A silver light curved in the darkness, it was two centimeters thick, and had the exact shape of a crescent. Chimes and jangling sounds like bracelets knocking together could be heard, bringing a calm serene energy to the surroundings.

Like a reflection on a black sea, the silver crescent hung up above. The edge at the front of the curve exuded sharpness, while an impression of forceful strength came from behind it. Merely a nudge was all that was required to send out a blow of inestimable power.

Seated with his legs crossed, while still towering over everything in that position, the feeling of sitting in the darkness, and bathing in light rolled of Chief Merken's body. Metal spikes that glittered mysteriously covered his head. It gave him a fiendish aura, he was the fitting image of a monster lord.

Just his size alone is enough to frighten people, don't even mention the techniques he trained in which are even more frightening. He had a huge axe with circular blades at the head laying across his lap, the handle was a dark silver color, while the axe-head was a bright white shade.

Five strong adult human males might not be able to lift it even if they strained together. With so many outrageous requirements just to wield the damn thing, it was difficult to tell what kind of materials were used to create it.

At a distance away which wouldn't disturb their Chief's meditation, Pernoaken's squad of brutes laid back with their heads resting on the flanks of their monstrous lizard mounts. Following behind the Trollsbane, they were able to feast on the blood, and flesh of powerful creatures, as a result of this, they grew beyond what was normal for orcs at their level.

Weaklings could never get on the backs of these sand lizards, they'll just be eaten, the orc warriors were strong, but they weren't at a level where the sand lizards would obediently be mounted by them. What made them grudgingly accept this indignity was the huge Scorching Sand lizard which had surrendered willingly to Pernoaken.

It was a superior version of themselves, if it could bow it's head in submission to these creatures then what were they to roar in defiance? Not only that, there were actually two of these mighty figures here, letting themselves be mounted without a fuss.

Time passed, and these sand lizards had no choice but to accept the situation. They've already fought side be side with these orcs riding on their backs, more and more powerful opponents had fallen, and become their meals, by that point they'd started to feel that this wasn't so bad.

Now they could barely notice the weight of these orcs on their backs. Wherever they went as a pack, there was nothing they needed to fear. Eating good, and sleeping peacefully was the goal of any self respecting monster, living to reach a level where you crushed all predators, never having to look for a place to hide whenever some powerful creature comes along.

None of the things on the Trollsbane's mind were too complicated, there wasn't any place that he wouldn't dare to go, following a guy like him who got stronger through battle, the scorching sand lizards had an even denser aura than the ones living in the wild.

Unlike his chief Lord Merken, who's energy manipulation skills were good, and he constantly honed them, Pernoaken himself was too impatient, he couldn't enter those deep trances, where your senses go into a fine state, reaching out for the energies hidden in the core of your body.

He'd eaten the spirit crystal matrices of a few powerful creatures who were killed by him, but the energy didn't stay inside his body, drinking their blood, and feasting on their flesh gave more benefits to his physical power. While they were just shiny rocks to Pernoaken, the scorching sand lizards would strongly disagree with him on that, it was something precious which could help them reach the next level, definitely worth killing over.

Hunting down dangerous beings, some of whom wielded supernatural powers, with their old pal Pernoaken, the scorching sand lizards were given the opportunity to fill their bellies with quite a number of great things. They were difficult to satisfy, one of them was already enough to eat him out of a house, and home, so he gifted the other lizard to his chief. Merken treated it with the respect it was due, as long as it wasn't in a position where it's growth would be inhibited, the beast was disinclined to raise a ruckus.

All they needed to do was carry a person around, in exchange they'd have plenty of spiritually enriched food brought to them, nowadays they only hunted for the thrill of it, they could lay on their bellies all day, and still get fed if they pleased it.

"That knuckle head still isn't back with a report? This isn't a game, his first priority should've been collecting information, at least he could've sent one of the scouts to relay their findings. The clan heads weren't unjustified with their complaints, I've indeed been too easy on him."

Sensing his body complete it's rounds of energy circulation for today, Lord Merken came out of his meditation session. In only a moment he detected Pernoaken's absence. Questioning one of the orcs lounging around close by, he determined that Pernoaken had been gone for over 5 hours now.

Mouth turning downwards, he reprimanded Pernoaken in his mind, most likely the fellow had gotten one of those ideas which always landed him in trouble. He often had to scoop the orc out of the grave he'd dug for himself. Except this time the orc Lord didn't know what he'd be facing.

When the squad of orcs saw their Chief open his eyes, they hurriedly scrambled to their feet, stiffening their spines, and putting on ferocious expressions to reassure him that they were always ready for battle, all he had to do was point out the enemy.

Running his eyes along the group, planting his axe on the ground in front of him, he rested his hands on the flat top. He too had stood to his feet, looking like an impregnable wall. With that massive body, alongside the metal spikes sticking out of his head, the sight of him could probably scare people to death.

