The exact age and history of Aerae... well, it's frankly a mystery. Even the oldest historians of the longest-lived races are not truly as all-knowing as they may seem to be. We take into account known records of Dimensional Wars, all Fifty-Seven mentioned. These, mind you, are spanning what seems to be tens of billions of years, which is quite unfathomable to, for example, my own Race - the Huho, who live only a few centuries. A billion... that's not small number to the academic. It makes one wonder at how it is possible for Aerae to be sustained for so long. Now, consider the evolutionary ancestry between different races. Some of these peoples are unknowns, where other's ancestors can be traced and magically divined. How long does it take for an entire Race to be wiped out, for no trace to be found nor divined? Now, we move to the Gods. Worship, especially those prevalent in established priesthoods and organizations are recorded to have been occurring for millions of years, and yet other Gods and Goddesses simply seem to have... just appeared. As if they were all there all along. How long does it take for a God, a being of almighty power, to fade into existence and historical fog? Then, to reappear as if nothing happened?

- A Thesis on the Little We Know, Jun Thayos'asalkyou

The rest of the group, despite their late-night poker game and drinking, seemed well rested. Luck had much longer a time to rest but he didn't find that conducive for a peaceful morning to mention, especially to Ace. 

They were walking down south of the city early in the morning. It was the beginning of a cold day, but beams of sunlight hit enough of the road to warm the group up. Surprisingly there were a good amount of people out and about. Some young apprentices from the looks of it were running errands for their craft. General stores were open and the more specialized ones were in the process of opening up too. Luck found many people yawning, setting up their own roadway stalls as he himself had done earlier. Those would be the small-time vendors, though it looked like some may have been more permanent than their setup initially implied.

The caravan was leaving soon but they were making good time. Luck admired the buildings and aesthetic as was his usual practice. He could imagine himself scaling them, running across the rooftops. There was a lot to see in the city.

Maxworth and Ace walked slightly ahead, his enhanced hearing catching parts of their conversation. They were talking about Ogrek, some type of combat and weaponry focused people. An interesting culture, Luck admitted. Apparently, Ace had defeated three of them in a spar. But what he found more amusing was the budding friendship between Nayah and Tate, and the giant roken in the middle of it all. 

"You're his sister?" She rose an eyebrow, turning to Luck briefly. He returned the look calmly, before giver her a small nod.

"Yeah, not the lottery, let me tell you." Tate replied, knowing all to well Luck could hear her. Or perhaps maybe she didn't but Luck caught the conversation all the same. "So I hear you can cast magic..."

He smirked amusedly, an emotion both Saga and Tric shared. The two companions apparently, were his assigned walking partners. Bar the fact Tric was simply resting on his shoulder, and Saga; he more stalked than walked. Not that Luck minded the two, he could actually communicate rough concepts between Tric now, and he found himself warming up further to the lightning dragon. Saga for his part seemed to handle the dragon's energy with a passive lack of his own. Honestly, that was much the same way the shar treated the energetic bunnies from Leah's temple.

His laid back musings were slowly overshadowed.

Before he knew it, large white walls encompassed his view. They extended as if past the sky, higher than Mainhelp for sure. And that was just their height, their width was no joke either. He could see pathways and catwalks along its side, lights coming from doorways and tunnels through the white walls, that only spoke to the inner workings of their protections. The walls were manned as well. People, like ants, walked and patrolled them, in the morning light they might as well have been foggy silhouettes. Luck had to crane his head to even marvel at the whole undertaking. It took his breath away. These were higher than any skyscraper from the modern world.

"Damn." He paused. "I've never seen anything like that. It's one thing to see them from a distance, but to stand right below these things?"

Nayah's voice was small compared to the size of the walls. "Ardun's bastion walls. One of the best defenses and major reasons why the city can exist here."

"It is indeed quite a sight, Druid." Erok rumbled, perhaps slightly relieved to be free from the girls.

"They didn't seem this big from Magice, that's for sure." Tate's awe was ill-hidden.

"I hear they never do until you're right beside them," Nayah commented,

Up ahead, large pristine gates, set right into the wall. They were some type of white wood to match the walls, reminding him somewhat of polished ivory. Despite that, he could see the wear on the wood, nicks, and grooves where there shouldn't be. Dents in some cases. But Luck doubted this gate was the only layer of defense. Wagons and people were milling about, empty crates and barrels moving to and fro. The caravan was readying the required containers for the expedition's purpose.

"Ah! Mavon said to expect you all!" A mustached man waved. He hopped out from the driver seat of the wagon. Their beasts of burden were some type of lizard, two for each wagon. The man approached Erok, probably unconcsiouly choosing the largest of them as a representative. He shook his hand. "The Guild Leader said to expect some help. Some mages too, I've heard." He waggled an eyebrow at them.

The mustached man, like the rest of the people milling about, was wearing light cloth. If Luck was a betting man he'd put money on the fact that those clothes breathed. It reminded him vaguely of sportswear, only the look of the thing was more practical and protective, covering limbs loosely rather than tightly fitting workout clothes. Just from that, Luck gathered it was going to be hot. He inwardly found the heatblind in his Grove and pulled on the aspect.

"The Guild Master mentioned us?" Nayah exclaimed.

"I did speak to her briefly." Luck shrugged. "She mentioned the caravan to me as I left."

"Ah, our friend was unconscious at the time but we were able to speak with her too." Erok rumbled, gesturing to everyone. "I have no idea how she knew we would be here, however." Maxworth met Erok's question with a shrug.

"Well, I'll just assume you lot know how to take care of yourselves enough to take care of us. The rumor mill's already been working hard. They've heard you've got a fighter strong enough to take on three Ogrek and a mage smart enough to take on a proctor." He smiled, looking at Erok finding him the most suitable candidate for the former title. The latter which, he merely looked around for before shaking his head.

