Chapter 5: Magi-beasts and Where to Find Them
Author's note:
Hello everybody! Another chapter ripe and ready to go! Nothing too big happening this time, but it should still prove to be an interesting read. Nothing much else to say here other than that Magi-Beasts will be more than made up of Monster Hunter monsters rip offs so prepare to see my imagination at work when they appear. As another side note, I been wracking my brain on the magic training, so when that comes around prepare to see that explode. Especially with Azhum on board.
Anyway I hope you enjoy this chapter. This is TheFoolOfTheNoon, signing off.
/
Ankha's P.O.V.
It took much longer before we landed at our next stop. By then it has become quite late, our next stop for the day was another crossroad town called Rustivale. It sat on a quaint hill that lead down other three other roads. I would describe more, but the night didn't leave much for us to see beyond the moonlight. Knowing we needed to get some rest we rented a hotel in the town, we managed to get some rooms and divided them as follows. Nacho, Isabelle, and I got one room and Lucky, Diva, and Amr in another room. The beds are separated and meant only for one person, but with some moving around we managed to push the beds together so we can all sleep together.
However, before we turned in for the night, Azhum told us to all gather as he wanted to tell us something important. When we all did, the talking magic tome floated before us and began speaking.
"Well that was once heck of a day. Never did I expect you all, especially you three; Ankha, Nacho and Isabelle, to take on and defeat a Magi-Beast so effortlessly. Granted, it was among the weakest, but still it should have posed some modicum of a challenge."
Nacho snickered a bit and I had it a feeling it is because his history with monster hunting, "Yeah, about that. The girls and I have experience fighting large monsters back in our world, so this Magi-Beast wasn't too much different from how we did things back then."
"I saw, but clearly you have no idea what Magi-Beasts are capable of based on how you were taken by surprise by its slash attack."
"Er…yeah, I'll admit yogi bear there caught me off guard there, but still it was no biggy."
"So you say now, but not many have the same physical capabilities as you. A normal unarmored man would have been bisected by that attack. I advise you to be less reckless next time as there are many more like that Ursanos and even more powerful."
I mentally gasped that the magical attack had the capability to cut an unarmored man in half. Even though it was among the weakest of the creatures we just got introduced to, the fact it caused Nacho to bleed is worrisome enough. Isabelle herself was dead silent a look of worry on her face.
"Wait, so you are saying that there are bigger and meaner monsters than that magically powered grizzly?" Diva exclaimed in surprise.
"Yes, and many of them are not just bears. Dragons, Serpents, Fish, Birds…just about any animal you can think of can become a Magi-Beast."
"Yikes, sorry I asked…"
"Damn, so basically everything me and the girls have faced just amped with magic."
"Precisely Nacho, hence why you must be careful should you run into a Magi-Beast again. You may lose your life even with your incredible healing ability."
"Right, sorry Ankha, sorry Isabelle, I'll be careful next time."
Isabelle and I wrapped one of our arms around and gave him a quick peck on both of his cheeks, "Please do, love. You are making a bad habit out of it."
"Yeah, please stop being a dummy," Isabelle added.
"I'll do my best."
We gave him another kiss before continuing the conversation. I myself had questions about the monster that attacked us. The way they act is no different from the monsters we faced back in the old world. The main difference being that they have magical power that can be used effectively. However, I am lost on how these wild animals got so large and learned to wield their power.
"Anyway, before I continue, does anybody have any questions?" Azhum was acting like a schoolteacher teaching children. While I hate being treated like a child, I'm over three thousand years old for Ra's sake, he is filled with wisdom and knowledge of this world.
"I have a question Azhum sir."
"Ankha, what is it you need to know?"
"Just how do these creatures exist? You only mentioned of them briefly when the monster appeared."
"Ah right, Magi-Beasts have existed since the day before the races of the world set up civilization. To make a long story short, there are things such as mana wells that exist in Mythica. They are pools of endless magical energies that are often used to help power most civilizations. Their elements vary, but not can deny their benefit as they help push various races and kingdoms into great powers of the world. However, should a wild animal with unusual existing magical power encounters the wells then they absorb some of the well's power. Because of this, the animals grow to very large sizes and obtain great magical power that they use for their benefit."
"Wow…does this happen to people as well?"
"To my knowledge, no. The wells have one of two effects on people like us who have awaken their magical power. It will either harm or refresh you, this is based on your elemental affinity."
