CHPT 381: What the Desert Fears.....

Claude sat in Rollan's home in silence as the Druid fiddled and fumbled through the area in search of things he'd spoken of with mysterious importance. As he did so, he mumbled the familiar tunes of an old folkish song in his thick french accented voice. It somehow perfectly fit the vibe of his home in all it's primal and rustic old fashioned glory.

He almost couldn't believe there was a time when this place used to deeply amaze and scare him. Now, it was merely, a second home of sorts....

Everything so familiar. The smooth packed dirt floor, the thick wood-brown walls that were clearly the inside of a tree. Even the table that he rested his scarred and calloused hands on as his eyes constantly scanned over the hammock hanging emptily under the window to his left. He could still see Ursula deeply sleeping there, the suns rays dancing against her freckles and perfectly tanned skin. It felt like years since then.....since he'd bitten her, and practically lost his mind.

Now he was centered. Mastering his Element and all it's worldly secrets through the teachings of Druidry. Learning the truth of what he was-- learning how to embrace its power as his own. All while teaching another. Hell, they were preparing for her first full moon. In a place miles upon miles from home-- in a magically empowered forest that a desert full of Demons had an uncanny interest in. Yea.... he was about to lose his mind again.

"Hopefully not until after the Full Moon...." He mumbled to himself.

"AH!-- It has been found, hm?" Rollan yelled as he pushed through the curtains splitting his tree-house in half. One side for company, the other for HellSlayers.

Claude's eyes never raised from the two tone wooden table he sat at.

Rollan pressed on, "Monsieur, we haven't spoken much today. Bad dreams once more, hm? Another night of telling whoever it is in your.... uhhh... your mind, that you two are not the same?"

A vision of Fenrir's horrid face etched in a patch of storm clouds flashed through his mind as he quickly looked up at Rollan in shock.

Rollan shrugged as if it were nothing, "What can I say, hm? I hear things, no?"

Claude shook off the Druids words as he rose from his seat and stretched, "I didn't."

"Quel?" Rollan replied in confusion.

"I didn't sleep. Full Moon's make me angsty. And I'm close to understanding the Elemental Shroud. I was hoping to get it before today."

Rollan chuckled to himself, "Oui-- I understand. But, the Nature Elemental Shroud isn't as simple as any other. It requires vast knowledge and skill of your Element along with proficient Aura control to be used efficiently. Regardless, you make....ehhhh ....leaps and bounds in skill, no? Don't diminish the progress you've made, Monsieur la bête.. "

"I'd just like to have every tool available that will allow me to stop her from getting killed." Claude replied flatly.

Rollan nodded as he glanced at the hammock with Claude, "I guess.... there is no need to ask who exactly you are referring to when you say her, no?"

"Hell no."

Rollan took a step closer to Claude with the click of his bladed cane, "Speaking of her. This is one of the reasons I brought you here, yes?"

Claude finally looked from the hammock.

"I've had my run-ins with Shape-Shifters during my..... uhh...my travels. Yes, travels. I know that you all can be a danger to yourselves along with those you care for. The Moon has no loved ones-- and during it's reign when night falls, neither do you, hm?" Rollan explained.

"If we're uncontrolled. Even then..... we're different." Claude explained, speaking positively on what he was for seemingly the first time.

Even Rollan regarded him differently for a moment. "Even so, Monsieur. That young beast-woman is powerful, hm? Restraint may become an option thats simply unavoidable.....it may even become a form of protection. Which is why I want to give you this."

Claude looked down at Rollan's spindly limbed hand as it came from behind his back. Clinched in his grasp was an object that looked oddly similar to a whip. It's handle was a combination of dark wood and metal with a bladed knuckle-guard hilt. The wood smooth and taking up most of the handle while the pure silver metal accented it like a deeply ingrained cage.

"Is this pure silver?" Claude asked.

"I had a Hexblade friend some time ago-- he didn't like the Silver Cursed very much, hm? Most of his products had silver involved."

Claude regarded the whip again, "This was made by a Hexblade?"

Rollan nodded.

Claude's eyes rose to the top where a twisting braid of wood, metal and thick roots lead to a trail of thick vines lined with deadly sharp barbs. In between the barbs, tiny seeds were tied to the twisting rope of vine. He had to squint his eyes, but he could see small hexes engraved in each seed. They glowed a faint shade of purple.

Other small details missed his eyes at first, but now he could see them clearly. The vine braid was moving-- growing and thickening ever so slightly. Even the barbs were growing into small bladed ends.

Claude's eyes went pure green as he activated his Natural Vision and viewed the weapon.

With his Natural Vision he could see his Nature Magic pouring into the vines and empowering them. The small seeds attached to the whip glowed like tiny purple flaming stars. Magic completely foreign to him.

After a few seconds more of inspection, Claude looked up and regarded Rollan, "You want me to whip her ?"

"[Erhm....]"

Rollan laughed, "Of course not, Monsieur! You focus on the wrong thing, no? Focus on the small details, hm?"

As the Druid spoke, he pointed to the seeds. A lightbulb immediately went off in Claude's mind.

"Tree's?"

Rollan nodded of them, "A cage of Hexed Tree's-- all it needs is a burst of your Element and she'll be out of harms way-- to herself and from others, hm?"

Claude felt himself brighten if even for a moment, "Rollan... this is brilliant."

