Clarissa

It actually took a few hours for us to get back to the Kalkithu encampment, and while Galth had some stomach issues, he said it just felt like he’d eaten too much, rather than being poisoned by the coconut.

He certainly didn’t look any worse off than before, but I told him to let me know if he had any symptoms just to be on the safe side.

When we arrived, it was just as bad as Galth had said. People were lined up across the ground with nothing more than a jacket beneath them to make them more comfortable.

Galth didn’t stop to look at them, instead leading me to a small lean-to made of sticks and leaves.

As we approached, a Kalkithu came out of the structure and dumped some sort of foul-smelling liquid into the grass before reentering.

Inside was a haggard Kalkithu with a massive scar across one side of its face. It was wearing an eyepatch and missing about half of its ear on the same side as the scar.

The Kalkithu lifted a waterskin to its mouth, swished out its mouth, and then spit into the bucket.

“That never gets easier.” He said, turning to us. “Galth, I see you brought someone here, to what do I owe the pleasure?”

I bowed. “Hello, I’m Clarissa, a human.”

His brows rose. “Nice to meet you Karitha, I’m Klas, former general and master-at-arms. I’d tail-touch with you, but I see you don’t have one to do so with.”

“Is that your method of greeting?” I asked.

He tilted his head to the right. “Indeed.”

I glanced over to his right and saw nothing of interest, so I just chalked it up as a quirk of his or something.

Klas looked between the two of us. “So back to the main topic, I assume you have some reason for us meeting?”

“Karitha has promised to help us with the food shortage and other such matters.” Klas didn’t say anything, just waiting for Galth to continue, so he did. “We’ve already found a food source that I think we could eat, they’re called ‘Kukanuth’.”

“Coconuts he means, you guys can come up with a different name if that’s too hard for you to say though.”

Klas stared blankly at Galth. “Let me guess, you’ve already stuffed one in your mouth?”

Galth’s eyes glistened. “Klas, they’re the most delicious things I’ve ever tasted! They’re full of sweetness from something called ‘thugar’!”

Klas sighed. “I’ll take that as a-” Suddenly his head snapped upright. “Wait, did you say it was sweet?!”

Galth tilted his head to the right with enthusiasm.

Klas pointed at Galth’s stomach. “...And you’re not feeling any cramps or ulcers?”

Both Galth and I looked at Klas in puzzlement.

“As a general and master-at-arms, I’ve been invited to places that served sweet foods before, and was even allowed to see the process a few times. The sweetness extract, known as ‘sap’, was taken from a Thordoro plant.”

Galth became as stiff as a board. “D-Did you say a Th-Thordoro plant?”

Klas tilted his head again. “It had to be cut by a professional or else it’s possible that pieces of the poisonous stem could have been mixed in.”

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Realization hit me when he put it that way.

It was no wonder why so few have tasted sweetness before, if their only source is as dangerous to eat as a pufferfish!

“We’re making sure that Galth doesn’t have some sort of reaction for a while longer before we start handing out coconuts willy-nilly.”

Klas tilted his head sagely. “Wise.” He leaned forward and eyed me. “I assume you have a price for this assistance?”

I nodded. “I’d like literally anything to eat other than coconuts please.”

Klas did some mental math. “I think that will work, as to the exchange rate-”

The other Kalkithu stepped forward again. “Sir, it’s time for your next cleanse.”

Klas sighed. “I suppose we’ll have to work out the specifics later, for now, feel free to take a ration as a token of goodwill.”

Galth and I exited the lean-to, and after a moment, violent retching came from it.

After a few seconds, the same Kalkithu from earlier came out with the bucket and splashed it into the grass again.

I looked at Galth with concern. “The great voice said that he could remove the sickness, but the toxins it created would have to be expelled over time.”

I wrinkled my nose. “Ew.”

Galth tilted his head. “Definitely.”

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Ami

It was one of the times that Drake was actually at the base, our very own stone-wrought slice of heaven where nobody could tell us what to do.

Drake was sitting on his throne when some guy came running in.

Yes, I could have read his identifier, but why would I bother with such a pathetic excuse for a man.

“Drake sir! There’s a problem!”

Drake looked up at him. “Johannes, weren’t you the one I told to track down that annoying fat chick and the old guy?”

The man gulped. “Yeah… this is about that sir.”

Drake stood up and walked toward the man with a disinterested stride. “So what you’re saying is you’ve failed? Is that right?”

The man’s eyes filled with fear. “Yes, but it’s because that bearded guy got in the way! It’s all his fault!”

Drake stopped in front of the man and put his left hand on his shoulder. “It’s alright, I get it.”

The man’s eyes filled with hope. “Y-You do?”

“Yeah, I get that you’re worthless.”

The man’s eyes widened an instant before Drake backhanded him into the nearest wall, causing him to sink into the stone with a crunch.

Drake then turned to the rest of us. “Anyone who’s not worthless who can take care of this problem?”

I jumped to my feet. “Me! I’ve got a bone to pick with that self-righteous douchebag!”

Drake grinned widely at me. “Knock yourself out.”

I walked over to the man in the wall and slapped his face a couple times. “Hey dumbass, still alive? I need you to tell me where the bearded guy is.”

All that accomplished was causing the guy to fall to the floor in a heap.

I clicked my tongue in frustration. “Fine, I’ll find him myself.”

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Grigory

I was out hunting when I came across something odd.

A woman with short black hair and tanned skin off in the distance… she looked familiar, but I could not figure out why.

“Hello there! Are you lost?!” I called out to her.

Her gaze snapped to my direction and she started laughing. “Finally! There you are!”

With superhuman speed, she closed the distance, until I could see a message pop up in my vision.

[Ami The Manic Bloodletter, Nemesis Second Stage]

Danger Level: Probable Death

“I’m going to break every bone in your body!” She exclaimed, throwing a punch at my face.

I slipped out of my jacket and threw it into her face as I ducked under the blow.

I followed up with a punch to her stomach, which caused her to stagger backward.

“You jackass! Can’t you fight fairly?!” She screamed as she tore my jacket from her face.

“Fighting fair is a fool’s way of saying that he refuses to use his advantages.” Now that I had a reprieve to see her face, I recognized her. “You’re the woman who said she wanted to be our cheerleader… I thought you were blonde.”

Her jaw clenched. “It’s called bleach dumbass, what of it?”

“You’ve dispensed with the facade of cuteness then, I suppose?”

The veins in her forehead bulged.

Like a beast with no intelligence, she charged forward with a growl.

I sidestepped her blow and tripped her with my foot, which only made her even angrier.

“Stand still you coward!”

I rolled my eyes. “Make me stand still, if you think you can.”

She pushed herself to her feet, jumped ten feet into the air, and came down with an axle kick.

I barely managed to get out of the way of the unexpected attack.

As I readied myself for the next strike, Ami gloated.

“How’d you like that one you chuunibyou?! You may have some knowledge of martial arts from Earth, but I’ve been practicing fighting with the full strength of a Nemesis! How long do you think you can hold out?!”

“As long as it takes.” I replied simply.

She sneered. “We’ll see about that.”

She leapt into the air again, but this time with much more horizontal velocity, much like a flèche from fencing.

I jumped out of the way, causing her to crash into the mesa behind me, and punch a hole into it with her foot.

She pulled her foot back out with little effort and readied for another attack… however it would never come.

Cracks formed up the outcropping, and it buckled under its own weight.

A huge stone slammed into the ground… and then kept going down.

Before either of us had any time to react, the ground swallowed us both, dropping us into a deep cavern.

The last thing I remembered before falling unconscious was the feeling of water splashing on me.