Chef (3)

Brrrrrrrr.

Brrrrrrrrrrrr.

The ground began shaking once more. The vibrations were much smaller than before, but they were still noticeable.

"Ma'am, we can't stay here! It's a lost cause! Everyone is in danger, and we need to get out of this meadow! Now! Run!"

"No! My baby! Shoot the damn monster! Please!"

As the mother, the twin brother, and the two babies continued crying while collapsing on the ground while the soldier held them back, Cyril exchanged glances with the black-haired woman before attempting to dodge past the crying mother and child and moving forward.

"Please, mister. Help us!" Once the remaining twin grabbed his pant leg as he tried to walk past, Cyril stopped with a sigh, glancing between the boy and his crying mother before turning to the soldier.

"Is there any particular reason you can't rescue the kid? Since you brought guns, I'm sure they work?" Cyril stopped and asked the soldier who was trying to pull the woman forward.

The soldier shot a glare at him before answering while trying to pull the woman who refused to budge.

"What the hell does a civvy like you know? These things are connected like mushrooms; you wake one up or hurt it, and the other ones notice and will rampage! These bastards don't even give you any coins after you kill them, so it's a waste all around. We were barely able to claim this strip of land by burning it for hundreds of feet below what you can see now. If you don't want to be here when this field gets full of those monsters, I suggest you shut up and move. You do the same, lady unless you want your remaining children to die. That one is probably a lost cause, so get up and run."

As the soldier finished yelling, numerous moving mounds of dirt appeared above the grass before stopping when they met the burnt strip of ground.

The same thing was happening on the other side, with the dirt mounds appearing near the towering plant, which continued to increase in size while trying to force the child down its stem.

"Please! Just rescue him! You have a gun, and you can shoot it down. Can't you see that Leo is fighting with all he has? Help us!!!!" the mother kept on crying incoherently, but Cyril thought over the soldier's words before latching onto a key point.

"So what you're saying is that it's already too late since we disturbed it, right? It's going to blow regardless?"

At Cyril's pointed question, the soldier immediately paled.

"You're planning on messing around with these things? Good luck, you're on your own. I have to get the battle contractor to help us reclaim this place once things settle." The soldier quickly let go of the woman before dashing forward toward the people who were watching from the boundary of trees.

Cyril glanced at the still-blubbering mother and child before surveying the field, finding the pattern hidden in the flowers that looked similar to the spot where the kid was swallowed among the mounds of dirt.

As if to back up his thoughts…

[Pulchrabite]

[Inedible]

[Pulchrabite]

[Inedible]

[Pulchrabite]

[Inedible]

The plant names popped up everywhere but thankfully, it wasn't as many as he thought. About 7 on one side of the meadow near the plant?

If there was a distraction, it might be doable. Cyril swung his axe around before staring at the parent and child, noting the black bands on both their wrists.

"Oi, Little kid, stop crying. What's your name and ability?"

"Hic- im, hi-c I'm hic-."

Unable to get a complete word out, the kid continued crying, wiping snot and tears onto his pants while staring at the plant that swallowed his brother.

Cyril: ಠ_ಠ

I'll forgive you just this once, kid.

Restraining the fist that had automatically formed, Cyril flicked the little boy's forehead instead, which shocked him silent.

"If you want to save your brother, stop crying. You too, lady. Name and ability. Now."

At Cyril's firm tone, the little boy with reddish blonde hair and green eyes took a deep breath while wiping his tears.

"I'm Victor hic- I'm fast, really fast, like superhero fast, and Leo can transform into animals hic-"

"And you lady?"

The mother wiped her tears as well before answering and patting the heads of the two babies strapped to her.

"Sniff, I'm Lisa….I'm stronger and a bit faster than most people. I'd like to keep the rest of my abilities a secret. Please help me rescue my son." The woman, Lisa, wiped her face while staring suspiciously at him.

Cyril: ಠ_ಠ

Really? Is now really the time for secrets when you're begging for help?

Brrrrrrrrr.

