Master Of None

’Living Island- dormant

The living island is just that, it is land given life through high mana density. It also has a flesh and blood core that is able to feed on the monsters that it captures with is sand, stone, and plant like body parts. It is often confused for an abandoned island but the telltale signs of it being a living island are the lack of plants, fruits, and living monsters.

The living island starts off as a floating mass of sand that slowly grows. Eventually, it attaches to rocks in the ocean and makes them part of its body. From there it can only grow. The more it consumes the more it grows. It has been known to grow to the size of four or five island swallowing whales. They often attempt to eat each other.

One tamer once found the core on the island and attempted to tame it. Unfortunately, such a large species of unfeeling monster is impossible to tame. They have no emotion for the connection to form with and therefore can only be destroyed. They are not overly destructive but do not discriminate in their meals. They have been known to consume entire ecosystems.’

There was more information that Walker could have read. However, he was already falling toward the others with Midnight in tow. She sensed his worry and was reacting accordingly. ”Everyone! Off the island now! Retreat immediately!”

The order boomed out like a roar. Walker was already pulling Su toward the lifeboat they had just left behind. Onyx was right with them trying to understand what Walker could have seen. If he had taken the time to tell them though, they might be too late.

The scouting groups had done nothing to wake the island yet. That was a good thing. If it awoke while they were there then there was the chance for it to eat all of them. The island was so large that the chances of fighting it were too low. They would most likely be unable to even make a move against it.

The caves under the waters would be the anchors it had put down when it was dormant. The parasitic plants made sense now. They weren’t feeding off the island because there was no other living thing for them to feed off, it was because the island was perfect for them to feed on. Everything else that they saw around them was part of the island. Part of the island that could eat them if it wanted.

The ships saw that everyone was rushing back. Lifeboats were setting off again with speed that made it clear that there was something wrong. In just a few more moments, the flying tamers, demi-humans, and the golems began to return. The merfolk also made their own guesses about what was going on. But they all trusted Walker’s appraisal. They heard him say retreat and that was that.

Before Walker’s lifeboat had reached the ships again, Scylla was already off the ship and in the air to meet him. ”Tell me what monster you found. Will we beat it or should we retreat?” Scylla had the idea that the island was home to monsters and that was the reason for their retreat. They didn’t have enough forces to defeat the monsters living there.

”We retreat. The entire island is alive. That’s why there is nothing living there. None of the plants are real. They are all part of its body. It’s asleep-”

A massive groan and the sound of cracking stones rang out. The waters began to bubble around the entire island. The groan that followed was from the massive area changing before their eyes.

The island stretched out slowly before their eyes while the beaches rippled. The stone that has been underwater had broken off and was rising up to meet the rest of the living island’s body. Seeing that the island was no longer dormant was all Walker needed to shout out again. His roar of warning put even more urgency on retreating.

The other lifeboats had luckily already left the island. They were all using their utmost strength to escape back to the ships. The merfolk in the water swam to push the boats along as well. They could tell this was something they had never encountered. For them, this was a living nightmare coming true from storybooks they were read as children.

”The living island is real!” This was shouted out more than a few times by those on the ships that had heard tales about them.

The island’s movements seemed blind as it changed shape and started to drift in the waters of the ocean. Whatever they had done had made it wake up but it was not moving toward them. It was not something with ears as a human had. It couldn’t hear their shouts but had felt them on it before. Now it was trying to find the food that had woken it up.

The moment Walker was close to the ship he jumped using the wind to get aboard. ”No one attack it, no one even sneeze toward it. If it feels us it will come this way to eat us! The entire island is alive and trying to find food!” The warning made many shudder. They couldn’t imagine how such a large living thing would go about eating them. But it was clear that it had done worse before.

There were parts of wood that had been trapped in the sands. Everyone could see them now from the ships. Pieces of wood that had once been a ship. It may have only been enough for one but that was enough. Enough to show that the island did not discriminate about what it ate.

The other things seen as the island moved in the distance were less clear. But the white shapes were clearly sun bleached bones. Many things had been consumed by this monster. None of them had managed to escape their fate. They had only become nutrients for a monster that was nearly impossible to deal with unless its core was found.

”That thing is basically a golem. It might have a flesh and blood core, but its body is made up of sand and stone. It’s not something we should face. Next time we see an island, we will appraise the entire thing first.” Walker was firm on this. Scylla just stood next to him and nodded. She had already made an order for the harpies to transfer this information to every single ship captain.

The moment that the last lifeboat reached a ship, every single ship was moving away from the living island. They were thankful that Walker had caught the all around appraisal from the air. Many had attempted to use all around appraisal scrolls on things while exploring the island but found they didn’t work. It was a common report being made to all the captains at the moment.

”So that was alive?” Gil was more stunned than anything. He was completely fooled in to thinking that was just a random island they had come across.

”I am just a surprised at you. I didn’t think that was a living thing until I went up to the clouds and used my all around appraisal. It was just a shot in the dark to see what was going on since I couldn’t identify much of anything. But now we know why the island was so clean and perfect. It ate everything that touched it.”

”How would I even punch something like that? You said it had a core right? Do I just dig it up and hope I find it like a buried treasure?” Remey wasn’t too angry. She knew that some materials had been taken from the parasitic plants on the living island for alchemy. She was very happy with that but a little defeated that the island had woken up and left. Not that she would have been happy if it woke up and stayed.

”This puts the ship in a bad position. We might need fresh food sooner than later.” Su made it clear that this was not a good thing. Stopping for nothing earned was bad all around since they were not closer to their destination but had become hungrier.

”We can make it.” The positive response from Alice made them all wonder what she had in mind. They knew that the healers might have some hidden tricks to treating certain illnesses but they wouldn’t beoolproof.

”Before things get that bad, we will figure it all out. I won’t let it come to healers having to take action.” Walker’s promise was mimicked by onyx who was watching Alice carefully. He was certain that she was considering using light magic somehow to supplement others. That was the basis for most healing magic. It just depended on the way it was used.

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