Published at 16th of February 2024 2:23 pm

Chapter 2.6. Unexpected Developments. Research Needed.

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Nox woke to the beautiful sight of Annabelle straddling him the following morning. Her hips rocked gently as she smiled at him.

“What brought this on?” He asked.

“You appeared too tired to enjoy last night properly,” she replied. “Since we don’t have any immediate commitments, I thought we could have some fun before starting our day.”

“Oh? Do we have a few hours before your father arrives?”

“No. He’s already here.” Annabelle grinned. “I don’t mind making him wait. Besides, he needs to talk to Baron Edelweiss regarding relief efforts and the barony’s recovery plan.”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Nox asked. “The man already hates me.”

“He doesn’t hate you—” She paused. Annabelle’s eyes narrowed, and rocking intensified. “Why in Yggdrasil’s name are we talking about this now?”

“I—I honestly don’t know. Is still half-asleep a sufficient excuse?”

The pair indulged in each other with more vigor and enthusiasm than they had over the past few weeks. No immediate concerns distracted them or played at the back of their minds. Since the trying times had passed, the pair no longer felt guilty about seeking carnal pleasures in each other’s arms. So, Nox and Annabelle made no effort to contain their hunger for one another or keep the volume down. They took their time and spent over an hour with their limbs tangled afterward, only climbing out of bed after a second romp.

The crew had prepared hot water for the pair. Unwilling to meet her father smelling of sweat and their activities, Annabelle spent longer washing herself. Nox ensured her contraceptive stores were sufficient before leaving their cabin.

The locals appeared to have forgotten the previous evening’s somber tone. Cleaning efforts were still underway, but people laughed and joked as they worked. A handful called the feast preparations joyous, and the rest labeled it callous. Nox ignored them. He understood the necessity of coping mechanisms more than most. The soldiers had lost friends and siblings. Without humor and jolly reminiscing, most would likely crumble under grief's weight.

The myconid disaster had also cost the land its population. Baron Edelweiss didn’t just need the feast to uplift his people’s morale. Dancing and drinking would also result in poor —and some good—decisions, leading to an eventual population boom. Nox had already marketed his contraceptive to the baron and his nobility. They had ordered several crates of it but wished to delay its availability for at least half a year, if not more.

Lord Oakheart’s vessel sat a hundred feet away from the Wedge. It was significantly longer, had a lot more machinery, and a substantially larger crew. Mages and soldiers wearing his house colors populated the space around it. The latter stood at attention sternly, watching their environment. Meanwhile, burly men wheeled wooden crates down the gangplank and into the fortified town. Nox also spotted a couple of containers heading toward the Wedge.

Instead of a breakfast tent, several fires dotted their surroundings. Lillin found Nox in a porridge line and dragged him toward the fort’s walls. They found a camp preparing for the feast. The party would be dining on the baron’s estate, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t partake in the soldiers’ and citizens’ food, too. Nox preferred the latter. The dishes reminded him of Mou’s kitchen and lacked the pretense that came with dining with nobility.

A strict, matronly woman sliced hot honeyed ham for the duo, piled it in long crusty bread rolls with pickled cabbage and slathered it all in grainy mustard. Nox dug into the meal hungrily. The condiment stung his nostrils, but he didn't mind. The previous evening’s activities and the morning’s encore had left him ravenous.

“You look happy,” Lillin commented once they were halfway done with their forearm-long sandwich. "Good night?"

"And a good morning," Nox replied. "I'm also looking forward to uninterrupted time in the laboratory until after noon."

"Will you be lunching with Annabelle?"

Nox nodded. "Why? Do you have plans?"

"A soldier offered to take me around the festival. It starts at noon. Princess Oakheart won't be pleased if you return to the lab after lunch. I suggest limiting work to just the morning today.

"I suppose I can make the sacrifice." He sighed, feigning disappointment. "Hangovers will keep everyone down tomorrow. I can focus then."

"Wow.” Lillin laughed. “You really had a good morning, didn't you?"

Nox chuckled, choosing not to answer the question. "What happened with the first mate?"

"I had a good time, but he expects more than I'm willing to offer. Unlike you, I know better than to waste time on a relationship."

"Humans need companionship," Nox commented. "Your—"

"I enjoy it, but companionship isn't one of my needs." Lillin smiled. "I'm glad things are going well with Annabelle. I don't think I've ever seen you looking so content. Do I sense love brewing?"

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Nox shook his head. "I wouldn't go that far. We're fond of each other, but calling it love might be a step too far. What's with you and Pudge, by the way? I overheard you and the mail carrier last week. Have you been writing to him?"

"He's a good friend. Pudge avoids relationships since he can't always tell how his magic affects his romantic partners. I avoid entanglements longer than a night since my appetite might get the best of me. We understand each other. That's all."

Nox had never given their issues much thought. Lillin almost never spoke of her troubles. The latest human feeding had taught her to be more open, and she often shared information that cast her in a new light. He had figured out Pudge's hesitation with romantic relationships not long after learning about his magic. However, it was the first time Lillin had shared her fears.