"I'll need one of you to report back to the tribe so that the elders are aware of the situation. Polgix I would like for you to go, your speech is excellent, and can give clear reports. I don't want them to misunderstand, you'll have to be able to answer their questions......."

Polgix, a lean orc with rock hard muscles all over his body, which was different from the other orcs with their big beefy bodies, is an orc from Pernoaken's family. He was a talented warrior, Lord Merken remembered hearing he could empower his movements with innate vigor.

He had a golden hoop earring in his right ear, fur lined his leather armor, hearing his lord's praise made him poke his chest out even further. Paying special attention to his every word, Polgix wanted to do an excellent job at relaying his report, he didn't want his lord to lose faith in him.

Merken made him rehearse giving the report, pointing out a few extra details for Polgix to include, when he was sure the orc had everything properly organized in his head, he ordered him to be off.

"I'll be sure to correctly deliver the lord's message"!

Polgix swept his spear across, bowing low towards his chief. With graceful movements which were unexpected to see on an orc, he wasn't the least bit neglectful in paying respect to the Orc Lord.

The Orc Lord had to admit that the movements were pleasant to look at. Pernoaken might not have an eye for aesthetics, but the fiendish looking leader of the orcs looked up at the sky every night, marveling at the beautiful moon floating in the sky. He knew how to appreciate visually appealing sights.

Hopping on his sand lizard, Polgix's body looked very light as he jumped through the air. Merken couldn't keep a pleased smile from showing on his face, knowing his house of Nar had such a promising warrior in it's ranks.

"Bastard, thinks he's the shit just because he knows how to do a few tricks with energy." Seeing the Chief sending appreciative looks at Polgix, an orc whispered out the side of his mouth in jealousy to a fellow beside him.

"Heh, heh, heh, you're talking that shit like you wouldn't do the same if you were in his place."

"Humph, how could a shitty guy like you understand the thoughts of this great, and powerful orc?"

"Heh, heh, ok oh great, and powerful warrior! Why don't you share some of your grand thoughts with us lowly beings so we can open our eyes?"

Listening to the jealous orc talk like this, his fellow laughed, teasing him, a mouth full of fangs were visible as he glanced at the jealous orc playfully.

"I see you got jokes, lets see if you can continue to laugh when I breakthrough, then you'll be begging me for pointers."

"Heh, heh, heh"!

Here in this part of the forest, sunlight couldn't reach, trees stood up high, this was the 9 Emerald Sky country, where the wind elements were sometimes sharp, and piercing, though it wasn't as vicious as the Glacial North, which you had to cross the Saint Frog ocean to reach, a person with a weak constitution could perish if they failed to keep their bodies warm enough.

Of course something like that isn't a problem for the orcs, who were a race with strong fleshy bodies, the more stronger ones can kill a full grown bear using only their hands. Each of the fifteen orcs serving under the Trollsbane were taught his techniques for forcing the power out of their physical bodies.

The fifteen sand lizards that were their battle companions couldn't be left out, this was a pretty powerful lineup, with their Chief riding beside them, the Trollsbane squad's morale exploded, they could probably erupt with twice the battle power than if Pernoaken himself was here.

"Alright! First let me say, you're all warriors of my house of Nar. I highly value each, and every one of you. We all must combine our strengths to make up for the weaknesses." Lord Merken's voice rumbled, he looked every warrior standing there straight in the eye, they looked back at their lord, with his glorious, mighty appearance, a silver fur was thrown around his shoulders.

"You all know of the incident that happened earlier today. There was a huge surge of energy when the 'small footed' being landed in our territory, this will inevitably draw a lot of eyes towards this direction. Until all of this blows over, I'll be raising the tribe to a higher state of alertness. As for your Trollsbane squad, since your leader is currently out on a mission I'll be taking up the task of guarding the western border alongside you."

Looks of glee came on the twelve Trollsbane squad members faces when they heard of the possibility for action. They were almost driven into an even greater favor knowing that their Chief would be there, in their hearts they thanked the 'small footed' being for providing this stage where they could show off their killing moves to their Chief.

Looking at the twelve warriors who were so eager to do battle, lord Merken thought 'for sure the subordinates reflect the leader'. Hunting beasts everyday wasn't enough to cool down the warrior blood burning in their veins, they needed to feel the contact of steel ripping through flesh, to them the sounds of weapons clashing, accompanied by the cries of the fallen were a sweet music.

Lord Merken's declaration was correct, when the surge of energy exploded above the forest, it's effects could be felt far out in each direction. Spreading out it reached areas such as the Drakov Marshes which were ruled by a clan of powerful serpents, obeying their every command was a host of extremely strong aquatic clans.

Up in the Sky Whale mountains, dozens of hegemonic tribes with mighty experts in residence, mysterious lifeforms training in solitude, and spirit beasts with high levels of consciousness felt a massive ripple in their 6th sense.

Even some old monsters in deep meditation, fighting to increase their lifespan, had to wipe the crust out of their eyes to pay close attention.

