Markapeets are burrowing rodents. They hide in their holes during the day and feed during the night. Their staple foods are small insects such as centipede and crickets, as well as berry shrubs and various nuts. Few of their natural predators, like snakes and birds of prey, are nocturnal, giving them the benefit of competition, or the lack thereof.
Their luck ran out when they encountered Nyx, though. The 15 meter long mistress of the night was akin to a harbinger of doom for these 25 cm stout-legged rats. Even that sentence felt too underwhelming when Andrew saw the mountain of rodent carcasses. Nyx had brought him for a hunt and showed him genocide.
Andrew almost felt sorry for the markapeets before Nyx told him they were basically pests to the ecosystem of the 27th floor due to the utter lack of predators. His guilt diminished when the smell of roasted markapeets roused his hunger, and it was all gone by the time he bit into their meat. They tasted light but juicy, and it needed just a sprinkle of salt to tie all the tastes together. It would be more perfect if he had some lemons with him.
After he ate his fill, Andrew rested for a good thirty minutes to process all the meat in his belly. He didn’t stop eating because he was full, as apparently he could continue eating more than he physically could before, but he had to find a good stopping point since he still needed to bury the drained blood and the innards of the markapeets before morning came.
As for Nyx, Andrew threw his eyes away from the serpent the moment she unhinged her jaw and gulped dozens of markapeets at once. That was a sight he’d rather not see. While Ghetto the beaver stationed himself away from this crime scene, meditating near the lake.
When the first light hit and Nyx was reduced into her 3 meter self, they resumed their journey. Andrew wondered where all those substances went, but he realized that perhaps questioning the snake that grew and shrunk depending on the time of the day about conservation of mass wouldn’t be a good idea. As always, she assumed her place around his neck, which was now getting crowded with the extra markapeets they didn’t eat.
And yet, even with the plus 5 kg to Nyx’s 20 kg on his person, Andrew didn’t feel tired at all. If anything, they covered much more distance much faster than they did yesterday. With each breath taken, he could feel some air-attuned siso flowing in through his respiratory system, feeding his core. Even by breathing, he was getting stronger.
The trip was otherwise uneventful. Ghetto grew more silent than usual after last night, while Nyx was busy sun-napping. Andrew was never one who could initiate a conversation, so he kept his thoughts to himself too. Before they realized it, the sun was setting again, marking another day he had been in this fantastical world.
Then, there was a change to the usual view of the sea of grass. Some kilometers ahead, there was some kind artificial light attached to what Andrew judged to be a building. A sign of civilization! He thought, before he wondered how he could see that far.
Andrew was excited first and brooded second. Night was falling, which meant Nyx would grow into her 15 meter glory again. Whatever town was waiting for them ahead, he didn’t know if they could accommodate a giant snake like her, and he hated the idea of leaving her sleeping outside by herself. He knew that Nyx was her own person - or, snake, and he had no right to worry about her in any shape and form, but he had owed her too much favor. He couldn’t stay indifferent.
As if his thoughts reached her, Nyx slithered away from him. Andrew knew what he was expecting. He braced himself to face the kind giant serpent again.
What he didn’t expect was when the snake took the form of a beautiful woman.