"Ah I see, that is good to know. So I assume that the longer the animal stays near the well the stronger they get?"
"Yes, not to mention what kind of elemental attacks they will used. Hence why I advise caution."
"So I guess these Magi-Beasts can show up around the world then?" Nacho asked curiously.
"Yes, hence why there are jobs to hunt and slay the beasts as they are very dangerous and disrupt the ecosystem. I can only assume the power goes to the animal's head and thus they think the entire world becomes their playground. There are exceptions, but most of the times animals be animals."
"Right, that isn't too much different from how things work for me back in our world. Except we also captured the monsters sometimes for study."
"Oh, that is highly ill-advised here. The Magi-Beasts are far too dangerous to be captured, trust me, attempts have been made in the past."
"Yikes, alright then. So, anything else we need to know about these Magi-Beasts?"
"Well…their parts are valued in making powerful weapons and gear. Not to mention there are some that are peaceful, as rare as they are. Still be careful as the far more powerful beasts alter the environment to some degree. So, if the area is looking a bit different than normal then it can mean you entered the den of a powerful magi-beast. I doubt you will be ready for those monstrosities the way you are."
"Alright then, thanks for the advice."
"You are welcome, you may turn in for the night. A new day bring forth new opportunities and maybe we can finally get you to bronze rank before reaching Egyptapia. Goodnight everyone."
We all said goodnight as Azhum let himself be snugged in his bag while Lucky, Diva and Amr leave to their room. We managed to settle ourselves into bed before turning off and going to sleep. The thoughts of the Magi-Beasts fresh in my mind, it would seem to me that these monsters are most likely going to be our main obstacle throughout our journey. I just hope we don't run into something too dangerous, but that is hopeful thinking as we don't know the land we tread.
"Ankha? Are you alright?" Nacho asked.
"Yeah, you seem lost in thought."
"I'm fine, it's just that this Magi-beast talk just has me concerned on what would be waiting for us. I mean these aren't going to be the same monsters we faced back in the old world, they have magic backing them up now."
"Yeah, I know what you mean, but there is no point in worrying over it. We can try to avoid the monsters as best we can, but we are going to have to fight them. Just like when you and Isabelle first became hunters, you had to work your way up in order to face the stronger monsters on equal footing. It's like that but now it's all three of us starting at the bottom this time, we just need to watch ourselves and we should be fine."
"Also, we got Lucky, Diva, and Amr with us as well, so there is safety in numbers."
I warmly look at my lovers in the dark, my eyes easily adjusting to the darkness and seeing them clearly, "Thank you…I guess it's just that I have been nervous ever since we got here. I don't show it in front of the others, but I still feel uncertain walking these lands. Perhaps it's just the fact I gotten so used to the lands of our world as I explored a large majority of it."
"I think that maybe it Ankha, you seen so much of our world that you feel more certain and comfortable in it."
"Perhaps, I hate feeling this way. I shouldn't feel this way, not after everything I been through but…I do."
"It's alright," Isabelle squeezed my hand with hers with reassurance while Nacho brought us both closer to him. Nacho's warm body brought me comfort as I nuzzled my head into his well-maintained body. I became silent after this as I let their warmth lull me to sleep, but before I completely fell asleep, I heard one more thing from Nacho.
"Sleep well Ankha."
Like that, I let sleep take me.
/
By the dawn of morning we got ourselves ready for the day, eating breakfast and all. We all decided to do some quests while we are here. There weren't many local quests we can take, most of which boil down to slaying troublesome wildlife that have been attacking farmer produce transports and looking for a lost item. All the other quests were mainly about transporting items to other places of the world. Something we couldn't really do as it was out of our way. So, we decided to take what we can do just so we can have more points to come closer increasing our rank.
We simply took the slaying quest, and the lost item quest. We gathered at a nearby table in the hall as we contemplated how to go about doing the quests.
"So how are we going to do this?" Nacho asked, "Because frankly I think we need to split up if we are going to do both of these quests."
"I agree, both mission areas are separated from each other so I say we can make better time if we split up," I added, and judging by the silence at the table there wasn't an argument against this.
"Well now we got the obvious out of the way, how about I save us some more time by picking the groups? Nacho, you can take Ankha, Isabelle, and Lucky since you are all proven fighters and can easily make mincemeat of the animals causing trouble. Amr and I are just going to look for that lost item the poor sap lost by the nearby lake down the path."
