Unranked ascension a lit.., p.38
Unranked Ascension: A LitRPG Adventure, page 38
“Have a good night, James. Tell your father I’m heading out. I’ll be back around sunrise.”
“Okay, I’ll tell him!” James turned to keep feeding his pigs, but spun around on his heel abruptly. “Hey, wait! Can you get me one of those rings you gave Jack? Let me have the next one you find, please?”
Lucius raised an eyebrow as he stared back at James, rubbing his chin as he considered the request.
“It’s not impossible... Maybe if you keep helping out around here, I’ll see what I can do. No promises, though. We all know your mother is a scary lady. I’d hate to see what happens if she doesn’t agree. Still, I’ll keep a lookout for another ring.”
James nodded eagerly before waving goodbye to Lucius, who was already heading toward the treeline. He didn’t bother waiting until he was out of sight before calling upon Whisper and feeling the sudden rush of power that accompanied mythification. Lucius took a moment to concentrate and dismiss the annoying teeth before surging forward in a powerful sprint, heading straight for Magar’s cave.
Along the way, he kept Sense Danger closely attuned. It was a habit he had always maintained to avoid threats, but right now, he was paying attention for a different reason. When he sensed the presence of the nearest F-Class creature, his mouth stretched into a grin. He showed off his incredible agility by launching himself into a ninety degree turn without losing any speed as he raced toward his newly acquired target.
When he drew close enough to see it clearly, Lucius spotted a large, elk-like beast resting beneath the trees. Its fur shimmered a deep, mossy green, blending almost seamlessly with the forest floor, and its antlers glowed faintly with golden light, branching outward in intricate, curling patterns like living vines. A soft luminescence pulsed gently along the edges of the antlers, casting dappled light on the leaves above.
The creature didn’t appear to be nocturnal—its breathing slow and steady, as if it were settling down for the night. Lucius watched it for a moment, his lips curling into a savage grin as he activated his aspect and crept forward.
“You’ll do nicely,” he muttered, nearing the unsuspecting creature from downwind.
“Hrrruuuaaagh!” the beast barely had time to bellow.
You have defeated Alces Viridis level 10.
Finding Magar’s cave was easy—it was the only place in the entire forest glowing like a volcanic shrine. Flames danced from burning piles of brush scattered across the clearing, casting shifting red light against the trees and rock. Magar clearly had no qualms about using fire for decoration; the whole area pulsed with heat and light, as if the cave itself breathed flame.
Lucius approached slowly, watching with growing curiosity as the flickering tongues of fire licked at the nearby foliage. The wind stirred the flames, and yet, strangely, not a single spark leaped beyond the boundary of the clearing. It was as if an invisible wall held the blaze in check—the air itself thick with some unseen force.
“Interesting…”
Lucius narrowed his eyes. However Magar was doing it, the control required to contain such wild, magical fire was more than impressive—it was mastery.
Stepping up to the cave’s entrance, Lucius waved his left hand. The large body of the elk appeared on the ground before him. The creature had suffered one clean slash across its neck. Lucius had tried his best to ensure that the beast died swiftly and with minimal suffering, since it had not attacked him after all.
Before Lucius could call out to Magar, a large silhouette appeared at the entrance of the cave. The ground trembled as Magar lumbered forward into the light of the surrounding flames, and the first thing Lucius noticed was the large wound on the being’s shoulder. As soon as he saw the wound, Lucius knew that his guess about who had chased off the wolf was correct. Very few creatures would be strong enough to leave such a wound on Magar, and the C-Class wolf was the only thing Lucius had seen in this new world so far that could have accomplished such a feat.
He watched as Magar approached the elk’s carcass without saying a word, the sound of tearing flesh spreading through the dark forest as Magar ripped into the offering.
Lucius took a few steps back, sitting down on a large rock nearby and waited patiently as Magar ate. For the next few minutes Magar focused all his attention on his food. When the carcass was halfway gone, Magar finally glanced up at the young man who had delivered his meal. A deep, monstrous voice spreading from his lips.
“This is the second time I’ve seen you pass up good meat. I don’t know if I can trust a creature that I have not seen eat.”
