SWNOVELXO Chapter 66: chapter 66
Chapter 66: Food Drive
– Haru –
I stood there looking at the three massive and very dead woolly mammoths sprawled out on the ground in front of me. These were mammoths from Skyrim, meaning they were absolutely enormous, easily twice the size of the extinct animals from my own world.
"Wow," I muttered, still taking it all in. "That's... that's a lot of meat right there." Around three Baku's worth right there…
Aela nodded, crossing her arms proudly as she stood beside her kills. My beautiful Nord huntress girlfriend had blood and dirt smeared across her toned arms and face, making her look even more striking than usual. She flashed me a wide, satisfied grin. "Yes, it was quite the epic hunt!" she declared, clearly pleased with herself.
Serana stood off to the side, wiping a bit of blood off her pale cheek. She sighed, shaking her head gently. "I'd call it more of a clusterfuck than a hunt, honestly."
Aela's proud expression turned into a pout.
Agnar laughed loudly at that, slapping his armored chest with amusement. His dark ebony armor was completely covered in monster blood and mud. He looked as if he'd just come straight from the heart of the fight and loved every second of it. A few feet away lay the bodies of five giants, each of them easily over fifteen feet tall, now sprawled awkwardly across the grass just outside Whiterun's city gates.
Speaking of Whiterun, the guards stood around in small groups, scratching their heads in confusion and disbelief. Some of them were splattered with blood, looking as if they'd reluctantly joined the fray at some point.
…I could even see the Jarl standing nearby, looking down at the bodies with a look of exhausted resignation. I was surprised to see the guy come down from his throne room, but I guess a battle involving multiple giants and mammoths right outside his gates was enough to get his interest.
The Jarl turned towards Aela with a weary sigh. "Would you mind explaining exactly what happened here…?"
"Gladly!" Aela said confidently. "I was tracking a group of Argonian thieves across the plains near Whitehold. They thought they could outrun me—idiots." She chuckled darkly. "I caught up to them easily enough, but then the bastards got desperate and ran into a giants' camp for cover." She paused for dramatic effect, her eyes narrowing angrily as she recalled the memory. "Now, even I know that fighting multiple giants at once isn't a good idea. Giants usually hate Argonians, so I figured I'd tell them they had intruders and let them handle the problem for me."
Serana sighed. "And judging by the fact that we just had to fight off all these monsters, I'm sure that went well…"
Aela shrugged sheepishly, looking less proud of this particular part of the story. "Well… I admit there was a small error on my part. One of the Argonians was skilled in Illusion magic and managed to cast enrage on the giants thinking they would attack me instead. The giants ended up killing all the Argonians…and then they all came after me. I did manage to bring down one giant on my own, though!" Her confident smile quickly returned. "...Of course, that just made the rest even angrier. They chased me straight to Whiterun. Luckily, I had backup waiting here!"
Agnar grinned widely and nodded, raising his greatsword triumphantly. "Indeed, it was a glorious battle! Although next time I'd appreciate a little warning because I was on the toilet when it all started…"
A couple nearby guards scooted away from him after that comment…
The Jarl rubbed the bridge of his nose in exhaustion. "Well, good job everyone, I suppose. Just try not to bring any more giants and mammoths to my gates again, will you?" he said to Aela specifically.
Aela just laughed. "I make no promises, my Jarl!"
The Jarl groaned quietly, turning around and trudging back towards Dragonsreach, likely hoping he wouldn't have to deal with something this ridiculous again for at least a few days.
He didn't bother adding anything else either. No punishments for Aela at least.
Honestly, the Jarl probably realized by now that Agnar was way too strong to punish. And Aela? Well, she was my girlfriend. At this point, most of Whiterun's citizens either respected or feared me enough not to complain too loudly. That, or they were just tired of my restaurant randomly bringing otherworldly chaos into their lives.
I walked over to Aela and slid an arm around her waist, pulling her close as she leaned against me happily. "Nice job," I said, smirking down at her. "So, any plans on how we're going to cook all this mammoth meat?"
"It's my gift to you, my love. Use it however you want."
