I’m not sure what happened but I suddenly went on a roll and before I knew it, I finished this chapter. I hope you enjoy it, I certainly did writing it at least

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On the third day since their departure, ten days before the expected arrival, chatter finally began to occur. Of course the atmosphere never gave way, people began getting bored from the ceaseless carriage ride, and one could only watch the unending countryside but so long before their mind would go numb from boredom. Besides talking, there wasn’t anything you could do besides watching the scenery making for many idle hands that itched to do ‘something’ though they didn’t really care what that something was. Some tried to nap, but the noise from the many carts and horses was simply to loud. To people a few miles away, it sounded like a steady, unceasing quiet thunder. One that sought to remain unnoticed by the world at large. Fallion looked around, and eventually ahead, noticing a rider once again approaching the general, being told something, and rushing away from the direction he came. Fallion wasn’t sure what to make of it, but then he remembered this is an army on its way to a fight, so the rider must have been a scout, making sure no unexpected circumstances occurred, and reported whether the next stretch was clear of trouble. After all, even an army can’t be too safe. You never know when an enemy might be around the corner in wait for an opportune strike at the operations heart.

Admier sighed, cleaning her sword across from Fallion on the cart “Ten more blasted days of nothing but plains that stretch for near eternity, and the occasional farm house and village. Makes me wish I was still at home learning to be ‘lady-like’.” Admier scoffed at the last bit, she had come from a very powerful noble house, and her father refused to allow her to join the army. At least, that was until it turned out his daughter had far more friends and connections than the house did as a whole, and had no choice but to conceit to his daughters will. Of course, none there but Fallion knew, he had gotten bored earlier and probed the minds of various soldiers, all of his platoon to be exact. Tali on the other hand was a son of a renowned adventurer, and signed up for war wanting to be just as great as the illustrious figure that was his role model and father. Machun was a very indifferent special sort of man. He came from a wealthy merchant house, and he didn’t do much. He was here because he sought to alleviate some boredom. Though he felt more bored in the army than at home, a reason why he never spoke, he was simply too bored to. Everyone else had a tidbit of interesting to them as well, though he already knew Valder’s since he told him and Neumien’s since it was common enough knowledge in the group. Fallion also learned some the more ‘private’, one could say, thoughts of them as well. One of them was the thoughts of a certain man who nearly always won his bets towards a certain platoon leader of the group that may or may not have been the 33rd. Hadvarr you dirty, dirty man.

They all had some sort of reason for being in the army, for Machun and Fallion, it was entertainment. Nerxus, Tali, Admier, and most others it was glory, honor, and rank. For a few it was because they were simply forced due to conscription. All in all, it mattered little for the group. They were all simply being carted along to a possibly once in a lifetime event, an event that would never be seen twice in the long run of how battles go at least. Fallion felt someone tapping his shoulder, he looked over to see Valder using his ‘left hand point’ skill, pointing towards a large creature high in the sky.

“Its a Fydiel, Fallion!”

“A Fydiel?” The knowledge of the creature came to him. A Fydiel was a much larger cousin of the drake, its size is said to have rivaled dragons before their disappearance. Fydiels are herbivores, surprising for its size, and a meal consisted of a single tree once every month. They mostly lived off of mana that was created and absorbed by its body, which was something mages study to this day to reproduce. Fallion of course had this skill, even though he didn’t need it. The reason why these great beasts ate a tree at all, was the fact mana couldn’t replace every single needed nutrient for it body, however a large tree could. One of the more interesting facts is when a Fydiel eats a tree, due to its large mana inside of it, it releases some into the stump, causing the tree to instantly grow. A sort of strange symbiotic relationship if there ever was one. The creature circled in the sky, seemingly just enjoying the wind. Fallion used the Full-sigh form of the sight skill, to see the beast in detail. Fallion sighed before its majesty, wanting to pet it, since these beasts were considered one of the only ‘friendly’ beasts of such size. Most others wanted to eat everything in their path.

