3th of the Fallen Star (11th month)

Arthur and his companions reached the Northernmost part of the Desert of Peace and Commerce. The biome saw a drastic change, the temperature increased, and the ground was replaced by golden sand.

The Desert of Peace and Commerce was considered to be an independent neutral nation, a haven for merchants and explorers, especially.

This desert, which spanned thousands of kilometers, was filled with uncountable mysteries and secrets. It was, by far, the place with the most underground explored and unexplored ruins.

However, the majority of the land was desolate and crawling with all sorts of monsters. The Western part, particularly, was uninhabitable due to the intense climate and constant sandstorms.

Arthur’s knowledge about this desert was limited, which only added to his curiosity about it. Unlike him, however, all three of his companions didn’t seem to be in a good mood.

The sudden rise of temperature and the uneven ground and hills of sand slowed down their travel speed. The chilly nights and presence of beasts lurking under the sand only added to their unenthusiasm.

Evelyn didn’t like sweating and dirtying her clothes, as a result, she wouldn’t waste an opportunity to comment about this place.

Aerin, on the other hand, seemed to have had bad experiences with desert in general, thus leading to non-stop grumbling from his part.

Chris, fortunately, didn’t behave like the other two. Nevertheless, he did whine from time to time and due to the fact that he was physically weak and lacked stamina, they had to rest every couple of hours.

As the blazing sun hung in the clear blue sky, the four of them marched on the golden sand. Excluding Arthur, the other three were sweating buckets and breathing heavily.

“I-I… can sense that this isn’t a normal desert.”

“All deserts are like this.” Evelyn wiped the sweat off her face with a handkerchief and looked at the parasite,

“Master, I hope this wild goose chase is worth it. I have agreed to travel by your side, but I didn’t agree to be dragged across-”

“Oh come off it, will you? You all sound like babies!”

“She’s right. I’m constantly thirsty and my feet hurt.”-Chris

“All I know is that there’s a famous Hotel and Resort East of the Desert. We’ll go there after we find the Devil Doctor.”-Arthur

“A resort? Do these even exist in this world?”-Chris

Evelyn’s expression brightened up a bit, nodded her head, “I know about it too. It’s very expensive and only the wealthiest of the Aristocrats go there.”

“See? I wasn’t lying so stop your whining and walk faster.”

“Easier for you to say when you can just transform into anything you want.”-Chris

“It’s not transforming, it’s possessing.”

“Whatever! Carry us on that dragon body. Wouldn’t that be easier?”

Arthur sighed and halted his feet, his eyes sweeping across the three of them, which looked like a mess. Aerin was chugging down water, Evelyn kept wiping her face and removing the sand that got stuck at the edges of her dress, and Christopher was leaning forward and massaging his knees.

Merchants and other travelers generally use a carriage to travel across rough paths like this desert, so it was to be expected to see them tire. Still, Arthur found their incessant grumbling annoying.

“What do you think will happen if a Wyvern flies over the city? You think they’ll watch it in fascination?”

“Just fly us close to the city!”

“Where’s the fun in that? If we walk, we might find ruins or something interesting. Flying will make it boring.”

“Master, do you find it fun to quench your intrigue at our expense? We aren’t tireless like you.”

“I-I… huff huff… I agree with Sir Arthur. It’s more thrilling to take it slow and explore!” Aerin took deep breaths and took out a small golden harp.

He ran his fingers across it, causing a gentle melody to echo around them. Evelyn and Chris were surprised as an unknown energy entered their bodies and removed all physical fatigue they were experiencing.

“A minor contribution.” Said the minstrel as he winked at them and then continued walking forward.

“Wait wait! Why didn’t you do that from the beginning?”-Chris

“There’s a specific time and place for a soothing melody.”

“I’ve never heard someone spout so much bullshit at once. And here I thought we were friends! No more water for you, Aerin!” Chris chased after him while throwing curses.

Evelyn clicked her tongue as she saw the parasite grinning at her.

