" - Should it not make me inedible then ?"

" - It dePend on the monster. For inseCt type with low intelligenCe, at long as it move, it's a pRey."

Valid point here.

" - Also, as we have disCovered at the aCademy, you can only fool magiC senSe. You are still visiBle by everythinG who see heat, viSion, sMell... You will mosT definitely be a Prey for any predator Coming, magical power or noT."

" - Ha. ha. ha. Not like i was having any hope for escaping that."

Well, any hope left, i mean...

" - Coming bacK to the topic, the same enchanTing can be done on objects, too. Like the sword of a faBled king who have legends about iT, can gain incommensurable Power as the story is Told and passed on. There is also a joB for people who want cReate magical objects of all sort and natuRe, a magician specialized in senDing way more magic in the object than jusT mere toughts. If we were to clasSify them, the first one is definiTely sTronger than the second since it still acCumulate power over time, but generally they all sTart at simple enchanted objects. The Deciding factor is essentially Time, or, HA HA (laughs), the Tendency to exagerrate a story. Ho, and there also caSes like the objects in a dRagon's treasure for exemPle. Because dragons live long, have really stRong magic power and a tenDency to fancy highly their possessions, they senD way more magic in their belonginGs than any regular magician, de facto creaTing powerful enchanted items."

" - I suppose dragons are not keen to part with the said items ?"

" - Dragons are senTient Beings who can be reasoned and with whom we can Ttrade, but generally they dislike other races because they are sTrongly territorials people, and also... Well, let's say that encountering a dragon often Results in a fight for whatever reason."

Why do i think i asked for another flag. Please, dont put a dragon in this forest, please.

" - Still speaking about enchanted objects, i can tell you the eXperiment from the Professor Czhellh of the northern aCademy. He proved with absolute cerTitude the differents points in the making of a naturally enhanced oBject by creating a simple sworD for one of his assistants, sword imbued with a little elecTricity magic, not even enough to shock someone. He then called barDs and storytellers to the academy and paiD them to sing tales and songs about the supposed great baTtles done by a namelesS solDier with the help of this sword, who casted "storm and fire at Command".

" - And ? What happened ?"

"- The story was passeD down for a few years and became well know within the countRy. Five years after, the sword started to maniFest stronger lightning power over time, and even fiRe magic as well. Ten years afteR, she was able to manipulate the weather in a Small area. After fifteen years, the Professor made his study known across the kingDom, since the sword was able to manipulate the elements liKe in the story and the theory was pRoven true. He demonstrated the importance of the time Factor, the incidence of the number of people inVolved, as well as the fact than a proDuct dont necessarily start with the Told property imbued to it."

Fifteen years for a study ?!? Well, it's normal i suppose ? Also, i can't help but think this world would be the paradise for a scam artist or a good advertiser ? Hey, you wanted to enlarge your penny ? Check this awesome penny-enlarger-wand §

" - What happened to this sword after that ?"

" - She's heavily guaRded in the northern academy. You see, even when the Public was told it was just a fiction, a prank, the people still Telled the story to childrens and..."

" - Okay, i can imagine it."

" - Yeah, it's now a pretTy powerful artefacT. The study was made 180 years ago, you see. And, well, the story sPread to the neighboring nations, too."

" - ... Yeah, i get it, it's gone out of hands, basically."

... And with this penny-enlarger-wand, an automatic hose reel is offered free of charge ! You will need it later. Dont ask why.

" - Sometimes Research have unexpected siDe efFects, but we always take all the precaution neeDed before starting. for Exemple, another proFessor from the royal kingdom of blablablah-"

I stopped listening. A hundred meters in front of us is a flock of what looks like gazelles. About thirty individuals graze peacefully on each side of the road, without worrying about us.

They have an almost crimson fur streaked with black and eighty centimeters long, beautiful black ebony horns. Oh yeah, and some of them have these said horns with lightning discharges running throught them. And they are almost 1m70 tall. Obviously, as if it could be normal critters in this damned forest !

And these people dont stop at all ! Carl is still babbling about the spear of i dont know who, and our escort keep walking. No danger ? Ok, i keep walking too.

" - ... then his sPear gained the ability to aTtack his ennemy from the most vulnerable spoT from behind and..."

No, i dont want to know about some butt-chasing spear for now, more importantly, some of the gazelles-things stopped grazing and are starting to look at us with a lot of electricity charging on their horns, but it's still ok ? No one react ? Still safe ? We can pass right throught them ?

" - ... But the cRown of Jchzühn offered us another aPproch to the sTudy of extra-humanoid intelligence, since they have Totally other concepts about..."

