Inera Continent had four major kingdoms. The dwarven kingdom of Kaz Modan, which was south of Rethia kingdom. The elven kingdom of Vylara north. And the siren kingdom of Pisinei to the east. The last one was of course the most polarizing kingdom: Rethia kingdom.
Vylara Kingdom was easily recognized by Yggdrasil, it sat in the middle of the kingdom. The World Tree that made every elven tree around it turn into a small magical sapling. The capital of Vylara, Talenia was located next to Yggdrasil, it was a place only pure-blooded elves could enter.
So naturally Jack's group wasn't taken there. No, Toross was taking them to another city. Unlike Lancel's griffin, Toross had a different mount. It was a tree. An ancient-looking thing that sprouted from the earth like it had always been there, which perhaps it had. Its bark was the color of leather, with knots curling along its surface.
It moved not by walking but by extending thick roots that plunged into the ground ahead and pulled the whole mass forward with a rumbling sound, leaving faint trails in the grass that vanished moments after they passed.
Jeanne and Aria stared at this living transport with varying degrees of awe and suspicion.
Jack thought, well it looked like a tree and it definitely looked like it'd taste like a tree.
[Bark Serpent, Level 57] Jack gulped reading the creatures stats. It had the hp of a tank and the strength of a dps with the intelligence of a grand wizard.
[HP: 9500/9500]
[Mana: 4000/4000]
[Strength: 5000]
[Intelligence: 4000]
This mere mount could kill him with one flick of its wrist. What Jack didn't know what that Bark Serpents are not naturally occurring monsters. They are evolved, raised from birth. Their loyalty and bond forged from a mere Tree Snake all the way to Bark Serpent.
Unlike Griffin's, they weren't sitting on top of the Bark Serpent; they sat inside it, like a woodpecker who made a home inside a tree.
Aria and Jeanne were sitting comfortably as the creature burrowed around and merged with roots. But Jack was being bounced from all the momentum. Aria was amused seeing the little slime move like a ping pong ball. Jeanne would've stepped in but she was sleeping. She was still recovering from the attack.
After an hour or two, the shaking stopped and they could step onto solid ground. Feeling a profound sense of relief, Jack kissed the ground.
"I'm never riding this thing again," he said.
The creature let out a deep rumble sound like it was laughing. Toross petted his mount.
"Little slime, the next time you see Elianth it'll mean your asylum request was denied and I'll be handing you over to Rethia."
Because of the quiet and mundane ride, Jack had honestly put the thought of asylum on the back burner.
Accepting one last pet from its master, Elianth dug into the ground and vanished.
Walking with Toross, Aria was helping Jeanne walk by giving her a shoulder. The slime felt a little warmth in his heart, seeing Aria being kind to the priestess.
"Welcome to Urianthe," Toross said.
He didn't wait for them to take in the sight when he gestured towards one of the guards at the gate. Instantly they bowed and were ready to follow his order.
"Place them under house arrest and notify the Plantesa court of an asylum request."
Before Jack could protest, Aria and Jeanne were handcuffed with a tree-like cuff. It had runes on it that glowed red.
"The slime too?" One of the guards asked.
Toross rubbed his chin, there wasn't a handcuff designed for slimes as they were never sentient, which meant no information to be gained and of course they had no hands.
"Grab a jar and put sealing runes on it." Jack felt degraded. He wasn't an octopus to be placed in an aquarium of any size. He needed space to breath, to do slime things. He coughed and put on his most professional voice, "If I may, I'd prefer to be placed in a more spacious habitat, perhaps an unoccupied tree trunk?" Everyone stared at him with a look of disbelief. He smiled wryly.
A minute later he was placed in a jar that was previously used to store olive juice. A guard was holding him. They were being guided to their temporary habitat.
"The least you could have done is clean it properly," Jack whined. While he did enjoy olive on earth, with his slime smell it was like being smothered in a gas chamber of vegetables.
The guards stopped and gestured to a tree, the kind redwoods were littered with. One of their hands glowed a green hue. Following the magic, a green lines was traced on the bark in the shape of a door. With a whoosh, it opened.
Stepping inside the tree, Jack noticed it was pretty spacious were he not inside of a jar-prison. He begged the guard to let him out. He was a human.
But they simply locked the group in their.
"Should we try to free him?" Aria asked. Her cuffed hands were already glowing a faint purple. She was about to phase her hands out of them. But the color muffled out
Jeanne shook her head, "There's no way out of these. Elven runeship is different."
She was leaning against Aria to help herself stand.
Jack's slime core went still. He tried absorbing the glass but it seemed to be laced with some kind of magic that was stronger than himself.
"I do not like this one bit," Jack grumbled
Suddenly a knock came from the wooden door. The girls immediately tensed up. Neither of them could sense anything outside the tree. But Jack could hear the heartbeat of someone.
A young elven lady stepped into their prison-like room. She wore the most beautiful glove Jack had ever laid eyes upon; they were made out of leaf and had golden thread. Her hair was the color of honey and it cascaded down to her shoulders.
She had a law book in her hand.
"Hello," The elven lady said. She seemed nervous. Or perhaps she was just one of those shy types.
"My name is Leena and I'm your Asylum Advocate."