Chương 52: Starpetal Clearing

We left town in a hurry. More and more people were showing up now that the golem was dead, and our name was beginning to spread throughout Stoneford. Vaelith had become something of a local legend, spinning a tale of how The Hungry Crown, with her as its leader, had destroyed the Stone Golem through strength, grit, ingenuity, and will. For someone who wasn't a bard, she was quite the storyteller.

I knew that at least some of those she had spoken to had been swayed into becoming her subjects, whether they knew it or not. Moolisa had stopped to graze on a patch of particularly green grass beside the road. I insisted that we rest often, and yet she never seemed tired, even while pulling the cart. Her coat shone in the afternoon light, and the steady strength in her legs showed no sign of the age she had carried before. Marnie's potion really had restored her to her peak form.

I was growing comfortable with my small entourage. Vaelith, the demon princess, seemed honest and forthright, for the most part. She had proven herself willing to sacrifice her own safety for the good of others. Sable was a smooth talker, and although she was withholding information, I didn't believe it came from a place of malice. Moolisa reminded me of Ebbin, and having her close made it feel as though some part of him was still with me. And Darwin… was Darwin. Nothing more needed to be said there.

The Hungry Crown. My party. And yet, I still wrestled with a choice—did I want to stay with them? Level ten had presented me with the opportunity to set out on my own. Well, on my own with Darwin. And likely Moolisa. I didn't think a pack animal would count against the restriction, but I wasn't sure. I had run the numbers in my head, and the power gain from Solo Predator was enormous. Far greater than the benefit of my party being able to kill monsters and grant me access to their core ingredients.

But it would doom me to being alone. One companion. Darwin. That was all I would be allowed. For the rest of my life. Was it worth it? And that was ignoring the third secret option. How was I supposed to unveil it? What should I be doing? A thought crossed my mind… Ysra. The witch could answer questions. Perhaps she could tell me what the hidden choice was or how to unlock it. So many choices, and I was no closer to finding the answer. We came across a fork in the road.

The left path continued through a low stretch of wooded hills, while the right curved toward brighter fields visible through the trees. A weathered wooden post stood between them, its carved lettering softened by rain and age. I started northwest when Sable gently grabbed my shoulder.

"Hey, I know this road. To the left, we'll continue on toward Alderwatch, but to the right, we'll head toward Starpetal Clearing."

"And?" I asked.

"Which way leads to Ysra?"

"To the left, most likely."

"Then—""—Hold on a second. I read up on some of your recipes when you shared the ingredients with me. I saw one for Glowmoth Wing Custard. Starpetal Clearing is known for its population of Glowmoths."

"Do we have the time?" I asked. Sable shrugged.

"I doubt Ysra is going anywhere, anytime soon. She knows we're likely coming, but she seems oddly content with it. I'm worried about her dealing with the tiny lord, but we'll need to be as strong as possible if we do come to blows with her. And so—" She clapped me on the back.

"—you should complete more recipes."

"Any objections?" I asked Vaelith.

"More food?" she replied.

"Sounds good to me." We turned right at the fork and continued on our way. Only a few hours passed before a field of beautiful rose-gold flowers appeared before us. The clearing stretched wide beneath the open sky, vibrant and lush. Sweet floral scents drifted on the breeze, mixed with the smell of warm grass and damp soil. Rabbits, squirrels, and other ordinary animals scampered through the undergrowth as we moved forward, keeping mostly to the narrow dirt path.

Soon, Moolisa found herself a pleasant patch of grass. She hardly listened as I released her from the cart before wandering off to graze, her tail flicking lazily behind her. Darwin hopped onto my shoulder.

"This pretty. Pretty flowers."

"You can say that again—" Darwin's tongue lashed out, snatching one of the flowers. He chewed it. Then spat it out a second later.

"Flowers no taste good." If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it. Vaelith slapped her knees as she chortled with laughter. I turned my attention away from my companion and toward a larger section of the clearing. There, like thousands of floating silver coins, insects drifted above the flowers. Their wings caught the sunlight as they fluttered, filling the air with soft flashes of white and pale blue.

