The trek through the city was a pleasant experience for Zion. Unlike Valor, Neva, or even his home Terra, the people of this Sphere treated him with respect. Throughout the walk, he received greetings of “Good Morning Herald,” “Creation's Blessing Herald,” and the like. It was both a refreshing change and a foreign feeling.

Alyx, for his part, seemed to be already known around Tidus, and he was stopped multiple times, much to his chagrin. Zion didn’t pester him about it because every time he stopped, Alyx healed a child or cured an elder's sickness. It was always an act of kindness, and Zion couldn't fault him for that.

Their progress wasn’t helped by the need to stop by a shop for some necessary water protection. The city was full of shops supplying such things, but Zion had gone with Eva’s recommendation. Part of him was sad he wasn't visiting Lark for these items, but the trip seemed wasteful. After exiting the building, he was over a hundred gold poorer but now had enough water and mud repellent to ensure his gear stayed dry, if not a little bit smelly.

The downside was that the attention and shopping turned their trek, which Alyx said was normally ten to twenty minutes, into almost an hour ordeal. By the time they exited the city proper, Zion was ready to pull his hair. But the view that greeted him stayed his hand.

Planted directly outside the city walls, no more than half a mile away, was a glittering sea. Crystal-clear waters broke up sandy beaches, and waves crashed on a beach dotted with the bodies of civilians and adventurers alike. He could see monsters of all sorts swimming within the pure waters, most ignoring the people all around them and those that didn't got quickly dispatched by waiting warriors.

Those who weren't enjoying the water were busy around the beach. Some collected large shells of vibrant colors, while others busied themselves with the filleting of fish. There was even a section dedicated to skinning various mobs, preparing them for further processing.

Zion's eyes were mostly fixed on the dazzling water, his younger self aching to dive into the depths. “I have to go swimming before I leave here,” he accidentally let the thought slip aloud and saw Alyx grin broadly, his bearing straightening with pride.

“You’ll love it,” Alyx assured him with a sure voice, “And with your power, there should be no issue with any mob.” With a smile still plastered on his face, he led them away from the sight of the water. “Come on, Zion, the water is not going anywhere.” Reluctantly, he followed after Alyx, a part of him still yearning to enter those waves this instant.

The journey inland took less time than the entirety of their city walk, and soon, a swamp greeted them. It was full of murky puddles, teeming with mud and insects. The trees were mangroves if his memory served him right. He was thoroughly happy that he had chosen to stock up on the repellent because having this mud all over him would have killed any joy left in his body.

Alyx kept the lead, his footsteps almost graceful, while Zion struggled to get each step unlogged from the devouring muck. The ordeal got easier as they went, but Zion was not looking forward to months in this type of training environment and cursed Yon’s name internally.

After almost an hour of uncomfortable walking and insect bites, Alyx held a closed fist above his head. Zion got the meaning, and the pair came to a crouching halt.

“Up ahead, four land sharks, probably all standard rank,” Alyx whispered, turning his head towards Zion, “Shouldn't be any issue for us.”

Zion waved his finger back and forth, “For me, you mean.” Alyx looked ready to disagree, so he stopped them before he did. “I want to see your support abilities, and I have a new spell to try out.”

Alyx relaxed at that and nodded his head reluctantly, “Just call out if you need me to step in. I might not be built for combat, but I'm a pretty decent fighter.”

“I don’t doubt that, and you’ll get your chance to show off those skills. I promise. Just let me have these.”

Zion moved forward, getting some distance from Alyx before he raised his hand and targeted the closest land shark. His other hand pulled out a small gem, no bigger than his thumb, and he crushed it. A soft brown light spread over him in waves, and Zion let the spell go. Elemental blitz appeared above the land sharks, dozens of dark brown stones flying forth. They pummeled into the unexpected land shark with no restraint, a few ripping through it entirely.

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It fell as the other three rushed towards the surprise enemy, and Zion pulled out another gem, crushing it instantly. This time, a blue light enveloped him. The ability unleashed a wave of water that impacted the lead land shark in its legs, slicing through them easily before sweeping the others to the ground.

Zion smiled, absolutely loving his new spell. The different elemental types meant he would have so many more variations of attack. He appeared suddenly behind the downed mob and brought his sword down, swiftly dispatching the last two and ending the struggle of the injured one.

Alyx clapped behind him, a satisfied nod accompanying the applause. Zion gave him an exaggerated bow, playing into the elf. “No, please hold your applause, all in a day's work.”