The mimic-woman always came across as too relaxed about her appetites—carnal and bestial. Nox often needed to remind Lillin about the importance of containing them so she didn't reveal her secret to people. She generally blew him off or cracked jokes on the matter. Her fear of losing control and devouring a sexual partner was news to him. Nox didn't know how to react to the revelation. He only took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. Lillin smiled, pecked him on the cheek, and left the table. The very human reaction to his reassurance was also new.

Their relationship had long evolved past the contract's terms. Nox loved Lillin. He cared little for his biological siblings and wasn't sure what brotherly or sisterly love was supposed to feel like, but he loved Lillin like a sister. Nox was sure it would take years, if not decades, before he completed his end of their bargain, and he wanted happiness for her in the meantime. Consuming mages every six months and the occasional Rift Lord no longer felt sufficient for fulfilling her needs.

Annabelle and Wilson passed Nox as he headed to the laboratory. The former waved at Nox and blew him a kiss. Wilson ignored him and kept his eyes trained on their destination—the Oakheart vessel.

A curious sight stilled Nox just as he reached the mobile laboratory. Ernest and the soldiers had lined its exterior with giant myconids. The former Royal guard stood like mushroom-covered simian statues. Post-battle inspections had ensured their nervous systems were utterly destroyed, and the chances of them regrowing were nil. Yet thick, coiled ropes bound them to the ground. Temporary fences ensured the curious wouldn't go poking around the creatures either. Soldiers and guards had threatened capital punishment for anyone who fiddled with the bodies or attempted to take samples beyond the barricade. The local strays received no such warnings.

Dozens of cats climbed the giant myconids, ripped pieces off them, and feasted. More lay on the ground, basking in the midmorning sun while their bellies appeared engorged.

The sight left Nox's heart racing. He had collected samples from slain myconids before the final battle and tested the fungus. The mushrooms were toxic. He worried all the felines now had poison in the system. Worst of all, they likely now carried myconid spores and would spread them around the castle town.

Unwilling to incite panic, Nox cut a frilly mushroom from the closest myconid and scooped up a kitten too stuffed and tired to resist his manhandling. The cat released a weak meow when Nox placed it in a cage but settled almost straight away and went back to sleep. He took a blood sample from it and inspected it under a microscope.

Nothing appeared out of the ordinary.

In fact, the blood seemed cleaner than that of any stray Nox had studied before. The cat had no parasites or health problems. When he switched to a mana lens, he found traces of life essence in the plasma.

"What's going on here?" He mumbled.

Nox took a hair sample next. It was too early for the fibers to show anything strange or anomalous. However, the root appeared invigorated. Nox was no expert in feline physiology. He needed Pudge for the endeavor, but his rough knowledge suggested the life essence had not harmed the kitten. Nox gathered nine more cats on the verge of food comas and ran similar tests on them. They all displayed varying levels of life essence in their blood and had no health issues. However, a couple of them showed signs of budding tumors. Uncontrolled healing and life essence occasionally resulted in cancerous growth.

Next, Nox studied the fungus. His eyes widened as he inspected it under a mana lens. The previous samples had pockets of life essence. They primarily resided in the compact spore pods. Without nerves controlling the flow of the arcane energy, it flowed freely throughout the new fungus. He saw odd clusters and movements but nothing suspicious or dangerous. He retrieved samples treated with Professor Das’s Synapse Slayer.

They smelled and looked toxic. A glance under the microscope and a litmus test confirmed Nox’s suspicions. Professor Das’s concoction had done nothing but reduce the volume of life essence in the tissue. It was Nox’s creation that had made the fungus fit for consumption—for felines, at least. He needed to conduct tests and neutralize the spores, ensuring they wouldn’t infect entities that consumed them. The specimens treated with Nox’s creation weren’t as potent. Without enough time and observation, he could not confirm whether they would behave the same as those controlled by the myconid boss.

“That’s it!” Nox exclaimed.

He needed to list every change caused by the fire slime’s magic. Without the ruler’s directives, the spores didn’t hoard the creatures' life essence. Instead, they broke free of their pods and somehow changed the flesh they currently inhabited. Nox needed time to study the flesh and spores and how they changed. His creation had unintended results, and Nox wished to explore them further. The possibilities intrigued him, and he wondered whether it could somehow make something positive of the Terrastalia disaster.

The cats appeared healthy, and Nox planned on taking his captured specimens with them to observe long-term effects. He needed Kris’ permission but also hoped to take a myconid with him for fresh sources of the fungus. Nox’s new home had a large enough basement to store the grotesque beasts. He needed a backer to support and perhaps sponsor the experiment.

Nox sighed.

He had hoped to get through the day without seeing Lord Oakheart’s face or interacting with him. The man didn’t like him. He respected Nox as an artisan but hated him as a prospect for Annabelle. Lord Oakheart never failed to remind him of the fact whenever they met. He loved the contraceptive idea and had agreed to a special deal for the ingredients. Nox hoped for something similar for his latest creation.

When Nox finally looked away from his workstation, he realized the noon bell had long passed. In fact, sunset was only a couple of hours away. He and Annabelle had plans for lunch, but she hadn’t appeared to fetch him. Nox wasn’t concerned. Lord Oakheart probably wanted to spend time with his oldest surviving child. Instead, he ventured out to find Kris. She needed to hear about his discovery.

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