Elemental Cats

Toz began by scraping away a thin layer of bark from the tree. Since the tree didn't just look like it was made from stone and the surface also had the characteristics of stone, he used his sword. While creating a spot on the tree of thin bark, he was extremely careful not to penetrate the bark all the way. He needed to thin the bark down so he could force the pipe through and into the tree and drain the sap, but if he scratched away too much and the bare trunk came into contact with light, there would be no way for him to get sap from that tree since it would all petrify.

The insides of the trees were extremely sensitive to all light since their primary weakness was being struck by lightning. And so, every time a part of the tree not already covered by the protective layer of stone came in contact with light, that part and then some would petrify almost instantaneously.

If Toz opened up all the way to the tree trunk, the spot he had just scratched clear would petrify several centimeters deep into the trunk around the tree. Although the tree would eventually undo the petrification naturally in order to grow larger, that could take anywhere between several days and a few months.

Unfortunately, since Toz had only read how to perform the method of harvesting the tree sap and had no idea how thick the stonelike bark was, he failed on his first try as dark purple, almost black sap oozed out of the tree before instantly turning to stone. Toz heard a few barely audible creaking sounds as the petrification spread through the rest of the tree.

Toz was slightly dejected at having failed, but he moved on to the tree next to one he had just been working on to try again.

This time, with the experience of how thick the bark was, Toz didn't fail as he stopped peeling the bark before he reached the trunk beneath it. And then he successfully sent the pipe into the tree through the thin layer of bark that acted as protection against the light.

He was slightly worried that the light would reach through the hole he had opened up with the pipe, so he used darkness magic to cover the edges as insurance. While trying to use darkness and shadows in the middle of the bright light would be difficult without having a shadow to borrow, if he was only making a thin circle to block out the light from the sun and the lightning, he could make it last until he filled the container with sap.

The question, however, was if he could swap containers and continue draining the same tree without the light reaching the sap or bare wood of the tree. With the help of Lucy's magic, he at least wanted to try it, so after the first container was nearly filled and Mindle had dropped off the next one, they got ready.

Lucy used the shadows Toz's body created as he leaned over to create a spot of complete darkness over the connection between the pipe and the first container. The spot stretched over to the second container as Toz used metal magic to detach the pipe and seal the first container before attaching the pipe to the second container.

Unlike Toz's attempt at thinning the bark, they succeeded during their first try.

Afterward, Lucy, and Mindle, who had stayed back to watch, got back into their position so they could continue keeping watch. The Quarry wasn't a danger zone for nothing after all, and while it looked peaceful in the valley of stone trees, it was merely because the danger was good at hiding itself.

After filling the second container, Toz did the same with another three containers before switching trees. Although there was still sap left, if they drained the tree completely it could die, and a resource valuable to Sleepless Brights would be damaged. Although a new tree could grow again, it would take several decades for it to be harvestable, and even longer for the sap to be most effective, and for the product it was used for to last as long as possible.

If it was discovered that Toz killed one of the trees, he would be forced to pay a hefty compensation to the city. All the money he had on him probably wouldn't be enough, and he would be forced to work off the debt, greatly delaying his grimoire purchasing.

Toz stopped the five containers in his coat pockets before he went to the next tree that was several meters away from the second one.

Toz repeated the process on a few trees and had gathered a huge pile of containers filled with sap. But since he was running out of free space in his coat pockets, it was about time to begin heading back to Sleepless Brights, where he could sell the collected sap. And hopefully, earn a decent sum that would bring him closer to getting his first grimoire and spell.

However, things didn't go as planned, and the group would be able to experience the difficulty of a fourth level danger zone for themselves right when they were about to leave it.

Toz and the cats weren't completely unprepared when the beasts that made the Quarry known for its tediousness made their appearance right when the group was about to pack up and leave the valley.

A pile of rocks that had been lying around next to some trees, looking exactly like the ordinary stones that could be found everywhere in the designated danger zone that was marked by the different soil and environment. The one exception that slightly set the beasts apart from ordinary stones was their shape. Although it wasn't as obvious when they were half-hidden in the ground, the beasts were rounder than ordinary rocks. Which obviously helped them as they rolled over, surrounding Toz and the cats.

After the encirclement was completed, crooked stony legs sprang out from the sides of the rocks with a clacking sound. Thanks to the hard ground, the Stone Balls didn't pierce the ground with their pointy legs, despite their weight.