Hey, guys, they are scratching the earth with their foot while lowering their head, i know from personnal experience and i can say they are going to stomp over us, while frying us like walking fly-swatter for the fantasy touch bonus, you know ? Why are we still walking toward them ?

" - This brought Us to the essential disCovery of-"

" - Carl, sorry, but, hmmm, is it not dangerous ? They're going to charge, you know ?"

I point with my two fingers to the already charging herd. Holy crap.

" - Ha, noooo, Dont worry, we have a specialisT for that. As i was saying, the Discovery of..."

Really ? No, but you know, they are almost on us ? Hey Carl, mind if you pass in front of me ?

Already too late. The charge was almost like a flash, since they were also incredibly fast. No time for Carl to shield me or react further, shiiiit !

But then, all the gazelles stopped two meters before touching the front guard, who is none other than Boobs Elf. Ho yeah, it's an elf, nature, everything, animals, so it's cool ! Perfectly logic !

Well, no, but i dont care about logic anymore. The herd immediately dispersed and is currently letting us pass while resuming their grass-eating activity. It was so... anticlimatic.

Not like i'm going to complain about it, but...

" - ...And you see, this waS the amazing Conclusion we arrived at the enD of a study who lasted no more than eighty years and iNvolved many researchers and Professors arount the continent ! Amazing isn't it ?"

" - Hmm ? Ho yeah, incredible."

After that, Carl continued to speak non-stop about different type of special objects, where i didnt understand a thing anymore since he speaked in technical terms who seemed prodigious but totally abstract for me. You know, when your best friend try to explain how to make a fusion reactor ? The same, but he speak sometime in russian.

I tried to stop him so what he can explain better but he said "wait, let me finish", but then, he started on the next subject the moment he finished the first.

My god, he will have a breakdown of the tongue's muscle at this rate.

Well, following that, he started speaking about the different type of magic again. This time i managed to understand a little more : magic come from elements like fire, water, air, electricity, earth, void, and pure magic. But here come variations of these elements and it start becoming complicated.

For exemple, light is a product of the fire element, but can be produced by lightning too. It has almost the same effects, just the fire one has a more stable output, it seem.

Ice is a variation or water element but can be obtained by some water and the void element too.

Ho yeah, i didn't explain first, but the void element is the disparition of something or all thing in a small area. Like a repulse element.

Also, air element is more of a wave or movement thing. Electricity consist of lightning but magnetism-type too. Earth is matter in general. Water is not only water but all volatile things it seems.

The most interesting one is pure magic element. It encompass all mana manipulation like the one in enchanted objects, but also the healing spells, information spells and nature-growing spells for exemple, by manipulating the mana in another body. Well, i didnt really understand all that he said, since it's really fairly difficult to comprehend.

In summary, results of a spell can come with any random element jumbled together, if you know how to use and intricate them.

And on another subject, after the gazelle encounter, the road was peaceful. Except one time, the corpse of a six-legged bear was on a tree branch, five meter high. Nobody reacted ! That's normal too. Do in rome as the romans do. There is a shelter tonight. Hurray.

To complain a little, we didnt stop at all to eat, and even the occasionnal pee or poo-stop were shipped in express. For me, i decided to deny any release-of-duty for my intestine until we are at the safe area. No way i will do anything outside of view here, because even a bush can be a man killer, for all i know.

And now, it's approximately 4 o'clock in the afternoon. ...How can i know that ? I asked.

My legs seriously started to hurt since two hours ago. What did you expect ? I'm not some spartan in a movie.

" - Look ! We are almoSt here, you can already see the shelTer from here."

I immediately perk up. Where, where !

...And i finally spot it, when straining my eyes, after a few minute walking. Its a tiny, tiny grey patch on the side of the road, far off. Dammit, how can Carl need glasses, he has at least 100/10 at each eyes to be able to spot that at this distance !

After another thirty fucking minutes walking, we finally arrive to the entry of the shelter. Like last time, its a thirty meter diameter bee alveolus made of a stone. J-warrior in chief take a stone and put it in a hole near the entry, who immediately open. I rush inside, i will be able to rest. I look at a seemingly clean patch of earth and fall graciously on it like a cow dung. You almost heard a splatch sound. I dont care anymore about apparences too. Just let me sleep already.

" - I'm sorry, but it's noT good to sleep immediately especially directly on eaRth like this. Come, we will builD the tents and make a meal, you will Be able to sleep after !"

Haaa, buzz off, what are you, my mom ? Let me sleeeeeppp...