On top of a hill, I looked over the wasteland and Velantas city that's just within sight. Just one-hour on foot, and less than that with Levi. And impossible for us to reach.

Why don't we just go there then? The story started just some minutes ago...

---

We were on way to the city while riding Levi, when Mira told me that she had never ridden something before on her own, or anything at all except for carriages. I let her ride on Levi, but it turns out that the Undead Dragon has a mischievous side to her. That, or she fancied the idea of being a rodeo horse. 

Nothing bad happened to Mira, but she refused the idea of riding on Levi to the city. We had enough food and water to travel on foot, thanks to the stuff that was inside Mira's Item Bag, and we were not far from the city at that point as well, so I decided to humor her. It's always better to have people owe you favors.

We've just entered a small canyon, that goes all the way from north-west to south-east. And it's a kilometer in width, but luckily, in a climbable height. Don't ask me how long it is, it disappears into the horizon. It's like a natural Great Wall of China, only that it's a canyon and not a wall.

We can see the city on the horizon, just an hour of walking. Soon, my dream of living a civilized life is gra-

*rumble, rumble, rumble*

-nted? What's that?

"Hey, Jack. You know about that sound?" - Garami

"Sound? What... just a sec." - Jack

Jack placed his ear (you get what I mean) on the floor, and listen to the sound in the distance. 

"This..., it sounds like a large group of something, that's traveling at high speed towards us. Still some kilometers away from here." - Jack

"'Something'? Can't you be more clear on that?" - Garami

"There was never any groups of creatures back in my days. This place was a sea of forestes back then." - Jack

Ah, good point. Then, what is...

"I think I can see them already." - Garami

"Huh? No way you can... you're right!" - Jack

We can only see a large dust cloud, but if what Jack said was right, then that dust cloud has a speed that surpasses a sports car.

"Ehm, isn't it going towards us?" - Jack

It is, isn't it? Oh crap, I've got a bad feeling... 

"Hey, you don't think this canyon we're in, is some kind of animal track?" - Garami

"......That would be bad." - Jack

"That's the only thing you can say?! Anyway, Mira, do you...are you okay?" - Garami

Has she not recovered from the rodeo ride yet? She looks like she's gonna hurl at any moment, not to mention pale enough to make people think she has the [Albino] skill.

"I'm..., I'm fine. What is it?" - Mira

"You sound anything but fine, but whatever. What's that dust cloud all about? And this canyon as well, when we're on the subject." - Garami

"Dust cloud? Canyon? What's that...! BBs!" - Mira

"B...Bs?" - Garami & Jack

"Go back! We have to go back, now! They're soon upon us!" - Mira

I don't get what she's talking about now, but none of us wants to stay and find out.

"Isn't it better to climb the other side then? We're so-" - Jack

"Like we have the leisure to do that! There's less than a minute left!" - Mira

Mira had already started climbing up the wall we had just jumped down from and yelled to us over her head. While still confused, the remaining three of us did the same. Levi simply jumped up, and I threw an elastic thread up, for then reverse-bungee jumping up. Hmm, did I do something similar to this before? I can't remember. 

After I had jumped up, I threw two more threads to Mira and Jack and pulled them up with [Thread Control]. A moment later, and the identity of the dust cloud was made clear for us. 

A large amount of some red substance rushed through the canyon, like a river made of blood. It was some kind of creature, but they were too fast to see what they were, at least with human eyes.

"What the f*ck is that?!" - Jack

"I told you, it's BBs!" - Mira

"And what's a 'BB' then?" - Jack

"Bloodrush Bulls." - Garami

"Yeah, that one. They are a type of monsters that have increased their numbers due to the desertification of the region. Before that happened, the forest prevented them from moving to different regions, but without it, they can now change their habitat whenever they want. Their skills make them impossible to stop once they start on their charge, and they make a mess of the whole area they've passed as well, not to mention the destruction of the ecosystems due to their locusts-like appetite. Hey, how did you know it was them?" - Mira

"I appraised them." - Garami

=====================================================================

Nameless

Race: [Bloodrush Bulls]   | Level: 31

Karma Value: -29

Skills: 8

 

HP: 180/180   | MP: 12/12   | SP: 346/471

STR: 78   | VIT: 276   | MAG: 9

RES: 261   | SPD: 401  | DEX: 52

INT: 54   | LUC: 99

=====================================================================

=====================================================================

SKILL LIST

Ability Skills: [SP Enhancement LV23] [SP Reduction Consuption LV50]

Attack Skills: [Rush LV42] 

Active Skills: [High-Speed LV40] 

Passive Skills: [Running LV50]

Resistance Skills: [Physical Resistance LV21] [Magic Resistance LV7]

Leadership Skills: [Flock LV12]

Racial Skills: [Bloodrush Assault LV44]  [Bloodstained Path LV10]

=====================================================================

"EEEEHHH?!" - Mira & Jack

I feel with you. To think there would be a day when I was beaten in SPD. And the one who did it was a freaking bull...

