Shingle City was incredible! Brand didn’t have to be there long to figure that out. He wasn’t the most social person in the world, and when he was he liked to stick to small groups, not the large crowds clamouring and clattering their way around the streets. But there was a certain bustling energy about the place, a certain something that he found he liked quite a lot, once he thought about it.

There were so many young people! He hadn’t noticed the lack of it before, but Cabletown certainly didn’t have an age distribution like this. The youth there were few and far between, and often on the way to their mundane job. It was slow there.

Here it was fast, and he could feel the electric touch of danger just around every corner. Not the danger of Cabletown, which would slowly grind you into nothing, where fear was built into you via social ostracisation. In Shingle City the danger was an undercurrent of violence combined with excitement, and the feeling of wanting more - greed, desire, emotions of taking that spurred one into action.

Brand was completely taken in by it. He walked past grand houses and he wanted to live there, to figure out what made the people here tick, to accumulate power and levels and energy and… find like minded people that wanted as he did, as he suddenly realised that he always had and just hadn’t been able to express it before.

It was a strange thought, but he felt like he could be free here, despite all the people hemming him in as his little party made their way to the College that Ravena worked at. She was a student working to become a proper scholar, and her supervisor was a professor there.

He thought that was very cool. And it was obviously working for her. She’d got herself a Databeast. She got to go on missions investigating ruins. She had a place in Shingle City.

Brand wondered what it was that he wanted. Once he found Kelvin and Ember, what would he want to do? Now that Brand realised that he wanted things, that he yearned for so many experiences and achievements and glory, he felt like he might overwhelm his friends both new and old if he spoke his mind.

He felt overwhelmed himself.

Marius had left them after getting them into the city. The man wanted to get back to Quartz Creek, but he’d made sure that the group had got into Shingle City before leaving. He’d had a fairly emotional goodbye with Rosie outside the walls, but it was nothing compared to the outburst Rosie’s mother had had when the girl had finally left Quartz Creek, even if they’d be going back there soon. They were mainly in Shingle City to attune their element stones and to try and gather some information, and luckily they could do that in the same place. The College.

The College had a lab attached to it. That was part of the reason they were going there. Ravena’s supervisor would be able to help them attune their element stones very easily and cheaply and Ravena herself would get her Databeast checked up on in the lab after. Brand felt his medium-grade fire element stone against his wrist. He felt the hot energy flowing into his veins. Soon it would be there permanently, permeating his body.

He hadn’t been sure he wanted that to happen, before. He obviously wanted a medium grade stone - who didn't? And fire was a very cool element. And that it was a gift from one of his dearest friends? Of course he’d attune the stone, no question about it. But he’d always thought there’d be some level of doubt in his mind when it came to actually attuning it, some doubt as to whether fire was really his element. Not earth? Not wind? Water? Even cosmic? It would be so long until he could attune another element stone, after all. Ten levels. That was bound to take a while.

But now that he was close to actually going through with the attunement there was no doubt in his mind. Fire was the element for him. He wanted that fire stone attuned so that he would be the same as Ember and Kelvin, and he couldn’t wait to get it done and go Databeast hunting. To see what he could do with it. And when he got a fire Databeast from a Databeast egg, well he was sure it would be cool as anything.

While distracted by thinking about Databeasts, he almost walked into one. A large green humanoid bunny creature was on the road, following behind its tamer. He was almost mesmerised by all the sights. He’d seen more tamed Databeasts here than he had in his whole life! Tommen and Rosie were looking equally amazed, but Ravena didn’t bat an eyelid as she escorted them through the city.

Just another thing that made her seem cool to Brand. But then she also had a Databeast of her own. Brand wondered how great it would feel to be walking down this street if he, Tommen and Rosie all had Databeasts beside them.

Or, he wondered, would it just feel mundane? Surely not. The sense of accomplishment was almost intoxicating now when he thought of it, let alone when it actually became real. It would surely take a long time before the feeling lost its power and faded into the background.

Brand would also get proper, full time access to his stats. He’d seen them before every so often at a check up, whenever he did his routine visits to the lab in Cabletown. But now he’d have them available for access at any moment of his life. Get proper access to his system.

He wondered if he would check his stats a lot, or micromanage them. The medium grade fire stone ought to boost his stats a lot, more than Tommen or Rosie could expect. He wondered if they'd notice. It would be obvious to the professor whilst doing the attunement, but the lab meetings were always highly confidential so there’d be no way for Tommen or Rosie to know. Still, Brand had decided he would tell them after.

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Partly for the sake of honesty, and wanting his friends to know about his business. He still felt bad about lying to Tommen on the first night they got out of Cabletown. He’d told Rosie he had a low grade stone too. It wasn’t a nice feeling. Medium grade element stones were just worth so much, he knew he couldn't be telling everyone he met that he had one. But partly he also wanted to tell the two because he’d be having their back and they’d be having his. At least he hoped Rosie would after finding out he’d lied to her again. Those two deserved - needed - to know all of his capabilities and what they could expect from him.

He hoped it would be a lot. He hoped he could do a lot for them. Tommen’s goals were lofty, but Brand knew he could get there. As for Rosie, he didn’t know what she wanted. But maybe he could help her find out.

