Cheep!?

Cheep!?

Chapter 127

Halfway through the dismantling, Ronald stopped harvesting the bat and instead began cooking, with Skye and Niko helping to set up the campsite before the pair once more resumed keeping an eye on the area around them. It was always a concern that the smell of blood and food would attract predators, though thankfully Mithel and Skye both had potions and herb mixtures that helped obscure such smells. For Mithel’s contribution, it was as simple as pouring the liquid around the area, but Skye’s was actually more effective. The bag of herbs, contained in a wrapped up paper ball, was tossed on a small fire and dispersed a scent not terribly unlike the forest around them. 

Still, Niko was a prime example of what heightened senses could achieve, as he was able to still detect the blood even through the rest of the intervening scents. From farther away, he wouldn’t notice, but it was a good thing to keep in mind. Idly, he glanced around the immense trees, wondering at what lay beneath them. Were these bat things more common down there? Did they travel in large groups? Thus far, Niko hadn’t really run into much he didn’t have confidence in beating, aside from the huge Moxxa, but he didn’t think he’d ever have cause to fight one of those. 

A sharp scent entered Niko’s nostrils as Ronald unscrewed a flask. The Phorus tilted his head in confusion, seeing Ronald take a sip of the liquid before resealing it and putting it away. 

The big man noticed Niko’s attention, and explained, “Always take a sip before cooking.”

“He swears it makes him cook better,” Skye said, but the tone said she was skeptical, if amused, at best.

“Weird, how come I’ve never noticed you do that before?” Niko’s confusion only deepened.

“Mmm? Well, I haven’t been concealing it,” Ronald shrugged, “Though, this is some stronger stuff. The old stuff didn’t really have a smell at all.”

Skye held out her hand curiously, and he handed it over after digging it out of his pack. She unscrewed it, and before it had even gotten close to her face, grimaced, “Whoa, is this dwarven?”

“Yep, Orson gave me a few flasks. The rest of it is back at Riizen.” Ronald smiled, “I only need a sip of the stuff to be able to sleep.”

Niko frowned a little at that, “I remember you have insomnia. Is there… a reason for it?” 

For a few seconds, Ronald considered the question, before shrugging, “If there is, I don’t know it. Maybe I just have difficulty relaxing, though that’s been a little bit better lately.”

“If you need anyone to talk to, we’re around,” Skye handed the flask back, not willing to take a swig of dwarven alcohol out in the wild, “Or Stella, she’s always been a good listener.”

Niko watched Ronald’s cheeks redden very slightly at that. ‘D’awww, that’s cute, even if it looks funny on such a big guy.’ 

“We talked a little about it, yeah,” Ronald cleared his throat before changing the topic, “Anyways, I’m thinking soup, everyone okay with that?”

“Fine with me,” Niko stood up and walked over to them, leaning down to make getting into the side packs easier. Skye, mercifully, didn’t poke fun at Ronald, and instead pulled out some water canisters that they’d put into Niko’s packs. Considering there were specific types of vines around the forest that they could cut for fresh water, they didn’t really need to carry a large supply, but they didn’t want to grow accustomed to relying strictly on the environment at all times. Eventually, they might be in an area where even the terrain was hostile, so it was a good habit to at least keep somewhat honed.

Niko looked over at the grisly progress being made on the bat as Ronald began cooking, simultaneously preparing slabs of meat and wrapping them in oiled leather and sealing them for transport. They’d be able to use the meat for the day, and potentially sell the surplus back at Riizen. As for the rest of the bat, the wings had already been dismantled, the pincers on the tail end of its body had been removed, given how sturdy they appeared. The throat was a lost cause, according to Mithel, as it was far too mangled for whatever pattern that had once existed there to be useful. Its bottom jaw, on the other hand, carried with it a very strong paralytic pattern, one that Mithel declared they shouldn’t test at all outside of Riizen. She suspected that the bat likely bit its quarry several times and either consumed it on the spot, or carried it off. 

