Chapter 15: 015

The Bristly Serpent was rarely around. It barely stayed for a few minutes after it brought Henry into the cave. The serpent returned after a few hours and it left Henry some fish before going straight back into the water. Henry was hungry and weak at the moment, so he didn’t refuse the charity. His raddled expression lit up when he bit into the fish. It tasted delicious. It tasted like the kind of food he had when he was a human. He didn’t know what kind of fish this was but it didn’t matter. It was delicious, that was all that mattered. It was like sushi. Even though he didn’t drain the blood, it didn’t affect the taste much. He just treated the blood as a condiment. 

Henry would love to have fish as his main diet but that wasn’t plausible. Fish was hard to come by. There were plenty of fish in the pond where he took his bath but catching fish was easier said than done. He did try catching fish when he was bathing in the pond but he didn’t even come close. Also, fish meat decayed faster than other meat and fish only tasted good when one ate it fresh out of the water if one did not have any seasoning. This was the harsh truth of eating fish. There were too many considerations for him to switch his diet to mainly being fish.

As much as Henry loved the current treatment he was receiving from the Bristly Serpent, he couldn’t stay. He had originally set out to find the haggard man by tracking down a trail of magic but it was just a decoy and a trap. After the serpent was cured of its affliction, Henry had lost the trail. Most likely the haggard knew Henry was tracking him down through his magic and he had stopped using magic to prevent Henry from tracking him down, or at least that was Henry’s speculation. He didn’t know the science behind magic. Everything was just his guesswork by referencing the fantasy knowledge from his former world.

As sunlight didn’t reach this far into the cave, Henry could only guess how much time had passed. It felt like a day had passed and half a day since the Bristly Serpent left him some fish. He was beginning to feel sleepy but he refused to sleep. He was in the abode of some other monster. It didn’t feel right to just doze off without a full grasp of his circumstances. He would have just walked out of the cave if it wasn’t for his injuries. If it was just the dreadful wound on his face, it wouldn’t have been a problem but his ribs were cracked and even standing was painful. He had no option but to stay for now. Though he was adamant, he eventually fell asleep after the call of slumber became too strong for him to bear. He woke up a few hours later. His throat was parched, which was why he woke up. As he opened his eyes, he found the serpent staring straight at him. He was immediately jolted wide awake by the serpent’s curious stare.

He growled at the Bristly Serpent as he backed away from it. Despite its hospitality, Henry couldn’t help but still be suspicious of the serpent. Gratitude wasn’t something commonly found in beasts or animals. They were known to bite the hand that fed them, a famous saying in Henry’s former world. He didn’t believe gratitude was the serpent’s agenda or part of its agenda at all.

The Bristly Serpent lowered its head and moved closer to Henry. The curiosity in its eyes disappeared and the glimmer of interest gradually took its place. It slowly curled into a circle with Henry at the centre. He was untouched. The serpent gave him space. Its eyes never left him even as it was curling into a circle. Henry was still glaring at it. His wariness stayed on the serpent without veering. Eventually, the serpent only stopped staring when it went to sleep in that position. There was nowhere for Henry to go. So, he went to sleep too despite his initial resistance to that idea. The serpent meant him no harm, he realised that but he also discovered something else. The serpent’s gaze almost seemed affectionate and not parent-to-child kind. He didn’t want to entertain that thought but he couldn’t interpret it as anything else.

Is it even possible for love between two different species to bloom?

Those kinds of questions accompanied Henry to his dreams. He was even woken up by a nightmare that stemmed from that issue. Thankfully, the memories of his nightmare quickly faded off once he was awake. More importantly, the serpent was currently nowhere to be seen.

Judging by the dampness of the tracks on the ground, the serpent had only just gone back into the lake. If he wished to leave, now was as good as any time. He feared the serpent would not allow him to leave if it came back. His wounds hadn’t fully healed but at least he could move around without any hardship. His bones were no longer creaking as he moved around. Large hideous scars were still present on the side of his face as he gazed into the water but it didn’t hurt anymore. The serpent had left him some fish while he was asleep. He quickly wolfed down the fish and scurried out of the cave before his hesitation got the better of him.

The cold breeze hit Henry’s face when he stepped out of the cave. His scars throbbed lightly in response to the sudden shift of temperature. He realised how warm the cave was now that he was outside. The sky wasn’t dark but dim. If he had his directions right, the sun was just rising. It was dawn. The sun would be completely out of the horizon by the time he got back to his cave. He didn’t look back and ran the way he came from. He didn’t know how the serpent would react when it found out he was gone and he didn’t want to think about it. He just hoped the serpent would hunt him down even if it meant leaving its territory.

