From Blade To Spell

Blackberries

Aaron soon reached the stream. Using the map, he easily spotted the location of the Green Snakes. He scanned the area carefully, and sure enough, two serpents were lying in the underbrush, waiting silently for unsuspecting prey to approach the water.

He turned to Maria and said firmly, 

"Miss Maria, please stay where you are."

Maria glanced at the stream, its clear water flowing gently over smooth stones. She then looked at Aaron, puzzled by his request. 

"Why does he want me to stay back?" she wondered. 

Though a little dissatisfied, she chose to trust him and remained where she stood.

Maria didn’t understand why Aaron had suddenly fired into the bushes. 

"Did he see something I didn’t?" she wondered, puzzled.

But what truly stunned her was when he aimed at a different bush and released another arrow. For a moment, she felt his actions were meaningless, perhaps even reckless. 

"Is he just wasting arrows?" she thought, her brows furrowing.

Then Aaron turned to her and said calmly, 

"Miss Maria, the danger has been cleared. You can wash your face now."

Maria blinked, her heart conflicted. Though she was grateful he had saved her earlier, his current behavior felt... pretentious. 

"Is he just showing off?" she thought, dismounting from Elly with a sigh.

But as she stepped closer, she saw Aaron walk toward the bush and retrieve his arrow. What she saw next made her freeze.

A Green Snake, at least a meter long, lay limp, its head pierced cleanly by the arrow.

Her breath caught.

Aaron moved to the second bush, and sure enough, another Green Snake lay dead, its body coiled in a final twitch.

A chill ran down Maria’s spine. 

"The Dark Forest... it’s far more dangerous than I imagined."

She realized then that Aaron hadn’t been showing off. He had seen what she hadn’t. And if not for him, she might have died without ever knowing what struck her.

Aaron checked the map again and confirmed that no immediate threats were nearby. The area seemed safe, for now. As he inspected the surroundings more closely, he noticed small icons on the map indicating the presence of fish, crabs, and shrimp near the stream.

From this, he deduced that the stream was one of the main water channels that flooded during the rainy season, nourishing the forest and attracting wildlife.

He then scanned for edible plants, berries, or fruits. A small icon blinked just a hundred meters away, a blackberry bush.

Aaron turned to Maria, who was still washing her face in the clear stream. 

"Miss Maria, please wait for me here. I’ll be back soon," he said.

Maria felt a flicker of panic in her heart. The forest still made her uneasy, but she kept her expression composed and replied, 

"Okay."

Aaron walked over to the snake corpses and carefully pulled out the arrows. He wiped the blood off with a leaf and returned them to his quiver. He examined the snakes briefly, preserving the meat wasn’t practical without proper tools, but the venom could be valuable.

"I’ll deal with these after I get the berries," he thought, glancing once more at Maria before heading toward the bush.

Maria splashed water onto her face, letting the cool stream wash away the grime and exhaustion. But as she looked down at her clothes, torn, stained, and caked with dust, frustration surged within her. 

She had never worn anything so filthy in her entire life. 

"If not for those damned Spider Bandits..." she thought bitterly, her hands clenching at her sides. The memory of their chase made her grit her teeth in hatred.

Taking a few deep breaths, she tried to calm herself. The forest was quiet now, and Aaron had gone. But the silence only made her more aware of her thirst. She glanced at the stream, its water clear and inviting.

Yet she hesitated.

"If I get diarrhea in a place like this..." she thought grimly, "It won’t just be embarrassing, it could be fatal."

Meanwhile, Aaron was already gathering berries, using a broad banana leaf he’d found near the stream as a makeshift basket. He tasted one of the blackberries, sweet, with a hint of sourness and a tangy bite. It was surprisingly refreshing.

He ate a few, then continued picking, occasionally checking the map. Yellow spots blinked across the display, marking harmless animals and birds nearby. The area seemed peaceful, for now.

After a few minutes, he had collected nearly half a kilogram of berries.

Then his eyes caught a yellow spot just fifty meters away. He zoomed in and identified it, a wild rabbit.

Aaron wrapped the berries carefully and placed the leaf bundle on a flat stone. He drew his bow, nocked an arrow, and moved silently through the underbrush until he was just twenty meters from the rabbit.

It was nestled in a bush, nibbling quietly.

Without hesitation, Aaron released the arrow.

A sharp shrill cry pierced the air. The birds nearby were startled and they flew away while chirping loudly.

He rushed forward and found the rabbit writhing in pain. Without wasting a moment, he drew his dagger and ended its suffering with a swift strike to the neck.

The forest fell silent again.

Maria was startled by the sudden sound that echoed through the forest. Though it lasted only a few seconds, her heart raced with panic once again.

Just as she was about to search for Aaron, she saw him approaching. In one hand, he carried a freshly caught rabbit; in the other, a large banana leaf filled with berries.

"Miss Maria, here, eat these blackberries. They’re fresh and refreshing. I’ll take care of the rabbit," he said calmly.

He handed her the leaf, then knelt beside the stream and began skinning the rabbit with practiced precision. His dagger moved swiftly, removing the fur and cleaning the internal organs. Occasionally, he glanced at the map, confirming that no red dots were nearby. Still, he worked quickly, not wanting to take any chances.

Maria looked down at the berries. They were small, dark, and glistening. She hesitated, unsure of their taste, but curiosity won out. She picked one and placed it in her mouth.

To her surprise, it was delicious, sweet with a tangy bite, far better than she expected.