"No One Signed Up to be a Hero"

"Was that monster a Virus?" She asked. Now that the adrenaline rush was over she could appreciate his features more. He looked pretty, she decided as she watched him ruffle his bangs, shaking the dirt out.

He stared at her. "No.. that was a D rank crystal golem."

"Oh," she remarked.

"I suppose if it came across one, it would have fused and become a more problematic monster, but I guess it found you." He said using the shovel to brutally dissect the golem's limbs from the torso.

"Me!?" Nanthanaphon squawked.

"Yes." He responded evenly. Voice quite monotone as he glanced at her while breaking off the arm at the shoulder joints.

"Your magic circuits, ample with life and energy is like a homing beacon to any monster within range. Not to mention the raw power emanating off you," he intoned and Nanthanaphon looked a bit self conscious.

"Are you used to handling monsters?" She asked, standing up finally.

"I can handle it. The graveyard is both a magnet for monsters and a deterrent. It deters many weak monsters like goblins from approaching due to the aura of death it exudes. But many other ones come seeking to devour the easy source of the magic circuits -or magic cores in the golem's case- from the bodies buried." He explained.

"What's it to you?" He asked finally.

"I- just! I wouldn't want you to feel like you have to go out of your way for me!" She started and nervously scratched her head.

"..." he blinked dully at her.

"You should probably get those scraped treated." He said abruptly. "My dad is in today he can make sure you don't have any infections and go about your day." He said, stopping his digging and walking back down the hill.

"The scrapes compared to Carnivorous Wyrms are minimal and a relief," Ardrossan remarked.

"Is that some type of brain eating Virus?" Nanthanaphon asked.

"No, Viruses don't eat brains," Ardrossan denied.

"Which, can't imagine your brain's got a whole lot to offer a zombie anyhow," he remarked cynically.

"Are you saying that cause I'm a girl?" She asked, fuming at the misogyny.

"No, I'm saying that cause you're a dimwit," he remarked casually.

"Hah!" She snapped and swung her leg, casually kicking him in the groin.

"... Yeah that was probably deserved," he hummed disinterestedly.

"Wait are you serious? Most guys keel over crying," she gawked.

"I'll remember that for next time," he remarked as if talking about the weather. She stared at him in horror.

"Hey Dad, I'm home early," Ardrossan remarked as he knocked on the door.

The door opened and the person was an old man, thin and short with fair skin. His face clearly showed his age, with wrinkles and details. His eye shape was droopy, with brown eyes framed by thin rectangle glasses. His hair, receding and graying, was slicked back and tied up. His attire included a long-sleeved white shirt with sleeve garters and cuffs, a black tie under a black waistcoat, black trousers, and black boots.

"Oh you have a companion?" The old man raised an eyebrow.

"She's just here to be patched up. She can be on her way after you've made sure there are no serious injuries." Ardrossan explained casually.

He let them in and gave Nanthanaphon a once over. Noting the injury on her leg and getting out the case of bandages and medical supplies.

"Hm, your injurues appeared to have healed rapidly on their own! Quite impressive!" His father remarked patting her head gently.

She blinked at him, baffled. "I suppose you have a point... My injuries usually do heal quickly.." she remarked noting she didn't feel sore anymore and that her arm seemed to have healed the bruising from her fall. Her leg had bandages wrapped around it.

"Well... You can stay for the night for the trouble. Ardrossan looked inconvenienced.

At dinner time Ardrossan came out of his room and took the opportunity to pull out the chair for Nanthanaphon.

She seemed flustered by this and mumbled a polite thank you.

He took his own seat and began to eat the bowl of soup with what Nanthanaphon recognized as dumplings.

"Uh-- wait quick question?" Nanthanaphon blurred looking at her own bowl.

Both men regarded her curiously.

"What is this and do I need to repay you for the food?" She asked.

They looked at each other perplexed. "No of course not" they both agreed.

She gazed skeptically. "Okay then,"

"Oh Dad.... Do you have use for this?" Ardrossan asked. He pulled the somehow octagonal dark purple sphere out of his pocket and placed it on the table. It was shining a little but otherwise could have been mistaken for a normal rock.

"It's a dark matter stone. I retrieved it from the golem that appeared a little after she did" he explained.

His father adjusted his glasses and peered over the dark colored octagon.

Briefly she could see the number 82 in white to orange gradient over his head.

Her face scrunched with doubt and confusion. 'No way this guy is actually 82.... His son looks 19...'

"No. you can do whatever you like with it," the old man decided, finally.

"I see," he accepted the stone back.

She stared blankly as his father resumed eating. Briefly over Ardrossan's head appeared the two question marks again.

'Weird....' she thought as she went to the guest room she was told she could stay in.

However the door was ajar. Was it Ardrossan's room?

Curious, she opened it, shoving down the suspicious feeling that something was wrong.

Her eyes squinted making out the silhouette of a figure in the darkness.

Inside the completely dark room was-

A hand abruptly yanked her out of the room and nearly off her feet.

"Whoa?!" She gasped and leaned against the wall for support.

