Emily focused on attaching the wooden log to her arm. The nanobots wrapped around the elbow and connected both pieces together. They stitched the bits together, and while she did that, the rat worked his own magic.
His fingers pressed into the wood, and green light emanated from them. They coated the entire thing with a hue, and it started to shape. It slimmed down at the end and formed into a forearm. The hand started forming as well, until there was a group of curled fingers, fixed together with ball joints.
"Use your magic to attach these parts together, so they can swivel."
Emily nodded, and the nanobots traveled through the air, swirling around each of the joints. By the time they were done, the object looked nearly like a real arm. Though, if Emily was honest, it looked like a dummy's arm with little balls where each of the finger joints would be.
And at each of those joints, there were tiny nanobots securing them together loosely enough that Emily's magic could make them move. Her mana channeled down her wooden arm, and the fingertips wiggled. There was no sensation, but her eyes widened when she saw it. A chime sounded in her head.
[System Announcement!]
[Your proficiency with [Cybermagic] has increased!]
Though it increased, she was still an apprentice Cybermage. She imagined that each rank would take even longer than the last. Going from novice to apprentice didn't take much time at all, but this one was slow in comparison.
She looked at the rat who was observing their work with a smile. "Thank you, Ratagast."
"It was my pleasure. I am sure it's not as good as getting your arm back, but it's a nice temporary solution. Not that I know anyone who could grow an arm."
Emily let out a small chuckle. "If you could, then you would be a real miracle worker."
Ratagast laughed. "I guess so. I'm happy you can move those fingers with your magic. I am not sure we'll be able to achieve much more."
"Don't worry about it. You've already done enough..."
The rat nodded and ran his fingers through his whiskers. "Tonight, we should be able to cook some meat. Provided you don't mind the source that much."
"What source?"
"Well, we're in a swamp, you're not gonna get too many options that are palatable to most kind, especially humans."
The kitsune's tail waved behind her. "Do you really have something against humans?"
He shook his head. "Humans can be alright. Like everyone, I am sure there are the good and bad ones. Though, this matters more. We should give that new arm of yours a test ride outside. Wanna come hunting with me?"
///
The dimming light of the sun enshrouded the swamp lands. Even though Ratagast had told her she would hunt with him, it seemed he wasn't really keen on letting her do anything. He always stayed in front of her and warned her with his arm when they stumbled on something.
Those dragonflies are calm creatures. I know, you've already told me. Yes, I know that this green plant is poisonous. You told me that one as well. How many times has he gone over the same plants?
Though, her tail betrayed her enjoyment of the adventure. Even if he was worrying over every little thing, it made her feel a sense of balance and calm.
"Watch your step here. These brambles can be quite sharp."
"Thank you," she said with a smile, stepping over the thorns with much more ease than the rat. Though, he was very agile, despite being a magic user. He leapt over the bushes with a practiced hop.
Emily was glad that they were heading away from the bog. The further they got from it, the more she started to see glimpses of vibrant life. A bird landed on a small vine near them, chirping upon its arrival. It was a small and colorful green bird with a tuft of orange feathers puffing around its neck.
It landed and poked at a little worm crawling up the plant. Then, it flapped its wings and flew away from them. Emily's eyes watched the fleeing bird. It was a semblance of freedom. As if she could be that little bird herself, flying away from turmoil.
[Congratulations!]
[You have reached a milestone in your quest for freedom!]
Really? By watching a bird?
She felt the rat tapping her side and looked down at him. Ratagast was staring up at her in exasperation.
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"Didn't you hear me with those fluffy ears of yours? The prey is over there."
He pointed outside of the thicket with his thin fingers towards a large herbivorous creature. It was a great grey beast with a long neck and a rhinoceros face. Two pointy ears jutted from the back of its head, and a long and thin tail hung towards the ground, waving back and forth. The thing ate from a large tree, gobbling down large leaves with its mouth.
Emily's eye narrowed into a target, and the screen of the monster flashed in front of her.
Race: [Paraceratherium]Age: 11
Sex: Male
Level: 30
Health: 6,020
Stamina: 3,700
Mana: 2,100
Are you serious? That thing? How are we supposed to take down something that big?
The kitsune narrowed her eyes down at the rat, and she got a sly grin in response.
"I was just pulling your tail, you know? Besides, we don't want to kill our source of protection."
"Protection?"
"Yes, those things stop a lot of carnivores from approaching. Even if one of those large crocodiles came over here, that thing would shoo it away. So long as we don't go near it, there will be no problems. We could even hunt around its territory. Just don't mess with its offspring."
Emily looked around for any small versions of the giant rhino, but she found no such thing. She imagined that they must have had a den somewhere nearby. Her ears twitched as great beast started walking away from the tree, its feet rumbling the ground.