That made it something that Niko would want to try to build up a resistance to, but at the very least Mithel had several antidotes that could counteract the effect on her person. It was both a venom and an essence construct, so part of it would remain effective if the victim didn’t work to expunge it from their systems using their own essence. Not something particularly feasible in the middle of a fight, but certainly possible for the Wyldwalkers afterwards, after the training they’d received from Crowe and Camille.

It didn’t take much longer for Mithel to declare that she’d harvested all the parts she cared about as she splashed some cleaning solution on her leather gloves. Dachna did the same, and seconds later the stains and filth flowed from the treated surface in droplets. 

They sat down with the others, using their rolled up bedrolls for cushioning while the soup finished cooking. Each of them had a bowl in hand or in front of them before Ronald said, “Alright, let's see how it tastes.”

The big man took the first bite. They weren’t worried that it was poisonous, but the tests Mithel ran didn’t always indicate taste.

With an approving humm, he nodded, “Good, very good.”

Niko took a bite next, and couldn’t conceal his surprise as the robust burst of flavor hit his tongue. On top of that, a good deal of essence had been retained in the meat, “Oh? Did you get better at essence cooking?”

The others tried theirs then, too, with Dachna moaning theatrically and in jest, “Oh, it’s soooo good. You’re going to make a great house-husband for Stella.”

Ronald was halfway through his next spoonful as Dachna had said that and immediately spluttered, nearly choking on his food. Dachna whistled to himself and looked away, but the rest of the group chuckled at Ronald’s expense.

“Yes, I did get better,” Ronald grumbled, but didn’t have a ready comeback for Dachna.

“Leave him alone,” mirthful, Mithel scooted next to Dachna.

Skye paused and Niko noticed the mischievous glint in her eyes, “Come to think of it, Dachna, why don’t you cook for Mithey?”

The man, taken off guard, made an excellent fish impression, with his mouth opening and closing before saying, “Uhh… I hadn’t really considered it?”

“So, you just never thought she might appreciate it?” Ronald happily poured fuel on the fire.

“Uhhhhhh…” Dachna drew out his words for an answer that was clearly not coming.

“That’s a good question, though,” Mithel smiled, obviously enjoying letting the rogue squirm a little bit.

“That… is an excellent question!” Dachna coughed, “Obviously, I know how to cook, and it’s only because Ronald’s been so willing to cook that I haven’t done anything. Obviously. Yes.”

“Mmmhmm,” Ronald hummed, before drumming the side of the soup pot, and deciding to stop the joke, “Next time we can cook something together, or you can take over.”

“Great,” Dachna smiled while stating dryly, “Can’t wait.”

“Neither can I,” Mithel laughed, “I hope it tastes good.”

Niko did his best not to cackle aloud, but failed when Skye had no such reservations. 

They cleaned up after finishing their meal, packing everything away while they contemplated if they wanted to go farther out or if they wanted to start circling Riizen. There were several hours until sundown, so they weren’t yet pressed for time. In fact, if they found a defensible position, they weren’t against staying out overnight, but considering the nature of what they were hunting after, no one was eager for that option. Likewise, Anya would undoubtedly grow worried if they hadn’t returned by then. None of them had any expectations for when they’d find the Memory Thief. It could be later that evening, or it could even be days away.

That was why, when Skye stood up stock straight and rigid, the rest of the group froze with their eyes on her.

“Take the resistance potions.” She commanded, bow slipping into one of her hands as she gazed off to the side. In her other she double fisted two bottles, ripping the cork off with her teeth and chugging the pair. The first renewed the essence concealment, while the second bolstered her resistance to mental effects.

‘Hopefully,’ Niko added, knowing that Mithel’s potion was experimental, and was effective on paper. These were less than ideal conditions to run a test, but there were no options. If nothing else, though, Niko felt the link between he and Skye mute down to almost nothing, so he hoped that meant the potion would work.

Mithel gave Niko a concealment potion, helping him to get it open and drink it down, before following it up with the resistance potion. The others all finished their preparations, and slipped into leafy branches while looking around. Skye directed their vision with hand signs at first, but then slipped into cover fully. No one wanted to risk being spotted, not when they hadn’t confirmed the Memory Thief’s location as of yet.

