Spirit Taming

Chapter 695: Scary Beast

"So, exactly how are we getting to where we are going?" Brad finally spoke up the very question that Isa had left vague.

While they already knew that the group needed to travel beyond the violent forest and reach the vast flat lands that would lead them toward the elven forest. The forest that has been made when the elves had planted specific flora from their own world. They had to know who was crazy enough to travel over the violent jungle.

As it wasn't done since the group had not entered the treetops of the violent forest, they had not dealt with the dangerous arial beasts that used those as their homes. This had been a very good thing since they had not needed to fight any of the beasts that could have been more troublesome.

The treetops had many beasts that would never come down. Specifically serpents, spiders, and other similarly evolved species that did better off the ground. But there were also avian species that fed on those that were going too high. When a lizard like beast moved to the open treetops for warmth, that was when one of the avian beasts might swoop down.

"You act like it's impossible for anyone to get us there. But instead of us traveling through there again, we should take the faster way. Cut down on a possible month of travel." Isa still hadn't made any clear answer. But what Clark and the others noticed was simple, they could be heading to a place that would not be as welcoming.

"Isa, just what are we going to be riding?" Maria's solid tone made Isa step a little quicker in an attempt to just avoid the question more. But Maria had already grabbed her arm.

"Ugh, fine. It's a tamer from the starhawk family. They are the only ones that are willing to travel over dangerous places like the violent jungle." There was a moment where Reese, Brad, Ralph, and Clark looked more confused than ever.

"I have no idea who the Starhawk family are, or why that's bad." Grace saved the day by asking the important question that the others didn't get. However, Jerold, Ella, and Maria appeared to know what she had been talking about.

"The original family member the Starhawk patriarch was famed for discovering a night specific species of the sky hawk, the star hawk that had a very unique light affinity. Specifically based on starlight." Nothing sounded bad as Ella stated the basics of the family origins.

"Through the years, however, they did not remain as tamers that focused on the star hawks. They could not grow large enough to transport goods or to transport people. Because of that, they found another avian beast that was larger. But also much more unsettling."

"They called it the winged horror." Isa broke in with her eyes downcast since most people would not want to deal with this beast.

"If you wish to see one, just imagine an octopus like beast fused with a bat. They have a strong dark and wind affinity. By filling their body with air, they can float. They also blend in to the dark of the night using their darkness affinity. Otherwise, when they face enemies, they use tentacles with sharp hooks on the end.

They were thought to be monsters until the Starhawk family studied them and began to sue them for night transportation."

"With their terrifying appearance, many beasts will not approach them at night, that is, if they can see them in the dark of the night. I just know that most people view them as unsettling since they feel as if they did not come from our world. It has been proved that they have though. Originating from a dark underwater cave system where they evolved to escape predators.

Hence their octopus features and wind affinity."

"So we will have nightmares but we will also get where we need to go. Fair trade off." Since Reese didn't mind this, he decided it was best to just accept it all since that was for the best. If he were to argue, then they would have to walk through the violent jungle.

While the travel through the jungle a second time would be valuable training, they didn't have time for that. The odds that the blood moon cult were making moves was very high. Especially since they had clearly drained all the materials that they indeed from Nova City. they had to have plans for it all.

"And why would I care what it looks like?" Ralph had no qualms with ugly beasts. The way that the molten boar looked was not pretty. It was rough and definitely scary in its own right.

"I agree, it can look as scary as it wants, but I am sure it is actually cute." Clark got a worrying look from everyone. They all knew that his beasts were the scariest. A literal ghost that used death, a humanoid spider that could strangle things with shadows, and a dragon that was actually a slime which could regenerate its body. Nothing about that was cute.

"And now we are going to worry about other things. Ella, can you want us about the beasts we might see in the flat lands?" To try and get the worries about a terrifying beast that they might have to ride out of their heads, Jerold wanted to know what beasts they might need to fight when they were back on the ground.

"The nighthawk family aside, we should keep in mind that we will be landing in a place full of grass lands, small bushes, and even smaller groups of forest that sprout out of nowhere. That is also home to small ponds which will travel in smaller streams which will make traveling a little tougher." The area sounded like it could also host a very large variety of life.

"Not many trails made then. Too hard to maintain them since most people spend too long going around the violent forest to even get to this deep wilderness area before the elven lands." Jerold's thoughts went right to the challenge of scouting the area ahead. But that was before the variety of beasts was explained.

"Earth, water, wind, and some more specific species of beast types will be there. The water will rely on the small streams so they will be amphibious. Otherwise, the wind type beasts will use the open areas as hunting grounds. Then the earth beasts will dig through the fertile and softer soil of the flat lands. It is also said that some caves run underneath the flat lands.

A danger we will hopefully not encounter."

"That means the spiked purple worms, doesn't it? They eat rotting plants and beasts bodies. Create a poisonous purple slime on their skin. They also attack anything that comes near them to allow it to die and rot for more potent food." Isa knew this as a threat. Carriages had been taken down by such beasts and she had heard the stories.

"Ella, we can't use fire either. Our beasts would set the tall grasses, and bushes, on fire." Isa made it clear to Ella that even though she had gained more strength lately, that the blue flame skeleton would still need to be held back significantly.

"I understand that. We will need to focus on the other beasts we have as partners to handle the threats. However, we should be more worried about the season. It is getting cooling in that area. That means the green leaping grasshoppers will be shedding their skins." Everyone knew what these were.

"The brown locusts will be around." Reese spoke like this was some forbidden swear word.

The beast that was known as the brown locust was never harmful in the green leaping grasshopper stage of its life. They were larger, like a dog or sheep, but they just hopped away to find more grass or other foods to eat. But when the grasses they loved to eat changed colors with the season, it wasn't appetizing to them.

Instead, they would shed their skins and reveal a brown color that matched the grasses. As if mourning their favorite food. Then they would become red eyed and ravenous. They would eat anything, even each other. Every time one was found, it was a surety that an annoying fight would ensue. Their barbed legs made them a hard kicker too.

Leaving massive cuts and bleeding wounds.

"I can try to lower the temperature. Same with Isa. We Can make it colder around us so that they avoid us more? Grace tried to play on something that she knew well. It could work.

"If you want them to know exactly where we are, you can do that. But they will go mad with hunger. So… we should just be ready to kill them. Pests, all of them." The farmers were well known to hire many people around harvest time to avoid these pests. But the farmers near Aphelion didn't have to deal with many. But just a few were enough to cause issues.

Maria had seen the scars from people who fought them.