Seven days into their journey across Multana Desert, Kir realized something. A difference, a spark forged not through the gods, but through effort and perseverance. As a friend, the blacksmith observed and helped Daiden throughout the course of his six months in training. He tried to understand but failed to grasp at the purpose of the concept, the conditioning. He only ever relented out of courtesy and love. In baby steps, Kir noticed merely slivers and instances, his first as a spectator to the battle between Laella and Daiden. But in isolation, the blacksmith grasped at much more.

A little battered and dented, Daiden managed his equipment with an unnerving calm. He swung his sword against the air to clean the blade of blood, spilling onto the hot desert sand without worry. His eyes traced to two opponents, Sand Spiders, and a third in hiding. He hopped with light steps and broke into a sprint, swerving left towards one of the Sand Spiders. In his approach, he flooded the ground with his aeter, in a five-meter radius, to track the third.

“I still can’t find it,” thought Daiden, clicking his tongue. “Alright. Let’s not panic. Start with two, then worry about three.”

Daiden parried against hard limbs, thrust with unpredictability and at odd angles. He frowned when the Sand Spider managed to chip at a little more, around his shoulders. The second spider burrowed into the ground as well, the same as the third, but emerged with haste, behind Daiden, screeching for a bite. With a stomp, Daiden launched into the air and kicked the Sand Spider to the ground. He waited for the other to attack and hopped away at a hair’s breadth to force the first spider’s limb onto the eyes of the second. With the two entangled, Daiden kicked again, thrusting the limb further in. He stabbed at the injured Sand Spider in a frenzy, ignoring the gushing blood until the latter fell to death.

[Verse One of Takshakan Swordsmanship]

In a dance already, Daiden unleashed a splash of aeter with a restricting effect. The entangled spider slowed further still, and Daiden waded into the attack by launching a projectile first. He cleared through the risen sand cloud and used his four seconds to ensure another death.

Breathless, Daiden touched his pounding chest, with his mouth wide open. He coughed on sand. But with slow, easy breaths, Daiden managed to urge his body into a state of calm. He turned and raised his arm to offer Kir a thumbs-up. Having reassured his friend, Daiden took in a deep breath and spread his aeter in a net once more, wider this time. Now across a ten-meter radius, he caught a trace, and then chased after his target.

“Moving away?” thought Daiden, in surprise. “Can’t choke on sympathy now. You never know what, who or how many that creature will be bringing back…”

Daiden laced his sword with a jade aeter veil. He leapt and swung mid-air to launch a sharp projectile that burrowed after the escaping Sand Spider. With neither the energy nor the will for combat, the creature succumbed almost immediately to the offense that followed.

“Kir!” called Daiden, from a distance. “I’m done here. The sun’s setting as well…we’re in the clear for now.”

The blacksmith hurried over to his friend’s side and rummaged through the remains of the Sand Spider to mine a rough object, netted inside a hard, black, web-like exoskeleton.

“I’ve never collected as many Sand Cores before!” exclaimed Kir, counting to thirty-eight. “But I think we should stop now. We really don’t want to deal with the emergence of a Natural Monarch…”

Daiden eyed Kir for a moment and looked away. In a hum, he swiped into his Mioveroldian Page and accessed his open quests.

★ Trade Route Management ★

Quest Grade: E~B

Description:

Trade across Multana Desert suffers through the year due to the presence of natural hostilities. Clear out the desert monsters to ensure faster and safer travel.

Quest Grade: E

Clear Condition: Collect Proof of Victory (10/10)

Quest Grade: D

Clear Condition: Collect Proof of Victory (20/20)

Quest Grade: C

Clear Condition: Collect Proof of Victory (30/30)

Quest Grade: B

Clear Condition: Collect Proof of Victory (38/35)

Current Reward Slab: 70 bloodstones per Sand Core and 1,000 bloodstones

Daiden hurried Kir to his side and shared the quest information with him. “It looks like the General Quest also avoids the emergence of the Sand King…”

“Why do you want to summon it then?” asked Kir, with a loud sigh and a worried expression.