This time though, Niko saw it well before it stopped moving, and noticed a light touch against his mind that wasn’t quite able to get in. The resistance potion seemed to be working against the passive concealment the Memory Thief used, at least.

It hovered over the bat creature, quivering and spinning in a motion that Niko figured was happiness. Unlike before, Niko could very clearly see that the tentacle it had was much more macabre than he’d seen before. It was barbed, with a harpoon at the tip that snapped down into the bat-corpse’s head. Very little remained of said corpse, and Mithel had left the head alone as it lacked any use for her crafts currently.

With a quick stab, the tentacle pierced through the flesh, though Niko could see that no damage was done physically. He tensed, looking over at the cluster of branches that held Skye and Ronald. Beside him, Mithel and Dachna were prepared to attack. 

A noise not unlike an owl sounded out, and for a moment the jellyfish-like monster paused. 

The next moment, five bursts of essence erupted around it, and the Memory Thief momentarily flailed in alarm, attempting to disconnect from its meal. A clutch of four arrows shot forth, but even with the initiative, the creature was able to deflect all but one. That last one sank deeply into the bell of the creature, causing it to quiver. The barrier around the Wyldwalker’s minds then quivered in response as a wave of psychic pressure descended upon them. 

They resisted whatever the effect was, and Mithel threw a triplicate of flasks upwards, along with a pair of much faster moving ones pitched by Dachna. The creature reacted to the faster ones first, slapping them with its tentacles as they burst apart. A fluorescent green fluid scattered across its limbs, which Niko realized were many more than he’d thought. When it crushed the other three, one of which reached the bell itself, Niko saw dozens more tentacles appear alongside the tens he’d already seen.

Ronald roared, a bulwark of bright light flaring as several tentacles speared towards them, seeking to drive deep into its assailants. Niko let loose a dual screech of Clarion and Carrion Call, buffeting the bell and buffing his allies. In the wake of the blast, the tentacles lost cohesive force, and harmlessly slapped the wall that Ronald had made.

The big man shifted on his feet and stabbed upwards with his glaive, energy surging with the strike and allowing it to carry across space. It slashed through three tentacles as it went, and actually pierced deep into the strange flesh that was the main body of the thing.

Yet, for all the damage done, Niko couldn’t help but feel like this was going to be a big problem. The Memory Thief was a mid tier three creature, but they hadn’t expected it to be quite so fast with its strikes. Unwilling to back down, Niko darted forwards, Sharp Strike pattern flaring as he severed one tentacle that went too close to him. Instantly, four more tentacles struck down towards Niko from all sides.

He threw himself backwards just as the tentacle from that side was cut halfway through, as Dachna sliced it with a dagger. The surge of essence in the air released from their concealment potions breaking suddenly rushed towards Dachna’s dagger, and reflexively Niko forced himself to look away.

The Memory Thief, on the other hand, stilled entirely as Dachna threw the dagger upwards, slicing into the bell deeply. It quivered, but for a few seconds Niko watched in a mixture of horror and awe as the creature struck its own body, tentacles desperately trying to get at the dagger. 

“Good job!” Ronald called out, “Frost bomb it, Mithel!” 

Already pulling out said flask while the Memory Thief was distracted, Mithel shouted, “Skye, called shot!”

The half-elf knocked an arrow, her pattern surging as the flask flew upwards, only for an arrow to burst it above the floating opponent. Like an instant blizzard, ice and snow cascaded down violently, clinging to the body of the monster, emparting frigid cold into its strange flesh.

“Good, get another voll–” Ronald began, only for a ripple of sensation to roll outwards from the memory thief. One moment, it was there, and the next, it was gone.

Niko turned, snarling out a powerful Carrion Call as his eyes tracked the motion of essence around them. He blasted behind where they’d been positioned, just as its tentacles nearly pierced through each of them. It faltered for just a moment, long enough for Ronald to curse and shift his shield around, cutting into a pair of tentacles in front of him. 