"This isn't your room," Ardrossan stated calmly.

"Right. Sorry. I'm a guest here. How could I forget?" She asked and glanced at the now shut door warily. 'When did he shut it?' her mind wandered as she straightened and began to head upstairs.

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*Hands ...*

*Hands were grabbing at her body.

*Touching, caressing, groping in places they shouldn't.*

"Circuits.... Delicious magic circuits. That can sustain us...." A voice rasped.

Alarmed at the realistic touch she woke up.

There weren't any hands.

"Where's... Ardrossan?" She started.

"He's out doing his job. He's a workaholic, that one." His father commented carefully carving an initial into the coffin kid he had.

"There was no one in my room earlier?" She asked cautiously.

"Your room? Why would he have any interest in anything there?" He made a confused face.

She deadpanned. "Uh-- I don't know hormones?"

His father looked blankly at her.

"You know, that age where boys act ....weird around girls?" She tried.

He blinked dully. "You'll find him in the same place he was yesterday if you're so curious,"

She blinked owlishly. "Okay... Strange,"

When she went outside, to the hillside cemetery, she found him exactly where his dad said he would be.

"Hey I'm not one to throw accusations but were you in my room this morning?"

"Why? Do you have a dead body up there I need to bury?" He asked flatly as he turned to look at her.

"Wha-? No! Hell no!" She screeched.

"Hmm then I have no reason to go into your room, and no interest in doing so." He turned back to digging.

"But I swear I felt someone or something touching me...." She muttered.

"Something touching you...." He stood straight. "Did anything touch you when you went in my room?"

"No," She flushed in embarrassment.

"And I didn't touch anything there either!" She remarked defensively.

"Damn, rules that out." He muttered. He scratched his head.

"We don't normally get ghosts this time of year..." He mused.

"You get what now?" She startled.

"If you're scared that's a you problem not a me problem," he commented. Then he shifted his shovel somewhat.

"Hey... Listen.... I'm not that mad if you have perverted tendencies. Nothing new to me at this point. I wish you would have been more upfront with them... But I mean I have a place to stay while I'm in this strange world." She commented hoping to guilt him into admitting it. Instead he kept digging.

"There's something weird about how you can't look me in the eyes," she remarked.

"Well I am preoccupied," he commented still digging away.

"Heeeeeyyyyyyy... The hands are back," she complained trying with everything she had not to moan in front of a boy.

He looked up and found Nanthanaphon being held up in the air by navy blue colored hands.

"I'm ..... Surprised I didn't consider this," he remarked. She was surprised to see something akin to shock on his face, it almost took away from the fact that she was being groped and he was just.... Watching.

"A little help?!" She demanded.

"There's a problem," he responded.

"What's the problem?? I'm being attacked! Do something!" Nanthanaphon protested.

"I can't see its core," he said.

"Is that important?" She blurted.

"Yes." He responded simply.

'Is that.... Saliva???' she panicked and squirmed a.

"Gross! I think it's drooling on me!" She complained. "Just aim and strike! I want it gone!"

"If I hit it and miss, I could end up cleaving off your head." He explained with no sense of urgency.

"Ju--" she gulped understanding his comment. "Make a calculated risk!"

"As you wish," he commented. He picked up the shovel and the paper talisman glowed faintly.

He swung it the way one might swing a sword.

With a 'shhnk!' noise the entity dropped her and became visible. Revealing that it was a dark green oversized centipede with yellow stripe down the middle.

"A Virus..." He murmured. It didn't have a core unfortunately. Likely a typical Virus that hadn't yet fused to a human.

"A centipede?! Wait Viruses can have non-human forms!?" She protested. Seemingly unbothered by the hands still gripping her arms. Slowly she began pulling them off.

Half of the centipede shifted crumbling apart as it lumbered around.

Nanthanaphon's chest began to glow, from Ardrossan's point of view it looked like her magic circuits resembled crowns.

'Is that Keter magic?' he wondered.

"Gross!" She exclaimed disgusted, raising her hands and a radiant golden light filled the area.

The centipede smashed into one of the rays of light which acted as a shield. She flinched and suppressed the urge to throw up.

".... That's strange," he commented casually, his gaze slid over to her form. The glowing inside her chest began to fade.

"Hmm," he regarded the halves of the centipede. "No core this time. Just a dud," he remarked almost sounding disappointed.

He looked at her to see she had passed out. Which he felt was understandable, the CircuitCores didn't appear to be used to generating such a large amount of mana at once.

"Hm, did that accidentally kill her?" Oh guess I have to bury you now," he said void of enthusiasm.

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"Hey wake up," Ardrossan remarked finally.

"You! " She exclaimed sitting up and seeing the priest Candeloro again. He was standing next to Ardrossan and didn't look too happy. But his expression brightened upon seeing she was alive.

"Say.. have there always been more than one type of Virus?"she asked.

"Virus? I don't think you've been attacked by one since you got here," Candeloro responded confused. Ardrossan flinched slightly.

"You're.... Not really a priest are you?" She asked. He shook his head sympathetically.