Chapter 14 – Demonic Hatchling Maggot

Lucan sat in the garden, examining Clyde's bag and spilling its contents onto the ground. The leather bag had a tooth hole but was still usable.

"I just need water. That's all."

Luckily, the leather bag wasn't a card item.

On the ground lay a knife, a square object wrapped in paper, and a canteen.

"That's it!"

As soon as Lucan picked up the canteen, he saw it was completely torn. It was a leather canteen and was in pieces.

"It's useless..."

It was so damaged it couldn't be repaired. Lucan took the canteen strap, cut it with the knife, and knotted it to fix the torn strap on the leather bag.

"Much better."

Looking at the only strange item left, Lucan unwrapped the paper and saw a small, brown, square object. When he smelled it, his stomach growled.

"Food, must be a military ration."

He licked it and found it had an acceptable taste. Just as he thought of taking a bite, he ignored his hunger. Staring at the knife, he made a decision.

"Time to eat some wolf meat..."

I have to save this military ration for emergencies.

Returning the same way, he went back to the cave but felt apprehensive.

Should I make a fire here? No, what am I thinking. I'll bleed the meat here, let it dry, then take it to the basement of that house and cook it there, hiding the fire's light.

The knife wasn't special but had a good edge. He went back to the first wolf he killed and started cutting it to let the blood drain. He wasn't going to dirty the cave and lake with the alpha wolf's blood.

That girl didn't touch the wolves; she doesn't need food then.

His mind wandered into theories, fearing abandonment. He didn't hide the fact he felt happiness upon finding another person in this cursed place, but he dared not show it. At that moment, he feared being left behind, that she reunited with her team and moved on, leaving him to die in this cursed place.

Damn! The more I think, the more desperate I get. I need to sort this out and decide my next steps.

Ignoring caution, he began phasing through houses with his intangibility. He saw a sleeping creature, humanoid but short. It was all white, with a wrinkled face and a head too large for its body.

Lucan grabbed the hammer and smashed its head. The creature's skull was strong enough to make the hammer vibrate, but he kept going.

Then a rotten stench rose, and from the creature's brain, several maggots emerged. Lucan vomited the little he had in his stomach.

Disgusting! What the hell! Gross! The stench! Gods!

[You killed an Albino Goblin]

"So that creature was being eaten alive?"

Lucan tried to vomit again, but nothing came out.

He didn't dare go near the maggots. Instead, he summoned his torch and threw it among them.

Small noises were heard.

The fat maggots burned one by one.

[You killed a Demonic Hatchling Maggot]

[You killed a Demonic Hatchling Maggot]

[You killed a Demonic Hatchling Maggot]

[You killed a Demonic Hatchling Maggot] [You killed a Demonic Hatchling Maggot]

More notifications appeared.

[You claimed a card]

[You killed a Demonic Hatchling Maggot]

Lucan left the house feeling nauseated, not daring to search for anything else.

"Shit, what if one of those things gets into my ear?"

He shuddered at the thought.

I don't know if I want to go back and sleep in that basement anymore... at least that house is far from the one with the basement.

Walking as far away from the place as he could, he decided to check out his new card.

[Larval Ring

Description: Taken from the offspring of a demonic larva, this ring commemorates this great battle

Effects: Mild resistance to disgust]

"Great..."

Lucan almost vomited again as he remembered the scene and the smell. He summoned the ring, expecting something gross, but it was a simple silver ring that fit perfectly. Strangely, remembering the maggot scene didn't make him as nauseous anymore.

"I hope this helps me face those disgusting creatures..."

He dismissed his hammer, unable to stand the smell. When the hammer returned to its card form, summoning it again would make it as good as new without the rotten smell from the goblin's blood.

I think I've had my fill of strangeness for today.

Returning to the house with the basement, he went inside. Lucan checked every corner, fearing the maggots might be there. The memory of them was not pleasant.

"If those were hatchlings... I don't want to attract their mother."

Lying down on the floor, he fell asleep.

The next morning, he returned to where the meat was bleeding out. He didn't need to worry about wildlife since hardly anything 'normal' would be there, although less corrupted creatures were not often found in a place labeled 'Corrupted Region.'

Drawing his knife, he returned to the wolf and cut strips of meat. The previous night, he had slit the wolf's throat to drain more blood, improving the meat's taste. Bleeding the meat was a hunter's rule.

His hunger was reaching new levels. He wrapped the bled meat in a torn shirt. Lucan also gathered stones and sticks and returned to the basement, setting up a makeshift campfire. His trusty torch made the job incredibly easier, providing an unlimited fire source. He didn't have a pot, but he didn't care. Using the knife, he skewered the meat strips and held them over the fire until they were ready to eat.

As soon as the first piece was cooked, Lucan tore it off the knife and began eating quickly. Then he remembered to slow down, but his hunger was so intense that he struggled to pace himself. He didn't care about the taste or the fact it came from a monster; at that moment, he was eating and even licked his fingers. He cooked the meat until the last piece was done.

Today I need to go back, cut more meat before it rots, find a pot to boil that damn water, and try to find someone out there. I need to find that girl; I can't stand being alone here anymore. I need to be sure she didn't abandon me with her group and leave me to die in this hell. I also need to bash that manicom boss's head... this place is driving me crazy... what irony.

When Lucan finished eating, he continued exploring the area. Fortunately, there were still some houses nearby, and he wouldn't need to venture deeper into the city. Lucan stayed close to the stone wall, ready to use his intangibility to escape to the other side if anything happened.

Looking around, he saw something that caught his attention from afar.

That light in the cemetery is still there... I wonder if it's someone.

Wandering through the houses, he found a frying pan.

That's it!

His happiness almost brought him to tears.

Lucan nearly ran towards the lagoon, but he contained his excitement. Stashing the frying pan in his leather bag, he headed to his old cave. Upon arrival, he quickly set up a campfire, forming a circle of stones and gathering twigs and dry leaves. Fortunately, he didn't have to worry much about the wood material or trying to make fire; thanks to his torch, he had almost infinite fire, as long as the torch wasn't destroyed.

Taking the frying pan, he placed it over the fire and tossed in the strips of meat he had left to bleed in the morning.

"God, I'm in paradise."

After the meat is done, I'll use the pan to boil some water. I'm dying of thirst. I'll never complain about water again.

While the meat was cooking, Lucan dismissed the mantle, and particles flew into the air. He was back in his worn-out pants and shirt. It seemed his mantle armor was worn over them. He didn't mind wearing two pairs of pants and two shirts since it was cold.

Throwing his clothes on the ground, he rushed to do what he'd been wanting to do for days:

"Take a bath..."

He dove into the lagoon, feeling pure bliss.

I know I'll probably die in a few days, but man... I wish this could last longer.

He washed himself in the lagoon, scrubbing all the dirt from his body. His feet were terribly black from walking barefoot since his Inner Self, then the asylum, until he finally found shoes in the basement house.

Diving into the water, he relaxed for a while until he heard noises coming from the forest.

Damn it! A monster now?

Summoning the hammer, he tried to move to the shore but stopped when he saw who had emerged from the forest.

"Hi..." said Lucan.

The person froze.

"You again..." Lucan said.

“Y-your clothes!” she pointed out.

“Oh, crap…”