Chimera Tunnels (2)

"Cough cough cough-"

Cyril dragged himself out of waist-deep red sludge while hacking his guts out.

When he could finally breathe, he realized that the gnawing pain and fever that had previously wracked his body were mainly gone.

Apart from feeling a bit tired and a stinging sensation from the liquid that clung to his clothes, it was as if his body had gone back to normal.

It felt amazing.

Like a weight that had been pressing on him had been lifted, and he could breathe properly.

Even his skin stinging was turned into a light acupuncture massage in his mind.

The only issue was…

"Where the hell am I?"

Pushing back his damp hair, Cyril glanced around.

He seemed to have been in a stream bed that ran through a forest, but when he pulled up his map, no information showed that he had been to this location before, and the other places he had been in were far away and unconnected.

Hmmmm.

The tall, tropical-looking trees and flowers looked somewhat familiar, but he definitely would have remembered seeing and smelling the foul sludge stream the last time he was here.

He already thought that it was quite large, but clearly this dungeon was bigger than he thought.

After glancing back into the flowing stream, which had no portal for him to attempt to leave, Cyril tapped his pocket to find his pen. 

Clicking the red ink button, he used it to write on the trees and ground surrounding the stream from which he had emerged.

If Alexei came in after him, he would see the message and know he had been here, but he couldn't stick around here waiting.

Since he knew this wasn't the only entrance, he would carefully move around until his map reconnected with the previously explored locations.

Removing his multi-tool keyring from his belt, he transformed it into his preferred shovel and began walking forward slowly along the sludgy stream, while activating his herbalism skill as he looked at the plants and listened for enemies.

[Eluleaf - Inedible]

The tree is incredibly strong and resistant to physical force because it grows by utilizing the excrement of fetid beasts and their hosts as nutrition; however, it is an excellent conductor of mana once harvested…….]

It was a plant that looked like a tall piece of bamboo with a singular palm-shaped leaf at the top.

[Ankara - Inedible/Edible]

[The plant is covered in small crollus instead of bark, which is a severe irritant that latches onto to soft surfaces and sucks the liquid out…..contains a sweet liquid that is drinkable but when reduced to a thick sap can make a paralyzing sedative…..]

"At least I found a source of water," Cyril muttered as he glanced at the plant that grew almost as a woven basket of branches with numerous green and brown trunks intertwined before spreading up into a colorful foliage that looked like a garden of flowers and butterflies had settled on top.

Of course, the crawling green bugs pretending to be bark were an issue, but that could be dealt with by either testing out the landscaping skill or chopping it down from far away.

If worse came to worst, he could try to exchange plants with the employee store for the meals provided. 

Although he would rather die than eat cardboard flavored cereal again.

"It would be nice if I had my bag. I wouldn't even have to worry about food or water. Tsk."

Briefly regretting not carrying his bag and resolving to take it even to the bathroom when he pooped, Cyril continued walking quietly along the red stream, examining every plant and tree with his herbalism skill until he felt something sting his neck like a mosquito.

"What?"

Raising his hand to swat at the spot, he felt something like a dart sticking out of his neck.

As he turned his head to the side and pulled it out, he briefly spotted brown and green child-sized creatures with jagged teeth and dragonfly-like wings of various colors and sizes blowing into small wooden tubes.

Directly at him.

As he made eye contact with the red-winged figure with red face paint in the lead…

Thoop-

Thoop-

Thoop-

Multiple small darts struck his face, neck, and torso repeatedly, and his body slumped backward onto the ground.

As his body lay unmoving, the green painted winged figures rushed and began tying the body to a large green stick with practiced motions. 

Then, after scouting around for any more prey, they flew off while carrying the body.

A few minutes later, when his eyes popped open due to his inability to remain unconscious in strange places, Cyrill found himself trussed up like a pig on a spit.

As Cyril tried to struggle, he realized he was completely unable to move his limbs, and his shovel was also missing.

He could only crane his eyes to look around, wondering where he was and how to escape; all he could see was a darkening sky with drifting clouds before he was flipped over.

His eyes then saw vibrant colorful treetops, a thin sliver of red, and the ground far below him.

"Ghdihaisasasas!"

"Bhjeeeissslllaa!!!!"

Sounds like gibberish entered his ears, but for some reason it felt like 'how the hell was it awake?', 'you tell me!'"

Suddenly, the figure with red wings and red face paint appeared below him while flapping its wings.

"Kkkrahhjdass????!!"

Naturally, he couldn't respond, and the red-winged figure began moving.

Seeing the brown blow tube enter the figure's mouth, Cyril resignedly stared ahead as he felt a sharp dart enter his head.

Then, more pin pricks were felt all over his body.

Slowly, his eyes shut, and he slumped over with his head hanging.

The figure with the red wings flew closer, hitting his cheeks and body repeatedly to make sure the body was completely unconscious this time. It couldn't be killed yet because the meat needed to be fresh.

When Cyril regained consciousness several minutes later with a suddenly aching body, he decisively kept his eyes closed.

Let's…try to escape when my feet can touch solid ground.

It was a bit too difficult to survive falling hundreds of thousands of feet in the air or trying to fight something with wings while being unable to move.

Plus.

Some of the darts had moved a bit too close to his eyes.

Considering he was quite attached to both eyes, he would do his best to prevent any further attacks.

Cyril stayed completely silent as he was carried through the air, trying to make sense of what was happening around him.

He could recognize the voice of the red-winged creature, sounding like it was commanding others.

Again, the words weren't clear, but the intention was as it ordered those around it to hold on to the food carefully and not drop it like the last ones, or they would have to lick it up.

Kuahahahaha.

The sound of strange laughter sounded out, and Cyril could feel his face twitch as he felt something pinching his stomach and thighs.

Then, more garbled language with the sensation of lamenting his thinness, saying even if dropped, there wasn't much meat anyway.

Cyril: ಠ_ಠ

Cyril: (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻

'Me? Food? I'll give you indigestion you damn bastards.'