"My meat!" Raven grumbled for what felt like the hundredth time, her voice carrying over the quiet wasteland as she kicked a rock out of frustration "Not even the tusks! That was supposed to be jerky for days"
Fuwa, walking just ahead, rolled her eyes but didn't say anything. She'd already heard Raven's complaints all afternoon. As the sun began to sink below the horizon, casting long shadows over the barren land, the reality of their situation became more pressing. They were exhausted, dehydrated, and hungry, with no sign of civilization anywhere.
Raven lagged behind, still mourning the loss of her boar feast "It's not fair, you know? My stupid dagger…" She sighed heavily, and though most of her complaints were lighthearted, there was a real frustration bubbling under the surface. Hours of walking, no food, and no real plan had finally gotten to her.
Fuwa slowed her pace, glancing back at Raven "We'll find something else to eat" she said, trying to sound reassuring "Damn... I miss a good MacDunaldo..."
"Yeah, if we don't get eaten by something on the way" Raven muttered, though there was a faint smile on her lips. She knew Fuwa was right. They just had to keep going. She wiped away the "last tear" she had shed for the boar and the poor souls obliterated at Black Port, but truth be told, she wasn't as sorry for the latter. After all, Black Port had never been the kind of place to breed good people "Wait, what is that thing you just mentioned?" She was filled with curiosity, for the first time over time in her entire life she felt a little curiosity over the other world from where they get all the freaks that the royal families loved to summon.
Fuwa blinked, momentarily thrown off by Raven's sudden shift in interest "What, MacDunaldo?" she asked, glancing at the cat girl, who looked genuinely curious for once.
"Yeah, that. What is it?" Raven asked, her ears twitching slightly as she walked up beside Fuwa "It doesn't sound like a person's name… is it food? Some kind of special meat or something?" Her stomach grumbled loudly, emphasizing her point.
Fuwa chuckled, shaking her head "Well, kind of. MacDunaldo's is… uh, how do I explain this?" She paused, gathering her thoughts. "It's this place back in my world where they serve food... burgers, fries, stuff like that. Not exactly the kind of meat you're used to, but it was everywhere. Cheap, greasy, and delicious. A guilty pleasure for a lot of people"
Raven's eyes lit up, the idea of cheap, greasy, and delicious, piquing her interest "Burgers? Fries? What are those?" She stared at Fuwa, clearly fascinated "Tell me more"
Fuwa laughed again "Okay, so imagine a chunk of cooked meat, like beef or pork, but it's flattened and stuck between two pieces of bread. Then you add cheese, lettuce, maybe some sauce, and boom! You got a burger. Fries are just fried slices of potato, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Honestly, you'd love it."
Raven's eyes widened, her tail swishing behind her "A sandwich but with meat and cheese… and crispy potatoes on the side?" She groaned dramatically, clutching her stomach. "Why didn't you tell me about this sooner? Now I want it even more!"
Suddenly the other world didn't felt like a terrible place. Raven touched her lips with one finger "I had imagined your world as a dark place, where people lived inside small rooms babbling things about waifu, and other nonsense words... you will have to prepare some for me"
Fuwa let out an awkward laugh and coughed then she grinned "I doubt anyone from my world in this place would know how to make it. We just ate the stuff, didn't really think about how it was made"
Raven shot her a playful glare "You're useless, Fuwa. You had access to all these amazing things, and now all you can do is talk about them" She shook her head dramatically "I'm starving here, and you're making me dream about a food I'll probably never taste"
While they were talking about useless stuff to pass the time, Fuwa felt at least a little relieved, she had finally stopped complaining about the loss of the boar meat. But finally come to a stop and placed a hand before her, then she motioned ahead, there was a caravan, or what was left of it. Some carts were turned around, many bodies sprawled around. The vision was limited, but there was no doubt they had gotten attacked.
Raven's ears twitched at the sight of the overturned carts and bodies scattered around the wreckage ahead. Her playful mood shifted in an instant, replaced by the sharp, alert instincts of a seasoned bandit. She squinted her eyes, scanning the area carefully before motioning for Fuwa to stay low "This caravan didn't go down by itself. It could be bandits. Or maybe it was our friends who ran away in carts before us" She thought about the masked bastards and her blood boiled.
Fuwa crouched beside her, her own senses on edge "Think they're still around?" she whispered, her eyes darting over the desolate scene.
"It depends, if it were monsters then no, if it were bandits maybe, if they were the masked bastards no way. We'd better be careful, just in case" Raven's eyes flicked toward the nearest cart. The sun had almost completely disappeared, casting long shadows over the wreckage. The fading light made everything seem more sinister, the bodies unnervingly still.
The two crept forward, staying close to the ground as they approached the overturned carts. Raven's hand hovered over her dagger, ready for anything. As they moved closer, the stench of death hit them... strong and sour, like rot. Raven wrinkled her nose.
"Ugh, that's fresh. Whatever happened here, it wasn't long ago."
Fuwa nodded, her face set in a grim expression "Do you think anyone survived?"
Raven looked at her, she was such a good kid, the first thing that had crossed her mind was water and food "Humm... maybe? I don't really care about that"
"Woah such a good healer" Said Fuwa behind her.
