Lizzy's form turns out to be even better than I had hoped, not only do I not sink into the sand but I am way faster. At this rate it shouldn't take me more than a day to visit all four points marked on the map. Probably the best thing about this form is it actually has two pairs of eyelids so the sand can't get into my eyes.
For a minute I think about using this form to mess with Lizzy, like I did with Myria. However, once I think it through I decide that Lizzy can never see me in this form. After all, she might be the last of her race, the last thing I want is her deciding I am her mate.
Right now, I have more than enough trouble, I don't need to add any more. Once I am done with the tests, this form will be one I only use in an emergency. Inside the test, it is currently my new favorite form, and I plan to use it freely.
As I am running towards the first dot I get the chance to fight using Lizzy's form. Several giant scorpions attempt to ambush me as they rise out of the sand. Luckily, by now I am used to this form and have no problem whatsoever dodging the ambush.
Rather than just avoiding them and running away I decide to try fighting them. After all, I want to test out this form and I hate scorpions so it is a win win. So I charge at one of them, the first thing I target is the tail since I don't really want to test out their poison.
As I move to attack I find out that this form's top speed is a lot higher than I thought it was. Once I make the decision to move in a flash I arrive behind the scorpion. My bite attack completely tears the scorpion's tail off before it can even start to react.
The scorpions end up being no challenge at all, but I do learn a lot about this new form. Everything I learn makes me extremely glad that I made friends with Lizzy. I have had the thought a few times before that I would not want to fight her, it seems even then I was underestimating her.
While the current me would probably stand a decent chance against her, the me from back then stood no chance at all. Then again, this form is based on my body so Lizzy might not be this powerful. At least not yet, maybe after she absorbs the power of the temple of earth.
Once all the scorpions are dead I find myself a little tired and hungry. Apparently using the burst of speed for combat burns through a lot of energy. Which makes sense, it also explains why the normal speed is so much slower.
It may be slower, but it can be maintained for a long time without becoming exhausted. In fact it only takes me about another hour to reach the first dot on the map. When I arrive I find nothing special about the location, all that happens is the dot disappears.
Just as I am leaving to head for the next dot the sand beneath me suddenly shifts. Not far behind me the sand suddenly sinks down forming a pit and all the sand around it starts flowing into the pit. This includes the sand under my feet and as it shifts it is carrying me towards the pit.
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It isn't hard for me to run across the top of the sand and get out of the area of moving sand. Once I do I look back and see that the center of the pit is actually a hole. Upon closer inspection that hole is filled with teeth, it is a mouth.
If I had been in my normal form I absolutely would have been dragged down there by the moving sand. While I could probably kill whatever that is, it is much nicer to be able to just ignore it. After all, I don't actually get anything from this test so why waste time.
So I turn and take off at traveling speed and head for the next dot on the map. My only real interest is in beating all ten tests so I can get into the temple. I don't see any reason to waste time on extra things, if this was the knight commander test it would be the opposite story.
On my way to the next dot I encounter several different types of monsters. Since none of them are fast enough to catch me I simply ignore them and keep moving. Expecting something similar to the last dot, when I reach it I move past quickly then turn around to see what happens.
This time an utterly massive worm comes up from beneath the sand, it makes me think of Dune. However, I am already out of its range and once I've seen it I turn and keep moving. Even if it decides to chase me I am confident that I can outrun it in this form.
When I reach the third dot the situation is completely different, the monster is already above ground. This time it is an enormous scorpion, it stands around twenty feet high, about the size of a two story house. While I could probably just run past it and be fine, since it is a scorpion I don't want to.
Instead I use my speed to dash under it and start attacking its legs, they are all I can reach. By staying underneath the scorpion I can keep its tail from attacking me, so all I have to worry about is its pincers. They are big enough that I can see the attack patterns with plenty of time to dodge.
Especially as I move to the back legs where the pincers can't reach. Then all I have to do is avoid getting stepped on, which is fairly easy to be honest. I focus on the legs on one side and once all four of them are crippled the scorpion can't move around.
When the legs on that side collapse it also brings the scorpion's body low enough for me to start attacking it. As I use my teeth to rip big chunks out of the body I find out that scorpions taste nasty! After this thing is dead I am definitely going to have to find a way to wash the taste out of my mouth.
That being said, the scorpion’s screams of pain, while high pitched, are music to my ears. Of course, with something this big I am only doing surface damage to it. At this rate I will just have to hope it bleeds to death, because I don't want to climb inside it to do real damage.
After a while it folds the legs on its other side in an attempt to crush me with its body. At that point I simply climb onto its back to avoid being crushed and rush over to the base of its tail. This way I can attack the base of the tail without it being able to attack me.
In the end I waste over an hour to kill the scorpion, and while I don't gain anything from it I do feel better. Once it is dead I start wandering around in circles looking for something else to kill. At this point I just want a different taste in my mouth, anything would be better than scorpion.
Luckily, after a while I come across an oasis and am able to wash my mouth out and then have a drink. While there are plenty of signs of other things using the oasis, nothing attacks me. Once I have drunk my fill I leave the oasis and head for the last dot on the map.