Getting back to the Brother Village took most of the day. We were very far from it, and now we had the added issue of carrying the body of the Wild Chicken of the Desert. But when we did get there, they were happy to receive us with a warm welcome, some fresh food, and even a couple of baths that they had prepared after we arrived.
They wouldn't bathe every day, but they would all bathe occasionally when they went for more hard work, the type that would make you very dirty. And even without us asking for it, they were kind enough to prepare a sort of pool of hot water for us to use. But instead of being something separate for the men and the women, it was just one giant pool for everybody to use at the same time.
Astrid didn't seem to mind, and I was mostly okay with it. But Michael and Riley were uncomfortable with the idea. In the end, they suggested that we went in first and they would take turns later. Because of the number of people that would take the bath together, I offered for them to go in first, which Riley happily accepted.
Michael on the other hand, insisted to be the last one. He even asked Rex if he wanted to join them. At first, our Rodenti companion didn't understand why we were splitting up, and in reality, he never really got the reason. But when Michael phrased the experience as a way to bond with his fellow men, Rex accepted the suggestion. That meant that the schedule ended up being Riley first on their own, then Astrid and me, then Rex and Michael going for the last turn.
At the very least, there were some spells on the pool itself to keep the water warm while we bathed. And I had to admit, the soap the Rodenti could make was absolutely delicious. The smell was floral and calming in a way that I wasn't expecting it to be. Despite wanting to stay here in the bath for a long time, we relaxed for just a few minutes before heading out. It wasn't fair to Rex and Michael to have them wait around too much. Even then, they also decided not to spend too much time. That wasn't just out of consideration for the other Rodenti, who seemingly were going to use the water after us, but also because we were all exhausted.
Fighting the Wild Chicken of the Desert was very hard on me specifically, but the trip was hard on everybody. In between getting here late last night and waking up this morning, we didn't get a chance to rest properly. As soon as we all went back to the house, Riley was already sleeping on their bed.
Just like in the other Rodenti village, they didn't seem to have the concept of a proper bed. Instead, they used fur and some other soft materials to make clumps on the corners. It wasn't something I could really argue against. After all, it was already better than sleeping on the cold, hard floor.
I waited until Rex and Michael returned just to make sure they were okay, but we didn't talk or do anything else already. I just made sure that everyone was fine, ate something that Dale was kind enough to bring us, and then we slept. The plan was still mostly the same: wake up early and go back to the main village carrying the head of the Wild Chicken of the Desert. The body was going to stay behind so Dale and the people from the Brother Village could eat it as a small piece of revenge.
But to our surprise, the Rodenti from here decided to make the chicken part of breakfast, and they insisted on us getting a few pieces. Rex acted as if that was already expected. And that's when it hit me. To the Rodenti, this was expected behavior because they understood the System. They understood that by eating this monster, we could acquire some skills, and it was only fair that they wanted the ones who killed it to be the ones to gain more power. That was something that we humans, who were not born with the System, were not entirely accustomed to.
Still, we had to eat, and I couldn't deny that I was curious about the taste. Even though I wasn't able to cook it myself, we managed to gain some extra Energy from it. The System said that because the chicken was expertly prepared, the amount of Energy we acquired from it would be increased. It seemed like you didn't need to be a cook to increase the amount of Energy you would get from a dish, but the System did confirm that if I was the one making it and performed to the same level as whoever was the chef right now, the amount of Energy available would be significantly increased.
We also got one interesting surprise as Rex himself was able to gain a skill from the meal. It was called {Feathers Fly}. It allowed him to pluck out some of his feathers and hurl them as a way to attack. The problem was that, considering the difference between the feathers of the Wild Chicken and the fur of the Rodenti, everybody agreed that it shouldn't do that much damage. It would be more of an annoyance than anything else. Also, Rex didn't like the idea of getting naked just to try to attack someone. And while he did wear some clothes, generally a tunic and some pants, it made sense for him not to want to remove his fur.
Once we were done with our meal, Dale had already organized a couple of people that would be taking us to the main village. It was a way to thank us for our help and to help Rex get back to his father in time for the attack against the Eater nest. This time we were not on a larger rock, but instead on two smaller ones that were enough to carry us all. And because of that, our time was somewhat better, although it still paled in comparison to how quickly we went from one village to the other with the help of Carl and his team.
