"I know. But no way that's a normal Kingfisher."
Lyrica watched the Kingfisher land on a tree branch nearby. But before it swallows its meal, the Kingfisher engulfed the Tilapia with flames that came out of its spear-like beak.
"It roasted the Tilapia."
Lyrica's own words made her swallow her saliva in hunger.
The Kingfisher with a size of a cormorant proceeded to swallow the whole roasted Tilapia with its stretchy big mouth.
Soon after working its meal through the beak, the Kingfisher let out a cry of satisfaction.
Lyrica stared daggers at the Kingfisher "Tch! Damn that bird... It spooked the school of Tilapia."
"No, look!"
Lyrica looks back to the river. When she did, she is left confused with the sight of Tilapias restlessly jumping in mid-air as if nothing happened.
"How...?"
How are they still out there making themselves easy prey for the Kingfisher? Lyrica questioned herself.
"They should have gone back deep into the water."
But they haven't and it doesn't seem like they are going to anytime soon. The Kingfisher made another noise, signaling another go towards its new prey.
"It's coming!"
Lyrica instinctively takes a step back, following what the voice said.
The Kingfisher lets itself fall from the Higantes branch until it opened its blue wings midway. It flapped its wings and picks up speed towards a Tilapia.
"It's gonna catch another one!"
Lyrica from the sidelines expected the bird to get another great catch. But in that split second, she witnessed how the prey turns to face its predator. And then, the Tilapia shoots a ball of water directly into the Kingfisher's open mouth.
"What?"
Caught by surprise, the predator almost fell down the river after getting hit by its prey's direct attack. The Kingfisher corrected its flight before it touches the surface of running water. It then flew on top of another Higantes branch.
The Kingfisher glared at the school of Tilapia with furious eyes, humiliated by its prey's unexpected counter assault.
Meanwhile, Lyrica froze at the same spot she was standing, not far from the river.
Just like the blue bird, the girl is also caught by surprise because of what happened.
"They aren't diving into the river not because they're stupid, but because they are waiting for the opportunity to strike back."
Lyrica thought she was a fool, thinking that there are creatures in Alteria like in her world.
The voice watched Lyrica as she sat down on the grassy surface. She thought Lyrica had given up on trying to catch a Tilapia and decided to just watch the spectacle right before her eyes.
Shrititit~! Shiritit~!
"What now?"
The Kingfisher started singing with its high-pitched song. This time, it is not done as a signal for its descent, but a call for the others. Before long, three blue Kingfishers arrived at the scene.
"It called its siblings."
Kingfishers occasionally hunt for food alone. Sometimes they fight each other for the best fishing spots in rivers. But now, it seems like the Kingfisher who called the others wanted to get revenge against those who humiliated its predatory pride.
All four Kingfishers let out a high-pitch call as they all descend towards the water bed. Each one has set their sites on each prey, but that particular Kingfisher had its vengeful eyes on that particular Tilapia who shot the bird with a water ball.
But what the predators didn't take into account, especially the enraged one, is that there's a whole school of Tilapia out there who are more than twice their number.
Boo!
Cheechk!
The other Tilapias that were disregarded by the Kingfisher caught their predator with a barrage of water balls.
Flames spewing from the Kingfisher's mouth begin to envelop its body as a defense. An armor that protects its wearer by burning the water balls that finds their way to the Kingfisher. The predators flew in retreat on top of the same Higantes branch they first gathered.
"It looks like it's still a struggle to catch one even with the four of them," Lyrica remarked.
"Even if one of the Tilapias misses the water ball, the others are there to protect one another. That is why the Kingfishers cannot catch any of them." The voice followed.
Chee! Chee!
One of the Kingfishers started chirping while flapping its blue-feathered wings in an attempt to communicate.
The others followed and did the same thing shortly after. Right then, they glared back at the fishes, their eyes fueled with determination.
The Kingfishers' numbers cannot penetrate through the school of Tilapia's coordination. Having said that, the predators decided to change their tactics. From trying to catch prey with their dark, long beaks, to using their flames to fight back.
Lyrica who's sitting on the sideline as if she's watching a TV witnessed the clash between a predator and prey.
Breath of flames, spheres of water. Often they collide, other times they land a clean hit. But neither side will let the other outdo them.
"It feels like I'm watching that anime Erika always watches on my TV."
"Really?"
Right then, Lyrica recalled how annoyingly loud Erika was whenever she's watching that particular anime in her apartment.
"Go! Mizu Shuriken!"
"Hey, don't forget about your assignments. You haven't finished a single one, you know?"
"I know, but you can't miss this climax episode! Come watch!"
Lyrica sighed. "Jeez, what's so interesting about a lizard and a frog fighting?"
She was not a fan of childish anime like the one Erika forced her to watch.
"What the hell kind of logic is that? Isn't water supposed to put out the fire?"
"Sadly, this is how it always goes for him, Lyrica. He never won a single tournament."
But despite the poorly executed conclusion, the fight was so magnificent that Lyrica hated herself for getting hooked on it.
Remembering that memory, Lyrica could not help but wonder what her friend is doing at the moment. It hasn't been a day since she left Earth for Alteria, but she's already missing Erika.
Lyrica wants to get Erika into Alteria. But to do that, she needs to show the voice proof she's following their agreement.
'But how exactly?'
The voice never specified what kind of proof she wanted from her. Saying she's true to her word didn't make the cut, either. Right now, she's clueless about what to do.
'It's no use thinking about it right now.' Lyrica picks up a rock, much bigger than her hand. 'I'll just have to do what I can at the moment. And that is to level up.'
Lyrica throws the rock straight to the river, creating a loud splash.
"Hm?"
"What's wrong, Lyrica?"
Her eyes turned sharp, seemingly after noticing something. Lyrica looks around before picking up three more rocks that are as big as the one she threw at the river.
One by one, she threw the rocks to the river.
"I see..."
Lyrica gets up from the ground and started walking in a certain direction while keeping her gaze at the Kingfishers and Tilapias.
"Lyrica?"
The girl had given up, thinking it's impossible to catch a fish. But after throwing those handfuls of rocks, it appears that an opportunity has presented itself in front of her.
"They didn't notice me throwing that rock on the river earlier, they're completely absorbed into fighting."
Lyrica grabs a long stick on the ground, holding it like a fishing rod.
"I never tried catching roasted fish mid-air. I bet no one did. So I guess, this will be the first?"