The road back to his territory was relatively peaceful. A few obstacles were still appearing in his path but he swiftly dealt with all those monsters without taking much time. They were mostly monsters he was familiar with. He knew their habits and weaknesses. Figuring out their habits wasn't that hard considering their single-minded brains. Their weaknesses were neither difficult to find out as they were all afraid of fire. Once he was back in his territory, no more hostiles stepped into his path. In these parts, the animals and creatures here knew where they stood and they had seen Henry’s prowess and abilities countless times. They were all hoping they wouldn’t become his next prey.

Just as Henry was thinking about what would be his next move after he was well-rested in his abode, the multitude of scents raised all the alarms in his head. It was undoubtedly the scent of the tribal people and there were a lot of them. Around a dozen, Henry wagered in his mind. He poured more strength into his limbs and dashed right back to his cave. The little animals shrieked in terror and scrambled into hiding as they all sensed Henry’s foul mood.

What the hell is this?

Henry couldn’t believe the sight he was seeing when he reached his abode. He didn’t even know what he was looking at. An offering was his best guess. Totems of some sorts were erected neatly in two rows. Between the totems, there was a feast prepared and laid out in the glade in front of the cave. The food was served on large leaves on top of wooden platters. It was all meat and from the looks of it, the food consisted of pork, chicken, beef, mutton, and venison. They all smelled extremely delicious, even more delectable than the lady in white. In an instant, he forgot all about his problems and nearly jumped at the feast but he remembered the scent of the tribal people. He held himself back before he could jump.

Standing some ways behind the feast and totems were the tribal people. Their queer garbs, tanned skin, and black hair were quite distinctive features put together. Henry recognized two of them, which were the sisters. He remembered them because they were beauties and he had conversed with one of them.

The Augru Tribe…

Henry remembered the name the beast-kin had said. He didn’t know if they were referring to this tribe but to his knowledge, there was no other tribe around here, so they must be the Augru Tribe. They were all donned in some ceremonial-looking garbs but the elder sister with the ponytail was still dressed in a skimpy manner, albeit less revealing than the last time he had seen her. Now that he had a better look at her, he noticed she also had a pair of short horns jutting out from her forehead and she also had a pair of pointed ears. There was an elderly man among them with a pair of horns that were around a foot long. He appeared to be the oldest in the group and also the wisest from the look of his gaze.

None of them had any weapons on them. They did bring them, though they left it all at the entrance of the glade. They had come with peaceful intentions, Henry gathered. But he was still hesitant about showing himself. Perhaps they just wanted to thank him for saving their own but it was too excessive for that. They wanted something from him, Henry concluded. 

As Henry was thinking about the Augrus’ intentions, they got to their knees and bowed with their heads touching the ground.

Um… what the fuck?

They began mumbling some sort of prayer that Henry could not understand. He understood the words one by one but when he pieced them together, they didn’t make any sense. It was like an illiterate trying to form a poem with all the confidence in the world. Once they finished mumbling their prayers, they raised their heads but they remained kneeling. Henry didn’t show himself. He just stayed in the trees and continued watching over the Augrus without a sound. He thought that the elder sister would notice him by now but she didn’t. She was either feigning ignorance or she truly didn’t catch on to his presence. As he was wondering which was the truth, he noticed he had turned transparent when he caught a glimpse of his forelimbs in his peripheral vision. No, to be more precise, he was camouflaging. It was the ability of the iguana. He didn’t think he would actually gain its ability. He thought the time he devoured the tiger’s Mana Heart and gained its ability was simply a fluke or a coincidence. But now, he was sure of it. He gained their abilities after consuming their Mana Hearts.

The camouflage didn’t just make him disappear. It did more than that. Birds were resting on top of him like he was literally a part of the flora. He was still breathing but the rise and fall of his chest was so subtle that one couldn’t possibly tell. Some birds avoided him though. Some small animals came out of hiding but some were still hiding as if they knew Henry was still there. The camouflage isn’t perfect but it was good enough to fool half of the fauna. And there was another downside, he could feel something was draining from him. If he had to venture a guess, it would be his Mana, as it was the staple plot device in fantasy stories. But it was logical too. If physical actions consume stamina, it was only logical that magic spells would consume something similar. Nothing came free in the world. The same could be said for the feast prepared by the Augrus. They were still on their knees. Half of them were having expressions that seemed to say they couldn’t take it anymore but the elderly and the two sisters were kneeling without a hint of complaint written on their faces.

I suppose I should grace them with my presence now.

Henry was starting to pity them. The sky was getting brighter and in another hour, the whole forest would turn warm despite the meagre light it received. Moreover, it was getting harder and harder for him to resist the aromatic and fragrant smell from the feast. The moment he started moving, the camouflage faded off by itself. Immediately after, the elder sister snapped her gaze in his direction.