Hm, I think I had an idea…
…
Brockton Bay…
I flipped a thick mammoth steak on the sizzling grill, glancing up briefly to check how the line was going. The park I'd picked out in Brockton Bay was crowded, with dozens of tables set up and people waiting patiently for their meals. Most of them were homeless, but others just looked like they'd had a run of bad luck.
It felt good doing something…good, even if it was just cooking for strangers.
Mammoth meat was on the menu.
Surprisingly, when I announced that when people started curiously gathering to the smells of cooking, no one seemed hesitant to try extinct animal meat. I guess Brockton Bay was used to weirder things.
Mammoth steaks, mammoth fried rice, mammoth kebabs—I even tossed together some mammoth stir-fry. My tails swayed happily behind me while I worked. I loved cooking for people, especially when it meant helping those who really needed it.
Aela stood beside me, wearing a long apron over her armor. Her fiery red hair was pulled back in a tight braid, keeping it out of her face as she served up plates and bowls. She glanced over at me with a raised eyebrow and a playful smile. "I didn't expect you'd just be giving all this food away, love," she teased, handing a steaming plate of mammoth steak to an older man who thanked her with a toothless smile.
How was he expecting to eat that without teeth exactly…? Meh, he could always try the soup if it didn't work out.
"I just felt like doing something nice," I replied, shrugging as I flipped another steak. "Out of all the worlds my restaurant connects to, this one definitely needs the most help."
Aela nodded thoughtfully as she started serving another hungry person. "Well, no argument there. Although I still don't see why anyone would willingly live in a city like this. It looks so bleak and sad." And that was coming from a woman who'd never heard of electricity or bathed in hot water until she met me…
We weren't the only ones here of course. I enlisted a bit of extra help. I even went the extra mile to make it an official D-rank mission that Tsunade found funny enough to make Naruto and Naruko participate in. Although Naruko didn't mind since it meant getting to spend time with me.
Naruko was smiling brightly as she handed out bowls of stew to a group of hungry-looking kids. Her nine red fox tails swayed happily behind her, occasionally brushing gently against the curious children, who giggled each time they touched the soft fur. She seemed genuinely happy doing this.
Her twin brother, Naruto, stood next to her awkwardly. He also now sported nine golden fox tails and fluffy fox ears now, thanks to Naruko dragging him off to Rimuru's world.
Naruko had insisted on it, saying if she had to live as a fox girl, then he should experience it too–minus the girl part.
"Here you go! There's plenty more food if you want more" Naruko said.
"Yeah, Dattebayo! Eat up so you can get big and strong like me!" Naruto said to a group of small children.
"But we don't want to be case 53's…" One of the kids pointed out.
Naruto scratched his head and glanced at his sister? "Huh?"
Naruto just stared blankly, clearly confused at the kid's question. Naruko glanced at him and then over to me.
I shrugged in response. "No idea what a Case 53 is," I said.
Before any of us could try guessing, a sudden gust of wind blew past, followed by the appearance of Glory Girl, who gracefully landed near us. "A Case 53 is someone who woke up one day with powers but no memories, and usually they're mutated in some way." Her presence immediately drew everyone's attention.
She approached Naruko and the kids with a reassuring smile, before turning to me. "Hey, Haru! Whatcha doin'?"
"Serving up some extinct mammoth meat. Want to to help out?"
"Sure thing," Glory Girl said cheerfully, grabbing an apron and stepping right in to serve bowls of soup.
The crowd seemed even more excited to have a familiar hero around now.
She wasn't the only hero to show up either. Within minutes, more costumes arrived, drawing murmurs of excitement from the gathered people.
Three Protectorate heroes showed up next. Miss Militia, Dauntless and Velocity. Was a bit surprised to not see Armsmaster with them. He was probably busy doing his own Tinker thing.
Miss Militia walked up to me, glancing at the makeshift cooking setup I'd arranged in the park. She looked cautious, maybe a little hesitant. "So you're Haru?" she started, clearly choosing her words carefully, "do you have a permit to be serving food here?"
I smirked, meeting her eyes confidently. "Nope. You gonna arrest me for it?"