Ace's elbow poked Luck's side. "Hey, that's us." He smiled.

Luck rolled his eyes.

The wagons were currently empty, aside from some specialized experts that were needed to harvest the more delicate resources. They were mostly older sentinels and wolfen along with younger apprentices. Everything else was just empty cargo boxes, pallets, and different containers. The rest of the caravan consisted of wagon drivers and the guards.

Although not really necessary he spoke to some of the passengers - the people accompanying the caravan for a variety of reasons. The rest of the group milled about as well. Ace and Tate no doubt getting their bearings as well. It looked like Luck would be guarding a portion of the eastern flank with the two while Maxworth, Erok, and Nayah were assigned somewhere on the left.

"We're not really sure the level of danger we'll be encountering." The une rubbed his chin, looking to his fellow wolfen. The horned man was somewhat of an oddity among the other alchemists. "In Snake's Way they say every meter devoid of a snake just means the next one you see is that much larger. I've seen huge beasts in there, and that's not even mentioning the chaos between Snake's Way and Krukon's Forest."

"Keep a careful eye though. The Update, made things more dangerous. The System ain't playing around, the Waves have been eerily missing, they've been this late before, but only ever rarely. I doubt it's a coincidence." The wolfen bared his teeth, at odds with his peaceful craft. He arranged empty bottles in a container to hold them steady.

"You think we're likely to come across anything life-threatening?" Luck said. 

"Oh, most definitely." They both responded, before laughing together.

"The resources we're after are for city use. Anything useful for healing salves, potions, pills, ointments. You name it. My guess is the city is preparing to turtle against a stronger than average Wave. Shouldn't be a problem considering the bastion walls, but nevertheless a wise maneuver." The une nodded slowly, Luck only now realized their apparent age.

The wolfen snarled, but there was a joke somewhere in it. Like an old dynamic between the duo. "Like you've ever praised the city council." The talk devolved from there to aimless bickering, a good way to pass the time he supposed.

"It's not just snakes is it?" Luck questioned. That didn't really make any sense to him if it was so.

"They're the most prevalent threat, though if we do run into something else it's going to be a hell of a lot bigger a problem than a snake." The une shook his head.

"Remember the expedition three years ago? The tree mimic?" The wolfen grumbled. "Hate those things."

"You're worried over a tree mimic? It took a few lives, but we've seen worse you toothed idiot." The une poked him with his horn in an impressive show of bodily awareness. The wolfen growled. "Oh don't start with me."

Luck left them be. It was nice to know the reason but ultimately the details didn't matter. He would guard the caravan along with the rest of the group, and hopefully, find someone along the way.

His pendant, glowed softly, even in the morning light. Motes of light gathered strongly south and forward from him. Someone would be there.

"Caravan ready!" A shout went up. This was echoed loudly across every wagon. Luck finally realizing everyone was in a position to move. The lizards at the head of every wagon heaved, flicking their tongues, and the caravan surged forward, still a decent way away from the gate.

Shouts from walls came down like quiet, faint rain. Such was their distance from road level. "Open the gates!" One yelled faintly, echoing off the white walls like they were a mountain range.

The gates opened and they halted in a large relatively plain chamber. On the opposite end was another large gate. Luck noticed this right as the gate they had just passed through closed behind them. Another shout, another response, and the gate ahead of them began to open again. The process happened thrice, thick, huge doors barring entry and exit unless approved by the posted sentries above. 

"They're like airlocks." Ace whispered, not shy to stare upward at the near cavernous insides of the walls. There were lookouts and guards posted here as well. "Keeping anything from going through that's not supposed to."

"Three of them too. Goes to show how big the walls are." Luck responded. Spirit gave him all sorts of information on the interior workings of the walls. From the acoustics alone, he had a very vague outline of the network of tunnels up and around him.

"Caravan guards, eyes forward." A nearby driver chuckled.

And they were out.

 The heat was a near physical thing. Wet too. Gone was the cold morning of Ardun. The second they passed the threshold that constituted Ardun's brilliant white walls and stepped into the jungle that was Snake's Way, the temperature had drastically changed. Luck was right about the climate.

Twisting trees were heavied with vines and lichen. Luck could see how snakes might thrive in this particular jungle. He heard sharp hissing to his right and found Tate piercing a small snake through its neck. The metal on her arm forming a sharp bladed point.

"Easy to miss these ones." She scrunched her face. "Watch the floor guys."

Ace nodded. "Eyes on the ground unless we want two inch fangs two inches deep." Tric was now perched on his shoulder, electric blue clinging to his jacket. She was eyeing the thick brush. Luck admired her determination, but Ace had already found a few crawling snakes where she missed them.

"That's a lot of snakes." Luck walked alongside the caravan, scanning the ground both with his eyesight and earth sense as he kept up. The cost in mana was nearly negated by his natural magical regeneration.

His overlay displayed red markers where Spirit noticed the deadly things. Luck pulled them each into the earth effectively killing them off. Some of them sunk on their own accord and Luck gave a small glance to Saga as he stalked beside him. The shar simply nudged his hip. His familiar wasn't something anyone would want to mess with. The shar's quiet unobtrusive nature belied his intellect.

The wagons lumbered forward, still relatively fast considering they were empty. At the same time, an alchemist riding passenger frowned. "It hasn't always been like this. The whole city's been on alert in every direction since the Update, even the normal folk find something odd. Haven't had rest from a Wave this long since forever." It was a Sentinel, one of the sapling men. His wooden features crinkled and Luck could nearly imagine the sound of wood creaking.

"Might as well thin the herd then, no?" Ace grinned, shooting a sharp spark of lightning into the bushes. Smoke rose from the spot. "Leah's Luck, that's a big snake." He whistled, sighting the corpse. It wasn't anywhere near them, but it definitely was big. It was easily several meters long, nearly a foot thick.

