Chapter 155: Monsters In The Middle Of Dinner
"Who are you calling a battery, you useless ghost?!" Sparky shrieked, spinning around to fire a tiny static shock at Valeria’s face.
Klaus looked around and everybody was ignoring her... He assumed everybody that couldn’t see Valeria thought that she was crazy
Valeria didn’t even flinch as the tiny bolt passed right through her incorporeal form.
"You cannot harm a Soul Queen, spark-bug."
Klaus let out a long, heavy sigh, completely ignoring the bickering on his head as he stared down at his floating white line.
"I’ve got one!" Mirela suddenly squealed.
SPLASH!
The tip of Mirela’s sapphire ice-rod violently bent downward, the glowing white Soul Mana line snapping taut as something heavy tugged hard from the depths below.
The demi-human maid didn’t hesitate.
Fueled by the massive permanent stat boost her body had absorbed from Klaus’s divine seed, Mirela planted her boots into the snow and yanked her arms backward with zero finesse.
SWOOSH... SPLAT!
A massive thrashing dark-blue fish that was easily two feet long, with thick metallic scales and razor-sharp fins was violently yanked completely out of the hole.
It flew thirty feet through the freezing air, spinning wildly before landing with a heavy thud right inside the large wooden tub Mirela had set up.
The Arctic Trout flopped frantically inside the tub, its thick tail slapping the wood.
"Ha! First blood!" Mirela cheered, her goat ears perking up proudly as her tail wagged behind her.
She shot a triumphant look at Tasha. "See that? That’s how a professional does it."
Tasha bit her lip, her noble competitive spirit instantly flaring up.
"Beginner’s luck," she muttered under her breath, hastily adjusting her stance and dropping her own line deeper into the dark water.
Not even thirty seconds later, Tasha’s rod violently jerked.
"Aha!" Tasha gasped, her eyes lighting up. She braced her feet, pulling back on the rod.
The fish put up a surprisingly fierce struggle, twisting and diving in the freezing current, but Tasha was a trained noble combatant.
She played the line skillfully, letting the fish tire itself out for a few seconds before giving a firm graceful haul.
SPLASH!
A second thick Arctic Trout erupted from the pool, arc-ing through the air and landing squarely in the tub beside Mirela’s catch.
Tasha let out a small breathless laugh with a bright genuine smile breaking across her pale face... the first real smile Klaus had seen on her since she had stumbled out of the blizzard.
"I got one! I actually got one!"
"Not bad at all." Klaus smirked, giving her a brief nod of approval.
Tasha’s cheeks flushed slightly at the praise, and she quickly turned back to re-bait her hook with her previous gloom temporarily forgotten in the excitement of the hunt.
For the next twenty minutes, the clearing was filled with the continuous, wet sounds of thrashing water, triumphant shouts, and heavy fish flopping into the wooden tub.
Klaus pulled up three large trout with casual effortless flicks of his wrist. Mirela caught four more, shouting in glee every single time, while Tasha proved to be surprisingly adept, hauling up three of her own.
The large wooden tub was rapidly filling up with writhing, thick, silver-and-blue cold-water fish.
Only one person hadn’t caught anything yet.
Anya sat perfectly still on a small block of ice near the edge of the hole.
The six-year-old Shinigami held her miniature ice-rod with both hands with her posture completely rigid, her striking purple eyes locked onto the glowing white line dangling in the dark water.
She hadn’t moved a muscle in fifteen minutes.
"Patience is required," Anya murmured softly to herself deadpan. "The aquatic organisms are currently evaluating the presentation of the bait and optimal engagement is imminent."
"You need to wiggle the line a bit, kid," Klaus advised gently, leaning over from his spot. "Fish like movement."
Before Anya could adjust her grip, the dark water beneath her hole suddenly began to violently bubble.
GLUB! GLUB! GLUB!
The glowing white Soul Mana line attached to Anya’s rod didn’t just go taut as it was violently slammed downward with the force of a falling anvil.
