Born a Monster-Chapter 542 - 542 Neegling Hunt

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542 Neegling Hunt

โ€œOkay.โ€ Negla said. โ€œSo we need Neeglings, but strapped to our armor rather than just to use on the little bits of taint we have spattered here.โ€ ๐’‡๐˜ณ๐ž๐šŽ๐“Œ๐‘’๐‘๐’๐‘œ๐™ซโ„ฏl.c๐š˜๐’Ž

โ€œAre you LISTENING?โ€ Nogar asked. โ€œWe. Should. Run.โ€

โ€œOr we could burn it.โ€ Mohr said. โ€œItโ€™s just flesh, right?โ€

I blinked. โ€œIt could be a lot of flesh.โ€ I said.

โ€œHow much flesh are we talking about?โ€ Doran asked.

Nogar answered. โ€œItโ€™ll mass equal to about a squad or two. But thatโ€™s not the worst of it. It will have duplicate organs, which will make it resistant to criticals.โ€

Zoltar stroked his chin. โ€œSo itโ€™s a lot of life force all in one place. Itโ€™ll take us a while, even blasting it with our greatest spells.โ€

โ€œIf the Taint is too strong, then we might not even have those spells.โ€ Mohr said.

โ€œThus the Neeglings.โ€ Negla said.

.....

โ€œIt doesnโ€™t work like that.โ€ Nogar said. โ€œAt best, the Taint will divide between the neegling and yourself. At best.โ€

โ€œSo, what?โ€ Negla asked. โ€œThree or four neeglings each?โ€

โ€œShall I start catching neeglings?โ€ I asked.

โ€œYes, you must.โ€ Negla said.

โ€œWorthless!โ€ Nogar said. โ€œI need you here, convincing my circle that this is DUMB!โ€

โ€œIs this dumb?โ€ Doran asked me.

โ€œItโ€™s a legitimate horror.โ€ I said. โ€œTaint will keep us from using our strongest magics. If we get close, itโ€™s just going to eat us with a touch. If we manage to hold at range, we know of at least one magical ability it has. Iโ€™m not sure how skilled our... allies... are with their weapons.โ€

I scratched the right side of my jaw. โ€œIt took us two days to walk here. Could we call for reinforcements?โ€

Zoltar snorted. โ€œWe know what the Voice of Rakkal would say about that.โ€

โ€œAll right. If we ARE doing this, we need a plan.โ€ I said.

โ€œTraitor.โ€ Nogar spat toward me. That curse spiraled, began gathering Taint into itself before...

โ€œBurn Curse.โ€ Mohr cast, the flames blinding both myself and Nogar.

โ€œI should ask the morlocks for a spear.โ€ Negla said. โ€œWolf magics arenโ€™t going to be of a lot of use here.โ€

Mohr made a gesture behind her back. โ€œYou could summon spirit wolves.โ€ he told her.

โ€œIโ€™ve only got the two of them.โ€ she said, โ€œAnd... Spirits... Taint...โ€

Zoltar scrunched up his face. โ€œCould they ride in the bodies of plains cats? I mean, Iโ€™d hate doing that if I were a wolf spirit, but its better than...โ€

โ€œCould we strap neeglings to the back of a plains cat?โ€ she asked.

โ€œNegla.โ€ Doran said, โ€œPlease stop with the neeglings. Weโ€™d have to enchant the damn animals.โ€

โ€œWait.โ€ I said. โ€œIs that the problem with using them to help absorb Taint?โ€

I drew up the files holding everything I knew about Lifeshaper.

โ€œBad news?โ€ Mohr asked.

โ€œI have enough Lifeshaper powers to do half of one. Itโ€™s not like feeding them each a healing potion would...โ€

Doran slapped his thighs. โ€œPotions! Genius. Negla, Critter. Go forth. See if we can get twelve neeglings.โ€

โ€œThereโ€™s only four within range.โ€ I said.

Negla punched me in the shoulder. โ€œThen we walk and find more. Come. Who wants to do boring planning, anyway?โ€

โ€œWell, I do.โ€ I said, following her anyway.

When we were a safe distance away, she said, โ€œYou have nothing that resembles tact, do you?โ€

I shrugged. โ€œTruthspeaker. Titanspawn. People hate me anyway, why should I be nice to those who wonโ€™t be nice to me?โ€

โ€œOne catches more flies, as the saying goes.โ€

โ€œFlies taste terrible.โ€ I said, to which she laughed.

โ€œSo why do you think we were sent away just as we were beginning to form the plan?โ€ she asked.

โ€œNogar doesnโ€™t want the plan at all. Heโ€™d rather us run and leave a horror at the flank.โ€

โ€œA horror currently stuck in a building.โ€ she said.

โ€œWhich will, sooner or later, get out.โ€ I said. โ€œTrue, Iโ€™d rather face it with an army. And Iโ€™m not enthused about doing it with a bunch of morlocks who might just try to kill us afterward, but it needs to be done.โ€

She snorted. โ€œYou think this can be done?โ€

โ€œYou donโ€™t?โ€ I asked. โ€œWhy the insistence on neeglings, then?โ€

She rolled her eyes. โ€œIโ€™d rather not get Tainted. As an adept, magic is a good part of my life. I like the idea of my pack hounding something big, bringing it low to the ground. But by the same token, Iโ€™m not a fool. This sounds like something that kill some of us.โ€

I whispered. โ€œThis is why we need the best plan we can get.โ€

โ€œOh, are the neeglings... never mind, I see them.โ€ she whispered back.