"Leah's Luck?" The curse got a small stare from Luck.

"What? It's a new curse for me and quite the dig at you. I'd say I've outdone myself." Ace's smile was a little too big for Luck's liking.

"Well, I'll say keep trying. There's a lot of snakes out there for you to perfect your cursing." Luck shrugged.

The sentinel sat on the edge of the wagon with some grumbling effort. "That snake's nothing compared to what Snake's Way's got hiding." They all looked at him. "That's a relatively small one actually."

"They say the snakes can get thicker than the trees and longer than a seven-story building," Tate warned. Luck didn't dispute her, he had seen her talking to the Ardun's citizens quite often. Not to mention the mingling she had done with the other guards earlier. Her omnitanium flowed up and down her arms, coalescing into twin pistols Luck envied. "So don't go thinking this will be a walk in the park." Her hands gripped the weapons delicately, drawing the sentinel alchemist's eyes. 

He responded after a second. "And even thicker and longer than those have been reported previously. I've never seen one that big myself but I've definitely seen their passing." A shout rang from the other side of the caravan accompanied by some cursing. It sounded like the problem resolved itself, however. The alchemist glanced over and chuckled. "Might be more interesting a ride than I thought."

"What's your name, old man?" Luck smirked. "Might be nice to have some talk on the road." Luck's voice carried with confidence, but it was not Common. Instead what came from his mouth sounded old and gnarled. Like the diversion of two tree trunks epitomized in sound. He was speaking the native language of the Sentinel people.

The old alchemist raised his brow. "Japu." He said simply. "You speak Ent." He plainly stated. "I can't remember the last time I've heard it. Not in years for sure, but a Sentinel never forgets." He changed from Common to Ent. "The Sentinels in Ardun are city washed if you ask me, not remembering a single thing about their culture." A smile crept its way onto his face as if he was a plant catching the secrets of the sun. "But don't tell no one I said anything." He chuckled.

"Not a word." Luck laughed.

"You kids with the Adventurer's Guild then? You young man - with the black hair - you must be with the Coterie, yes? I've not seen lightning magic in quite a while either." Japu asked pointedly. He pointed at them with a wooden walking cane Luck didn't even know he had on him.

"None of us are." Luck responded with a shrug. "Neither Guild or Coterie."

"Oh?" Japu tilted his head. "Rumor has it you've got a pair of skilled mages. And one that can take on a proctor. And between the three of you, the roken, the gentleman, and the woman all on the opposite end of the caravan you've got a fighter at least capable of enough to dispatch seven foes then three Ogrek one-on-one in a row. You're telling me you're part of neither?" 

Luck raised an eyebrow, looking to Ace. He hadn't heard of the previous seven opponents.

Ace grinned. "Don't look at me, Lucky. Not my fault the Ogrek aren't versed in counters to bare-hand disarmament." He shrugged, zapping another snake as they passed. The mercenary focused on the last part rather than the seven previous spars. It was decidedly typical of the man, so Luck let it go with an eye roll. "Besides they were underestimating me from the beginning. Not the brightest idea."

Tate laughed lightly. "That definitely wouldn't end well." Her eyes crinkled but she was scanning the leaves above. Any vine hanging from the could be a snake in disguise. They had already run into a handful that used the hanging growths to their advantage. Although most were cut down by the guards leading the caravan, as they were the most experienced. Sickled poles cut down any vine suspiciously snake-like.

"Well, let's try not to underestimate the jungle either, yeah?" Ace warned. "That was a damn big snake."

The trees had actually enveloped them long ago, forming a type of tunnel. Luckily, there was already a set path for the wagons to take otherwise the whole process would not have worked anywhere as smoothly. Every so often they would pause so the working staff could be sent out to gather from various resource depots, these mostly being mundane herbs and what Luck registered as magical plants. Guards were sent with these people but Luck, Tate, and Ace were tasked with guarding the wagons. 

Now was one of the stops.

Japu looked astonished. "You? You're a mage aren't you?"

"I am." Ace smiled, leaning on the wagon. His eyes were ever alert, however, even if they weren't Luck and Tate were there, and between all three it was unlikely anything would escape their notice. Not to mention Saga now on lookout from the branches up above, and Tric darting to and fro scanning the terrain. Ace cracked his knuckles as if shooting bolts of lightning from his fingertips strained his fingers. "What's so surprising about that?"

"The fact that most mages are solely focused on their art rather than their body," Japu answered bluntly. His voice croaked and he coughed slightly but took a swig of a potion at his belt and looked better. "Though it seems if you were able to beat even a single Ogrek then you are not as useless as most without their magic."

"Thanks, hear that Lucky?" Ace waggled his eyebrows at him. Then to Tate.

"It's good that you get affirmation every once in a while, friend." Luck smiled with mock seriousness. He had been quietly pulling the snakes that came nearby into the ground the entire time, and both Ace and Tate had noticed, unsurprisingly. Tate hadn't even ever needed to fire a bullet yet. "We both know you need it." He nodded sagely, his focus unapparently concentrated on securing a half-circle perimeter around them which accounted to nearly half of the caravans right flank.

Ace huffed, ultimately shrugging noncommittally. "How long does it take for the crew to gather what they need?" The mercenary was squatting down, inspecting the plant life. "Those old men and their apprentices don't move that fast."

"No longer than ten minutes, depending," Japu replied, his voice croaky. "There are areas where we've tried to plant and cultivate the ingredients needed but ultimately, those never work out nearly as well as we'd have hoped. The majority of our expedition will be searching for various wilder ingredients. Fire's Blossom, Douse Stalk, Green Fleets, even some of the trees themselves have useful properties, to name a few."

