There were no serious problems as far as he could tell, but it didn't take him long to locate what he assumed to be the issue. For some reason, it was listing Teyr as a party member, and Alan was certain he had never requested the Roc to join his party to begin with. Hells, until he'd seen the notifications with his own eyes, the idea of adding a wild beast as a party member hadn't even crossed his mind as being a possibility.
The euphoric rush from gaining Levels was always a welcome addition, yet the Quest reward was lackluster in comparison to what Alan had been hoping for. When considering the pile of goods he was still expecting to loot from the many corpses the Dungeon was either unwilling or unable to absorb, Alan was mostly satisfied with the outcome. Now all he needed was for his crotch to stop throbbing.
With twenty five unallocated Status Points and two Class Upgrade Points already burning a hole in his metaphorical pocket, Alan was impatient to get to spending, but knew he was going to have to wait. Now was not the time to indulge his frivolous desires.
The fallen monsters weren't going to loot themselves, and more importantly, he needed to figure out what was going on with his Party System. In search of answers, Alan called up his PSA and dug around his Party tab to see what he could figure out. It only took a glance to determine what happened.
So far as Alan could tell, Teyr wasn't actually listed as an official party member. Instead, a section called Bonded Companions had appeared beneath Su'ong's information, and that was where he found the Roc's details. The term Bonded Companion was one he'd never come across, yet for some reason, Alan was certain of one thing.
Using [Rune of Subjugation] on Teyr was no longer an option. Alan had no way to ascertain exactly when it happened, but at some point the Roc and Su'ong had formed some kind of a System-recognized companionship and he had a strong sense that the effects of their bond would supercede any kind of forced compliance Skills that he might try to employ.
On the one hand, it was a bummer. Teyr had a rare ability, and having an airborne ally had already proven as effective as he'd imagined it would be in the battle with the Almiraj hoard. But on the other hand, he really didn't like that stupid dick of a bird very much to begin with. No, it was probably better this way.
That asshole can cling to Su'ong's head from now on, and I'll keep my eyes peeled for a potential Rune Beast that isn't a sneaky little thief.
“Alan?“ Su'ong asked, it was cute how nervous she looked, like a child anxiously awaiting a scolding. “Are you going to say anything, or just stand there glaring at your PSA all day? I'm not sure exactly when, or how it happened, but I swear I didn't bond with her on purpose… I… I thought she needed a name, and then she chose to follow me out to the island last night. For some reason, the Rocs out there weren't very fond of her presence. Weren't too happy about me trying my damnedest to knock a hole in that tower either. They attacked en masse, and refused to give ground. In the end, we had little choice but to eradicate them all. A few stragglers fled, with Teyr giving chase…”
“Wait,” Alan said, holding up a finger, his expression suddenly serious, his tone turning towards anger. “I realistically don't give two shits about that bird, but what do you mean you tried to knock a hole in the tower? For all that you seem to enjoy calling me an idiot, that was a pretty fucking risky idea don't you think? Even with my Cultivation Core to help calm the effects, the amount of energy leaking out of that tower was almost impossible to bear for any extended amount of time. It had a presence that was almost physical…” Feeling himself getting mad, Alan clenched his fists and blew out a long sigh.
“Listen, I don't know much about how all this..,” he waved his arms about, frantically gesturing at the bloody mess, and also the larger environment around the ruined Almiraj hoard, “..System shit works, but it seems to me that when the energy seeping through the tower wall is so thick I could literally see it, then it would also be fair to assume the inside is… a lot worse… What if you succeeded? What good would blowing a hole through the tower accomplish if you were vaporized by a wall of pissed off energy in the process?“
Wide-eyed and mouth agape, Su'ong stared at Alan for several seconds before uttering a response. “While I appreciate your concern, Alan, I'm not fond of your tone. Nor am I sure what you are so worked up about. Aside from a bunch of temperamental Rocs, there was nothing at all out of the ordinary on the island. In fact, besides making my skin tingle a bit when I touched it, the tower showed no sign of having any kind of… visible energy, or the presence you suggested. My guess would be that the essence within the tower sensed your Cultivation Core and that was what provoked the reaction you experienced.“ She gave Alan a thoughtful look, turned to face in the direction of the lake and started mumbling.
