Seed Of Speed

Diego sat on a plush mat of moss across from Rozama and Celita, who was filling three small cups with a sweet fruit wine. Rozama remained quiet with her usual gentle smile until Celita handed out the cups and then she raised her own.

"By sharing in our troubles, the people of my village will share in yours. Be it a Daemora or the entire world, as long as you stand be our side, we shall stand at yours. From this day forth, you are a member of our family," Rozama said before taking a drink from her cup.

"Thank you, Rozama. You, and your people, have been very inviting and have given me a great deal of peace. I was blessed to find my way here," Diego replied then also took a drink.

"As Celita told you, what I am asking you to do is venture into the other worlds that the Zivot Tree connects us to and lead back any beastmen willing to come back to the village. Although we have kept in contact with our allies, there had not been an exodus in ten years our time which translate to much more in the various other worlds. You may have to help evacuate a large number of people over an unknown amount of distance as most groups tend to be nomadic in the other worlds," Rozama explained.

"May I ask a dumb question? Celita said that your kind needed the power of the Zivot Tree to reproduce, so how are there more beastmen on these other worlds if they've lost access to that energy?" Diego asked.

Rozama chuckled softly and answered, "Much like those creature that spring from the jungle floor, there are places were strong sources of various elemental bodies of mana and the beastmen are born of the world, rather than the wȯmb. As I am sure you have noticed, all of our older residents have a strong, single affinities while the children will often have a mix even if their parents have matching affinities."

"Oh, well, that explains that," Diego said, rubbing the back of his head with mild embarrassment.

Romaza chuckled again then went back to explaining the first mission, "Qanegu is a world of ash and fire, but there is a surprising amount of Life there. As the seventh world from us, it's been just over three hundred years, from their point of view. Our contact lasted quoted their numbers around five hundred, but that was a little over six months ago, their time, so things could have changed in that time. If they stuck to their plan, they'll be around fifteen thousand kilometers from the Gateway, and headed that way. Hopefully, the whole trip won't take you more than three or four months, but that would just translate to three or four days here."

"What dangers are there to this world?" Diego asked.

"Most of the danger in Qanegu is from the environment itself with toxic fumes, sulfuric waters, and literal rivers of lava. The beasts we would cross would be no more dangerous than what you find on the jungle, but only a few regions would ever be able to generate the endless hordes you find here. The world is dominated by a few demonic races, but they are not as populous as humans, so we would likely not see them until after we met up with our group," Celita explained.

"I won't lie and say 'we may not see them' because we will. There are always slavers following these groups, and once we make contact, they will realize that they are looking to escape then the slavers will attack. The numbers will be equal, possibly even in our favor, at first, but the slavers will keep coming back and they know where we have to go to leave the world. The area is a little large, but I expect an ambush, if not several."

::Ask how large of an area::

"How large is the area to escape?" Diego asked.

Celita touched the storage ring around her neck then a sheet of paper appeared in her other hand. She spread it out on a tree knot that was acting as their table between the trio and began drawing a crude picture with a tree in the center and two rings. The inside ring was close to the tree and just a plain circle, but the outer ring was made up of little triangles that mostly overlapped, making five clear paths through the mountain range.

"The inner ring marks the five hundred meters range to the Zivot Tree of their world for me to activate the portal back to our world, but it will take me five minutes of uninterrupted casting to form it. This outer ring is a mountain range that surrounds the valley where the tree rests, and as you can see, there are five passes carved into the rock. We might be able to cross the mountains on foot, but it won't be possible with the refugees. The area of the valley is about a hundred kilometers while the mountain range could extend ten times that in the right direction," she said.

::With the some of the resources meant for your Demi-Body cultivation, I could lay out a few formations throughout the valley that would be helpful. Show them your elemental crystals and see if they have their own. Water crystals would be the most beneficial with how they described the world::

Diego reached into his storage space with his mind and pulled out a low-grade Fire crystal. "Do you have elemental crystals like this? Or better, one with Water affinity?" he asked, handing over the crystal to Rozama.

"Not the highest of quality, but yes, we have elemental crystals. Although we don't have many uses for them, Water crystals grow naturally at the heart of the lake. Why do you need them?" Rozama asked in return.

"I have the ability to lay down formations which can help us, and these crystals are the power source. They could prove very useful in fighting our way out of an ambush," Diego answered.

"I've seen them deployed before, they would be helpful," Celita agreed.

"You can mine what you need then. We also have a few locations where you can mine Earth crystals, if those are also needed," Rozama offered.

::Not for this world, but perhaps others::

"The Water crystals will be enough for this mission," Diego ȧssured.

"How much do you need, and how long will it take you?" Celita asked.

::Depends on the quality, but a total of fifty crystals like that one would power a single formation. To cover that much area, I would want to set about a hundred, plus another ten for each of the passes you may want to use. With all of the supplies gathered, I'd need a day with your body to set everything up::

"I would need fifty of those sized crystals to power a formation, but better crystals, the fewer I'll need. I should place around a hundred throughout the valley and then another ten at each of the passes we may want to use. I'd only need around a day to set everything up," he said.

"I see, set up multiple paths in case of problems. What type of formations can you create? I know the terrain and our possible foes, so there might be some that would be better than others," Celita asked, her curiosity peaked.

::It would just be easier if I take over at this point::

(Fine,) Diego replied with a mental sigh and felt his consciousness move to the side. "There is a large variety of formations I could create. Tell me what would be of most use and I will tell you if it is possible," Katalina replied with Diego's body.

Both Celita's and Rozama's faces changed with the subtle shift in the natural aura of Diego, but it was Rozama who broke the air.

"Are you his Guide?" Rozama asked.

"In a sense, but its more than that. Diego is my brother-in-law, so I'm making sure I can meet him in person, or face my better half's wrath. My specialty is magic, and I've ensured that his foundation is stronger than anyone else's on this plane. Tell me what it is you need to ensure the success of your mission, and I will tell you what supplies I will need," Katalina replied with a casual smile and sipped on the wine.