Master Of None

”There are some pretty dark clouds coming in. I don’t think that will help u at all.” Gil was looking at the distant sky through the dread branches of a few trees. There was also a small breeze that added to the chill they felt. 

”It’s definitely going to rain. I can feel the water elemental mana getting dense in the air. It will make things muddy and hard to walk through but I can try to freeze it a little.” Walker’s suggestion helped but they all started to add extra layers on for the rain. The cloaks that Walker had stored in his storge were longer and covered most of their bodies but had been specially waterproofed by Lisa. 

”Avoid the low parts on the ground as we go through. They will start to fill with water and be the muddiest. I don’t want anyone to get stuck as we move.” The warning from Su got a resounding yes from the rest of them. Midnight had huddled closer to Alice as they started to walk and the moisty rain began. 

It was not a powerful downpour but enough for them to know that they would be colder and colder. The torch that Remey had been carrying that burned the skunk weed was easily extinguished. ”Let’s hope that the monsters stay in their little hiding sports because of the rain.” She was clutching the water knuckles just in case she had to use them. 

”I hate to say it, but I think we will see more than we want. The misty makes it perfect for the water dwelling monsters to leave and travel in the open air.” As if waiting for Walker to say this a small brown fish wiggled on to the cold icy mud before flopping to a nearby pool of water. 

”I forgot catfish lived here. If we can catch a few they are very good for energy while traveling. My father said that he used to make catfish stew when he was near the swamps.” This was another recipe that Gil had in the back of his mind for the right situation. Walker took note ready to make it happen. However, Midnight didn’t seem to be excited about it as usual since she remained silent. 

Due to this, Walker looked for her and found that she was glaring in the distance. The small brown shapes wiggling out of the water and mud were eclipsed by a much larger muddy shape rising from the mud. ”I think that’s a mud scale turtle. They won’t attack but they are very hard to capture and defeat. Their name might suggest their shell is weak like mud but the name comes from the fact that they cover their scales in mud.” Walker had seen one of two on the market. Many nobles would request them from the adventurers’ guild to be ingredients turtle soup. 

The main problem was, that due to their tough shell and dangerous environment many people would avoid hunting them. They were also heavy and hard to bring back to the city. Thus, it was the least hunted monster around. ”I don’t see any reason to bother it. We can pass by and let it be. We have ground to cover.” Su beat Walker to the call but it was the same one he had wanted to make. It would just waste their time to hunt a tough to beat enemy that wouldn’t normally attack them anyways. 

”Then we go around.” Walker manipulated a nearby pool of water to freeze in to ice thick enough for them to walk over. This allowed them to give the mud scale turtle a good amount of space to keep doing what id was doing. However, they encountered yet another just a few minutes deeper in to the swamps. 

”How many of these turtles are there around here? They are huge, you think they would have a larger territory.” Gil was used to the animals and monsters he hunted not wanting to encroach on each others’ territories. It was a normal behavior for any creature. 

”Gil, that one isn’t moving.” Remey had fallen in to a stance as she noticed that the mud scale turtle ahead of them was not moving an inch. There was a also very strong scent of rot nearby. Walker also noticed that Fleur had scrunched her face in to the same angry disgust she had before. 

”Stay calm. We can’t risk fighting something in these conditions. Before we were lucky but whatever managed to beat that might be too much to handle.” It was odd for Walker to make the group sneak so much. But he was sure that the monsters that had not been hunted and kept somewhat under control would be able to defeat the party. There were many very good reasons the swamp lands were feared.

”No, there is something moving.” Su picked up on some movement in the mud around the mud scale turtle body. However, when she realized what it was she was not happy at all, her skin crawled and she was sure that they needed to move away from there immediately. ”There are small purple worms moving in and out of the mud and in to the shell. I don’t think they ate through the shekel but they definitely ate the turtle.” 

Sine Su had spotted the problem Walker used his all around appraisal skill and whispered out what it came up with. 

’Purple blood worm. 

These are vicious dark affinity monsters. They hatch in clutches of a thousand and live for a week at most during any season. They will only hatch and feed during the night or cloudy rainy days. They use potent dark elemental mana to cause severe rot in any living creature before devouring the rotting corpse. They are extremely dangerous but hold an extreme weakness to any light elemental attacks. Even sunlight can cause them to die in minutes’ 

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