The bait test has been very helpful in detecting the strange ways and abnormalities of the planet, it helped to mark out the ability or mode of defense of a creature or obstacle, whether the obstacle was deadly or safe to cross, whether a material was poisonous or not, it helped a lot.
Up until now, it had been what they were using, if the bait test wasn't used, they'd have to do it the old fashion way, trial by their errors. But that was very dangerous with the unknown planet they were now on. There was no way trial by their errors wouldn't result in injuries, even possibly death.
It was the perfect way they were going through the terrains of this world. Ivy was needed for the test, and although she closed her eyes in cultivation, she was still able to understand what was going around her.
It was as if she split her mind into two, concentrating on energy and paying attention to the journey they were embarking on. She could do this well, matter of fact she splits her mind every time she cultivates her energy, she has two cores, and through constant practice of cultivating her two energy cores, her ability to split her mind was not foreign anymore.
And right now she had payed attention to what Xadia suggested, and she offered her services, and it was successful for them to see what they needed to see. The unprecedented abomination.
It was two rock creatures that were ten meters tall, their bodies were dirt, while they had rocky parts for their main body parts, their teeth, head and back side. It looked like a rock whale, but not quite, it had no tail or fin. It's body shape was rectangle, there were two glowing red pebbles for their eyes.
And just as the two dirt and rock creatures came up, they went back to the ground, completely camouflaging to the terrain they were in. Now they wouldn't know what rock belonged to the creatures and which rock was normal.
"There's no way we're going this way, let's go around it, this is too dangerous, let's take another route," Jake cautioned.
"Finally, you're afraid, I thought you were all glowing bravery," Tyson teased.
"Another route another route," Jasmine repeated as she opened her holowatch, the interface was displayed and she checked for other routes, but there was none.
"I can't find any other route we can take, the other routes have more rocky slopes, mostly likely, they're all rock creatures, we can't risk the others, this way has less rock slopes that's why I chose it, it leads up the mountain alot faster, and we know they're only just two here, we don't know how many might be at the other slopes," Jasmine keened.
"Then how are we going up here," Jake asked.
A suddenly rush of energy enveloped their surrounding, and it rushed straight at Ivy, and as the energy subdisized, a black lightening came from the skies. Ivy was lost in the darkness of black smoke, it soon began to dissipate.
Now looking at Ivy, her eyes were black, and she took a deep breath, and in a flash she ran on the rock slopes, jumping from rocks to rocks, it was as if she knew which rock wasn't connected to the rock creatures, she soon reached the top of the slope.
Her eyes then returned to normal and she heaved, she then opened her eyes.
Meanwhile the group were stunned to a daze.
"She did it, she finally attuned to the energy on this planet," Xadia announced.
"Metsura ahnusbi enota," Ivy recited, and the rocks that were normal soon changed, their color turned black.
"The black rocks are your way up here, their the normal rocks," Ivy informed.
Jake soon rushed to act, he quickly began to leap from rocks to rock, the others soon followed after him, and turn by turn they reached Ivy's side.
"You finally attuned, you should be able to take us home now right, the crystal will be easy to absorb, but that was sick, one minute you got struck be lightening, the second you're already here," Tyson praised.
"You did it, four days of cultivating didn't go to waste, you didn't really interact with anyone, and sorry I tried to take one of your chops, I was really hungry," Jake apologized. Ivy gave a wry smile.
"I knew he tried to, I warned you didn't I," Tyson teased.
"It's good to have you back," Xadia smiled, Ivy's cheeks flushed.
"It's really so good, interacting with boys has been a lot of stress, my best friend's back," Jasmine hugged Ivy, tightening her embrace with every word she said.
"We weren't that bad," Tyson commented.
"Oh really, I had to cope with a complaining pretty face and a meat eating glutton, only Xadia didn't stress me," Tyson smiled despite her complain, She then turned to Ivy.
"You didn't tell me he has a Cr5, you know how much, I wanted to see it," Jasmine shook Ivy on her shoulders.
"Must've slipped my mind," Ivy replied.
"Since you've completely attuned, we should quicken our pace, let's go," Jasmine announced, and they faced they looked towards the mountain,
They then began to walk towards it, they soon noticed a circular line with strange diagrams on the floor, and red lines were smeared on it.
"It looks like a rune circle," Ivy noted.
"Do you understand it?" Jasmine asked.
"No, it's like nothing I've ever seen in our alchemy books, it looks strange, but it looks like the ruins on the spell book that brought us here, it might be of the same rune diagram," Ivy replied.
"Cast a spell using the rune circle, maybe it can take us back home," Xadia suggested.
"I don't think it would work, there's dried blood here, which means this rune circle is definitely a sacrificial altar," Ivy deduced.
"In that case it wouldn't hurt to test it out," Jake said.
"You want to make a sacrifice, with what exactly, we've used all the creature baits we have," Jasmine responded.
"We don't really need that, it needs a fresh supply of blood, and I happen to have a lot, immediately it drops on the circle begin the spell," Jake informed Ivy.
Jake then cut his palm with his energy claws, he began to squeeze blood out of his hands, a drop fell to the ground and the circle lit up red.
"What's happening I haven't siphoned the spell," Ivy informed.
The ground shook, it felt like an earthquake was happening, different sounds could be heard, and it sounded like lock sounds, the ground then opened up and the group fell into the dark abyss.
"Infernia," Ivy pointed her hands downwards as they feel, a pillow of flowers were siphoned, and the landed safely on the soft flower pool.
As soon as they landed, the whole space lit up from where they were, stretching out to the far ends of the space.
The space looked like tunnel of some sort, it looked to be old, beholding a history in diagrams, it had hieroglyphics all over it's wall, it was carved in perfection with every detail of emotion depicted, there were candle lights lit in red wall candle holders.
This wasn't just a pit, it was a temple of some sort.
"Nice save," Jake complimented as he alighted from the ground.
"You're very reckless, you didn't even let us reason about it, you just thought freely on your own, you're becoming a problem," Tyson groaned, he stood up.
Jake skimmed his hands over the wall, it felt like he could feel the stories carved in the wall. The hieroglyphics diagram were drawings of a humanoid wolf race fighting for their freedom and survival, his wolf side mourned the pain in the hieroglyphics.
Xadia looked up to where they fell from.
"The top is closed, we can't go back up there," Xadia informed.
"Then that means we'll be heading in, there must be an exit, to a place like this, it's looks like a temple of some sort, there will be an exit," Jasmine suggested
"If i was the one who built this place, I would set traps for trespassers, so everyone should watch where they're going and what they're stepping on," she glared over Tyson and Jake as if they were the one the warning was meant for.
The group walked into the tunnel and as they reached the elephant Haridwar entrance of the temple, a statue stood in front of them. It was a sculpted body of a beast with two wings and demon-like fanged teeths.
Ivy read out the wordings beneath the statue,
"Abandon all hope, we rise at moon's glow,"
The statue's eyes shimmered yellow, it wasn't just a statue, it's the guardian of the temple.
"It's alive," Tyson yelled, having spotted the glow in the statue's eyes.
The statue then began to move and it let out a deafening shriek, it's eyes roared fury.
***********************
We will warm the Herd
And shake the Stars.