“It’s here,” the woman said.

At her words, tension rose among the group. The elderly’s face hardened. The younger sister’s face turned resolute. The others began fidgeting around. Their discomfort was piling on top of their uncomfortable posture.

The leaves rustled. The twigs snapped. The branches broke. Henry emerged from the trees and strutted into the glade. The group gasped in unison. The only one that broke into a smile was the little sister with the bob cut hair.

“Are you kidding me?” one of the men scoffed with a disappointed expression. “It’s smaller than what you told us, Lilim.”

“It looks big to me,” the little sister responded.

So her name is Lilim, I see.

“How’s that thing going to be of any use if it’s this small?”

“Oren, silence,” the elderly man growled, barely moving his lips.

The man named Oren fell silent but his glare was apparent in his mood.

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Henry returned the man’s glare and a few of the people in the group turned pale, including the man named Oren. Henry made a show of huffing through his nose and snarling. Oren shrieked along with a few others.

“Damn it, Oren. You pissed it off,” the elder sister scolded the man.

“Eria, save the reproach for later,” the elderly man said. “We need to assuage the Dragon’s fury first.”

Me, a Dragon?

Henry was surprised to hear that the Augrus had acknowledged him as a Dragon. It had been a long internal debate about his true species. As he didn’t have wings, he always had the tiniest suspicion that he was no true Dragon as much as he hated to think that. But according to the Augrus, he was indeed a Dragon. He didn’t know what made them reach that conclusion and he didn’t care. He was just thrilled to know he was acknowledged as a Dragon. After hearing that, he turned away from the group and walked towards the feast, leaving them dumbfounded.

“Is it not angry anymore?” Eria questioned.

“Maybe it’s hungry?” Lilim muttered.

Henry left the Augrus be to their own discussions and treated himself to the feast. He grabbed the pork first and took a huge bite. Suns and stars exploded in his mind. His whole body shuddered in delight as the juicy meat spread its flavour across his tongue. A tear was shed as he enjoyed the meat thoroughly. As he was devoid of such delicious food for far too long, he wasn’t capable of taking his time and he wolfed everything down. All the dishes tasted just as good as one another. He wanted to ask them where in the world they found all these kinds of meat but he just couldn’t figure out how. He had tried looking around for this kind of meat before but the closest he got was a boar. The boar’s meat was foul-smelling and tough even for his fangs. There were no chickens, sheep, goats, or cows as far as he had searched. He reckoned the Augrus had a farm and they brought these farm animals from other lands.

If only I can form coherent words and barter with them…

As Henry was licking his claws after eating the last of the dishes, the Augrus began to approach him. Henry noticed their approach and quickly wiped his claws on the giant leaves like he was using tissues. That gesture shocked the Augrus and they all widened their eyes.

“Did that thing just wipe its claws on the leaves?” Oren blurted out what everyone was thinking.

Henry met their gazes and repeated that gesture to answer their question.

“It truly does understand our speech,” said the elderly man.

“Now you all believe me,” Lilim huffed with her arms crossed.

“It’s not that we don’t believe you, Lilim. Monsters in the wild that understand the letters and verbal speech are extremely rare and there are records of our people mistaking a monster’s random whim as its understanding of our speech.”

Henry growled, garnering the elderly man’s attention.

“Of course.” The elderly man got to his knees and everyone followed. “Child of Aeryo, Great One, I have come to you along with my people to offer our gratitude in saving one of ours.” 

Child of Aeryo? Who’s Aeryo?

The man lowered his head and the others followed. “My youngest daughter lives as a result of your benevolence, Great One. We hope the feast we offered to you will be enough to sate your appetite and palate.”

Henry looked at the man with a narrow gaze. He didn’t offer a growl or any sort of gesture to affirm his satisfaction.

The elderly man lifted his head after some time. “Great One, is there something not to your liking?”

Henry made a small hole in the soil with his claw and then he drew a line that touched the hole.

“Great One… I don’t understand,” the man said.

Henry rolled his eyes.

“Get to the point?” someone muttered.

“Lilim!” the elderly man snapped at his daughter. “Are you mad?! Don’t—” the man’s rebuke was cut short when he saw Henry nodding to Lilim's words.

“It knows we want something,” Eria pointed out.

The elderly man sighed. He lowered his head again towards Henry. “Forgive us, Great One. It wasn’t our intention to offend you. We know we have no right to make any request but we have exhausted all of our options. And this matter concerns the fate of our tribe.”

Henry nudged his head, gesturing for the man to continue.

“Great One, what we will ask of you is something that we are only asking because you are our only hope. Great One, please save the princess of the Kivus.”

Fuck a duck...

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