They arrived at the College, and Brand found the building very impressive. It wasn’t quite imposing, as it wasn’t particularly large, but it had a lofty grandeur to it. There were a lot of grounds around it with trees dotted about, but the figure of the college cut through all that with its beautiful architecture.

A rusty red colour permeated the flat building, though several little spires were tipped with black at the tops. Gothic pillars seemed to stretch the whole of the way around the building, and as they approached Brand saw that small Databeast reliefs were carved all over the walls. On the roof larger gargoyles and grotesques of various Databeasts looked down on them. Brand recognised a number of the Databeasts they had fought, including the bull-like Authorn, the Thunderkiwi, and a leering Chiroptenor, the bat-like Databeast that had attacked him under the influence of the Anugent.

Brand felt like a real adventurer. But there were so many Databeast carvings that he didn’t recognise yet, which humbled him. It was still a nice feeling though, to have taken the first steps on a journey and still have so far to go.

The door to the College opened smoothly, and a receptionist nodded as Ravena entered. She nodded back.

“Just down here.” Ravena told them, and led the way.

The place was a little musty and smelled like old books. The hard stone floor had worn down over time, and provided a satisfying sound when hit by the adventurers boots. People seemed busy with a quiet focus whenever they passed them. All in all, Brand felt he had a great first impression of the place.

There was a certain sense of quaint serenity intermingled with the grandiosity of the building.

They passed through several hallways until they found Ravena’s supervisor. Through a large glass window, Brand could see he was in a small office room with comfortable chairs. The professor was sitting in a big green armchair, and three other people were sat around him. Two of them were around Brand’s age, and another a little older. It looked like they were having an animated discussion. When the professor saw them he raised a hand in acknowledgement to Ravena, who gave him a brief wave back. The people in the room looked over, but quickly returned to their talk.

The people in the office room continued talking for a couple more minutes whilst Ravena explained that the professor was giving a lesson, and that the College was much more about one-on-one discussions and teaching through mentorship than the typical lessons that Brand and Tommen would have had in school, where thirty or more students would have been attended by one teacher with a strict lesson plan.

Soon enough, the three students filed out and said their greetings to the assembled adventurers before they were on their way.

The professor stood at the door, a pleasant smile upon his face. His name was Theodore Dalton, Ravena had told them. Brand was surprised at his appearance. He was somewhat short, skinny and balding with blond hair, but he wasn’t at all as old as Brand had expected him to be. When Ravena mentioned a professor Brand had thought of an old man doddering about, powerful in spirit but not in body. Possibly with a big beard or dramatic moustache.

On the contrary to the image in Brand's head, this man was probably in his late 40s, clean shaven, and there was a certain spring in the way he walked and a certain heaviness to his posture that made him seem both robust and spry. To his credit he was wearing a waistcoat, dress shirt and suit-trousers, so he did fit that aspect of Brand’s expectations.

“Ravena!” He said warmly and extended a hand.

“Master Dalton.” She said, grasping it.

“I got your message, and am excited to hear of your progress. But first, introduce me to your companions.” Professor Dalton said.

“Of course. This is Tommen and Brand from Cabletown, and Rosie from Quartz Creek. They were all hoping to attune their element stones today.”

“Not a problem-” The professor started, but Ravena hadn’t finished speaking.

“And this.” Ravena said as bright light rapidly began to coalesce into a round Databeast with four stubby legs and a mohawk mane, right into her arms. The light was reflected in the glittering eyes of Professor Dalton, as they grew wide and he smiled. “Is Clerk.” She finished.

“Well done!” He applauded. “That’s quite the little beauty! A Ruffmutt if I’m not mistaken.” The professor put out a hand and the dog Databeast smelled it a little before rubbing his face into it. Professor Dalton began to scratch it behind the ears.

“Thank you, Professor.” Ravena beamed.

“Now I really want to hear about what you’ve been up to. We should celebrate. But first I’m anxious to get in the lab and give this little one a proper analysis, see what it can do. And of course get your companions attuned. Who would like to go first?” Professor Dalton asked.

As soon as the professor said that, something clicked in Brand's mind and he realised something.

“I know these guys have been waiting a long time to get attuned, so I don’t mind going after them.” Ravena told him.

Brand could see Tommen and Rosie were about to speak, but he knew he needed to get in edgewise and say his piece first. “Actually if it’s all the same to you, I wanted to talk to Tommen and Rosie about something private anyway. So it would be okay with me if you went first.” He wanted to tell Tommen and Rosie that he had a medium grade element stone before he’d got it attuned, not after. It would have felt like a betrayal otherwise. The two looked at him surprised, but then agreed.

“Ooh. Mysterious, how exciting.” Ravena laughed. “I’ll go first then.”

“Wonderful.” Said the professor. He gestured to the office. “If you’d rather sit there instead of standing around here, then please make yourself at home. My lab is just down the hall if you need anything, you can’t miss it.” He led Ravena down the corridor.

Tommen and Rosie looked at him expectantly. He walked into the office and sat down on one of the three chairs surrounding the armchair. It was quite comfortable. The other two followed him in, closed the door behind them and took the other seats.

Brand looked at them and didn’t quite know where to start. He suddenly realised he was nervous.