KRA-THOOM!
The tip of Anya’s ice-rod was yanked straight into the water.
Because the line was forged from Klaus’s indestructible Soul Mana, it didn’t snap and because Anya’s hands were locked around the grip with stubborn Shinigami tenacity, the little girl was instantly pulled off her ice block.
"Woah—!" Anya blurted out, her emotionless face instantly breaking into a look of wide-eyed shock.
The massive force dragging the line was immense.
The tiny six-year-old girl was literally hoisted off her feet with her boots skidding across the slippery ice as she was dragged straight toward the edge of the gaping freezing hole.
She was about to be pulled headfirst into the sub-zero river.
"Anya!" Mirela shrieked, dropping her rod in a panic.
Klaus moved faster than sight.
In a fraction of a second, Klaus blurred across the ice.
He didn’t grab the rod... he reached down with his massive right arm, catching Anya firmly around her small waist just an inch before her boots left the edge of the ice.
He lifted her entirely off the ground, tucking her securely against his broad chest like a football.
Anya didn’t let go of the rod.
Her tiny fingers remained clamped around the ice-grip like an iron vice with her legs dangling in the air as the massive entity below continued to violently yank the line.
"I have secured the target," Anya reported, her voice trembling slightly from the adrenaline rush, though she tried to sound calm while pinned under Klaus’s arm. "However, the entity possesses a physical mass that defies standard trout metrics."
"Yeah, no kidding," Klaus grunted, an amused grin spreading across his face. "Hold on tight, kid."
Klaus planted his heavy combat boots into the frozen ground.
He reached out with his free left hand, grabbing the translucent ice-rod right above Anya’s tiny hands.
He didn’t just pull with his muscles as Klaus flooded his left arm with a surge of raw Soul Mana, leaning his broad shoulders back and heaving upward with terrifying force.
BOOM!
The surface of the dark water violently detonated.
A massive roaring geyser of freezing water, slush, and ice exploded fifty feet into the air, raining down across the valley floor.
Emerging from the depths of the subterranean river, hooked securely by Klaus’s Soul Mana line, was a leviathan.
It wasn’t a normal fish... It was an Apex Glacial King-Trout which was a mutated underwater beast easily twelve feet long, covered in thick jagged plates of ice-armor, with a maw lined with rows of needle-sharp teeth.
The monster was massive, weighing easily over a ton with its giant tail whipping wildly as it was forcefully dragged out of its aquatic sanctuary.
CRASH!
The colossal fish flew over their heads, blocking out the moonlight for a second, before crashing heavily onto the snowpack twenty yards away.
The weight of the beast landing caused the entire valley floor to violently tremble, kicking up a massive cloud of white powder.
The leviathan fish flopped uselessly in the snow with its giant gills gasping for air, completely helpless on land.
Silence fell over the clearing.
Mirela stared at the giant monster fish with her jaw hanging wide open.
Tasha looked like she was about to pass out, her rod slipping from her limp fingers.
Klaus set Anya down gently on her feet.
The little Shinigami adjusted the skirt of her blue dress, smoothing down her silver hair.
She walked slowly over to the colossal twelve-foot fish lying in the snow, looking up at its massive armored head.
She turned back to face Klaus, a rare glint of pride shining in her purple eyes.
"I caught the largest one!" Anya announced smoothly.
Klaus burst out laughing, a booming sound that echoed off the frozen cliffs.
He walked over, clapping a heavy hand on her shoulder. "You sure did, Anya! You sure did."
An hour later, the clearing smelled like heaven.
They didn’t bother trying to fit the twelve-foot Glacial King-Trout into the wooden tub.
Klaus had used his Soul Broadsword to cleanly butcher the massive beast, carving off thick, tender slabs of rich, pink, cold-water steak, while Mirela handled the smaller Arctic Trout they had caught earlier.
Mirela had set up a large iron grill and spit over a roaring bonfire built near the side of the carriage.
The fresh fish steaks were sizzling aggressively over the flames.
