After calling the kids back I pull out the map and figure out where we are headed next. Then I Show Lizzy where we need to go and mount up, we circle around the lake and then head into the hills. We manage to make it out of the hills before stopping to camp for the night.

During the ride I spend the time talking with Windy about how to practice both her powers. Then when we stop, before dinner, I give her a short lesson on using her abilities. I teach her the basics and set up some practice routines for her to use daily.

Then, after dinner, while Ekard and Haku are playing I talk to Windy and Lizzy about magic theory. Just because I don't have mana doesn't mean I can't help them learn to control mana better. In fact, in Windy's case, I think I can turn her into a pretty decent mage.

Considering her physical abilities that might just be the best path for her. I will wait and see how well she takes to using magic, if she has the knack for it then I will train her. If she doesn't have the knack for it I can still help her figure out a bunch of useful spells.

Even a small amount of magic, if used wisely, can have amazing results. Either way, she will become useful just like she said she wants to be. Especially since water magic can be used both to defend and to heal, both very useful abilities.

Anyway, I will see how she does with the basics first, then we will go from there. After all, I can't just expect her to be satisfied with being a babysitter forever. No matter how cute and adorable the kids might be, eventually they get annoying.

In the morning I watch her go through the practice routine so that I can correct her mistakes. Then we have breakfast and get moving again, as we travel I have her practice casting spells. When she runs out of mana I have her meditate and work on her core until her mana is full.

Since Windy is a mana beast she can basically cheat, if her core improves she gets stronger. If I still had mana I would be an extremely powerful mage by now. Sometimes I regret losing the ability to have mana, but I think my current path is going well.

As long as I can avoid getting reset again and changed into something else I should be good. I am really excited to find out exactly what will happen when I pass beyond sacred beast. Having to start over at this point would most likely drive me insane, well more insane.

Other than training Windy there isn't much for me to do, Lizzy casts by instinct. In fact teaching her more about magic might actually make her have more trouble using her magic. The less she thinks about how her magic works the better it will work for her.

So, while Windy is meditating, I take my turn keeping Ekard and Haku distracted. Since we are now crossing grasslands there isn't much to see, so I tell them stories. Well, not real stories, they are the plots from my favorite anime series, but they work just as well.

It is tempting to take them into a soulscape while we travel, but if something were to happen I would be slow to react. Besides, I am unsure of what effect being forcibly kicked out of a soulscape would have. So I stick to telling stories, if nothing else it should help their language skills develop.

They don't seem to mind, especially since I have a habit of petting them while I talk. It keeps them from bugging Lizzy so that she can focus on choosing our direction and watching for danger. It makes sense to leave it to her since she has the best senses out of all of us.

Thanks to her connection to the earth she has almost no chance of getting lost. Also she can sense obstacles to avoid before we reach them, allowing her to always choose the best path. Traveling with her has been a lot more fun than going by myself like I usually do.

This, overall, has been a very pleasant experience, one I was not expecting. I am not sure if it is because of the slow pace or the company, but this has been really fun. Even now that we have picked up the pace, I am still having a good time.

As we travel the grass slowly disappears and I start seeing hardpan and areas of sand. According to the map the desert is small and we should be across it before the day is over. The place we are heading to next is not far past the desert, but the map doesn't show the terrain type.

The area is between the desert and a small mountain range so I am expecting barren hills. As we are crossing the desert, it never fully turns to sand, there is always some hardpan. I don't know much about deserts so I don't know if that is normal or not.

Either way, even when it is sand, nothing slows down Lizzy, just like when I was in the test. If anything Lizzy has an even easier time than when I was shapeshifted into a similar form. Whether that is from her earth abilities or a benefit from absorbing the earth temple is anyone's guess.

It does make for a nice smooth ride, which makes it easier to keep the kids calm and distracted. Although, while crossing the desert I play a game with them, to see who can spot the predators first. As usual they give Lizzy a wide berth, but Ekard and Haku need practice spotting enemies.

Lizzy joins in and points out any predators the two kids miss and explains how she spotted them. Between the two of us we turn the game into a good learning experience for them. It also serves to keep them focused on looking for predators instead of finding trouble.

Haku is at a bit of a disadvantage since he can't talk, he can only try and point. The fact that he understands the game and is doing his best to play is encouraging. He actually is pretty good at spotting the predators, but he quickly gets frustrated trying to point at them.

The best I can do is pay attention to him so that he doesn't get too frustrated. Ekard has an easy time pointing them out but isn't as good at spotting them. That might be because drakes are towards the top of the food chain, they don't have to watch for predators as much.

Even if he doesn't have many natural predators, learning to be observant will be a good thing. It will also help later when it comes time to teach Ekard how to hunt. Then again at the rate he is growing I may not be around by the time he is big enough to learn to hunt.

With that depressing thought I turn my full attention to the game and focus on enjoying myself. Other than a short stop for lunch we push on through the day and just as it is getting dark we leave the desert. Rather than barren hills we find an area of canyons and pillars of rock.