"Well, everyone shows their love in different forms. If you are truly set on Rin, then just deal with it and keep trying to get her to open up to you. I have seen the two of you together a few times, and to be honest, the way you go back and forth is like a couple in love. It's rather cute." Blake said as he chuckled.
"Cute, my ass! I have to put cold packs on my legs almost every day!" Bret complained, but he really did like Rin. He had seen her smile a few times, whether she was smiling at him or smiling because she really enjoyed making him feel pain he did not know, but it was always a smile that sucked him in deeper.
"Love is hard. And I can see you really fell deep for the little elf. You will always have my support." Blake smiled and patted Bret's back. "Let's move out a mile from the base. And make a loop and see if there is anything out there we should be careful of."
"Alright." Bret nodded and followed after Blake. The two only got a half mile out when they suddenly stopped and ducked behind a large tree.
*Boom!* *Boom!* *Boom!*
The sounds of heavy footsteps could be heard in the distance, and even though it seemed to be far away, Blake and Bret's bodies jolted under the impact of whatever it was wandering around. "What the fuck is that!?"
"Let's go up the tree," Blake replied as he swiftly and nimbly climbed the tree they were hiding behind. Bret quickly followed after him.
When the two reached the top of the tree, they used the leaves at the top as cover as they gazed off into the distance. "What is that thing?"
"It's humanoid. Wait… A colossus?" Blake faintly remembered hearing about such monsters. It was not an ancient race but a new race that appeared out of nowhere. It was considered nomadic and they were always alone. It scooped up the ground by its feet, eating whatever it grabbed no matter what it was.
"A colossus?" Bret looked at the thing that was as big as a mountain and understood why it was called that. "Where would such a monster even come from?"
"No idea, but I do know it is a new race. I am sure as time goes by, we will see more and more new races." Blake explained as he turned to climb back down the tree. "We should keep patrolling."
"Wait, you are not worried that things will come this way?" Bret asked in confusion. Normally, Blake would be a bit more cautious.
"Nah. Those things normally walk a straight path. That one was heading north, so it will probably run into the dragonic. As long as they do not consume too much or somehow grow to be in the thousands, we should be fine. But remember, never fight one unless you have no choice." Blake knew such monsters were very dangerous for the world they lived in. But that was only if they expanded in numbers. He really did not know too much about them, only that they ate a handful of whatever they grabbed every month or so. At least, this was what was said by word of mouth.
"Ah. yeah, screw that. You will not see me try to fight some titan looking thing." Bret shivered at the thought of such monsters suddenly appearing.
Blake shrugged, and the two continued their patrol. This kind of patrol took all day because they had to inspect anything that looked out of place to make sure no goblin dens were forming, or any other camps were being built. Normally this kind of patrol was done by Bret's and MIke's men, but every so often, Blake liked to take a good look at things himself.
As night began to fall and Bret and Blake made their way to their starting point, they stopped to rest at a small pond. "Still the same. It is almost as if the other races and humans know to stay away from here."
"That is a good thing for us. It will draw less attention to us." Blake answered as he sat down at the pond's edge.
"Hey, Blake, isn't that the plant you were looking for." Bret pointed to a plant not too far away. Blake looked over, and his eyes went wide. "A mana cleansing herb!"
Blake's eyes flashed with greed. He couldn't help himself. It was something he truly needed more than anything. He hurried over and stood in front of the herb. He shakenly began to dig around the herb. He wanted the entire plant, roots and all. If they could somehow cultivate such a precious herb and he could grow more within the base, this would boost the prowess of his people to new heights, especially if they all jumped to their next evolution. Blake took off his shirt and soaked it in the pond water before placing the dirt filled roots of the mana cleansing herb onto it and wrapped them up. Only then did he carefully pick up the whole thing and turned to face Bret. "Bret, I have to thank you for spotting this. With this, I might be able to evolve and finally become a drakani."
"Ah? Then I am happy for you, brother." Bret smiled and looked at the herb. He really did not see what was so special about it. He was a meat man himself.
Blake and Bret rushed back to the base. Blake did not wish to waste any time. He made his way to the palace after saying goodbye to Bret. He dragged Lillia to a cell room for evolution and showed her the mana cleaning herb. "Lillia here…."
"You found one!" Lillia smiled as she looked at the herb. It was not a small stalk either but an entire plant which was very rare. "If we use half of this, we can preserve the rest to allow it to grow. I will go prepare it now."