Now neeglings are a lot like long-eared rabbits. They burrow, they primarily eat vegetation, and they poop everywhere. And, theyโ€™re not like rabbits. They have oily quills among their fur, and claws, and have no problems biting plains cats when there are enough of them.

Oh, and theyโ€™re FAST.

One can be forgiven for thinking itโ€™s magical. Itโ€™s a combination of evolutions. Adrenaline, metabolism, little...

What? I like evolutions. Nature is a wonderful and varied thing.

Oh.

I suppose I donโ€™t want to tell this story, or this part of the story, depending upon how one views things.

But my desires are not relevant to what actually happened back then, are they?

We formed a system group, so that we could share my Beast Senses, plan our movements without risking our voices giving us away.

<Youโ€™re a lot bigger inside your own head.> she sent. <You donโ€™t have to shout.>

<Sorry. > I toned down my sendings. <Iโ€™m used to less sensitive group members.>

Her smile was a thing predatory and fueled by hunger.

<This will take long enough without stopping to cook one of them!> I admonished.

<Are you serious about not taking the Aware ones? Weโ€™re long enough. Weโ€™ll be out all day.>

I grunted, and four pairs of ears turned my way.

<Right. > I sent. <Sorry. >

<Is someone there?> the mother sent. <We can hear you, you know.>

I had been crouched, but stood to what height I could.

<We mean you no ill.> I sent. <Those who can ask not to be eaten should be.>

<Thatโ€™s an exception out here.> the father sent. <Not the rule.>

โ€œWhat are you DOING?โ€ Negla asked. ฦ’๐˜ณ๐—ฒ๐‘’๐’˜๐ž๐š‹๐š—๐จv๐˜ฆl.๐’„o๐ฆ

โ€œTheyโ€™re sentient.โ€ I said. โ€œNeedless harm is off limits.โ€

โ€œAssfart.โ€ she replied.

<So, > the father asked, <Why are you here?>

<Well, weโ€™re hunting for a dozen non-sentient neeglings.> I sent. <I donโ€™t suppose you know where we should look?>

The mother sent a wave of [Disgust]. <As if weโ€™d help you do that. You know, even the animals sometimes give birth to Awakened.>

<I thought that was becoming a rarity.> I said.

<Rare isnโ€™t the same thing as nonexistent.> father replied.

<I thank you for your honesty.> I said.

<You might look in the north by northwest.> one of the daughters said.

<Bellflower! > mother snapped. <Do be silent!>

Well, we DID look there, and found a pack of gaunt, mangy plains cats. They didnโ€™t share my religious views, and...

There were seven of them, and even lean, they were about double the mass of neeglings.

โ€œYou canโ€™t be serious.โ€

.....

โ€œOf course I am.โ€ Negla replied.

The pack closed around us.

โ€œIf you donโ€™t kill any of them,โ€ she said, โ€œI think we can tie them up, put them in bags, and use them the same way the neeglings would have.

I sighed. โ€œThey are aware.โ€

โ€œIโ€™m not asking you to DO anything.โ€ she argued, โ€œOnly to not kill any of them. Weโ€™ll do the rest.โ€

I lowered my vision, and took in a long blink. Thatโ€™s when the one nearest me leapt at my head.

โ€œThere may be...โ€ I swatted it to the side with my shield. โ€œA better solution.โ€

She snarled, taking on a layer of fur, her hands becoming paws. โ€œIf you can find it, then letโ€™s do that. But Wolf rarely shows mercy to those who would hunt it.โ€

I squinted. โ€œIโ€™d never really liked plains cats, given that one of my early encounters one of them had disemboweled me.โ€

One of them feinted, so that another could bite my left thigh and tried to pull me off balance.

โ€œThere you go.โ€ she said. โ€œThey deserve it.โ€

โ€œBut they donโ€™t.โ€ I said. โ€œThese are a different set of cats entirely.โ€

I brought a fist down on the skull of the one to my left, turned right just in time to catch another on my shield.

โ€œHey!โ€ Negla said. โ€œAlive, remember?โ€

โ€œEven if you do eventually convince me, theyโ€™re not making this easy.โ€ I said.

โ€œHiss, hiss, easy. Hiss, hiss.โ€ she mocked, grasping at empty air where there had been a catโ€™s neck.

<Combination move. Shield Strike. Flip Throw.>

I took note of how my System moved my body, so that I could practice how to do it manually. โ€œI donโ€™t think weโ€™re going to be in shape to do this again. How sure are you that we can improvise muzzles?โ€

โ€œI dunno.โ€ she said. โ€œHow much rope do you have?โ€

โ€œYou didnโ€™t bring rope?โ€ I asked.

โ€œWe came out here for neeglings!โ€ she reminded me. โ€œI have sacks and twine.โ€

I sighed, pulled my dagger from inventory.

โ€œHey, we want them alive!โ€ she shouted.

โ€œI guess weโ€™ll see.โ€ I said.