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

The vibrations became stronger, and Cyril actually staggered before bracing himself with wide feet on the burned ground as everything shook aggressively.

Ignoring her nonsense, he tapped on his wrist to bring out his trusted Employee handbook, the strongest weapon he owned, and twirled his wrist to warm it up while swinging the axe in his other hand before giving it to Lisa.

"Okay, Victor, you see all those little blue flowers?"

"Hic- yes."

"What you need to do is run as fast as you can and step on all of them before dashing around. The plants will probably chase you, but you move as fast as you can and dodge them, okay? Your mom will use the axe to break your brother free. Then you run to the safe zone over there. Okay?"

"O-oka-"

"No! I can't put Victor in danger. Can't you distract them instead of him? He's a child! As an adult, you should distract the monsters instead of him! Please…"

"I refuse," Cyril replied bluntly.

"What?" Lisa stared at him with her mouth wide open.

"I said no. The best I can do for you is to hold onto those babies for you and pass them on to the soldiers after attacking once from a distance. If you don't want that, then I'll take my leave, and you can figure it out yourself."

Hearing the cold words, Lisa was stunned. Wasn't it the duty of adults to help children?

"…..You're selfish."

"Yes. And? I don't want to die or get injured for a stranger I don't even know. If even the soldiers ran away, where do I, a civilian, stand? Aren't you the selfish one forcing me to help?"

Seeing Cyril's firm stance, Lisa's lips quivered, and her pale green eyes filled with water as she bowed her head and began crying once more.

"….I can't put Victor in danger. Please help me."

"No."

"Please….."

"I said no. The only help I can offer is to throw a weapon at that while your son distracts it. You will have to break your child out on your own. If you don't agree…."

Cyril turned to look at the outline of a body in the plant stem that was closer to the ground than earlier and was moving around a lot less.

He wasn't cold-hearted enough to finish the sentence in front of a hurting mother, but the ending was clear.

But still, Lisa continued bowing her head while pleading.

"Please help me! I can't send Victor to do this. He's too young! He's only 7."

"Okay. Then goodbye and good luck." Cyril quickly turned after shaking off Victor and began walking forward once more. If the mother couldn't firm up her will, he planned on figuring out a way to drag the soldiers in to help or at least the culprit, that man wearing the construction vest.

"Mom, no! I can do it! We have to rescue Leo! Mister, please help me help Leo." Victor quickly pleaded before sitting down on the burnt ground.

He immediately ripped off his flashy light-up shoes before fishing out his superhero goggles from his pocket and putting them on even though his eyes were teary.

"Mommy…you have to save Leo! Mister, save my little brothers…okay?"

"Victor, No!"

Before Lisa could say anything, the little kid ran like a blur toward the farthest patch of flowers that contained a single blue flower and stood waiting.

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

BbRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

SNAP.

As the ground shook and another plant bulb burst out, snapping shut, Victor's small figure quickly dashed to another patch of blue flowers and began hopping up and down as he tried to get its attention.

The mounds of dirt that had previously been still suddenly began moving towards the child's position, and even the plant that was jerking up and down seemed to stop.

Cyril glanced between the child doing his best to dodge the rising plants and the mother staring at her son in stunned silence before going over, snapping the locks on the baby carrier, and shifting the two infants onto his shoulder.

"Get up. It's now or never."

"V-victor, my baby, no!"

"Shut the hell up and move lady! Are you going to let your other son out do you?!"

"Sob!"

As Lisa shouted, Cyril stuffed the axe into her hands before aiming the Employee handbook at the giant plant that was leaning towards victors direction.

With a sharp flick of his wrist, as if throwing a frisbee, Cyril chucked the Employee Handbook at the plant stem, right above the location of the lump that was Leo's body.

And then with another quick flick, he chucked the pen towards the 'mouth' of the plant.

THUD-

SCHWIK-

Without waiting to see the damage, he began running toward the other side with the two crying babies, wishing that the mother would find a backbone to rescue her child.

As for him, the universe could take it as his good deed of the day; he was so fucking tired.