Speculation X and X Looting

"An oasis indeed… just reading about the place is going to make this trip worth it." walking across the rolling sand dunes under the moonlight I was making my way towards the Oasis. After packing up my campsite I had a bit of trouble orienting myself in the right direction but I eventually figured it out with a help of a compass and printed map included in the file.

'Though walking in the freezing temperatures of the desert at night sucks…' continuing to move towards the Oasis I made sure to be cautious and aware of my surroundings. Even if I had come out on top of that sandworm I still had no desire to encounter more hostile creatures if it could be prevented.

'Though I don't think I'll be able to do that when I get closer to that Oasis…' mentally shrugging and putting the issue aside, for now, I slowly came to a stop at the base of another rocky island. Deciding to take a break for a while I climbed up onto the island before sitting down for a moment. Not wanting to sit idly and waste my time I began to train by manipulating my aura.

'This… isn't so bad? I'm normally a person who is only motivated by deadlines so something like training is normally something I avoid like the plague. Guess aura training is more my style than compared to the basic physical training I did on Zevil Island.' slowly molding my aura like putty and beginning to focus its concentration towards my fists I noticed greater ease with which I could control my aura.

"It's certainly easier than when I tried water divination earlier in the day… I guess it makes sense, I was both using and manipulating my aura much more in that battle to a higher extent than my day and a half of training…" with a small smile on my face I stare amazed at the sight of my aura moving in the manner I wish. Of course, it's still crude and nowhere near refined in the grand scheme of things but it is still a large improvement.

'I guess I should work more on my control… Because while I have an idea for how my Hatsu will work, I still need to build a strong foundation in terms of learning the basic principles and control. I suppose I can just work on control idly while walking?' standing up and quickly making my way back down to the sand dunes I set course for the oasis once again.

"Hmm…" looking down at the map and estimating my rough position I frowned at what I noticed. In particular, my initial position was what was concerning to me.

'I was dropped off in the outskirts of the desert, where if worst came to worst I could probably escape to more habitable lands… So why did I run into the Apex predator of this ecosystem? They tend to stay near the oasis where there is an abundance of prey, though they tend to stay away from the oasis itself as the higher moisture content isn't suitable for it to live.' scratching my head at the discrepancy, I continued to maintain my pace to the destination. Though not too long after, I came to a conclusion that brought me to a sudden stop.

"... The only thing that comes to mind is if the creature needs to leave it's hunting ground. Whether it's a lack of prey or… Something bigger came around and kicked it out of the place." further thinking about my guesses, I eliminate the first Idea due to the abundance of creatures roaming the dessert tonight. And while I would not like to jump to conclusions, it's more than likely that there is some sort of strong creature located on the way to the oasis.

'It's better to be cautious in this situation… And as much as I would like to avoid any possible conflict I can't.' Something that could scare that worm was something that made me uneasy at the very least. Unfortunately, the only thing I could do in this situation was blindly move forward, I couldn't plan for a modified course if I ran into anything. I had to make a straight shot for the oasis due to my limited food and water, and turning around wasn't a choice as I was too far into the desert. And in the case I did escape the desert, I would still be in an arid region with little to no water.

"Why can't it ever be simple? Well… this IS my fault, I did not research the place before coming here." with a soured mood, and a heightened vigilance I climbed up and down the endless waves of sand dunes. However, my trip was sometimes interrupted by unexpected interruptions by smaller creatures that were scurrying around under the cover of night. Yet, none of these encounters stood out save for the one at dawn.

'Maybe it was a mad dash to get back into hiding before the day comes, but who would have expected a desert frog to be that huge, and that vicious…' reupholstering my revolver and pulling out the file before looking up what it was I just killed. Finding it after a moment, I read the list of harvestable resources off the frog.

'So the tongue is worth a pretty penny… too bad I shot that thing clean off after it bitch slapped me with the thing. Thankfully it looks like the skin is worth something… Some high-end clothes designer likes using exotic materials and has used the skin in the past creating a demand for it.' shrugging at people's odd tastes in fashion I promptly pull out my knife before stripping the upper skin off of the frog. I left the lower skin on the stomach due to it being too soft and useless compared to the more substantial material on the back.

"Well, all this looting will pay off… eventually." scrunching my nose at the pungent smell of the dead frog sticking to both myself and my belongings I went back to hiking my way to my destination as the sun began to rise above the horizon.