“It is also possible that I lack the capability to perceive Celestial Energy at all… Which is something I should've considered… Was I so caught up with acquiring my new Class that I overlooked the potential risks in my haste to get us out of the Dungeon?..“
Su'ong faced Alan and offered him a hint of a smile. “As much as I don't like admitting it, you're right. I know even less than you do about the object hidden in that tower, so I should have at least asked your opinion before making any rash decisions. The only excuse I have to offer is that I was trying to help… We both want out of here, and the System requires you to retrieve that essence either way. I understand that Reggie asked us to consider the risks, and I did, but then I started thinking… You've done a lot to help me, you know?“ Of all the things he'd been expecting to hear, that certainly wasn't it. Suddenly embarrassed and not sure exactly why he felt that way, it was Alan's turn to face away in hopes of hiding his crooked grin.
“So I wanted to do something for you… to show that I'm not an ungrateful wretch.“ She continued, pressing up against Alan's back, wrapping her arms around his waist. “What better surprise for you to wake up to than with the way forward being made ready for us?.. I'm sorry I upset you. That was certainly not my intention.“
Alan found that it was impossible to stay mad at her for long. After extracting a promise that she would leave the Celestial Essence situation to him to figure out, Alan dropped the issue and proceeded to loot the corpse of the Matriarch.
Stolen novel; please report.
“Wait, what are you doing!“ Su'ong screeched, dashing through the cloud of purple monster fog dispersing into the atmosphere, waving her arms as if to gather up the fading particles. “That was such a waste Alan! The System looting function is a total scam. We'll be lucky to get a tenth of its usable parts now…” she groaned, obviously disgusted.
Remarkable! You have received x2 High quality Golden Almiraj pelts.
You have received x1 Damaged Golden Almiraj Horn.
You have received x2 Golden Almiraj Eyes.
You have received x14 Golden Almiraj Meat.
You have received x1 Golden Almiraj Gallbladder.
You have received x4 Golden Almiraj Blood
You have received x2 Golden Almiraj Luck Altering Talismans.
You have received x1(Silver) Lotus Coin.
You have received x1 (F-Stage) Light Attuned Beast Core.
"…before spatial storage devices were commonplace looting was a frequently used function, but nobody loots monsters like that anymore… The butchers in the Tutorial Town will handle the corpse dismantling for 5 Coppers…” Su'ong put her hands over her face and let out an exaggerated hiss.
“You likely do not understand, but I can assure that you just threw away potentially hundreds of Copper… coins…“ Su'ong's complaints turned to stunned silence as she stared at the literal pile of loot sitting where the Matriarch's body had just been.
***
“Everything I've ever learned tells me that this should be completely impossible!“ Su'ong exclaimed in undisguised excitement after looting yet another Almiraj only to receive far more than what she would've thought to be her fair share of loot. Sure, some parts were inevitably lost in the process, but considering that she seemed to keep getting multiples of the most valuable pieces, each corpse actually wound up being a net positive gain.
And that wasn't even taking into account that each one provided an (Iron) Lotus Coin. The only reason she could come up with that made even the smallest amount of sense was the exorbitant amount of Luck she'd recieved through her Soul-Union with Alan. “I can't believe I was bitching at Alan about the possibility that he lost hundreds of Coppers when each of these are giving me an Iron!“
I'm sure she said my name… Ah, whatever. She's probably just thinking out loud or something…
In total, they wound up collecting 64 Velvet Almiraj pelts of the Medium quality, 20 that were High quality and 107 Low quality Velvet Almiraj pelts. 91 Low quality Velvet Almiraj Horns, 54 Medium quality Velvet Almiraj Horns, and 30 High quality Velvet Almiraj Horns.127 small clear jars containing Velvet Almiraj Eyes, and 153 prepackaged portions of Velvet Almiraj Meat. Add to that the 77 (Iron) Lotus Coins, and the Quest completion reward that dropped out of a door to nowhere; an additional satchel containing 500 (Iron) Lotus Coins, and Alan was feeling pretty damned satisfied.
