Martial Arts Vs Magic - Chapter 126

Chapter 126: Mysteries and Audacities

The desert night wrapped around us like a lover's embrace—cold, intimate, and full of hidden promises. 

Our small fire crackled between us, fed by Vyrn's occasional contributions of dry scrub he'd found scattered among the rocks. The spectral owl seemed to take pride in his role as provider of kindling, puffing his ethereal chest each time he dropped another twig into the flames.

“This is a little frustrating, Alexander,” Lailah sighed. She was sitting across from me, the firelight dancing in her silver eyes as she absently turned the skewer of roasted desert hare. 

The meat sizzled, releasing an aroma that made my stomach growl despite the generous portion I'd already consumed.

"Twenty," she murmured, more to herself than to me. "Level 20, and for what? I can't even choose a Class without visiting a church or a deity’s statue. A meaningless achievement."

She understood the urgency we were in, and that getting a Class would definitely help in the upcoming hardships. Unfortunately, as it turned out, normal people couldn't access their Class Selection page without a divinity's intervention.

I watched her over the rim of my water cup, noting the way frustration creased her brow. The past few days had transformed her, from a farm girl who feared her own shadow to a warrior who commanded the wind itself. Yet here she sat, defeated by something as simple as divine bureaucracy.

"The gods do love their ceremonies," I offered, setting down my cup. "Can't have mortals choosing their own paths without proper genuflection.”

She snorted, a sound caught between amusement and bitterness. "Easy for you to mock. You probably chose your Class in some grand temple, surrounded by priests and incense."

If only you knew, I thought, remembering my own selection in my tired, broken state after having already defeated the Vampiric Father. Having the class after that was pointless, but it did come in clutch countless times since then.

So, it seemed, the ability to access the Class Selection directly, without divine intermediaries, was my unique privilege. Similar to the Ascension Quests.

"My experience was rather unconventional, actually," I said, rising from my spot and moving around the fire.

"Everything about you is unconventional," she replied, but her lips quirked in a small smile. "Alexander the mysterious, with his spirit owl and his impossible strength."

I settled beside her, close enough that our shoulders touched. The proximity sent an unexpected jolt through her, and I felt her breathing sharpen momentarily. I ignored it.

"Would you like to see something truly unconventional?" I asked, my voice dropping to that particular register that had charmed countless others before her.

She turned to face me fully, eyebrow raised. "If this is another one of your tricks—"

"No tricks." I reached for her hand, and she let me take it, her fingers warm against my palm. "Just a little... divine intervention of the non-divine variety."

Her eyes trembled at the contact, but she didn't pull away. Good. I needed the physical connection for what I was about to attempt.

"Reveal Class Choices," I murmured, pouring intent into the words.

The effect was immediate and spectacular. A translucent blue screen shimmered into existence between us, casting its ethereal glow across Lailah's stunned face. Her mouth fell open, forming a perfect 'o' of surprise.

[Understood. Here are the options that you're qualified for, based on your lifestyle so far as well as your achievements.]

The text scrolled before us, each option more intriguing than the last. I watched Lailah's expression shift from shock to wonder to something approaching reverence as she read through the choices.

===============

[Scout] - Basic

Requirement: None

Description: A foundational class for those who excel in reconnaissance, tracking, and navigating harsh environments. Scouts are adept at moving unseen, gathering information, and surviving in the wild. They possess keen senses and a natural affinity for understanding terrain and animal behavior.

Possible Evolutions: As Scouts gain experience and hone their skills, they can evolve into roles such as:

• [Ranger]: Master survival in the wilderness, befriending animal companions and utilizing nature's bounty for archery and traps.

• [Pathfinder]: Become an expert navigator and guide, capable of finding safe passage through the most treacherous lands and detecting hidden dangers.

• [Infiltrator]: Specialize in stealth and subterfuge, moving like a shadow to gather intelligence or disable enemy defenses undetected.

• [Beast Tamer]: Develop a deep bond with wild creatures, able to calm, command, and fight alongside various beasts of the natural world.

===============

[Channeler] - Basic

Requirement: Innate magical affinity (e.g., elemental, spiritual)

Description: A class for individuals who can naturally draw upon and manipulate ambient magical energies or connect with minor spirits. Channelers often possess an intuitive understanding of magic rather than formal training, allowing them to manifest simple elemental effects or sense spiritual presences.

