Chapter 74: Chapter 73: Against the Current
The stormy season had descended upon the Red and Dark Mountains.
Foreboding shadows blanketed the sky. This stormy season seemed to be the longest ever.
There was record rainfall, the likes of which even the oldest man in the village had never seen.
The rivers were overflowing like mad, and places that had been flat just a few days before were now floods with raging torrents.
Everything in sight was submerged.
...except for Balak's village!
"Tighten the ropes, tighten them!"
"Lift up the supports!"
"Secure it! It'll float away!"
The low-lying village of Balak was now on higher ground.
It hadn't been relocated.
Instead, they simply built floating houses out of planks and logs in the tall trees and between the trees.
Some 15 meters above the ground, these wooden houses provided cozy shelter while their surroundings were flooded by the river.
Vikir was at the forefront of this massive architectural endeavor to raise an entire town up in the trees.
"...Luckily, I won't be swept away."
Vikir thought as he looked out at the rising river just a few meters below.
Bridges had been constructed between the tallest trees with ropes, planks, and logs, and the floating houses were securely fastened to prevent them from being knocked down by the wind.
And down below, away from the water, drainage ditches had been dug between the trunks and branches of the trees.
In some places, rocks and earth had been piled up to create banks that diverted the flow of the river.
This allowed Balak's village to remain somewhat protected from the flooding of the river.
Some men were setting up a rope bridge made of twisted vines between trees amidst the rain and wind.
They waved to Vikir as he passed by on the wooden bridge.
"Hey, Vikir! Our home is safe thanks to you!"
"Thank you! I'm glad I listened to you!"
But Vikir didn't respond to their well-wishes.
Instead, he squinted at the enormous shadow that was slowly advancing toward them from the water below.
"Dangerous."
Vikir briefly warned the two men who greeted him.
Hearing Vikir's warning, the men peered down at the bridge in alarm.
Just three meters below them, in the muddy water, a giant shadow lurked beneath the surface.
And then.
...Poof!
The surface of the water broke and something leaped out of the water.
It was a catfish with a giant mouth that was over five meters in width!
As it breached the surface of the water, it lunged at the two Balak men above.
This had often happened since the fire.
Agitated aquatic creatures would leap at their prey in the trees.
But the catfish didn't get what it wanted.
"Get lost!"
Arrows rained down like thunder from the tree trunks.
It was Aiyen, defending the men as they built the bridge.
...Thud!
Several arrows pierced the catfish's skull, and it writhed and flopped back into the water.
Vikir scrambled across the rope bridge and up into the lofty trees.
"Catfish!"
He peered down, but the muddy surface of the water had already been washed away by the raging deluge.
Seeing Vikir glare, Aiyen smiled.
"That's not a catfish."
"What? Didn't you just see it stick its head out of the water?"
"...I suppose you didn't see the body."
I hesitated to let him wrap up.
Suddenly, the surface of the water on the opposite side split and something enormous rose up from underneath.
Sure enough, Vikir understood what Aiyen had said.
The head was flat and the mouth was unusually large, so I thought it was a catfish.
But that unbelievably elongated body sticking out of the water was no catfish.
It was a giant snake.
<Monsieur Hushu>
Danger rating: A+
Size: 32 meters
Seen in: Border 8, Red and Dark Mountains
-Nicknamed 'The Full-body Intestine Snake'.
A snake whose entire body is made up of intestines.
It boasts a massive mouth and appetite that can swallow an elephant in one bite, and rumors from far and wide suggest that the giant Monsieur Hushu, which has lived since before recorded history, can swallow an entire nation.
They are notoriously silent while crawling on land or swimming underwater.
This giant snake of the Monsieur Hushu species was scaly and hissing as if devouring all the Balak on the floating house were about.
Aiyen bit her lip.
"Damn. You have a dangerous one washed up."
The giant catfish was no match for a species that was naturally fast and strong.
Moreover, the one before them seemed to be quite old and experienced.
[Shhhh!]
The creature opened its mouth, which was so large it might have been a catfish, revealing a thick row of teeth that spanned its entire mouth.
Aiyen quickly fired an arrow at it, but its sleek, hard scales, and the rain that blurred her vision, made it difficult to get a good hit.
Then.
"Snakes should be caught close."
A dark shadow floated like a ghost behind Monsieur Hushu.