Alyx snorted at the joke, moving forward while pulling out a brown sack, “It was impressive, but not that impressive. Maybe if you had killed Sharptooth, the Legendary land shark, I’d buy your dinner.” He bent down while talking, the mob bodies flying into the ugly brown sack.

“Woah, is that a mob sack?” Zion asked, staring at the bag greedily. He had always wanted one, but spending over a thousand gold on a bag that could only store mob bodies didn't seem frugal.

“Sure is. Got it from my grandpop; been in the family for three generations,” he responded proudly, putting the last body in the bag. “That's why it’s so ugly.”

“Old people wouldn't enjoy being called ugly, Alyx.”

His eyes bulged, and he waved his hands, “That is not what I meant! I was saying that the old people's style was bad.” Zion raised his eyebrows and smiled at that as well. “No, that came out wrong… never mind, please don't tell my papi.”

Zion broke up in laughter, having to hold his chest. If Alyx worked out, he would have two perfect targets between the elf and Beth. Sometimes, the deities really did smile upon him.

They hunted for the rest of the day, filling the mob sack up to capacity and meeting the mission quota two-fold. Zion had let Alyx lead the way for the next few encounters, getting a read on his capabilities and abilities. He was not disappointed.

The first thing that surprised him was how well Alyx handled his staff. What he had taken just to be a tool for increasing spell power turned out to be a deadly instrument in the elf's hands. He twirled the thing like he was born wielding it, flying through his enemies with lethal precision. The best part was he was able to switch from blunt to slashing attacks based on his needs, something Zion lacked himself.

Alyx’s magical prowess didn’t lag behind, and he found the man to be an excellent choice in healer. His shields were instant and seemed to allow channeling, meaning he could increase the strength as needed. He only got to see the healing twice, once on himself, the tear in his skin easily healing, and the second when one of the land sharks had shattered Alyx’s foot. The bones had healed with no deformities, knitting themselves in what was a disturbing wiggling movement.

The best part had been the buffs he was able to supply. Each one boosted a stat, and a few had other benefits, such as the one that increased the force of piercing attacks. These buffs cost him a lot of mana, which meant he would have to be stocked with potions and need time to prepare.

Overall, Zion was pretty thrilled with his performance and didn't regret listening to Eva. He would have to thank her for the connection and ask if she knew any tanks.

The idea of getting a new tank stung. Jura was still fresh in his mind, but Zion had taken time during his month of training to heal. He took that time to think about the loss of both Jura and his father, an ordeal that had led to many teary nights. But he didn't regret a moment of it. Truly meaningful people are worth the tears and the hurt. He wouldn't ever fully heal, but he would carry them with resolve more than sorrow going forth.

When they arrived back at the guild hall, the pair turned in the monster corpses and received the initial payment and an extra reward for exceeding the quota. It wasn’t much compared to what his dungeon delve had garnered him, but it would help with living expenses.

After they left the counter, Alyx looked at him with puppy eyes, “So how’d I do? Did I meet your expectations?” He had asked Zion, a lump building in the elf’s nervous throat.

“I’m sorry Alyx, you didn't,” Zion responded to the elf, shaking his head sadly. He swore the pointy ears dropped at his words, and Alyx bowed his head. “You blew them out of the water.” He got out before the poor kid could start spiraling.

Alyx jumped up and down like a kid in a candy store, his body doing a happy little wiggle. “Oh, thank you, thank you! You won’t regret this. I’ll keep you in tip-top shape!”

“I don’t doubt that for a second, Alyx. Can’t wait till you get to meet Camila and Beth.” He told the ecstatic healer, “Though Camila might eat you alive.”

“That doesn't sound pleasant,” Alyx responded wide-eyed, “I promise I don't taste very good.”

The pair got dinner together, sharing jokes and stories throughout the night. Zion had to admit the elf had an air about him that just made you want to be friendly. He was naive and good-hearted, and Zion wanted to protect him from the world. This feeling became slightly awkward when he learned that Alyx was five years older than him. This meant not only that he was their senior but also that his goddess had told him to wait in this Sphere for five years. Add dedication to the list of his positive qualities.

When they were done with dinner, Zion bade him a good night and said he would return in the morning and discuss the future with him. He also asked that Alyx show him some good mining spots to start replenishing his absorption gems.

Zion hit the sack and was pretty satisfied with the overall day.

Tidus actually accepted him for who he was without him giving some amazing speech. He had found a healer, something they had sorely been lacking, and he was already on the cusp of leveling again.

He wasn’t dreading the next two months as much, and he had Alyx and Tidus to thank for that. He let his head fall to the comfy pillow, dreaming about all the things he had yet to accomplish.