During the trip, I double checked how close I was to the next level. But unfortunately, I only had about 20% progression. Ever since we reached tier two, leveling up had become very difficult, which made sense since the amount of creatures that were at tier two was few and far between. In addition, the amount of progression I would get by simply eating and existing was in the decimals, so I couldn't count on that being able to speed up the process. Still, there was a part of me that wondered if my cook subclass would be capable of giving more progression if I prepared something in a specific way. It was something that was worth a shot.
As soon as we got back to the main village, the first thing we did was head straight into the chieftain's house. Rex wanted to show his father what he managed to accomplish, and we needed Ash's permission to join the assault on the Eater nest. Luckily, Ash was home at the time of our arrival. He didn't delay in getting to us and inspecting the head of the Wild Chicken of the Desert.
"It is a mighty monster. How was killed?" the Chieftain asked.
"Cassandra act as bait. Lure creature close, then once in good spot, Cassandra runs to us. Rex use skill and kills monster with rock in one move," Rex explained proudly.
"And why Rex didn't act as bait?" Ash asked, his tone curious.
We had discussed that possibility, and Rex explained the same way that I had explained to him.
"Rex mage. Not good at melee. Rex being bait unnecessary risk. Cassandra sturdy, can take hits. Better choice for bait."
Ash stared at Rex for a long moment with an expression that was hard to read but seemed to be somewhat disapproving until he opened a big smile.
"Good, good. Very smart. Focus on strength. No need to risk just to show off. Proud of Rex. Proud of son," Ash said with a smile.
"Rex join attack, yes?" our Rodenti companion asked, a big smile on his face.
But Ash just shook his head.
"No. This prove Rex smart and strong, but not all need for attack. Need cunning, need to see what around. If you want to join, you need prove can survive."
"That doesn't sound really fair," I spoke up. "We did what you asked us to do. We killed the monster that was being a problem for the Brother Village."
"Yes, but that not only thing. Still need more," Ash replied in a way that made it hard to argue against him, as if his words were final and absolute.
"So what? After all this, Rex won't be able to join the fight? And neither will we?" I crossed my arms, ready to start arguing despite the finality of Ash's words.
"Still can prove can join. Just need something else. Not far from village, a strong plant grows. Desert Flower we need. Can use flower for making poison that will help attack on Aranean. No one free to go after. Instead, you go. You search and bring back flower, and Rex proves enough?" Rex asked.
"Astrid doubt it. Rex prove smart and strong." With a smile, Ash continued, "Rex go, prove can help."
"Good, good. Ask for Trix near village exit. She help with location."
Rex thanked his father, and we left the Chieftain's house once more, our Rodenti companion walking proudly along the streets. We let him move ahead of us for a little while as the rest of the group had something we needed to talk about, just so we were all on the same page.
"Rex's dad doesn't want to let him go, does he?" Michael asked.
Riley and I nodded.
"That does seem to be the case," they said.
"Why not?" Astrid asked.
"Because I'm 90% positive he's just going to be sending us on wild goose chase after wild goose chase. That way we can be too busy to participate in the actual attack on the Eater nest. And he doesn't have to tell his son that he doesn't want him to be a part of it," I explained.
Astrid frowned and asked again, "Why not?"
"Probably because it's going to break Rex's heart. I mean, he's working so hard to participate in this, and only for his dad to say, 'Oh, actually, I never had any intention of letting you join,' it's going to be rough."
"No, why Ash doesn't want Rex there?" Astrid clarified.
"You would have to ask Ash himself," I shrugged. "But I'm guessing that he doesn't want his son to be in danger, or he thinks Rex is only going to get in the way."
"Don't you think we should talk to him about that?" Riley asked.
"Maybe, but who's going to tell him? I don't have the heart to go, 'Hey, your father is lying to you,'" I replied.
"Maybe Ash will do right thing," Astrid suggested.
"I seriously doubt that, but we can hope," I rubbed my eyes.
Just as I did that, Rex was already arriving at the house where Tricks would be. She was an old doctor. And because of that, she also had good knowledge of plants and other kinds of things that could work as both medicine and poison. The four of us just watched as our Rodenti companion knocked on the door with a big smile, while we tried to come up with a good way to tell him what we were thinking without breaking his little heart.