As they reached the first overturned cart, Raven peeked around the side cautiously. No movement. No sounds except the dry wind whistling through the wasteland. She motioned for Fuwa to follow as she slunk around the wreckage, looking for any signs of life, the scene was horrible, those weren't claws of the monsters, all the kills were made with sharp objects. And the caravan wasn't unprotected, the bodies of mercenaries and adventurers were lying around, it seems there wasn't so much of a fight tho. Raven kicked a pottery, it was clear who made this mess, they just took the food and water, all the merchandise was lying everywhere.
Fuwa, meanwhile, was checking the bodies. "These people… they didn't stand a chance" Her voice was quiet, almost reverent, as she knelt beside one of the fallen, a merchant by the looks of it. "This is awful. Whoever attacked didn't even give them a chance to run"
Raven glanced over but didn't seem as affected "That's the way it goes out here. If you can't defend yourself, you're fair game"
While they were talking someone moved, Raven jumped to the side grabbing her dagger ready to fight, but it wasn't necessary, it was a survivor, in very bad shape, he awake thanks to the voice of the girls, but he had been beaten badly.
"『Masquarade』" Raven changed back to her alter ego, Fuwa looked surprised but Raven made a gesture to remain silent, Fuwa noded, but she was surprised to see the now bunny girl in front of her.
The man barely opening his eyes tried to speak, he was wearing some fine robes, so he probably was the merchant, they probably didn't hit him as hard as the rest thinking he would die with less, but he was resilient and clinged to life.
"『Aqua Heal』" Raven used her spell on the man, it wouldn't be enough to fully heal him, but at least it would ease the pain and give him a chance "Hey old man!" Raven said cheerfully "Wake wake"
The man's eyes fluttered open, his breath shallow as he registered the sight of Raven, now disguised as her bunny girl alter ego, and Fuwa beside her. His cracked lips trembled, and a faint groan escaped him. The glow from Raven's healing spell lingered for a moment before fading, easing some of his pain but leaving him weak and dazed.
"W-what... happened...?" he muttered, his voice barely above a whisper.
Raven grinned, though it didn't reach her eyes "Looks like you had a run-in with some unpleasant folks, old man. Lucky for you, we came along before the vultures did" Her tone was cheerful, almost too much so given the situation. She crouched down beside him, lightly tapping his cheek. "But you're not dead yet. So, mind telling us who did this?"
The merchant winced at her touch but managed to focus on her, his expression a mix of confusion and fear "Bandits... masked ones... they took some... alive and put them in some carts... they were... heading to... the Dungeon City..."
Fuwa and Raven shared a glance, it was them after all.
"Hey Fuwa search the wreckage, maybe they left some water at least" Said Raven while placing her hand over the human male, she felt like a hypocrite helping a merchant, after some time raiding them herself, but in her defense, she had never killed anyone unarmed "『Aqua Heal』"
"We should head... to the black port... find help..." Said the man regaining some vitality.
"Don't even dream about it" Cut him Raven "The city is gone, it was obliterated"
The man's eyes grew wider, but he didn't have the strength to manifest his surprise, of course, none knew yet, it was going to cause a fuss. Both she and Fuwa were on their limits and now had this burden, but she doubted the human girl had the mental fortitude to leave this person behind.
"Water... in my cart..." He finally said grabbing a key tied by a rope around his neck, Raven nodded and cut the rope with her knife, and threw the key to Fuwa, she didn't have to tell her which cart that was, it was obviously it was the one more ornamented.
Fuwa caught the key and gave a quick nod before sprinting towards the merchant's cart. Her footsteps were soft but swift as she weaved through the wreckage, the fading light casting long shadows that danced ominously around the remains of the caravan.
Raven, meanwhile, remained crouched beside the injured man, her sharp eyes scanning the area while she listened to his strained breaths. She muttered under her breath "So they took some hostages with them to the Dungeon City..." Her thoughts flicked to the masked men who had escaped Black Port. If they were indeed heading to Dungeon City, things were about to get even more complicated. This confirmed her suspicion, they were the same bastards who were abducting people there.
The merchant, still dazed but slowly regaining some clarity, tried to sit up. "Gone... Black Port... how is that possible...?"
Raven placed a firm hand on his chest, gently but forcefully keeping him down "Easy, old man. You're in no condition to start worrying about the world falling apart. Focus on staying alive for now and reward us later"
Fuwa returned moments later, carrying two leather water skin and a small sack "Found it" she announced. She handed the water skin to Raven, who immediately helped the merchant take a few careful sips. His eyes fluttered as the cool water seemed to breathe some life back into him.
"Hey don't drink all the other water you gotta share it with me!" Raven complained as she looked at Fuwa drinking from the other water skin.
After they drank some water they felt as if life came back to their bodies. The merchant fainted shortly after, and Raven undid her illusion spell, Fuwa looked at her like waiting for an explanation.
"Trade secrets!" Said Raven winking and poking her tongue out "But really don't tell anybody I can heal!"
They shared some bread and took the unconscious old man with them carrying on their backs, taking turns to carry him. There was no way they were going to sleep in a place like this, just to wake up inside the stomach of some random monster.