Master of Lust

Chapter 62  Whispering Wetlands [6]

Chapter - 62

The next day,

As the sun peeked out in the Whispering Wetlands, Rick and his quirky Rabbit sidekick were gearing up for another adventure. Rick was all set to go herb hunting, a mellow and money-making task. But it seemed the Rabbit had its own agenda, and boy, was it stubborn!

Rick had really taken a liking to the little rabbit's antics and its stubborn streak, but today was something else.

"Okay, buddy, it's time to kickstart our day with a bang. Let's get down to the serious business of gathering herbs and making some cash," Rick said, stretching his arms and looking all determined.

But the Rabbit? Well, it couldn't care less. It rolled its eyes dramatically, hopped away from Rick, and acted like Rick was speaking a different language.

"Now, hold on a cotton-picking minute! Why are you suddenly all grumpy and ignoring me?" Rick wondered, scratching his head as he followed the Rabbit.

The rabbit, however, had its own ideas and was clearly not impressed by Rick's reasoning. It hopped away from Rick, its tiny nose twitching with irritation. "When are we gonna find that girl?" the Rabbit demanded.

Rick tried to explain himself, saying, "We can't just dash off to find some girl with no clue where she is. Remember our main mission – herbs! We need to load up!"  Rick tried to reason with the Rabbit.

But the Rabbit wasn't falling for Rick's smooth talk. It held its ground, refusing to budge. "Listen here, buddy," Rick continued, "If we grab those special herbs first, we'll have more pep in our step to hunt for the girl later. It's like a two-for-one deal!"

Despite Rick's best efforts to use logic and persuasion, the Rabbit remained as stubborn as a mule. It hopped around, bouncing up and down now and then to drive home its point, its little beady eyes practically screaming, "Nope, I ain't buying it!"

The Rabbit was as stubborn as a mule, turning its fuzzy face away and giving Rick's persuasive words the cold shoulder.

"Alright, alright, you win the Battle of the Bunny! But you gotta promise we won't skip on the herb hunt. We will still  look for those herbs along the way too, okay? You can't return empty-pawed," Rick finally surrendered.

With the compromise settled, the Rabbit seemed content and leaped onto Rick's shoulder, snuggling up all affectionate. Rick couldn't help but grin at this fluffy bundle of determination.

"You, my friend, are a real piece of work," Rick chuckled as he lovingly scratched behind the Rabbit's ears. "I'm your boss, you know. Can you please not forget that?"

But the Rabbit was too blissed out to care about Rick's bossy talk.

~  ~  ~  ~  ~

"Will you cut it out?" Rick practically wanted to tear his own hair out when he caught the Rabbit munching on the herbs they had just found.

Rick had been doing his best to navigate the Whispering Wetlands with his wacky rabbit companion. But it seemed like this little furball had its own ideas about how the adventure should go. As they trudged through the dense foliage, the rabbit couldn't hold back its frustration any longer.

In fact, the Rabbit was still holding a grudge. Even though they'd struck a deal, Rick thought the Rabbit would finally trust him. But oh no, this little guy wasn't falling for it completely.

Rick tagged along behind the Rabbit, and lo and behold, they stumbled upon some pretty decent herb treasures: Phoenix Herb, Dragonvine, Enigma Lotus, Moonshadow Blossom, you name it!

But as time rolled on, the Rabbit's patience was wearing thin. It noticed Rick wasn't putting much effort into the girl-searching part of their mission. So, the Rabbit decided to stage a protest.

In an act of rebellion, whenever the Rabbit spotted an herb, it'd give it a fancy name, describe its magical effects, and then scarf it down right in front of Rick's face.

"I can't believe it... I'm stuck with this stubborn rabbit. And to think, I used to find it cute," Rick grumbled under his breath, shaking his head in disbelief.

The Rabbit, maybe sensing Rick's annoyance, hopped right in front of him and proudly displayed a bright blue herb it had just discovered.

"Hey, Master! Check this out - it's a Skyshimmer Bloom! It's famous for being all cold and chilly," the Rabbit chimed in with enthusiasm, "Wherever it grows, the ground in one meter radius turns solid ice."

Rick sighed, rolling his eyes,  "Yeah, yeah... But could you please, pretty please, stop gobbling up everything we come across? I mean, let me at least touch these herbs."

The Rabbit blinked its innocent eyes, looking like it might actually be feeling a tad guilty for its herb-eating habits. It didn't take long for the little rabbit to find another herb, this time a fiery red one.

"Master, look here! It's a Flameburst Bud! This one can be used for fire magic enhancement!" the Rabbit exclaimed, practically bouncing with excitement.

"Good job! Now, hand it over," Rick said, reaching out his hand towards the Rabbit. With the Flameburst Bud between its teeth, the Rabbit seemed to agree and slowly hopped toward Rick. Rick had a glimmer of hope that the Rabbit was finally obeying. But just as it got close to Rick, the Rabbit suddenly inhaled the herb, not even bothering to chew it.

"Oops..."

"Come on, seriously? You're doing this on purpose, right? I need those herbs. Quit eating them!" Rick exclaimed, irritation creeping into his voice.

The Rabbit remained cool as a cucumber. "Oh, don't sweat it. There are plenty more where that came from," it said with an air of nonchalance. The Rabbit then skipped ahead and stumbled upon a pristine white blossom.

