Master Of None

As expected, the beach he saw expanding fairly far before curving was covered in rocks. It also appeared that the area becoming a beach had changed it quite a bit.

Many of the larger boulders had a lot of wear and tear on them, proving that the test of time was still ongoing to make these rough rocks and boulders in to soft sands one day. Although, the waves were not that violent compared to the vast ocean’s waves. The waves here were cut from being too wild by the islands that used to be mountain tops.

Regardless of all this, Walker could see plenty of proof that monsters had been around these shores. The clear markings of crab legs along the beach were enough to tell that there would be some larger species of crab monster. The drag marks he saw though, those could be from multiple different monsters.

Then came the holes in the gravelly sands. Walker knew that clams, crevice worms, and other species of ambush monster might be living in them. It almost felt like the entire beach was made in to a mass of traps and trials for anyone who shied to land anywhere nearby.

Looking past the beach, Walker could tell that the small streams of water were from a larger river breaking up. Just like marshes, the water split up and pooled for a time before eventually reaching the salty water. This area could have been a massive wetland before it became a marsh due to the change in terrain.

Yet, from this height, Alice, Midnight, and himself got to enjoy the ways the tall yellow and green grasses moved in small breezes. It was almost like an illusion. The perfect movements of the wind across certain areas proved that this area was much like the larger plains around the demi-human territories.

A soft hum came from Alice as she used one of her songs to buff Walker’s speed. She did this so he would keep moving and she could keep seeing more. ”I am your tour guide now then?” He laughed before stepping through the wind and watching Midnight flap her wings to push well ahead of them. It seemed he was the slow one right now.

Moving above the marshlands proved to be the right thing though, Walker quickly spotted larger monsters and what had to be neststs for even bigger monsters. ”There are large mouth frogs waiting for prey, cow sized flies, and whatever made the neststs over there.” Walker was most worried about the monster he didn’t see.

The nests were large enough for an adolescent dragon to curl up in. proving that even if the monster that made them wasn’t too violent, it would be dangerous regardless. The biggest issue with larger monsters was the destruction they caused just by moving. It wasn’t intentional, just a consequence of their size.

”Brother, food!”

”Food?” Surprised that food could be out here, Walker dashed through the air so he and Alice could take a look at what Midnight was flapping her wings over.

’Swamp apple

This apple grows out of rotting remains gathered by certain monsters. When it grows, it is unlike other trees and remains very small. However, all of its nutrients and mana go in to forming a single fruit that contains a hundred seeds that will be spread after being consumed by various monsters.

The fruit releases a dense dark and water affinity mana allowing for it to attract monsters that will consume it and distribute the seeds by doing so. However, it also allows for the best nutrition for those monsters causing them to grow faster.

The swamp apples are toxic to those without the affinities needed to consume them and cannot easily be gathered and transported elsewhere. They will rot rapidly if they are harvested poorly and they are only found to grow sporadically based on the movements of other monsters…”

It was an apple but Midnight seemed like she wanted to just eat the new fruit she had found. Unfortunately for her, Walker snagged it and stored it away. Midnight didn’t want this but she knew that it was because the greenhouses or farmers could utilize the fruit in better ways.

”What about there?” Alice pointed out some smaller fruits, definitely different from the swamp apples that had just attracted them here.

’Floating poison puffs

These are underwater plants that require the bodies of monsters to grow properly. However, they grow beneath the muddy layer under the water making them hard to add nutrients to naturally.

They adapted to grow poisonous balls of dark mana infused fluff easily consumed by foolish monsters. After perishing from the poisons they fall down in to the water and become nutrients for the plants growing the floating poisons puffs called silt poison roots…’

”Those are not really edible. They are poisonous and intentionally so that whatever eats them dies and floats to the bottom of the water. That way the plant roots down there can get even denser nutrients. This more so makes this area seem like it used to be a swampland before it was forced to become a marsh.”

The more that Walker considered this, the more he realized that this would be a very good thing. ”If it was all swamps before becoming a marsh, most of the monsters and plants might have survived without changing all that much over the years.”

”So there will be better chances to research. I like that.” The smile Alice had on her face said that she read the books Remey had gifted her. It seemed the books were all about the herbs found in toxic growing conditions but had immense medicinal properties.

Seeing a large change in the water, all three of them focused on it to see the had of a massive snake looking out right at them. It seemed to sense the changes in the wind mana Walker manipulated to help them all fly steadily with ease while scouting around.

’Titan constrictor

This is a descendant of the titanic boa, as time went by and prey was harder to come by, their size became smaller. However, their size can still grow over many years allowing them to be much greater in length compared to other smaller snake monsters. While they have long given up their usage of venom like their ancient ancestor, they have instead enhanced their musculature over the years.

This makes them a terrifying predator that will often consume hundreds of other monsters when it is on the hunt. It will often search for prey not based on size but based on the strength of mana within the prey. This is because it needs an immense amount of mana within its body to grow and provide for the eggs it will lay.

Often the titan constrictor lays three eggs at a time then goes dormant for two or three years afterwards to recover from the strain. This is often when monsters nearby will attempt to consume the eggs and grow rapidly due to the nutrients within. However, the titan constrictor is known to guide other monsters towards its nest to act as guards under its protection while it is awake…’

”That seems to be the larger monsters that made the nest below. And if it made a nest then it might want to lay its eggs soon. We will have to have everyone avoid this area since it will hunt everyone with denser mana than the monsters around here. Those frogs nearby are protected by it because they can act as guards so to speak. It’s smart enough to hunt good prey and keep certain monsters alive, but it doesn’t have the intelligence to work with us.”

This was a delicate line. A predator that was able to work intelligently but was not developing to become a recognized race. While some would argue the potential here, many would face the fact that this species of monster just couldn’t go beyond what it was. It was certainly an apex predator, but something within it was lacking the ability to go forward even more.

Even Walker sensed it somehow. Maybe it was the affinity he had with time mana to a degree, recognizing a lack of potential, or just what he was as an origin being. Regardless, he knew that it would be easier to avoid this monster and even better to give it a little fright to deter it from attempting to hunt him and the others.

With a simple wave of his hand, Walker sent a cold burst of air toward the surface of the water causing the titan constrictor to sink away to the depths of the marshlands. It seemed effective enough of a deterrent. The cold for any snake was often a weakness it couldn’t resist easily. For now, this would do since he didn’t want to hunt a monster that might be rarer to cross paths with than others. It was better to allow the world to survive naturally than cause extinction.

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