Tavern of the Spear: Desire for Pleasure

Upon hearing Evand's question, Moko's light flickered slightly, as if it were considering how to answer. Finally, it spoke in a gentle voice, "Evand, I assure you, I have no intention of taking anything from you. If I had to say what my purpose is... it's simply to be with you."

Upon hearing this answer, Evand's eyes widened, his face filled with shock. "With me...?" he stammered, repeating, "What does that mean?"

Moko's light softened, as if he were smiling. "It means exactly what it says, Evand. I hope to be by your side, to share your joys and sorrows, and to be an important part of your life."

Evans frowned, a thought flashing through his mind. "Wait," he said, "you wouldn't happen to be...a ghost, would you? Do you have some unfulfilled wish? Or...a regret from a past life?"

Upon hearing this conjecture, Mo Ke let out a soft laugh. "I understand why you think that, Evand. But that's not the case. I'm not a ghost, or rather, not quite a spirit. Now, to answer your question, I have no unfulfilled wishes. On the contrary, my past life was very happy and fulfilling."

Evans was even more confused. "Then why did you turn into a talking horn? And you said you came here as a traveler... what's that all about?"

Moko's voice softened. "It is indeed a long story, Evand. Simply put, I chose to exist in this form to fulfill a vow we made together. As for traveling... that's a hobby of mine, and also the reason we met."

Evans shook his head, feeling a wave of dizziness. "This is too complicated," he muttered to himself. "I don't understand at all. What are you talking about 'our vows'? Why don't I remember any of it?"

Moko paused for a moment, seemingly considering how to explain. Finally, it said softly, "Evand, some things take time to recall. I don't want to force you to accept anything. Right now, you just need to know that I'm here because I care about you, nothing more."

Evans took a deep breath, trying to calm his inner turmoil. “Well,” he said slowly, “so…you’re saying your goal is…to love me? That sounds really strange.”

Moko's eyes flickered, as if in agreement. "Yes, Evand. I know it sounds unbelievable, but it's true. I want to be by your side, to share your life. My only request is... don't abandon me."

Evans felt a wave of dizziness wash over him. He leaned against the cellar wall, trying to clear his mind. “This is insane,” he muttered, “a talking horn saying it loves me… I must be dreaming.”

Moko floated gently to Evand's side, radiating a warm light. "I understand your confusion, Evand. But please believe me, this is not a dream. There is a deep bond between us; you've just temporarily forgotten it. Give me a chance, let me help you slowly regain those memories, okay?"

Evans looked up at the strange little horn, his heart filled with conflict. On one hand, he found Moko's words hard to believe; on the other hand, he had a nagging feeling that Moko might be telling the truth. Finally, he sighed softly. "Alright," he said, "I don't know if this is the right decision, but... I'm willing to give you a chance. However, you have to promise me that you won't hurt anyone, including myself."

Moko's light brightened, as if nodding with delight. "I assure you, Evand. I will never hurt you or anyone else. I'm here to protect and accompany, not to destroy. Thank you for giving me this opportunity."

Moko noticed Evan's slightly uncomfortable demeanor while speaking to him and couldn't help but feel puzzled. He softly asked, "I thought you were used to talking to spirits. Why do you seem so uneasy?"

Evand was completely bewildered by this. He frowned and replied, "What do you mean? You're the first... uh, spirit I've ever met. I've never spoken to any other ghost before."

Upon hearing this answer, Moko's light suddenly brightened, as if it had been startled. Its voice also rose involuntarily: "This is impossible! Evand, what are you saying? I've been watching you closely since the day you arrived. You've been talking to that ghost, and more than one!"

Evans was startled by Moko's sudden agitation. He uttered a confused "Huh?" and then cautiously asked, "Who...who did I talk to? Moko, could you explain more clearly?"

Moko's light flickered, as if it were trying to calm itself. After a while, it slowly spoke: "Evand, you really don't remember? That shadow that was always by your side... and..."

Suddenly, Moko let out a sharp roar, as if some unseen force had forcibly interrupted its words. The light of the horn began to dim, gradually being swallowed by the dark shadows, like darkness spreading from the abyss. Evand witnessed this and was immediately filled with panic.

"Moko! Moko!" Evans shouted, his voice filled with anxiety and worry. "What's wrong? What happened?"

However, the voice that answered him was not the familiar one from Moko. Instead, a strange and dark voice, sounding younger and louder, sent a chill down Evans' spine.

"Oh dear, that was close," the voice said strangely, with a hint of mockery in its tone.

Evand froze, momentarily at a loss for words. He stared intently at the now-blacked horn, trying to comprehend what was happening before him. "Who...who are you?" he asked cautiously, his voice tinged with obvious wariness.

The owner of the voice didn't seem in a hurry to answer Evand's question, but continued speaking to himself, "I don't want him to reveal the ending so soon, that would be too boring. Don't worry, I'll only erase your friend's memory, I won't do anything else."