Another welcome side effect of their wanton looting was the removal of the wretched stench of iron and bowels that had had so thoroughly permeated the air. Alan breathed a sigh of relief when he realized that even the blood that saturated the dirt and weeds of the clearing floor had vanished right along with the bodies from which it had leaked.
“So,” Alan asked Su'ong, for no better reason to break the silence, “Teyr huh? It's not a name I've heard before, but it seems fitting… Does it mean anything?“
Su'ong looked at Alan where he sat beside her, his back leaned up against the trunk of the fallen tree. For a moment, she stayed silent, simply choosing to observe. His eyes were closed, the way the false sun was reflected off of his scales made his face appear to glow.
This was perhaps the most at ease she had ever seen her Soul-bound partner and she wanted to burn this image into memory. Even while he slept, he seemed unable to escape the heavy burden that fate had sought fit to hoist upon him. It was slightly terrifying to consider that their fates were now intertwined, making his many problems both inside, and outside the Tutorial hers to bear as well. In fact, not only had her fate been tied to Alan's, but her Race, and the trajectory of her Evolution had been altered entirely.
The physical changes of adopting physical traits of the Human Race were obvious, but that was only skin deep. The true changes were spiritual, and her very energy signature now had distinctly Human undertones. That, in itself, was enough to garner unwanted attention in a Multiverse hell-bent on seeing every last Human ground to dust underfoot.
Oddly, and perhaps sadly, what she found most nerve-wracking was not being at odds with almost the entirety of existence, no, what worried her most was what her Grandmother was going to say. Su'ong had been trying her best not to consider it, but knew she would have to face her wrath in the very near future. However, when taking into consideration that her entire life's expectations before meeting Alan could be boiled down to either dying in a Dungeon at worst, or at best, the monotonous life of maintaining the beast populations of the Tutorial Realm, she couldn't deny the part of her that had always desired a life of dangerous excitement.
She didn't even know what to expect when the Tutorial ended. Would the System send her back to Alan's home world with him, or would she be left behind? At first, she had desperately hoped for the latter. To say otherwise would be a lie. However, more and more, she was beginning to fear the slightest idea of being separated from her Human. So many conflicting thoughts were clashing in her mind that she failed to notice Alan staring at her.
Alan opened his eyes and quirked an eyebrow, giving Su'ong a questioning look, wondering if she was ever going to get around to answering his question. Bundling her up in his arms, ignoring her squeal of mock distress and pulling her close, Alan gave her a knowing look and nodded. He was no stranger to getting lost in thought.
“What's on your mind?“ He asked cautiously, not wanting to overstep. “I don't mean to pry, but if there's anything you want to talk about, I'm all ears… well, ear holes I guess…” Alan grumbled, rubbing his hands over where his ears had always been.
He was starting to consider swapping back to his Human form, if for no better reason than to helicopter his weiner around for a solid hour, and play around with his Bloodline abilities, but at the same time he was determined to find a beast to test out [Rune of Subjugation] on.
“No offense,” Su'ong finally spoke up, once again seeming to read his mind, “but I'm not very fond of those Human ears of yours. In fact, I much prefer you like this… She sighed and leaned back against Alan, resting her head on his meaty shoulder.
“How rude!“ Alan exclaimed, hand over his heart, mouth wide open. “I'll have you know that my ears are exceptional, and are to be spoken of with the respect they are due!“
Su'ong turned to face Alan, her mischievous smile making his heart skip a beat, “Oh, excuse me dearest egg warmer, but I was being respectful. I could've went with my first instinct and said your ears look like the malformed, veiny wings of a tiny albino bat after a toothless old hag gummed them for several days straight.“
The wide-eyed look of shock plastered across Alan's face was no longer just for show.