A four-legged creature coated in glossy, black skin approached a creek. It had a long mouth lined with sharp fangs. Its round eyes sat atop two tentacle-like limbs on its forehead, allowing it to look in any direction at will.
The animal opened its maw to let the running water into its mouth, not to drink, but to breathe. The water then went right out of a pair of holes on the sides of its neck.
This was the Ouggi, a descendant of a species that once lived in the ocean, forced to walk on land to survive.
"No, not that one," Nevigne said while stalking the Ouggi from afar. "They eat other animals and sometimes, their own kind. I'm never eating something like that."
Fidelis groaned. "But it eats moss and barnacles too." He split open the tall grass wider "Doesn't it count as a herbivore?"
"That makes it an omnivore, Fidelis," Nevigne retorted.
Then all of a sudden, a shadow of a winged creature glided past them, swaying the yellow grass with the strong wind it incurred. The two looked up and saw an enormous feathered animal in the sky, flying towards one of the highest Muratian towers in the area.
"A Darian Bird," Fidelis muttered.
The animal ignored them.
Darian birds were known to be the biggest herbivores on Eden, often becoming prey by monsters or stronger animals.
The bird slowed down in the sky before entering the rooftop of the abandoned steel tower.
Nevigne's eyes sparkled upon seeing the feathered thing. She rose from her knees and enthusiastically pointed at the place where the Darian Bird landed.
"That's our target! Prepare to attack!"
She then ran after it while Fidelis watched unamused. Hunger can really impact the way people think.
Well, he was hungry himself, so he followed along.
The abandoned scavenger base was filled with scraps of metal and giant fungi. Tall grasses made it difficult to see what lurked in the dark. Metal cages with rubber wheels were also scattered around, becoming home to small critters and Edenian insects.
Moments later, he found Nevigne standing in front of a glass door to the tower that had stopped working hundreds of years ago.
Bad plants and algae had grown all over the metal columns and concrete walls. Rust had also eaten a good part of the infrastructure's details.
"Stand back," she said as she aimed her wooden staff at the glass, ready to unleash an attack.
Fidelis put his hand on her arm, signaling her to stop. "Don't waste mana. Save it for the hunt."
He then stepped toward the glass door. He spun, lifted his leg, and threw a spinning back kick not onto the glass, but the metal frames. The kick generated enough force to break the lock and push the door open.
Fidelis glanced over his shoulder. "Let's go."
They stepped inside.
On the first floor, they found an empty room with dark metal walls. Plants and fungi had also invaded this place and occasionally, they would see huge centipedes exit a hole and enter the next. More creatures like slugs and worms thrived in this abandoned building where some harvested magic life force was spilled.
Scavengers didn't use stairs. Because their grip was naturally built for climbing walls, there was a slanted vertical surface attached to the wall with rough texture. This was what those alien creatures used to go between floors.
Plant roots had grown on this surface, so that was what Nevigne and Fidelis used to climb up.
None of the rooms in this building had windows or light panels. Scavengers were drawn to the dark and, despite being an advanced civilization, would still yearn to seek refuge underground. Because of their natural instincts, scavengers would often hide inside dark crevices or cramped holes.
Which was evident in the unused things the two saw. The modules where the workers worked looked like a tiny hive where they could curl up in the dark.
Finally, the two arrived at the last floor before the rooftop. A set of rungs was placed at the central column that led to the roof.
"Wait," Fidelis said, looking around.
Nevigne watched him. "What are you looking for?" she asked.
"A weapon," he answered. "I lost all my powers ever since I cut ties with god. That's why you'll handle most of the fighting."
While watching Fidelis search for a hunting tool, Nevigne spoke. "I know. But don't expect too much from me. With the amount of mana I have left, I could only cast low level spells, which I doubt would be sufficient in killing this giant bird."
A moment later, Fidelis's eyes landed on a sharp pole resting on a corner. It wasn't necessarily a weapon, but if it could be used to hurt someone, Fidelis could work with it.
He took it and then looked at Nevigne. "We need to come up with a strategy," he said.
A serious expression crossed Nevigne's face. "The darian is probably nesting on top of this tower, which means it likely has eggs."
Fidelis spoke. "So we need to threaten the mother using the eggs as hostage. And when it is distracted trying to protect the eggs, one of us will strike the bird down."
Nevigne gave him a horrified look. "What? No! We're only after the eggs. We'll let the bird live."
Fidelis scratched his head. "I thought the bird was the meal."
"After we leave, that darian will lay eggs again, therefore increasing the bird population," she explained.
He raised both hands in surrender. "Alright, you're the boss. So how are we going to take the eggs without harming the bird?"
The serious expression returned to Nevigne's face. "I will distract the bird while you steal the eggs."
Fidelis nodded, she continued.
"I'll control the plant life in this tower to restrain the bird. Then, you sneak in and take the eggs inside the tower where the bird can't enter. After that, I'll escape too and we'll leave as soon as possible."
"If we mess it up?" Fidelis crossed his arms.
"We can kill the bird," she answered.
After discussing their strategy, they climbed the ladder toward the rooftop.
What they didn't expect was that the bird was already aware of their presence and had come up with a strategy of its own. As soon as Nevigne's head popped up from the trapdoor, a massive beak had snatched her whole body, leaving Fidelis alone on the ladder, screaming her name.