"I hope you at least take care to leave the plants alive." Luck arched an eyebrow. His One with Nature trait kicking in slightly. The jungle trees were actually rather reserved, content to watch and converse with each other in quiet tones that contrasted the buzzing background noise of the jungle.

"We do. Otherwise, we'd have plucked the jungle dry by now." Japu explained. "Besides the Sentinel faction taking part in organizing these expeditions would never stand for something like needless wasting of life."

Luck nodded. His conversation with the trees said as much. It seemed the caravans never needlessly killed the life in the jungle. It was unlikely they could even make a reasonable dent relative to the entirety of Snake's Way, but they definitely could exhaust the nearby resources. So said the jungle itself.

His hand rested on a nearby tree, the bark smooth and damp. Why are the snakes here so aggressive? Even now, he sensed many approaching the caravan as if they were able to sense their presence like a bright torch. Some type of heat sense he gathered, effective despite the everpresent humid heat on the jungle.

The voice that responded was that of the forest. The tree, ladened with vines, moss, and lichen responded. Its voice as heavy as the burden of life it carried. They are young beasts, such is the nature of the Serpent's Path. The serpents are young, their only instinct is to hunt and grow. When they mature, with each molting, their mind sheds itself too. Then they understand their path.

Serpent's Path? Luck echoed his mind, leaning against the tree. Not Snake's Way?

A smaller snake approached Luck aggressively, despite his passive stance. It was bright green and striped with red, slick scales covering its entire thin length, a warning of venom or poison if he ever saw one. A hand of damp earth clamped down on the snake, pulling it into the rich soil between the trees, no doubt nurtured by the very deaths in the jungle's food chain. It hissed once before the wriggling dirt ceased moving as Luck crushed it below the soil. He had the feeling that the snakes were much too plentiful for his innate sense of nature to bother him about dispatching the creatures. He was still the rational and logical thinking man he was, no matter the effects of his trait. If the tree witnessed his actions it didn't mention it.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

It is the nature of the serpents, Druid. The people call this place Snake's Way, yet, rather than any natural formation, the name is derived from the major population in the jungle. The serpents. It is the path that they walk in life. I have seen it many times. Even the trees are friends with the oldest of serpents. The tree spoke, its voice a deeper buzz in the jungle than the scurrying insects.

That would explain why the snakes are known to attack Ardun. It's in their nature, but it still doesn't explain the nature of the Waves, not that Luck had even experienced one yet. If they were anything like Nayah described them they were extremely dangerous and deadly. She had said it wouldn't be a particular surprise to find the wall lined with people defending the city, and considering the sheer size of said walls, Luck got a much clearer perception of the threat. Although she had never experienced one either, there was a lot of talk about it. Especially from the adventurers from Peace.

If the surrounding climates around Ardun could field such a threat he worried of the dangers within.

He gripped his pendant, noticing the lights gathering more than they had ever been previously. Still, it was not anywhere nearly as prominent as the lights directing him to Tate, who just happened to be the closest of his family. In his mind, he had always assumed the pendant latched onto the signature of his blood and followed it to his family, but often times he would forget that he was actually adopted.

He said as much to Ace, too late now to be worrying about it since it did, in fact, lead him to Tate.

Ace crossed his arms. He glanced at Luck with a raised eyebrow before he chuckled, his eyes becoming distant. "Sometimes you choose family, Luck." He breathed in, like a man free. "Especially if you aren't happy with the one you got." Luck gave Ace a quiet glance, not for the first time. He didn't have a response to that.

Instead, they passed the time silently on watch until the caravan lead called the go ahead. Eventually, Japu's wagon drifted away some and all three of them were relatively left alone. A whole swath of the caravan's right side was devoted to them as the rumors allowed them some clout and there hadn't been that many sightings of snakes on their end thanks to Luck.

 "Tate, how'd the guards look by the way?" Luck asked once they started walking again. They weren't the only group guarding the expedition. The front and rear of the caravan had some people protecting it as well and there were others interspersed to react accordingly and bolster any which side.

"Gruff. They looked like veterans to me. I'd know the look of someone who knew what they were doing." She responded, years of detailing criminal organizations displayed in her succinct response. "Magical types by the look of them. Some of them seem too scrawny to be of any other use."

"Combat here isn't a joke either," Ace frowned, his hands were tucked in his pants, eyeing the visible guards further up the caravan. "The people know what they're doing. Some stuff was new, but I could see no hesitance when they came at me during sparring. Usually, I'd catch that in a person. There's almost always some small part of people that hope for a peaceful resolution and while not necessarily apparent in a spar, there should be something I'd notice. Never saw it at all in Ardun. The small things drive it home - the fact that we're not... well, home."

"Mindset is different." Luck agreed, he clicked his tongue up at Saga for an update on their surroundings. They were clear. "The state of living is something else entirely than what we know."

"Some things are similar." Tate shrugged, her wavy hair sticking to her neck. Her eyes scanned the tree line - which amounted to literally everything - purposefully.  "It's still damn nice to have a gun in my hand." She grinned slyly, flipping her hair in a mock gesture.

"Bastard." Luck smirked, shaking his head.

"Not cool, Tot." Ace smiled despite himself. The mercenary didn't at all seem as bothered by the different climate as Luck would have been previously. Though Luck himself was cheating since the aspect of the heatblind kept him relatively cool. Ace stoically endured the buzzing of the insects and their tiny assaults on his face. He seemed unfazed, but then Luck remembered why.

"You've been to the jungle before Ace?" Luck asked, realizing that without Saga's earlier teachings to traverse the forest he'd be having a damn hard time even walking. Even with the way cleared specifically for wagons and their lizard mounts, there was still some overgrowth. The fact that he felt perfectly in place walking among the trees and leaves felt like cheating. Admittedly, he never really had a problem with that.

