Master Of None

"The healer group is setting camp nearby. I will start to investigate. You need to tell me what has happened." The focus and intensity of Walker’s words didn’t come from panic or fear, they came from confidence.

The guards hearing him come in with this instantly latched on to their confidence.

It was easy to recognize him, they knew that Walker and the healer group were arriving today and one of the further guard patrols had seen them in the distance delivering the news that the group would be arriving in a couple of hours.

However, since then there had been more disappearances and damage found on the nearby farms, the panic had grown. It had become an issue forced to the front because the local farmers believed that they were at risk.

No, they knew that they were at risk and needed to do something now or else they would lose their livelihood and other neighbors they cared for.

"You are a hero! Help us!"

"Make the monster give us back our family!"

The sudden outburst came from people who appeared to be flushed with anger and heartbreak. But more so, the fact that they had wild eyes and were sweating profusely caught Walker’s attention.

"Guard captain, can you examine those people? They appear ill. I don’t know if it is stress from the situation and they need care right now." Walker said this with wind mana.

The benefit of training with the golems showed as he was able to make the wind mana speak for him as he did not want to cause any commotion. It also helped him speak to multiple people at once while staying organized.

"I will be investigating. For the moment, please rest and have the healers look all of you over. It will help put your minds at ease while I work with the guards." Those who seemed worried and somewhat panicked, but not so much as the few Walker pointed out took this as acceptable.

They couldn’t focus on their farm work after all. They were worried that they may encounter the unknown monsters attacking people on the poutskirt farms.

This was yet another reason that the healers were here.

These farms were harder to control because of the monsters that may wander by looking for food or to attack the farmers and guards themselves. However, these farms were in the best place to grow food.

The soil here was used less often and when they expanded their farms. They had more room to do so. They also could spread out their crops more and not worry about highly fertilizing their crops or rotating their crops based on the same methods as the inner farms closer to their main kingdom’s city.

Not to mention, the views here and the breezes were more natrual. Full of the mysteries of the wilderness. These demi-human farmers enjoyed that touch of nature while also keeping their livelihood growing. To them, it was the same when an elf went to an area untouched by others and found that their very blood resonated with nature that their race had respected since ancient times.

A few of the faster guards with more agile physiques and traits rushed away and were back in a short while with a few healers. One of the guards had even carried a young healer who Walker knew had a multi healing skill. It was a wise decision just in case.

Alice was also right there too and her eyes were already on the smaller group of unhealthy looking farmers. She was watching them carefully while glancing at Walker who gave her a nod. He was telling her that he saw it too and they needed to figure out why their conditions were worse than the others.

"These farmers directly lost cattle, crops, a few family members, and have told us about the destruction of a few storage barns already. We were investigating the matter but we have been unable to track a monster due to the escape through the ground. We originally believed them to be moles of some species. They could have been handled by the tamer’s guild with a natural predator."

This was a normal response from the guards.

This initiative to bring in potential predators for nuisance monsters was simple. Tamers would bring their tamed predatory monsters and hunt down the problems. It worked well since many of the tamers who did this were also part of the adventurer’s guild. It also ensured that the hunted monsters would be sold to the tamer’s guild as food. Both giving the bodies a good use and also reimbursing the losses for the farmers.

"With the claimed losses of farmers and family members, the farms would normally be closed though?" Walker spoke and the conversation was private, no one else was overhearing with his usage of wind mana. It kept everyone calm without misunderstanding the situation.

"That is the case. They are closed and the few you see here were staying with other neighbors. They should not believe that they were as at risk as they were at their own farms. This unusual behavior is- Sir! Please remain seated while the healers examine you!" The shout from the guard came as one of the farmers stood up looking confused and pushed away the healer.

"This is my farm and there is a monster here. Solve that problem now!" The man wobbled on his feet growing pale. Alice rushed to look closely and she used light mana to encase his body while humming a tune. She was healing him but she also started one of the familiar songs Walker knew.

A song of healing.

"They have been poisoned by something and it is affecting their judgement and health. Whatever the monster is, it leaves poison behind after it feeds. It might have poisoned the crops on their farm just by moving through it. From this point on we will not allow anyone without resistances or buffs near the area. I am leaving for the farms now."

This was the last Walker said as he dashed toward where the guards had mentioned the farms in question were.

He saw it instantly.

Not just the roughed up ground and dying crops. Not the claw marks and the small silk strands around the area. It wasn’t even the broken wooden walls of an entire farm house and three storage barns that had clearly been cleaned of food entirely.

He saw a small dust settling on everything too. Small and hard to see unless the light caught it properly.

’Burrow moth scale

This burrow moth scale causes severe hallucinations, sweating, weakness, dehydration, and aggravation in those who inhale it. It is one of the primary methods of hunting that the burrow moth uses when hunting.

Due to this, the scales are often only used in potions or as materials when entirely isolated from wind and other factors that may spread them unnecessarily. They are also very flammable so it is often necessary to burn clothing that contacts the scales.’

Burrow moth?

The thought came to Walker and he did not consider that there was a species of moth that was large enough and also burrowed in the ground that had the ability to do this. He also realized why the trackers might struggle with this.

These scales would disrupt the ability to track them by scent or by sight. Even those with resistance to poisons would find themselves struggling with the fact that they could not see clearly. It might even act as a mild hallucinogen when someone with resistance to poisons were affected by these scales.

The small threads that Walker saw along the ground that were only catching his attention because of the way that the light moved around the area were also a remnant of the moths. Most likely, the younger not yet developed moths. Or maybe it was a way that they tracked their movements through the ground and above the ground.

As Walker looked more carefully, he spotted evidence that there had also been some cattle here. The marks of where they had been pulled in to the ground gave him enough of a patter to chase after. Enough proof that he could follow a path as long as he was careful. But another person without the right preparations would still have been led astray.

His only worry was that the signs he saw were heading toward a larger farm on the edge. One that had multiple, cattle pens for various monsters kept for various reasons as raised food to materials.

If these burrow moths got to them, then it was as good as anything to say that there was a massive problem.

If they managed to eat enough, they might be able to nest and make more of them. Something that would put a chill up anyone’s spine.

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