Desert Giant Scorpions
As soon as I approached, Riven noticed me and turned around to make a shushing gesture. ♧⛵ 🎅👹
A wave of disappointment washed over me. It turned out she had already woken up, and it seemed she had grasped the situation faster than I had. There was no way I could take advantage of her now.
She was staring intently ahead. I walked over to her and saw two animals fighting in the distance.
No matter how harsh the environment, there are always species that can survive, whether under the ice of the far north or in the scorching, arid heart of the desert.
"When did you wake up?" I asked her softly.
"I didn't disturb you at noon today because I saw you were meditating with your eyes closed."
"Well, you don't hide anything."
"Why hide it? It's just the two of us here. Your muscles are very well-proportioned, and after tanning for a few days, your skin tone is almost the same as mine, hehe."
Even though we made very little noise, we still startled the two animals that were fighting. Instead of running away, they charged at us!
Upon closer inspection, I discovered they were two desert scorpions, each as big as a car wheel!
They have complex patterns on their bodies, which converge on the spikes of their head, large claws, and tail to form several shiny substances, like crystals, which are probably venom sacs or something similar.
"Be careful, getting poisoned here would be the end of you."
"I know! But they're desert species; maybe the Gale Force will have a surprising effect!"
"Give it a try!" I completely agreed with Riven's idea.
Although the temperature is low in the desert at night, it's a completely different story compared to Freljord, and they may not be able to adapt.
It's summer now, Gale Force we've gathered with all our might is only the temperature of ordinary frost.
Scorpions are fragile creatures, but these two seem to be different. Not only can they not be frozen, but even the cold wind cannot leave any frost on them.
"The scorpions here seem different; we'll have to fight them head-on!"
"Watch out for the giant claws and stinger."
The two scorpions hissed as they attacked, sounding somewhat like snakes, and our weapons made metallic clanging sounds as they struck their exoskeletons.
My Gale Sword is considered a divine weapon, Riven's Blade of Exile is also a weapon meticulously crafted by the Fiora people, yet now it can't even cut through a scorpion's exoskeleton!
Fortunately, their attack method is very simple: they use their pincers and tails to attack alternately, so even if their venom is strong, they can't sting us.
"What should we do? It seems they're not afraid of Uniform Strength," Riven asked me.
Do you remember what they were doing at the beginning?
"They were fighting, but stopped when they heard us and then attacked us."
"Yes, although our attacks are ineffective, they must be able to harm each other, otherwise there wouldn't be a conflict."
How can we get them to attack each other again?
"That depends on how we guide them!"
These two scorpions were invulnerable to weapons, but they seemed clumsy and often collided when they attacked us.
If given the chance to strike each other with their giant pincers and tail stingers, there might be unexpected results!
Riven quickly understood what I meant, and when faced with another attack, we stuck close together and dodged together.
Sure enough, the scorpions' attacks all landed on their opponent. They already had a rift between them, and this completely enraged them, sometimes even deliberately attacking each other!
Seeing this scene made me want to laugh. They're really lowly creatures; even at a time like this, they can't resist fighting amongst themselves!
And so, with our persistent guidance, one of the scorpions smashed the shiny object on the other's head, while the other simply pried the shiny object off completely!
It turns out this substance isn't a poison sac, but a real crystal; judging from their weak appearance, this seems to be their weakness!
"Do it!"
As I spoke, Riven had already made her move, unleashing a furious attack on Skarner once more, but the effect was still far from ideal.
Don't be fooled by how easy it seems for them to attack each other; we struggled a lot but couldn't destroy the remaining light, and we almost got stung by their poisonous stings.
However, their movements were noticeably slower and their strength greatly reduced. The two scorpions gave up the fight and burrowed into the ground to escape.
We didn't chase after it. We picked up the shiny object that had fallen from the scorpion and examined it. The already lustrous crystals sparkled in the moonlight, more beautiful than any gemstone!
"It looks like crystal! I've never seen anything so beautiful before," Riven exclaimed, holding it in her hands.
"It's a pity that only one piece is relatively intact; the rest are all broken. Once we get to Piltover, we'll have a craftsman make them into ornaments that would suit you perfectly!"
"Okay, let's go now!"
After meditating for several days, we weren't tired at all, so we ate something and continued on our way.
Looking back now, trying to comprehend the Wind Force here was quite dangerous. I never expected there to be any creatures here, especially such dangerous giant scorpions. If they had discovered me while I was meditating, I would have been stung without a chance.
Such a large creature, even if not highly venomous, is still dangerous. We should always be careful, no matter where we go!
That said, how come the scorpion with crystals on its body looks so much like Crystal Vanguard Skarner?
Did we unintentionally harm its own kind? But it doesn't matter, even if that's the case, a grudge has been formed, and they attacked first.
Of course, this question is based on the premise that Skarner possesses intelligence; if he were merely a reptile like these scorpions, then it would be meaningless.
Under the serene moonlight, we rode our large camels at a leisurely pace. Even without wind, the desert scenery was still quite beautiful.
Apart from our central training area, most of the place here is not desolate. Jagged rocks can be seen everywhere. We stop where there is wild grass and let the big camels graze on it. When we find a water source, we drink some and store some water.
Now that I've mastered the Flame Wind Force, I don't feel so bad when I encounter sandstorms anymore. I've just gotten quite tanned. I stretched out my arm and compared it to Riven's, and the color is almost the same!
Until we left the desert, we didn't encounter any more dangerous species. Instead, we saw many hunters going in and out, searching for something.
This time, entering Piltover was a breeze, since we had only been gone a few days. We didn't go looking for Jorba; this was a leisurely trip, so there was no need to bother him. We'd make plans after we'd had our fill of fun.
Piltover is completely different from Ionia. There is no trace of primitiveness here; everything here shows the shadow of technology. It truly deserves its titles of "City of Technology" and "City of Progress."
We first inquired at a workshop that made and sold jewelry, intending to have the crystal we obtained from the Giant Scorpion processed. Little did we know that this crystal was exceptionally precious!