The rich savory aroma of roasting fish, melting fat, and Mirela’s blend of alchemical heat-spices wafted heavily across the clear night air, cutting completely through the biting chill of the valley.
They sat around the fire on rolled-up fur blankets, eating directly off wooden skewers.
Tasha took a bite of a freshly grilled trout steak.
The crisp seasoned skin gave way to incredibly flaky, hot, juicy meat that practically melted on her tongue.
A long involuntary moan of pure bliss escaped her lips.
"Mmmnnh~!"
Her eyes fluttered shut with her cheeks flushing a brilliant red as she chewed frantically, quickly taking another massive bite.
After days of eating ruined, frozen rations and starving in the blizzard, hot freshly cooked meat tasted like literal salvation.
"This is... this is incredible," Tasha breathed out, wiping a drop of savory juice from her chin.
She looked at Mirela with genuine admiration. "You are an amazing cook, Mirela."
Mirela puffed her chest out proudly with her goat ears perking up. "Of course! A proper maid must be able to nourish her Master with the finest meals!"
She shot Klaus a pointed sweet look, but Klaus was currently busy eating an entire three-pound slab of King-Trout steak off a wooden spike with his divine appetite making quick work of the food.
Anya sat neatly beside him, using a small wooden fork to methodically eat tiny precise bites of her massive catch, looking thoroughly satisfied.
For thirty minutes, they enjoyed a rare peaceful feast under the bright silver light of the moon.
The laughter, the crackle of the fire, and the mouthwatering smell of the roasting meat created a warm cozy bubble in the middle of the frozen wasteland.
However, in the Winterlands, peace was always a temporary luxury.
The rich, savory scent of roasting fish fat and fresh blood didn’t just stay in the clearing.
Carried by the low night breeze, the mouthwatering aroma wafted miles out into the dark frozen canyons surrounding the valley.
And the starving predators lurking in the shadows smelled it.
GRRRRRRRR...
A low vibrating growl echoed from the dark pine tree line at the edge of the clearing.
Klaus didn’t stop chewing.
His glowing silver eyes lazily shifted toward the shadows.
His divine senses had picked them up five minutes ago. Drawn by the smell of the feast, a wave of Winterland monsters was slowly emerging from the surrounding cliffs.
Stepping out into the moonlight were at least fifteen mutated Frost-Stalkers... heavily armored saber-toothed predators covered in jagged plates of natural ice.
Prowling alongside them were dozens of emaciated dire wolves, their glowing red eyes locked onto the sizzling grill with rabid starving ferocity.
Mirela instantly set her wooden plate down, her hand reaching for her moon-crystal staff resting against her blanket.
Anya quietly set her fork down, her purple eyes narrowing as dark violet magic began to swirl around her small fingers.
"Monsters," Mirela warned with her posture tensing. "They smelt the food."
Before Mirela could stand up, Tasha suddenly pushed herself off her blanket.
The blue-haired girl stood up straight.
Her pale face was set in a tight intensely determined expression.
She looked at the approaching pack of roaring beasts, then turned her gaze directly toward Klaus.
"Let me handle them," Tasha requested, her voice ringing with a fierce unwavering resolve.
Klaus stopped eating, raising a silver eyebrow as he looked up at her. "You? You can barely stand without shivering. Your core is still recovering."
"I am fine!" Tasha insisted, her light blue eyes burning with a desperate, deeply emotional fire.
She balled her fists tightly at her sides. "You saved my life. You gave me a warm place in your carriage, and now you are feeding me fresh meat..."
She swallowed hard with her voice trembling slightly as a shadow of deep pain crossed her features.
"I told you... my noble family is bankrupt. My father is dead. I have no money, no estate, and no status left to my name, however I refuse to be a useless parasite who just eats your food and relies on your charity!"
She looked directly into Klaus’s glowing silver eyes, bowing her head slightly.
"Please... let me fight. Let me prove my worth. Can I... can I borrow your sword?"