Eat or be Eaten – Part 2

“AHHHHH! WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS!?”

Covered in urine, Rikko couldn't keep calm and silent and left the bush. He struggled desperately and, disgusted, it took him a while to realize that he had been discovered.

“AH.” - Jean and Axel exclaimed at the same time, surprised by the sudden appearance of a chicken.

… Whoops. - Rikko was paralyzed without reacting.

“Axel, are you seeing the same thing I am?”

“It seems so. It's a chicken. But what is it doing here in the middle of the forest?”

“That doesn't matter now! Do you know what I'm thinking?”

“Seriously? We just gave it a piss bath!”

“Just wash it with boiling water and roast it! It's a little thin, but with some chopped vegetables it will be great.”

… OOOOOH, DAMN...

“On three?” - Axel asked, buttoning his pants.

“On three. One… two… THREE!”

The counting was in vain. Rikko didn't wait to see what they would do, shooting off at full speed and leaving the two adventurers surprised and sprawled on the ground.

“AHHH, but he's not going to run away! Let's get him!” - Jean spat out a handful of leaves that he swallowed and ran away.

“I, Axel, a skilled assassin, should be fooled by a skinny chicken? NO WAY!” - He commented as he stood up.

Rikko didn't stop for a minute, following in a straight line as best he could using his Acceleration. But he was up against two skilled adventurers and the distance between them was quickly decreasing.

HOLY SHIT! I'm screwed! What now? They're almost catching me!

That's when he saw a huge hollow tree trunk meters ahead. His quick thinking kicked in.

I KNOW!

“Look there, Jean! He went into that trunk! Stupid animal, he got cornered!”

“That's all I wanted! With that rock blocking the other exit, he has no way of escaping! I'm going to use my Power-Up to lift the trunk. When it slides, you'll catch it!”

“Okay! I'm right behind you!”

“Here I go! POWER-UP! UOOOOOOHHHH!!!”

The muscles in Jean's arms and legs swelled so much that the veins seemed about to pop out and tear through his flesh. Preparations made, he approached the entrance to the trunk, extending his strengthened arms.

“You can wait, little chicken. Daddy is coming.”

“Come on, Daddy. WING BURST!”

“What a sound it is-”

BOOOOOOMMMMM!!!

The pressure caused by Rikko's wing strike inside the trunk closed at one end caused an explosion of air so strong that it threw Jean backwards with all his force with the power of a cannon and hit a surprised Axel who could do nothing.

“UAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!”

“HEY-OOOF!”

Luckily for both of them, there were no trees or rocks in their path to crash into, but the fall itself while they were unconscious made them roll for several meters. Rikko took the opportunity to get out of the trunk and disappear from the place.

“HEEEEEEY, ARE YOU OKAY?” - Henri came running accompanied by Amélie and Claire. The duo's delay worried them and they ended up there following the sound of the explosion. They found the two huddled together and unconscious with several scratches.

“Amélie, please!” - Henri asked when he saw the condition of his companions.

“Y-Yes!”

“Oh, Asclen, God of all the sick and needy, grant your servant the merciful gift of healing! MERCIFUL BREEZE!”

The unconscious duo was enveloped in a greenish aura and slowly their wounds disappeared, discarding the blood from the scratches that began to coagulate in the form of vapor. Soon they were healed.

“HEY, WAKE UP! HURRY UP!”

Claire was not as gentle as Amélie in treating the unconscious ones. They woke up with their faces swollen from the slaps they received from the magician.

“OUCH! THAT HURT!” - Jean shouted.

“ARGH! DID IT HAVE TO BE LIKE THIS?” - Axel protested.

“Spit it out! Why did you run away? And what was that noise? Is it an enemy?”

“HUH? Oh, it's just... it was a chicken.” - Axel answered in Jean's place, who could not find words to express his shame.

“...HUH? What do you mean?”

“A CHICKEN! We found a chicken in the forest and had the idea of ​​catching it and cooking it for ourselves, but the damn thing ran and hid in that tree trunk over there. Jean tried to catch it when there was an explosion and that's how we ended up.”

“Are you crazy? What could a chicken be doing in this forest?” - Claire was in disbelief with the answer.

“SERIOUSLY! It really was a skinny chicken!” - Finally Jean spoke up, still embarrassed.

“...A chicken… took down two strong men…?” - Amélie commented, looking around.

“That doesn't make any sense! Come on, get up! Let's go!”

“Wait, Claire. Look at the entrance of this trunk.” - Henri called his companion as he analyzed the fallen trunk with its hollow separated from the rooted part.

“What is it now… Huh? There are residues of mana in it. And it was something powerful! My hand is tingling!”

“I felt the same. Whatever it was, it was really in here. The trunk is full of abnormal cracks, it almost fell apart. Take some fragments to study in your laboratory.”

“It's useless. The remains are disappearing, there won't be anything left to analyze even if I put it in a magic bottle.”

“Then there's no other way. But we better warn the guild anyway, it could be some new type of monster and it's too close to the city.”

“Aren't we going after it?”

“No, Amélie. The forest is too big and these two need to go back to the city and get their heads together.”

“O-okay.”

“If we're talking, let's get out of here at once, the mosquitoes are starting to annoy me.” - Claire said, shaking the cape of her cloak.

“But we said it was a chi-”

“AHHH, ENOUGH! If I hear the word chicken one more time today I'm going to reduce someone to ashes!”

“IIIIHHH! YES MA'AM!” - Jean and Alex responded instinctively at the same time. They knew that Claire was not someone to be trifled with when she was angry.

The group gradually moved away. Not far away, Rikko watched them closely. He decided to postpone his departure from the forest for at least a few more hours.

“What a bunch of crazy people! Better stay here a little longer! I hope I don't run into them again any time soon.”

With that, he headed to the opposite side of the group of adventurers. When he thought he was far enough away, he took a break to eat and rest. But not without taking a bath first.

“Uahhh… what a crazy day this was? First that snake, and then hungry adventurers wanting to turn me into stew. What else do I need now?”

THUD!

Sometimes, keeping quiet is better. As soon as he asked himself, he felt something hard hit him on the head and soon his consciousness went blank.