Chương 69: The Veggie Meat Plan

Luke I wasn't able to sleep last night. It wasn't the dragon this time. Ignis was fine, happily organizing his penny hoard by shininess and watching Dragon Tales on repeat. It was the Wild People. Abe was planning his trap, and it might work. Actually, it probably would work, knowing Abe's combination of paranoid preparation and trickster luck. But I'd been thinking about how to improve the plan. The Wild People were scavengers. Everything I'd discovered about them confirmed they were opportunistic.

They'd eat anything, especially if they didn't have too hard to get that food. They could smell food from a mile away and couldn't resist easy calories. That was their weakness. And I was going to exploit it. I made a decision that would have horrified me six months ago. Although it was definitely cruelty-free to animals, it would be a horrible death for the Wild People.

I'd seen enough dogs die, or almost die, from eating a single clove of garlic or a whole chocolate bar, and now I'm intentionally scaling it up to a mass casualty event. Still, things had to change. I had to change. I'd already visited the local supermarket. The plant-based meat section had never seemed so sinister. Each brand had spent millions of dollars perfecting its flavor. They were high in fat content from coconut oil. They also were high in salt.

And, most importantly, onion and garlic powder for depth and complexity. All of it had been designed to appeal to human cravings for rich, meaty flavors. And all of it was toxic to most animals in concentrated doses. That was why I would need Bambi's help. The onion and garlic alone would cause hemolytic anemia. It would damage red blood cells in addition to causing weakness, lethargy, and eventual organ failure if consumed in large enough quantities.

For the Wild People, who were technically human or human-adjacent? They might be susceptible given their smaller size and primitive constitution. However, that was also why I was intending on adding the rat poison. I had loaded my cart with veggie burgers. Thirty packages. The expensive kind, the ones that smelled almost more 'meaty' than actual meat because food scientists had spent years perfecting the scent profile. The hardware store had been easier. No one questioned a customer buying d-CON.

Rats were a problem everywhere, especially in rural areas. The clerk had barely looked up as he scanned the two boxes. It was anticoagulant-based, which meant it was slow-acting and would cause internal bleeding over 24 to 72 hours. Victims wouldn't even realize they were dying until it was too late. I still couldn't believe I was planning to poison sentient beings, leading them to slow, painful deaths. I was going to be using my veterinary knowledge, knowledge I'd gained to save lives, to end them.

They're not people, I told myself. They're monsters. I had to keep telling myself this again and again. And yet, I still felt sick. When I told Abe my idea, he looked at me, truly looked at me without saying another for a full minute. I could see wheels turning in his mind as he considered my suggestion. Part of me wondered what he thought about me after making such a suggestion. Abe was on his porch, looking exhausted despite it being barely noon.

Derek's crew was hammering away in the background, rebuilding the sections the Wild People had burned. The sound of construction was constant, relentless. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"Luke," Abe finally said.

"I'm impressed. This might save a lot of lives, both animal and human." I wasn't sure what exactly was different, but he seemed to be looking at me differently than he had in the past.

"I've always respected your dedication to your job, how much you care about animals, and even your willingness to help out friends," Abe said.

"You're a good man, one I consider a friend." I was about to tell him 'thanks' or something similar when he held up a paw, obviously not finished. I just sat there, crossed-legged in front of Abe while he finished.

"However, knowing you, I also know how difficult this must have been for you." He touched my knee with his paw.

"I've been meaning to thank you for everything you've already done, but haven't had the chance. Now you're doing even more. You truly are a blessing to those around you." A light golden-green light flashed briefly. Then I felt warmth spread through me. I was so surprised, I almost missed the surprised expression on Abe's face. It was quickly followed by a flash of annoyance. Clearly, he was annoyed that he couldn't control his own powers. It almost made me laugh.

However, I was too busy reading the notification that appeared. INCIDENTAL CAUSALITY ACTIVATED. Blessing Granted. Class Change: Beastmaster to Sage of Chaos Sage of Chaos: You are a paradox. Although a predator, you heal prey. Although you heal, you use your wisdom to destroy. Your innate Mana Affinity has evolved into Chaotic Wellspring: Mana bends to your will. However, there will always be a price. MESSAGE FROM GAIA. Interesting. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. My stomach did a slow flip.

I'd wanted the power to help, but I felt like I'd been handed a live grenade and been told to go heal someone. The words, Sage of Chaos, burned in my mind. A healer who destroys. A destroyer who heals. Not long ago, Ignis had given me his blessing. The blessing had given me an affinity to mana. Although I hadn't been able to do much with it yet, I sensed that, in time, I would be able to cast minor spells if I exerted enough effort.

Even though I'd only been practicing for a few hours, I sensed that I was close to be able to cast a healing spell. Now, I sensed that I could easily cast those same spells. However, there's a price. Of course, there's always a price, I thought. Somehow, I instinctively know that every healing spell I cast in the future would cause damage to something, or someone. And any destructive spells would also heal or restore. It sounded overpowering, and probably was. Still, I felt sad for some reason.

Even though I'd gained a powerful new ability, I felt like I'd lost something. Innocence, maybe. Or the clear moral line between healing and harming. I'd been a veterinarian, someone who only saved lives. Now I was something else. Something that dealt in both healing and destruction. A Sage of Chaos. The title felt right and wrong at the same time. Despite the feeling, I wanted to try it out immediately, but now wasn't the time. No, I need to stay focused and do what I need to do, I thought.

After a heavy sigh, Abe continued, "I'm assuming you want Bambi's help too." I nodded, "We can use birds to follow them home. If there are a lot of them," I said, "we can lure the Raven Mocker to their location. Dying Wild People would attract her like a beacon, just like in your plan."

"And if there aren't many?" Abe asked. I could already tell that he'd already guessed what I was going to say. After all, my plan built on his. As for the new suggestions, well, he was a smart guy and could easily make the connections.

"Then we send in the snakes. They finish the job while the Wild People are weak from the poison. Quick, efficient, minimal risk to our forces." When I finished, Abe was quiet for a long moment. I could tell that he wasn't comfortable risking the snakes, but I was pretty sure he'd come up with something. Hell, he might even shapeshift into a poisonous snake to do it himself, I thought. Slowly, he nodded.

"Bambi will help. This is exactly the kind of operation she's been training her forces for." He paused.

"Luke, this is good. Really good. You're thinking like a general." Abe stood up, stretching.

"Let's go talk to Bambi. You can present the plan. This is your operation. You should be the one leading it." I blinked.

"Me? Lead it?"

"You designed it. You understand the science behind the plan. You know what needs to happen and when." Abe started down the porch steps.

"Besides, the animals need to see that it's not just me making all the decisions. You're one of us now. Blessed by a baby dragon, proposing military operations, planning coordinated strikes. Welcome to the team."