"Once or twice." Ace shrugged in a manner that suggested he had actually been many times. "It's nice. A little solitude without being too alone. What with the all the damn annoying bugs and animals screaming at each other." He groaned, but Luck doubted he was actually that annoyed.

He gave Ace an amused glance before turning his attention outward. "You always were bad at acting." He said as simply and brutally observant as he possibly could.

"Without a doubt." Ace agreed.

"My brother's got a point, Ace." Tate chimed in, ever helpful when it came to bugging Ace. Luck also took advantage of the fact that that particular detail worked in reverse too. "You kinda suck. Never were that cut out for spy work."

Ace sighed in good nature. "You damn Lockyers. Alright, alright, some jobs took me in more temperate climates. They weren't all the best times for me." He shot a bolt of electricity an approaching snake. "In fact, I got taken to a lot of places. I'd say I'm well adapted to changing temperatures by now, even the wildlife I've come to tolerate to an extent."

 "He says, right after ruthlessly murdering a poor snake." Luck deadpanned, smirking in the end.

Tate and Ace both laughed and Luck forgot how much he missed the sound. There had been scarce days they had all gotten together for a drink, or when they had been split up while Mr. Ark talked with both of his parents. He smiled, finding it odd that they would be here of all places.

Tate winded down after a few moments. "So?" She needn't have said anything more. 

Luck glanced to the tree line for a long moment. His amber eyes settled there until he nodded, slightly disappointed. "The trees haven't seen anyone unusual. Word is still spreading through the roots so to speak, but so far nothing on Mom or Dad."

"I mean given that Tate has metal that conforms to her will and imagination, I'm sure your parents have something equally useful. It's quite likely they might have something to escape notice." Ace said. 

Luck entertained the idea for a moment. He shook his head. "They should have been noticed. The trees have a long memory, what are the chances they can keep undetected from the very environment itself forever?"

 "Are we sure they're even in the jungle?" Tate asked questioningly.

In his eyes, Diversi's Map displayed as a hologram. Parts of the Hydr Dunes and Frozen Zones were mapped, but that was due to Luck's own exploration and Spirit's cartography. Yetton Fal, the late creator of the map hadn't ever traveled to Ardun, but given the cardinal directions of the city and what was already filled in, Luck could reasonably assume the range of Snake's Way.

"It's jungle this way for kilometers." Luck relayed. Unobtrusively, he slipped the physical copy of the map out of his clothes. "Here, see for yourself. Ace, take a look too."

Tate grabbed the map and unfurled it. "Haven't seen a map like this in ages." She whispered, before looking to Luck. "Where'd you get it? It looks like something off of Mom or Dad's wall."

"A Quest from a god." He replied. Tate squinted at that but shrugged in the end. 

Ace helped Tate hold it up as they walked. "It's got the topography mapped too, small indents or bumps for valleys and mountains. I have no idea how the cartographer even got the script on as accurately as he did." Ace explained, he hadn't taken a look at the map since the Frozen Zones. "But yeah, you can see, judging from the parts unmapped where Snake's Way ends and begins, though nothing inside is mentioned."

"So Mom or Dad are here, somewhere," Tate said to herself. Her eyes scanned the map studiously, no doubt committing it to memory. She handed it back to Luck. "Thanks. I've got a rough copy memorized."

"No problem. Ace, you need another look at it?" He asked.

"I'm alright, Lucky." The mercenary replied with a wave. "At the very least, we know we're going in the right direction."

"Yeah." Luck tucked the map back into his dimensional room. It wasn't like he actually carried it with him at all times. He summoned a swig of water directly into his mouth, fresh and crystal clear in taste. He was getting more dextrous in the summoning of things from Evodim. The magic was thankfully instinctive. It was still a learning curve though, but he didn't mind it considering the utility.

He took out his pendant, a brief examination showed the exact same configuration of lights as before.

Noticing Ace's hair, mopped with sweat and sticking to him, Luck was thankful of the heatblind. He was able to regulate his temperature to a certain extent by Spirit's help alone but there was only so much that could do. Using Aspect of Nature, as the spell was named, he was able to inherit the heat blind's internal temperature regulation.

 With the jungle as wet and humid as it was, the day progressing was only making it hotter. The sun had risen higher in the sky, a fact Luck had idly traced despite the dense foliage in the way. Beams of sunlight were nearly showing as opaque with the swarms of insects and moisture in the air. The humidity did nothing to cool the caravan down rather it just acted to make everything that much more uncomfortable, even that was something Luck couldn't avoid.

The day was surprisingly similar to Hydr. They were just on the move - a mindless task. It became routine. 

"Ace?" Luck heard Tate say.

The mercenary had exhaled. His eyes were focused and although they were scanning the ahead terrain for threat Luck could surmise a certain introspection in them. "Yeah?" His breath was visible, not unlike of the type one would expect in the cold. An odd sight for sure. He looked cold.

The man seemed... somewhat unconcerned. Tate asked the question. "What is that?" She said, referring to the air.

"Blessing of Cold." Ace replied, shivering from the cold or excitement, his eyes had a gleam about them. "Compliments of Rever. Insight into the element of frost and chill he had said. Quite. It's much more than just that. I know the cold more personally than I have ever before." His hand glowed for a moment, but it was a trick of the light. It was just coated in frost, like glittering sugar.

Predictably, Tate was unbothered by the reward or the fact she didn't receive one. Luck was fully certain she cared for rewards as much as he did. Maxworth's cold-blessed daggers and Erok's true ice greathammer were the physical and consequently visible gifts so it wasn't as if she was unaware they were rewarded by the Ice Drake. 

"Magic?" Brown eyes sparkled, lighter than normal. It was nice, Luck hadn't seen that side of her in a long while. "What is it like?" The girl might've just found a new obsession.