Diva kinda surprised us all when she went out and made a declaration like that. We did try to argue that she should take at least one of us to go with her, but she was dead set on just her and Amr. It was strange until she quickly points out that her water magic will make searching a lot easier especially the fact there will be water nearby. After that we just accepted it as she was dead set on doing it. We wished her luck along with Amr as we went our separate ways to complete both quests.
/
It took some time, but we made our way to the road where the animal attacks happened. I was reviewing the quest as Nacho, Isabelle, and Lucky began scouting the area.
"Hmm…let's see, help adventurers. Lately wild animals along the path of the west route to Rustivale have been attacking produce transports. The attacks are aggressive in nature and all the food have been raided every time the transport is lost. We beseech whoever who takes this quest to rid of the animals so our workers can safely transport store goods to the town."
"Sounds pretty simple to me Ankha. We just slay the animals, and everything is good right? Heck, we get nice extra rations while doing it too!" Lucky said cheerfully, "Just like the times we lived off the land on our travels!"
I giggled a bit, "Yeah, but we aren't living off the land this time Lucky, hence the already packed food supplies. We got no use for extra food."
"Oh…right, it's just been a while since we last worked together. Frankly it's kinda exciting!"
"I know you are, Lucky, but we need to stay focused. We need to find out what animals we are dealing with here."
"That is a good question, it would seem a lot of wildlife passed here. I see rabbit, wolf, deer, moose, and horse tracks. Or at least whatever is this world equivalent to those animals."
"Sounds about right, but we are looking for animals that would have attacked the transport for the food."
"Then you might want to give these tracks a closer look, because something looks off here."
I got close to the ground and examined the footprints. Using my experience surviving in the wild with Lucky. Obviously, the tracks came from the nearby forest, but there was something off about it. The tracks seemed uniformed as if the animals were doing their best not to overstep each other. Looking more further, at the scene where the transport was knocked down and destroyed. It looked like all the animals jumped onto the magical machine before taking off back into the forest.
"That is odd…"
"You see it too? It looks like the animals of the forest worked together to attack the transport. If you ask me, I think there is more to this than meets the eye."
"I have to agree, but if it is true that all the wildlife rushed out of the forest to attack the transport. Then the question becomes why they all attacked the transport, it doesn't make sense."
"Hey! Ankha! Lucky! You might want to check this out!" Nacho shouted.
"It's really strange!" Isabelle added.
Lucky and I quickly ran over to where Nacho and Isabelle is near the forest and almost immediately, we were taken aback when we saw human looking footprints coming from the animal footprints. It was like the animals morphed into more human looking beings as they entered the forest. Seeing those footprints forced me to recall the stories I picked up when I met the Navajo native American tribe. They didn't want to tell me about these creatures, but my own curiosity had me learn about these monsters, the anti-thesis of their way of life.
"By the gods…" was all I could muster as I know very well how dangerous those monsters are. Nacho must already figure out as well based on his knowledge of monster of not just the old world but of myth and folklore.
"Yeah, I think we may be dealing with Skin-walkers, but not just one, a whole group of them."
"Skin-walkers? What are those, Nacho?"
Our human lover quickly explained to her what the creatures are and just how dangerous they are. The fact they can take the form of an animal and able to mimic the voice of their victims. Needless to say, Isabelle was left shaking after the entire explanation was over and for good reason. If we are dealing with skin-walkers and not just a tribe of people that learned to transform, then this quest is a lot more dangerous than we think. We can't go in the forest to investigate without a plan, so gathering what we can from the investigation we headed back to town.
Trying to figure out about the possibly dangerous threat that lurks in the forest.
/
Diva's P.O.V.
"Found it, damn that took a while."
I sighed to myself as I walked back to the shore of the lake with a key. The lost item from the quest I was doing for the team. I used my water magic earlier to detect the item in the lake, but as it turns out there was plenty of items lying about. Still I managed to pick it out on the water floor and return to it.
"Very good mistress," complemented Amr.
"Yes, that is very good work!" added Azhum, he was an uninvited guest on my quest for the item. He was hiding in the bag and the moment we were out of town he flew out and wanted some friendly conversation. Frankly I didn't apricate the surprise, but I was stuck with him for the time being. I only gave him the basic information I gave most people when they try to get to know me by jumping into a conversation. Despite that, he continued to ask questions until we reached our destination.
