“Fiery flame, focus here and burn.”
Vera extended her remaining left hand, aiming at a pile of dry twigs stacked together.
With a soft whoosh, a ball of flame lit up from the center of the dry twigs, rapidly spreading across the surface of the dry branches.
Flames licked at the three rabbits suspended above. They had been cleaned, skewer-threaded from head to tail with sharpened sticks, and rested on branched stakes at either side of the fire pit.
Snow rabbits were different from the rabbits back on Earth.
They were larger and far plumper.
Beneath their white fur lay a thick layer of fat, enveloping the tender, light-pink meat underneath.
Rosie sat on a rock by the fire, an unreserved look of admiration in her eyes. “Ha, that's a pretty nice spell.”
Vera smiled, her eyes falling on the dancing flames.
“My mana is severely depleted, so I can barely manage to light a fire. Before this, I could've blown this pile of firewood sky-high.”
“You're a Hunter, so how can you cast spells?”
Rosie turned the rabbits on the rack, letting the other side face the flames.
Vera went quiet for a moment. “It's a long story. To be precise, I'm actually a warlock. I have a trace of Abyssal blood running through my veins. I only became a Hunter later on.”
“So that's how it is. No wonder you could turn into...” Rosie didn't finish her sentence.
“A demon, right?”
Vera finished the sentence for her, a self-deprecating smile curling the corners of her lips.
“It's fine. To me, it's both a curse and a blessing. Without it, I would have died long ago.”
Rosie asked, “Every time you transform, do you suffer severe backlash?”
Vera nodded. “Yes. You can't get something for nothing. The power of the Abyss is all about equivalent exchange.”
She didn't elaborate further.
It wasn't just a simple matter of backlash.
The more she used the power of the Abyss, the tighter her connection to it became. One day, her soul would be dragged into the Abyss completely.
But she kept those words to herself.
The fire danced between them, casting flickering shadows across the rocks and illuminating the glistening layer of golden fat on the rabbit meat.
“How much longer until it's ready?”
A gruff voice came from beside the fire, breaking the brief silence.
Balu sat on a flat rock, his hands resting on his knees as he leaned forward slightly, his gaze locked onto the roasting rabbits.
The melting fat evenly coated the rabbits, bubbling and boiling under the high heat, wafting a thick aroma of roasted meat into the air.
Every time a drop of fat sizzled into the fire, he instinctively swallowed his saliva.
“It can't be done that fast...”
Rosie rolled her eyes, drew the dagger at her waist, and scored cuts along the muscle grain of the meat so the heat could penetrate deeper.
“Me think it almost ready. Give me a bite? Just one bite...”
Balu's voice carried a pitiful urgency as his eyes followed the movement of the dagger in Rosie's hand.
Rosie didn't look up. “Raw meat might have parasites. Eat it after it's fully cooked. You're already dumb enough; if parasites get into your brain, you'll be even dumber...”
Balu scratched his head. “What's a parasite?”
“Nothing good, that's for sure. You can't eat undercooked meat—especially wild animals.”
Balu nodded half-comprehendingly. “Okay, me listen to you.”
Despite his words, his eyes were practically glued to the rabbits.
Pretending not to notice, Rosie turned her head toward Vera. “I can cast Holy Light one more time. Do you need it?”
Vera shook her head. “I'm fine, save it. In case we run into vampires or something, it'll be good for emergencies.”
Rosie nodded, not insisting.
“Nikus is dead. Countess Eliza will put his death on our heads. Even if we go back to the Third Prince now, nothing good will come of it.”
Vera's voice was lower than before.
Rosie poked the fire with her dagger, creating more space between the logs so the flames leapt higher.
“I knew doing jobs for nobles never turns out well,” she teased.
Vera was quiet for a short moment before speaking apologetically, “It was selfish of me to pull you into this back then. I'm sorry.”