"Like nothing I've ever experienced." Ace had stopped sweating, he seemed perfectly fine in the heat now. 

"Nothing at all." Luck nodded. "Don't discount your omnitanium though. If Jerxos recognized its value then that enough should describe the entirety of Aerae's perceived value on it. That includes mages and the like."

Loud crashing through the trees. Tate's eyes sharpened as Luck and Ace's did. "Trouble."

Deep staccato. As deep a click as one could fathomly achieve. Eerie, chilling and resounding, even here in the jungle. The sound seemed to come from everywhere but somehow he could tell it was forward. Except, the jungle covered the sound and no one else had noticed. Only his inherited enhanced hearing allowed him to pick it up.

Yelling from the front of the caravan. 

As one, they ran to the front of the caravan. They were met with chaos. The leading guards of the caravan had come across a... fungus. Unlike the humidity and insects, their spores were not visible to the naked eye. Immediately, highlighted in green yellow, clouds of mist surrounding these mushrooms growing on the jungle trees like an infection. What was visible were the wolfen guard, growling and twitching, screaming and yelling. Blackish yellow shroom grew across their fur.

"Infectious spores." Luck shot. "Cover your mouths." 

Spirit? Analysis. It was not a naturally occurring fungus. It felt old, something of nature that shouldn't be here. The work of Ethodthem no doubt.

Unknown infectious agent. High contamination factor. Parasitic in nature. Visible symptoms, mild insanity, rash, weakness, nausea. Spirit's voice was quick and sterile. No logged data available. Closer inspection might yield more accurate calculations. A cure may be possible to create given physical data.

My chances of infection? Luck queried, eyeing the group of guards yelling at each other. A handful were quarantined off to the side as various alchemists brewed experimental potions.

Uncertain. Was Spirit's answer. But something deep within him said he was fine. If not for his healing capabilities then his status as a True Druid. 

He turned to Ace and Tate. "Woah, where'd you get those? Oh." He said. The two were wearing metal air filters across their face. They looked of good quality too. Omnitanium, useful stuff.

"We should be fine around the spores. At least from breathing them. You think they infect aside from inhalation?" Tate responded, her voice was muffled by the filter. Ace gazed at the separated guards with pity.

Ace replied. "From the looks of it we can't be certain. Look, some of the guards have it growing on their chest. Could be they planted there or sprouted from their lungs. Those are just the wolfen guards too, fur might have something to do with it."

By now, Maxworth, Erok, and Nayah arrived. They looked no worse for wear bar the fact Nayah was stepping away from any tuft of grass nearby and checking her feet. Luck could pick up the scent of blood covering Maxworth's daggers and in Erok's case, his hands and feet.

"What's happening?" Nayah immediately asked.

"Some type of infection hit the front of the caravan. Fast too." Luck answered. 

He queried the infected trees. They should have classified this as something obviously worth mentioning to a True Druid. It was definitely something pressing and out of the ordinary. But quickly he realized what was wrong with this picture.

It became instantly clear that the trees didn't see anything. They were effectively blinded, unknowingly infected. Something in Luck stirred. This was also the reason he'd bet that they heard nothing about a stranger wandering the woods. That also meant his mom or dad was in here, among the fungus.

"They don't realize it." He said more to himself. Erok caught his eye and Luck clarified. "The trees don't even realize they're infected. I asked them earlier about the jungle, they didn't say anything particularly interesting. Who knows how much of the forest is infected like this without them realizing?" 

Nayah grimaced. "Is it lethal?"

"It does not appear to be taking any lives." Maxworth stated.

They were standing a good distance away, clear of any of the colored mushrooms lining the jungle vegetation. But just as Maxworth said that an infected une sprouted a large mushroom from his chest, killing him near instantly. It was a gruesome way to die, something new Luck hadn't seen, but he was used to gruesome.

Nayah vomited.

Luck stared at the trees and exhaled. He'd need to fix this. He breathed deeply.

In his mind, his voice was the iron will of a True Druid, the absolute truth of one who deserved the title. He spoke Druidic, deep resounding, powerful. Commanding. 

Denizens of Serpent's Path. Hear! The jungle has been infected. Some of you I have witnessed poor and contaminated, unaware of your state. I am unsure whether you can recognize this virus in yourself, but I ask that you look within to purge and fight the infection as only you can. I will do what I can but you must do your part too. Hear!

His message blasted forth, rustling the leaves of the jungle, shaking the vines. Being heard. Then the forest, almost inaudible to most ears, became slightly louder than normal. Luck left it at that.

 Apparently, Tate was able to detach her metal and hand it to people. Luck refused the mask as Maxworth did, but everyone else was happy for the filter. That was all she was willing to give out, however.

Luck walked forward.

"You see, it is not a problem of what the cure is! We don't have the materials! This is especially dangerous for a Sentinel. Just delivering the cure for this fungus would be tricky. It would be less a cure and more fungicide! And those can be dangerous to the host too." Luck recognized the old sentinel. It was Japu.

"We have enough Fire's Blossom, that there takes care of the killing reagent." A une frowned. "As for the catalyst..."

A wolfen woman cut in. "We have nothing. We do not have enough Fire's Blossom either, if that even works, for a reasonably powerful solution to all the infected."

 "That's hardly all we have. We've been gathering materials specific to healing all morning. Douse Root, Sur Leaves, Green Wood, Jurpo Berries, off the top of my head."

"If I am to be completely honest and blunt," Japu said, catching the attention of the crowd of alchemists. "We are simply not prepared for this. We have not the material nor the method to administer needed medical attention. Our best bet is to send for an expert in this field in Ardun."

"Ardun is miles backward. A trip without a crowd would be suicide alone." Everyone mumbled at that. "Splitting our group would be even worse."

