Spirit Taming

Chapter 605: Very Useful Skill

Silence put everyone off. Before this, the group had managed to hear the distant beasts. Their calls or the flap of wings in the canopy above was enough. It let them know that there were not major predators or any reasons why they should be on edge for greater dangers. Yet, now, there was silence.

This alone put them all on a greater edge than before. Their worries only multiplied with the fact that Jerold could not find anything on the ground that could be called a beast track. Not a single bush was flattened or a single tree scratched. It was as if the beasts kept this entire area empty for some reason.

Ella had stopped talking and examining Crim. She had been sure that as they moved forward she had to remain silent. Every step that the group took needed to carry their weight without alerting anything.

Since this was how they all reacted, their stealth was being trained whether they realized it enough. Something that was a terrifying nightmare to anyone that would be surprised by the large hulking figured or Ralph or Brad who were the largest of the group. It would definitely help them in the future when it came to intimidation and surprise tactics.

Regardless of that, the group had been following the tentative path that Clark had planned. He was sure that they had already entered the inner circle of the violent jungle. Naturally, he believed that they would be finding a dangerous nest of beasts, but nothing? That proved to make his head hurt even more.

When he used this all around appraisal on some bushes, he found smaller details that made him even more confused.

'Red elder berry- uncommon

The red elder berry is not the rarest of this species. The silver elder berry that grows on mountain tops is incredibly rare in comparison. However, this berry is ideal for avian beasts to consume since it is very nutritious and allows for them to nurture their wings. It is toxic to most other beasts because of the unique wind energy within it.

This bush has been untouched for twenty years without a single beast eating its fruit leading to it being able to fertilize itself with the fruit that rots off it and falls to the ground.'

That last little bit had made Clark wonder. How could the entire area here be untouched for twenty years? How could a single beast not move towards it. How could a single being not be digging in to the depths of the violent jungle.

Yes, the violent jungle was known to be an incredibly dangerous place. One that many tamers could not handle or would not be willing to invest the time in handling. Therefore, it made sense that there would not be people here. But there was a lot of temptation.

Even the most dangerous places would have one thing that every crooked person wanted, treasure. Untouched things that they could claim as their own. These treasures could be beasts, materials, or many other things. That meant that these people would sneak inside the silent jungle and steal them away. So why were there none?

"What do you smell?" Clark looked down at Crim who had shrunk his form to be more agile in the violent jungle. This was a show for how much more control Crim had over his body and form after his growth. He had been playing with it in full view of Ella who documented every small shift and change to Crim's dragon form.

Everyone looked at Clark with curiosity. "Crim smells something off. It might be why no beasts are around. It makes his nose feel a little burning sensation. It could be a potion. But I…wait, I do smell it.

It's like alcohol a little bit." Clark was even more confused before Ella gasped. This was soon followed by Isa widening her eyes.

"Drunken grapes. There has to be a massive growth of drunken grapes." Isa was sure that they could gather and sell these, but Ella was being a little more helpful since she knew that everyone would not understand what Isa was saying.

"The drunken grape is a plant that grows in undisturbed places. The more it grows, the larger the grapes get. When one bursts, it causes its flash to rot and get consumed by a particular kind of organism. It's yeast, the same used in bread. But when these grapes become like that, it makes a mist of alcoholic poison that causes beasts and everything to act drunken."

"And how would that keep this place beast free and untouched? Also, shouldn't we be feeling it?" Reese was a little more confused since he felt fine. Just slightly warm but he had written that off as the jungle.

"Your cheeks are red. You feel it, but the environment is tricking you. But we can counter it with some charcoal and other things." Ella tossed everyone some charcoal before eating it. She grimaced but as the group ate it, the felt that they had been hit with a cool breeze.

"Ignoring the effects of science, the grape caused whatever beasts around here to perish over long term effects of drunkenness and general insanity from being poisoned constantly. It would be worse at the source because the poison would be so strong that it would make other pass out and die nearby."

"Ok, then how did they go untouched?" Ralph was blunt with his question. He couldn't see that such a fruit would even be able to grow large enough to create any problems. Any beast would take the chance to eat it and disturb the plants that could not be disturbed.

"Now that is the problem. It means that there is a reason that the beasts originally could not get to the drunken grapes which in turn caused people and beasts to avoid this area. We already know that people might not have explored this area for many years. So, we have some mysteries to solve." Ella smiled a little. She felt like they would be finding something very good.

Meanwhile, Maria and Grace had begun to make some fabric masks for everyone to help with anything that was in the air. Fairly soon after that, Clark spotted some large red and green grapes.

They were the same as the smaller fruits he had seen in markets for people to eat. But when he tried to gather his wits a little, he realized that the vines were as thick as tree trunks tna the grapes were individually the size of his head.

The smashed grapes on the ground were also larger than what he imagined since they had grown so heavy that they fell off and began to ferment there on the ground.

"Forget even caring about some random plants that grew large. We should care about everything else around us. Maybe like that freaking huge thing!" Jerold was standing facing slightly to the left of the group. His head had looked upwards slowly but surely to the near top of the tree canopy. He also could not handle himself since he was stunned by the sight.

"What do… oh holy creation." Maria responded with her own statement but was sure that she couldn't even understand it all.

Before the group was a hidden wall of rock. It seemed to be some form of pyramid right in the center or what they thought would just be some dungeon entrance. Instead, this massive rock creation stood there. Slowly being eroded by the violent jungle that grew around it.

"So this is why nothing has been around. I bet that there is a dungeon inside that thing and whatever came from it was guarded by something or someone until the grapes grew or something." Brad surmised his own plan but was clearly missing some details. But it was Clark who was the most surprised.

He already thought that the system was some odd being within itself. It was literally something that creation or existence or whatever had given him. That was a mystery enough to start with. Yet the system seemed to make the gacha rewards something that he needed every time. Especially when he didn't know he would need it or did need it.

Along the larger of the broken stones, faint patterns were carved. Just visible enough for a new skill of his to kick in.

"The water is carried from the great twisting river of serpents. Flowing to the sky and in to the unknown of space and time. landing upon a hidden land of violent forest that even rivals the greatest of our home. This exile may not be what we desired, yet it is a new challenge to allow us the strength we need to sl…"

"Did you just read that?!" Ella jumped when Clark ran a finger along the dull characters on the stone and spoke out loud. He couldn't finish what was written on the stone because it was crumbled beyond that, but it was clearly telling those who came to this point something. A warning or some statement of sorts. It was not warm though, Clark could sense that much.