“It’s a test…” explained Daiden, simply. “The GCQI Magic Network ranks the Sand King clearance as an A-Grade Quest. My registered trainee quest also assumes an A~S-Grade difficulty. If I’m unable to handle the Natural Monarch, there’s little reason to challenge the other.”

Kir heard the explanation without interruption, but shook his head in disagreement, nonetheless.

“If you fail in subduing the Natural Monarch, then we both die,” said the blacksmith, grimly. “Calling this self-designed test idiotic is a kindness.”

Daiden laughed out loud and shrugged. “I’m yet to reveal all my cards, Kir. Rest assured that if the plan falls apart, I’ll be able to pull us both out of danger.”

“How do you figure?” asked Kir, a little annoyed.

“Ah, just trust me!” declared Daiden, falling onto the now cool desert sand. He took in a deep breath and embraced the breeze, the moonlight as well. “As always, you’re in charge of cooking.”

“You’re just…too much!” complained Kir, in exasperation. He glared at Daiden for a moment and slumped his shoulders next. “Fine, I’ll trust you on this. And by the way, are you planning on selling all the Sand Cores?”

“Isn’t that part of the clear conditions?” said Daiden.

“Well, yes, but you just need to show the Sand Cores as proof, not actually sell them,” revealed Kir. “That’s entirely up to you.”

Daiden sat upright with interest, at the turn of the conversation. “What do you suggest?”

“Well, I would love to try smelting a few, you know, to make an item,” said Kir, honestly. “Would that be okay? It’s part of the growing experience I told about.”

“How many would you need?” asked Daiden, with a smile.

“About twenty.”

“Got it! I don’t mind.”

Kir gaped at Daiden’s response, taken aback by the apparent generosity. “Thank…thank you! I mean, I promise to make something great, for you, I mean!”

“I rely on you, Kir!” said Daiden, cheerily. “You’re my friend. Ask these things with more confidence.”

“Thank you, again!” said Kir, more genuinely this time.

“Ah, so what about the rest?” asked Daiden, suddenly. “Do I sell them, or is there something else I could achieve with the remaining Sand Cores?”

Kir scratched his beard in thought. He slowly walked towards Daiden and took a seat on the sand next to him. The blacksmith fell onto his back with a thud and traced to the moon, the stars as well. With a sigh, he slapped his hands against the ground, lifting and settling the sand in a gentle tide.

“Sand Cores are elemental remains…you could ask a Sage to use them to communicate with a Sand Elemental,” revealed Kir. “I’m not really an expert, but it’s a high investment, low yield process.”

“Tell me more,” urged Daiden, with interest.

“In its purest form, aeter is a resource under Aeterna’s governance,” explained Kir, slowly. “But the elements are controlled separately, by cognizant Elemental Spirits…still under Aeterna, well, in terms of hierarchy anyway.

“But Elemental Remains offer an opportunity to acquire a few variant abilities, even for non-Elementalists. It requires a lot of resources, but the results are usually disappointing. It’s simply not worth it, and the processing fee just makes it worse.”

In a hum, Daiden gave the explanation some thought, then more. He eventually decided against using the cores to communicate with a Sand Elemental. “I should be more careful with such a decision. But I suppose there’s no harm in keeping a few, maybe for Rollo or Laella.” Aloud he added, “Once we’re finished with dinner, let’s discuss our plan for tomorrow.”

“What about tomorrow?”

“The Natural Monarch, obviously,” reminded Daiden, with a grin. “You may have noticed this already, but at first, the Sand Spiders attacked without support, then in pairs, and again in larger groups through the days. A swarm tomorrow might pose a problem, given how the defeat of two more is expected to summon the Sand King. Ugh!”

“Leaving the rest…to act as supports to the Monarch,” said Kir, with a grim expression. “You’re making it harder and harder for me to buy into this plan of yours. Now I’m just riddled with doubts again.”

“Well, we have the rest of the night to discuss it!” said Daiden. “Let’s not waste the opportunity.”