TravelingDreamer
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B4—Chapter 45: Tasty Occurrence
🕑 Added 2024-11-20 16:31:42 +0000 UTCIn the morning, I stepped outside and stopped dead in my tracks. Three stunned snakes lay sprawled in front of my house, their bodies twitching. I was so glad I activated all the protections at night. Sighing, I rubbed the back of my neck. “Really?” I muttered to no one in particular.
Resigned to the task, I readied myself, already feeling the strain on my mana reserves even before I started. The siphon helped, sure, but it still took a solid third of my mana pool to finish the job. Each lightning strike sent a scent of charred scales wafting up and clinging to the humid morning air. I just hoped it wouldn’t cling to my hair.
Meanwhile, Rue was on cloud nine, bounding around me in circles with uncontrollable excitement. “John zap snakes! Yummy snake! John bestest zapper!” he cheered, his tail wagging so hard it was a blur.
Mahya watched the scene, leaning casually against the house with her rifle I hand. Once I finally finished, she raised an eyebrow and said, “We should use Rue’s... unique talent to clear the snake’s area. It would make an excellent base of operations to clear the surrounding areas.”
I turned to Rue, still prancing about, proudly sniffing at the fallen snakes. “What do you think, buddy? Ready to be a snake-finding champion for the team?”
Rue stopped mid-prance, puffing up like a hero from a fairy tale. “Rue ready! Find all yummy snakes!” he declared and stuck his nose high in the air.
I couldn’t help but chuckle. “Looks like we’ve got ourselves a plan.”
It took us two full days to clear out all the snakes. They were everywhere—twisting through the undergrowth, hanging from trees, and blending so perfectly into the surroundings it was like the forest itself was spitting them out. Sadly, the only thing that worked against them was lightning. Their scales shrugged off everything else—bullets, swords, spells, you name it. I’d never seen anything like it.
I remembered to use Identify, and honestly, was pretty proud of myself. The snakes were called Spectrascales, and their levels ranged from 52 to 71. Knowing this didn’t exactly make me feel better. Thankfully, the higher-level ones were much rarer, which was a blessing because they were a pain to deal with. They took far more lightning to bring down, and even then, they stayed stunned for a much shorter time.
By the end of the second day, my mana reserves felt like they’d gone through a blender, and Rue was still bouncing around happily like the whole thing was some grand adventure. “Yummy snakes everywhere!” he exclaimed, his enthusiasm undimmed by my exhaustion.
Finally, after we finished clearing the area, Al vanished for hours to gather herbs, muttering something about rare plants thriving in high-mana environments. I, on the other hand, was ready to collapse. Dropping onto the couch, I sighed in relief, grateful for the chance to finally rest.
Rue, of course, had entirely different plans. He gave me just enough time—about an hour—to believe I might get some peace. Then, with all the subtlety of a marching band, his telepathic voice thundered in my mind, “John smoke snakes!”
I groaned, covering my face with my hands. “Rue, not now. Just give me another hour, okay?”
Peeking through my fingers, I saw him staring at me, his big, soulful eyes practically glowing with determination. He barked again, “Smoke snakes! Rue wait long long for snake!”
“Fine!” I huffed, shaking my head as I hauled myself up and shuffled toward the porch where the smoker waited. Rest, it seemed, would have to wait until Rue’s culinary dreams were fulfilled.
Al took two days to finish collecting all the plants he wanted, meticulously combing through the forest like a treasure hunter on a mission. By the time he was done, we were finally ready to move on to the next area.
I glanced at Mahya and Al. “How are we supposed to know when we’ve reached the next area?” I asked, gesturing to the dense forest around us. “Everything here looks exactly the same.”
Mahya didn’t even pause, her tone completely matter-of-fact. “When a different kind of creature attacks us.”
I stared at her for a moment before sighing. “Great. That’s reassuring.”
We stepped into the next area, and within minutes, I realized we were in for a whole new kind of nightmare. The surrounding forest seemed eerily quiet at first, but then came a flicker of movement—a blur darting through the shadows. I barely caught a glimpse before something sharp hurtled toward me. I turned just in time, the projectile splintering harmlessly off my Aegis of the Light armor.
Mahya wasn’t so lucky. A sharp crack echoed as a wooden shard grazed her cloak, tearing a clean slice through the fabric. She hissed in frustration, her rifle snapping up as she scanned the trees. “What the hell are these things?”
Then I saw it. It moved into the light for a fraction of a second—long enough for me to take in its strange, feline shape. It was covered in bark-like plating instead of fur, giving it an almost golem-like appearance. Its eyes glowed faintly, eerily intelligent, as it vanished back into the shadows of the branches.
“Wood magic,” Mahya muttered, her voice tight as another projectile streaked past her shoulder, embedding itself into the trunk of a nearby tree. Rue growled low, his tail puffing up as his mana shield shimmered under the impact of another attack.
“They’re fast,” I said, my voice sharp as I cast a quick lightning bolt at the nearest blur. The spell crackled against empty air as the creature twisted effortlessly out of the way, leaping to another branch like it was dancing through the trees.
