Hao Xuan spread out his spiritual sense and picked up a massive energy signature rushing towards them.

"Is that meant to happen?

" he questioned while moving behind her.

She took a step forward and waited until the dunes began to separate, giving way to several sharp rock pillars jetted into the air. It began to slow down as it came closer while more and more of its gigantic body started to appear above ground.

It stopped just a few meters in front of them to slowly pull the remainder of its hulking mass out of the ground. Towering over them at a height of twenty-five meters, this four-legged beast had rocks for armor that covered its entire outer body and then some.

Hao Xuan could not find a single weak point anywhere apart from its eyes which were unnaturally small compared to the rest of its frame.

It was quite large to begin with but those powerful forearms were unnaturally big, built to smash things to smithereens while the rest of its body was slender in form and built to move quickly over short distances. With sharp spikes going all the way from its head to the tail, one could easily imagine what a mighty foe it would make if things came to it. (Image posted in discord and Authors notes)

Its chest heaved up and down creating gusts of wind that ruffled their clothes as it peered down with a wisened look. This wasn't a simple mindless beast but a creature capable of independent thought as it became obvious by its cautious behavior.

They were like ants in front of it and yet the beast did not make any hasty movements.

"An elemental!

" Hao Xuan exclaimed at the realization.

This was the first time he had seen one so big but it felt different than all the rest.

It lowered its head to carefully sniff the ground around Baba Jezda inhaling the ground-up petal that went into its body triggering a response. Something suddenly clicked as if a switch had been flipped open. All of its unease was washed away in the blink of an eye.

The beast humbly lowered its head allowing Baba Jezda to climb on top.

"What are you waiting for? Let's go,

" she gestured for him to come on board and Hao Xuan happily obliged.

The beast raised its head when both of them had found a good place to hold onto. Baba Jezda spoke a few words in an unknown language making it turn around and sprint towards one of the land bridges.

Its speed exceeded Hao Xuan's expectations especially because it wasn't running on the ground but rather swimming through the sand like a fish through water. Half of its body was submerged in the searing hot sand.

And because of the strangely unique placement of its horn, they were protected from the gusts of hot air and debris that would usually make the entire experience quite distressing.

"How did you tame this creature so quickly? Was it the petal?

" Hao Xuan questioned when he couldn't figure it out himself.

And strangely enough, Baba Jezda was quite willing to answer him which he did not expect.

"Long ago beasts such as this one were bred for war in the Abyss. The terrain for many of the stable abyss layers is a kind of desert wasteland and during the Great War, some battle mounts were needed to easily traverse such vast distances with ease.

"

"That petal comes from a flower that only grows within the abyss. They used to love eating them every chance they got.

"

'???'

Hao Xuan's eyes narrowed in thought,

"Did this beast survive all that time in here?

"

"Of course not,

" she scoffed,

"But even after thousands of years and hundreds of generations, those memories remain suppressed within their blood. But with the aid of a simple Remembrance spell I jogged them awake so it could return to its former glory and serve its intended purpose.

"

"....

"

Now that she explained everything it sounded simple and made sense but to casually pull something like that off, the ability and understanding needed for that would be outrageous.

With his thirst for knowledge quenched Hao Xuan focused on the objective at hand. He was so close that it was almost a done deal but for him, this would only be the first step on a long and tough road.

And he would be alone there...

Baba Jezda noticed his silence and correctly assumed what it was about.

"Your nerves must be all over the place and that is perfectly reasonable. What you are about to do is something no one else can claim to, ever. It is a tremendous task but one you are uniquely suitable for.

"

He let out a hollow laugh,

"Ha, there is no reason for a pep talk. I'll do whatever I have to, you don't have to be concerned.

"

***

Author's Notes:

All images are posted in the Official Discord.

Link: . gg

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Reference Image Link: https:

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/ i.pinimg. com

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Shortened Image Link (case sensitive) : https:

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/ urlzs. com

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