While the others were busy resting, Wu Hai was nesting. There was a good amount of space in the upper floors but it was only a storage lot for his more precious of items that needed to age. In the books about herbs, some of them required to be left out for ripening. Others required places to grow and mature. He didn't have anyplace like that prepared yet but he felt the need to spread his loot out.
The storage rings were useful but searching for things was sometimes harder than checking shelves or boxes. There was also the special case of losing, breaking or being robbed of his rings in the future.
Rolling for an Icy power, he lucked out on an 'Ice, Metal, Elemental,' It didn't take long to produce a lot of shelves with the materials he had produced and laid out.
Soon his warehouse was well stocked, chilled and sterile. He decided to leave a lot of the materials that were in the weapon inside of it, some things radiated a lot of energy and it was hard to contain them or their power. Proximity between some things would give birth to some things and so forth.
Rearranging rooms was easy, by the end of the night, the 10th-15th floors were filled with shelves and cabinets, elemental lock-boxes and tubs, he even made a Deep Freeze room for extreme cold attribute items that was so large it took up the entire 12th floor.
Wu Hai was on a tangent, he was changing the layout of the Tower with every step he took.
Items came out, items moved, walls moved. Staircases arrived, doors, locks, all sorts of things kept being rearranged. Unwilling to be caught off guard, a few defensive positions at the entrance were lined with metal so that the floors secretly provided conductivity.
The Battles that Wu Hai had between the Twins had given him insight into stopping people in their tracks. Intruders would have a rude entry.
Finally, he took out a section of the roof to the lobby all the way to the 8th floor, it left a void and extreme cathedral-like ceilings. Wu Hai replaced the space above the entrance with one giant metal slab that could drop like a hammer. The sheer size of the mechanism made the remodel look a bit strange at first.
Everyone soon got use to it, the thickness of the giant metal slab would provide near unlimited frontal defense. There was a push formation that wrapped both ends of the giant Hammer.
Feeling like he had done enough for the night, Wu Hai looked at his hands that still flowed with frost and picked up the Dice. Rolling them again and again, he continued till he had finally returned to a human form. 'Earth, Stars, Wave, Medium, Human.'
Stretching for a moment, he teleported down to the lobby to feed Darkwing, he felt a little off.
Looking down, his hands were translucent and he finally passed out on his bed. It would not be long before the others woke up and they would have leave again.
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The Central plains were a network of nice, vast patches of grassland. The scenery below was very profound, it stretched far into the distance. Hours passed where the group would have easily lost direction had it not been for the Compass and Suns for direction.
Hills in the horizon meant that the grasslands were near the edge of a bed of valleys. Zigzag patterns cut through the hillsides and the watershed showed the diversity of life in the area. Many creatures were present, shadows in the herds showed predators that hunted as a group.
The evening suns really ushered in the nightlife of the surroundings, the cool breeze brought out the night time air and the symphony of movement below started to pick up its tempo.
Crested Wolves, Spark Hyena and Armored Pangolins of different types roamed the area, apparently they were only a food source and stayed in packs. It was a bit strange to see so many types of predators gathered together. Wind Serpents of various shapes, muck monsters, giant fish-like river beasts and in the center of the entire area, a giant purple hippo spirit sat lounging in the twilight.
Seeing the giant spirit, the entire group came to a complete stop.
"Whoa!" Wu Hai turned Darkwing back and stopped midair.
"We should land, avoid the herds, don't provoke anything." Wu Hai was not slow on the uptake. Landing with caution, the group followed Darkwing's lead.
"Master, I don't feel hatred from the Spirit ahead." Darkwing, who rarely spoke, felt the need to speak. His willingness to speak showed how much faith he had in his words.
Hesitating a moment, Wu Hai decided that it was better not to chance an aerial passing.
"Lets walk still. It's important to maintain group integrity. I bet that spirit is a Guardian.." Khan Ni made an off comment that completely hooked Wu Hai's attention.
They stopped again while Wu Hai got his eyes to focus and took another look at the enormous spirit that was resting peacefully in the meadow's nearby marsh.
"GUARDIAN?!" Wu Hai loudly whispered..
Gently shaking her head, Khan Ni facepalmed and exclaimed, "You don't have to whisper, just don't yell." She took her hand down and reminded him, "Also, you need to remember that the Custodians also exist." Shutting Wu Hai down, she had little choice but to be realistic about the situation. She knew the History, even the elves were sure to pass it down.