“Fast and clever,” Al added, his tone calm but edged with strain. His sword flashed as he deflected a flurry of wooden projectiles, his armor absorbing the impact of the ones he missed. “We will need to contain them if we are to succeed. They move too freely.”
Rue barked in frustration as his mana shield flickered again under another hit. “Tree cats too fast! Rue no like!” he growled, snapping at the air as one creature darted past, just out of reach.
“They’re everywhere,” I muttered, my eyes darting between the flickering movements above and around us. The creatures had no problem navigating the trees, weaving between branches and dropping to the ground with unnerving ease.
By the end of the first day, it was clear our usual tactics wouldn’t work. Spells missed too often, bullets barely scratched their bark-covered hides, and even my lightning bolts seemed like more of a nuisance than a threat. The only way we could take them down was to trap one—force it into a corner and attack from all sides, hoping that one of us could land a solid hit.
But that was easier said than done. The creatures moved fast and silent, like living shadows, and their territory felt endless—three times larger than the snake-infested area we had just cleared. For five grueling days, we fought tooth and nail, barely snatching moments to breathe between ambushes. By the end of each skirmish, I was drained, my mana reserves dangerously low, and Rue looked like he was ready to chew down every tree in the forest out of sheer frustration.
The biggest issue was that these things didn’t respect boundaries. When we tried retreating to the snake territory for a breather, they followed us, relentless in their attacks. Twice, I managed to open my house, giving us a much-needed chance to rest. But the other times, I had to abort mid-opening, scoop up the core, and run like hell just to keep us alive.
All in all, it was five relentless days of pure hell—a chaotic blur of nonstop fighting and frantic healing. Every battle pushed us closer to our breaking point, leaving us battered, drained, and thoroughly sick of bark-covered felines and their infuriating wood magic. By the end, the forest felt less like a challenge and more like a punishment designed by some cruel, mana-powered deity.
After those grueling five days, there was one light in the darkness—an unexpected reward for all our efforts. Once we cleared the entire area and patrolled it twice to make sure no wood-cats were lurking in the shadows—they’d earned this nickname since none of us managed to Identify them in time, and the skill refused to work on their dead bodies—we stumbled into something that made it all worth it.
The dense forest opened up into a stunning expanse, like stepping into another world entirely. Before us was a glimmering lake, its surface so clear and still it looked like a sheet of polished glass. Towering in the center was a massive, tree-covered rock formation that seemed to rise straight out of the water, waterfalls cascading down its sides in glittering streams. The sound of rushing water filled the air, soft and melodic, like nature’s own symphony.
Birds wheeled above the lake, their cries echoing gently in the space around us. Bright flashes of red and white streaked through the sky as some dove down to skim the water’s surface before soaring back into the air. The sunlight caught the droplets they kicked up, scattering rainbows over the lake like tiny fireworks.
Rue bounded forward, his tail wagging furiously, his excitement impossible to contain.
Mahya let out a low whistle, her eyes scanning the scene. “This... this is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen,” she said softly, almost as if she didn’t want to disturb the peaceful atmosphere. She slung her rifle over her shoulder and knelt to run her fingers through the clear water. “We deserve this.”
Al stepped forward, adjusting his armor as his gaze lingered on the towering rock in the lake’s center. “It is rare to find such untouched beauty. Let us hope it remains so.”
I stood there for a long moment, just taking it all in. After days of nonstop fighting, this felt like a gift—a reminder that the world wasn’t just a series of battles and struggles. It could be this, too—peaceful. Beautiful. “Yeah,” I said finally, my voice quiet.
I pulled out my camera; the serene beauty of the lake and its towering, waterfall-covered rock was too perfect not to capture. I managed to snap a single photo, the soft click of the shutter blending with the peaceful sound of rushing water. For a moment, everything felt still, almost sacred.
Then Mahya let out a sharp yelp, breaking the calm like a snapped twig. She stumbled back, clutching her hand, where an eel-like creature with piranha teeth dangled, its jaws clamped tight around her fingers. “What the—” she shouted before zapping it with a quick lightning spell. The creature spasmed violently before falling to the ground, still twitching.
We all instinctively stepped back from the water, our eyes scanning the shallows for any other lurking horrors. Rue growled low, his tail stiff, as if the peaceful lake had personally betrayed him. That’s when all the birds turned at once, moving in eerie synchronized motion, their sharp cries cutting through the air as they swarmed toward us.
“Seriously?!” I shouted, raising one hand to heal Mahya’s injured hand while the other unleashed lightning bolts at the incoming flock. The birds were relentless, their wings a blur as they dove at us like feathered missiles.
Al was already in motion, his sword slicing through the air with precise, practiced swings, batting the birds away before they could land a hit. His armor absorbed the few that managed to strike, but his expression was tense. “Focus on clearing them quickly!” he called over the chaos, his voice calm but commanding.
As soon as Mahya’s hand was healed, she snatched up her rifle, taking aim and firing into the flock. Each shot echoed across the lake, scattering feathers and breaking the birds’ formation. At least these creatures were slower than the wood-cats. Their speed wasn’t the problem—it was their sheer numbers.
