Chapter 192: Rock Scouting

Chapter 192: Rock Scouting

In a world of stones, it turned out that perception was key. From what Vend explained, the guardian was hidden somewhere in plain sight, waiting for the conditions to react. The problem was that plain sight referred to a realm that spread thousands of miles in every direction. There were some pillars, stone piles, separate stones, and an endless supply of pebbles that composed the ground. Each of those could effectively be the guardianas Dallion knew well, size was also flexible in the realms. Supposedly the appearance of the guardian, even in its sleeping state, was such that they would know it when they saw it.

I saw its blue, Veil said. Like everyone else, he was bored out of his skill after an hour of walking. And when he got bored, he liked to fight or talk. Since there was no fighting involved, the rest of the group had to suffer every thought that came out of his mind.

You said that five minutes ago. Gloria gave him an irritated glance. You just changed the color.

Not my fault Im low on perception. He shrugged. Any of you watch birds see anything?

Obligatory silence followed. The truth was that despite their high perception, neither Gloria nor Dallion had spotted anything remotely different. If there was a case of every single rock and pebble looking like every other, this was it.

If Eury were here, she would have spotted it by now, Dallion thought.

The gorgons perception was out of this world, or at the very least in the mid-thirties. It had been two weeks since Dallion had seen her, much longer in terms of real time, and despite all the challenges that constantly occupied his mind, he hadnt stopped thinking about her. Lately, one of the things he would play over in his mind was how to handle the moment she and Gloria met. Logically, there was nothing wrong with him introducing one to the other. He and Gloria were just friends, so there was no reason for jealousy. However, in the back of his mind, Dallion dreaded the day. Focusing on his real-life splitting might be a good solution for this.

Im going to get this as a challenge in my realm, arent I? he asked.

Oh, definitely, Nil said with a note of scorn. Thats the price of youth.

In moments like these Dallion wished he could have a long discussion on the matter with the armadil shield guardian. If anything, the dryad had centuries of experience in that area. There also was the option to talk about it with Harp, but Dallion felt ashamed. Discussing it with her felt like discussing his girlfriends with his motherultimately useful, but left as a very final resort.

Were taking a break, Vend said, then pointed to one of the taller pillars in the vicinity. Up there.

Out of curiosity, have you ever done this before? Gloria asked.

Once. Thats why I told you its an unpleasant experience. And its not only about the loss of level.

Oh?

Youll find out soon enough. I dont want to ruin the surprise. The momentary smirk indicated that it was going to be anything but that.

It took five minutes to reach the pillar and twice as many to reach the top. Vend and Gloria were first thanks to their athletic and acrobatic skill combination. Veil could have been there as well, but he chose to help out Dallion climbing up and not miss an opportunity for chatting on various topics. Most were boring topics, but out of nowhere, an interesting topic emerged.

How does it feel being a double digit? Veil asked as they had reached a third of the way up.

For the first time, it was Dallion on the opposite side of the tell only what you know situation. While he considered Veil his friend and wanted to help him pass his double-digit test, he had to abide by the restrictions imposed by the Moons. As far as the world was concerned, Veil remained a single digit awakened and could not be told anything specific about the things that were to come.

Its different, Dallion replied after some thought. Youll find out when you pass the trial.

I see. Do you think its worth it?

Was passing the trial to full awakenedness worth it? Dallion tried not to laugh so as not to lose his balance. Despite his many improvements, scaling a stone pillareven one made of massive stones one atop the otherremained difficult without the appropriate skills.

Yeah, I suppose youre right, Veil smiled. Youre really bad at climbing, you know?

I do know. Thats why Vend is asking me to do this. At least he suspected as much. Would have helped if I had some athletic skills. Or carpentry. Maybe then he could chisel some footholds.

Youll get your chance. Lower tier skills are easy to get.

Why am I feeling so sick by this? Dallion fought to suppress his urge to vomit. Feeling something was wrong, Gloria let go of him.

Guard up, Vend said, paying absolutely no attention to Dallion. The guardian will appear soon.

How can you be so sure? Veil wondered.

What would you do if theres an ant biting you? the elite replied. Squish it or chase it off.

The ground trembled. It started as a slight shake, then increased in intensity to the point that Dallion had difficulty standing. Then, all of a sudden, the rumbling stopped. A few miles away, the ground erupted in a geyser of rocks. Peddles rained down as water, while the massive form of the guardian emerged.

There, Vend pointed. Remember the location!

Everyone looked in the direction in question. The most distinguishable characteristics were three stone pillars next to each other. One of the really tall pillars was also visible in the distance behind them. As far as landmarks in the realm went, these were as good as any.

A giant hand of stones rose up from the ground, followed by a second a short distance away. In cartoon fashion the two slammed down on the ground, pushing up the entire torso of the guardian. It was enormousroughly the size of the mountain colossus Dallion had fought. Dallion was probably half the size of its little finger, but that was not the worse part. As the guardian rose up, some of the larger rocks that were thrown into the air by its action did not fall back down. Instead, they started circling the creature of their own volition.

STONE GARDEN GUARDIAN

Species: Mountain Colossus

Class: Air

Statistics: 100 HP

Skills

- Rock projectiles

- Rain of pebbles

- Air shield

- Air tendrils

Weak spots: Tendons

Fought anything like this before? Vend asked, amused by the thought.

Once, Veil replied. But it wasnt this big.

Dont worry. Were not here to kill it. All we need to do is figure out how it fights. Everything else can wait for the real thing.

Sure Dallion uttered under his breath.

One last piece of advice. Attack as little as possible. Area guardians are fast at picking up combat moves. Leave your best for the real fight.

COMBAT INITIATED