128 Wild Black

After spending a few days in the volcanic region of Anima, I went off with the girls to the massive savannah just east of there. I am definitely heading back to that volcanic area again to set up a base to harvest sulfur and ash with robots once I have everything else set up. I also did some research on the dinosaurs of Remnant and found out that in the feudal era of Anima, some states back then used them as war beasts. Still, they weren't very viable because of the sheer amount of food it took to take care of them, which is why aside from high-class families, no one has any as pets.

I could probably manage one or two dinosaurs as pets, but that's something to consider at a later date. For now, I will focus on checking out the savannah of Remnant and make some comparisons with Africa to see if there is anything new or interesting here. Thinking about my few trips to some of the wilder and more dangerous parts of that continent, I briefly wondered if there were some untapped diamond mines here as Africa had some famous or infamous, depending on who you ask, diamond mines. Something to check later.

As this road trip of mine continued, I saw less and less Grimm, and I figured it was because there were no people living in these parts of Anima. Whether through Salem's machinations or the God of Darkness's design, it was never made clear, the creatures of Grimm were attracted to civilization or, more accurately, people. While it was clear that negative emotions attracted Grimm, my question was, by Salem's or the God of Darkness's hand, were they like this? I pondered as I drove the Drake through the tall grass and barren earth.

The best place to see wild animals in these parts is at watering holes which I am keeping my eyes open to set up camp nearby. I saw some wildebeests and even zebras from the windows as I took in the sights, plus the odd giraffe. As I reminisce about my few trips to Africa from my past life, the Drake was suddenly attacked. It was flipped over and sent rolling; thankfully, everyone had their seatbelts on. I switched on Drake's combat mode, and it righted itself; good thing I built in those stabilizer jets in case the hovercraft was tipped over.

I turned the steering wheel to see what in the heck hit us and asked the girls.

" Is everyone alright?"

" We are fine, Master Silva."

Hearing Argint's reply, I focused on dealing with whatever attacked us. As I spun around the Drake, I finally saw what hit us. A green elephant?! That is most definitely not on my list of possible candidates. The green elephant had a pair of curved ram-like horns and a second pair of tusks with a long snake-like tail instead short stubby thing. What drew my attention the most was its crystalline eyes that shined against the sunlight, okay dinosaurs, now this thing?! The God of Light has clearly made a lot of strange creatures before leaving this world.

I trumpeted its warcry as it charged again at the Drake; yeah, I am not going to play nice. I fired the main cannon at the beast's head with extreme prejudice, and it died instantly. I then drove closer to the dead body to have a closer look, and it was a lot bigger than I initially thought. From its trunk to its tail, I had to guess it was at least forty feet long, with three power sets of legs. Just what in the heck is this thing? It looked like an unholy offspring of an elephant and big-a*s snake on steroids. Unfortunately, I have no reception in the savannah on my Scroll, so I can't look it up.

I sighed and decided to cut off some of its meat to try and cook later. As I started carving various parts of the beast, I saw that one of its crystalline eyes was still intact and was weirdly beautiful and gross at the same time. After taking a few pictures, I went back to the Drake and saw Neopolitan gaping at the monster, then gave me a questioning look to ask if I knew what it was and said.

" I have no clue what in the heck that beast is, but we better not stick around in case there are more."

She nodded in agreement, and we went back to trying to find a watering hole before night rolled around.

***

After making dinner for the night and sending the girls to bed, I decided to see Willow for our bi-daily session. After setting the pace for her training program, I went from seeing her daily to just popping over every other day. I opened a portal and when through to see the Schnee matriarch jogging on the treadmill. I called out to her as I recalled that she used to have a menagerie of various animals from when she was married to Jacques and decided to ask if she recognized what had attacked me earlier today.

" Hey, Willow, do you have a moment?"

" Oh, Silva! Just give me a moment."

" Take your time; there's no rush."