It still took us over three exhausting hours to clear them out. Compared to the wood-cats, this fight was more straightforward—no insane speed or shadow-dancing agility to contend with—but it was relentless. By the time the last bird dropped from the sky, my arms were sore from casting, and Rue looked ready to bite the water itself in protest.
Mahya slumped against a tree, her rifle resting on her knees as she caught her breath. “So much for peaceful paradise,” she muttered, glancing at the motionless flock scattered around us.
“Yeah,” I said, wiping sweat from my forehead. “Turns out even paradise bites back.” Rue huffed in agreement, his ears flattening as he glared at the lake like it owed him an apology.
I waited patiently, letting my mana regenerate fully. The lake shimmered in the sunlight, deceptively calm, but I wasn’t falling for it this time. Once my reserves were full, I raised my hand and unleashed my entire mana pool into the water in one massive lightning surge. The crackling energy rippled across the surface, lighting up the lake like a storm had just hit.
One by one, fish and eels floated to the surface, their bodies twitching before going still. Every single one of them had razor-sharp teeth, their jaws frozen in grim, predatory grins. Some eels were massive, their snake-like bodies coiled even in death, while the fish looked like tiny, aquatic buzz saws.
I stared at the floating carnage and shook my head. “Yep,” I muttered, “this paradise definitely bites back.”
Mahya and Al exchanged glances, then raised their hands and joined in, zapping the water with their own lightning. More fish and eels floated to the surface, their razor-toothed bodies adding to the growing pile of aquatic nightmares.
Meanwhile, I focused on regenerating mana as actively as I could, keeping an eye on my status screen. My regeneration climbed to 63 units a minute, which was decent but nowhere near fast enough for what we were trying to do. I pulled out a mana potion. Without giving it much thought, I twisted off the cap and downed the whole thing in one gulp. As soon as it hit my tongue, I froze, the taste catching me off guard. It was... odd. Like a strange mix of dill, mint, and celery, with a slightly alcoholic aftertaste that lingered longer than it should have.
Only after swallowing did it fully register. This was the first mana potion I’d ever drunk in my life. I stared at the empty vial for a moment, half-expecting fireworks or some grand magical effect, but nothing happened immediately except the taste sticking in my mouth.
Mahya glanced over at me, raising an eyebrow. “How was it?” she asked, her tone dry as she zapped another section of the lake, sending a few more fish bobbing to the surface.
I made a face. “Weird.”
She smirked. “Well, at least you’ll never forget your first.”
I rolled my eyes, but as my mana filled up faster than ever, I had to admit—it worked. “Alright,” I said, feeling the renewed energy rush through me, “let’s fry this lake clean.” Rue barked excitedly, clearly approving of the plan.
My second lightning strike sent only a few more eels bobbing to the surface, but these were the biggest yet—massive, writhing things with razor-sharp teeth that looked like they could chomp through steel. I eyed the lake suspiciously, half-expecting more horrors to emerge from its depths. When nothing else moved, I waited a bit longer, letting my mana regenerate to 3000 before unleashing another crackling bolt into the water. This time, nothing floated up. The lake was finally still.
Satisfied, we brought out the jet skis to collect the haul. Fish, eels, and even the birds that had fallen into the water during the earlier fight were gathered and stacked. Rue, naturally, was trotting along the shoreline, his tail wagging furiously as he sniffed every bit of potential food. Meanwhile, Mahya and Al kept shooting me these infuriatingly smug looks, like they were in on some joke I wasn’t privy to.
I lasted a good ten minutes before breaking. “Alright,” I said, setting down a particularly large eel with a thud, “why the looks?”
Mahya didn’t even try to hide her grin. “You’ve got a lot of cooking to do,” she said, gesturing to the literal piles of aquatic corpses we’d pulled from the lake.
“All of this is edible?” I asked, blinking at the sheer volume.
“Not just edible,” Al answered, his tone perfectly serious, “but mana-rich and, from my experience, usually extra tasty.”
That got Rue’s full attention. His ears perked up, and his eyes locked onto the nearest eel with laser focus. He slapped it with one paw as it floated close to shore and tilted his head. “Water snake tasty?” he asked, his tone a mix of curiosity and barely contained excitement.
“Very,” Al confirmed with a nod.
Rue turned to me, his tail wagging so hard it could’ve powered a windmill. “John, smoke water snake,” he said with the kind of authority that left no room for argument. He even nodded, as if sealing the deal, his expression as decisive as a seasoned general.
I let out a long sigh, glancing at the sheer amount of work ahead of me. We were here to clear the occurrence, to stop it from breaking into the world and unleashing chaos. Rue, on the other hand, had entirely different priorities. To him, this was less about survival and more about clearing the occurrence for the ultimate culinary experience.
To each their own, I supposed.
Comments
brennon Petersen
Tftc!
TravelingDreamer
😉 😋
Obran
Beer battered and deep fried
Angela Roberts
This feels like Russian Roulette: The Paradise Edition.
