"How exactly do you plan to bathe in its blood?"
"I'm not entirely sure... Maybe crack open the shell from the top, scoop out the meat, and just lie inside?"
Hearing Mohg's words, Morgott looked at him with an expression of pure horror, as if he couldn't believe his brother could say something so gruesome.
After all, if you replaced the prawn with a bear or some other beast, it would be a scene straight out of a horror movie...
"Don't look at me like that," Mohg muttered, shooting him a look. "Just tell me—would it work or not?"
Morgott scratched his head. Truth be told... Mohg's method did seem practical.
"But do you have any idea how we're going to cut through that shell?"
After a long silence, Mohg thought of the dagger Godwyn had left them.
"The dagger Big Brother gave us should work. I haven't tested its edge yet, but anything capable of channeling such a powerful Battle Skill can't be ordinary."
Morgott nodded. He took the dagger and climbed onto one of the giant prawns to begin the work.
It proved to be remarkably effective—almost effortlessly so. With just a bit of force, the blade slid through the chitinous armor with no resistance at all. It was truly a masterpiece of a weapon.
Mohg thought that if they ever ended up in a close-quarters brawl, this dagger would be a devastating weapon to pull out, though it was best kept as a hidden trump card. Striking when the enemy was off-guard was the most effective way to use it.
While Morgott was busy, Mohg walked over to the remains of the Great Miranda Flower. He knelt and picked up one of the surrounding vines to examine it. He even peeled back the petals to inspect the stamen inside.
He had always been curious about certain biological specimens in the Lands Between, and he wasn't going to pass up the chance to investigate.
He found that the interior of the Miranda Flower was a bizarre mix of plant-like walls and organ-like viscera. It was badly mangled, but the general structure was still visible.
Mohg picked up a piece of the vine and gave it a sniff.
It had a distinct, sharp plant scent. To his surprise, he realized the sap seemed to dampen the effects of the Miranda pollen. To confirm this, he compared it with other root-tendrils and discovered that the main stalk possessed detoxifying properties, while the smaller roots did not.
"An unexpected harvest..."
Mohg scratched his head and popped a bit of the stalk into his mouth to chew. It tasted much like the grass he used to chew as a child in his previous life.
"Hey! Don't just stand there doing nothing. Come help me take this thing apart!" Morgott emerged from the shell, looking disheveled and covered in grime. "There are two of them here. Once this toxic mist clears, we won't have it so easy."
"Coming!"
Mohg dropped the Miranda stalk and scrambled onto the prawn's back. As Morgott said, once the spores settled, the scent would travel. If anything passed by, they would be completely exposed. They needed to bathe in the blood and harvest what meat they could carry as quickly as possible.
They couldn't take it all; the creature was so massive they couldn't even move it.
Soon, they were butchering the carcass and eating bits of the meat raw. Mid-way, Mohg carefully discarded a thick, dark "vein"; he wanted absolutely nothing to do with what was inside that.
"Phew..."
Looking at the pool of blue blood accumulating at the bottom of the shell, the brothers exchanged a look and jumped in.
The toxic mist was almost gone. They wouldn't have time to dismantle the second prawn. One had to know when to be satisfied; the blood from this one was enough to strengthen them significantly.
Once submerged, they began practicing the refinement method Godfrey had taught them. The blue blood soon began to steam, forming a faint mist around them.
After an unknown amount of time, a rustling noise drifted from outside.
By then, they had finished absorbing the energy from the blood. Mohg could feel his constitution had improved again. He could probably take a few more hits from an Omen now.
"Something's out there." Morgott opened his eyes and whispered, listening intently.
"Yeah. I hear footsteps. And I smell something."
Mohg nodded and climbed straight out of the shell.
"Hey!" Morgott's eyes widened, and he reached out to pull Mohg back. Rushing out without knowing the situation was asking for trouble.
Step!
Outside, a prisoner who had been stealthily trying to hack off a piece of prawn meat was nearly scared out of his wits by Mohg's sudden appearance. He dropped the meat and stared at Mohg in terror.
Mohg was drenched in blue blood, looking like an absolute nightmare.
The prisoner quickly recovered, drawing a rusted cleaver from the carcass and pointing it shakily at Mohg. "Get back, monster!"
Mohg looked the man up and down. He was emaciated from malnutrition, his hands trembling so hard he could barely hold the blade. It was unclear if he was naturally cowardly or if the horrors of the sewers had broken him.
He didn't exactly fit the description of the "wicked" criminals Mohg expected to find in exile. However, Mohg wasn't kind enough to let him go—especially not someone trying to steal their food.
Bang!
Mohg kicked off the shell and lunged at the prisoner.
Seeing that Mohg had no intention of sparing him, the prisoner's eyes flashed with a desperate ferocity. He swung the cleaver down in a frantic overhead strike.
Suddenly, a gust of bloody wind brushed past. The cleaver missed its mark. Mohg's blood-stained face appeared right before the prisoner's eyes.
"No... no..."
Flash—
In a heartbeat, Mohg's hand struck like a blade, severing the man's arm. As the prisoner began to scream, Mohg moved again, slicing clean through his throat.
"Agh... gurgle..."
The prisoner clutched his neck in terror, trying in vain to hold onto his fading life.
Mohg didn't give him a second glance. He turned back to inspect the meat.
"Let's go. The meat is still fresh. It hasn't been out for long."
"Mmhmm."
Morgott climbed out of the shell, silently tucking away the dagger he had drawn.
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My : https://[email protected]/AuAuMon
Elden Ring: As the Consort, I Reject Miquella (133 Chapters – Ongoing)
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