Possible Evolutions: As Channelers refine their innate abilities and gain control, they can evolve into roles such as:

• [Wind Dancer]: Focus specifically on manipulating air currents, from gentle breezes to powerful gusts, and sensing changes in the atmosphere.

• [Spirit Empath]: Deepen their connection to the spirit world, able to better communicate with and understand the intentions of minor spirits and nature elementals.

• [Energy Weaver]: Learn to shape raw magical energy into basic protective wards or enhance their physical attributes with simple infusions of power.

• [Mystic Initiate]: Begin a more formal path of magical study, laying the groundwork for advanced spellcasting by understanding the fundamental principles of magic.

===============

[Herbalist (Common)] - Basic

Requirement: Knowledge of local flora and fauna

Description: A class focused on the practical application of natural remedies and resources. Herbalists are skilled in identifying, gathering, and preparing plants for medicinal purposes, crafting poultices, salves, and simple potions to heal minor wounds, alleviate ailments, and provide sustenance.

Possible Evolutions: Herbalists can advance their craft into more specialized and potent roles, such as:

• [Apothecary]: Develop skills in alchemy and potion-making, creating more complex concoctions with enhanced healing or supportive effects.

• [Field Medic]: Combine herbal knowledge with practical first aid, becoming adept at treating injuries and illnesses in challenging environments.

• [Nature's Whisperer]: Gain a deeper intuitive connection with plants, able to sense their properties and even encourage their growth or imbue them with minor magical effects.

• [Forager Sage]: Become an expert in wilderness survival and resource management, able to find sustenance and utility in even the most barren landscapes.

===============

[Wind Dancer] - Advanced

Role: Agile Elemental Skirmisher

Note: An evolution of [Channeler], emphasizing wind affinity and innate wind magic.

Description: The Wind Dancer is a combatant who flows with the currents of the air, blending graceful agility with gusts of elemental power. They use the wind to enhance their movements, create localized vortexes, and deliver swift, cutting attacks. Wind Dancers are elusive and unpredictable, difficult to pin down in combat and capable of turning the battlefield into a swirling tempest.

Possible Evolutions: As a Wind Dancer masters their connection to the air and hones their combat style, they may evolve into even more dynamic roles:

• [Tempest Blade]: Infuse their weapons (or even their own limbs) with cutting winds, delivering strikes that can slice through armor and buffet foes.

• [Sky Sylph]: Develop limited flight or enhanced leaping capabilities through mastery of air currents, becoming a truly aerial combatant.

• [Zephyr Guardian]: Focus on defensive wind techniques, creating barriers of swirling air, deflecting projectiles, and cushioning falls for themselves and allies.

• [Storm Herald]: Begin to tap into the more destructive aspects of wind, capable of summoning small squalls or disorienting dust devils to control the battlefield.

===============

[Spirit Warden] - Advanced

Role: Channeler of Nature; Guardian of the Unseen

Description: A Spirit Warden acts as a bridge between the physical world and the realm of spirits. They cultivate a deep understanding of natural energies and form bonds with elemental or ancestral spirits, drawing power from these connections. A Spirit Warden can command the elements, commune with nature's guardians, and protect sacred places from corruption.

A Spirit Warden is a versatile caster, blending offensive elemental magic with supportive spiritual abilities.

Possible Evolutions: As a Spirit Warden's connection to the spirit world deepens and their control over natural energies grows, they may evolve into more specialized roles:

• [Elemental Fury]: A Class born from Nature's Wrath. Focuses on unleashing the raw, destructive power of the elements, becoming a conduit for storms, earthquakes, and infernos.

• [Whisperwind Hierophant]: A Class born from Ancient Pacts. Specializes in advanced spirit communion, gaining the ability to call upon powerful ancient spirits for aid and knowledge, and mastering wind magic to an unparalleled degree.

• [Grove Tender]: A Class born from Life's Embrace. Centers on healing and restorative magic drawn from nature, capable of mending grievous wounds and revitalizing blighted lands.

• [Leyline Mystic]: A Class born from Earthen Veins. Taps into the world's ley lines, manipulating ambient magical energies to amplify their spells and create powerful wards and enchantments.

