I gasp for breath, my heart pounding in my chest. "Ugh, that was a close call," I manage to choke out between gasps, turning to look at Isadora. "Are you alright, Isadora?" I ask, concern tinging my voice.
But Isadora doesn't even seem to have broken a sweat. She's standing there as cool as ever, the Boex still hoisted onto her shoulder. She doesn't even respond to me, simply choosing to remain silent. Fuck I forgot worrying about her is stupid. I'm glad though, She could've left me behind if she really wanted to.
"Damn, you're a monster," I mutter under my breath, my breathing slowly returning to normal. "Don't tell me you don't even consider this a workout." But she simply continues to stand there in silence, staring straight ahead.
I push myself off the ground, staggering to my feet. Walking over to Isadora, I run my hand over the Boex's tusks. "Yup, this is perfect," I muse, a small smile tugging at the corner of my lips. "We'll make a weapon out of it later. For now, let's head back to the group. Hold up! Is that what I think it is!? Jalapeños! Lets goo! Alright let's head back" Hehehe, who would've thought that I could find them here?
The journey back to the beach takes an hour, give or take. By the time we arrive, the sun is still rising. Almost everyone is awake, except for Biana, who's probably still sleeping. As soon as we appear, a few of them start to approach us.
Rai is the first to speak. "Tsk, you told me I couldn't hunt yet so I waited. Why didn't you invite me!?" he grumbles, looking disgruntled.
"Calm down, dude. You'll get a chance to hunt as well," Arin says, clapping a hand on Rai's shoulder. I sigh, running a hand through my hair.
"Don't worry, we're going to have a group hunt," I reassure them, hoping to calm the tension. If we want to move forward without Issues we will need to get rid of that Boex.
"A group hunt?" Aira pipes up, her eyes wide with curiosity.
I nod, leaning against a nearby tree for support. "Yes, we were chased by some huge beast. It's either a mutated Boex or an evolved one."
"A Boex? Those are difficult to find. Wait, you hunted a Boex? Can I keep the tiny horn?" Oliver chimes in, his eyes gleaming with interest.
I blink, taken aback by his request. "Tiny horn?" I repeat, a confused frown etching itself onto my face. I don't remember seeing any horn on it, how small is it?
"Yeah, they have a tiny horn under their hair. I want to use it for alchemy when we're back at the academy," Oliver explains, a hopeful look on his face.
I sigh, rolling my eyes at his enthusiasm. "Yeah, you can keep it. I don't think we need it for anything anyways."
Suddenly, Flora speaks up, pointing at the Boex that Isadora is still holding. "Hey, how are you going to cook that?" she asks, her eyes filled with curiosity.
I shrug, a wry smile tugging at the corners of my lips. "I don't know," I admit, gesturing to the Boex with a wave of my hand. "There aren't many options. I'll figure it out. I always do." I glance at the Boex, maybe I'll grill it, I doubt they'll complain over that.
"Hey, Aira, can you cut down a tree? Please cut the wood into small pieces," I request, looking at her with hopeful eyes.
Aira nods, a determined look on her face. "No worries, I'll be back soon." She sets off towards the forest, leaving me alone with the Boex.
I walk over to the creature, my stomach churning at the thought of what I'm about to do. "Fuck, I've never done this, I hope it's not as disgusting as I imagine," I mutter to myself. With a deep breath, I draw my sword and approach the Boex, its massive form reminding me of a mountain lion. It has three tails and a pair of six-inch tusks which makes it look all the more formidable, even in death.
I can't help but grimace as I plunge my sword into the creature. It's much worse than I imagined, the smell alone is enough to make me gag. I miss some of the first few cuts, too light to slice through the tough skin, and the feeling of the knife grating against the bone sends shivers up my spine. The sound of flesh tearing and the wet squelch as organs are exposed makes my stomach turn. It's an arduous process, and I'm forced to pause multiple times to avoid retching.
Eventually, I manage to cut apart the Boex, separating the edible meat from the inedible remains. I wrap the meat in jungle leaves, a small pile growing beside me as I work.
I call over Isabella, who looks at me and the Boex with a disgusted expression. "Why did you call me over?" she asks, her nose scrunching up at the sight.
I sigh, shaking my head at her reaction. "Don't look at that, those are the inedible remains. Look at this," I say, gesturing to the meat wrapped in leaves. "Use some of that magic you're so proud of to lower the temperature and keep the meat cold."
She raises an eyebrow at me, looking taken aback by my request. "You want me to use magic for some meat? I said I'll work with the team, but this is stupid."
"Just do as I say, you agreed to help out," I retort, growing frustrated.
Once I'm done with Isabella, I walk over to the sleeping beast Biana. Without hesitation, I flick her forehead hard. "Wake up already, we got work to do," I tell her as she rubs her forehead and gives me 'her angry look'.
I take a seat next to her and start carving one of the Boex's tusks. By the time I finish, Biana's already drifted back to sleep. I sigh, tossing the carved husk at her forehead with the rough side, waking her up abruptly.