"Perhaps we should seriously consider cutting our losses." Another alchemist said quietly. He was not shamed or ridiculed for the opinion, evidence of a much more resilient mindset that Luck expected.

Japu sighed and Luck took that as his cue to approach.

"What's the problem?" He asked eyeing the infected guard across. "Can we help them?"

"We're lacking materials. Certain fruits come to mind, high in acidity or heat. That might either curb the infection or kill it entirely. We'd have to somehow combine that with healing properties otherwise the wounds left by sprouting mushrooms would fester and contract much more mundane infections." Japu's voice was slow, thinking. Calm despite everything. He seemed a capable old man.

The sentinel knew his alchemy evidently. The rest of the crowd quietly deferred to him, though some of the older ones were conducting their own experiments on the backburner.

His set up was on a crate, removed from a nearby wagon. A small workshop that all the alchemists had set up. A large apparatus for various experiments, this included various burners and fragile glass bottles, as long as dry stalks of ingredients laid out before them. In some cases, the crates, which acted as a table contained the very ingredients they experimented with.

An older wolfen threw a small bottle to an infected guard meters away. The other wolfen growled in worry, drank the potion, and nothing happened. The alchemist clicked his tongue and got back to work.

A mental query to Spirit confirmed his own thoughts. "Japu, I might have something for you. Tell me if any of these might help."

He began to pull out various ingredients from his dimensional room, all the while looking as if he was nonchalantly pulling rare herbs from his pockets. Thanks to Ace's idle gathering during his hunting  he had many already stored. Sour Stalks, Blood Herb, Bleeding Berries, Soaked Apples, Heat Berries. They all came out in small bundles or stalks wrapped with string. Each had a particular property Spirit suggested might be of use to the alchemist.

Japu's eyes went wide. "How did you-" He interrupted himself. "Those! Heat Berries? That just might have some effect. Spice indicates a heat signature, a slight citrus taste normally overpowered by the inherent heat. Acidity strong enough to do some damage. This should catalyze the entire solution. Along with a few other herbs... "

"Who is that?" Another sapling man alchemist asked. "He's just carrying rare ingredients?"

"Can it Telfor. We've got work to do." A une alchemist snapped. The woman brooked no arguments.

Immediately Japu went to work. He threw the heat berries into a pestle and mushed them. All the while his other hand moved to grab scrunched herbs from various nearby crates. He threw them in boiling water and reduced them, and suddenly the air became sour. Luck scrunched up his face. He commanded others to hand him ingredients and after a short while, they eventually came to realize what he planned and started to move around him in tandem.

Japu's voice was hurried, not entirely uninfluenced by the screaming of the infected guards. "Now, just a healing agent. Normally this would superfluous but considering the invasiveness of the fungus. Hmm. What could possibly-"

Luck's senses sharpened. The world pinholed as his eyes became slits, became more animal. Japu stepped back, but all Luck did was grab a small bottle from his equipment, cut open his palm with his new claws and bled himself into the container. He waited patiently before handing Japu the bloody bottle which the old sentinel took with caution. There were whispers and mutterings among the alchemists.

Luck returned to normal, shedding the transformation like an illusion. So smooth was the transition. "That should be enough. That's about the regenerative capabilities of Troll's Blood."

He made a symbol with his hand over the bottle and raised his eyebrow and looked at Luck. "You're him then. The one that bested Sorcerer Jayeke." He spoke conversationally as he worked. "They did say that the one that bested him had come back from the most debilitating of injuries. Well, now I know why."

"Use it well." Luck's voice was calm. He left it up to Japu to take that as a threat or not.

His ear twitched. Deep staccato clicking. Ancient. Old. Eerie. It was... language. A deep sound that was not unlike the chittering of insects. And not just that, Luck had heard it before. It was one of the Spectres, but it didn't seem that anyone other than him noticed the sound past the ambiance of the jungle itself. Not to mention the screaming of the guards. He hadn't seen a single Drone since Guard the one carrying out Protocol East in the Hydr Dunes.

Saga? You hear that? An earlier mental command to keep clear of the fungus was unneeded. The shar had already taken a wide observant berth. Tric had followed his lead.

Yes. The shar responded coolly. Could it be the same metal beast from the sand?

I doubt it. What is it doing here though? Where is it?

I have no vision of it, Amber Eyes. We cannot be certain it will not be hostile. Saga added. The jungle is thick. Both with wood and sound. But I feel it is a ways further from us.

Luck nodded. That was a problem for later. But still, the jungle itself hadn't noticed the Spectre, which likely meant it was somewhere in the infected jungle where the trees were effectively blind. He entertained the possibility that the Spectre was infected but quickly ruled that out, it seemed the fungus was parasitic so it would have no effect on a creature of metal. Much for the same reason that Maxworth denied a mask.

If Japu and the rest of the alchemists couldn't come up with a cure, Luck would step in and utilize Spirit to analyze it first-hand. He had put himself at risk using the same method when saving Ace's life back in the Forest of the Drowned, but he was loathed to do that again. He wasn't invincible, there would be things out in the world that even his enhanced regenerative traits wouldn't be able to overcome. And he had already gotten the statistics from Spirit, a large percentage of Users of the Mk3 die from ignorance and heavy reliance on the S.I.'s functions. 

Luck would not be one of those people.

He watched the tree line. Japu and the rest would handle the infection. He gathered he would try to analyze the visibile properties of the fungus as much as he could. 

As of now, any progress further into the jungle was reckless. He wiped the humidity from his face, the trees were blackish yellow, spots of mushroom sprouting from the trunks. His enhanced vision could make out the invisible spores, although it seemed their potency ran thin with distance.

Suddenly there was a loud, crackling, tearing noise ripping through the jungle. It drowned out all sound.

