that we can’t avoid them.” He muttered.

“Huh?” Leui said when he didn’t hear what Tinum say.

Tinum sighed. He had been directing Leui to avoid encountering the beasts in the forest. However, Tinum didn’t expect that there would be more beasts ahead of them. It was really inevitable. “Something’s coming.” He told the two as he took his bow and an arrow.

Leui’s eyes widened and he felt there were waves on the still water of the swamp. “Mhir, you hide – “ he said and didn’t finish what he was about to say when Mhir suddenly cried.

“Ugh!” Mhir bent down her body and clutched her thigh.

“Mhir!” Leui called as he immediately tried to see what happened to Mhir’s thigh. He somewhat regretted he didn’t bring a firefly to light their way. His heart can’t bear to separate them.

Tinum suddenly turned his body and raised his hand. Then, a fire the same color of the fireflies appeared on his hand. It looked cold, but the colder it looked the hotter it was.

The fire the size of a fist became bigger, and the bigger it is the larger the area it illuminated. Thus, Leui’s eyes widened in shock when he saw the water before them looked boiling. However, it isn’t. Instead, underneath the clear surface, they saw leeches the size of a basketball. The leeches are of different colors; they looked like the water of the rainbow swamp exhibiting colors when struck by light. Under normal circumstances, they would immediately notice the leeches. However, they didn’t this time since the surrounding is dark.

“Colorful Hairy Leeches.” Leui muttered under his breath as he shivered at those short but sharp as needles hairs on the leeches’ soft body. He stared at the leeches as they opened their supposed small mouths. But, since this is a magical world, Leui saw the leeches’ mouth open as wide as double of their body’s diameter. Their soft body was stretched to its fullest.

The Colorful Hairy Leeches are leeches that have many short but sharp teeth like its hairs all over its soft body to protect itself. Its color changes to what the color of the blood it sucked. Thus, right now, they are looking at the leeches of different colors, hiding with the colors of the swamp when Tinum’s fire’s light struck the waters. “Check the dwarf’s wound.” Tinum told Leui as he kept the Colorful Hairy Leeches from going towards them. For some reason, the leeches looked scared of the fire and were ‘trembling’, shaking the water in the process, creating waves.

Leui looked at the fire similar to the fireflies. Then, he remembered the history of the Cold Fire Insects where they entered a forbidden area and were punished. It was never mentioned where that forbidden area was, and the fireflies appear inside the forests. Could it be… he didn’t continue the thought since Mhir is more important. “Mhir!” he called as he went to Mhir who looked slightly pale. He looked down and saw a Colorful Hairy Leech turning green after drinking Mhir’s blood. “Tinum! How do I kill this thing?” he asked as he glared at the hairy leech which also pierced Mhir’s thick skin aside from its mouth. He felt his heart ache when he saw Mhir was crying.

Tinum didn’t answer and made the tip of his arrow touch the silvery-white fire. The tip of the arrow burned. Then, Tinum shot the log near the Colorful Hairy Leeches. The log burned but didn’t turn to ashes. The Colorful Hari Leeches retreated further so that the fire couldn't touch them.

Tinum silently turned to Leui and created another but smaller fire on his hand. Then, he flicked the fire. The fire jumped from his fingers and hit the leech on Mhir’s leg.

“AH!” Mhir howled in pain and she almost fell on the water when she felt the fire also burning her thick skin.

However, Leui immediately caught her to keep her from falling. He turned to Tinum, panic in his face. “What are you doing?!” he asked, mad. ``Do you want to burn Mhir?!” he said. He knew that the dwarves’ skin is thicker than leather and they wouldn’t immediately be burned. Thus, he was shocked and also depressed since Mhir’s thigh is also burning.

Tinum kept his calm face as he watched the leech turn to ashes and fall on the water. “This fire can stop the infection of the wound by burning the bacteria and other harmful microbes that entered the wound.” He explained and looked at the burn on Mhir’s skin. Her first layer of skin was burned.

“You – “ Leui doesn’t know what to say. He knew that Tinum wouldn’t really harm Mhir, but he panicked when he saw that the fire was burning Mhir.

Mhir let out a long sigh of relief and looked at her tight. “Leui… does it look ugly?” she asked, referring to her burn.

Leui looked at her. “You’re not mad?” he asked.

Mhir shook her head. “I only want that thing to die.” She said and gave Tinum a grateful look.

Leui sighed and felt embarrassed to look at Tinum. “Sorry.” He told Tinum.

Tinum didn’t answer and just turned to the Colorful Hairy Leeches which now retreated after seeing one of its kin die. Leui turned and looked at Tinum whose gaze was beyond the light, as if searching for something.

They didn’t speak more and resumed their travels.