Setting Out

Hey there, glad to see y'all doin' well.

(He's always so happy around his snakes. You can tell he really cares about them.)

Hm?

Ya hear that too, huh?

I'll go take a look. Y'all wait here.

I'll come with you.

Looks like we hit the jackpot!

Like I said, good hidin' spots are the key to findin' these slippery li'l devils.

Well, I got the tools ready, so how do you wanna do this?

Catch 'em and just give it a go? Gotta admit, I've always wanted to try it.

Well? Good as you expected?

Yeah, not bad. I can see why everyone's goin' on about it.

What are those guys up to?

Oh, hey there!

You here for a taste of the action, too?

And what "action" would that be?

C'mon, no need to play dumb! It's the latest trend everyone's talkin' about...

Dirt snakes!

D-Dirt snakes? They're a...trend?

Wait, you really don't know?

Okay, well, you know what dirt snakes are, don't ya? So the thing about 'em is...

Grilled, stewed, roasted, stir-fried, deep-fried, raw, any way you have 'em, they taste delicious! They're the Darkrealm's latest thing! I mean, they've always been here, but nobody's ever tried eatin' 'em before.

Until now, that is. Some guy tried 'em and was blown away by how good they were. Word spread like wildfire, and now dirt snakes are the hottest new food trend!

F-Food trend?! You're...you're...EATING them?!

Hey, you okay there? You're lookin' kinda pale...

I-I'm fine...

So anyway, given how they like the dark, we figured we'd find a good haul around here.

We brought traps and bait to try and catch us a few live 'uns.

We already hit up a few other places before comin' here. You wouldn't believe how many we found! Honestly, you can't get enough, they're perfect with a drink, too!

And we're not alone, there's loads of other snake hunters out there, eager for a taste. A hungry belly'll do that to you.

If you've never tried dirt snakes, you don't know what you're missin'! Here, have a...

Whaaa?!

Kuchinawa!

Don't worry, they ain't dead. I just didn't appreciate 'em sniffin' around here is all.

That's not the issue, Kuchinawa!

Then what is?

Weren't you listening? They're eating dirt snakes!

Ah...

Well, I reckon it was only a matter of time.

Huh?! Wait, you knew this was gonna happen?!

How can you be so calm about this?! Doesn't it bother you?

I suppose it does, but I mean...

Everybody's gotta eat to get by.

Well, yeah...

But...

This is the Darkrealm. We've all got our own ways of enjoyin' ourselves.

This was bound to happen sooner or later. Those snakes drop dead all over, but no one ever considers eatin' 'em... Until someone does, and then all the folks realize what they've been missin'. That's all it takes. One person vouches for it, and suddenly, everyone else wants to try it too. Goes for a lotta things in this world.

I mean, I get that, but...

Look, I'm no fan of the law of the jungle, but we dirt snakes are still part of the food chain.

So you're just gonna let them get eaten?! I...

Aldo.

Gh...

Just take it easy there, alright?

Wait...do you have something up your sleeve?

Maybe...

Look, to be clear, I ain't happy knowin' my kin's gettin' gobbled up. But from the way they were talkin', it sounds like snake huntin's pretty popular.

And they're goin' 'round clearin' out nests left and right... ......

Kuchinawa?

Hmm... Reckon there's only one thing to do.

Aldo, I'm gonna need ya to hang back and keep an eye on my friends, alright? If anyone tries to poach 'em again, I'm countin' on ya to protect 'em.

Sure, no problem! But is that it? What about you?

Yep, that's it. As for me, I've got someplace I need to be, so I'm entrustin' 'em to ya till I get back. No sneakin' a bite while my back's turned, ya got that?

What?! I'd rather starve!

Hahaha...

Okay, I've got everythin' I need 'cept for one last thing.

Reckon I'll go get it, then. It loves high places, so I guess I'd better start climbin'.

Well, here I am...

And here we go... Right on cue.

I ain't ever gonna get used to how huge these things are. Now, let's see...

Yep, there it is. Soon as I get my hands on that, I'll be set. Hate to be selfish, big friend...

But I'm fixin' to take that from ya!

Ugh...

Hahaha... Kinda feel like a fool for gettin' so worked up over this...

Till now, I've been livin' without a care in the world... It's a miracle I made it this long... My friends, on the other hand, weren't so lucky...

Guh...

Hah...ahhh...

Heh...

(What is this I'm feelin'...?)

Suppose I've always been so busy lookin' out for myself, I just couldn't do it before... But that changes now!

As a humble dirt snake, I apologize for bein' selfish...

But I'm gonna need me one of 'em glorious horns!

There we go.

Now all that's left to do is...

What's taking Kuchinawa so long? Hope nothing's happened to hi...

Oh! There you are!

You look like you've been through the wringer! What happened to you? And what are you wearing?!

What's that supposed to mean?

(Huh? Why does the air feel so fresh and crisp all of a sudden...?)

How...? The air in this whole place feels different...

Kuchinawa?!

Yeah, right. You think I'm gonna believe that?! You're as pale as a ghost! Why don't you just tell me what's going on?

What? Why?!

I can't believe this...

So you have to leave the Darkrealm? But you love it here!

Right? And think of all the fun we had here!

There's gotta be something I can do. I just need to figure out what that is. We're friends, right? So come on, let me help you.

But why?

Um, Kuchinawa?

Stop joking around like this doesn't matter! Why did you go off and decide to do this on your own, anyway?

W-Well...

Kuchinawa...

......

I picked up this spell a long time ago, back when I was travelin' wherever the wind blew. A horn of a high-rankin' dragon, alexrite, grass growin' on the boundary between the Darkrealm and mortal realm, and my blood... That's all that's needed to cast a protective barrier that won't ever break. Only thing is, it's a no-no for Darkrealm folks to perform. Succeed, and the blood of the caster'll turn into poison for 'em.

What do you mean?

Kuchinawa...

......

I'm sure you did.

It's not that... It's just... You said this wasn't dull or cumbersome for you, right? So if this is your idea of fun, then I have no right to stop...

No...wait. That's not what I mean. What I mean is, if this is your idea of fun... Then it's mine, too.

I'm not a kid!

Wait a minute... Did you just call me your friend?

Kuchinawa...

Kuchinawa, they're...

Now all that's left to do is...

Then you're...

Yup... So watch over my friends for me, will ya? You won't have to do much. Just take a moment to help 'em out now and again. That'd be more than enough.

Kuchinawa...