"Down Lucky!" Ace jerked Luck hard by the neck, forcing him to the floor. A force of wind pressed him down further.

An entire tree sailed overhead. It exploded in splinters, impacting the caravan, ripping through a wagon. Chaos. Screams and voices trying to control the situation assailed the crowd. 

"What the fuck!" He yelled. His eyes picked up on something large immediately. "Snake!" He spotted.

Then his body encased itself in hard chitin of its own accord. A large diamond-shaped head, shot like a missile, fangs extended at a length and size as implausible as the snake itself. It was the dark green of the forest but splotched with black and yellow. Fungus grew out of its eyes.

Luck tensed, forcing intent to the floor. A sizeable hand of earth and soil ripped out of the ground instantly grabbing the snake by the neck. He squeezed. 

Loud bangs resounded, smoke coming from Tate's pistol. Bullets found the eyes of the snake. Luck buried it the next moment, too trained to be flustered by the attack.

"There's more." Her pistols were already trained outward.

A blast of lightning arced off into the jungle. Ace's doing. He channeled another bolt in his fist, eyeing the jungle too.

The heavy clicking came again. Closer. Retreat Last. Serpent's Path is no longer safe. Protocol East has been amended. New forces threaten Last Light, now known as Ardun. Must protect Last Light. Evacute, Last, Serpent's Path is not safe. Stay clear of the fungus.

Then a spectre, all metal and twisting limbs, blasted through the growth. It was just as large as the last one they saw, though this one was on all fours, bounding across the jungle like it was nothing. It was almost spiderlike as it used its limbs to traverse between the trunks of the trees.

Snakes hung from the twisted cold metal of the thing. Either as carcasses or in futility.

It's arm transformed into a cannon. Flames instantly burned the surrounding fungus. Its eyes glowed red, ruthlessly torching the infected guards. Embers, where before there were hopefuls. Instantly dead. Luck pushed aside his thoughts of the injustice, he was too practical for that.

"Damn it." Luck said aloud. "Something's threatening the jungle. Remember Guard, Ace? Those drones found something here too. No doubt Ethodthem's doing."

"Max, Erok!" Ace yelled. "We got a spectre." He said as they neared.

Nayah's eyes went wide. "He killed the guards." 

"Just be glad it recognizes us as friendlies." Tate shot. She eyed the thing. "What is it?"

"Old remnants of the past. Designed to protect the city." Luck supplied, the alchemists threw exploding bottles and potions, both aiming to put out the fire and concuss the spectre. "That thing was fighting something. Everyone back up."

Just then, something barged through the path made by the wreckage of the jungle. A snake's head, fangs and slitted eyes. But it was as large as the spectre, and it looked absolutely feral. And it had arms ending in sharp claws that Luck gathered might be the cause behind the deep grooves left in the metal of the spectre.

Of course, Ace was the first one to blast it with lightning. It screeched loudly, the magic gaining the attention of the spectre as well. The snake-thing dug its arms and launched towards Ace, but Erok and Maxworth found its face. 

The roken pivoted below the swiping claws taking cover as Maxworth deflected the fangs, and decimated the creature's shoulder. It collapsed to the ground, and Luck took the moment to clamp down on its tail and other arm with the earth itself, shackles of a sort forming around the appendages. Maxworth's daggers found their way across the things throat.

Then its head exploded. 

"Damn girl." Tate whistled, slowly lowering her guns. She stared at Nayah who exhaled. She had thrown fire and hell right into the mouth of the beast. "That's a shot."

Nayah grinned sheepishly.

Maxworth slit the neck of the thing, deeper than before, for good measure.

The battle was shortlived, not longer than a minute. But adrenaline skewed things. 

Chilling clicking came loudly. The spectre walking on fours, immediately came to staring down at them. Through its legs Luck could make out the rest of the caravan staring in fear. They lost a whole wagon of goods, and a chunk of the guard.

"Luck." Ace gestured to the thing. 

Its glowing red eyes regarded them, even as its legs shifted stance. The tilt of its head was almost animal. But intelligence was obvious, if not by its gaze then by the eerie language it spoke. It towered above them, nearly the size of the smallest of the jungle trees.

You should return, Last. This area is not safe. New Command has been established. Sovereign has been compromised by the passage of time. Last Light's defenses have been compromised by the passage of time. Spectre Drones are the only known active defense. We are not enough.

Luck opened his mouth. A series of clicks came forth. "What is affecting Serpent's Path? What is the threat to Last Light?" Tate stared at him, but Luck's Omnilingual no doubt had its uses.

A deep whirring came from its metal. My group is tasked with curbing the infection here. The infection's lasting contaminants gain immense strength and power. Their exact capabilities are unknown. Number of infected are unknown. Local wildlife are unknown. The root of the infection the Spectres are unable to locate. Many sections of Serpent's Path are lost.

The alchemists crowded around Luck and them, along with the rest.

"What is it?" A sentinel whispered. His voice was carefully subdued, but even then the spectre angled its head to him.

It's language changed to Common. "I am an ancient protector of Last Light. We existed in the times of the Enemy. Ethodthem has awakened the Spectres, and we are duty-bound to carry out our standing orders." 

Everyone shuffled, some still in hesitance and fear. Japu spoke. "And what is that?"

"We have always protected the city. To achieve Protocol Revival. The last of the bastion cities, Last Light. Ardun." It said, still an alien sound to the ear. 

Luck remembered, he had given Guard an information package of recent history. The Spectres would at the very least be updated on that.

"And you would kill us?" A wolfen growled. "You are no protector-"

 Suddenly, it reared its head and a sharp screech erupted from it. Its arms became spears, spikes erupted from it every which way. Its eyes glowed red. Luck forgot that it had a mouth. It opened.

"LEAVE LAST! THE ENEMY APPROACHES."