Master Of None

"So these are sand jacks?" Alma had been asking about the monsters that had been encountered. At the moment, she was curious about the monster being roasted by Walker on the top deck cooking area. "They look like smaller versions of horned rabbits but without a horn."

"They more or less are. From what Walker said, they are related distantly. Pretty much the same with the elemental spirits or mouse type monsters. They are all similar in shapes and sizes but have slight differences when it comes to the environment they have lived in. It's actually surprising that Walker didn't find sand jacks in the desert when he visited there."

This was similar around the world and for a moment Walker was caught thinking about this. Gil had a very good point, if they got to the other side of the world on this continent, there was a chance that they would see many similar monsters and animals but slightly different. The way that these creatures grew would be completely different based on how the continent developed.

There was a chance that the entire continent could be a desert or water lands. But who knew what it was like? There were no records and the ships that had left to find another continent had never returned. That meant they got there and never came back or never made it there. The proof just wasn't there.

"Well, it smells good and that is all I can say for now." Alma was very happy being able to sit down and eat with them after the few days traveling down river. Midnight was happy enough to be able to share since Walker had asked around and been given a few more sand jacks that had been hunted by the patrols. They seemed more eager to share after they heard that Walker was roasting them to share with Alma and Gil. the two that they idolized the most as elves.

"Should we try and do another patrol before the next ship get here?" Su wanted to be sure that they were thorough in the investigation of the shore but she also didn't want to risk missing a ship's arrival. She knew that the third ship was a little different than the first two.

"I think it's best to remain on the ships for now. The third ship is mostly made up of dwarves and the dwarven golems. I want to see if they can repair the ships while we move if the hulls are damaged. It's also good to know what the golems can do while we travel through swarms of monsters. I know it will be safer to lose a golem than a living breathing person."

As much as the dwarven blacksmiths would be crushed, Walker knew that losing a golem was better than anyone else. The golems could be built again with the right materials. Building a person again was impossible for them. Especially if the mind was bright enough to make major breakthroughs in the world.

"They should have some of the ocean monster and river monster styled golems right?" Alma had seen the documents that the dwarves had shared. The golems they had made were very unique and could store elemental mana from the air around them. Especially a few that could store water elemental energy.

"From what I remember reading, there are a few of the golems controlled by water elemental spirits. That puts them well above the realm of control that we will need in the ocean. It also means that they will be able to better defend the ships." Walker was excited to see them. He had enjoyed the dragon golem which remained near the mansion with the dragon hatchlings to help teach them but also protect their families if necessary.

"If I can recall, the blacksmiths that worked on the golems based a few on a monster that is thought to only live in the coldest of waters. The narwhal. Or maybe it was the silver horned narwhal?" Su wanted to have all the information memorized but found that she had forgotten most of it after being forced to focus on the dangers of the river. But this could happen to anyone, there were always more pressing things.

After being reminded, Walker could recall reading about the silver narwhals better. There was a whale type monster that lived in cold waters. But what made them stand out was that they ate silver and other precious metals off the ocean floor which naturally became available through the eroding of the tides against rocks and shores.

They would develop a silver or gold horn on their heads depending on the metals they consumed. This was then used to fight each other for food or even fight off predators. For a monster that had fewer means of attacks than other monsters, they were surprisingly powerful and had a sword style developed after them.

What was even further interesting about them was that the dwarves had managed to replicate them from books only. They had created an entire type of unique golem from books. Most dwarves had never been to such frigid waters in their lives. They would never be able to have in detail information about the narwhal monster species.

"What about the manned golems? They should have advanced defensive golems for the top of the ship and even the aquatic golems for battling. I heard that they started to copy the merfolk physique."

"That is exactly right. Before we left, a few of the dwarves came to the merfolk homes and asked us to model for the golems they were creating. From what I saw, they stripped away a lot of metals and replaced it with floatstone. It's a stone that has a decent amount of air trapped inside making it very light and often float." Leon sat down with the group and jumped in to the conversation without hesitation.

"Finished speaking with your soldiers? How did they do today?" It was only polite to ask about the progress that the merfolk had made while they patrolled the beaches and the waters around the beaches.

"Everything went well. Most of the problems we found are solvable or can be solved with a little effort later. It is more exciting that we will be leaving for the open ocean soon. Many of my soldiers hope that we might discover lost cities or great reefs while out there." These were just a few things that the merfolk dreamed about but were totally plausible to find in the ocean.

"If I remember correctly, your people used to live in the deeper oceans? Or at least some of your ancestors did?" Walker felt like this was a basic set of knowledge that he had been told about and read about in merfolk history.

"Exactly. It was so long ago that there are not any real records but the odds of coming across them are very high. No one explores the ocean and it's impossible for us to swim out there without encountering monsters we can not handle. I believe that the cities, ruins, and a few other islands might be found." Leon was thinking very positively but it was a good thing. These were possible bonuses to the journey they were on that Walker had not considered.

"I would like to see an ancient city." Alice had been focused on the sand jacks and Midnight for the time being. Onyx had even taken up a spot with Arora next to them resting in the sun of the day.

"Then we will explore it if we can find it. I don't know what we will find though. If it's on an island or under the water it might be harder." Walker's thoughts were a little limited because he knew that the chance of being able to swim underwater without monsters pestering them was tough. Even exploring the surface of the water was already considered very dangerous.

"I already have one of you that will come with me. Alice, just make sure you drag Walker along and we can convince everyone else." The sudden comradery between Alice and Leon was surprising but seemed to be working in their favor. Now Walker would have no choice but to explore anything they managed to find if it was spotted while they were on the open ocean.

"He, the third ship is here!" The call came from a dragonkin on a look out tower. They sounded like they had seen the metal of the hull before anything. But what truly caught all the attention was that they were sending small flares in the air as greetings. It seemed to be a celebration that had already begun as they crossed the line to the end of the river and the start of the ocean.

"I would say they are pretty happy that their craftsmanship is surviving the ocean so far." Walker chuckled as he took the roasted sand jack and ate a little. He couldn't sit and eat for long after this.

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