[NR] Tell It Again - Chapter 767

Courtney, “Well if my removing the shadow Mana means we can’t tell, why didn’t you stop me?”

Jason laughs, “What good would it do? Whatever it was, is gone and used. Otherwise, there would likely be other shadowed spots. The material might not even be used up. It would simply need to be out in the sun for a while to clear up the remnants of shadow Mana.”

They chat a bit more as they wander through the town. Although it sounded busy, there actually wasn’t all that much needing done. Their exploration of the town is more about finding the beast, than scaring up work.

And it works!

Eventually.

They end up wandering around town for three more days, picking up odd jobs. Not even special jobs after the first day, either. Just simple things like helping with the normal jobs.

During that time, the creature was showing up, it simply avoided them. Appearances being grouped in areas opposite of them in the town. The three even split up on the second day and for a while, the creature just seemed to be gone.

Early on the fourth day, they finally encounter the furry being tormenting the town. It kind of looked like a black cat sans tail. Well, not quite a cat, but rather a cat with their fur fully puffed out as if it was scared. A true puffball of fur.

The being was situated up under the eaves of a house they were walking past and Jason spotted it first.

Not wanting to spook the critter, he simply slowed down and only looked at it from the corner of his eye. Except this must have been enough to alert the being that it had been spotted.

With a yowl, the being jumps out from under the roof, long tufted ears spring up and yellow eyes wide. The being’s limbs are long and gangly, extending out of its body and it gurgles something at the group before vanishing into the nearby field.

Jason raises an eyebrow, “Well. That’s a thing.”

Courtney frowns, “I don’t recognize it and that is despite having looked up a bunch of monsters that it could be.”

They talk about it back and forth a bit, before realizing Rosha isn’t saying anything, so they turn to her.

She looks a good bit paler than normal despite being a white rabbitkin already. “I. I think it said something. That thing? I think it can talk.”

Jason frowns, “Well, we might need to talk to the person who ate the tail. If it can talk, we aren’t dealing with Just a beast. It probably isn’t sapient or anything, but we’re dealing with a clever beast. There must be something wrong with the story we heard.”

So with a goal in mind, they walk a few houses over to Old Liam’s place and knock on the door.

He answers the door, “Well! If it isn’t the handy adventurers. Something come up?”

Courtney nods, “We finally saw it and there’s probably more to the beast than we thought.”

Old Liam laughs, “Well of course there is! Did you think we were lame ducks? The town’s on the edge of the wilderness and we have our fair share of hunters. Someone should have been able to catch it.”

Rosha shakes her head, “No, we mean the story doesn’t add up because of what I just heard. It can talk.”

Old Liam rears back, “WHAT!?”

Rosha nods, “I could hear it muttering about its tail? I think? It wasn’t exactly easy to hear.”

Jason, “But we don’t think it’s sapient. Didn’t have the feel or look to it. Still, a clever beast is never good.”

Old Liam pulls an old pitchfork out from inside the house. “No, they are not! We will be getting the full story from Jeremy! Follow me, we have work to do.” And he paces off, forcing the group to rush to keep up.

On a warpath, the man cuts through fields and attracts a lot of attention. So much so, the man saw them coming. Though he still jumped when Old Liam bellowed, “Jair-Ah-Me! You have a story to tell and you better not leave anything off of it this time!”

Jeremy looks caught between running and falling over in a faint. Old Liam doesn’t give the goatkin a chance to do either, his glare staking the man to the ground where he stood.

Old Liam rumbles up to the goatkin, “I’m thinking yah might want to re-tell your tale of the tail. Better make it good because I just heard another tale which was of interest.”

Jeremy hesitates, but Liam doesn’t let him for too long and simply tells him to, “Talk.”

Jeremy half coughs, which turns into a bit of a weeze, but Old Liam doesn’t let his glare even flicker. “Well, um, you heard the story. I had traps and such out and about. Normal hunting. Cept when I walked up on my one trap. Was a bit quiet, didn’t hear nothin.”

Old Liam raised an eyebrow, “Wasn’t the critter kicking up a fuss? Leastwise, I remember you saying you heard it, which was why you went to check the trap.”

Jeremy coughs, “Uh. Maybe not that. It was quiet and knew I was coming. Black furred critter caught by its tail.

“Anyway, I went to put it out of its misery, as you do. Had my axe and I was going to give it a good whack. Cept the damn thing got away at that point!”

Old Liam shakes his head, “Tell it right.”

Jeremy, “Err, well, it did get away! Just um, not like that. I, uh, swung my Ace to put it down and the critter went crazy! Ducked and dodged around something fierce. So much so that when I finally connected? I missed anything fatal. Stead, my axe swicker swacked right through the base of the tail! Didn’t lie about what happened after. No blood or some such.”

Old Liam, “And you still ate the tail?”

Jeremy shrugs, “Being a tail, it was a good bit boney, but there was decent meat on it. Made me some decent soup out of it! Lasted me a good few days.”

Old Liam sighs and rubs the bridge of his nose, “Damn.”