Emily couldn't stop thinking about the taste of lizard meat. She never expected that the previous night's meal would be such a delicacy. Her taste buds longed for it again, but they were greeted with another vegetable soup in the morning. For the rat, it was something about not wanting to normalize the flavor profile.
Though, the tenderness of it still rested within her mind. Her kitsune tail waved at the prospect of having another feast of lizard meat later. The morning sun shone in the swamp, creating the glow on her skin she was starting to get used to.
It's odd how fast the mind adapts to situations, isn't it?
Her ears twitched towards a swarm of bugs ahead. In all of this time, she'd grown so tired of them. The insects were everywhere, and their wings flapped at infinity beats per second, making her want to tear off the little silver and clear things. Even the tame dragonflies were no exception, and she was starting to long for another bath.
The humidity made the morning dew stick to her skin. Even her tail and fluffy ears disagreed with this treatment. They longed for a colder environment. She was starting to understand what Ratagast meant about her heritage. An inheritance that I know nothing about.
Even if she had no idea about the situation of kitsunes in this world, at least she would get her wish of obliterating some bugs. This time, Ratagast had promised her she could help with exterminating some local pests.
Large ants the size of her forearm crawled around in front of them. These red insects made their nest next to a large hollow. It was a giant mound that was at least twice the height of Emily, and the hole at the top was wider than her fist. They reminded her of the swarm of bugs inside the dungeon, but these were less vicious.
"Why do we need to cull them again?"
The rat's nose sniffed the air, twitching at their scent. "These guys are bad news. The more of their nests show up, the worse it gets for the local populations. Usually, there would be other animals to eat them, but this close to the blight..."
Emily nodded. "And how are we going to deal with the ones inside?"
Ratagast grinned as if he'd anticipated the question. "That's one of the reasons we killed that lizard yesterday. You see, they actually have a potent venom." He pulled out a vial of purple liquid from his satchel.
"You got that yesterday? What are you going to do with it?"
"These ants are often attracted to sweet smells, and the venom of those megalania is sweet. All I have to do is climb up their nest and pour it inside. The ants will eat it and kill themselves, but it's unlikely to kill their queen right away. One of them will have to transport it to the queen."
Emily's ears wiggled, and her eyes widened. How many times has he dealt with them in this way?
Her right eye narrowed into a target and honed in on a warrior ant.
Race: [Titanomyrma Warrior]Age: 1
Sex: Male
Level: 5
Health: 80
Stamina: 150
Mana: 150
Warriors of the titanomyrmas were a little larger than their worker counterparts, and they had wings affixed to their backs, ready to take off at any second. Sharp pincers graced the sides of their heads. Though it would be scary to take on a whole horde of these guys alone, she had the rat with her, and she'd already killed a swarm of insects on her own before. It was a fact she made clear to the rat when he urged her to sit back and watch.
Now, her heart was pounding. Even though they were bugs at the end of the day, it was also a bug that had taken her arm. And an even bigger swarm of bugs that took chunks out of her body.
She found her breathing rhythm and waited for the rat's signal. It wasn't long until it came. He gestured with two of his thin fingers and leapt from the undergrowth.
The amount of trust he'd placed in her made Emily astounded. He didn't even try to dodge the warrior ants flying towards his face. They readied their pincers to attack the rodent and defend their dirt fortress.
Emily channeled mana down her arm and into her lantern staff. A swarm of nanobots rushed forwards and hovered around the two warrior ants nearing Ratagast. They swirled around the warriors like a hive of bees activated against an attacker.
Sharp blades formed into a circle like a chakram around the bugs' abdomen. With her mind, the kitsune wished them to close around the warriors, and their buzzing stopped. Their bodies fell into two pieces on the ground.
The rest of the bugs noticed that the rat was encroaching on their territory. Titanomyrma drones, both warriors and workers alike, started to charge him. Once again, the rat didn't even move to defend himself, but Emily was unsure she could handle so many at once without the man getting injured.
She watched as they screeched and started channeling their own magic power. I can't afford to waste any time!
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Emily readied her swarm again. The nanobots charged towards different ants. Now that he was getting closer, hordes of them were crawling out of the sand hill. She focused on her skill.
Her nanobots formed into small needles before she willed them down, using the same principle as a gunshot. They were propelled downwards at the speed of a bullet into their targets, draining Emily of most of her mana in one shot.
[Congratulations!]
[You have gained 2 levels! Proficiency with Cybermagic has been increased! Cybermagic has been upgraded to Adept. You are now an [Adept Cybermage]!]
She cleared the notification as fast as she could to catch a glimpse of the rat. Though, he was fine. For the remaining bugs it was as simple as shooting roots out of the ground and piercing their abdomens. Ratagast reached the top of the hill.
The rat popped the cork from the vial and started pouring the purple liquid down the anthill. The moment it was all gone and stuck to the edges of their little castle, Ratagast fled back to where Emily was standing.