Rosie shrugged indifferently. “A lesson learned. Next time you work for nobles, remember to collect payment upfront. Even if you have to run, at least you won't lose out.”
Vera paused, then smiled. “Makes sense. I'll remember that.”
Time slipped by as the fire flickered.
The skin of the rabbits changed from golden-yellow to a deeper caramel color, with slight charred spots along the edges. The layer of fat had completely melted and seeped into the meat under the high heat, giving off a rich aroma of rendered fat and woodsmoke.
“Can me eat now?” Balu asked urgently again from the side.
Rosie picked up one of the rabbits on a stick and handed it to him. “Eat!”
Balu snatched the stick and took a huge bite.
The scalding grease burned his mouth, making him hiss and gasp, but he chewed vigorously, swallowed it down, and his eyes lit up.
“Delicious...”
Holding the rabbit in both hands, he buried his face in it and devoured it, letting out occasional muffled sounds of satisfaction.
Using her dagger, Rosie carved off a piece of leg meat from another rabbit. Through the cut, tender white meat was visible under a thin film of fat, juice slowly oozing from the edges.
She put the meat in her mouth and chewed. The savory flavor of grease burst across her palate, the meat smooth and tender, parting easily between her teeth.
The only drawback was the lack of salt and cumin.
If there were some chili powder, it would be perfect.
She carved off another piece and passed it to Vera. “Try it, it's pretty good.”
Vera took the rabbit meat with her left hand, chewed, and nodded. “The only thing Norman has going for it is these rabbits.”
The three of them sat around the campfire, finishing off all three rabbits.
Balu devoured one and a half by himself, licking the leftover grease off his fingers with lingering craving when he was done.
After resting briefly, the three extinguished the campfire and hit the road again.
The weather was pleasant and visibility clear, so the trio made swift progress.
By afternoon, the silhouette of a small town appeared in the distance, several plumes of smoke rising into the cold air.
Rosie suggested stopping by to restock on supplies.
While passing a blacksmith shop, Balu's eyes lingered for a good while on an iron axe hanging on the wall.
Rosie asked for the price—twenty silver coins.
She paid, took the axe down from the wall, and handed it to Balu.
Balu froze for a moment before grinning wide, his fangs gleaming against his green face.
Of course, having accepted Rosie's gift, he had to work for her.
Naturally, Balu became the porter, carrying a large backpack stuffed full of supplies.
The three didn't linger long in the town, setting off again as soon as they were restocked.
That night, under Vera's guidance, they found a natural wind-sheltered niche.
With the supplies replenished during the day, the campsite was quickly set up.
The tent was pitched using newly bought canvas supported by a few sharpened branches; though crude, it was enough to keep out the wind.
After lighting the campfire, Rosie cooked a pot of hot porridge with smoked meat and oats.
After eating, Vera crawled into the tent to rest while Balu fell asleep beside the campfire, drool leaking from the corner of his mouth and snoring loudly.
Rosie sat by the fire to keep watch.
Vera would wake up to relieve her during the second half of the night.
It wasn't that Balu didn't want to keep watch; Rosie just didn't trust him to do it.
After all, his own priest had been drained right under his nose without him noticing a thing.
This made it hard for her to entrust him with a crucial task like night watch.
The night passed peacefully.
The next morning, under the morning light, Rosie cast Holy Light on Vera once again.
After the golden glow washed over her, Vera's complexion recovered to a healthy rosy hue, and her steps were no longer weak or unsteady.
Most of her drained vitality was restored, leaving only her missing arm that couldn't be regenerated.
Vera didn't seem to mind much. “I have plenty of money saved up at Dawnguard Keep. It'll be enough to ask a High Priest of Light to cast Regeneration.”
Next, their goal was clear—head south to Dawnguard Keep.
Rosie had nowhere else to go anyway.
It didn't matter to her if she tagged along with Vera.
An adventure is an adventure... anywhere was the same.
Rate on N.U.
