Viren sighed and wondered for the umpteeth time why he'd decided it would be a good idea to hire a random group of shady looking drunks he'd found to go with him on his journey to Xadia to search for new potential ingredients for dark magic.

Ah, that's right. Because they were tall and muscular, meaning they'd probably be able to fight off whatever of whoever attacked them, they could help carry the ingredients he'd be bringing back and because they weren't too bright and wouldn't care to ask questions like why he's even need to go to Xadia like many others would.

He was starting to regret this choice when one of the men decided it would be funny to use an animal's skull (that interesting as it looked, held no magic anymore and so was useless and ignored by Viren) in front of one of his friends' face, making the other man scream out loud. Way louder than he should.

"Quiet, you idiots! Are you trying to get us discovered?!" his hissed at the group, eyes scanning their surroundings for anything threathening.

Much to his annoyance, the others didn't seem to care much.

"Geez, don't get sweat it, old man! We'd probably see those dragon coming long before they'd even see us!" the man the the skull snorted.

"It's not just dragon I'm worried about." Viren answered through gritted teeth.

"What? Like on of those elves? If one comes, I hope it's a hot girl with a big ass! I bet she'd be really horny! Get it? Cause elves got horns!" another man snickered, his buddies being quick to join.

Viren wasn't sure what disgusted him more. The idea of finding an elf attractive, the way his company talked about a possible woman (even if she'd be an elf) or just the terrible pun.

He noticed it was starting to get dark.

"We should search for a place to set up camp." he told the them.

"What? You afraid of the dark or something?" another member mocked him, earning more laughter from the others.

"As a matter of fact, yes I am worried about what may come for us when out senses are weakened." Viren said, "So unless you would like to end up become prey to an apex predator, I suggest we all get a move on."

He started walking away, only stopping for a second to check and see that the others were begrudingly following him.

Sadly, talking about finding a save camping spot and actually finding a save camping spot were two whole different things as, whenever they thought they'd found a good spot, Viren found either markings of a large animal or of flesh-eating plants that he didn't trust.

One time they almost ran into a bunch of Moonshadow-elves that seemed to be patrolling, barely managing to duck behind some bushes to avoid being seen.

Luckily at least of the the men Viren brought along has at least some sense, physically dragging the most lecherous member back when he actually tried to go after the elves upon seeing one was female.

After lots of wondering around, the eventually ran into a large dune of sand. Black sand to be precise.

"The Midnight Desert!" Viren realised.

Knowing what lived there, he went to tell the others to go back, but once again, things didn't go as he'd like them to.

"Whoa! I've never seen a desert before!" one of the men in his group cheered before rushing right into it like a child.

"Wait! Don't go there!" Viren tried to warm them but was ignored.

Instead, the others just went and joined hom, cheering and whooping obnoxiously.

"Get out of there right now!" Viren ordered from where he stood safely away.

"Awww! You scared of the desert too? You afraid of getting sand between you soft little ass-cheeks?" one member mocked him, completely oblivious the the green lights shining from under the sand, surrounding him and his friends.

Then it was too late.

From the sand, multiple Soulfang Serpents sprang, hissing viciously as they eyes their prey.

"W-What the- That are those things?" one of the men cried.

"There're Soulfang Serpents! You need to get out of there right now!" Viren called, seeing fron the lights in the distance that even more were coming.

"T-there freaking me out! On my way!" one decided to actually listen for once and tried to move, only to scream and barely manage to dogde one of the serpents that launched itself at him.

"Quite being such a wuss! They're just a bunch of stupid snakes! Grab 'em by the neck and they're helpless!" another one snorted and stupidly reached down.

The results were as Viren expected as the closest serpent didn't allow itself to be grabbed and instead bit down into the man's forearm!

"GRAAAAHHH!" he screamed as his eyes flashed and his whole body turned grey.

"What's happening?!" another cried in terror.

"Your friend just had his sould consumed!" Viren answerred.

"HIS SOUL?!"

"I'll take care of this! Just don't move!" Viren said, glad he had the foresight of bringing the Primal Stone with him.

"Aspiro!" he drew the rune and shouted beflore blowing a gush of wind, blowing most snakes away.

"Now run!" he ordered and everyone right away obeyed, but only two made it out of the sand and the others stupidly enough start running in random directions.

"No, you morons! Come over here!" yelled but it was no use as the Soulfang Serpents were quick to recover from being send flying and even quicker to feast on the few men left.

"We've got to help them!" one member of the pair that managed to get to safety said and went back to try pull one another back, only to get bitten in the lef himself.

"No! I've got you!" the remaining goon cried as he also ran over and tried to grad his friend to safety.

Seeing the other was turning grey, he reached down to try and pull the snake off him, only for another head to appear and snap down on his wrist.

"It... It has two heads?" Viren muttered in wonder, seeing how it consumed two men at ones.

It was unlike any Soulfang Serpant he had ever seen or even read about.

"How... interesting." he mussed before lifting the primal stone and drawing another rune.

"Aspiro Frigis!" he called, trapping the serpent in a good chuck of ice.

Carefully he approached the creature, making sure it couldn't break free.

"Now look at the mess you and your friends made." he told it, gesturing at the empty husks of the men he brought along stumbling around.

"They're practically dead right now and I don't have a spell to help them. Someone would have to make up for this and I'm sure you will have plenty of potential." he said before putting a sleeping spell on the snake, allowing him to put it in a bag.

"Looks like you weren't completely useless after all. Without you I never would have found this facinating animal." he told one of the soulless men before walking off without looking back.

They had no use of him anymore and he got something with endless potential.