"Ah, yes. You're right. Avoid interaction then?" Wu Hai nodded after his question and they started trekking through the grasslands a clear distance away. "Look, Herbs!"
Wu Hai whispered again, crossing into large mixed patch of Soaring Crane Grasses. "Why are there so many types of grasses in one spot? Its already strange to see a clump this big, but normally they are only one type." About ten meters in front of them he saw a crater, inside was a large orange and green rock.
Beneath the rock was a bed of large red and purple crystal that emitted a lot of energy.
The Rock and Nest-shaped Crystal were immediately taken into storage. Harvesting the grasses around the area, Wu Hai was feeling adventurous.
"Herbs like these are precious and rare, the ancestors would weep if we were to take it all." Wu Hai warned the group not to clear the area entirely and then they took to the skies again.
Leaving only a large Mosaic on the ground where the herb cluster was, they didn't spend much time exploring the Marsh. The large Spirit Beast was still present, it's vision caught their escape into the sky but it's roar sent lots of birds in the valleys out into the sky.
They were not alone in their exit.
Setting foot into the Eastern Plains was the goal, the pull on the compass needle was a bit stronger, so they were still headed in the right direction. Wu Hai and Darkwing were scouting ahead, it was more convenient to camp inside so when the twin Suns set, the Pagoda was already enlarged and was the only thing in the horizon for as far as the eye could see.
The Twins wondered if it was a wise place to camp. Many animals fled and many more approached the building after it had been expanded on the plains. None of them came close enough to be of bother, Qu could crush them all with the tower defenses.
Standing like a beacon in the night, the Tower's exterior was lit with a vivid purple and blue hue.
"Turn off the light outside, we shouldn't be announcing our position to anyone." Wu Hai didn't want to attract attention. Great beasts like the Giant Hippo Spirit Beast are not uncommon in the World. Such a light would attract attention for a great distance.
"Yes, Master." Qu replied and then slapped the wall, the light outside dimmed significantly then vanished. "Defenses are down but our walls are tough. I will monitor the situation and alert you if we have any changes." Qu had gotten more familiar with Wu Hai after receiving a different name.
Qu had even gotten downright submissive, his personality had taken a change. The group was unsure if it was for the better but they had no reason to let it bother them, if anything, he was easier to talk to.
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The Conquerer Ortorta came to his Chamber, The Sovereign of Lunara sat on a chair by a window in a Tower that overlooked his Kingdom. Having lost so many of his people to a plague, he saw mass graves in the distance.
The smell was distinctly unattractive and burned at the senses. It was a depressing sight.
Considering the King's position, he kept his family from the victims, but alas, even Royal blood wouldn't detour sickness.
Losing his daughter, his father, six uncles and thirteen aunts to the plague, he remained in his home and isolated. Not many of the guards were allowed entry and they stayed away from each other as much as possible. The pain of his people could be heard in the winds, the cries of despair and indignity from the fallen were increasingly disruptive.
The unlikely survival of his people weighed deeply on the King's soul, there was little to nothing he could do.
Guards were worried when they saw a speeding cart that approached the City walls. A Firewolf chased behind the strange carriage but didn't seem like it had a rider. Not having the strength to defend themselves, the guards were avoidant. It was still a security issue, they had no choice but to do their jobs.
For all they knew the cart carried the dead, perhaps even the cursed. They were unwilling to interact with others, bringing outsiders into the City could have very well been the source of the problems they now faced. The City Guards were skeptical of everyone and under strict orders to defend the gates.
Jumping out in front of the carriage, several guards surrounded the cart. The Firewolf howled in displeasure.
Instinctively, the guards drew their weapons.
Old Man Jiang and Zhan didn't have any patience. Zhan had been holding out for five days already. They had only stopped once and it didn't take long to notice that sleeping was not good for Zao Ooran's health.
The transfer was not as effective when Zhan went to sleep. It was impossible for the Old Master to give his blood, they were not related at all but Zhan was a match.
Old Man Jiang cast a barrier spell and held up a letter as they snapped the reins and passed through them quickly. He yelled out "Don't stop us, we have an emergency and will seek the Tower."
"WE HAVE PLAGUE HERE!" The voice of the guards could be heard as they passed.
'Idiots!' The Guard turned and had them raise the gate.
"Plague...?" Zhan looked at his Father already poisoned and hoped that they would make it in time. His own eyes already showed him what he needed to know, it was going to be hard. His own blood loss could only be measured in the gallons and the medicines were having less of an effect, no matter how much he was taking.