===============

[Dance of the Desert Mirage] - Epic

Role: Elusive Skirmisher; Master of Illusions

Description: The Desert Mirage Dancer embodies the shifting, deceptive nature of the arid wastes. They are agile warriors or rogues who utilize the desert's environment to their advantage, creating illusions, moving like the wind, and striking with blinding speed. They are adept at disorienting foes and evading attacks, making them phantoms on the battlefield.

A Desert Mirage Dancer is a nimble combatant, excelling in hit-and-run tactics and battlefield control through deception.

Possible Evolutions: As a Desert Mirage Dancer hones their skills in subterfuge and agility, they may evolve into more potent roles:

• [Sand Scythe Assassin]: A Class born from Desert's Silence. Focuses on stealth and lethal precision, using illusory doubles and sand-based camouflage to deliver fatal blows.

• [Oasis Phantom]: A Class born from Shifting Sands. Specializes in advanced illusionary magic, capable of creating complex mirages that can fool senses and even manifest temporary physical effects.

• [Dune Strider Vanguard]: A Class born from Wind's Swiftness. Enhances their speed and reflexes to supernatural levels, becoming a whirlwind of attacks that overwhelm opponents before they can react.

• [Jinn-Touched Trickster]: A Class born from Whispered Secrets. Develops a closer bond with desert spirits, particularly Jinn, gaining access to their mischievous magic, reality-bending tricks, and enhanced elemental resistances.

===============

[Leviathan's Scion] - Legendary

Role: Inheritor of Abyssal Power; Conduit of Primal Tides

Description: The Leviathan's Scion commands the primal forces of waves, be it water or sand, storms, and the deep, often exhibiting an innate control over vast reserves of mana and a resilience that mirrors the unfathomable depths. Their power can be both terrifyingly destructive and profoundly protective.

A Leviathan's Scion is a formidable mage, capable of wielding immense elemental power and possessing an inherent connection to ancient, often chaotic, magic.

Possible Evolutions: As a Leviathan's Scion embraces their heritage and masters their abyssal power, they may evolve into roles of immense influence:

• [Abyssal Tempest Caller]: A Class empowered by the Deep's Fury. Commands the full destructive might of ocean storms and abyssal pressures, capable of summoning tsunamis and crushing vortexes.

• [Jinnblood Sovereign]: A Class empowered by Ancient Lineage. Fully awakens their Jinn/Devil heritage, gaining mastery over unique Leviathan family abilities, commanding lesser water spirits, and potentially influencing other Jinn-blooded individuals.

• [Guardian of the Sunken Grottos]: A Class empowered by Hidden Sanctuaries. Becomes a protector of sacred underwater locations or places touched by Leviathan magic, wielding defensive water arts and illusions of the deep.

• [Tide Weaver Oracle]: A Class empowered by Primal Currents. Gains insight into the flow of fate and destiny through their connection to the primal tides, using water as a medium for divination and subtle manipulation of events.

===============

“Now that’s a really impressive list,” my eyebrows were high as I read through the options. They were not bad at all. Somehow, Lailah was more shocked by something else.

"How...?" She turned to me, silver eyes wide with awe and just a touch of fear. "What are you?"

"Devastatingly handsome?" I suggested, earning myself a weak slap on the arm. "Incredibly charming? A master of timing?"

"Alexander." Her voice carried a warning, but also genuine curiosity. "This isn't... people can't just..."

"And yet here we are," I said, gesturing at the screen. "Though I must say, the System seems to have taken quite a liking to you. Look at these options."

She stared at me for a good long moment. Then she sighed and leaned closer with me, ostensibly to better read the choices, though I couldn't help but notice the way her hair brushed against my cheek, carrying the scent of desert roses and wind.

"Scout, Channeler, Herbalist," she read aloud. "These seem... ordinary."

"They are basic, yes," I agreed. "Foundation stones. But look further."

Her breath caught as she reached the advanced options. "Wind Dancer... Spirit Warden... Desert Mirage..." She paused, her finger hovering over the final entry. "Leviathan's Scion? That's... that's Legendary rank. What?"

"Huh, isn't that crazy?" I said, affecting casual surprise. "We're journeying toward the Leviathan-touched oasis, and you just got a Leviathan class. The universe does enjoy its little jokes."

She stared at the description, lips moving silently as she read. "Inheritor of Abyssal Power... command over waves of water or sand... this can't be real."