While I was keeping myself from crying over loosing to the bulls, Mira started to search her Item Bag for something.

"What are you waiting for?! We need to write this down and show it to the Guild" - Mira

"Why's that?" - Garami

"Didn't you hear me when I said the BBs are a regional pain for Velantas since they eat up all the remaining vegetation, both in this region and the once west and east for it? " - Mira

"Is that so bad? I've heard about such bull-monsters before, but they shouldn't be that bad-" - Jack

"You wish! Due to the large increase of BBs, the state has put up a bounty for any type of information about the BBs, so that they can cull their numbers before they turn into a real disaster, if not the type with a capital D." - Mira

What are they, bulls or locusts? If they're worth a sol or two, why not throw a Hydra down there?

"Don't try anything funny though. If even one BB gets attacked, the herd would split up to prevent more attacks from hitting them, and the split-up herd would wreak havoc on anything within miles. The potential damage is so great, that they have put up a law that forbids attacking BBs on the move."- Mira

"Aw come on!" - Garami

---

So, here we are, waiting for the bulls to pass. And let me tell you, that's a lot of beef down there. We've waited for half an hour, and there's no end of this crowd of bulls. Not that I can do anything about it. 

According to Mira, the bulls are estimated to number over 100.000, and their [Bloodstained Path] skill makes it impossible to cross the canyon now. It will take half a day for the effect to disappear, meaning we can't continue before tomorrow morning.

Just waiting here is the boring option, I know, but there's nothing else for us to do at the moment anyway.

"He-he-he. Reward, reward." - Mira

Mira herself doesn't seem to mind. I had saved the appraisal data of the bull into the Kigal-Note, and have the Bestiary page of it ready, so I just need to show it to the Adventurers Guild, and that's some easy money obtained.

I promised Mira some new armor, as she can't keep on adventuring in her everyday outfits. The only usable stuff she has on her at the moment, is the Cobalt Edge sword, her Item Bag, and a necklace that increases her MP.

The necklace was a gift from the director of the orphanage, given to her when she was old enough to travel the world on her own. It didn't look expensive or rare, only a metal necklace decorated with 7 small, cheap gems. However, it had an effect that would protect Mira from attacks that would fatal, at the cost of one of those gems. One couldn't replace the gems, but that's better than nothing.

Negating fatal damage, are you serious? I want one of those! Grr......

Jack himself wasn't in a hurry either, as he had taken the opportunity to take a nap. Me? I'm planning on what to do first when I've arrived in the city. Should I check out the red-light district, or find a fancy restaurant? Maybe there's a casino there? Or maybe not. If there was, then Mira would have gambled to the point of having to sell her own body.

The only one left unsatisfied is Levi. Either that, or she's hungry, as she's been leering at the bulls all this time. Do not attack them, I'm serious. 

"Just a random thought, but shouldn't the area west of the Velantas region been more affected than the east since the drought started in the western part of the region?" - Garami

The Water-Knot did lay in the western part of the region after all.

"Not really. The drought was caused by an unnatural force, so the bones in the Dragon Graveyard right before the western grasslands must have blocked it." - Mira

Dragon Graveyard? It looks like Levi's attention went away from the bulls when she heard that, so I asked Mira to continue to explain about that place.

"The Graveyard is a place where dragons on the Noterra continent travels to when they reach the limit of their large lifespan. They travel there to die out of the sight of people and monsters. Some bones stem from several millennia ago." - Mira

Dragon bones, wouldn't that be good for the Dungeon I'm planning on?

"Is it difficult to snag some bones from there? They sound useful." - Garami

"They don't only 'sound' so, they are in demand by anyone that works with magic. It is due to the massive mana lodged into the bones that stopped the unnatural drought from spreading further westwards." - Mira

Well, it is dragon bones after all.