"Thank you thank you; I wonder what the poor sap who lost this key need it for though?"
"I don't think that is of our concern mistress."
"Yeah, yer right Amr, still how the heck did the requester lose this thing anyway? This key was basically at the bottom of the lake!"
"Indeed, perhaps a spurn lover or prankster got hold of it and threw into the lake?" Azhum suggested.
"Maybe, but anyway mission complete. Let's head back," using my magic I managed to pull out all the water from my clothes and instantly dry them. The orb of water created by this I simply poured back into the lake.
"That's is some impressive Aquamancy Diva, I suppose you practice your magic often?"
"Yeah, I do Azhum, what of it?"
"Just curious, having lived as long as you did, I would assume you would have been a complete master by now."
"Sorry, but life happened. I couldn't stop and practice all the time."
"Ah right, the normal problems of a normal person, I get it."
"I could use without the sarcasm yah talking book."
"If you wish, still I must ask you a question."
"You only get one question Azhum. Make it count," I wasn't in the mood to answer questions as I just wanted to get back to town, but I knew he wasn't going to leave me alone until I answer.
"I'm sensing odd traces of magic coming from you, can you explain what it is?"
My eyes widen a bit but I calmed myself, "It's just the traces of magic from my Goddess left over when she made me her chosen. Bless her heart, but she is kinda odd if you ask me."
"Ah…I see, okay thank you for that," Azhum went silent after that and I could feel him staring at me as we made our way back to town. Along the way, Amr spoke out to me.
"Mistress, are you alright?"
"I'm fine Amr, Azhum was being nosy."
"If you say so but keeping this away from others will only bring us grief. We will have to confess soon or else."
"Amr…shut it, we aren't talking about this here and now."
The crocodile man was about to say something, but one look from me had him zip his lip. I really don't want to talk about it. Still it didn't change that he was right though, but how can I tell the others this when 'they' are always watching me? I could do nothing but push those feelings inside me as I continued onward.
/
Ankha's P.O.V.
Nacho, Isabelle, Lucky and I sat at a nearby table as we tried to figure out what to do with our possible skin-walker situation. While our physical powers from the hunter's virus can put us on even ground with the monster's strength, possibly greater, but it also poses the risk of infecting the wildlife with the virus which will no doubt cause frenzy and continue to spread from there. My hyper state is probably the only thing I have that will not augment some of my attacks with the dangerous virus. In the case of Nacho and Isabelle, if they don't activate Apex mode or beast trigger into the Gore Magala plus it other forms then the virus won't be emitted. Still, despite knowing this, this could be tricky.
"What should we do? We can't go in and fight whatever we are dealing with head on. We will take too much unnecessary damage at best or be overwhelmed at worst. We need to know what the heck we are dealing with and how many of them are there," Lucky explained.
"Hmm…well I heard that the town is expecting another shipment to replace the last transport. So, we can hold a stake out at that spot to see if they will strike again," Nacho suggested, "But of course we need to hide our scent, if they are skin walkers then there is no doubt they will easily sniff us out."
"That's not a bad idea, but that would also mean staying in this town for another night. I was hoping to avoid that as I want to get to Egyptapia as soon as possible, but it would seem that is not going to happen. Shame, but I guess it was unavoidable," I mentally sighed, the unexpected situation delayed our trip to our destination and that annoyed me, but we couldn't leave this quest the way it is. We must complete it.
"Sorry Ankha, but on the positive side we are no doubt going to get a big boost to our ranking points should we complete it," Isabelle comforted, wanting to get the bright side out there.
"Yeah, I know Isabelle, but thanks for that regardless. I appreciate it, but still how are we going to hide our scent from these beings? Well I'm open for anything that doesn't result with me heavily cleaning myself at the end of it."
We all sat down and thought about it, we only spent a few minutes before we heard Diva call out to us. She waved at us with a smile as Amr followed her, many people got out of her way due to her large partner. She joined us at the table, while slamming her bag onto the table, earning a barely audible 'ow' from inside the bag. Immediately we knew that Azhum was in that bag.
"So how did the quest go you guys? Completed it already?"
We all looked at each other and quickly explained the situation to her our current predicament. She wasn't too thrilled to know that we will be staying another night just to complete the quest but understood why even though she had no idea what a skin-walker was. We filled her in on our plan and the only problem in the plan.