"As real as the wind you command," I assured her. "As real as your mother's jinn blood. The System sees what you are, not just what you've done. Although I wonder how Jinns and Leviathans are connected…"

"Yes, I’m wondering that too. Why would I have access to something like this?"

I studied her profile in the firelight, considering. "Your mother charted the deep desert. She found secrets others couldn't. Perhaps she found more than just geographical landmarks? Or maybe it's just the blood."

Lailah's hand tightened around mine. "You think she... encountered something? At one of these oases?"

"Or someone," I suggested. "The bloodlines of power run deep and strange in this world. Your jinn heritage might be more complex than simple wind affinity."

She turned back to the screen, biting her lower lip, a gesture I was beginning to recognize as her thinking face. "The practical choice would be Wind Dancer. It builds on what I already know."

"Practical is for farmers and merchants," I said. "You're neither anymore."

"Then what am I?"

I shifted, angling myself to face her more fully. "You're someone who tamed the desert wind in three days. Someone who makes spirits dance at your command. Someone who rode a Sand Drake across the wasteland like it was a common mule." I paused, letting my thumb brush across her knuckles. "You're extraordinary, Lailah. Choose accordingly."

“Well, they’re mostly because of you…” she said that, but flushed at the praise all the same, and her jaw set with determination. "The Leviathan class... it doesn’t feel wrong, I guess. Like something calling to me from deep water, even here in the desert."

"Then answer the call," I encouraged. "Besides, as the highest-ranked class here, I don't think we should even bother looking at the other options."

"You just want me to choose it because it sounds impressive," she accused, but she was smiling.

"I want you to choose it because you'll need every advantage in the days ahead," I said, allowing seriousness to creep into my tone. "The Baron approaches. The Prince brings unknown dangers. And we're about to enter a place that might kill us both. Power isn't vanity, Lailah. It's survival. Trust me when I say that."

She nodded slowly, then with growing confidence. "Leviathan's Scion, then."

"Touch the option," I instructed. "Will your selection."

She did, and the change was immediate. The screen pulsed once, brilliantly, then dissolved into motes of light that swirled around her like a galaxy of stars. They sank into her skin, the points of contact sparking with power.

Lailah gasped, her back arching as the energy coursed through her. Her grip on my hand became almost painful, but I held steady, anchoring her through the transformation.

When it ended, she sat panting, a faint shimmer playing across her skin like scales catching moonlight.

"How do you feel?" I asked.

She flexed her free hand, watching wind and something else—something that looked almost like mist—dance between her fingers. "Like… I've been sleeping my whole life and just woke up."

"Must be a Passive Skill. Good," I said, standing and pulling her up with me. "If you want, I can go through the skills with you to help you understand them better. But that will expose your strengths and weaknesses to me, so it’s up to you.”

“You’re really asking if I trust you or not, Mr Stranger who my father sent me away with?”

I chuckled. “Anyhow, that means we can get you to Third Ascension much faster."

She laughed, the sound carrying new depth, new power. "Is that all you think about? Levels and Ascensions?"

"I think about many things," I replied, not releasing her hand. "But keeping you alive ranks fairly high on the list."

"Only fairly high?"

"Well," I said, affecting deep thought, "there's also finding water, avoiding horrible death, the occasional meal... you probably rank fourth or fifth."

She shoved me, but she was laughing again, and the sound was worth any amount of teasing.

****

Three days later, I crested the final dune and felt my breath catch.

The maps had led us to our destination. The Leviathan-Marked Oasis sprawled before us like an emerald dream, so vibrantly green against the ochre sands that it hurt to look at directly. The air above it shimmered with a quality that had nothing to do with heat—it was as if reality itself grew thin there, revealing glimpses of something vast and ancient beneath.

"By the winds," Lailah breathed beside me, and I noticed her voice now carried subtle harmonics, like waves against distant shores. "It's real."

"Did you doubt?" I asked, though I'd harbored my own uncertainties.

"Every step of the way," she admitted. "Even with the maps, even with everything... it seemed too fantastical. Especially considering my good fortune with you. I thought this was too good to be true.”

It was like finding a great pirate's treasure.

Her transformation over the past three days had been remarkable. Level 32 now, she moved with a fluid grace that made her previous agility seem clumsy by comparison. The wind no longer merely obeyed her—it anticipated her needs, swirling protectively even in dead calm.

"Shall we?" I gestured toward the oasis.

