Master Of None

"What do you think is strong enough to cut stone like this?" After running her fingers over the stone, Remey was left with the question that all were thinking of. 

Walker thought he might get information using his all around appraisal skill so he tried it quickly,

'Fallen boulder. 

Knocked from a cliff by a fighting monster. Too heavy for most to move alone. Common granite stone that can be mined in many places. Does not hold any gems.'

"I can't say my appraisal told me much other than it was knocked from a cliff by fighting monsters. Also, there are no hidden gems in it." Walker could only frown seeing that he had not gotten the desired results of his skill use. However, he knew that the all around appraisal skill was not perfect and would not give him everything he needed when he used it. This had been proven when compared to other appraisal skills that were specific to what was being appraised. 

"It was worth the shot. It's better to let an arrow fly and miss than live not knowing if the arrow would have hit." Gil threw out a phrase his father had used before and patted Walkers' back. "We can keep moving and avoid the cliffs though. It's good to learn that monsters are fighting in that area." 

Gil made a good point. The party know knew that there were monsters fighting on a high up cliff. This meant that if they were near a cliff they should be vigilant for falling rocks and boulders. Also, that they would be warry of any monsters they encounter while near a cliff. 

Midnight perked her head up and Onyx who was hiding from the cold winds in his tattoo form spoke up to translate. "Sister says she can smell smoke in the wind. But it is weak." 

"We have heard of smoke coming from the mountains and possible dragon activity. But there was no solid evidence. If the smoke is weak we could be far from it so we will just keep an eye out." Su made the call based off of what she had heard and already knew for sure. It was always good to be cautious but she knew that they would be safe at the moment. 

The possibility that dragons could be around caused Midnight to look excited but also worried. Walker could feel the mix of emotions and moved to comfort her before she put on a brave aura and moved to lead the way with Su for a while. She needed to support of her training partner along with Walker too. They both made her feel more prepared to deal with whatever came their way. 

"This wind has picked up a little. Gil, can you ask Zephyr to take a look around? We might need to set up a camp for a little while to wait out the end. It's not safe trying to move higher if a storm is blowing in." Walker paused everyone while Zephyr left the bow she dwelled in. She had been resting until she heard Walker and was excited to jump in and play the scout role that Gil would normally take. 

The wind seemed to shift again as Zephyr flew in to the sky to check things out. "If it is a storm then we might be waiting things out a little longer than we think." This was looking to be some bad luck if they needed to wait longer. 

"Can't we travel down a valley between the mountain to find the materials we need?" The herbs would be more plentiful in a valley between the mountain so Remey thought it may be the same as the other materials they were after. 

"The centennial ice is only found up higher. Even halfway up the mountain, we might not find it if it has melted over the years. The valley is just too warm and has too many travelers or monsters." If they could go to the valley nearby Walker would have preferred it as well since they would have more food sources and places to hide if they encountered powerful monsters. 

"Swans! It's a flock of silver swans! Come quick so you can see!" Zephyr came with another gust of wind. 

"Silver swans?" The group had a collective question in their mouths since none of them had heard or seen of a silver swan. 

"Just come on. Quickly!" With Zephyrs' urging the group hiked up to the next small peak to find what she was pushing them to see.

The sight that they found ahead of them was not what they had expected. There were hundreds of large swans. Their feathers were white with silver edges and every flap of their wings made a small amount of wind flutter around them. When a larger group would take off and move the gust of combined wind which would flow through the mountain rocks. 

'Silver swan

The silver swan is a non aggressive migratory monster. They have strong wind elemental affinity and are known for causing unintentional tornadoes. They will travel once every five years to a new territory to breed and feed. Their fallen feathers are used for wind elemental arrows and they are not normally afraid of humans. They panic at the sight of blood tainting their feathers so it is best not to attack them under any circumstance.'

Walker repeated the all around appraisal while the group gazed upon the seemingly endless flock of silver swans. "Gil, it looks like you have some arrow materials to collect while we head around this obstacle." Walker was not planning to walk through the birds but around. They may not be aggressive but the wind they stirred up was worrying. 

"Seeeeee, it's amazing. So many of them. I haven't seen them in years and years. I love them!" Zephyr was flying right toward the flock happier than any of them. Not a single one of them had the heart to call out to her and ruin her joy. 

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