"You nearly killed me," she yawns, sitting up and rubbing her forehead.
"I hit you with the rough side of it. I've already shaped it like a dagger, so carve some runes on it," I instruct her as I start working on the next one.
Biana sighs, a disgruntled look on her face. "You're worse than my brother," she mutters under her breath as she begins carving the runes onto the husk.
I chuckle, shaking my head at her comment. "If I had the same rune knowledge as you, I wouldn't have woken you up. You should be grateful I'm not dragging you along with me. I'm the one doing the bothersome work here," I remind her, throwing her a teasing smile. This... brat, she is the last one here that should be complaining.
With a long, drawn-out yawn, Biana stretches her arms and gives me a tired smile. "Alright, I'm finna pass out now."
I sigh, rolling my eyes at her nonchalant attitude. "Tsk, get your damn sleep now, soon we'll be moving location."
My eyes land on Isadora, who's off to the side, drinking coconut water again. I can't help but find it amusing - she drinks it like a kid, and it's a stark contrast to the emotionless exterior she usually displays.
I approach her, both Boex tusks-turned-daggers in hand. I can't help but admire the intricate runes Biana has carved onto them. As much as I want to keep them for myself, I know they'd be better off with someone like Isadora.
With a heavy sigh, I toss them towards her. "Here, these are better than the sword," I tell her.
She looks at me, then at the daggers, and in an unexpected move, she tosses one back at me. "I only need one," she says simply before walking away with her coconut.
Caught off guard, I catch the dagger, my mind racing. 'Why did she do that? Does she only need one? Wait, don't tell me she noticed I wanted it? Ha, to think she would do that.'
There's no time to ponder over her actions, though. I know we need to get everyone ready since we need to deal with the Boex before the Islavores show up.
I look around for a suitable stone, making sure no one's watching. Then, I turn Umbra into an exact replica of the dagger and hide the original. Coating Umbra with aura, I use it to cut the stone into a sort of slab, perfect for grilling the meat.
I return to our camp, where Aira is waiting with the chopped wood. "Alright, I'll leave the cooking to you," she says, setting down the pieces.
I sigh, running a hand through my hair. "Yeah, I'll start right away."
As the rest of the group goes about their tasks, I sit down and start to mentally sort out my ingredients. Fresh Boex meat, thick slabs of fat, a handful of jalapeños, coconuts, and the sweet, creamy milk extracted from the same. It's not the typical pantry I'm used to, but I always love a good challenge. I'm glad I showed Flora and Kaida how to make coconut milk, they made just enough.
I reach out to the thick slabs of Boex meat first, giving it a quick inspection. It's lean, the muscle fibers tightly wound. I press my fingers into it, finding it resistant to my touch. This isn't the type of meat that'd melt in your mouth; it would require some tenderizing.
Setting the meat aside, I take a look at the fat. It's thick and marbled, a rich cream color. I run my fingers over it, the feel of it reminding me of the rendered lard I used to use in my cooking. This could act as a natural oil, providing flavor and preventing the meat from sticking to the stone slab.
Next, I move onto the jalapeños. They're small and green, packing a punch of heat that is just right. I slice them open, revealing the seeds and membrane inside. I make a mental note to remove those before adding them to the dish - they hold most of the heat, and too much spice could overwhelm the taste of the Boex meat.
Finally, I take a look at the coconuts. They're ripe and sweet, providing a welcome contrast to the potential spiciness of the dish. I could use the milk to create a sort of marinade, and the flesh could be roasted to add a sweet, crunchy element.
Now that I've inspected all my ingredients, I begin to formulate a plan. I'll tenderize the Boex meat first, then season it with some crushed jalapeños and coconut milk. I'll let it marinate for a bit, letting the flavors infuse. Meanwhile, I'll prepare the slab for grilling, coating it with a layer of the Boex fat to prevent sticking. Once it's heated up, I'll grill the meat until it's browned and tender. Hehehe, I should save the jalapeño seeds and have Flora use her magic to grow them.
I get to work, pounding the meat with a clean stone until it's tender. I then chop up the jalapeños, removing the seeds and membranes before crushing them into a paste. I add this to the coconut milk, creating a spicy, creamy marinade. I spread this over the Boex meat, turning it over a few times to make sure it's evenly coated.
While the meat is marinating, I place the slab on top of the chopped wood and light a fire underneath it. I watch as the flames lick the underside of the slab, heating it up. I take a piece of the Boex fat and rub it across the surface, coating it in a thin layer of oil.
By the time the slab is ready, the meat has finished marinating. I place it on the hot stone, listening to the satisfying sizzle as it makes contact. I flip it occasionally, watching as it browns and the marinade starts to caramelize.
While the meat is grilling, I notice movement out of the corner of my eye. I turn to see Isadora watching me, a rare show of interest on her face. I give her a small smile, silently hoping she's learning something from this, maybe she'll stop eating bread when she's not fed back at the Academy.