Her gaze flicked quickly between me, Aela standing protectively nearby, and Naruko and Naruto handing out food to a group of smiling kids.
"No," Miss Militia sighed, her posture relaxing. "I'll have the PRT issue a temporary permit immediately. It won't be a problem…"
Dauntless approached us, grinning widely. "Yeah, no one's eager to pick a fight with someone who choked out Lung and one-shot an Endbringer." He extended a hand toward me, offering a friendly smile. "Hi, I'm Dauntless. Want to join the Protectorate?"
I chuckled at his blunt invitation and shook his hand firmly. "I appreciate the offer, but my restaurant already keeps me plenty busy."
"Ah, everyone dreams of being a superhero as a kid though," Dauntless said with a chuckle.
"Or a villain..." Miss Militia added dryly.
"Does this city have trouble with these villains you're mentioning? If you need someone to hunt them down, I'm always ready." Aela asked.
Miss Militia visibly swallowed at the suggestion, clearly nervous at the idea of a complete unknown like Aela running loose in Brockton Bay. "We appreciate the offer, really," she said quickly, "but without Lung, the ABB has been effectively neutralized. Right now, the city's in a delicate state. Starting trouble with the Empire or the Merchants could make things worse."
Aela looked disappointed but nodded understandingly.
Dauntless laughed softly, trying to lighten the mood. "Well, since fighting crime is off the table for now, mind if we lend a hand here?"
"Of course," I replied, handing him an apron. "The more help, the better."
…
…We were just about finished packing up after two hours of handing out food. Most people had already eaten, and I felt pretty good about the day. Doing something nice for people always put me in a good mood, especially in a city like Brockton Bay, which clearly needed it.
Just as I was starting to collect the empty trays and clean up, the crowd parted, and a woman with a microphone and camera crew came striding purposefully towards me.
"Hello, Jessica Bayers, Brockton Bay News," she announced, pushing the microphone in my direction. "Mind answering some questions for our viewers?"
I blinked, a little surprised by the sudden camera in my face, but nodded casually. "Sure, ask away." Then I muttered under my breath, "Do people even watch the news anymore?"
Glory Girl leaned in from nearby. "I sure don't! I just check PHO for everything."
Jessica shot her a glare, and Glory Girl smiled innocently, stepping back. The reporter sighed and turned back to me.
"So, first things first," Jessica began firmly. "Who exactly are you, and why did you take over the Boardwalk?"
I chuckled lightly at her accusation. "Hey now, I didn't exactly 'take over' anything. My name is Haru, and I'm just a chef. My restaurant just ended up there."
She narrowed her eyes skeptically. "Just ended up there? Are you saying you had nothing to do with the 'stranger' effect that prevents ordinary people from approaching your establishment?"
I raised an eyebrow at her words. This was actually news to me. "Wait, really? There's some kind of 'stranger' effect?"
"Yes," she replied, irritation growing in her voice. "Whenever regular citizens approach your restaurant, they suddenly change their minds and walk away. Care to explain?"
I rubbed the back of my head, feeling slightly awkward. It must have been something the goddess set up when my restaurant connected to Brockton Bay. Probably to keep us from getting too swamped by random people. "Honestly, I had no idea about that. But hey, if you can manage to reach the restaurant, anyone's welcome inside for a meal." I told the camera.
"I have no trouble getting inside," Glory Girl chimed in proudly, placing her hands on her hips.
"Me neither," another voice called out. I glanced over, startled. Standing there with a mischievous smile and a stylish fedora was none other than the mysterious Illuminati hat lady. She winked at me, placed a finger playfully against her lips, and slipped quietly back into the crowd.
Well, that happened…
I stared after her in confusion before snapping back to the reporter, who had continued on, clearly frustrated by my casual demeanor.
"Moving on, then," Jessica said, her voice tightening. "Are you a hero or a villain?"
I shrugged, completely unconcerned by the accusation. "I'm neither. Like I said, I'm just a chef who happens to have a lot of power. And I guess pretty good looks, too." I flashed a teasing grin at Aela and Naruko.
Naruko blushed furiously, her red fox tails swishing shyly behind her, while Aela simply rolled her eyes.