Rollan shrugged, "It's a common tool for Druidic Scholars, goatboy."

"Right." Claude replied as he fit the weapon on his belt beside his spears at his hip. "Anyway. Back to training." He added before heading to the door.

"No-- wait! That's not all."

Claude turned back around suspiciously.

"[Hm. Maybe the blind-swordsman has more bondage items. Cheeky.]" Arne commented.

"Follow me, Monsieur." Rollan said as he turned and led him into the second half of the room.

Claude followed, slowly stepping into the bunker- esque room full of travelling maps, professionally crafted weapons, armors and Demon arms placed in glass jars.

His hand reflexively hovered over his white-bladed short-spear.

"Give it to me." Rollan said, holding his hand out to Claude.

"What?"

"You're weapon, Monsieur."

Claude hesitated before he slowly unsheathed his spear and handed it to Rollan.

The Druid grabbed the weapon and handled it with as much comfort as he did his cane. After he studied it with his blindfolded eyes for a few seconds, he shrugged and turned to face the wall of contained Demon arms where he stretched and abruptly thrust Claudes weapon into one of the jars, pinning the arm like a stuck pig as the glass shattered loudly.

CRSHHH!

"WHOAH!" Claude yelled as his hands moved to cover his eyes.

When the noises died, he found the arm stuck by his spear placed in the dirt in front of him. It was the arm that was more ape-like than the other HellBreeder remains. It's skin a greying shade with black fur and a stone-like bladed appendage coming from it's forearm. The tip was a hot red that had begun to steam as it sent glowing cracks through the stony surface.

The smell was horrid. Like a burning musk combined with greed, rage and fecal matter. He had to force himself not to gag where he stood-- or shiver as he felt the nature around him begin to taint as if it were all being doused in a caustic black paint.

"Rollan, what are you doing?"

Rollan smiled, "Remember, Monsieur. What did I tell you one of the Druids jobs was, hm?"

"[Think in relation to Demons.]"

"Expel that which is unnatural."

Rollan nodded, "Oui. That is what you'll be doing with this."

"What?"

"You'll be fulfilling your most important duty as a Druidic Warrior. I've already taught you how as well." Rollan provided.

"When?" Claude asked as he tried his best to stop breathing through his nose.

"Think, Monsieur. This here-- it's more than a HellBreeders arm. It's a centralized point of infectious power. It's what makes the HellBreeders immortal. An immortal stain on the earth. And we're the only ones that can wash it away, hm?"

Claude stayed silent, slowly understanding.

"This uhh.... this thing--- this black and unnatural thing. It's a collection of darkness and decay. Now, Monsieur, I must ask you. What is the opposite of decay-- what opposes erosion? Or should I ask--"

"What is the basis of my Element." Claude finished as he looked down at his arm, adorned and accented with it's newly added Druidic Markings.

Rollan grunted with satisfaction, "I knew you'd understand. Well done, hm?"

"But why?"

"It will boost your power-- spike your HellSlaying abilities. They were originally a fail-safe for me, hm? For the day the desert descended, when I could no longer use them for research. But..... there's something about tonight. The tree's-- they shiver as if winter has fallen for the first time again, oui-- the first time indeed."

Claude found himself shivering as well in response to Rollan's words. Or maybe it was the Demonic object being in such close proximity with him. Aside from that, he also felt.....warm. A gift of such proportion hadn't been given to him in a long time. In fact, the last person to help him out so effortlessly was...

No matter.

"Time is of the essence, no? Hurry up, Monsieur, theres more where this came from and less time by the second!" Rollan pressed.

Claude didn't say a word as he dropped to the floor, letting his hand press into the cold dirt beneath.

As easily as breathing, he felt the nature beneath pour into him from the markings on his arm. They glowed like the sun in the dark room. The light only lasted a few seconds before he shoved it back to where it had come from, and more, resulting in a small shockwave of nature magic in it's purest form.

Suddenly they were standing in lush grass. In it's center, the small green blades twisted and bound the Demonic arm a thousand times over, erupting in sparks of green and red as it was consumed before eventually exploding into black and red sparkled dust.

ShzzSHSH--POOM!

Claude felt the knot in his stomach loosen.

DING!

[Demonic Armament Extinguished! You have removed an Ape-Variant HellBreeder Bloodline and now reap the experience of every life tainted by it's Demonic Magic!]

[+2835 EXP]

"[Bloody hell in a hand-basket...]"

[You have Leveled Up!]

[You are now Level 27!]

[+ 2 Stat Points]

[(Animus Nature) Skill Level Increase!]

[(Animus Nature) Secondary Ability (Animus Shout) Unlocked!]

When he looked up from his System Screen, Rollan was looking in his direction with a smile. He thought the Druid was looking at him until the man spoke.

"Ou-- Look who's finally arrived. I knew you wouldn't be far behind."

Claude turned and found Gil push through the curtains to enter the room. He growled at the floor and hissed before burping out a tuft of green flame-- both through his mouth and glowing gills. When he looked back up in the direction of Rollan, he sniffed in the direction of the Demonic arms and let out a reptilian bellowing sound that gave Claude goosebumps.

"Well Monsieur, I believe in your words you'd say, let's burn this shit, no?"

For a moment, the Full Moon didn't seem so grim.