Wraithwood Botanist

B2 | Chapter 92 - Dream Offer

"Do you?" I laughed after Hadrian said I owed him. "You’re truly insufferable. You know, I was going to thank you by cleansing some torok meat for you... give you some real power, but since there’s nothing to thank you for, and you’re being an ass, I guess I won’t."

Hadrian’s smile disappeared, and his eyes sharpened.

"Oh, a normal look, thank God," I said.

"Mira."

"Wh~at?"

"Can you truly?"

"Do what?" I asked, putting my hand from my ears. "You must el~uci~date on your intentions."

"Cleanse third evolution meat," Hadrian said. "This, meat."

I looked at the torok meat. "I can try. If I don’t... owe you anything after this."

"It’s done," Hadrian said.

"Okay... good. Let me get my machete. Actually, this’ll do." I picked up a stick from the cookfire pile and used mana sharpening to turn it into a blade. Then, I carved off a piece of torok meat under everyone’s watchful stares.

It felt good.

Mask off.

Considering that I blinded half of them and a good deal probably saw Kline’s ethereal form, the cat was out of the bag. Might as well tell a grand story for future generations in case I died during the winter.

I then grabbed a heaping chunk the size of a chuck roast and said, "This is what you get. If you were nicer, you would have gotten more. Now come to my tent."

"Would you really punish me for being myself?" Hadrian asked. "Or do you enjoy obsequious men who are afraid to express themselves?"

I immediately thought of Aiden.

"No, I don’t." I paused and looked at him. "But I’m not into... whatever you are, either."

"I never implied you should."

I paused. "Let’s just get this over with."

Tyler nearly freaked out when Hadrian entered my tent, but once he learned that Hadrian wasn’t trying to bed me, or at least I’d rather die than bed him, he just wanted to join. Hadrian was, after all, his new hero.

I hated that—but I understood why.

So I let him come in as I slapped the meat onto the inner stove pit like a baker and then closed my eyes.

I examined the aura and found it dominating and overflowing, so I erred on the side of caution and cut off a sliver the shape of a steak to start with.

"That’s wise," Hadrian said. "I was starting to think you were holding back on those torok."

"Shut up," I said, breathing in and then cycling.

Words cannot express the overwhelming difference between the torok meat and the other third evolution meat I had worked with. I imagined the colossus at the pond would be even greater, but I never cleansed or ate it. We were running for our lives. So this was the first time I felt real aura—and it was overwhelming.

I cried out and sucked it up, activating Mental Shielding to regain control. The aura burst out like a busted fire hydrant, but I grappled hold of it and started threading.

Tyler was oblivious to what was happening, but Hadrian’s face was lost in wonder as he watched me thread all the aura and then cleanse it. His gaze was so intense it was uncomfortable.

But I was too tired to care and collapsed on the ground, panting hard.

"I lied," I said. "I’m giving you a fourth of that chunk—and that’s it."

Hadrian laughed breathlessly. "That’s more than enough." He looked at the meat with fascination and then waited patiently for me to do the rest.

I did.

It was faster during the second attempt, and after an hour, I finished the fourth and was absolutely exhausted.

"You’ll be stronger than me next harvest," Hadrian remarked. "Considering all that meat out there."

"I won’t be able to eat it all," I said. "I need to return north. Also, don’t flatter me. It only took one encounter with ya’ll to learn how weak I really am." I looked away. "Raw power doesn’t mean much."

"Hoh?" Hadrian hummed. "So you did kill them?"

"What do you mean? Those people got lost in the forest." I narrowed my eyes. "Don’t you remember?"

Hadrian scoffed and turned away. "Such statements don’t work unless the answer is both shared and obvious. Anything else is an admission of guilt."

I smiled wryly. That was a good point. He did know, but there was no reason to confirm it.

"Would it bother you if I did?" I asked Hadrian, watching Tyler.

Her lips curved into a smile, and she giggled. "Okay. But don’t put it that way to anyone else. I’ll get some tea."

I blushed and laughed, and then we drank tea while I cooked torok meat. Twenty minutes later, her guard checked on her and found us sprawled out on the floor of my tent, buzzing like we chased the dragon in an opium den. They panicked and tried to save her life, but she just giggled like a maniac and pointed out the meat.

"Eat some..." I said. "If you’re man enough."

Ten minutes later, he stumbled out of the tent to get someone else to extract her, but I made the same offer, and the woman took it well. Felio giggled about it the whole time because there was no way that a guard would turn down third evolution torok soul meat when there wasn’t a threat to her life. So we fed her whole damn family until the tent was full, and we were stuffed.

"It’s almost over, isn’t it," I whispered on my back, staring at the ceiling.

"Yeah..." Felio said. "You sure you don’t want to come back with us? Our family would give you anything to join the Hellara."

"Like a signing bonus?" I asked with a creeping grin.

Felio didn’t smile—she nodded with a fierce expression. "They would give you the best teachers, a mansion, servants, fine clothing..."

"Wait... you’re being serious," I said.

"Of course. Every family would. But our family specializes in alchemy and growing alchemic herbs. If you joined us, you would be free to fulfill your passions."

My heart fluttered when I saw her guards nodding. In an instant, my entire world was turned upside down. I was just offered my dream life... and even more. I was being offered a secured future and a promise to let me return to Areswood every year. It was the best deal I had ever heard.

But...

If I did, what would it have all been for? All the pain and struggle and fights with Drokai and dragons and beasts? The times I almost died? My deals with my patrons? My promises and friendship with Kyro? The mysteries of the forest and my dreams of living in a tree and studying plants.

All of it would’ve been for nothing. And that hurt like tooth pain to think about.

"Maybe another year," I answered. "It’ll still be open then, right?"

Felio nodded. "Yes."

I smiled. "Okay. I’ll see how bad winter is here and we’ll talk."

"Mistress, it’s time to go," a guard said.

Felio puffed out her cheeks.

I laughed. "I’ll get ready, too. I’m heading to the gates."

"Really?" she asked.

"Yeah."

"But what about your stuff?"

"Oh, about that..." I said with a wide smile. I couldn’t wait to see her face when I unveiled my portable ward.

It was worth it.

The whole campsite was stunned when I dragged all the gifts and trades I got outside the Mouth, as the pathway shut down during the year, and unveiled my ward, revealing that I had left all my stuff out in the open in a challenge, daring people to steal it.

Then I picked up Kline and put him on my shoulder.

"Excuse me," Felio said. "But... when did you get that cat?"

"Wait... you don’t know?" I asked.

"Um... no? People’ve been whispering about you being with a large... Wait..."

My lips curved into a sinister grin. Then, I turned to Tyler. "You ready?"

He nodded. Then, I turned to the other side of the plaza. "Hey Aiden!"

Aiden looked up from a makeshift stable he was at. He had a zoo of creatures of all chimerical shapes and types lined up in a procession. "Yeah?" he asked.

"You coming?" I asked.

"Yeah. You gonna say goodbye to the lurvine?"

"What’s the point? I’m coming right back to cook this meat. Unless they want to turn down a soul buffet?"

The lurvine’s hairs bristled, and they lowered their heads.

I giggled and approached them, petting Sina’s snout. "I’ll be back, and we’ll feast like you’ve never feasted. So guard this place, kay?"

She huffed and turned away, but Kael gave his nod of approval. I glanced at the lurvine that was injured saving me and bowed my head.

"Thank you..." I said. He almost died saving me—and it was only hitting me then. I lifted my hands, and he walked forward, allowing me to pet him.

"I’ll be back soon." I turned south toward Galfer’s Gate. "Come on... we got to go."