POV of "The Tailor"

A man sat in the shade, staring at the inn that Emily owned. When she walked out, his excitement visibly rose.

"Ahhhh, Miss Emily is so beautiful and kind and succulent! I want to feast on her flesh as she looks at me with love!"

The man followed her with his eyes as she walked down the road. When she left his sight he turned back to the inn.

'I've been trying to get her attention with so many different "suits" and tactics. Yet, this random outsider suddenly appeared and got close to her! I shouldn't be frustrated, but I am. I need to think of it as life sending me a boon. Emily, you will be mine very soon,' the man thought.

The man planned to turn Leylin into his new suit to get closer to Emily. He smiled as he thought about his plan. As he grinned, part of the skin peeled off of his face, revealing a stark white skull. He quickly covered it with his hand.

'Damnit, I need a new suit. This one is in tatters and isn't even worth patching. I guess now is as good a time as ever to replace that boy.'

The creepy smile returned to his face at that thought. He looked longingly in the direction that Emily left in earlier.

'Ah, Emily. Your eyes are so beautiful! I'm certain that they will taste better than the sweetest candies I ever ate when I was alive!'

-

Leylin POV

Leylin became tired after working for so long. His arm ached from the repeated slicing, but it was a good pain. It was a sign that his muscles were getting stronger. Taking a break, he decided to check the chimera for a mana stone. Placing his hand on its body, he sent a pulse of mana to get an idea of what it looked like on the inside. Interestingly, the chimera's bones were hollow. Even more surprising was the fact that only the lion head of the chimera had a brain. He couldn't sense anything at all within the jackal head. Cutting it open, Leylin found a small, squishy sphere.

'Mana Stone?' he thought. 'It is squishier than I expected, almost like organic tissue. "Stone" must refer to its shape.'

When he sent mana into the stone, it disappeared as if it was absorbed. Leylin contemplated hiding the stone from Emily, but that went against his morals. He already owed her a debt after all.

The mana stone had a shiny exterior that was slightly translucent. Inside, he could vaguely see something swirling, and he guessed that it was concentrated mana. Leylin wasn't sure how to prove his hypothesis though, so he would have to think about it some more.

Finishing his brief break, Leylin used a wheelbarrow to haul another cow to the table.

Suddenly, the atmosphere of the workshop changed. The smell of rotting corpses wafted through the air, and the monsters and animals began to stir. They all stared at Leylin with grotesque faces of glee.

"You have presented me with the perfect opportunity! For that, I should thank you!" they all said, their voices overlapping.

Looking around nervously, Leylin was confused.

'Illusion?' he thought. 'If I can find the source of it, I can escape.'

But, he had never seen such a powerful illusion before. Although he was knowledgeable, Leylin had no real-life combat experience. He lived a pampered life up until this point despite his less than ideal parents.

The animals cackled at Leylin, amused by his helplessness. Blood poured out of their orifices, which created a steadily rising pool. Soon, the level reached his waist, filling the room much faster than he could think. Frantically looking around, Leylin tried to find the source of the illusion.

Not letting him gain any advantage, the tentacle monster wrapped around his legs, locking him in place. Its mouth laughed and spat blood in his face, enjoying Leylin's horror.

The blood rose further until it covered his mouth and nose. Eventually, Leylin reached the limit for how long he could hold his breath and began to inhale blood. It filled his mouth and lungs, bringing a metallic flavor and causing him to choke.