CHAPTER 5

The ogre roared in pain as my talons pierced his pig-like snout. He reached for my leg, but I was too high.

My wings spread instinctively, lifting me further out of reach. As I rose above the treetops, the moon bathed my body in white light. A shiver ran through me as my body responded.

Resonating with the light, the line pattern on my arms and wings began to glow. I felt my core pulse to life and a mana gauge appeared beneath a health bar I hadn’t noticed before.

My mana was full and I could sense my own magic. I could feel it coursing through me like electricity.

I focused the energy into my hand and a small ball of blue fire ignited.

The ogre launched after me, though he barely managed to reach the treetops before gravity pulled him down again.

I held out my hand towards him, saying, “Burst!” Then I let go of the flame and it shot forward from my hand. Blue fire enveloped the entire creature, igniting every inch of his flesh.

The ogre roared in panic, thrashing wildly and ramming trees as he desperately tried to extinguish the blaze.

I could only watch in awe as the monster burned. Then I noticed the spell had already consumed more than two thirds of my mana.

I was going to need more training, and better control.

The ogre fell, hitting the ground with a thud, and a cloud of dust rose into the air.

I descended into the smoke, coughing and blinking against the sting in my eyes.

I still wasn’t quite sure how to land, or how I’d managed to fly at all. As I thought about the motions of my wings, how they beat the wind and lifted me, I veered abruptly right.

My wings were moving out of sync, sending me into a spin that dropped me a couple meters.

I was a good ten feet from the ground, so I landed awkwardly, stumbling forward before catching my balance.

When I turned back to the ogre, the smoke had cleared enough for me to see his corpse. His burnt body lay motionless, blisters forming on the flesh that remained.

Ding!

A notification appeared.

Congratulations, you have killed an ogre. You may loot the corpse for valuable resources, or can forfeit your claim.

Of course I wasn’t forfeiting anything.

I approached the beast, expecting some prompt or a message window that would allow me to loot the creature, but none appeared.

I touched the beast, wondering if maybe the message was still loading.

Nothing happened.

Maybe I needed to activate a command.

I searched the options, finding only an empty menu that offered no assistance.

I waited several minutes before finally deciding to just take whatever looked useful and wasn’t too damaged. I used a large rock to break of the tusks and teeth. The beast had a hunter’s knife stuck between his teeth like a toothpick. I used it to cut off his nails, but I didn’t think anyone would pay for festering skin.

I did find a leather satchel. It was a little worse for wear, but it would hold everything just fine.

I loaded up the bag, then continued on to the river. I was a little turned around, but I found my way without too much trouble.

After filling the water skin, I hurried back to Rohkan’s camp.

As soon as the campfire was in sight, the wolfkin called, “Just in time. I just finished hauling back the most delicious kind of meat. It’s not my catch, but someone just left it laying out.”

I recognized the burnt ogre immediately. I had never considered the possibility of eating it. Looking at it, I still didn’t see the appeal, though I had to admit it smelled remarkably similar to pork.

“You’re going to eat that?” I asked. “Won’t it just taste like smoke and char?”

Rohkan laughed. “Nah, trust me, there’s plenty o’ good meat under that layer of crust. The real challenge is getting it all out. But first, I gotta finish roasting these rabbits. So, you ready for a feast, or are you just going to stand there and let all the juices dry up.”

I shrugged, taking a skewer of roasted meat from the fire. It could have cooked a little longer, but it looked done enough to me.

I took a bite and the tender meat practically melted in my mouth. It was savory and salty, and tasted just a little like honey.

The wolfkin nodded, as he replaced it with a spit prepared with rabbit meat. “Damn shame though. Whoever left this ruined its value. At this size, a clean kill could’ve sold for five hundred soria. And I pity the sucker when he tries to sell those tusks. If properly harvested a blacksmith would’ve paid good for ‘em, but the son of a bitch just smashed ‘em off.” He knelt beside the fire, turning the rabbit with a sigh.

I swallowed my mouthful, unsure if I should tell him it was me. I also regretted relying on magic for the kill. I wasn’t sure the exact value of soria yet, but five hundred did seem like a lot for a single kill.

The celebrawn looked up, his smile widened as he said, “Don’t worry, I can still make something that’ll have your stomach doing somersaults.” Looking at the huge beast, he added, “But I might need some help harvesting the meat.”

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I took a few more bites of the rabbit, then sat the skewer on a stone. I pulled out the knife I found on the ogre, saying, “Can you show me how?”

Rohkan nodded as he stood. The rabbit was done. He took the skewers from the fire then picked up a large blade resembling a machete.

He wasted no time identifying a section of thigh with thick fat underneath. He cut away the top layers then showed me how to find the tenderest pieces and remove them from the bone.

Even before it was cooked, I could almost taste the rich flavor.

Once the meat was carved from the leg, Rohkan handed the hunting knife back to me and instructed me to continue the process on my own.

It was more difficult than he made it look, but I managed to extract another four or five pieces of meat from the leg.

By then, he had finished seasoning the first strip and was setting up a cast iron skillet to cook it in. The chunk of meat was as big as my head, but I figured it would shrink considerably as he cooked it.

The fire crackled and the smell filled the air.

