"Cough, hack... hurl—"
Mohg looked extremely pathetic as he propped himself up against the floor with his hands, retching violently. There was no helping it; the rat meat in these sewers was incredibly fishy and sour.
It tasted exactly like a pair of socks worn for countless days and then left to ferment in a dark, damp corner.
If the meat hadn't been roasted through, Mohg suspected it might have actually started growing mushrooms.
Seeing this, Morgott shook his head helplessly. You reap what you sow...
"Cough... Holy hell... I'm back among the living..."
After a few violent coughs, Mohg's naturally powerful adaptability suppressed the physical revulsion. However, as for continuing to taste the stuff...
He decided he simply didn't have the stomach for such "good fortune." He'd rather stick to searching for other food. He would honestly rather eat slugs again than touch this cursed rat meat.
The bamboo rats he'd eaten in his previous life clearly didn't taste like this. Was it the species difference, or just that the worlds were too different?
Yeah, most likely the latter.
"Recovered? Then let's move. You'd best stop trying these strange things in the future..."
Morgott glanced at Mohg and began walking slowly in the direction of his memories, speaking as he went.
Mohg didn't say a word. He looked at Morgott's back, then at the roasted rat meat on the ground, and slowly reached out his hand...
"Hey."
"Hmm?"
Feeling Mohg tap his shoulder, Morgott turned around in confusion.
Flash—!
As a whistling sound cut through the air, Morgott's pupils shrank, and his face filled with horror.
Just as he was about to dodge, a large hand clamped down firmly on him, pulling him back.
Squelch!
"Blegh—!"
"Ah, now I feel better."
Watching Morgott hunched over the floor in the exact same state he had been in, Mohg nodded with satisfaction.
A moment later, Morgott wiped the filth from the corner of his mouth and glared at Mohg. His gaze was as sharp as a blade.
"Cough, don't be impulsive. We're still in the pipes. Careful not to draw other monsters over."
Mohg quickly raised both hands in a defensive gesture and backed up two steps.
"Hmph!"
Morgott let out a cold snort, deciding not to lower himself to his brother's level for the moment.
Once the two had composed themselves, they picked a direction and continued forward.
"I remember we fell down from above and then climbed all the way up. What are we going to do when we get back to that hole?" Mohg asked, looking back at Morgott as they walked down the slope (which had been an incline when they first arrived).
"Hmm... that is a problem. Given our current size, I'm not sure we can even walk through it normally anymore..."
Morgott's brow furrowed. After all, their original plan was to map out the route back to the area they started in.
"Let's just take it one step at a time. We're almost at the spot where we fell. We'll see if we can fit when we get there. If not, we'll just find another way."
Mohg wasn't particularly worried about the issue he had raised; he simply kept walking.
Before long, they arrived at the hole they had fallen through months ago.
Mohg reached out to eye the opening and realized that their original method wouldn't work. If they went in now, they would likely have to crawl on their bellies.
Doing so would leave them exposed to far too many threats. Unless... one faced forward and the other faced backward. But even then, it would severely hinder their movement speed. There was even a chance they might get stuck and both end up dying in there...
"Let's find another way. The pipes further ahead lead directly down," Morgott suggested, withdrawing his gaze from the hole. He did, however, have a new question: where had all the slugs they'd encountered before gone?
"Below that is the area we haven't explored yet. Let's leave a mark," Mohg said, eyeing the pipe that led deeper into the darkness.
"Mm. You do it. I'll head down first to see if there's any danger. If something feels wrong, we leave immediately."
"Fine."
After agreeing, Mohg went to the side and used his claws to etch a mark on the pipe wall, identical to the ones before.
Meanwhile, Morgott descended. Upon reaching the bottom, he frowned. The humidity here was extremely high—one could even see a faint, shimmering mist hanging in the air.
This wasn't good news. The mist would obscure their vision and add a lot of uncertainty to the path ahead.
"How is it?"
Mohg arrived a moment later and questioned his brother.
"The humidity is high, and there's a mist rising. Do you have any ideas?" Morgott asked, explaining the situation.
"Hmm..." Mohg looked left and right, falling into thought. "How about we throw things ahead of us to feel our way through?"
"What do you want to throw?"
Morgott looked at Mohg with curiosity. Throwing things was a viable tactic; if there was anything lurking in the mist, the sound would surely draw it out.
"How about stones infused with a bit of our energy?" Mohg suggested, bending down to pick up a small piece of rubble.
"That's a good idea... I didn't expect you to actually come up with a decent suggestion."
Morgott looked at Mohg with genuine surprise.
"...That's a bit of a stereotype, don't you think? You're crossing a line."
Having reached a decision, the two entered the deeper pipes. Along the way, they left several stones imbued with their energy. These would also serve as "beacons" to guide them on the return trip.
The only problem was that this constantly drained their already limited internal energy.
If this foggy area turned out to be too vast, they would eventually have to make some tough choices.
Fortunately, luck was on their side. After walking for a short while, the mist began to thin.
As soon as they broke through the foggy patch, Mohg immediately grew alert.
Morgott, seeing his brother's reaction, felt a surge of confusion but instinctively took a defensive stance.
"What is it?"
"Can't you smell it? A faint scent of blood... and the scent of an Omen."
Mohg stared deathly still at the left side of a fork in the path ahead. He spoke in a low voice to Morgott, never taking his eyes off the tunnel.
Morgott's tension spiked instantly.
Given their current strength, if they had to fight a full-grown Omen, they likely wouldn't stand a chance.
"Let's be careful. We'll creep forward and see..."
Mohg whispered. Morgott nodded silently and followed closely in Mohg's footsteps.
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My : https://[email protected]/AuAuMon
Elden Ring: As the Consort, I Reject Miquella (115 Chapters – Ongoing)
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