Master Of None

Due to Onyx’s size and serpent form he was able to move much faster through the burned farm lands. He noticed that there were many guard and adventurer patrols along the way and did not hesitate to greet most of them. They more or less recognized him due to the plaque attached to his neck but had trouble understanding how such a small serpent was suddenly bigger. Onyx found it very comical when he needed to explain it all. 

After surpassing the farmlands with his speed he was back in the familiar fields outside of the city. However, this was closer to the swamplands that contained dangerous poison type monsters. Onyx was not going to get close to them but he could still see the change in the terrain from where he was. If he was not careful and drew too close he could end up facing something he did not wish to battle against. 

The morning was still early and the sun had barely started to peek over the horizon. This was the ideal time for someone to see the slight blue white glow of wisps floating in the fields. Normally they just move along with the winds and if they were blown from the swamplands they would either dissipate or be eaten up by moth type monsters. 

Seeing that there was a small wisp about the size of a childs’ ball, Onyx blended himself with the ground as best as possible. He knew that the wisps were not sentient and could not move to avoid him. But he was going to treat this as if he was hunting a minister that could run away or even fight back. 

The results of his sneaking would show themselves in future battles. But here, he noticed that his tail would slip past the grasses making a scraping sound on his scales. It was a good thing to learn and he slowed himself to reduce the sound. 

As he neared the wisp, Onyx curled himself up a little. It was enough to allow him to leap out at his target. His goal was to leap forward with all his strength and swallow the wisp in one bite. He was resistant enough to deal with any fire elemental mana which would cause any small burns and the light elemental mana would rapidly become absorbed as nutrients.

When Onyx made his move it was faster than he had expected. He thought he had used too much force and after slamming his mouth closed around the wisp and swallowing it he looked over his body. He had unknowingly unlocked a skill that most serpents grew in to. ”So this spring skill is to be blamed.”

’Spring- 1 mana cost.

The user coils their body in a certain way to generate force. With less energy than normal, the user springs forward towards their target allowing them to surprise and ambush prey. It is an extremely common skill for any and all snake or serpent like monsters.’

The system shared the details with Onyx who was proud to move on toward a small group of wisps in the distance. After deciding to take a more direct approach, Onyx rose up well above the grass. He whipped his tail down using his tail slam skill and kicking up dirt and dust. One of the wisps was torn in two only to form two smaller wisps. 

”So a wisp can not be destroyed. They can be split in to smaller wisps.” This was an interesting development that Onyx had not read about in any book or heard about from anyone. It was a valuable thing to know since he could still consume the wisps even after attacking them. 

Knowing this, Onyx proceeded to test multiple physical skills and ambushes to slice and chomp wisps in to pieces. The progress was consistent and he felt that he was developing his skills well. He had even started to keep an eye on his own back after he realized that his tail was always so far from him and his main sight. 

Meanwhile, the sun had been rising bringing warmth to the plains before the swamplands. The grass blew in a slight breeze that carried the rotting smell of the swamplands. However, the breeze also carried over more wisps. It also helped wake up the small monsters that waited in the dried grasses for the sun to rise. 

Onyx was hiding and trying to practice another ambush when he noticed the flapping sound. It was not too loud but it was noticeable. He turned to find that the wisp he was hunting was already under attack. A purple winged moth was swooping down toward it and opening a mouth full of needle sharp teeth. This purple winged moth may only be the side of the common house cat, but Onyx knew all too well that the teeth and purple color spelled the word poison and venom. 

These moths were feeding on the wisps and would normally be attracted to any form of light in the swamplands. They derived their position from the poisonous plants they would eat as caterpillars and absorb while they were wrapped in their cocoons. The silk the caterpillars made was valuable as poison resistant threads but hard to farm due to the poisons in the swamplands. 

Since Onyx was alone he did not want to risk fighting these moths. Instead, he used it as a reason to practice stealth and shrank himself by putting more of his body in to his shadow. He had hunted a decent amount of wisps and he didn’t have to push himself too far. 

Yet, when he looked at the dry grass he realized he had been missing something very important due to the dark before the sun started to rise. The caterpillars had left the swamplands and made their cocoons here in the grasslands so that when they emerged they could hunt the wisps. Onyx had a great number of cacoon husks he could gather here!

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