The meat was sizzling by the time we finished carving the rest.

The celebrawn had me cut the remaining portions into smaller, more manageable sizes.

We had just finished seasoning the last piece when a series of messages appeared.

Skill acquired - Looting Lv.1

Skill acquired - Butcher Lv.1

Skill acquired - Cooking Lv.1

Level up - You have reached Lv.2. Congratulations!

My stomach grumbled as the notifications ended.

Rohkan chuckled, handing me a plate with the first piece of meat.

The aroma wafted over me, and my mouth watered.

It looked almost like a loaf of glazed ham, except it was darker, more reddish.

The wolfkin grabbed another plate and sat on the log next to me.

As soon as he was seated, he tore a chunk out with his fangs, grunting in satisfaction as he chewed.

“What are you waiting for?” he asked. “If you aren’t going to eat it, I’ll gladly take yours.”

I didn't answer. I just picked up the loaf and bit into it.

My teeth passed easily into the tender meat, that pulled apart like soft bread dough while releasing its flavorful juice inside my throat. The glaze was a little sweet and salty, but the meat had its own subtle flavor.

I took another bite, and then another, before I realized I had only a small piece left.

I sighed, savoring the taste on my tongue as the last bit slid down my throat.

Rohkan grinned, taking another bite from his own plate.

We both finished at about the same time, then the celebrawn rose, collecting our plates and replacing them with a skewer of roasted rabbit.

He set a few more spits of mixed meats onto the fire, then took a seat on the opposite side of the blaze.

When the next batch of meat was done, he handed me a skewer, asking, “Do you have any salts, or a leather wrap to carry the meat?”

I shook my head showing him the nearly destroyed leather bag I’d taken from the beast. I opened it without thinking, showing off my poor harvesting skills, but Rokhan seemed pleased.

He nodded, saying nothing of the broken tusks.

Then he rose and entered his tent.

A moment later, he returned with a leather wrap and a handful of spices.

He set them beside me, then went back to the fire and began seasoning the next round. “Eat as much as you like then take as much as you can carry. Who knows when you’ll get another chance for a meal like this. Besides, this beast is yours anyway, isn’t it?”

He smiled.

I blinked.

He knew, but I still didn’t want to admit to my inexperience.

He’d been very helpful so far, and I didn't have anything to lose by asking, so I said, “How do I claim the loot? A message appeared and I tried to touch the ogre, but nothing happened.”

Rohkan seemed perplexed. “A message?” he asked, tilting his head.

I nodded.

“Well…I don’t know anything about that, but if you want to stay a few days, I can teach you the basics of stripping a kill. Most of it comes from experience though, so don’t expect to be good at it right away.”

I thought for a moment, then nodded.

I wasn’t in any rush and hurrying on without basic survival skills would only lead to more struggles later. Besides, I still needed to learn how to fly and having a small stock of resources to sell in town would open the possibility of getting some basic equipment.

***

Rosalin’s POV

“He survived the initial shock,” Mr. J said with a smile. “I knew the limitless model wasn’t at fault. We just needed the right candidate.”

I Sighed, relieved that I wouldn’t have to watch another mind meltdown.

“The potential of the model is well known and recognized, Mr. J. However, not all of us think it worth the cost in blood.” Lady Q emerged from the shadows, moving as silently as the darkness.

Mr. J glanced over his shoulder at her, his face still brandishing a smile.

Her appearance startled me. I hadn’t noticed her presence at all, nor did I sense her approach.

As their eyes met, I heard Mr. J swallow, then he said, “This project is the key to recovering what was lost, and now that we’ve found a successful candidate, well…the cost is already paid and what use is quibbling over a drop of blood, when we can have the ocean of life itself, at our disposal. The end result is all that matters. This is the beginning, Q, not the end. We can bring back the dream. We just need to find the doctor and make him perfect the design.”

She huffed dismissively. “He’ll sooner—nevermind. I’m here because they have requested to see you immediately.”

He raised an eyebrow, asking, “Both of them?”

“Yes,” she answered with a curt nod.

Mr. J sighed. “Very well,” he turned to me. “Rosalin, see this through. Don’t take him out unless the numbers go red or he flatlines.”

I nodded.

Mr. J glanced at the agent in a mask sitting beside the computer then walked away, vanishing into the shadows.

Q waited until he was gone, then she turned her gaze to me. “You are a dog. Loyalty is expected, but a dog that heeds only one, can only be discarded when his master is gone.”

She had always treated me well. Lady Q, unlike Mr. J, wasn't one to rule with threats, which made her words all the more shocking.

She gave an animated smile, making the frown on my face feel wholly inappropriate.

I felt my face pull all different directions as I struggled to find an appropriate expression. Finally I squeezed my eyes shut, took a deep breath and wished I could go back to wearing one of those awful white masks.

I opened my eyes, doing my best to imitate her enthusiasm, but Lady Q was already gone.

I sighed, glancing at the monitor.

Owl was busy eating and it didn't seem like he was going anywhere anytime soon.

I took the seat beside the monitor, wondering what exactly Lady Q and Mr. J had been talking about. I was certain there was more to this project, but I had a long way to climb before I’d be considered worthy of the full details.