Crackle!
A spark leapt from the campfire. Mohg and Morgott, huddled around the flames, exchanged a look, both searching for the other's resolve.
Finally, Morgott couldn't help but speak.
"Tell me... is this thing really edible?"
Mohg glanced at the slug skewered on a wooden stick, sizzling over the fire. "Probably?"
By now, the fire had seared away the slime, revealing the white flesh beneath. Even though it was dead, the muscles continued to twitch ever so slightly in the heat.
"Actually, it looks a bit like escargot meat..."
"Escargot? What's that?" Morgott looked at Mohg with confusion. He had never seen or heard of such a creature.
"Uh... I read about it in a book once. It's a kind of food commoners find near rivers or in rice paddies..."
"Oh... and the taste?"
"Supposedly quite springy and delicious... but let's let this one roast a bit longer."
As time passed, the piece of... well, Mohg wanted to call it "slug steak" now. Since he was about to put it in his mouth, using its real name was doing no favors for his appetite.
Regardless, the grease was now being rendered out, and a genuine aroma of roasted meat began to waft through the air.
"I think it's done," Morgott said, eyeing the stick.
Mohg nodded and reached out to pull it from the fire. Ignoring the heat, he tore the meat in half and handed the other portion to Morgott.
The white flesh was now fibrous and stringy. It actually looked quite appetizing. As for the flavor? That remained to be seen.
Mohg swallowed hard, then tentatively opened his mouth and took a tiny bite. Morgott, seeing his brother eat, didn't hesitate further. He took a large bite and began to chew.
"Mmph!"
"Urgh!"
Gag! (x2)
"Cough... Dammit... It feels like I'm chewing a rag soaked in garbage juice with a side of stinking socks that haven't been washed in a month!"
Mohg fell to his knees in agony, spitting frantically to clear the taste from his mouth. It was a futile effort; swallowing his own saliva only made the flavor more intense.
"Cough, cough... What kind of terrible idea was this..." Morgott leaned weakly against a nearby pipe, looking at Mohg with eyes full of resentment.
"At least we didn't come away empty-handed. We now know for a fact that these things are inedible," Mohg argued, sticking his tongue out and patting it with his hand.
Morgott, usually the stable one, almost laughed out of sheer irritation. Incredible. If he hadn't suggested it, I wouldn't have touched that disgusting thing in a million years!
After a while, once they had finally recovered, the two began to consider their next move. Returning to the previous junction was out of the question. Plans had to change.
"Regardless, I think we should leave this spot. Even if that thing... tasted awful, it smelled quite good while cooking. It'll probably attract some unwanted guests..." As he spoke, Mohg glanced toward a pitch-black pipe entrance nearby.
"Mhm. Let's head that way. It leads upward, so it should be safer."
"Alright."
Mohg nodded and followed Morgott up the incline. Along the way, they passed through several iron barred gates. They could see remains scattered on the ground—skeletons that might have been human, demi-human, or something else entirely.
Fortunately, they seemed to have chosen the right path. For a good long while, they encountered no further danger.
Squeak! Squeak!
Mohg froze. "I think I hear rats."
"Mhm. I hear them too. And they sound close... be careful. Sewer rats aren't exactly small..." Morgott lowered his center of gravity, becoming even more alert.
Suddenly, two large, glowing yellow orbs appeared in the darkness ahead of them.
"..."
Whoosh—!
Without a second thought, Mohg lunged forward, slamming his fist directly between the two "lightbulbs."
"SQUEEE!!!"
The massive rat, struck squarely on the nose, let out a shriek of agony. Mohg took the opportunity to land another blow on its eye before shouting for Morgott to run.
The giant rat, finally recovering from the shock, realized its attackers had vanished. Consumed by rage, it let out a piercing screech and bolted after them on all fours, sniffing the air. Behind it followed a swarm of smaller rats, several sizes smaller but just as hungry.
Hearing the rhythmic thuds and crashes behind them, Mohg and Morgott quickened their pace.
"Hurry! The iron gate is just ahead!"
As the sounds of pursuit grew louder, they finally reached the gate. The giant rat leapt through the air, maw agape, lunging for Mohg. Just as its razor-sharp incisors were about to snap shut on him, Mohg performed a sliding tackle, diving straight through the gap.
BANG!
"Squeak! Squeak, squeak!!!"
The rat's entire body slammed into the iron gate. Its head actually managed to squeeze through a portion of the bars due to its momentum, leaving it stuck. It shrieked in fury at the prey it had failed to catch.
"Phew..."
Feeling his heart pounding against his ribs, Mohg slowly stood up and walked toward the gate. He raised his fist once more.
THUD!
"SQUEE!!!"
Struck on the nose again, the giant rat thrashed even more violently, desperate to force its body through the bars and tear Mohg to shreds.
"Keep chasing me, why don't you... Honestly, 'a tiger out of its element is bullied by a dog'..."
Mohg sighed and shook his head helplessly. Who could have imagined it? The third prince of the Golden Dynasty, the future founder of the Blood Dynasty, the "CEO" whose backside Miquella would eventually become obsessed with... was being chased through the sewers by a damn rat!
Wait. Where did that weird title come from?
"Let's go. Careful, it might send its little lackeys after you once it calms down," Morgott said, watching Mohg with a look of utter speechlessness before pointing behind the giant rat.
Mohg shuddered. He took one last look at the trembling, furious rodent and bolted.
In his previous life, he remembered a delicacy called "bamboo rat." In this life, his body could digest almost anything as long as it wasn't Scarlet Rot... One day, when he had the chance, he was definitely going to roast one of these things and see how it tasted!
Suddenly, the giant rat seemed to sense something. It shivered. For some reason, its hatred didn't feel quite so heavy anymore—replaced by an instinctive, creeping dread.
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My : https://[email protected]/AuAuMon
Elden Ring: As the Consort, I Reject Miquella (51 Chapters – Ongoing)
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