Seed Of Speed

Celita was not having a good day. In fact, she was even willing to say she was having a bad year. Ever since the young heiress had been granted the freedom to roam outside the village, she found herself babysitting more doing her actual job of protecting the village.

True, her warriors were keeping the Matok in check and patrolling the borders, but she would rather be doing something productive than roaming around the coast. Zedava could spend hours wandering around the outer roots, but the jagged rocks a few hundred meters off the coast kept any human ship from being able to approach which was why she was allowed to come to the region at all.

Just as she was settling in for another boring day, her keen senses picked up the scent of a Quiro Flower. She gave the young monkey-girl one last look then dashed off deeper into the jungle. Unlike Zedava special linage, Celita's beast blood came from the Noxious Shadow Drake. Like all those with dragon-blood, aside from a habit of hording shiny objects, she also had a love for smoke with Quiro Flower being her favorite. Although her 'Poison' affinity meant she could not feel any of the possible effects, she still enjoyed the smooth, herbal taste.

Instead of swing from tree to tree as Zedava did, Celita took a much simpler method and launched herself through the air with her powerful legs. Despite that, she moved silently due to her Shadow affinity. She was the perfect hunter, patient and cunning, but she also carried the explosive power from her drake bloodline, and the jungle was her playground.

She landed on the branch of a tree where the Quiro Flower had taken root in the gap between the trunk and limb. With a smile on her face, she knelt down and plucked the blue-green flower. She gave it a sniff before she tucked it away into the storage space within the ring on a leather cord around her neck.

Celita's spiked ear twitched as she heard the rush of movement through the air. In the next moment, she saw a gray figure fly by with two more figures on its back. She blinked, completely stunned, then the realization of who the smaller of the figure was hit her.

"Zedava!" she yelled.

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Diego, unaware of the angry drake-woman chasing after them, was enjoying himself as he flew at Zedava's behest. Her small hands held onto the violet reins while she used the tip of her green tail to point a direction and squealed with joy when Tadrith made a big turn around the trunk of a tree.

He could not help but be swept away by the sheer beauty of the strange placed he had washed up on. While the red sands of the desert had its own charm, this place was otherworldly. By the time he had flown two hundred and fifty kilometers, the trees had stopped getting bigger, but he felt like he was the size of a house cat in comparison to the jungle around him.

(What are those glowing lights?) Diego asked silently.

::If I'm not mistaken, the would be the Svetlo fruits of the Zivot Tree. Other than providing light for other the plants, they have little value::

(This place is amazing!)

::The environment surrounding Zivot Trees are always some of the most unique ecosystems. It's a wonder that there is even one on this world::

Diego circled them around a tree as they drifted down towards the ground, but suddenly he felt killing intent lock onto him. "Zedava! Make sure your holding tight! We going to go real fast!" Diego said.

Zedava gave an 'ooo' and a nod in acknowledgement, and Diego poured in his pure Light and Thunder mana into his golem. Tadrith gave off a violet and white streak of light in its wake as it burst with new found speed. He turned his head just in time to see a large, black figure crash into the trunk of the tree they had been circling.

("Son of a... Can I ever catch a break?!?") Diego yelled in his mind.

A pair of emerald eyes glared at him, glowing in the darkness. Without any better ideas, Diego hung a hard right and shot for the coast. The giant black lizard launched itself from tree to tree, but despite its best efforts, it could not keep up with the golem's maximum speed. Zedava was completely oblivious to the pursuit as she happily enjoyed the flight with an ever-present 'weee'.

Diego broke free of the trees and moved out a dozen or so meters away while he flew west along the coast. The huge lizard did not give up, and chased them west, but eventually, Zedava noticed it.

"Uh oh, Auntie Celita... Diego, I gotta go back," Zedava said, turning her head.

"But Zedava, there is a monster that wants to kill us," Diego said.

"That isn't a monster! It's Aunt Celita, the protector of my village! She won't hurt us," Zedava said.

Diego sighed and slowed his griffin. He approached the tree line carefully, not completely trusting the young girl's words. Even if they were true, that did not mean this 'Aunt Celita' would not try to kill him. As if to prove him right, he was about five meters away when the black lizard swiped its tail and shot a dozen green spines at him.

Within a split second, Diego erected six {Ice Walls} layered on top of each other in the air. The spines broke through the ice, but it slowed them down enough for him to dodge to the side and pull back.

"Aunt Celita, stop! Diego is nice!" Zedava yelled.

"Release the girl!" the giant lizard roared.

"I will. Just allow me to land safely!" Diego shouted.

The lizard snapped its jaw closed and pulled its head back with a look of... surprise? Diego used it confusion to fly back to the trees and landed on one near the lizard, but not next to it. He slid off the griffin's back and helped Zedava down.

"Sorry we had to cut things short, but you should be more careful next time. Most humans aren't like me, and you could be in danger," Diego said, patting her head like he would his sister or Moonfall.

"I had lots of fun flying with you today! I wish we could do it some more!" Zedava said as she threw her arms around his waist and gave him a big hug.