My shoulders jerked whenever the rundown car would hit a speed bump which most of the time ended with my head bumping on to the stupidly low roof of the car.
"Ouch!"
"Stop being a whiny baby and shut it"
This fish... If it didn't save my life, I would have already grilled this guy and added really tasty seasoning and throw him to the dogs. But, then again it did try to trick me, so maybe—
"Hey, what's with the look?"
For how comedic he looked, his presence still made my throat tight and quickly shift my eyes.
Gee, can this guy read minds as well?
"So-sorry"
Trees passed by us at a slow pace but slowly picked up speed. Each time the shadow of a tree was casted on the car, my reflection would appear.
This reflection of a small chick with a small orange beak and yellow feathers. You couldn't find a single resemblance of humanity in me on this form.
All of my features and clothes stripped away from me. And yet the seductive crocodile watch still strapped around my leg.
Can't believe I was swearing and running with these guys back there. And this car. I cleared my throat.
"Was it necessary for us to take this... Car?" I said, looking out the window remembering the bodies we left behind. Even now my shoulders still felt a chill.
"And what else would you recommend?" The fish puffed out a cloud of smoke from it's cigar. Its fin rested on the fish bowl's lid as its tail's slow movement kept it afloat.
The explosion that happened was a family of four that crashed on a tree. All were dead. The cat looked over their bodies and found out that the mother was high and the dad drunk. The kids were thin. My teeth gritted.
"We're down on energy anyways so we would had stole somebody elses car. Think of it as a blessing"
A blessing...?
My claws clenched on their own with my body leaning slightly forward. But, I regressed. Even with the fish's low energy, ever since I took this form, I could see a cloud of energy engulf its body. And it was a thick smoke.
Well at least he showed some sympathy for them. Both he and the cat had a grim expression on them when they got on. With that thought my nerves calmed.
But still the question lingered on why the is the cat driving and why has he stopped his pursuit? Back then, I would have jumped on any conclusion and started screaming or started a fight.
But now I'm grounded. The weight on the air got heavier as it blocked my throat from properly breathing.
"Hey, kid" the cat suddenly spoke up. "Sorry for almost chopping your chicken little back there"
"I'm not me when I'm mad" his paws rubbed against the wheel before taking a turn. "Take a breath, lower your shoulders"
I instantly nodded at the cat's words. A deep breath came out of me as my shoulders naturally dropped.
Well, at least he doesn't seem that bad.
What are they? Good cop, bad cop?
I tried to humour myself but not even a smirk came from me.
But what the hell am I now?
I looked at the fish who threw his half used cigar to the floor which joined other half used cigars. Then, at the cat who's expression was sterile as we entered a tunnel.
I am one of them now.
Yellow strip lights of the tunnel passed by us in a pattern, from darkness to light. Lucky us, the tunnel seems to be barren. Unlike how it usually is when I'm late for work.
"Hey, earth to cock!"
I snapped out of my thoughts at the fish's words.
"What are you?"
His voice a low timbre as his eyes narrowed.
"What?"
Sparks spiraled like before in front of the fish before one of the contracts appeared. The fish grabbed the contract then threw it to me, which I reacted by backing off since it almost hit me.
A confused expression showed itself on me but knowing questions wouldn't get answers at this point. I hesitantly opened the contract with my claw. I scanned through the words from top to bottom which made my eyes widen larger and larger.
...
[Daiko Transformation Contract]
•By the Mother of All Daikos
-By accepting this contract, the human shall be reborn as a Daiko.
-The energy source of the Daiko that initiated the contract shall be cut accordingly to the energy level of the human.
-The Humanities Last Wish Seal shall be automatically applied to the newly transformed Daiko.
...
"This is..."
"Yes, it's the contract you chose instead of the one I recommended you"
"Why are you showing me this?"
The cat suddenly took a left turn on the straight tunnel we were in which made my mouth agape. Frantic my eyes were shooting from the fish to the cat, I was about to shout a warning. Their faces were the same and so that plan was scrapped. I dropped to the floor and tucked myself, bracing for impact.
What I felt next wasn't the crushing death of the car against a wall, but a cold chill passing through my body.
"Just like a chicken, huh?" The cat lowly chuckled.
"Hey-hey?!"
I spoke out from my confusion.
I jumped up from the floor to the seat and looked out the window only to find us still on the road.
Behind us was nothing but a wall.
My stomach dropped.