She soon switched off the treadmill and drank some of her water before coming over to me. Willow grabbed a towel to dry off her sweat and asked with a friendly smile.

" What do you need, Silva?"

" Just wondering if you could tell me what in the heck this creature is since you have an interest in exotic animals because it attacked me out of nowhere, and I had to put it down."

I showed her the pictures, and her eyes widened as she snatched my Scroll and looked at the pictures more closely. She then muttered with awe.

" A Grootslang..."

" Grootslang?"

I asked the Schnee matriarch as I heard her, and she gave back my Scroll and then told me.

" It is an extremely rare, almost mythical creature native to Anima's savannah that is supposed to be near impossible to take down through ordinary means."

" I think a giant cannon mounted on a hovercraft does not count as ordinary."

I said nonchalantly, and Willow nodded slightly in agreement. Then she asked me with a sad look.

" Was there really no other way but to take down this glorious creature, Silva?"

" It was very sudden, and it attacked without warning, so I struck back as hard as I could."

The Schnee matriarch sighed and said.

" I understand, but can you show me this creature when you get a chance because, as I said, they are almost a myth, and seeing one, even a corpse of one, is not something just anyone can say they have done."

" Sure, would sometime tomorrow work?"

" I will be free that afternoon."

After arranging this trip, we talked a bit to see how the other was doing when suddenly, I got a call from Arthur, and I told Willow.

" I need to take this; excuse me for a moment."

" I understand."

The Schnee matriarch went back to the treadmill as I answered the call.

" Silva speaking."

"Greetings, Silva; I am calling to inform you that I have received another offer but wanted to speak to you first before agreeing to anything."

" Do you want to meet face to face?"

The scientist paused, then said.

" That would be best."

" Okay, I will swing by in a few minutes. Is that fine?"

" I am at my lab currently, so feel free to come on over."

" K, see you soon. Bye."

I hung up and informed Willow that I would be leaving for a bit, then opened a portal to Arthur. I saw him sitting at his workbench as he greeted me.

" Welcome, Silva. Please have a seat."

Sat at the chair he provided and started with pleasantries.

" How have you been, Arthur?"

" I have been well, thank you. What about yourself?"

I showed him the pictures of the Grootslang and told him about my road trip to Menagerie. He looked fascinated at the creature and asked some questions about where I had been during my trip. The scientist decided to get down to business after we exchanged pleasantries.

" About the offer that was made recently, I wanted to hear what you had to say about it."

Thanks to using Soul Archive on Arthur when we first met, I had a good idea of how to handle him, so I asked about who contacted him.

" What did they offer exactly, and who were they?"

" They didn't say much about themselves, but I did manage to find out about the person who contacted me for their employer. Hazel Rainart is a man that swore to kill the headmaster of Beacon after the death of his twin sister in a training mission. As for what offer they made, they showed me some rather interesting items that operate on principles I am not familiar with."

Hearing who contacted him told me all I needed to know, and Salem was extending her reach to the scientist before me. It was never shown how exactly Arthur came under her employ, but it wasn't relevant now as I knew the best way to convince him to work for me, but it's ultimately a gamble. However, if it plays in my favor, the scientist would be more loyal to my goals and me so long as I don't break his trust. I told him truthfully but vaguely.

" I know who Hazel's employer is, and I can tell you SHE can offer things that I can not. However, whatever she may say, what her lofty goals are is a lie because her end game is something far more personal in nature. I won't say what they are, as you should be more than capable of finding out for yourself. Whatever your choice, I will respect it and hope that you at least be willing to exchange ideas on our respective projects occasionally if you decide to work with her."

The only thing I can do is treat Arthur with the respect he deserves and hope for the best but plan for the worst in case he does decide to work with her. The scientist looked at me with an appraising look and then said.

" I will keep what you said in mind, Silva."

With that, I can only wait and see how things play out in the worst-case scenario; I will kill Arthur if reasoning with Salem fails and he firmly stays on her side to get back at James Ironwood.