She nodded, and we urged our drakes down the slope. The beasts grew increasingly agitated as we approached, their golden eyes rolling with primitive fear.

"They won't go closer," Lailah observed as the drakes balked at the oasis edge.

"Smarter than us, perhaps," I muttered, dismounting.

The boundary between desert and oasis was sharp as a blade's edge. One step on sand, the next on grass so green it seemed to glow. The temperature dropped twenty degrees instantly, and the air tasted of salt and storms despite being hundreds of miles from any ocean. Almost as if this were a pocket dimension.

I knelt at a pool's edge, watching the water. It was clear as crystal, yet somehow conveyed impossible depth, as if I gazed into an ocean trench rather than a desert spring.

"The cave," Lailah said, and I followed her gaze.

Set into a low rise at the oasis's heart was a cave mouth from which a steady trickle of water flowed. The opening yawned dark and forbidding, exhaling air that raised every survival instinct I possessed.

"Let's try the easy water first," I suggested, cupping some of the pool water in my palm.

I drank carefully, letting the liquid slide down my throat. It was cold, almost painfully so, and tasted of minerals and something else—something that reminded me of power and depth and ancient things better left sleeping.

My wounds, the small cuts on my arms from travels and monster fights, slowly closed. My heart hammered in hope.

I waited, focusing inward, searching for any change in my damaged pathways. I focused deeply.

…Nothing.

"Well?" Lailah asked.

I shook my head, frustration boiling up. "It's definitely some kind of elixir, the minor wounds have closed, but for real problems it's like drinking very expensive normal water."

"Maybe it needs to be fresh?" she suggested. "Directly from the source?"

We both looked at the cave mouth. The trickle of water emerging from it did seem different—thicker, almost opalescent in the strange light.

"Or maybe," I said slowly, "the real treasure is deeper inside. These things usually are."

Lailah moved closer to the cave, then stopped abruptly. "Do you feel that?"

I did. The air grew denser as we closed toward the entrance, pressing against us with intense weight. Power radiated from the depths—old power, vast and impersonal as the ocean itself.

It's like back in Shan Gui Highlands, I noted. The Phoenix grave. Because something died here. Something enormous.

"Power leaves echoes even after death,” I noted. “The Leviathan whose grave this is must have been incredibly powerful.”

We stood at the threshold, peering into darkness that seemed to swallow our shadows whole. The trickle of water caught the light, and for a moment, I swore I saw scales glittering in its flow.

"We have to go in," I said, though every instinct screamed against it. I turned to face her, going silent. We stared at each other for a short moment.

"I know," Lailah replied. "The Baron will arrive soon. If the pure healing waters are anywhere, they're at the source. Let's go.”

This was a little troublesome. 

When I thought it was an oasis, I thought it'd be a lake like this, and I'd drink the water and be fine. However, there was a creepy cave there. I was unsure about taking a mere 3rd Ascension into that.

"It's dangerous." I felt compelled to state the obvious.

"Don't give me that look. Everything we've done has been dangerous, I am coming with you," she said firmly. "At least this danger might actually help you."

I looked at her—really looked. The farm girl was gone entirely now, replaced by something altogether more formidable. Had it even been ten days since we left? Now the Leviathan's Scion stood beside me, ready to face whatever lurked in the depths.

"When did you become the brave one?" I asked, laughing.

"When you showed me I could be," she replied simply.

I was making a jovial remark, but she was serious. The honesty in her tone caught me off guard, leaving me momentarily speechless. She took advantage of my silence, stepping past me into the cave.

"Besides," she called back, her voice already taking on the hollow echo of enclosed spaces, "you try to act like a lonely person, but I can tell you're someone always surrounded by people. That means someone has to always keep you from doing something catastrophically stupid. I'll fill that role.”

"Nah, now you're just assuming things," I protested, following her into the darkness.

The temperature plummeted further as we entered. Our footsteps echoed strangely, as if the cave were far larger than the entrance suggested. The sound of dripping water came from everywhere and nowhere, a constant rhythm that seemed almost like breathing.

"Stay close," I murmured, reaching for her hand in the darkness.

"Afraid I'll leave you behind?" she teased, but her fingers interlaced with mine readily enough.

"Afraid of many things," I admitted. "But not that."

We pressed deeper, guided by the sound of flowing water and the faint phosphorescence that began to appear on the cave walls. 