"So, you need to find a way to mask your scent? Well I can probably make some mud that we can use."
"No way, I rather not have to pick out mud to clean myself off."
"Then how the heck are we going to do this then genius? Sometimes you got to get down and dirty just to get the job done."
"I know that, but I rather not if I can avoid it."
*Uh excuse me, I can help here!*
Diva and I looked down to see her bag move and the voice of the muffled Azhum trying to speak through it. The purple frog herself opened the bag and then we were able to hear the talking tome speak clearly.
"Ah thank you, I'll be quick, I have a spell that can quickly deal with that problem of yours. Just proceed to do the stake out and I'll cover the rest."
"Really? Is magic really that convenient?" I asked confounded.
"When you are the master, yes, but don't make this a habit. I rather not have the chosen of the Egyptian Gods rely on a merely talking tome."
"I don't like it as much as you do, but we have to use the resources available. Especially since rank means so much in this world."
"Indeed, still please don't rely on me for everything. I'm a master wizard with a teaching degree, not a babysitter."
"Noted, let's just get ready before we lose our chance to finish this quest."
"Right, just point me the way and I'll get it done."
/
Time passed as we prepared for the stake out. Azhum informed us what he knew about skin walkers, saying that there are charms that force the unholy creatures to keep their distance, but they won't last very long. However, he should have enough magic power after the invisibility spell to bind some of the creatures to give us a fighting chance. We spent a solid hour on this planning before finally heading out to carry out our plan. Not before we updated the situation to the quest giver who wished to cancel the quest for us due to the high possible danger, but we assured him we have a plan and it will be alright.
We made our way back to the original attack sight and set up a spot for us to stay and hide. Once that was done, night fell and Azhum cast the invisibility and hide odor spell on us. We're now completely invisible to the possible skin walkers that were going to attack the next shipment coming to the village. Weapons ready, we waited in anticipation for the shipment to arrive.
For the next half an hour we lay in waiting, it was boring to be sure, but not to me as Lucky and I hunted for our food in the past and we learned patience. Like a hungry predator we stay still, lying in wait just as the shipment vehicle finally showed up. And on cue, we immediately spotted some out of place wild animals peeking their heads out of the forest.
"There they are…" I said quietly as I eyed them. There were at least seven curious animals sticking their head out of the forest line. Two rabbits, a stag, a bear, two birds, and a wolf. Not the most intimidating group, but their eyes glowed with an unearthly power. However, the animals don't look rotted as skin walkers are said to look like when they take an animal form. It was an interesting detail to see, but it didn't matter as the heavier of the animals, the bear and the stag, readied themselves to tackle and take down the transport.
We couldn't let it happen, so just as they ran out of the forest. I immediately shouted for Azhum to use his binding spell on the attacking animals. It worked as magical chains shot out of the ground and ensnared the animals. They both shrieked and roared in surprise as they struggled against the chains, but despite their attempts they couldn't break out just as the transport quickly drove past them.
"Attack!" Nacho shouted out, as we ran out of cover and the invisibility faded. To our surprise, the creatures that were at the forest line quickly retreated. Leaving the two heavy hitters by themselves.
"Huh? Wasn't expecting that to happen," I looked over to the bear ensnared by the magical chains and it doesn't seem to be struggling.
"They just ran away, but why?" Isabelle exclaimed in confusion.
"Maybe they are regrouping? I met some monsters that pulled stunts like that. If that is the case, then we should take of these two as soon as possible," Nacho pointed one of his swords to the bear, "What do you got to say for yourself? Skin-walker?"
The bear looked at Nacho with surprise before finally speaking to us for the first time, "Skin-walker?! You think we are skin-walkers?"
The voice wasn't gravely or unsettling, it was clear and normal. Not like the stories of the creatures that I have overheard in the past. This only added to my already questioning mind on the identity of these beings. Of course, I didn't have to dwell on these thoughts for long as the animals shape shifted into human form. Before we knew it, we had two humans dressed in tribal attire with the animal skin draped from their head to their back. They're impressively built physically, and I can see how their strength reflected the animals they transformed into.
The man wearing the bear hide spoke first, "We are not skin-walkers, we are the Wilders, a tribe that has become one with nature."
"And we have a lot to explain for," added the man with the deer hide.