Tyjuku forest is a magical site, with all kinds of different landscapes, special spots where the 5 elements were abundant are often fought over by strong monsters. The Drakov Marshes had water elements in the air, fresh water lakes, salt lakes, and acid bogs which would melt the meat off the bones of whatever was unfortunate enough fall inside of it, could be found there.

30 kilometers away from a bunch of twisted trees outside of an acid bog, a figure wearing a cloak that made it impossible to see their features sat on a 10 meter wide fan shaped leaf. It was attached to plant with a wide sturdy stem, the leaf didn't bend at all from the person sitting on it, instead it looked quite stable.

Beneath the leaf the water of a lake which stretched out for thousands of meters stirred. Whatever purpose the cloaked figure had to come here must've been important to them, otherwise they'd have stayed far away from this place.

Different types of flowers, and plants grew inside the lake, in some places dense piles of roots tangled together, standing on them was the same as being on solid ground. Regular animals, and ferocious beasts used them to reach the opposite banks.

That cloaked figure must have a trump card up their sleeve, there was no other explanation for why they would dare to mess around this close to the acid bogs. Chanting silently as they sat on the leaf, the cloaked figure clutched a blue sphere in their hands.

Placed on the leaf in a neat array were the skins of different creatures, the skins went through a unique process till they were as crisp as paper.

There were circulation routes, and magical formulas threaded into the skins. Blue lights swirled, after a chant was completed a tendril of light separated itself from the whole, entering one of the skins. This was an external energy manipulation technique, usually employed by those whose bodies were a poor container for energy.

Inside of a circle threaded into one of the skins, shapes were measured, and integrated almost perfectly at the border of the circle. Symbols floated above it, pulsing intensely before changing into a different sign. Up in the sky, Anu fell to the East long ago, while Apu was about to head West in 3 hours, an hour, and a half passed when the cloaked figure finally spoke their last chant.

Glowing symbols revolved in the air, panting in exertion, the cloaked figure raised the blue sphere they were holding with a trembling hand. Immediately, the symbols dove into the sphere, over an hour of chanting seemed to take a lot out of the cloaked figure. Despite that, their grip hadn't loosened on the sphere even a tiny bit.

Taking deep, hard breathes, the cloaked figure put the sphere away inside of their sleeve, looking at the sun's reflection on the lake, they saw Apu inching towards the west. With a few flicks of their hands, the skins were withdrawn into their other sleeve. "For the rest of my life it seems I'll always owe those great sorcerers of the past a debt I could never repay."

The voice of a young man came out when the mouth area of his cloak moved. Giving a heartfelt thanks to that ancient race, the young man rose to his feet.

After a burst of blue light cradled his body, his stance become much firmer, as if he was restored to peak levels.

"I don't think those snakes were able to detect my essence extracting mosquitoes, with the blood of 29 extremely venomous serpents, along with the Acidic Anaconda's horrifyingly corrosive essence blood, I should be able to successfully transmute the Poison Mist Serpent bloodline into my body."

What he was making preparations to attempt is very bold, and audacious. Bloodline transfusion was a dangerous art, this youngster really wanted to convert all the blood in his body to a bloodline which is horrifyingly venomous. Failure would guarantee his body is eaten from the inside, out.

By nurturing swarms of essence extracting mosquitoes, he can take the blood of spirit beasts from a safe distance. Trying to go up personally to get blood from an Acidic Anaconda would send him to an early grave. It wouldn't even need to use any of it's techniques, just a single flick of it's tail will do.

"I better get the hell out of here, and quit trying my luck before something regretful happens. The amount of blood I've collected should be enough".

Again a blue aura appeared around the youngsters' body, his steps didn falter at all as he stepped on roots, heading for the east side of the bank. A normal person would've had to take their time, carefully placing their feet, they wouldn't be able to move as fast as this youngster.

When he was 10 meters away from the bank, the water started bubbling furiously in a place behind, and to the left of him. His body a blur, the youngster landed on the wet dark green grass of the shoreline. Hearing the sound of the lake bubbling, he looked back.

"Psshsssh"

Like a bomb exploded under water, a 10 meter wide line of water rose up, from how it looked you'd mistake it for an upside down waterfall. Waves kicked up, seeming to have enough crushing power to break bones. Twisting it's body into thick flexible coils, a yellow skinned creature stuck it's giant hide out of the water.

It's body bent, and curled, the little that you could see reached a length of over 9 meters. Once he'd gotten a good look at the thing which popped out of the water, the youngster exclaimed in shock. "Roaring Thunder Eel"!

Fortunately he wasn't in the water when it surfaced, it was probably taking a nap at the bottom of the lake, considering everything was quiet before it caused all this commotion. The youngster was on his belly, hiding behind a screen of grasses he jumped into the moment he noticed a disturbance.

Watching as the yellow eel gazed off in the distance, he wondered what had stirred it. Whatever it was had nearly gotten him killed. If he knew something this scary was under the lake the youngster would've gone somewhere else to refine energy. His channeling hadn't caught it's attention, otherwise he could've ended up miserably.