Shaken, Mithel only backpedaled closer to Ronald, followed by Dachna. “Teleporter!” Skye called out, “No long windup attacks anymore, Niko, can you confirm where the pattern was?”

The Phorus stepped in closer, now necessary if the thing could reposition at will. “I can’t see it! The whole thing lit up like a bonfire!” 

“Slow and steady,” Ronald stated, more calm and collected than the rest of the group, “Don’t aim for the bell, take the tentacles. Keep an eye out for any other teleports, Niko, you’re the only one who can respond in time.”

The Wyldwalkers stuck outwards, with Dachna summoning another lure out of a shortsword, keeping several tentacles set on him instead of trying to climb over or around the shield. The bell moved closer as they chipped away the longer, more agile tentacles, green fluorescent liquid covering much of them. Some of the interior tentacles moved in, now in range, and these ones hit the shield hard. Ronald stopped counterattacking, gritting his teeth as he did his best to hold his ground against the stronger impacts.

“Volley fire!” Skye called out, a fist full of arrows wrapped in essence suddenly launched upwards as it committed more and more tentacles to the fight. For a half second, many thick tentacles were blasted, but then Niko felt the Memory Thief's body pulse with power again.

“Teleport!” Niko called out, now knowing what to look for, his heavily powered Carrion Call ready to fire.

It blinked behind them, before Niko’s eyes opened wide, “Double Teleport!”

Unable to respond in time, the Memory Thief flickered and appeared directly above them, in close quarters. A tentacle speared down, hitting Ronald, but before any more could impact, Niko let loose a debilitating wave of sound. This one was three times as strong as the last one, and at this range, Niko could see translucent veins in the bell explode with the force he hit it with. Beside him, Dachna severed the tentacle before it could begin to extract anything, but it left a physical injury above Ronald’s right eyebrow. The man grunted, going to a knee, but with force of will, flexed the shield around them to wrap them in a dome. 

None too soon, as the tentacles wildly slapped at the sides that had a moment before been exposed. 

“Injuries!?” Mithel called out sternly to Ronald, dropping to her knees beside him while pulling out a few flasks. They had precious few healing potions for internal wounds, but given the head injury, no one was taking chances.

“I-I don’t know,” Ronald shook his head, eyes unfocused, “I–where? The Memory Thief?”

Niko let out a guttural sound halfway between a snarl and the staccato of a machine gun. Ronald was clearly confused, but luckily had enough wits about him to control their defense. He didn’t think any amount of training could do that, Ronald just had good instincts.

Niko let essence rush through his body, bending his legs as he looked up at the now much closer monster. Its tentacles were wide on either side of its body, still trying to get in on the sides of the shield, not realizing that it was uniform in thickness. “Skye! I’m going up!” 

The half-elf cursed, before bark surged across her body, more lithe but no less lethal looking for it. “I’m with you.” 

Dachna shouted, “Distraction coming out now!”

The dirty-blonde haired man threw out several daggers in a spin, sending them sailing upwards in lazy arcs, each one glinting with a Lure. The tentacles immediately broke off, stretching off towards each one desperately and violently. The path cleared, both Niko and Skye jumped upwards, the bark beneath their feet cracking from the force.

Niko screeched a debilitating battlecry, the machinegun noise amped with Carrion Call at close range. The bell flinched, but couldn’t move as both of them hit its underside, bark-enhanced claws raking flesh, along with Niko shredding up the side of the bell itself with his beak and vigorously kicking feet. He held on with his wing-claws, the creature was momentarily unable to respond to either attacker with its tentacles as far away as they were.

Its body lit up again with essence, but this time Niko dug in his beak and blasted it within its own body. The pattern failed, painfully, as both he and Skye struck deep blows into the soft, weak flesh. By the time the tentacles had come back around, they were forced to try to work their way into the gaping wounds left by the duo as they dug through the body of the creature.

Niko bit down on something much harder than the surrounding tissue, and the Memory Thief desperately surged with power.

This time, neither Niko or Skye managed to interrupt it in time.

Ronald, Mithel, and Dachna watched as the Memory Thief vanished, along with their friends, leaving the air hanging hollow above them.