Chapter 141: Demi-humans
A terrible tune pierced through the eerie silence of the bog. It had been going for a while, the amateurish melody driving even the owls and bats away from the area. Had somebody been unfortunate enough to walk nearby, they would have certainly torn their ears out by now.
Suddenly, a mound of mud rose behind Percy, a scaly reptilian head emerging from within, its slit eyes glaring at him in fury. It coiled once, accumulating strength like a spring as its mouth opened wide, droplets of venom coalescing by the tips of its sharp fangs. Then, it snapped right at him, intent on putting the entire swamp out of its misery.
But it never got the chance.
Before its attack even landed, two talons clasped its head, punching a handful of deep holes in its skull. A couple seconds later, Micky was already digging through the snake’s body, searching for his snack. As for Percy, he didn’t even bother turning around, knowing his familiar had everything under control all along. He continued playing the ocarina, his fingers clumsily tapping the misshapen holes, proliferating the atrocious sound.
“Percy… just stop!” Micky said, taking a break from his dinner at some point.
“Geez, I’m starting to regret teaching you how to speak.” Percy replied, though he acquiesced.
Perhaps, they had all suffered enough of his “art” for one night. Well, Nesha certainly had, as she had already kicked him out of the hut a couple hours ago. Though he blamed the crude design of the instrument as much as his own lack of skill.
‘Oh well… it’s like magic… I’ll get better at it with practice…’ he shrugged.
The only thing he lamented was how little time he got to spend with Micky ever since the incident. He and Nesha had subtly verified – through a combination of her ability and a few well-placed questions here and there – that the townsfolk had truly bought the rumour about the monstrous crow. Everyone seemed to believe that Micky was the sole culprit behind the attacks, which suited them just fine. After all, this was the exact story they wanted to reach House Tantalus’s ears.