Ragnar sat on the edge of a branch with his legs hanging down as he stared at the Jungle that seemed to grow brighter as the night deepened.
Trees that towered up to 500 metres high, with trunks that were covered with vines that glowed as they coiled around them. The leaves of the trees were outlined with a dim glow as well as if someone had drawn them.
The vines that hung from the trees looked like rays of light hanging down from the sky. The Jungle looked even more vibrant and colourful than in daytime.
The plants that covered the surface coloured the ground in dim glows of red and Violet. The scene would mesmerize anyone who sees it.
*Growl*
Ragnar had been staring into the distance for a few minutes but he was interrupted by his stomach.
Aura had suggested that they stop for the night and continue in the morning since the forest got a lot more dangerous at night, and her mount could use some rest.
Ragnar had agreed since he did not mind, as long as they reached the HCR by tomorrow. He could also use this chance to recover his Essence. Although he still had enough to continue for a couple of hours, having it at full would be helpful if he encountered an emergency.
They were currently atop one of the branches of this massive tree. The branch of course, was massive as well since they could fit multiple beds here if they had them. Unfortunately sleeping on floor was the only option.
Aura was currently preparing a fire behind him as Ragnar sat and passed time. He hadn't been this carefree in weeks.
Now that his stomach had called for it, he finally stood up and walked over to the Queen's corpse. She had been waiting long enough. Ragnar grinned as he thought about how she would taste.
Once there, he pulled out his knife and started cutting out a chunk of meat through a hole that was made by the stalactite.
When he turned around to walk towards the fire, he saw Aura staring at him with puppy eyes. She sat behind the fire which made it look like her eyes were glowing as well. Her dark green hair also looked bright despite the darkness, making her look one with the Jungle. All the beauty in this mysterious Jungle seemed to pale when compared to the scene he was witnessing.
And yet, he did not feel the slightest bit attracted towards her. But he still asked to give her some leeway for everything she had done.
"Can you cook?"
Aura smiled brightly as she replied with a snap.
"You bet I can."
Her smiled seemed contagious this time as it travelled to Ragnar's face as well. He tossed the meat towards her and went back to cut more for himself.
His knowledge in cooking only went as far as burning it on top of fire until it becomes soft. So, he was glad she had so much confidence in this field.
Giving her some meat did not cut down his money by much since there was enough to feed them both for several weeks. It would have been a problem if he also had to feed her mount but it was nowhere to be found.
To him, it felt more like he was feeding a pet instead of another human. But at the same time, he did not feel good about this line of thought. Since it reminded him of the animals on Earth that were kept alive just because they were good as pets.
So, she can be a subordinate. Yeah, it was like feeding a subordinate. Aura had no idea that she had just been subordinated to this man.
He dumped that thought as he walked over to the fire and sat on a log that Aura had already prepared for him. She was quite thoughtful. He tossed his meat towards her and spoke.
"Here! Cook this as well."
She did not show any reluctance as she caught it with surprising ease and went back to working.
It would appear that the pouch she carried contained spices since she had taken out multiple packets of powders that she sprinkled on the meat. Her movements seemed precise and calculated as if she had done it countless times before. She also summoned a shimmering orange sabre that she used to slice the meat into equal pieces before dismissing it.
Ragnar had never heard of a weapon that could appear and disappear like that into thin air. It had never come up in his lessons. Nor had he encountered it in the highly limited media he had seen.
So, he asked her about it, he did not have much hope that she would be willing to share such a secret. It might have something to do with her Sylvancrest background.
"What is that weapon? Why are you able to summon it and dismiss it?"
She seemed to be immersed in her work but surprisingly she answered to it casually as if it wasn't any secret.
"It's a Tainted Perk. This is a function of every tangible Tainted Perk. They can be summoned and dismissed whenever. It's normal that you haven't heard of them since they are very rare. And I mean very rare, like only around 30 of them have been found ever since the Calamity."
So, it was a Tainted Perk. Ragnar finally understood that what he received from the Queen was not something unheard of, but it was still quite amazing.
By this time, Aura had already finished the seasoning as she handed a skewer to him to roast. While taking it, Ragnar mentioned casually.
"Oh, just a Tainted Perk, I have one too."
Aura took quite long to register his words as she had already sat down and started roasting her meat skewers.
For some reason, she did not doubt him as she asked with a slight hint of excitement.
"You do? Which one? How did you get it? I know names of most of them so maybe I know yours too,"
Ragnar did not mind sharing in the slightest. He had not had a proper conversation with anyone ever since he had lost Tristan. But Tristan himself was a man of few words which had left a mark on Ragnar too. But still, talking with someone casually after so long felt refreshing.
"It's called Earthen Fusion, an ability. I got it from the creature that is being roasted in your hands."
Aura's calm broke again as her expression turned complicated. She seemed to have too much to say about the latest revelation from Ragnar. But she calmed herself and spoke only after gaining a bit of her composure.
"You really killed the Queen of the Nest? But how? No one had managed to even catch a glimpse of her, let alone kill her?"
Her reply had left him confused.
"You mean, a lot of people try to clear this nest? Why didn't I see anyone?"
Aura again looked at him as if seeing an Alien. How could he have cleared the Nest without any knowledge about it? But she thought better than undermining him and gave him the answer he wanted.
"You might not know this but this Nest is quite Infamous in the HCR. You should have noticed it as well that the Nest did not belong where you found it in the Evergrows. It should technically be another 1000 kilometres deep into the forest. But the Queen was always so elusive that no one ever managed to kill her. So, after someone cleared all the normal Quaraxis, she would just relocate and build a new one, eventually reaching where you found it after several such cycles."
She sighed after reaching this point in her explanation.
"We were also here for some easy charges since I found through my sources that the Nest had been found again. But you…"
She stopped; her meat was cooked. She brought it to her mouth and took a big bite. She was just as hungry as Ragnar.
Ragnar took some time to digest her words as he ate his own dinner. He had really hit a jackpot with the Queen's evolution. He of course, did not notice that the Nest did not belong where he found it. How was he supposed to calculate that the Giant Ants were too large even compared to the massive Jungle outside? They seemed normal to him, as normal as massive Ants can be. He had heard her use Evergrows multiple time now, he could guess it was the name of this Jungle and it suited it quite well if he was honest. It seemed to grow continuously as one travelled away from the HCR.
At this point he heard Aura speak again. It seemed like she had just solved a mystery.
"So, the reason behind her elusiveness and travelling through the Earth was because of a Tainted Perk. We always thought it was a part of her ability. That would explain why she seemed invincible, even though she was just a Spectral. But how did you manage to kill it?"
Ragnar took another bite of his meat as he savoured the taste. He had to say, that she might be useful in this aspect as well, since this was the most delicious thing that has ever touched his tongue. Another reason behind this might also be the fact that he only ate raw meat for the past 3 weeks. He did not forget about her question though as he answered in a casual tone.
"I got lucky. She was evolving."