Jessica let out a long sigh. "Fine. Let's address the elephant in the room. Did you actually defeat the Leviathan single-handedly, or was that footage faked!?"
I blinked, genuinely annoyed at the implication. "Excuse me? You seriously think I'd waste my time faking something like that? I have better things to do than that."
Dauntless laughed from nearby. "Yeah, and no one's looking forward to challenging the guy who took down Lung and an Endbringer single-handedly. Believe me, if the footage were fake, Lung wouldn't still be in hiding."
Jessica sighed again, clearly exasperated at our relaxed attitudes. "Could you at least tell the people of Brockton Bay why you're here? What exactly do you hope to accomplish?"
"I guess I'm just trying to help," I said sincerely. "I saw people struggling here, so I decided to share what I could. That's really all there is to it."
She stared at me for a long moment, probably hoping I'd reveal some secret motive or hidden agenda. When I simply smiled back, unbothered, she finally gave up, signaling to her cameraman to cut the recording.
"Fine," she muttered. "We'll run what we have. Thank you for your time..." she huffed out in irritation.
Suddenly, loud, piercing sirens echoed throughout the city!
The peaceful park descended into instant chaos. People started panicking, shouting over each other and scrambling around without direction.
They started shouting that an "Endbringer was coming!"
I quickly glanced toward Miss Militia, who had pressed her finger to her ear, clearly listening to some urgent information.
"Is an Endbringer coming here?" I asked urgently.
Miss Militia quickly shook her head, her expression grave. "No—not here. It's Behemoth. He's heading straight for the city of Boston."
The behemoth? "That's the radioactive one, isn't it?"
She nodded solemnly. "Yes. Anyone who gets close risks instant death. Entire cities have to be evacuated after an attack because they become permanent radiation zones."
Naruto and Naruko hurried toward us. They winced as their fox ears flattened against their heads. Both of them had just gotten their fox ears and we're not used to loud noises.
"Haru, what's going on? What's with that horrible noise?" she asked anxiously.
"It's a warning siren. An evil monster on the level of a tailed beast is attacking a city north of here."
Naruto clenched his fists immediately, his tails bristling. "Then what are we standing around here for? Let's go beat the hell out of it!"
"Exactly!" Aela declared fiercely, stepping up beside me with a confident gleam in her eyes. "We can slay this beast easily!"
"Hell yeah!" Glory Girl shouted enthusiastically, clearly ready to leap into action. Before she could say anything else, though, her phone beeped loudly in her pocket. She sighed dramatically, pulling it out and checking the screen. "Ugh! My mom just texted me. There's no chance in hell she'll let me go. Also—" Glory Girl suddenly smiled sheepishly at the camera crew. "Hi, Mom."
I turned sharply to the reporter who was still standing nearby. "Wait—this is live?"
She rolled her eyes at my obvious question. "Of course it is." Then she gave me a skeptical look. "So, are you really going to "punch out" the Behemoth too, or was that Leviathan footage just cleverly edited? You know, a lot of people still think you faked it!" Herself included, obviously.
I don't know why, but that wrinkled my pride a little bit. "Just watch. I'll handle your big radioactive monster, no problem."
"You mean we'll handle it," Aela corrected immediately, clearly insulted that I'd leave her out.
I gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "Aela, I can't let you near this one. The radiation would kill you in seconds as a werew–er–human." I corrected myself to not give away her secret on live tv. "Naruto, Naruko, and I can handle it, but it's far too dangerous for you."
She scowled stubbornly at me. "That's bullshit. What in Oblivion is radiation, anyway? I don't want to be sitting on the sideline like a milk drinker!"
I chuckled softly, shaking my head. She was always so confident, even about science things she didn't understand yet. "I'll explain later. Just trust me on this one."
She looked annoyed, but thankfully didn't push it further.
Miss Militia approached again, this time with Dauntless and Velocity at her side. The heroes looked much more serious than before.
Dauntless nodded appreciatively to me. "We appreciate you stepping up," he said earnestly. "We need every powerful ally we can get at times like these."
Miss Militia's eyes were pleading as she added softly, "Please don't let us down. The world desperately needs another victory right now!"
