Seed Of Speed

Clawed feet pelted the ground as three dracolisks raced forward. The gray one in the lead without needing the rider's urging while the rider of the pale yellow did everything he could to do to speed up his mount. The red's rider was focused on the beasts ahead as he his glaive was outstretched and pointed towards the ground. The trio was, of course, Diego, Tovao, and Peyni and they were racing towards a pack of Sheol Wolves.

Before the trio could reach the wolves, four arrows fired in quick successions and found their target in the dim moonlight. The lead wolf collapsed, mid-crouch, but the others were not fazed and lunged forward. The wolves were about the same height as the dracolisks, but they were wider, covered in much more muscle than the lizards, and were covered in coarse red and black hair.

The wolf lunged at Diego, but he lashed out with his spear, using [Serpent's Strike]. The starite spear conduct his Solar Energy much better than his old golden spear, so when used this skill, the spear could truly bend and curve at his will. The spearhead sn.a.k.e.d around the hard head of the wolf and sunk into its neck, piercing all the way down to hit the heart. He channeled a bit of his Wind Mana into his spear to help him dislodge the dead beast, so he could move onto the next.

::Sheol Wolf killed! 5 Experience points awarded, 1 Mastery point awarded, 1 Skill point awarded to [Serpent's Strike]::

Peyni's method was simple and brutal. He swung his hammer as he channeled his energy through his arms and struck the poor beast's head. His innate strength easily overpowered the thick skull of the wolves and there is no need for the gruesome details.

Tovao rode his dracolisk straight into the wolf as he raised his glaive overhead. As the wolf jumped for him, he released his reins and took his glaive with both hands. It flashed with a yellow light then he slashed down, slicing the half of the beast's head off.

There were only two wolves left which Peyni was able to easily claim one as it was nearby. The other was in the back and Tovao and Diego exchanged glances then charged towards it. They were neck and neck, but just before they could strike, three more arrows came zooming from the distance and took down the wolf.

"Jastrab! I had it!" Diego complained as he missed out on more experience points.

"In Ricalla, you did! The wolf was mine!" Tovao yelled.

"See if I bring you bastards out hunting with me again if you keep taking my kills!" Diego grumbled.

"Poor, young lord, unable to get his way," Peyni commented as he wiped the head of his hammer clean.

"Yeah, but this young lord orders you to string up our kills," Diego said as he tossed a rope over at Peyni.

"Hmph," Peyni snorted as he caught the rope in the air and slid off his dracolisk.

He dropped his hammed and wrapped his reins around the handle then he walked over the nearest wolf. He wrapped the rope around the beast's waist then tossed the other end back to Diego, who tied the end to his saddle. Tovao collected his own kill while Peyni gather his own. Jastrab rode up and collected his arrows before he tied up his two kills. The four rode back to their campsite with their kills dragging behind them like a badge of honor.

The long day before had been relatively boring with nothing more dangerous than quicksand. They had ridden through most of the morning, breaking an hour before midday and resting until the heat of the day had passed, then continuing on for until the light had faded from the sky. Toba had mentioned sending out hunters to gather food for the dracolisks and Diego immediately volunteer himself and his three brothers with the idea of gaining some Experience points. The problem turned out to be that his brothers were just as zealous about hunting as he had been, and he had only gotten a single kill.

By the time they had returned to camp, it had been fully set up. There was a bonfire in the center of a cl.u.s.ter of tents where people could be seen gathered around. Off to the left, there was a rope corral where the other dracolisks were laying near a small fire. Diego and his group dragged their kills over to the corral where Juni sat, leaning against one of the posts as he strummed a six-stringed instrument.

Diego's eyes lit up as he looked at the thing that looked very similar to a guitar. Ishu did not have a love of music, so he did not even know that this world had something like this. He used to play in his past life and he still remember the guitar his sister had bought him with the money she had saved up from the allowance he gave her.

"Young lord! You were so quick," Juni said as he rested his instrument down against the rope and stood up.

"We got lucky and found a small pack a few dunes away," Diego said as he slid off Smoke.

"This should be plenty for the dracolisks, thank you. I'll get my helpers to handle your mounts and the feeding, young lord."

"Of course, but can I make a request?" Diego

"Anything, young lord," Juni replied quickly with a bow.

"May I barrow this while you work?" Diego asked, pointing to the instrument.

"I would be more than happy to gift you with my ki'ta."

"That won't be necessary, I'll be able to get one when we return… I just wanted to try it out," Diego replied politely as he was constantly offered gifts from members of the clan.

"Please, young lord," Juni motioned to the instrument before he bowed and walked away.

The three brothers dismounted while Diego walked over and picked up the ki'ta. The body was a bit different, with a half-moon shape, but it was the same feeling as he slid his fingers across the fretboard. Although they were not the steel strings he was used to, they gave a pleasant sound as he plucked each.

"Since when did you play the ki'ta?" Tovao asked with a laugh.

Diego simply glanced up at his brother then back down at his guitar as he began to strum a song that had been rolling around in his heads ever since he had awoken in the sand.

"On the first part of the journey,

I was looking at all the life

There were plants and birds and rocks and things

There was sand and hills and rings

The first thing I met was a fly with a buzz

And the sky with no clouds

The heat was hot and the ground was dry

But the air was full of sound

I've been through the desert on a horse with no name

It felt good to be out of the rain

In the desert you can remember your name

'Cause there ain't no one for to give you no pain

La, la, la…"

America's "A Horse With No Name" rang out through the area as Diego sang and strummed his guitar with his eyes closed. Just this little piece of home made his heart warm as his third-eye, unknowingly, opened causing him to gather the mana in the air. As he sang the last chorus, each of his notes echoed through the hearts of those who listened.

::Hidden profession unlocked: (Bard). 50 Mastery points awarded::

::It seems Rebecca's eyes were clear as always. Bards aren't too common, and I don't think there has ever been one with a 'Seed of Speed' or any traditional attacking types. This just got more interesting::

(What are you talking about? I'm a Bard?)

::I'll explain more later, this little stunt didn't go unnoticed. Behind you::

On a dune overlooking the camp, a figure covered in a silver metallic sheen could be seen, meditating. As soon as the moon had risen, Rainshower had settled herself away from the others so that she could focus. She was just on the edge of reaching the sixth stage of the Mortal Body, so every night was her chance to take that step, but she had been noticing some resistance from her cultivation. She knew it was due to her own eagerness to advance, but she was unable to calm her heart during her meditations lately.

While she meditated, the notes of Diego's songs drifted into her ears. The gentle, repetitive rhythm began to echo through her mind… her soul, and her heart grew still. Suddenly, the self-inflicted bottleneck loosed and Rainshower eased into the sixth stage. Since it was a lesser breakthrough, there was no disturbance, so no one knew but her that she had advanced. She opened her eyes a moment later and she locked on to the source of the music. She stood up then kicked off the dune and glided over to where Diego and his brothers were standing.