Vikir. Moving in the darkness, he leaped across the snake's back, unnoticed by rodents and birds alike, and
then revealed his hidden blade.
He slashed through the artery in his wrist, revealing the enchanted blade Satan.
And the sinister aura of a Dark Influence settled over it.
A Baskervillian predator.
Six 'ensnaring trap fangs' have been released.
Aimed at inflicting excruciating pain for the adversary, and that's it!
The crimson energy emanating from Vikir's blade spins at high speed.
The hard snake scales shattered in an instant, and the soft tissue underneath exploded and dispersed as if it had been blown up.
[Kyaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh!]
The snake screamed.
But Vikir was relentless, grabbing the snake by the tongue and lunging forward, his drill plunging into one of the snake's eyeballs.
The lethal wounds to its neck and eyeball made the snake recoil, splattering hot blood. It then ducked its head under the water and began to frantically retreat.
No, it was more like being swept down the torrent than retreating.
"...."
Vikir briefly considered giving chase, but decided it was too much to ask in this torrential downpour.
"It was a waste."
Suddenly, Aiyen was beside him, looping a rope around Vikir's waist.
Pulling on the rope around each other's abdomens, Vikir and Aiyen made their way back up the branch.
Soon, all the villagers were out on the wooden platform watching the battle.
"Amazing! Vikir, you were amazing!"
"That big snake is called Ka'ah, and he's been king around here for centuries!"
"You defeated him, that's incredible!"
The villagers applauded Vikir.
Then Aiyen snapped.
"You people! Didn't you see me shoot that arrow! If not for me, you'd be...!"
"Oooh-"
The children booed Aiyen.
"Ugh, I can't stand kids at times."
Aiyen grumbles and shakes off the mud and spray that has soaked her body.
He glanced back at Vikir, who was dripping wet, and asked.
"You won't catch the red death from getting this wet, right?"
"One can never be sure. Go to the fire and dry yourself."
Vikir stepped away, as if the battle that had just occurred had been a minor incident.
Seeing that people were cheering him on, Aiyen went her way, and she said the words she had been saying for the past two years, once again today.
"Passed."
Vikir walked into the barracks.
Outside, the rain and wind were howling, but inside the encampment was bright and warm.
The leather hides on the walls were still fluttering about, but they were secured with heavy rocks in certain areas, so the wind wouldn't blow them away.
Vikir's revelation of a way to prevent the Red Death had made him a hero to the Balak, and indeed to all the jungle tribes.
...But the hero is a troubled man now.
It's a task he's never wanted to do or since his regression.
"Uncle!"
When Vikir entered the barracks, Pomerian rushed over and hugged him.
Up until then, he had been crouching toward the side of the barracks, staring blankly at the images of his loved ones.
Pomerian avoided everyone else but Vikir, who followed him with keen intent.
She clung to him all day long, never wanting to be separated, sleeping, eating, and bathing.
" ...I want to eat."
Vikir didn't know how to answer the child.
It was all he could tell her.
Afterward, Vikir made a simple fire toward the side of the barracks.
With snails crawling everywhere in the rainy season, food was easier to come by than before.
Vikir simply steamed snail meat with butter, herbs, and backs made from cow's milk.
He then fried them in a mixture of sugar made from sugarcane and cream made from bird eggs.
The remainder of the snail meat was crushed with spicy spices that he had bought from traders before, and when served with vegetables, it became a quite edible dish.
"Delicious, Uncle."
"Right, your uncle is a good cook."
Beside Pomerian, who was crouching, was Aiyen, who was usually grimacing too.
Pomerian shifted focus between Vikir and Aiyen, then giggled, and Aiyen rubbed his index finger in front of him.
"As expected, the children are really something."
"...I thought you said you didn't like kids...?"
"When did I say that."
Vikir pressed a hand to his forehead. The barracks were already cramped because of the Pomerians, and now that they'd come to Aiyen, they were even more confined.
"Don't be too harsh. but basically you can go outside to pee now."
"...."
Vikir could sigh at Aiyen's attitude as she spread her legs again and washed her leather skirt.
Suddenly.
Whirring.
The tents at the entrance were drawn back, letting in the rain and wind.
A heavy stone had been placed on top of the entrance, making it impossible for it to be blown away naturally.
As if on cue,
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This 𝓬ontent is taken from fre𝒆webnove(l).𝐜𝐨𝗺