These cryptic words only confused Evand more. He felt a chill run down his spine, as if an invisible gaze was watching him. Evand took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. "And who are you?" he asked nervously. "Are you the mastermind behind this fog and monsters?"

The voice chuckled softly at Evand's question. "Oh? Looks like you do have some clues, Evand. But do you really think things are that simple?"

Evan felt a wave of dizziness. He leaned against the wall, trying to steady himself. "What do you want?" he asked, his voice trembling slightly.

"What do you want?" the voice repeated, its tone playful. "I want a lot of things. Like... an interesting story? Or... a great game?"

The unfamiliar voice said with a mocking tone, "Don't worry so much, little Evand. Just do what you're supposed to do. We'll see each other again soon, won't we?"

Hearing this, Evand was enraged. The mysterious voice kept dodging his initial question, which infuriated him. "Who are you? Why are you doing this?" he pressed again, his voice filled with anger and frustration.

However, the voice replied in a flippant tone, "Oh, dear Evand, do you really want to know? Well, I must say, your very existence is to amuse me. You should feel lucky, after all, I've set rules that no one can tamper with your memories."

These words thoroughly enraged Evand. He clenched his fists and roared at the dark horn, "You can't escape! I'll find you one day!"

Upon hearing Evand's threat, the voice suddenly erupted into maniacal laughter. The laughter grew louder and louder, echoing throughout the cramped wine cellar. Evand had to cover his ears with his hands, feeling as if his head was about to explode from the piercing laughter.

Just when Evand thought he was about to collapse, the laughter stopped abruptly. He carefully lowered his hand and found that the horn, Moko, had returned to its original form, floating quietly in mid-air.

Evans was panting heavily, feeling dizzy. He leaned against the wall, trying to clear his mind. Everything that had just happened felt like a nightmare, but he knew it was real. The mysterious voice, the enigmatic words, and Moko's sudden change—all of these told him that things were far more complicated than he had imagined.

“Moko,” Evans called softly, his voice trembling slightly, “Are you alright? What just happened…?”

After recovering, Horned Moko noticed the fear on Evand's face and asked in confusion, "What's wrong? You look scared?"

Still uncertain about the horn before him, Evand hesitated and asked, "You...you really are Moko?"

Moko was puzzled by this, but still answered Evand's question: "Of course it's me, Evand. What happened? You look like you've seen a ghost."

Seeing that Moko seemed to have no recollection of what had just happened, Evand asked in confusion, "You don't remember? You were possessed by something!"

Having had his memories erased, Mo Ke had no idea what had happened before and said in confusion, "Possession? Impossible! I've been floating in front of you the whole time. Were you having a nightmare?"

Evand began to explain what had just happened: "Just as you were about to tell me that I often communicate with spirits, a powerful force interrupted you, and then an unfamiliar voice came from your horn. The voice said..."

Evand's words confused Moko even more. Its light flickered slightly, as if in thought. "Evand, I have absolutely no recollection of this. Are you sure you're not joking?"

Evans shook his head, his expression serious. "I'm not joking, Moko. That voice said it erased your memories, and it seems it's true."

After hearing Evand's explanation, Moko's light flickered a few times, as if it were pondering. It spoke in a gentle voice, "Evand, are you too tired? I think you might be hallucinating. As a powerful mage, if my memories had truly been altered, I would certainly have noticed."

Evand looked at the concerned bugle before him, his heart filled with mixed emotions. He knew that everything he had just experienced was real, but Moko seemed to remember nothing at all. He opened his mouth, wanting to explain again, but ultimately gave up.

Seeing Evan's hesitant expression, Mo Ke continued softly, "I know you must be very excited to see me again, but don't overexert yourself. You look a little gloomy; why don't you get some rest? We have plenty of time to catch up."

Evans took a deep breath and forced a smile. "Maybe you're right, Moko. I might really be too tired." He glanced at the barrel of wine beside him, then suddenly remembered he still had work to do. "Damn, I've been here too long. Dad's definitely going to accuse me of slacking off again."

Moko floated gently to Evan's side, radiating a warm light. "Then go to work. Remember not to push yourself too hard, and let me know if you need any help."

Evand nodded, strode to the liquor shelf, and selected a barrel of rum. Just as he was about to leave the cellar, Moko suddenly called out to him, "Evand, wait."

Evans turned around, looking at Moko with a puzzled expression. The horn seemed to hesitate for a moment, but finally spoke, "About that voice you mentioned... although I don't recall anything like it happening, I believe you wouldn't make up such a story without reason. Perhaps... perhaps we should be more careful."

Evans paused for a moment, then felt a surge of relief. At least Moko hadn't completely dismissed his experience. He nodded solemnly: "I'll be careful, Moko. You should be careful too."