Far ahead, a command was shouted “Company, halt!” Fallion turned off his skill and faced the direction it was shouted from. One of the five leaders had a hand up in the air, he looked closer realizing it was Lt. Ruckgevir, or now Lt. General Ruckgevir as he was jumped in promotion for the sake of needing capable commanding officers, something Ruckgevir prided himself as being. “We are to rest for one hour for the horses. Use this time to stretch your limbs, and practice a little bit. Battle is just around the corner!”

A large ‘hoorah’ was shouted, mostly from being able to get off the ‘blasted’ carts as Admier had put it. The carts came to a stop, and platoon leaders were shouting orders like ‘don’t stray too far’ and ‘stay with earshot’ as well as ‘don’t cause any trouble’. Fallion chuckled at how strangely motherly it was, he looked over to see Valder was laughing as well, possibly at the same thing he was. The 33rd sort of conglomerated over in a nearby part of the field they were traveling next to, some stretched in the grass, others, specifically Nerxus, practiced their fighting stances, lashing the blade at invisible enemies. Majority, the Borderal included, laid down in the grass watching the clouds and the Fydiel that circled.

“Why do you think its doing that?” Xolos asked

“Dunno, maybe it’s bored and trying to find something to entertain itself.”

Laughing “I think you meant yourself Drusis, unless it involves nearly dying, you and Machun are always bored.” Tali quipped

“Maybe its deciding on a good tree to eat, we might get lucky and see it regrow it.”

“Ever the curious scholar aren’t you Admier.” sarcasm was heavy in the response

“Shut your mouth, Hadvarr. There’s a reason you’re still a virgin.”

A loud laughter erupted from the group, the loudest being the Borderal. Hadvarr sat there dumbfounded, unable to come up with a good comeback, or rather he had one but Admier punched hard, and he very much wanted children later on.

As the group settled down, something was noticed “Hey, it stopped circling, but doesn’t it look like its getting closer?”

Thinking for a second “Aye, it does.”

A silence came over the group “Aren’t those beasts as large as a city block?”

“I think so, yeah.”

Another silence before someone spoke “Its coming right at us isn’t it.”

Another silence before everyone erupted into movement, moving away from the rapidly descending beast. A sudden loud ‘shuwuck’ and ground shaking alerted them the beast had landed. Turning around, Fallion noticed it was eying him specifically, cocking its head slightly. It is said that of all beasts of the sky, the Fydiel was the far more intelligent than any other. Fallion froze, not from terror, but curiosity. The Fydiel moved its neck side to side, intensely looking at Fallion, as if trying to discern something. Fallion then slowly approached the beast, even though they were so large, they were quick to flee, not enjoying contact with other creatures and living things. Just as Fallion was in arms reach of it, the beast jumped back, now looking at Fallion even more intensely. Several soldiers from the carts were watching what was occurring. The main reason no one attacked the beast, was the fact everyone knew they were harmless unless someone attacked first. These beasts also knew when someone had hostile intent, and could recognize someone who attacked even years later.

Some soldiers were whooping and laughing shouting things like ‘I bet you won’t get on its back’ and ‘be careful not to become lunch’. The leaders were also enjoying watching, as none of them gave orders to Fallion to stop. Fallion once again got within arms reach, and instead of simply backing away a bit, it flew off back into the skies. Some soldiers shouted ‘better luck next time’ others laughed. A few moments later, the signal to return to their traveling was given, and everyone got back into their carts. Some made conversation about the Fydiel, others didn’t care. They were common enough beasts near the Kragumen mountains, second only to the lonely Mt. Olis after all.

Fallion looked back up at the ascending beast, and for a second swore it looked back towards him. In the back of his mind, he heard a prayer that wasn’t a prayer. ‘Thank you for being.’ It was strange, and it had a voice different than others. He had heard these types of voices before, except they were jumbled and didn’t have a real ‘voice’ to them. He still, however understood what they wanted. It then clicked in his mind, even beasts pray to god.

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Please give any criticism you have, and to answer a concerned reader, rushing it would ruin a certain 'idea' I have in mind. Plus theres at least two arcs after this I have thought up. If you can them arcs that is.