Lucius raised an eyebrow as he glanced toward the elk’s carcass, shrugging as he stood up and approached the body. Magar watched closely as Lucius reached out with his black-clawed fingers, tearing a chunk of meat off the elk’s flank with his bare hands. He then used his telekinesis to float the piece of meat toward one of the nearby fires.
Luckily for Lucius, the same flames that didn’t spread to the surrounding brush and trees still produced heat, allowing him to cook his meat without issue. He quickly charred the outside, leaving the inside pink and rare. When it looked good enough, Lucius pulled a salt shaker out of his ring and smothered the meat in coarse salt.
Returning to his seat on the rock, Lucius quietly ate alongside Magar. The two of them sat in silence for a few minutes before Magar grew curious about something else.
“This white sand is new to me. Why do you put it on your meat?”
Lucius glanced down at his own meal, confused, before realizing what Magar was referring to.
“Oh, that’s salt. We do it for the same reason we put our meat through the fire, it tastes good. Want to try it?”
Magar gave a pointed gesture toward the slab of meat in his hand, his brows raised expectantly. Catching the hint, Lucius floated the container of salt through the air with a flick of his fingers, sprinkling a few measured shakes over the glistening chunk.
Without hesitation, Magar tossed it into his massive mouth. For a creature his size, it barely qualified as a bite—but it was enough. He paused, chewing thoughtfully, his eyes narrowing in quiet appreciation as he experienced, perhaps for the first time, the subtle magic of seasoning.
Magar chewed the meat with a ponderous expression on his reptilian face, but after a moment, a look of frustration overtook him. The giant slammed one of his oversized, clawed fists against the ground. The punch was so strong that a flood of leaves came sprinkling down from the surrounding trees and Lucius could feel the rock beneath him vibrating intensely. Lucius rose to his feet, glancing at Magar with uncertainty.
Magar’s narrowed eyes locked onto Lucius as his familiar deep voice rumbled out with a low growl.
“Damn you, boy... It’s good. Too good. You’ve ruined my meals now, human. I will yearn for the taste of this white sand with every bite I take from this day forward. How will you take responsibility for this misdeed?”
Lucius chuckled at the outrageous words coming out of Magar’s mouth. He wasn’t sure if the giant lizard was joking or if this was a sneaky bargaining tactic to coerce him into providing free salt. Either way, salt was easily accessible for Lucius. Even if humans never produced more, there was so much of it left in stores and factories that it would take ages to use up—and salt lasted indefinitely without spoiling.
Even if supplies did run out, salt was easy to source naturally. Lucius searched through his storage ring and pulled out an unopened container of iodized salt. It was one of the items he casually stuffed into his ring whenever he searched abandoned homes. With a grin, Lucius tossed the container to Magar as he spoke.
“I don’t know if you’re joking, but either way, I owe you a debt of gratitude for protecting my people from Baba Yaga’s wolf. Salt is something all humans treasure, but I’m willing to provide it to you in exchange for your continued protection of this forest. As long as our village exists, you’ll have a regular supply of salt. What do you say?”
Magar turned the bottle of salt over in his large hand as he looked at it from all angles. It was a large container, but it looked comically small in his massive paw. After gently shaking the container and hearing the pleasant sound the contents made when they rolled against the insides of the hard cardboard container, Magar confirmed that it was indeed completely filled with the precious white sand. The widest grin Lucius had ever seen spread across Magar’s massive face. The giant lizard carefully held out a razor-sharp pinky claw, piercing the tip of it through the container to create the smallest hole he could manage.
Lucius watched as the powerful creature acted with solemn precision, slowly sprinkling the salt over the remaining meat with great care, ensuring that not a single grain was wasted.
Magar brought the freshly seasoned meat to his mouth, tearing off a large portion with his sharp teeth as the blood dripped down his face, forming a red river across his wide chest. A contented grin spread across his face as he licked his teeth and lips. After swallowing the meat, he glanced down at Lucius and nodded a few times before speaking.
“I accept your terms. Human Lucius.”
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Perry Okeefe, Unranked Ascension: A LitRPG Adventure
