Master Of None

The thoughts of a different and a mostly unknown monster potentially lurking beneath their feet was something that was able to be pushed away fairly quickly. It wasn’t because everyone was not afraid of it. It was because they had to keep moving. Worrying about a single monster wasn’t what they had to do right now. Instead, they had to worry about what they might find ahead.

There was a trail to follow, one that was definitely more than anyone had expected. ”Ventus, your addition to the sand tornado seemed to be digging up more than I thought.” Walker pointed out the earth crystals that had just been found by a few of the soldiers.

”It was not the plan to increase the strength. You can’t say you are not happy to find those things though.” Ventus looked at Waker. There was a little smile playing on her face. She knew that many who were finding the uncovered items lost to the desert were happy to do so. But everyone was also enjoying the clear path to follow rather than climbing over dunes here and there like before.

”It is a little fun. I am learning a lot more and faster. But I am worried about what else might have been dug up by the sand tornado. We were originally going to move around to the opposite end and pass by one of the towers here in the desert. Now we are coming from the opposite side to follow the tornado. When it collides with the ruins, there’s no telling what might happen.”

”What do you mean? More will be uncovered. We already see it. The tornado is putting sand around for at least a mile. But where it hits is nearly swept away. The sands we are walking on are much denser too.” Ventus was acting like a parent explaining something anyone should have seen. She was being nice but it was also a little condescending.

”That’s what I don’t like. We are going to show off more of whatever the ruins are and we might uncover more undead than we want. We might be fighting right away when we get there. The only hope I have is that the sun will still be high in the sky.” This seemed to catch Ventus a little. She had regained enough energy to move without any soldiers directly around her. Not that her dragonkin didn’t keep near her.

There were times that Walker wondered why the royal dragons had not brought their dragon champions or the draconic guardians. Unfortunately, they had left those in charge along with their elders. Their territories were a very important part of being a royal dragon. Having the most loyal being in charge while they were gone was required. It was much more important to them than even the risks they were taking by traveling here. They could be replaced but their territories could be lost.

It was an interesting thought but it really spoke to the culture of dragons. They were easier to understand the longer that Walker was around them. He also noted that the dragonkin were just as loyal, if not more toward the royal dragons. Therefore, there was always someone moving to protect the royal dragons who were much more powerful and could defend from even more than the dragonkin could.

”Care to tell me what that is?” Ventus interrupted Walker’s thoughts with a single question. She had been observing things around them as well. The large channel of dug out sand had not only revealed a few ancient things, but also some useful monster parts. Ventus saw one such potentially valuable find and had to ask.

The small black spike of wood sticking out from the ground was what Ventus had pointed to. Without much hesitation, Walker moved toward it only to find that it was still buried deeper than he thought. He couldn’t just pull it free and needed to add a little manipulation to the sands. The earth mana could help him draw it up.

What was revealed was nothing of what anyone expected. The all around appraisal spoke clearly about what they had found. But that didn’t mean that everyone understood it. Not that it would make sense in a general way anywhere or any time. This was not the place for such a monster to be found.

’Blackwood treant head

The blackwood treant is a desert growing monster. It is known to be born from the blackwood tree that grows mostly under the sands. It will only rise to the surface during the rare rain storms of the desert. They can be dormant for a hundred years without water until they gain enough to sprout and use their gathered nutrients for a massive growth spurt.

This blackwood treant head is long dead. Inside are unique pockets of condensed blackwood filled with nutrients great for growing plants at a higher quality. Unfortunately, the wood is fire resistant and will not burn easily. But this was a good thing since many ancient tribes once used them to make primitive forging tools.’

”It’s a type of treant head. And apparently, there are trees that remain buried under desert sands waiting for the rare rainstorm to grow. I wonder how long everything here has been buried. It says that the blackwood trees only hibernate for a hundred years. They might be extinct or almost there with the way the desert is. With the odd white sands soaking up any possible moisture.” Walker’s theory seemed to make sense. It was sad though.

”That is actually something I can enlighten you about. We discovered juvenile blackwood sprouts a few years ago. A researcher managed to put them in a state of dormancy and bring them to active states now and then. We are able to keep a living species for the time being. Our Fel empire is not going to allow any form of plant, herb, or monster to go extinct like that.” Ethan made sure to speak his praise of his own empire.

”We of the Rize empire would not allow that either. However, you are forcing them to exist in different places than they should. You should keep them in their natural environment. The desert and not your research areas. Not your fake greenhouse made to pretend as a desert. With your potions and prodding.” with the Rize empire angels immediately pushing against the Fel empire angels, everyone learned a little more.

There wasn’t just a difference in how the two empires thought when it came to elemental manas. It also came to how they operated. The Rize empire did not take kindly to the fact that the Fel empire would keep and isolate things within their research. Stopping them from their natural progression with potions and other skills. But the Fel empire saw this as necessary for research and species preservation.

”If the blackwood tree can be returned to the desert naturally without the influence of the weird expanding curse that is going on here, then I am fine with it. But if they can not do so, then it might not be worth it. There are limits and lines to everything. If you two can find a balance in your conversation, keep talking. If you refuse to listen to one another at all, then don’t waste any time.” Su spoke up with a slight growl in her voice.

It wasn’t that Su was being mean. Instead, she was trying to encourage them to remain talking. The growl in her voice was mostly for show. It was a warning that if this was just baseless arguing that she would make sure it ended. A forceful, but clear way to see if the two empires could reach any form of balance in their ideal.

Everyone that heard her speak had a little more respect for her. The two empire’s angels looked away trying to avoid her. However, the Genesis forces, especially the dragonkin, looked at Su with a better light in their eyes. They believed that Su was already amazing in other ways. Her level headed intrusion in a conversation like this was just like their leaders though. A fair threat with a fair outcome. It was respectable.

”It was a good find. A different monster we have never seen and a different tree we have never seen. Ventus, I think you might have caused more mysteries than you might imagine.” Walker laughed a little after he stored the treant head away. He was certain that they would see more things like this. He also had some hope they might find the cores or dormant slides of these monsters.

”This entire place is a mystery. It’s hiding a lot. The wind currents are odd here and I want to understand them too.” Ventus seemed very glad to see something unusual. For a dragon of her age, she had seen a lot. It was nice to feel curious and a bit of wonder.

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