"MRAH! Mrah mrah MRAH!(Hey! I need armor!)"
"..."
"Mrah mrah, mrah meow-mrah!(Think about it, I'm too small!)"
"..."
"Mrah mrah mrah mrah...Mra-MRA mrah!(One chomp from a parasite you forgot about...and I'm DONE for!)"
"...Woof.(...Armor won't help. You're too little.)"
*Sniff!*
"...Woof.(...Fine. Follow me.)"
Today I learned Doggy sensei was perfectly healed. It seems the mana helped them for some reason. Strange, but now I know that all animals in this world can absorb mana instinctively, like doggy-sensei and I! The others who didn't know how to absorb mana back at Adventurer's City were just... weird savages!
Woof.(Take.)"
It's...amazing. A Tiny helmet that fits me! I'm...I'm...
"Woof.(Was Roy's as a young pup. People thought Aldis was crazy for having it made, but he was traumatized by his wife's death, after all.)"
I love it. Nyahaha! Look at me now~ the metal shine doesn't look too bad! It fits perfectly around my head!
"Woof.(Mhm, your head was indeed big enough.)"
...
"Woof.(Hold on.)"
...
*Sproing!*
Doggy sensei gathered mana around its claws and sliced into the helmet, generating two slits where my ears popped out of.
Nyehehe...now it's perfect! I show everyone around the village early morning before finally thanking Doggy-sensei and leaving.
After spending 3 more days feasting on that eel and storing it in a 'Cold room'...basically a room-sized freezer imbued with cold magic, the villagers were finally going back to their daily routines. Now that My armor problem is resolved, I follow my main target for the day!
I followed Lawrence, the strange village fisherman that laughs a lot, to his favorite fishing hole in order to steal-er...
Stolen story; please report.
*COUGH* *COUGH*
OBSERVE his fishing methods for the second day in a row. Oh! And maaaybee... Nyuhuhu~
"Heheheh, Spending the day wit' me again, huh? That makes two times now. Yesterday I showed ya how to fish, eh, the basics anyhoo. Also taught ya how I made my trusty partner. Well, today I have a special...gift...for ya...TADAA! Eheheh~"
*GASP!*
Oh. My. LORD of CAT'S! He...he...! He gave me a fishing rod! My size! NYAHOO! Yesterday, he was teaching me how to fish when I brought him a stick. He told me it wasn't the right size, then showed me about how he crafted his own rod. Well, I barely understood it, BUT I dropped clues! A buncha them! That I wanted one for myself!
I grab my fishing rod and dance on two feet while embracing it. He smiles very creepily while I do so. Maybe that's his "Aww!" expression, but it gives me the shivers, so I stop.
"Yew can't fish here 'cause they're too big, but I'll give ya a map of some nice places yew can fish if yew ever convince Rei to take you by them. They have very small critters suitable for ya!"
Oh! A map! Well, not a full one, just a cut-out of our area, surrounded by the two forests and some places just outside those two Natural patches of hell. I couldn't possibly hold a FULL-sized map, after all.
Anyway, I'm too excited to listen! I wanna fish! I plop my fuzzy butt near him and cast my lure!
Heeeya!
*Splosh*
"Eh? Wait, this spot has dangerou-"
*Tug!*
Oh! I already got a bi-
*Splosh!*
...
...
"The cat was...pulled into the water..."
NYAAAA! SO fast! My eyes! The water burns them! I only felt a split-second tug, and I was already inside the water without any time to react to this-this...this...Eh?
...The heck? Just as I recognize this silhouette, the creature...if I can call her that... tugs the fishing line. It seems she was surprised she felt no resistance against her efforts...was she trying to prank the old man by pretending to be a fish? The hook is clearly in her hand and it still has the live bait!
Ah, she noticed me. She's moving closer now...uhm...are you...friendly...?
I've heard conflicting stories from-oof!
She's hugging so tightly! Losing...what little oxygen I have left...wait. Why is she opening her mouth...why is she bringing it so close to me...why...why does she have...razor sharp...teeth...
NOOOOO!
*Scratch*
Ah. Hehe, Oops. The mermaid looked like it wanted to eat me, but it kissed me instead. Too late though, because my claws already scratched her.
...
*Sniff*
...Sowwy?
Just as I tried giving her my beautifully giant 'puppy dog' eyes, she swung her tail at me.
NYAAAAA!
*Plop*
I landed back beside Lawrence, looking like a drenched rat. No offense to rats.
Hm? What's...
*Lick*
Some silver liquid taints the tips of my left claws, the ones I used to scratch her. It tastes...fishy.
In my right are 4 scales of the mermaid...
Maybe when she smacked me with her tail, I grabbed some after I reflexively guarded? Hehehe~ I have treasure now.
As I lick the silver off my claws in a kitty-bout to clean them, the fisherman is oogling the scales in my hand.
Mine. No. I'm not sharing.
"Those scales... Mely?"
Huh? Mely?
"I'm right aren't I? Was it a beautiful mermaid with iridescent hair that changes color?"
Uh...sure?
"Heheheh, MELINDA DEAR! I knew you were toyin' wit' me! I ain't never gon' give up repayin' my life-savin' dept to ya! First I gotta beat yew fair an square!"
...He seems to be reinvigorated by some strange obsession after looking at my scales. I'm just...gonna...gonna go...
I run to Saria's mom while holding my fishing rod and scales.
"Oh? What's that you have there, kitty?"
"Mrah! Mrah Mra mrao mra!(Hey! Make me some stuff!)"
She tilts her head, confused. I sigh. Ignorant fool.
I bend down and lay my items on the floor beside me. Then I use my beautifully clean claws to scratch a 'Strap' against my fishing rod, and scratch a pendant into the floor using the scales.
"Oh~ those are some wonderful ideas! Quick thinking kitty! But...if I treat you special, then my other customers..."
Y-You monster... you wouldn't make a not-even-a-year-old kitten PAY for your services, would you?!
I stare at her in horror as she plays coy. Completely ignoring my kitty charms.
...FINE! I'll SHARE!!!
I grumble as I BEGRUDGINGLY hand her one of the four scales. But it's the SMALLEST ONE!
"Hehe~ Transaction complete! I'll make you the prettiest pendant you've ever seen! I think I've got some hair from that Googly-eyed intruder that hurt Roy and his Pa way back when...Could use that for string...reinforce it with the hide...OH! That Dreaded Eel's fangs can be used...hehe. Gimme 3 days, hun. Your strap and pendant will be ready by then."
...Oh...o-okay. I think I overheard something about those scary paralyzing teeth...but whatever. I'll leave her alone. These villagers get an eccentric look in their eyes when they're focused on their profession.
3 days...I think Doggy-sensei said Rei has made lots of improvements after focusing in the hideout, and I saw that doggy-sensei haas been secretly guiding mana into Rei for something when he meditates. Is Rei gonna see mana too very soon? Doggy-sensei has big plans comeing up in 3 days, for the both of us.
Apparently I've gathered more than the amount of mana needed. Whatever that means. 3 days was the amount of time Doggy-sensei said it would take before they can teach me how to infuse an element with mana...maybe I can practice it in secret? Nyehehehe~
*Gurgle*
Strange...why do my tummy...and my tail tingle?
