Black Onyx - Forgotten Magic

Chapter 358: The Phoenix

Gerald let his new teammate take the lead, while he closed his eyes and meditated.

As he was currently still incapable of using magic externally, he had to fix that problem as fast as possible.

If they were going to fight some mythical beast for a few drops of precious blood, he had to be in his top shape.

And while the rest wished to find the Phoenix as soon as possible, he hoped it would take at least a few days to do so. Any extra time he got to recover was greatly appreciated.

As he pulled his consciousness back out a few hours later and looked around, he could swear they didn't move at all. The area around them was exactly the same as at the beginning.

Flat red stone, a few cracks here and there, with a bit of sand and dust sprinkled on top. It appeared no different.

But he knew that couldn't be the case. They were walking with significant haste for hours already and would reach the other side of the Fiery Plateau soon.

The fact that it all looked the same felt surreal to him. It was as if someone took a giant sword and simply sliced off the top half of the mountain.

What kind of crazy power would be required to do such a thing. Gerald could already imagine a giant taking a magical blade that extended across the horizon, and slicing through stone as if through warm butter.

He shook his head. It was one crazy thought after another these days.

No way something like that could ever take place. Even with magic, such a thing was too exaggerated. Unless it was the work of a god. And not one of those fake gods that only worked in 'mysterious ways', but a real godly being of legend.

Gerald's mind went crazy with thoughts just before getting rudely interrupted.

"Gerald, sir... Look over there!" His teammate exclaimed and pointed not far away.

The place was exactly the same as the rest of the plateau. Red stone, with sand on top, just the ground was black and deformed in some places.

As they came close, the wind picked up and revealed the ground beneath. It was full of scorch marks and deep claw marks.

The grooves went a few centimeters into the rock, leaving undeniable proof that a powerful beast came here some time ago.

The two jumped off the Earth Dragons and examined the blackened stone.

The surface area had been molten not long ago as it was still smooth and not damaged by the elements.

"What do you think?" Gerald asked. It might have been the tracks of the Phoenix's activities, but he couldn't be sure.

The man didn't answer but instead went to check the area around it. Gerald followed after him in silence.

They soon found some charred bones and remains of various animals strewn across the ground.

"Desert fox," the man said after a thorough examination. He sniffed the bones and then cracked open a few of them. "It is a few days old, maybe a week..."

They looked at each other.

"We just missed it..." Gerald spoke and kicked a few old broken bones. He was slightly disappointed.

"It's possible. Maybe it has a nest somewhere around here. We should split up and search."

It was a good suggestion, and Gerald agreed. "Meet up back here in an hour?" he asked.

The man agreed. They split up, but before leaving the site, the guy took a wooden contraption and placed it on top of a thin metal rod that he hammered into the ground.

As soon as he let it go, it oriented itself to the wind and started whistling loudly.

"It's a wind whistle, in case we get lost in a sandstorm," he explained.

"Nice," was all Gerald could say. It was quite a genius contraption. It was even loud enough to be heard over the constant sound of the wind blowing over the rocks.

It could be heard from hundreds of meters away, so they didn't have to worry they would miss it in case of low visibility.

As they split up, they each went the opposite way. They did so while riding the Earth Dragons for a better view and also to cover more area quicker.

Gerald, no matter how hard he tried, was unable to find any clues. He saw a few scratches reminding him of bird talons on the rocks, but those could be made by the Phoenix just as easily as any other being just a few days ago, or they could be as ancient as a few centuries.

Nothing changed up here. The top of the Fiery Plateau was isolated from the rest of the Great Desert and forces of nature such as Sand Worms, leaving only sun and wind to break down the bedrock.

Having been unsuccessful in his search, Gerald went back. On his way to the meeting point, he picked up the sounds of the wind whistle, though it sounded much louder and more sporadic than before.

He quickly made his mount run faster and arrived back in a few short minutes. There he saw his teammate blowing the whistle manually like a maniac.

"Hey! What is happening? Did you find anything?" Gerald shouted at him while still far away.

"Yes! I think I found it! It looks like a nest, but I'm not 100% sure."

"Really?!"

"I'm pretty sure, yes! I didn't yet look at it up close since I ran back as soon as possible so we can examine it together," the man explained, speaking rapidly and with excitement.

"Alright then, let's go!" Gerald replied. "Go ahead, I'm right behind you. Let's get this Phoenix already!"

They quickly rode on top of their lizard mounts and into the sunset.