Chapter 23: New Plans?

“That was a nice story,” Estrella told Theo as they sat by the tree. The sun was still baking down the highway as they listened to the story. “I wonder if they had any children together.”

“You will have to ask him,” Theo replied. “Besides...”

Theo the minotaur heard a thump as Estrella and Theo turned their heads to look at Rex. He had collapsed to the ground. Renenutet was using her scaly hand to try to pick him up.

“Oh no...” Estrella replied. “I know what has happened.”

Theo stood up as she looked at the human mortal that collapsed. She put her two fingers to feel the man’s forehead. He was breathing in and out severely and showing signs of fever.

“Seems like nowadays we see this happening all the time,” she remarked. “Ryujin!” she called out to him. “We need a healer mythic now!”

The dragon that stood by the highway turned his head as he looked at the four of them. His concentration was disrupted as he slowly walked up to them.

“We have help coming soon. They will be able to heal him,” Ryujin explained. “Keep in mind that we shouldn’t get too attached to them. No offense to you humans, but once we are able to fix the disrupted events, it will be like we never existed.”

“That isn’t fair,” Estrella told him. “I want to be able to help. If we humans fucked up our world and we can fix it, then let us help. I know how powerful all of you are, but if I can give some ounce of our strength to make the world better, then so be it. Besides ... I don’t see evil people or deities that are trying to rule our lives. You want to live like we do ... happy.”

Ryujin looked down and away from her. “I wish we didn’t have to live in a world where we hid as humans all the time either, but that is the way of things. Your history is better without us mythics in the way to muck up your world. Look at the Yuki, for example. How much are they impacting your world with them running around?”

“We don’t know how many of them are there, don’t we?” Estrella explained. “They could be twenty, or there could be millions. We never know. Maybe those rats are better people in the other timeline. I want to be a part of this mission, and so does Rex.”

“That is why we are with you now and haven’t left you,” Ryujin replied.

“That and we are ssstill waiting on word of our nexxxt move,” Renenutet added.

Rex coughed a little bit as the snake goddess was looking at him closely.

“You seem more caring now than the story you told us,” Estrella told the snake goddess.

“I have had a thousssand yearsss to think about thossse eventsss. Me leaving my champion wasss...” she refused to say anything more about it. It’s like she seemed both happy and sad about her decision.

Estrella stood up as she went to walk up to the minotaur. Theo held a crystal in her hand and was now a distance away talking to someone. She nodded her head as she tapped the crystal and put it in her pocket.

“They will be here any minute,” Theo said as she saw the human walk up to her.

“I am sorry,” Estrella said. “I am enjoying our time talking about past stories, but I want to do something to help you guys out.”

“Unfortunately, it isn’t as easy as you think. This search has been going on for a month now and so far nothing. I know we are getting close, though. We have to keep searching the nuclear craters, though. The catch is that ground zero points are nothing but nuclear radiation pits for you humans. An hour waddling around in that, and you humans will have to have a healer mythic to fix you. It isn’t something that we can’t keep sparing for every human out there. There simply aren’t enough of us to do that. We can’t give you guys the special treatment for it just because you want to.”

“Then where does that leave us then? Are we just going to be discarded along the road as you guys play heroes?”

Theo thought about it for a moment. “Maybe we are just tired of having to say those things over and over again to every surviving round of humans we encounter. Maybe, in the end, we told you those stories as a way of letting you know there is more to us than you think. We truly care if it matters to you, humans. Do you know how happy I am to hear that there is a woman out there that actually willing to have a romantic interest towards other women? Not implying, of course, you and I would do such a thing. With me, I have it even harder than most women. Not only do I have to find a woman to be with but somebody that accepts me as what I truly am.”

Estrella was getting subtle hints from her, and she nodded her head towards her. “Do you find me attractive?”

Theo went and used her finger to push back her hair and feather a little bit by her horn. She felt nervous to answer the question. “I mean... , “ she stumbled. “It’s the fact that you are willing to be with a lesbian. That alone makes you ... yes, I find you attractive.”

“I understand what you are trying to tell me. My sister and I had relations with women in the past that said the same thing. It wasn’t easy for them. I can imagine that there are not many female minotaurs that share the same interest as you, especially when it comes to ... romance.”

Estrella looked away from her for a moment as Theo looked at her body for a short bit. She refocused her thoughts to other things.

“I am curious,” Theo asked her. “Do you love Rex?”

She looked back up at the minotaur again. “I ... not really. We see each other as a way to survive in this landscape. It’s complicated, really. We do have a relationship if you call it that.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, I mean, we have our urges if that is what you’re asking. We see each other as a way to relieve each other of those stresses. I do have a little bit of feelings, though. If it came down to it and the human race came to an end, I don’t mind dying by his side.”

“I see...” the minotaur looked rejected.

“Wait ... that isn’t what I mean. I mean that we consider each other good friends. I don’t have an issue having a relationship with a woman. We made that agreement three weeks ago that if we found another person, we wouldn’t get in each other’s way.”

“So ... would you be interested in a relationship with me?”

Estrella looked at the minotaur as she rubbed the back of her neck. She knew this was where this conversation was going.

“I am not sure. Maybe it’s because the world has gone to shit, or maybe it’s the other way. Ummm ... give me a little bit of time to think about it alright so I can sort out my emotions. It has nothing to do with the fact that you are not ... human ... I mean, I just saw Rex get force fucked by some rat women, so I can promise you that I don’t consider a relationship between us as anything wrong.”

“I understand,” Theo said. “I know what you two gone through was rough.”

Estrella went and grabbed Theo’s hand. Her hand and fingers were much more significant than hers ever was. Theo nodded and smiled at her.

They didn’t get a chance to say anything further as there was a portal that appeared in front of them. Estrella released her grip on her hand as they both looked at what was coming through. Not far from the orange tree, a large portal the size of Theo emerged. The dark vortex swirled with unknown magic. Estrella tried to look at the center but could see nothing. Ryujin looked at the portal with a neutral expression as Renenutet stood up from the ground while staying close to Rex to look at the portal opening.

The first one to emerge from the portal opening was a sizeable nine-foot-tall character. He looked like a giant tortoise that stood on two feet. His skin had a light gray and greenish color to it. His shell was a dark brown and black color with hints of white to it. He had a sharp beak at the end of his snout. He was sporting some giant mace-like club in one hand that was perched to his shoulder like he was ready to go mining in some tunnel. He also wore some sort of belt that wrapped around his waist and shell that hoisted some sawed-off double-barreled shotgun on his side. He seemed like a gentle character all and all. He had no mean face to him, nor did he show any hatred or malice.