Braxton was awakened with sirens and the sound of Alpha's voice. "Alert! Alert! Creature on collision course with your position. Move now, unless you want to be crushed!"
Braxton surfaced quickly. He was on high alert too. The creature headed his way was one of the huge beasts from the day before. It wasn't alone, the whole herd was heading his way. It was about dawn and the creatures weren't paying any attention to him. They didn't seem to be in any kind of a rush either. The smaller ones were about ten feet tall while the large ones were at least forty feet tall. They looked like elephants with blue skin and grey hills with spikes on their backs.
The herd was traveling faster at a slow walk than he was, running as fast as he could. The best he could do was try to dodge the massive animals. He quickly managed to find a place in the herd where he would not get crushed. Braxton realized the smaller creature near him could see him. When he was awakened, his camouflage was not active.
The elephant looking creature was reaching towards him with its trunk. It appeared curious and Alpha didn't sound an alert. The creature seemed to be sniffing him. Then it grabbed him with its trunk and picked him up. It lifted him up in the air and set him on the back of a slightly smaller one walking along its opposite side.
Braxton's heart slowed down a little as he settled down. The ride was going in the right direction and he was feeling safer than he had trying to run. He could see many roots ahead of the herd and was expecting them to stop. The free ride would likely end in a couple miles and he could carry on again.
"Alpha wake me up when the ride stops or changes direction please." Braxton requested.
"I will comply as directed." Alpha responded.
Braxton slept for an additional four hours. It wasn't Alpha that woke him up, it was the lack of the heavy foot falls. The rhythmic trumping of the massive creatures must have vanished some time before, because it was out of his sight. He looked at his UI to confirm he was still on the right path. Happily the UI confirmed he was.
"Alpha how far is it to the destination?" Braxton asked.
"Less than three miles. The creatures seem to have slowed down after the larger creature moved away. They are still making about five miles an hour. So if they keep going, we will reach the location in about forty five minutes." Alpha notified him.
"It was nice to find a ride." He said as the patted the elephant on the head.
The beasts reached a camp of the Hazul and walked right up to a hut. The hut was constructed using the roots they were covered with hides. It was dome shaped. The creatures had primitive weapons mostly stone tipped spears. They were much like their picture in the journal. The picture didn't prepare him for their actual size. They stood almost eight feet tall and were about three feet across their chests. The bottom sections were four feet wide. The appearance of the man looked somewhat regal. Even more surprising was when he spoke.
"Hello and welcome to my village. What brings you this way?" The ant man asked.
"I came looking to trade. I heard you might be in possession of a gemstone. It's called a dragon's eye. I'm shocked you speak my language so well. How did you learn it?" Braxton inquired.
"We had a soldier living here a while back. He was brought to us by the elephants. He was badly injured. I learned from him. He stayed with us for several of years. His recovery was remarkable. He had lost an arm and a leg. Over the years they grew back. He gave me the gem you seek for our hospitality. Then he started ranging out hunting for his people. About a year ago, he left like always but he didn't come back." The Hazul chief responded.
"What would it take for me to acquire the gem from you? We need to return home." Braxton queried.
"What have you brought?" The chief returned.
"I killed a spiked tortoise. I'm afraid that is all I have right now for meat. I heard that you trade blood for meat. I wasn't sure what else you might need." Braxton stated meekly.
"Every man needs a home to return to at the end of the day. Do you have any weapons you can part with? You can see ours aren't the best." The chief bargained.
"Can I see the gem?" Braxton requested as he climbed down off the mount.
"We can arrange that easy enough. Can you show me the tortoise?" The chief requested in return.
Braxton release the body of the tortoise on the ground. "There you go. I would like to collect some of the blood for myself. I was in a hurry when I killed it."
"That won't be an issue at all. We can't eat blood. That is why we trade it. Our people are neutral with all other factions. No grudges are allowed on our soil. Our weapons may look primitive but inside our walls, we have powerful Magic's. Our people are all over. So even if we did have problems handling a people we could easily wipe out our enemy's. The Queen's army has millions and millions of soldiers. The threat of war with us is enough to keep people in check." The chief responded. He motioned for Braxton to follow him inside the hut.