Did we phase through that?!
And more shockingly—what the hell are those?!
Next to us were cars like ours whose drivers varied in species. One driver had a horn that poked out and made a hole on the car roof while another car had a three-headed snake woman.
"Back to topic," the fish's voice dominated mine.
Without any strength left to apply logic to the situation, I sat back down with tight lips and his behind the door.
"Naturally," the fish continued, "when a human accepts a contract from a Daiko. The human takes the Daiko's energy source which results in the husn taking a similar form of the Daiko"
Similar form...?
The fish's gaze struck me.
"That's what's making me scratch my chin, you're different. You're form is more of a cousin of a T-Rex or immortal bird than a water breather"
Before I could compose a single thought, I saw the opening light ahead which was like an opening to heaven.
"You two," the cat called before throwing two vitals at the fish, "make it quick, were here"
The vital shone a white light as the glass that contained it almost looked invisible. Surprisingly, a cork was used as a lid.
Old school.
The fish drank one of the vitals then threw the second one to me. His eyes commanded the order without words and so I knew what he wanted me to do. I looked down at the shining vital and swallowed a breath.
Fortune for me, the vital didn't smell as bad as I thought it was and so chugging it down wasn't difficult. Some of the contents spilled but I drank most. It's only been half an hour in this form but I could maneuver it easily.
The taste was disgusting to swallow. But the feeling that followed thrilled my veins and made my blood pump stupidly fast. All fatigue or hurt I once had was washed away. I even felt bigger.
Next second was where the light of the rising sun touched my skin.
The watch on my wrist said 2:30 A.M and yet the sky said otherwise.
Wait—watch on my wrist? Skin?
I touched my body all over—im back!
Clothes and everything.
I touched my face a couple times before dragging my fingers through my yellow hair.
I'm really back...
My celebration was cut short when I saw next to me was an old man with silver hair and a black suit.
He wiped the vital flued off his lips as he kicked the the shattered glass of the fish bowl.
His jaw sharp and his body well-built. His eyes glowed an alarming red but that wasn't the most alarming part about him.
It was the fact that he was approaching me.
I sank deeper into the corner but it was no use as the old man had already reached me. And when he did, he stood on top of me like I was his prey.
"So tell me now... What are you?"
He asked with a tone that didn't accept silence as an answer. My tie was grabbed and gripped by his rough hands as he awaited my answer.
For how hard I tried, I couldn't muster a single word from my drenched throat. His leg was pressed harder against mine as his face came closer.
"I- I don't know..."
A string of words finally came out, jagged but an answer. The old man's tension didn't die or even decrease by the slightest, he was still unsatisfied.
"Fucker," he suddenly cursed before letting go of my tie which made me crumble to the seat. Deep and quik breathes rushed their way out of me as my shoulders were still raised.
This guy, is this guy the fish?!
Then the cat—?
"Always uncomfortable being in this form... Just feels wrong" a smooth voice came from ahead.
The seat in front of me which once had the orange cat, now sat a young man who was stretching his arm.
He leaned behind him which revealed his sharp face and eyes. He had yellow hair that was long and wild with the same serpent tattoo across his face.
He showed me his fangs which he licked with him textured tounge.
"Listen here, little chick. For now on you'll listen to us and only us. That doesn't mean we'll be babysitting you so better not get yourself killed now..." His voice comforting and calm.
"At least not yet"
Or comforting enough.
He truly was different when he isn't angry.
The old man was the first to get off the car, with a blunt on his hand, he slammed the car door shut without looking back. The young man shook his head with a smirk before exiting himself.
For me? I folded with my hands dug into my hair as I looked at the floor with shaken pupils.
Rie. Rie. Rie.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Creatures, vitals, powers... Death.
I've gotta make sense of this fast. I have to.
Structure and a little of what's left of logic always calmed my nerves and so when the dots interconnected I could finally catch my breath.
Ok. Ok. Slowly it'll make sense—
Bang!
Fuck.
I looked out the window to find the old man staring down at me. The lids of his left eye blinked but the other had a delay. Sharp pupils.
I guess I have no choice.
I stepped out of the car where I was greeted by a fresh breeze and the smell of tall grass like how it was back home at my grandparents.
Unlike my grandparents, their place didn't have a wall of big black buff men in dark suits.
Like the wall of china but on night mode.
And the place they guarded was Raijo Shrine—a fucking noodle shop?!