"What?"

"I said let's eat it."

"Mage, you..." Fatty had tears in his eyes, "I agree. Can we grill it, Lester?"

"No way... we should check if it has a core, skin it, pluck the feathers. It's a high tier beast, those may be useful... And then make breakfast..."

"Leader, you too?

"Yeah. What's our motto, Dagger?"

"Grow rich and fat."

"Exactly.

"Whatever... Hey Dummy, is your hand ok?"

"What?"

"The petrifier."

Tommy panicked, "I can't feel my fingers."

"It'll go away." Fatty replied.

"Yeah, eventually."

"Damn it."

"Relax Dummy. I'll mix the fix. Soon-ish."

"..."

"Guys... how are you all fine?" Tommy asked.

"Why wouldn't we be? The bird is dead, it's getting brighter, and we got breakfast."

"But the fog?"

The thin fog surrounded them. The three realized they had been deep in the fog for a while now.

"Perhaps it is too thin?" Fatty shrugged.

"Who knows, we are already mad." Dagger added, heading over and pulled the dead bird out of his hand, gloves ready and knives out.

"It's so tough.."

Her blade slipped over the skin, with barely a scratch.

"Fatty, scald it."

"We don't have water. Nor wood. No wok either."

Fatty dropped to the ground, spreadeagled on his back, his arms and legs wide. A couple of tears slipped the closes eyelids, though he was still smiling. Lester had already rolled over, snoring a little.

This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author's work.

"Arghhh..."

The girl paced a bit, then rummaged through her bag. Finally, she grabbed it by the talons and smacked the carcass into the ground. That did nothing to the bird, not one feather out of place, but she dislodged a decent chunk of debris and dust.

"Hey! Don't dirty it. I just said we don't have water."

"Sorry."

Tommy had a wide grin on his face, despite his curled palm that he couldn't feel at all. Having blown off steam at the chicken at cathartic, like a knot in his muscles dissolving. One he hadn't known to be there.

"You look stupid, mage."

"I understand why people turn to adventure. This is addictive."

He took in the scenery. They were safe and sound. Having faced wolves, and fog, and this dragon chicken, they came out on top. Alive.

They were wide open right now, prone to attack. But nothing had approached, despite all that noise. Now they had a clear view of any ambush, much better than fighting a speeding rooster that ate metal and scared you with its eyes. As he took in the beautiful canyon, the dew drops glowed like diamond in the distance. In the distance?

"Guys, maybe we should just leave, eh? Get water and wood and everything."

"And go where? The fog-"

They stiffened.

The sun was up. Sky clear. And the last vestiges of the fog evaporated, allowing them to see the path again.