The darkness swallowed us whole, and somewhere far below, something ancient stirred in recognition of kindred power. Hopefully not something awake.

****

The golden tower's shadow stretched across the sand like a blade as Sahlizar's expedition crested the final dune. Twenty elite guards flanked the ornate palanquin bearing Prince Valerius, their armor gleaming despite the desert's attempt to dull everything it touched.

Sahlizar's forked tongue flicked out, tasting victory on the scorching air. 

The Leviathan-Marked Oasis spread before them in all its impossible verdancy—a jewel of emerald and sapphire set in an endless crown of gold. Oh, how beautiful it was.

"Finally," Prince Valerius drawled from within his silk-draped conveyance, orange eyes glittering with imperial disdain. "I was beginning to think your desert rats had led us on a fool's errand, Baron. Or should I say, former Baron, if this proves another of your miscalculations."

The threat hung in the air like the scent of carrion. Sahlizar's scales darkened along his neck, but he forced his voice to remain level. The Erebian knight commander, Sir Thaddeus Grimwald, rode beside the Prince's palanquin—7th Ascension like himself, but with the cold precision that marked the Empire's finest. 

It would be difficult to say who was stronger between the two of them, and there was no need to take the risk of confirming.

"Your Highness honors me with his presence," Sahlizar replied, his words carefully measured. "The oasis stands as promised."

His scout captain approached, saluting with practiced efficiency. "My lord, we've found signs of prior arrival. Two Sand Drakes, tethered near the water's edge. Fresh tracks leading to—"

"The cave entrance," Sahlizar finished, his golden eyes narrowing as he spotted the dark mouth yawning from the oasis's heart. His tongue tasted the air again, detecting something that made his predatory instincts sing. "Vermins."

Prince Valerius emerged from his palanquin with fluid grace, silk robes somehow unmarked by their desert crossing. "Vermins? In my oasis?" His voice carried the particular brand of outrage reserved for those born believing the world owed them fealty.

"I got a report about a masked man and his masked whore. They stole a map from one of my minions," Sahlizar hissed, pieces falling into place. "They've beaten us here by mere hours, if that."

"Ugh, your men again. How worthless can they be?!" The Prince's tone could have frozen the desert sun. "Common rabble reaching my prize before imperial blood?"

Sir Thaddeus shifted in his saddle, hand resting casually on his sword hilt. The gesture was subtle, but Sahlizar caught it—a reminder of how quickly the Empire dealt with failures.

"Your Highness," the Warlord said, forcing what he hoped resembled confidence into his voice, "let the rats clear the path. Dungeons such as these are notorious for their protective measures. Better to let expendable fodder spring the traps."

"Clever," Prince Valerius mused, studying the cave entrance. "Though I wonder—are you speaking of them, or yourself?"

The insult landed like a physical blow, but Sahlizar swallowed his rage. "I live to serve the Empire's glory, Your Highness."

"See that you do." The Prince gestured toward the Sand Drakes. "Secure those beasts. Quality mounts are not to be wasted on deserters and thieves."

As his men moved to comply, Sahlizar studied the cave mouth. Phosphorescent traces flickered along its edges, signs of ancient magic stirring to life. Whatever lay within had awakened to greet its visitors.

"The deeper the cave, the sweeter the treasure," he murmured, an old desert saying his grandfather had taught him.

"And the deadlier the guardian," Sir Thaddeus added quietly, his scarred face impassive. "The Empire remembers the last expedition that sought Leviathan waters. Only bones returned. Ultimately, the Titan had to step in.”

Prince Valerius's laugh was sharp as breaking glass. "Then we shall succeed too, if the Titan won. Am I any less than a young Sikandar?" his gaze swept over Sahlizar with casual contempt. "Besides, we have such experienced local guidance. We will come out as victors!”

Did he really compare himself with that living legend? Sahlizar held back a sigh. He turned to his minions, “You lot, signal the advance!” His voice was steady despite the ice forming in his scaled chest. "We follow the rats into their hole."

As his elite guard formed ranks, the Warlord allowed himself one frustrated grumble. Whatever waited in the depths, whatever treasures or terrors the oasis guarded, they would have been his to claim if not for this prince. He couldn't wait to get this boring job over with.

For what it was worth, the vermin had prepared the way for their betters.