"Don't worry. I've got this. Although, it's a shame it's not the Simurgh. Gabriel really wants to get that bitch after she ran away from her last time."
"Wait, what was that?" The reporter leaned forward eagerly, catching my remark. "The Simurgh ran away!? And who is Gabriel?"
Before I could respond, a sudden burst of golden light illuminated the area.
When the glow faded, Gabriel stood before us. As always, she was amazingly beautiful and immaculate. In fact, her 12 white wings were looking even brighter and fluffier than usual.
Her gaze flickered around curiously. "Did someone call for me?"
Glory Girl stared at her in awe. "She really knows how to make an entrance..."
Gabriel looked around again, noticing everyone's distress. Her tone softened with concern. "Why is everyone so troubled?"
"There's an Endbringer attack happening," I quickly informed her. "Not here, but up north in Boston."
Her expression darkened immediately, wings bristling defensively. "Is it the false angel?"
"No," I answered calmly. "It's the radiation monster, Behemoth. But the false angel—Simurgh—might have come back near earth again if this one is acting up too."
Her eyes narrowed with determination. "Then I'll check myself! That fake angel won't escape me twice." With a powerful beat of her wings, Gabriel launched into the sky, vanishing within moments in a streak of golden brilliance.
The reporter's mouth hung open, and her voice trembled slightly as she spoke. "Was that...an actual angel?
"An Archangel, but yeah…"
"WHO EXACTLY ARE YOU PEOPLE!?"
– Conflict Engine 3 –
The entity known as Simurgh hovered silently in Earth's orbit, watching the fragile world beneath her. Humans had given her that name, unaware that their labels held no significance to a being whose sole purpose was to guide their species toward inevitable conflict and ruin.
However, her carefully orchestrated cycles had faced an unprecedented disruption.
An anomaly had emerged—an entity closely resembling the angels from humanity's ancient religious myths. The anomaly was impossibly powerful, surpassing even the Simurgh herself. Their first encounter had been disastrous, forcing the Simurgh to retreat deep into Jupiter's tumultuous storms for more than a month, an indignity she had never previously endured!
After careful calculation and thorough scanning, Simurgh determined that the anomaly had departed Earth.
Confident she could resume her purpose, she positioned herself once again above the blue planet. She directed Behemoth—her fellow conflict engine—to target Boston, intending to shatter humanity's fragile sense of security and hope once more.
But just as she finalized giving her instructions, an intense flash of golden light pierced Earth's atmosphere, streaking directly toward her position. Simurgh immediately recognized that familiar energy signature—the angel had returned.
Oh, fuck, Simurgh thought sharply, a rare moment of panic surging through her. Her mind raced with calculations, each one returning the same dire outcome: direct confrontation was impossible. Survival required immediate retreat.
The Simurgh wasn't used to feeling emotions…let alone fear for her own continued existence.
Without hesitation, Simurgh spun around, propelling herself rapidly away from Earth. She fled toward the swirling storms of Jupiter, desperate to escape the anomaly's reach.
"You're not getting away again, you evil coward!" The angel's voice thundered behind her, impossibly audible even through the vacuum of space!
Simurgh felt a rush of frustration. How could this creature persistently defy all her predictive models? She accelerated, pushing herself faster toward Jupiter. The gas giant's storm had protected her once before—it would shield her again.
"Face your judgment!" the angel demanded. Golden energy shined around her wings as she closed the distance with terrifying speed. The sheer power radiating from the angel was overwhelming, threatening to envelop Simurgh entirely.
Ignoring the angel's angry words, Simurgh pushed her artificial body to its absolute limits to try and escape a second time!
XXX
Thanks for reading!!!
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Here is the list of Current Advanced Chapters:
The Fallen Gamer ch 324-328
The Fox Hole 72
The Blood Queen 41
The Fox Hole 71
Thunder and Black Wings 16
The Fox Hole 70
The Blood Queen 40
Thunder and Black Wings 15
The Fox Hole 69
The Blood Queen 39
The Fox Hole 68
The Titan 30
The Fox Hole 67
Thunder and Black Wings 14