The First Legendary Beast Master

Chapter 1011: Changed

”Hawk, can you head up and go see what is around us?” Karl requested.

They were going to need some information, now that there was a good chance that even the terrain had changed.

[Things are the same, but not. There is still a hill in the same spot, but itʼs smaller. Then all the low areas are swamps, not desert. Oh, there are Remi people here, too.

In a village, I mean.

I donʼt see any wandering monsters, just some food. But some of the food has people watching it. I donʼt see farm houses, though.

Oh, if we go way to the northwest, I can see an anomaly. Maybe eighty kilometres?] Hawk narrated.

”Hawk says there is an anomaly in the distance, but there are Naga villages closer to us, and the low ground is now a swamp, while the high ground is grassland.” Karl explained.

The others nodded, and Remi slid over to climb up Karl and stare in his face.

{Weʼre going to visit the Naga, right? I havenʼt gotten to meet a whole village of my people yet.} She pleaded.

”Itʼs only a few kilometres. I donʼt see why we canʼt go visit on our way.”

Remi cheered as she launched herself off Karl and transformed back into her Naga form. Then she began changing her outfit and her jewellery, intending to look her best when she reached the village.

Suddenly, Cara paused, then began to clap. [Oh, this will be fun, I just know it.]

[Did your foresight show you something in the near future?] Karl asked.

[Yep, from today.] Cara agreed, but did not elaborate.

The ladies climbed onto Thor for the trip, while Cara nudged Karlʼs leg.

[Shrink me, so I can sit on your shoulder.] She demanded.

Unlike Remi, who had understood immediately how to use Thorʼs new skill, none of the others had gotten the hang of the ability so easily.

Karl made her the size of a house cat, and the badger happily settled on his shoulder for the jog.

It was only a few kilometres to the village, a trip that Karl and Thor could make in under ten minutes. But when they got to the edge of the swamp surrounding the village, Remi insisted on getting down to lead them in.

{Thor, please lower the barriers. They will think itʼs rude if we donʼt let the swamp touch us.} She explained.

Thor and Karl both lowered their defensive barriers, and then Remi summoned her bodyguards and led them through the swamp, with Rae at her side in spider form.

”The Naga are going to think that weʼre all lunatics.” Nachtia chuckled as she looked over the odd procession.

Dana snorted with restrained laughter. ”I would be more concerned that they might be right.”

As they approached the village, a group of aging Naga came out to meet them with reverent looks on their faces as they stared at Remi.

{Shaman Queen, it is our honour to welcome you to the village. Are these your friends?} The largest of the Naga asked politely.

{Indeed. We are on an adventure, out to eliminate the excess monsters caused by the Anomalies.} Remi agreed.

The Naga Chieftain smiled at her. {You certainly have interesting friends. And such luxury. A Shaman Queen with her entourage is formidable enough, but to have so many of the Dragon Godsʼ chosen with you as well.}

The Chief had a point. How many groups were nearly half clerics? In most regions, two thirds of all System activations were for the Warrior Class, and Mages comprised the majority of the rest.

Even in the Naga Village, Karl could only spot one curious shaman, standing on her porch to watch the visitors. The rest were all Naga Warriors and workers.

{Have you had problems with specific monsters from the Anomalies, or an excess of beasts?} Remi asked the Chief.

The Naga shook his head. {Our village has many powerful warriors. But the tribes to the north have had problems with an excessive number of Crocolisk beasts coming from an Anomaly.

We sent them two hundred freshly trained juveniles in the spring, and theyʼre still having trouble.}

Most likely because the Crocolisk was much more powerful than a juvenile Naga Warrior, Karl assumed. But it would be less dangerous to send a batch of hatchlings instead of their own defensive warriors.

Remi nodded and looked to the North. {Perhaps we should go see them. We have plenty of combat power. We might be able to clear out the worst of their problem, and possibly even close the anomaly.}

The Chief looked shocked. {Close the Anomaly? I donʼt think that is possible.}

Remi shrugged. {All you have to do is kill every monster it spawned, or send a team in to empty the other side of the Anomaly. One or the other usually works.}

The two shook hands, and the Chief gestured into the village.

{Your Highness, would you be interested in staying for a morning meal? Or is your group in a hurry?}

Remi turned to Karl for a decision, and he nodded.

{We will thank you for your hospitality. A morning meal before we go hunt Crocolisks will never go wrong.}

Mostly, Remi was interested in what traditional Naga cooking was like. As a species that had evolved to swallow prey whole before they had become intelligent and civilized, it was likely very different from anyone elseʼs.

Even Remi, who had grown up with Karl and the others, had different preferences, mostly based on texture, as she didnʼt have as many taste buds as mammals did.

Thor and Rae transformed to humanoids, and the Naga locals gave them suspicious looks.

”Itʼs a bit inconvenient for a Behemoth to stomp through your village. I would make deep spots in the mud.” Thor apologized gently.

The villagers smiled at his consideration, and let go of some of the innate suspicion of the two - legged species that they held.

Two legs always meant trouble.

The only mammals that they trusted not to cause real trouble were the followers of the Dragon Gods.