"Glowmoths?" I asked Sable. She was busy swatting away several wayward insects and didn't answer.

"I'm just going to guess yes." I started walking toward them.

"Careful," Sable warned.

"They can be a bit tricky to catch."

"How hard can it be?" I replied.

"I mean, come on, we've killed a minotaur. This can't—" I reached out to grab one. It felt as though my hand had begun moving in slow motion. Not just that. Multiple copies of my fingers appeared at once, overlapping in a strange stuttering effect, like flashes from a camera. The Glowmoth effortlessly drifted out of reach.

"See?" Sable said.

"Glowmoths release a dust into the air that creates the effect you just discovered. It's a sort of defense mechanism."

"Is it dangerous?"

"If you have the falling sickness."

"What's that?" Sable placed a hand against her chin while Vaelith and Darwin jumped through the flowers, trying to catch the Glowmoths. One used her hands. The other used his tongue. Vaelith laughed in delight. Darwin glowered at her between tongue lashes.

"Those with the sickness see bright lights or flashing silver and fall over convulsing. It can be quite eerie, but they're almost always okay after a few moments… as long as they don't hit their heads."

"Oh," I replied.

"Epilepsy. You're talking about epilepsy. Hmm… I don't think I have that." Staring at the flickering glowmoths was beginning to give me second thoughts. I pushed past my swimming eyes and tried to catch another. And another. Each time, my body seemed to stutter, and I missed. It was infuriating.

"Leave it to a professional," Sable said as she drew her lyre.

"Sorry, moths." She strummed the strings once. A shrieking tone rang through the clearing. The silvery shapes stopped moving all at once. Then they dropped into the flowers below. Hundreds of soft impacts whispered through the petals. While I had been frustrated with them, seeing them all die at once filled me with dread. Sable had exploded a minotaur's heart as well. The woman was dangerous. Good thing she was on our side. The three of us began gathering the dead Glowmoths while Darwin ate as many as he could.

He snatched them with his tongue, then chewed with loud popping sounds. He smiled at me. His teeth glowed silver.

"Save some for the recipe," I said. We returned to the cart, and I looked over the recipe— System Glowmoth Wing Custard Rarity: Common Type: Monster Core Ingredient: Glowmoth Wings Ingredients: Eggs, Milk, Sugar, Salt, Arrowroot Preparation: Grind the Glowmoth Wings into a fine, luminous powder, taking care not to spill the glowing dust. Warm the milk and sugar over low heat. Do not allow it to boil, or the Glowmoth essence will lose its potency.

Whisk the eggs until smooth, add eggs to a slightly heated pan, then temper in the warmed milk while stirring continuously so as to not cook the eggs fully. Add the powdered wings and a pinch of salt and arrowroot. Pour the mixture into small cups and allow the custard to cool until its surface develops a pale silver glow It seemed simple enough. But there was one obvious and glaring problem. We had no eggs. I looked at Moolisa. We could get milk.

I had certainly learned how to milk her during my time on Ebbin's farm. But eggs were another matter. Unless Darwin could somehow start producing them… and even if he could, I wouldn't eat them, no matter what buff they gave.

"I can't make it," I said.

"Not until we can buy some eggs." I shrugged.

"Guess we'll need to eat these two dire-rabbits we killed." Luckily, I had already separated the useful pieces of the dire-rabbits, leaving the two hearts aside for the recipe.

"How about you grill the meat, Vaelith, and I'll make the two heart skewers?"

"Who gets the buff?" Vaelith asked excitedly. I shrugged.

"Does it matter? We aren't in any danger." We all went to work. Sable filled the canteens with water from a nearby stream. Vaelith skewered the rabbit meat and held it over the fire while I prepared the hearts. Smoke curled upward from the flames, carrying the smell of roasting meat across the clearing. We took turns using the fire, and within half an hour, everything was ready to eat. We ate the rabbit meat, leaving the heart skewers to the side. I still hadn't decided who should eat them.

Or whether I should save them both. Sable played her sad tune while we laughed and told jokes, preparing to begin the walk back toward the fork in the road— We hadn't even seen what was approaching in the sky above us.