A True Rhombic Comes in Time

9

I trudged toward the Door to leave.

Today was going to be my last day inside this world, and I wasn't happy about it. I looked around, knowing that despite how many times this dimension tried to kill me, I would still miss this place terribly.

The tall trees, the thick air, and even the creepy goblins...

It had felt not quite like home, but something very close to it.

I remembered being so hopeful when I first entered the Door. I imagined this place becoming my playground. That was a long yet short four months ago, and now, my silly dream was coming to an end.

When I leave here today, I was never going to come back.

It was over.

To my embarrassment, my eyes became a little misty. No one was here to see my cry, but I felt ashamed.

I was being logical in making this decision, wasn't I?

I tried hard not to cry by thinking of a funny Youtube video. I remembered seeing this clip where a bulldog angrily throws his bowl at his owner because it was empty. It always made me chuckle, because that bulldog was just like me.

But today, even this failed to cheer me up.

My hopelessly weak condition made this job much too dangerous. I would love to be brave, but I knew better than to be stupid. I certainly hated a lot of things about my life, but I wasn't suicidal either.

And what about Sofia? I couldn't imagine how devastated my older sister would be if something happened to me.

On a practical note, I thought about what I could do to make money since this Rhombic business wasn't going to pan out. Although I was most likely the weakest Rhombic there ever was, I was still slightly stronger than an average guy my age.

Perhaps I could work at a construction site or something. I decided to look into it to see if I could make more money doing this than waitressing.

Or maybe I could write a book to make money. It would be titled "Fifty Failures of a Rhombic". I could publish it on Amazon or Wattpad, and turn it into a bestseller.

Normally, I would have smirked at such a silly thought, but I must have been more depressed than I thought.

My lips remained firmly shut in the most dejected way.

Everything pointed to the fact that I should quit, so why did I feel like I was doing something terribly wrong? Why did my whole body burn as if I was leaving the place I was meant to be?

I was getting close to the exit. Just a few more steps, and I would be able to see the Door. I kept telling myself that I was doing the right thing.

Just a few more steps...

Almost there.

I finally got the glimpse of the majestic door when suddenly, I heard a scream of a young child.

"Ackkkk! Please help! Help!"

***

I had never heard anyone scream for help inside the Door.

Well, except when I myself screamed to be saved, of course.

Who could it be? Could it be that it was someone shockingly puny like me?

Whoever it was, he was obviously in trouble.

At least I assumed it was a "he". It was a very high pitched scream, and it sounded like it was coming from a very young boy.

Or perhaps, I was wrong and it was an older guy with an unusually soprano voice.

Regardless of the gender, the fear I heard from the scream was real. And I am ashamed to say that I hesitated.

I hesitated big time.

The first thought that crossed my mind wasn't that I should go help. Nope, that was more like a third or fourth thought afterward.

My first thought was that someone else should help the little boy. I had to be the weakest Rhombic on this floor, if not ever, so what could I do for this child? (Or a man with a beautiful falsetto voice?)

I knew I couldn't help him. It was more likely that I might get killed along with whoever this unfortunate dude was.

"Kyaaaa! Help!"

"Ackkkk!"

Dammit. Now, there were two young boys screaming for help. Was there a group of them or something? They sounded very young, so perhaps they were in the middle of their training.

But if this was the case, where was their guide?

What confused me was that even a brand new Rhombic, let alone two, should have been strong enough to kill a single goblin.

Well, present company excluded, of course.

This time, the screams were getting a little bit farther away. At that moment, I hated my sensitive ears because I could tell precisely which direction the voices were heading. I also resented how young these boys sounded.

Yet, a coward that I was, I kept waiting. I told myself that I wouldn't be any help to them anyway. I tried to rationalize my spinelessness by calling it "being realistic".

But all the logic in the world couldn't stop the feeling of shame as I stood here while some young children were screaming for help. I may have been as feeble as a newborn calf, but I was still an able body.

And I was even more embarrassed that my biggest worry wasn't these boys getting hurt or even killed. No, in the back of my dark selfish mind, I was more concerned about someone learning about my cowardly behavior.

It was now dead quiet in the first floor forest. I waited, deciding that maybe someone helped them by now.

Or... perhaps it was over for another more sinister reason.

My relief brought on dreadful shame. To make me feel better, I told myself that I would go after them if I heard one more scream. I'll admit that I promised this because I was certain it was all over.

Silence, and more silence.

It was eerily quiet, and my nerves were calming down slowly. This was my last day. I had long hard months, and I deserved to leave this place alive. Since so many unfair things happened to me, I prayed that I'll at least get to keep my life.

After all, that was the whole reason why I was quitting, wasn't it?

A full minute passed, and I sighed in relief. Now there DEFINITELY wasn't anything I could do. I just needed to leave the Door and never come back again.

I turned around and was about to take a step when suddenly...

"Ackkk!!! Mommy!!!"

Fuck.