He grinned and jumped into the air, tapping his feet together. "That's what I'm talking about! Now, let's get out of here before the rest of their colony realizes we've made out like bandits."
Emily nodded and the two of them took off running away from the army. Eventually, they didn't hear the sound of scuttling bugs following them.
Ratagast laughed heartily when they got to the hut. He pushed on the door and entered his small shed. "I had no idea that your magic could be so versatile, little fox."
Emily bent down and entered. She shrugged her shoulders once inside. "It seems that I can do whatever I wish with my nanobots."
"Hmm...nanobots, yes." The rat gestured for her to sit down again, and he sat across from her. After a second, his expression became serious. He stared with his brown eyes into Emily's crimson jewels. "Do you have any aspirations, little fox?"
Emily blinked several times, her ears twitching on her head. "Why the sudden question?"
The rat reached for his pot and started heating it again with his magic. "I trust you, but I want to know what kind of person you are. You're pretty clueless, aren't you?"
Emily swallowed, but her tail gave it away. It swayed in agitation.
Ratagast chuckled and lifted his hand. "You're being stiff again. I know what I said before. You don't have to tell me anything you don't want."
Emily sighed. "What about you, then?"
"I already said all I must. I came from the rat village to the west." He pointed in the direction with two of his fingers. "I am the abnormal one from my tribe. The rest of them are...well, like people you find anywhere." The rat lifted his fingers and pointed towards Emily's eye. "Go ahead, violate my privacy."
Emily's mouth opened like a fish, her eyes staring blankly at him. "How did you..."
"Know? It was obvious from the very start. You think I didn't notice you looking at the plants. Not to mention, those ants basically sealed my suspicion. You have the ability to gaze at others. Something pretty rare...can you show me?"
Emily wasn't astounded that the sly rat had figured her out. He seemed to do that on a consistent basis. Though, would she even call herself someone that was good at hiding? She wanted to curse her ears and tail briefly for betraying her emotions.
Ratagast added more ingredients to his pot while he waited for her. His adroit hands found their rhythm. They sliced apart ingredients easily, and the introduction of meat was making Emily's mouth water.
The more she watched him, the more she didn't mind showing him. Why is it such a big deal anyway? Ratagast has been nothing but kind to me, and I already showed him my other magic.
She breathed a deep sigh and watched as the rat turned towards her, his nose sniffing the air, and his whiskers twitching.
"Alright," she said, "fine."
Name: RatagastRace: [Rodenian]
Age: 51
Sex: Male
Level: 74
Class: [Expert Wizard]
Sub Classes:
Devotion(s): Rodemir
Title(s): Ratagast the Nature Wizard
Health: 5,000
Stamina: 80,000
Mana: 12,000
Skills: [Expert Nature Magic],[Adept Acrobatics]
Equipment: [Legendary Rodemir's Robes]
Emily gasped in surprise. I've never seen anything this high leveled before. Was he really this high the whole time? No wonder he seems to not have a care in the world.
Ratagast smiled. "Thank you for showing me something new again. It seems that even as I get older, I keep learning."
"No, I should be the one thanking you. You've been nothing but kind to me, even though you are so much higher leveled. I couldn't have asked to stumble upon a better person."
The rat stirred his pot and looked down. His gaze seemed empty for a second, but it quickly became a smile. "If you ever need anything, I am sure those at the village will help you out."
Emily narrowed her eyes and frowned. "I am gonna stay here with you, until we clear the blight."
"You are? I guess you're an adult like you said, so I won't stop you. But, do you know what clearing the blight means? We're going to have to go back into the blighted bog."
The kitsune nodded, her ears waving on her head. "I know. When all is said and done, we will both visit your village together."
Ratagast grinned. "I would like that very much."
He returned to his pot and finished cooking it over the next 30 minutes. Only when it was done did he start speaking again. "We will leave with the sunrise. It's important to get back to the task at hand before the blight spreads. I can sense it in the air."
Emily raised her eyebrow as he handed her a bowl. She didn't see any kind of sensing skills. Then again, she couldn't be certain about anything regarding her cybernetic eye. The thing was an unknown variable. Instead, she looked down at her soup.
Chunks of lizard meat rested inside, but she no longer had any reservations. She grabbed one of the offered wooden spoons and plunged it into the brothy goodness. When she hoisted it into her mouth, she tasted the bone broth on her tongue, and the flavor of the meat immediately started to melt in her mouth.
She didn't take long to devour the entire thing. It seemed that he was right about her kitsune heritage offering a craving for meat. Each bite led to another, and she couldn't get enough. Before she knew it, she was getting a second bowl. Though, her friendly rat didn't mind at all.
He smiled at her while eating his share much slower. "I think if I ever had a kid, I would have liked her to be like you."
Emily's face heated as she finished her soup. "Why did you say that all of the sudden?"
"I don't know. It just felt like something I wanted you to know."
"Don't start acting weird on me now, old man..."
The rat chuckled. "Shut it, or you won't get any meat tomorrow morning either."