She imagined that it had to be even larger than an elephant, and in either of her lives, it was by far the biggest creature she'd seen living. Paracer...I think I saw one of those at a museum once.
The rat tapped on her again and pointed towards a different creature this time. Though, what he pointed at made her hesitant. It was a large lizard resting on top of a branch, overhanging a bit of water. A dragonfly flew in front of its mouth, and its tongue was swift to lash out, sticking the buzzing fly faster than it could turn away.
"That is called a Megalania, and that's our prey."
Emily's tail waved uncomfortably behind her, her ears twitching at the thought of provoking such a beast. This specimen must have been at least 6 or 7 feet long. Though, after Emily observed all kinds of animals using magic here, she only grew even more reticent. She looked at the rat, asking a silent question.
"Don't worry about it, I've done this a few times, and I can tell you that I haven't died yet. Besides, we are striking from where it least expects it."
Ratagast closed his eyes and started channeling the green magic into his fingertips once more. He pressed his hands to the ground, and a wave of green rushed forwards, until it slipped underneath the water. The monitor lizard wasn't able to monitor its last moments.
Spikes erupted from the branch it stood on, penetrating deep into the creature's flesh. There was no whine or whimper, only a convulsion of its body as it slumped over dead, spraying its blood into the water beneath it.
Emily swallowed while watching the grisly scene, looking at her new rat friend with a mixture of awe and fear. Though, his smile reassured her.
"The ambush predator least expects an ambush, wouldn't you say?"
The kitsune nodded. "How are you going to retrieve the body?"
To that, he didn't answer again. Instead, his magic transported the lizard over the water by moving the top of the branch where it rested across the source. Eventually, the body was over the bank.
Ratagast stepped out of their hiding place and walked up the branch before tapping the small satchel on his waistband. The entire lizard disappeared inside of his space, and then the rat made his way back over to her.
"You never even gave me a chance to do anything," Emily said.
"Well, I prefer teaching my students first. Why would I want you to get hurt?" The rat gestured with his hand for Emily to lower herself, and she obeyed his silent request. Her eyes widened as his hand reached up and patted her head.
"What are you doing?" She said with reddened cheeks.
"You are so on edge all of the time, little fox. I thought that something like this might make you feel better. Besides, I have a feeling you are going to love how this lizard tastes..."
Why would I love the taste of a lizard? Neither in her life as a soldier or her life as a prisoner had she ever tried it, but she wasn't against the idea of trying it. As someone who hadn't eaten meat in a while, she was salivating at the thought of enjoying a proper piece of protein.
Whether she wanted to love it or not, she was going to have to try it. As soon as they got back from their little hunting outing, Ratagast was already preparing his cooking device. Though, this time, he was cutting up the dead lizard on the side.
It was not a simple task to cut up such a huge lizard. They hung it outside of his little hut from a branch. He'd asked her if she would cut off his head, not expecting the kitsune girl to say yes.
"I was joking! I can handle all of the dissection if you want to sit inside."
"There is no need of that. I've seen much worse." Like having your own intestines hang out of your body while you bleed out, for example.
"That doesn't reassure me at all! Young ones like you should still be suckling on your mom's tits."
"Hey! I am not that young. I am an adult, you know."
The rat sighed and pointed at the hut. "Last time you were flinching from my scalpel. Just wait inside, and I will make you the best lizard soup you ever had."
"I've never had lizard soup, and the only reason I was flinching was..."
Ratagast tilted his head, his round ears wiggling like Emily's often did. After a few seconds, the rat groaned. "Well, if you're not gonna finish your sentence, then you ought to wait inside like I said."
Emily didn't protest any further. She walked back inside of the hut, ducking down, and pushing the door open with her lantern staff. Inside of the place, the water was already simmering, and the vegetables were releasing their palatable aroma. While sitting down, she wondered if it was possible to live with this strange rat.
Would he let me stay here for a while? This is the first person I had to talk to...
Even if the rat loved to pull her tail with his humor, it seemed to Emily that he was only trying to cheer her up. It took several minutes for him to come back with today's hunting bounty.
Ratagast pulled the chopped meat from his satchel, inspecting it in the dim light of the shed. "Today we'll feast on the sides of its back." He held a strips of the cut sides of the monster. "This is actually one of the fattiest parts, and I think it will add a nice flavor to the soup. Later we could use the bones for lizard broth."
Emily nodded and watched as he poured in the chunks of meat. After it was brought to a boil, they had to wait another 45 minutes for it to finish cooking, and by then, night had already descended.
The fox girl stared uncertainly into a bowl with bits of meat floating inside...She stared and waited for the host to start.