Limits

I spent a few days talking with Vanauts and exploring the ruins. I learned a few more things about Vanauts, until my new "friend" Alif told me that the meeting was over. We were supposed to gather, and listen to the instructions. Alif was the Vanaut who gave me a bone to chew on. We made our way to the assembly area, where a lot of Vanauts already waited.

Higher standing Vanauts, displayed a clear line between them and the common Vanauts. They stood proudly in front of the whole crowd. In Vanaut customs, those higher standing Vanauts had something to be proud of. After all, they rose above others and proved themselves in one way or another. A few more imposing Vanauts arrived as well. Two of them wore leather armour, while the other two wore something akin to robes. A clear distinction between the two professions.

Vanauts could either become Warriors, or Plaguers. The latter referred to those who concocted their poisons, and didn't have a lot of strength or fighting skills. They usually stayed back, and used their poison to affect enemy. Vanauts had resistance to poison, which was their natural trait. That didn't mean they were completely immune. Shades were not completely immune either. They could only absorb a specific amount of poison. If the poison passed a certain threshold, they would be affected by it too. Vanauts on the other hand, could use medicine freely. The medicine didn't affect them in a deteriorating way, like it did to Shades.

One of the warriors stepped forward, and announced the plans for the future. He spoke a lot in broken language, and I needed time to process everything. But from what I understood, Vanauts would stay back for now. They lost a large number of their population, which he quoted to be about half. He also encouraged others to propagate, and try for new descendants. Besides that, he assigned a few groups responsible for keeping the food supply steady.

It turned out that Vanauts reared some animals for food. Those animals were kept within the upper area of Fe City, but I wasn't sure what those animals were. Vanauts could also feed on dead bodies without much of an issue. Although they didn't resort to cannibalism, any enemy they defeated would be eaten. From the war, they accumulated some corpses. Those were usually reserved for the low standing Vanauts, while meat was rarely seen inside the lower area of Fe City. The food they proposed to me a few times, was just that. Thankfully I ate none of it, otherwise I would vomit on the spot after figuring out where it came from.

Food was a problem for me though. I could only eat what I found or hunted myself. Finding something inside Fe City, wasn't easy though. I had to resort to hunting, and even that was difficult. For one, finding anything edible wasn't easy. I managed to find a Scrambler, but hunting it was another story. I was able to use my Auras within the skin, but other skills were really not available to me. Utilising my Arts, was also something I had difficulties with. Fortunately, my Auras were enough to hunt it, and that is what I ate for the most part.

Either way, I heard their plans and that was enough for me. Vanauts would stay dormant for a while, which meant we didn't have to worry about them attacking. Soon after, I left Fe City and entered the wilderness again. A safe distance away from Fe City, I used my Aura to break the skin apart, and finally threw it off of my body. "I don't think I want to repeat such thing ever again" I said to myself.

My next destination was Apium. They also kept records of the past, and I wanted to view them. But before I went anywhere, I had to wash myself. Wearing that skin for those few days was not the cleanest experience, I stank like an old fart. Fortunately I carried water with me, and I had a pot which I would need to clean properly later. After a proper "bath", I dressed myself and rearranged all my stuff.

It would take me awhile to get to Apium, but I could spend it on practicing as well. The time passed, until Apium appeared in sight. 'Doesn't look like they were attacked during that time. That's good' I thought, and increased my pace. As always, there were few warriors outside, patrolling the area. They knew who I was, and didn't really make any problems for me. I went straight to the area where all Faction Leaders could be found.

I went straight to the Warrior Faction Leader first. "I didn't think I would see you here so soon", he said when I entered the room. I replied, "I need to have a look at the Northern History. I'm sure you guys kept some sort of records. Anything old you might have, would be a great help". He thought about it, then replied "I myself can't help you here. We warriors are not responsible for such records. We have some, but those usually refer to our values passed down from generation to generation. If you want something about Northern History, you need to ask the other two. I'm sure you are aware how much the Craftsmen Leader hates you".

It was no wonder he hated me. "That's not going to be a problem. I will visit Ulon first, we will see after that. As for your people, they improved and most of them are still alive. I know you wanted to ask about them, hence I'm telling you right now". He smiled and thanked me.

I went to see Ulon, who was busy with some medicine making. I waited patiently for him to finish, before asking "Hi. Do you have any records of the Northern History?". He returned the greeting, then asked "Northern History?". I explained what I was looking for, and he shook his head. "We have some history here, but our faction didn't usually leave Apium. The Craftsmen Faction went outside the most, they should have loads of records from the past".

I nodded, and asked him about the progress in his medicine making. He replied, "Not that bad actually. I'm already very proficient at all the recipes you left for me, and I even improved our own old recipes. Thanks to that, I was able to pass them to a few people. We made quite a lot of medicine". This wasn't actually a bad idea to stock up on some medicine, and even make a few Extracts. I asked him for a few rare herbs, and in exchange, I would give him my strongest medicine.

He agreed, and handed me the herbs required to make Greater Medical Extract. I told him, "I will make this later. Right now, I want to visit the Craftsmen Faction". He asked concerned, "Will you be alright though? I don't think he will let you see those records, considering what happened in the past". I laughed, "I don't need his permission", then disappeared from his room.

I made it to the Craftsmen Faction building, and climbed the stairs. When I entered through the doors, the Leader asked "What is it? I told you guys not to disturb me". But before he could look up, I appeared next to him and tapped on a few of his pressure points. "Yea, I'm not one of your people though" I said, and headed towards the bookshelves inside the room. I didn't have to worry about him for another two or three hours. Most of the books detailed crafting techniques, and although interesting in a way, that wasn't what I was looking for.

I only found a few books detailing the expeditions to other cities and such. The books described what those Atols were supposed to build, and the techniques they used to build. That was until I found an old and tattered book, hidden behind the other books on a shelf. The book described the time of the conflict between Grey Lizards and the Royal Lizards. There were no reason stated, but there was something else.

Atols were asked to design a new home for Grey Lizards, but for some reason, were not the ones who built it. Although the book mentioned Atols proposing a reasonable prices for making their new home, the Grey Lizards declined. That wasn't all, the plan detailed the layout, or proposed layout of their new home. It wasn't that small, from what the book described, but it was supposedly buried very deep beneath the ground.

There was another piece of information, much more crucial than the design of their new home. It was the place. Although not exact location, the book stated they wanted to construct this somewhere between Lizards' and Golems' territories. The book also mentioned that the entrance would need to look natural, and blend in with the surroundings. 'This is already something. If Grey Lizards didn't change these plans, they must be somewhere between the Land of Sand and Obsidian Mountains. Looking at it from this standpoint, my guess would be closer to the Land of Sand. That would eliminate any danger from the lava underneath' I thought.

I didn't have the exact location, but I had an area. An area which was much, much smaller compared to the whole North. I hid the book back to its original place, and left the room. I wanted to leave for Obsidian Mountains straight away, but I had to make the medicine first.