The wild had laws. Max knew them well. One of the earliest laws he learned was to follow the water to find life.
He was just about done with life by mid day, so with Martha mean-mugging at his side, he avoided the river flows in jungles and portal ponds in fae-wilds until he found himself stepping into sand. Fitting that the howls led him there.
The desert was vast. Two hours had came and went in a series of magical blasts, roaring beasts and collapsed architecture.
They ventured up a mountainous dune that left their legs in a near endless state of burning. Reaching the apex was almost worth the burn.
Max inhaled. The air was clean— absent of scorching sand crystals and bubbling blood mist. He gazed down at the vast wildlands, dropping to a crouch immediately as he got sight of individuals down wind.
They fought in the sands.
Well, more like they hunted. A team of Neo-noble offspring. He could tell by their perfect sand-shark armor and high grade weaponry. The sectional hide armor was hidden under sand veil wrappings in the form of cloaks and masks. Special cloth that collected sand off the wind and grew denser by absorption but maintained its light weight flow. It was used by anyone who could afford it and operated in desert biomes. In a Tamers Trial, having such high quality gear was a superpower on its own.
One of them rode a dune-viper. Another ran with a jackal and the last skittered behind with a giant scorpion.
To be able to manage a trio of different species with different placements on the foodchain spoke levels of their control and power. That was before he saw the Trinity Flow bands they wore.
The leading runner with his jackal at his side had his band wrapped around his fist like a martial artist or cage fighter. It glowed with a dark essence as he closed in on the running student who was riding a war-camel.
It was then that Max noticed the sands beneath them were twisting and shifting as things followed beneath the golden grains.
"They look strong…." Martha said.
"They are…" Max replied, "And that's why I need to watch. I'm sorry. We don't have the means to get involved. Close your eyes if you want to. The kid dies either way."
Martha turned away.
Max leaned in, watching as the jackal suddenly broke off from the group and moved faster than ever.
At the same time, his tamer with the black glowing hand, swung his fist upward.
Beneath the student and his fleeing camel, giant jagged white spikes rose up out of the sand, skewering the camel and sending the student flying forward.
He hit the ground and rolled twice. When he tried to get up, skeletal hands rose up from the sand and held him down.
The jackal descended on him and it was over.
"Bone Terramana nature. Standard Jackal tame. Someone with friends like him…. strength and speed like him, could've formed a bond with something way stronger. The jackal was chosen by him for a reason. Just as much as he was chosen by it. It's purposeful. I don't like it. I'm not engaging him until I've got what I need and Martha's taken care of."
In silence, Max watched them continue onward out of the desert biome going west along the ocean biome that split the taming area in two. Which would lead them towards mountainous rocky regions and cities. Which worked in Max's favor.
The howls echoed and pulsed in his skull from the left side of the ocean—
The surface of the blue waters exploded suddenly and a massive scaled whalish beast with jagged fangs rose up and snatched a flock of birds out of the sky. It crashed back into the waters with so much force that it seemed to be raining all around.
"Holy shit! Was that a mosasaur?" Martha asked.
"Think so." Max said as he watched Martha.
"…..what?" Martha asked as she sniffled.
"I mean…. you've got the Psymana band. Do you want to go…" Max motioned to the water.
"Are you making jokes now?" Martha side eyed him and failed to hide her smile.
"I'm just saying. If you had a mosasaur under your belt, we could save everyone and anyone." Max shrugged.
"So dragons are off the table but a giant sea monster is fair game?"
"There's levels to this, Martha." Max said as he began skipping down the hill.
Martha rolled her eyes and followed. "Whatever, just lead the way. I'm already done with this place."
They traveled another two miles. Most of it was spent walked around the ocean biome. Eels and sharks swam. Anything that got too close caused the howls to grow louder and sent them swimming back beneath the surface waves. Max focused on the interraction instead of his own thoughts. A pit formed in his stomach and hadn't left since he saw the last of Stink and Screamer in the jungles. It didn't help after he'd seen another student brutalized in the deserts.
The powerlessness was the same as when he lost his father. It's what drove him to becoming the Ram. That anger and discomfort was the same.
He let it fuel him as he shaped stones and found sticks to make new weapons for him and Martha.
They passed the ocean in good time and stepped into a valley. Max now wielded two stone daggers and Martha held three stone spears tied down by locks of twine to make a thick javelin.
It was better than nothing. But surely not up to noble standard.
That's what the valley was for.
Max and Martha crouched beneath the tall grass at its entrance.
If he focused beyond the howls, he could hear things moving. Grazing. Running.
He turned to Martha, "Well?"
Martha had her Psymana band wrapped around her forehead. The flows of Psionic energy pulsed around her skull in waves. Traveling through the grass and across the rich soil.
"I've got something. It's... it's looking for me. But it's not very close. Straight ahead." Martha replied. "Can't you sense anything? You would've bonded with the river tiger without a band if we weren't interrupted, right?"
Max shook his head, "I can't start my own Psymana flow. The river-tiger pursued me. It's own Psionic energies started the flow of mine. I can't do it in reverse. I wouldn't know how."
"Alright. Then I guess I'm leading the way now." Martha said.
"Stay low." Max said as she walked in front of him.
Martha nodded.
They began wading through the long grass valley.
It was growing dark. Calm but also s—
Martha grabbed Max suddenly and pulled him into cover behind a boulder.
No more than a minute later and two students blew by in the midst of battle.
They wielded swords and clashed with the supporting elements of thunder and air, guided by their avian tames overhead in the forms of a rare thunderbird and windrider.
"Are you ok?" Martha asked in their wake.
"Yea, why?" Max replied.
"Your ear is bleeding…." Martha said.
"I'm good. Let's move."
They passed as quickly as they came and the two siblings were back on the move.
Another half mile of walking passed by in relative silence that led them deeper into the grassland biome with Martha suddenly coming to a stop.
Her Psymana banded head glowed.
"I see it."
"Stay focused." Max whispered.
"I hope it's a dragon." Martha joked. "Dragons have horns, right?"
"What?"
"W—"
Before Martha could finish speaking, a thick black slime appendage snapped through the grass and stuck to Martha's arm. In a flash, it yanked her across the grasslands and into the bordering marsh to the east.
"MARTHA!" Max yelled.
When he stood up, just above the tall grass, he found a hand raised waving hello to him at the entrance into the marsh.
The hand was missing a finger.
Max's jaw clenched. "I don't need my ears to handle you."