"Master, feast your peepers on this - the Enigma Lotus! Supposedly, it reveals hidden truths and stuff," the Rabbit proclaimed with fake enthusiasm, clearly enjoying its little game.

"Ah, the Moonshadow Blossom! Fascinating, isn't it?" the Rabbit exclaimed.

"Fascinating, my foot! I can't believe I'm having a full-on argument with a rabbit over some grass in the middle of nowhere," Rick grumbled, his face turning as red as a tomato from frustration.

The Rabbit felt slighted, muttering to itself, "Master doesn't appreciate my talents... I'll prove him wrong."

So, on a mission to make a point, the Rabbit kept finding and chowing down on herbs, all while explaining their uses and benefits to Rick. It was like the furry critter had decided that if it couldn't get its way, it would make Rick lose his marbles.

And suddenly, Rick and the Rabbit had found themselves in quite the predicament. They had been having a tense stand-off in the middle of nowhere in the Whispering Wetlands. Rick finally waved the white flag in surrender. "Alright, you win. Munch away on those weeds to your heart's content. Who cares some grass anyway? Let's just focus on finding that girl," he conceded, throwing his hands up in the air, thoroughly exasperated.

Just when things were getting nuttier by the minute and it seemed like the herb argument was reaching a truce, BAM! A gunshot pierced the tranquility. The Rabbit, in an Olympic-worthy display of athleticism, leaped onto Rick's shoulder, its little heart pounding like a jackhammer.

Rick's heart was doing the exact same thing, and he instinctively covered the Rabbit with his hand, trying to shield it from harm. The Rabbit was scared out of its wits, and who could blame it?

But guess what? That gunshot was just the opening act.

Bang! Bang! Bang! One after the other, shots rang out, turning the serene landscape into a bullet-riddled circus. Rick couldn't help but wonder if they had somehow stumbled into a Wild West showdown.

or the next minute or two, a bunch of distant gunshots popped like popcorn. Rick wasted zero time and bolted behind the nearest giant tree for cover. He had just escaped getting killed last night, and he wasn't up for a repeat of last night's "close encounter of the lethal kind."

Finally the barrage of gunshots subsided, the forest fell eerily silent once more. Rick and the Rabbit exchanged nervous glances, 'Uh-oh, what now?' Sitting around twiddling their thumbs didn't seem like the smart play here. They had to figure out what the heck was going on.

"Should we check that out?" The Rabbit was the first to propose.

Rick gulped audibly, his throat dry as the desert sand beneath his feet, and nodded at the Rabbit. "You're right, little buddy. We should probably check it out. The worst that can happen is that we might killed."

But the Rabbit nodded, its eyes wide with trepidation. It clearly missed the sarcasm in Rick's voice.  It hopped down from Rick's shoulder and, with a twitch of its nose, pointed in the direction from which the gunshots had come. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Lead the way, oh fearless fur-knight," Rick said, half in disbelief at the Rabbit's sudden bout of bravery. Together, they tiptoed toward the ruckus, Rick obediently following the Rabbit's furry guidance.

They trudged on, the scorching sun feeling like a relentless heatwave, and the sticky humidity turning them into human puddles. Rick started to ponder if this was some kind of wacky dream. Maybe he'd fallen asleep under a spell in this cursed forest, and this whole situation was just a kooky hallucination conjured up by those infamous forest ghosts.

But the Rabbit's occasional squeaks and jittery hops were a constant reminder that this was as real as it got. As they inched closer to the source of the gunshots, they began to hear the faint murmur of raised voices in the distance.

Rick and the Rabbit traded glances again, this time with a blend of curiosity and jitters. They stepped it up, sneaking through the desert shrubbery like a pair of undercover agents, aiming to get closer without becoming unexpected guests.

Before long, after covering some ground, they began picking up the unmistakable sounds of folks having an  argument. It was a heated exchange, punctuated by occasional threats. Rick squinted his ears, trying to eavesdrop on nuggets of the conversation.

"I think you should just quit. You're in a tight spot, and nobody's riding in to rescue you," Rick overheard a grizzled, croaky voice, sending shivers down his spine, but not in a good way. "But don't think you're entirely useless to me yet."

"You ungrateful old coot... My family yanked you out of the jaws of death, and this is how you repay us?" Another voice chimed in, this time a woman with a hint of anger dripping from her words. "You would have died a pig's death if not for my family."

Rick whispered to the Rabbit, "We better tread carefully here. These folks don't sound like they're throwing a welcome party."

The Rabbit nodded furiously, its floppy ears bouncing as if to say, "I agree, Master." It let out a quiet squeak, "But Master, I think this is it."

They tiptoed closer, ducking behind some thick bushes, their eyes wide as they peeked out to see what the commotion was all about.

Rick and the Rabbit moved carefully toward the noisy scene, and with each step, the tension hung in the air like a thick fog. The argument was now more distinct, with several voices tangled up in a fiery squabble. Rick shot a nervous look at the Rabbit, which was still riding on his shoulder, shaking like a leaf.

"Let's not push our luck," Rick whispered, "I don't know what's happening, but it's smarter to figure it out without getting caught in the crossfire."

Ding!

[Quest Completed: Help the rabbit find that girl]

* * * * *

[A/N: Do vote, leave a comment, send me golden tickets and bring up some gifts.]