"You can collect as many as you can carry if you can stay out of sight from the Titanus Skeletal Dragon." - Mira

"The what-skeletal-who?" - Garami

"Titanus Skeletal Dragon. An undead dragon theorized to be born from the lingering will of all the dragons that have breathed their last breath there. It's the size of a mountain, a special A+ rank beast, with a bounty that only loses to the Ultimate Disasters, and S rank monsters. Unlike other Skeletal Dragons, this thing is capable of using Dragon Breath and can demolish a small army on its own, as long as it stays inside its home field which is the Graveyard since it gets a power-boost due to its status of Region Guardian." - Mira

"........." - Garami

"Hmm, what's wrong?" - Mira

"'What's wrong?', Mira, what's wrong with you?!" - Garami

"W-what is it?" - Mira

"Mira, you sounded smart there!" - Garami

"Why are you so shocked over that?! Just what did you think of me until now?" - Mira

"I mean, Mira's the one who lost all her money on having adult fun with incubuses, and the one who lost her treasured sword to simple Skeletons." - Garami

"Those were Skeleton Thiefs, how are you supposed to fight against something that steals your only weapons! A-and what do you mean by a-a-adult fun?! I was only in the club section!" - Mira

Club? What's she talking about now?

"*yawn* You guys can wake up even the dead." - Jack

"Hey Jack, what's up with the 'club section' this stupid-while-smart girl is talking about?" - Garami

"Stupid-while-smart?!" - Mira

"You talk about brothels? The fancy ones are supposed to have special bar-like sections, where you can ask for the company of the employees. Never been in one of those, never had the money to use on it." - Jack

"Eh, it's a host club? Not a brothel?" - Garami

"Why should I go to a brothel for that? If I wanted a man, I could just snag him from the street. And I've got no such interests in the beginning! Why should I give my first time to some no-name?" - Mira

"Would you give it to some-name then?" - Garami

"If their wallet was fat and sharing, then yes." - Mira

"Th-this sprite..." - Jack

.......

"W-well, since we're stuck here anyway, why don't you tell us about that thing you were gonna investigate? Right, Mira?" - Garami

I need to change the air around us, and fast! This is too unbearable! Oh, and Levi had fallen asleep the moment our conversation went away from the Graveyard. 

"Wait a sec, I'll show you." - Mira

With those words, Mira took out a map from her Item Bag and laid it out so that we could see it. It was a map over Velantas city and the area south-west for it. There was an area circled out there, which had a picture of some building on it.

"Hey, isn't that the Empty Temple?" - Jack

"And that is?" - Garami

"It's just as its name says, an empty temple. Archeologists think that there were people that lived on this continent more than a millennia ago, and they build that temple and other ruins around the continent. And this one is currently housing part of the Aptrganga cult." - Mira

"Smart Mira came again?! And Ap, Apt, Apta... And what's that cult all about?" - Garami

"Aptrganga. It's a cult that follows the belief of living after their death and some unknown god, but I think it's just some humbug they spread out to get more members." - Mira

"Someone has done their studying. But what's your connection with them? The Adventurer Guild isn't responsible for culling cults." - Jack

"That's because-mmpm!"- Mira

"Forgot she said anything. Nothing you want to know. It's about stuff that's on the same level as the spider that killed you before. In terms of danger to your peaceful life." - Garami

I don't want more people than necessary to know about that thump-thump. 

"Okay, don't tell me about those parts then. But if my pal is gonna do something dangerous, I need to know a little so that I can help them with whatever she's doing." - Jack

"When did I become your pal? Well, to keep it short, those cultists are related to some criminals that stole something from this sprite's uncle. Is that right?" - Garami

"Phew. Yes, that's mostly it. I don't know if they are the crooks themselves, or even related to the thieves at all, but they must have some sort of info on them. They're the only clue I have to take back what was stolen from my uncle." - Mira

I knew it. It was written in plain letters after all. Why messing around with some strange cult, when you're busy tracking down international criminal groups? Hmm...

"Why don't we go check out that temple?" - Garami

"Wait, you mean right now?" - Mira

"Why not. It's close by. You have passed by the place by a long shot." - Garami

"What!?" said Mira, so I marked our current position on my map, and that of the temple to show her the difference. The temple is located, just a little south-west from the city, just south from where we are right now.

Mira looks flabbergasted of seeing that she went too much towards the west, while I'm glad to see her acting like herself.

"Hmm, it's not that far from here, but people don't go there at all since it has zero and zilch amount of value for anybody. Even archeologists lost their interest in that place, back in my days anyway." - Jack

A forgotten temple, that no one shows any interest in anymore. Sounds like the perfect hideout for something illegal business. It sounds like those Ap, Apt, those cultists, are up to no good if one of their bases is located there.

It took some debating, but we agreed on doing some reconnaissance of the temple. Jack didn't mind, as he had some love troubles related to some cult back in his days. It's only a scouting trip, and what can one achieve on only one night anyway? Still beats having to twine thumbs while waiting for the canyon to be crossable.