Invisible (I)

Zero walked through the town square in his human form. He had a bunch of things that he was looking for, especially a variety of seeds for planting. He had gone through ten different stores looking for seeds. He was able to gather about forty different varieties of species of vegetables, grains, and fruits. Each type of Seed he had bought cost over five gold a piece, but he did not stop there.

In every shop he visited, he was able to gather a couple more different varieties of seeds, but it was actually getting more and more difficult to find seeds that could be used to harvest for food.

Even if the village was going to be isolated for three months, that still wasn't enough time for any plants to be harvestable. So trading and hunting for food were prioritized for a small village.

He casually walked through the dense crowds looking for anything else he could buy. The Draconis Village had started floating through the sky in the direction of the City of Elements. At the rate the Draconis Village was flying, it would take exactly three months to reach their destination.

Even still, he did not gather enough for the quest. The number of repetitious items sold on the market was large, but still, he checked every open merchant stall from old to new. He also walked through the slums market and found several interesting rare plants that he would never expect to find.

"Hey, Mister." A runny nose kid with tattered clothes called out to him. "Mister!"

Zero stopped and turned around to see a young boy the age of seven-run up to him, waving him down. Mister? This was the first time someone called him mister at his age, especially if he was in a young teenager's body. The only thing he could think of was that this kid saw his true age.

"Hey, kid, I'm not a mister yet."

"Hehe." Something about the boy told him that he knew more than he should, "I heard you were looking for seeds to buy." The runny nose kid replied, smiling. He rustled into his pocket and brought out a single large seed that Zero had never seen before. Gently he picked up the seeds from the young boy and held them up.

Elven blessed Apple Tree Seed.

A special apple tree seed that the Elven race has blessed. It can grow fifty times faster than a normal tree and produce five times more apples. However, even its bears' seeds give half the rate of the first-generation apple tree.

Zero was ecstatic about what he was given. This was truly a blessing for his small village, which barely had anything to grow and live off of.

"Do you have any more like this?" Zero asked.

"I can give you more if you help us out."

"What would that be?"

"We want you to take us away from the slums."

"Come again?"

"An ancient race of dragons has been prophesied to bring us to the sacred sanctuary of the Drezo Regalia." The little boy's form shifted into a human cat. Tails grew out behind him, his eyes turned feral, and cat ears popped out of his head. "If you take us with you, I can get you what you want. He flicked his clawed hands out with a couple of more seeds in hand.

Zero looked over each one of the seeds. Every single one of them was exotic in its way, with different types of properties that he had never even seen before. Each one of the seeds was better than the next. His hands inched forwards, wanting to grab them all, but the boy pulled back his hands.

"You're demi-humans," Zero whispered. "I didn't know that there were cat people here."

"We've been in hiding in the slums till the right time. We expected your people's return. Please guide us."

"But I don't know anything about the sacred ground," Zero said. "Please, we need your help taking the sacred Seed safely this year. The Seed has been dying since the resurrection of the dragons. This isn't the only thing I would give you in return for your help."

We are bringing the Cat People to the Sacred grounds of the Dragon.

A new race of demi-human cats appeared out from hiding. They ask the Drezo Regalia to take them to the sacred grounds of the Drezo Regalia to plant the Sacred Seed. If the Seed is not planted by the end of this year, it will die. Would you like to accept?

Quest Level: D

Reward: 300 blessed seeds + an unknown item

Failure: death of a Sacred Seed

"I'll help you." The thought of losing a sacred seed and the prize of over one hundred blessed seeds made him agree to take the quest. Now he only needed to worry about one hundred more seeds he had to collect. Then it hit him. He still had the seeds that the Leprechauns had given him. So when he finished the quest, he could collect all the seeds he needed.

"Really? Thank you, thank you, thank you." The cat boy purred happily. "My name is Tyga."

"I'm Zero. It's nice working with you."

"Same here," Tyga replied with a smile. "Come on. I want you to meet the rest of my family."

Tyga bounded forward into the dimly lit alleyway. Zero went quickly, not to lose sight of him. He was having difficulties following close behind him. Tyga slipped through tight spaces, climbed on walls, and jumped from building to building. Everything about Tyga screamed that he was the perfect example of an acrobatic cat that could weasel one's way out of anything.

Zero was a human, and even he still had difficulties following after Tyga. There were many instances where Tyga would stop and look back, waiting for Zero to follow behind him. Zero thought he had lost Tyga a couple of times, but just when he thought he was lost, Tyga would appear before him like a ghost.

"Keep up. I heard dragons were faster than this. You're so clumsy that anyone could hear you a mile away." Tyga laughed as he perched on a rail and looked down upon Zero.

Even though Zero had light steps, it did not compare to Tyga. Even with his Ninjitsu training, compared to a cat's ability, it didn't compare. For a human, he was considered extraordinary.

"If you're looking for speed, you got the wrong type of Dragon. You want the white Dragon for that."

"White Dragon? There is more than one type?"

"I thought you knew everything about Drezo Regalia's by the way you spoke of them."

"No. I know nothing at all. I only heard tales of the Dragon race."

"You have a lot to learn then. The eight different colors of the Drezo Regalia's race are Red, White, Black, Gold, Green, Blue, Silver, and Bronze. Each with their special abilities even."

"Really?" Tyga's ears twitched with excitement. "Then what color are you?"

"You can say I'm part Gold and Black."

"There's such a thing as a gold and black dragon?"

"Yep. You're staring at one right now."

"My friends will be so jealous when they hear I became friends with a gold and black dragon."

"You're going to like M2. He's the one that told me you were buying up seeds. Not only that, he is one of our three elders."

"M2?" Zero had never heard of that name before.

"He's an Adventurer like you." Tyga slinked through an opening on the wall. Zero had to squeeze through sideways to get in. If he was any bigger, he didn't know if he was able to fit in. They continued through the winding dark catacombs till, finally, Tyga stopped in front of a door.

Zero almost lost track of how they had made it through the underground passageway. Everything looked the same, and even after the tenth turn, he had to pay extra attention to the peculiarities, or he might have gotten lost.

"We're here." Tyga sang chirpily. He rhythmically knocked on the wooden door. "Our hideout isn't much, but it's the closest thing we have to a home." Finally, the door swung open, and Tyga entered first.

With a step forward, Zero entered right behind him. He was standing on the cliff of an underground area. Lines, bridges, and ropes were crisscrossed among one another as they attached from one building to the next. It was a perfect example of a cat haven.

As far as his eyes could see, Zero saw humanoid cat people balancing on thin ropes, with all either running, walking, or perching on them as if it was nothing. Some had heavy items perched on their shoulders and balanced perfectly on the lines. Kids were chasing one another in a game of tags, and even the elderly cat people gracefully walked amongst the lines.

"Come on." Tyga hops onto a metal walkway was enough for one adult human. He tiptoed on his feet and walked on it as if it was nothing.

Zero stared at the thin walkway before him and gulped. This was not a possible feat to cross over without falling. He did not have the perfect balance like a cat in his human form, but he was a Drezo Regalia. A being between a dragon and a human meant he had some abilities that differentiate him from a normal human.

Zero placed his feet carefully onto the walkway with a slow step forward. His arms were outstretched to keep his balance. He knew this was a death trap, but they were no other way across. It was just one walkway to the other side; the only problem was the fall. He could feel his hands sweating from nervousness as he glanced down, his vision temporarily blurred.

"Come on, Zero!" Tyga called out. He was at the other side waiting for him. "It's not that hard."

"It's easier said than done! I'm not made the same way as you!"

"I forgot."