"Then start explaining," Nacho demanded, I could feel him adding his predatory aura just to add to his intimidation. Which worked as the men shivered from that alone.
"R-Right, my name is Mountain Shaker and the one wearing the deer hide is called Rock Skipper. We must quickly admit that our attacks on those transports is inexcusable, but we have good reason to do so."
"Our tribe, which lives deep in the forest, have been suffering from a decline in food and resources. So little animals to find and hunt, berries and vegetables have grown scarce. When we learned that the transport holds plenty of food and resources, the tribe decided that we will raid the vehicles to help with our survival."
"That explains the destruction of property, but have you figured out the cause of the declining resources?" I asked curiously.
"Indeed, some of our tribe scouts were sent to investigate the matter while we provided the food from the raids. The last we heard, there was an odd section of the forest that seem to have changed, the plants grown corrupted and the wildlife that lives in it has grown more hostile than before. We tried to learn more, but the closer we get to the source of the matter the more dangerous it becomes."
I recall what Azhum said about Magi-beasts last night. That the stronger ones tend to mess with the lands around them to create a suitable living ground. I have a feeling that this beast is the reason why these tribal shapeshifting people are forced to raid for food. I noticed the talking book float over to me, his looking at me as if he already knew what I was thinking. He floated over to the Wilders and dispelled his binding magic. The men bowed gratefully to the book as I felt Nacho's aura return to normal. Azhum then began to converse with the Wilders.
"Mountain Shaker, Rock Skipper, I think we know what the cause of your tribe's problem. As fortune would have it, these folks here are adventurers and it is our job to help if we can. They have proven themselves to be formidable fighters and they should be more than enough to end the problem for good. Right everyone?"
While I personally hate to be dragged into something without warning. This situation was different as I was prepared to help as I know situation could get even worse if we left it alone. There were no disagreements, everyone was in to help these people and I couldn't help but smile.
"Really? They can help?" Rock Skipper asked.
"Yes, they can, this will be no problem for them."
"By the will of the great one, we finally found salvation!" Mountain Shaker exclaimed.
It was almost amusing to see the two well built men celebrate with their tribal calls and dancing. However, to know that we now have a friendly entry with their tribe is good for us as that means we can avoid unneeded conflict from this encounter. After they got done with their celebrations, they offered to be guides to lead us to their tribe. We accepted of course and followed them into the forest.
/
They took us deep into the forest, leading the way in their animal forms. I was sure we were walking for nearly half an hour and we have yet to see the tribe village. Of course, that wasn't the only thing on my mind, I was thinking about the Magi-beast. We have no idea what we are dealing with and I wasn't sure how well we could handle it based on that obvious fact. Azhum though, is very confident in our abilities. As snarky as he is sometimes, he does like to keep himself open with his thoughts.
Speaking of the talking tome, "Azhum, what they described. It is the work of a powerful Magi-Beast, right?"
"No doubt about it, however, I do not know which we are dealing with. There are a few that creates biomes with that same description."
"So, we are basically going in blind then?" Nacho added.
"Essentially, but once I know what we are dealing with then I can tell you how to beat it."
"Sounds good to me, although to be honest it wouldn't be the first time for me. In the Monster Hunting business, you had to expect the unexpected."
"I can vouch, because Isabelle and I experienced it for ourselves."
"Yeah, it was frankly kinda scary sometimes."
I heard Azhum chuckle, "If that's the case, then you three might be already well suited for Magi-beast hunting. Still I advise caution, I don't need to remind you of this, do I?"
"No, we are well aware thanks to your guidance."
"Good, glad to hear my words have not fallen on deaf ears."
Another ten minutes of walking and we finally saw the village. We quickly met up with the village chief and the other beast shifting villagers we scared off earlier. It took some convincing, but we managed to convince him to let us deal with the problem plaguing their village and their way of life. He quickly informed us that the corruption is spreading through the area, so whatever is causing the mess is expanding its territory and threatening to not only push these people out, but also take over this entire forest and then some.
The chief told Mountain Striker and Rock Skipper to stay with us as he assigned one scout to lead us to the entrance of the corrupted area. Nacho and I gave him our best assurances and took off with the scout. That walk took another twenty minutes until finally we reached the entrance. A wall of thorny vines and dark flowers blocked the way will only a single cavern like opening being the only way inside. The scout took off after showing us the entrance, leaving us to stare at the entrance. A faint bellowing snore coming from inside.
/