"... Uh-huh... come again?"
The ghastly voice filled his head once more,
"... wh... at is... this...?"
It sucked another treat into nothingness,
"Ah, so you spoke also why didn't I think of this in the first place, I could have been much more comfortable, it's like a candy bed! I need to do better...,"
"...,"
"Khem...! so, back to you,"
The greedy thing knocked down the soft, makeshift bed down a level, visibly amused by the quick succeeding flushes of bliss the squishy treats gave. Its prey drew forth, and it took.
"It" tried to plead for its freedom... but its captor beat it to it. On standby it stood, as a muffled jolly cheer traveled from one of its tentacles, to its dome and out underneath it. The long-sought exit was beautiful as Park was accompanied by a flurry of colors, some left stuck onto the creature's stringy saliva and fangs. The outside air rushed in and chased out the mix of horrid smells and pleasant scents from his lungs. He was glad that his mind had been read but what was its plan now?
"...,"
"...,"
Apprehensively, ignoring the gazes, Park remembered about some tasks that he had been given. He awkwardly shifted to a specific set of greenery nearby, motioning a calming gesture to the beast.
"Y... our... book... s...,"
"Yes. My books," three quest books came into view and with one dust-off, their tawny complexion broke through.
"... wait... here...,"
"Sure, I think I'll even be updating... OK, BYE!"
The resident was already slithering off. Without wasting any time, pen out, it was time for work. Any new updates he got as his second piece got stronger, he duly noted down for each of his members. Alright illustrations included too.
"... they're both lucky then to have been... 'brought' to you...,"
"... and your entire story might be one of the most unique ones we've heard so far."
The small circle sat on earthen pedestals all agreed amongst each other as they took in the weird tale,
He almost sounds like that one legend who could speak to the earthen deities themselves,
Morris likening his encounters to a revered figure they all look up to. He paused briefly on the unconscious duo suspended safely in one of Aluri's masterful crafts before proceeding to look up,
"So, next stop should be out, right?"
The shortest of the mouse-faced band sitting opposite to him, spoke up,
"But what about our books? We only have two roots listed,"
Roots?
He read the slight confusion and exposed a little more, this time, on how they could determine a herb's characteristics based on the roots alone and shooting down Seiza's hand, added a bit more on why they couldn't just record each and every single herb since they were plenty enough roots to go around.
"Ileri, look, mine has dust...,"
"... while he has dust, I swear Vandi you know what you're doing,"
Four out of five brothers lightly chuckled as the visibly frustrated Ileri continued on, with visual assistance from his hands,
"... and it's all good, let me just explain these two things and then we'll fight like you want me to, agreed? Now..., about the roots! If you have looked around, most of the herbs you have seen on the surface are not... what's the word..., 'friendly' correct?"
"Lyne balls...,"
"Line... balls?"
Seiza shook his head motioning for Ileri to continue,
"Anyway, yes, most of the roots as is with their counterparts on the surface are not very friendly to us with our biologies as the herbs above are with you out there, the two roots that we were able to write down were by chance the only ones that we knew from beyond the school gates...,"
"... from there we weren't as lucky,"
"KH-LIES! KH-SO MANY LIES!"
Ileri turned to face Vandi, words able to escape through his gritting teeth,
"Don't worry, I'm at number two! but before that...,"
He turned back to Seiza and Aluri,
"... Everything's good on your end?"
He was ready to burst and they were merciful, Ileri was thankful for the opportunity,
"Hah, now the second reason is...,"
The pedestals moved out of harm's way, isolating Vandi and Ileri,
"!,"
"... he can read DUST!"
The cocked gun blasted, launching forth the screaming bullet at its "enemy". As a homely feeling weirdly washed over the group, Morris was motioned to continue on the explanations over the chaotic tussle ongoing behind them.
"You know how there is energy around us?"
"Get. Off Me! Argh!"
The ground slightly shook but they paid it no heed, the story resuming,
"Where I, no we, come from, this energy blesses us differently after we've gone through a sort of ritual. Vandi was lucky enough to have gone through it, one, because of age, two, before then, Earthen Master, Relphai died and three, because the Earthen Master died."
"... why did you repeat...?"
"AND BECAUSE OF THAT, HE BECAME SO~OO SPECIAL!!"
"But I am and you're... the opposite!"
"...,"
"... so, let's circle back to that last bit, it was, and still is, believed that when an Earthen Master goes to the mother's embrace mid-through the ritual or shortly after the ritual, as he or she sheds their mortal skin, as an effect of the ceremony, something is left behind that bonds and greatly increases the subject's relationship with the soil upon which they walk on. Now this something, which we were told to call it essence, is a ticket to become chosen as an elite warrior in our community midst's or to be able to succeed as the next Earthen Master."
One of the audience members glued to the gladiatorial fight hinted at Morris,
"Don't forget to tell them about the dust stuff, oh, and great story by the way!" his plea evidently reaching home as Morris continued onto the final part,
"And now by the request of Saika, Vandi's powers."
"The energy that I made a somehow revealing story of our clan to hopefully friends, is also found in plants. From its very top all the way down to the tip of its hairy roots, energy circulates through and through and in turn the soil in its immediate surroundings gets soaked with this energy but, it's different. As energy permeates into the soil surrounding the plant through it, it bears the plant's breath and when Vandi grasps it, he can write all he can about the plant down as if he has skimmed through its 'brain'."
"... Hmm, Interesting,"
"It is, right?"
(...)
(I like him)
The two ocular spectacles affixed their gazes on the group from within the foliage shadows surrounding them.
Series of blocky rocks, overlapped each other in a square-like race,
(I feel Medani's energy coming from him,)
(Yeah, he was used as a distraction so she could save the rest from that group and thanks to their red-headed leader it all went wonderfully well.)
(... do they know they're moving?)
(They won't even realize when they got at the door. I'm just the best at these things, also! would you mind repeating what happened to you? I think I like your story even more, right Medani?)
(What's that...? Oh yeah! That the youngest finally found his match? I could hear it for eons on end.)
(...)
(So~oo...!)
She looked beyond to see that he had already sent one tentacle on its way. Her little brother had seen those wishful eyes and the guest would be in no time, surely on his way.
(By the way, did you say that you had already handled them?)
Her vision possessed one of her golems just as it clashed its rocky fists against a thorny barricade, the green, spiky shield bursting underneath the humongous pressure. Her creation lowered itself affirming to her that this child too had now joined the scarlet-colored bunch who were already sleeping soundly with their many fractures.
(Say it together with me, Medani!)
(Done and...)
(...)
(... dust~eed!)
(... eh! du~steed...!)
He maxed out his tug, his savior, a few seconds later bursting through with all good tidings,
"Hi, again!"
(Oh, there he is!)
Park stood up, the dust from his attire commanded off him.
(A looker...)
(You can do that ahead, and he can't even understand us.)
"And now...?"
"Hey, that's not how you handle your big sister! Hello! He~llo!"