“Truth be told, I thought you weren’t going to get along with Chris.”

“Master is wrong, I find your brother particularly obnoxious and not a good traveling companion. I still cannot fathom how you two became so close.”

“Opposites attract, my dear Evelyn. Anyway, I cannot deny that your return to my side was a pleasant surprise. Your snarky remarks always lift my mood.”

The maid let out a soft snort and walked past him, “I’m only doing my duty as your maid and correcting you, Master. I have to be honest and help you remain on the right track, even if it means hurting your ego or sometimes defying you.” She stopped and half-turned her head, giving him a piercing glare,

“And I haven’t forgotten how you drugged me and let that idiot carry me away. You didn’t trust me and plotted to remove me from the plan, Master. I am extremely disappointed… so much so that I contemplated not returning to your side.”

“Yet you did, didn’t you? The dangers notwithstanding, you can’t deny that traveling like this is without its charm. Making friends with like-minded people and experiencing genuine hardships and joyful occasions.”

4th of the Fallen Star

As the four of them were resting for the night, close to a group of boulders that blocked some of the frosty gales.

Scarce had they sat down, however, they were interrupted by a light tremor. Evelyn unsheathed her blades and jumped at one particular spot.

Her blades were thrust onto the ground, drilling into the bit of sand and piercing a creature. She pulled a human-sized worm from the ground, though it was already dead from the fatal wound.

Arthur’s sharp hearing alerted him of more worms coming. He glanced at Chris, who anxiously looked around, before creating a barrier around him.

Seconds later, worms jumped from the sand, diving back down like fish. The worms were horrifying to look at, their skin yellow-ish and wrinkled, their teeth protruding outward and relatively long.

The parasite extended his hands, flames bursting from them and incinerating the worms that revealed themselves. The battle was one-sided and barely lasted a minute. The worms were weak and died with one hit.

“But wait! There’s more!” Excitedly declared the minstrel as he backed away and pointed at a spot several meters away.

The Mist of Decay swirled around Arthur, allowing him to rise in the air and then descend upon the new monster.

Evelyn crossed her blades as a milky-white aura coated around them, making them stronger and sharper. She kicked the ground and shot toward the large creature, slashing its black and thick carcass.

Rather than a big worm, as one would expect, the monster was a big scorpion. It was staggered by Evelyn’s attack but didn’t seem to suffer any damage.

Its big pincers moved at lightning-speed, targeting the nearby Evelyn. However, a massive fireball crashed on its carcass from above, followed by an icy blast that slowed down its movement.

Evelyn ducked down and avoided the pincers before performing a swift spin while slashing with her blades. This time, her attack managed to break through the scorpion's defences and cut off one of its pincers.

The green mist in the air swirled rapidly as a humanoid silhouette wielding a long illusory scythe dove down.

Arthur hammered down the scythe, which cracked the scorpion's mesosoma.

In pain and enraged, the monster flailed its remaining pincers while opening its mouth and spitting poison.

The poisonous green liquid splattered on the ground and was about to hit Evelyn, but she somersaulted to the back and shot dark-coloured projectiles from her weapons, one of which hit the scorpion's tiny eye.

Arthur landed on its back and performed a straight and powerful punch, directed at the spot pierced by the scythe. There was a strong shock wave as the fist connected, shattering the carcass and causing the scorpion to fall on the ground.

It was still alive, but too wounded to move.

[Wither Touch]

He pressed his hand and absorbed its energy, quickly robbing the monster of its life.

“Wow! Come on, come on! Possess it!”

Christopher ran toward the corpse, fascinated by the sight of a big scorpion. Although he had already seen an Empyrean Wyvern and all sorts of magical things, he was still surprised every time he saw something new.

Arthur obliged and possessed the relatively unscathed scorpion. The process was instantaneous and within moments, the scorpion was back on its feet.

Chris climbed on its bag and cheered outloud.

“Now we have a mount! You wouldn’t mind, right… brother? This is amazing!”