Ball of Nothing

Axel led them for ten minutes to a shed where all the livestock were kept. Zero had to stop breathing for a while because of the stench and Truen couldn't go any nearer without a mask of some sort. Zero took pity on his friend and fashioned a mask with some quick discreet enchantments to block out the smell on his handkerchief pulled from the handy sling bag. Truen accepted it gratefully and they walked past some metal cages.

Truen swore he felt bloodlust coming from the quieter cages and was warier of them compared to the monsters roaring at them from their cages in the dark shed. Axel was unphased and even whistled a carefree tune as they made a turn to the wooden pens.

"Here are the bad boys that you want. They are called sand walkers because the original name is far too long and complicated. Many desert travellers will buy sand walkers because they have a natural sense of direction and won't get thrown off by the magnetic field manipulated by the desert's natural terrain. In addition, their scaly bodies keep them cool and they are magical beasts. That means, they can fight the monsters in the desert too. They can see rather well at night too so if you need to make a run from a sandstorm approaching, you can. Their big webbed feet are good for travelling on the sand where the terrain is different elsewhere and they can cover about a hundred and fifty kilometres in the desert. The only downside is their need to eat plants. As you know, the desert isn't the best place to grow such things. They can eat straw, grass, tree barks, fruits and vegetables so you'll have to choose what kind of rations to buy for them to last the trip."

After hearing the lengthy but informative explanation, Zero smiled. "We have a storage bag that can carry rations for them, it wouldn't be a problem. Could you tell me more about their temper and how to care for them? I've never ridden on Sand Walkers before and they are rather different from horses."

Truen looked at the Sand Walkers and blinked. They looked somewhat familiar as if he'd seen something similar. The Sand Walkers stood on its hind legs and had tiny hands. It also looked like a giant lizard that was slightly taller than Truen so it took the archer some time to know where he'd seen it before.

"A velociraptor?" Truen blinked. That's right, he recalled it now. It was in one of Merlin's old books. This was a dinosaur back in the old Earth and it was much smaller but a lot more ferocious because it was carnivorous. A herbivorous velociraptor that could be domesticated as a mount to travel deserts sounded surreal but there it was in all its scaly glory, looking at him.

"How much does a Sand Walker cost?" Zero asked and patted the creature on the nose. Thankfully, the monster was feeling friendly and didn't chew Zero's hand. Truen couldn't understand how Zero could be so trusting even if beasts.

The spriggan gave Zero an odd look. "Including the saddle, stirrups and dry rations, it would be ten binnites each. However, if you're willing to help me do something I will give you one each for free."

Zero didn't even consider twice before pulling out twenty binnites and handing it to the stunned spriggan.

"W-wait! Don't you want to negotiate?"

Zero laughed. "Nah. I got more than enough money to spend so I'll buy them instead, thanks."

Truen wanted to laugh at the lost expression on Axel's face. If the trader thought that Zero would do someone a favour just to get something for free, he was wrong. Nobody could make Zero do what he didn't want just like how nobody could stop Zero from doing what he wanted. People should start learning.

Flabbergasted, the spriggan rejected the money. "I was just joking," he cried. "I just really needed help. I know you're looking for Sand Walkers because you're heading to Derby Desert. There is something there that I want very badly but nobody has been able to get it for me so far... please, I'll even pay you. You're both adventurers, right? I'll submit the request to the guild for the both of you if you agree. I'll even throw in something extra."

Truen raised his brow and Zero remained silent, allowing his best friend to do the negotiating. Zero didn't mind either way because it was an adventure. However, Truen had a policy of not doing anything for free.

"We have to hear what the request is before we can make a decision. As you've seen, my sister and I are currently not short on money."

Hearing that, the spriggan became devastated. "Please don't say that... I really need your help. I heard that your sister is the princess' tutor and she cured the plague in Magnus Hilda. That would mean that both of you must be really strong. I've sent many requests for C-rank adventurers and above but nobody has successfully completed this quest. Even A-rank adventurers failed and the guild would throw my request out if nobody is willing to accept it!"

Zero was intrigued. What kind of request was it that Axel would be so desperate? However, Truen didn't let the spriggan gain the upper hand too quickly. He fished out his tag and pointed to Zero's newly acquired adventurer tag. "You said that A-rankers have failed. My sister is a new C-rank adventurer and I'm only a B-rank. I'm afraid we won't be able to succeed either."

Axel quickly shook his head and refuted Truen's claims. "That's not true! On the contrary, I think you and your sister are the only ones capable of succeeding. The adventurers who took the quest were not elves. You also know how the elves of Altear work, they don't do anything that involves visiting territories they aren't friends with. They don't like the dwarves or the gnomes very much. They only tolerate humans and are friendly with Mystic Meadows."

Truen sighed. "Alright, stop beating around the bush and tell us what you need."

Axel hesitated but eventually admitted that he needed the seeds or flowers of the desert poppy.

"That's it?" Zero asked in disbelief and Axel raged.

"You don't understand how dangerous it is to get the desert poppy! It's a flower that only grows in the underground caves of Derby Desert. These caves are hard to locate and even if they can be located, it isn't easy to get to them. They grow near bedrock and the cave that they reside in are full of mana beasts."

Zero didn't think that it would be difficult for them at all but before he agreed to help Axel out, he needed to know what the trader was going to use it for. Desert poppy is one of the plants he didn't have and according to his knowledge, the flower was good for pain-relief although it could also be used to brew hallucination potions. It would be worthwhile trying to get some seeds to grow them for new medicine.

"It's the last ingredient I need to complete my spell. I'm a spriggan so I need to return to the forest someday. However, I cannot do so without being able to track where the treasure I was guarding had gone. Desert poppy seeds have a strange magnetic property that can be used in tracing spells tied to my blood. I've been trying so hard to get it through various methods for the last ten years, you are my only hope now!"

Seeing that Axel wasn't lying, Zero gave Truen a nod. They would help the spriggan but not for free.

"We can help you to get it but on some terms," Zero said and Axel brightened up.

"Tomorrow, the representatives of Half Moon Village will be here. I want you to make a business deal with them to collect, source and sell items. You can keep your collection but if there is an item the village needs, they will be your first priority customer. This is our condition."

"Agree!" Axel shouted. "I agree! If you can find the desert poppy, I'll even give you my shop deed!"

"Then let's write it into a contract and submit it to the guild. If this is an official quest, there's no going back on our words," Truen said and Axel agreed at once.

Hence, Zero found himself heading to the guild for the second time in the same day.