With one esper down and the sun setting about as fast as a pair of trainers falling down a mountainside, the pair needed to start thinking about camp for the night. Powder didn’t stray far from Simon when she wasn’t laying across his neck like a scarf and was little help for scouting out the area alone without having a stronger bond to her trainer, so once June stopped cooing over the frost marten and gawking over Simon’s now icy blue eyes, the two humans split the tasks.
Playing to their strengths, June began setting up camp while he went around and looked for a better site than the small clearing they’d fallen into. Simon trusted June to do a good job, but it would be a little close tonight with her blanket in shreds and only two sleeping bags unless he found some firewood. He didn’t mind the close quarters since he had known June as long as he could remember which, of course, got him thinking about the girl he traveled with.
Simon and June had been inseparable since their mothers found them playing together in a puddle of mud made by June’s mother’s water esper, Charlie. According to the story, the river hound saw Simon looking at plants alone and took the initiative as June cooed about a new bug she’d found. He just walked over, babbled at Simon, picked him up, and plopped him right down to meet the other lonely child. June laughed at him. Simon sneezed at her, and a mud pie later, history became legend in the Tripps household as whatever pact two children could seal while eating mud was done.
Simon chuckled as he picked up some firewood.
Years later, they were still out in the woods, playing with sticks, and hunting for espers. They had been there for each other through everything thick and thin, and there wasn’t much one didn’t know about the other…
No matter how many times Simon told her not to share some things.
Even with a little too much information between them, the two of them still did everything together, but neither wanted to point out the obvious. Neither of them smelled like roses by this point.
Covered in mud, blood, and sweat, it was going to be a long few days for them both if he didn’t find a creek or spring by tomorrow night. Still, the perimeter of their site was good, the mountains were to their back with the snow far, far above the tree line, and the forest seemed empty except for the constant firefly-like light of green elemental wisps.
Powder watched them constantly, but Simon had no interest in her gaining any kind of plant affinity. The two just wouldn’t work well together as frost stifled the growth of nature attributes.
Speaking of…
As they walked, Simon focused on the opal and summoned his partner’s status to learn more about her. It was the one magic a bonded partner was granted to use without their esper.
As his intent drew on the stone, Powder looked at him curiously, raising her head just a bit to give him a once-over before flopping back down like a wet noodle before noticing the hood on his sweatshirt and crawling up into it to act as a lookout.
Simon only chuckled as the information came to life on a blue screen in his vision.
Esper Status
Name: Powder
Species: Adolescent Frost Marten
Esper Type: Bonded Esper
Element: Frost, (Open)
Current Status: Healthy
Codex Status
Deck: 6
Expand?
Spell Start: 4
Draw: 1.5
Merge: 2
Endurance: 10
Ability: Boundless Energy
Powder’s Endurance is increased by 5.
Release Bond? Y/N
Simon whistled. The stats weren’t bad at all for the little girl. She already knew six different spells to call upon and could summon four to choose from when they were in danger. For every two spells he’d cast with her, he’d get three refreshes up to the usual seven an esper could hold in its mind at a time, and she had a merge capacity of two. Only being able to combine two spells at a time for casting wasn’t terrible, but it was in the lower range. If she’d had one, she would have been useless as a duelist’s companion. Basic spells were sometimes powerful, but a single elemental shot was nothing compared to a merged elemental shot, even at two.
Powder’s endurance was a major selling point. Powder could call upon her power ten times a day before needing to visit a mana well or take a long rest to recoup. On a normal day without combat or extreme efforts, she could spend a massive amount of energy before becoming fatigued as well. If you factored in her small size and her ability, she would be a force to be reckoned with if she were trained properly, and when it came time to evolve to the next stage, Powder would be an absolute nightmare in the right hands with the right elements at her disposal.
Mentally nudging the expand next to deck, he read her learned spells:
Deck: 6
Elemental Shot
Form of Snow
Winter Blast
Agility
Terrain Hazard
Blizzard
Most of the spells were variants of the ones he’d seen over again. Elemental Shot was a basic spell every esper knew in one form or another. It was nothing more than a blast of elemental energy. Form of Snow would be a full-body modification spell that gave him some sort of attribute or resistance like Form of Fire did. Winter Blast was where his expertise started to falter. From the name, Simon figured it was probably the second tier of elemental shot or some sort of deterrent against an attacker like Terrain Hazard. In his experience, the Terrain Hazard spell did something to the ground or put something into the air to make the environment less than hospitable to their opponents. Agility would give him speed, and Blizzard was probably a stronger winter blast. He’d have to check in the Esperpedia later.
By the time he got back to the camp, June already had a roaring fire going in record time. He was thankful for that. While he didn’t feel the cold as deeply as he did before meeting Powder, the night was starting to bite deeper, and that fire would keep the wild espers at bay. His bond would also work for her, allowing her body to be closer to the warmth of the fire without hurting her.
“Nice job,” Simon said as he settled in near the fire. “Warm and toasty…”
June shushed him, and he winced.
Though neither of them said it, they both knew they couldn’t deal with a pack of white wolves and a greater esper of frost if they came calling. As Simon thought about it, he made a mental note to call it in once they settled down. Hopefully, it wouldn’t ruin June’s chances of getting an esper if he used the SOS app.
That was when he noticed her lap and the fact it was… cooing?
“June…” Simon said slowly. Powder peeked her head out of his hood and looked over his shoulder curiously.
“Yes?”
“What is that…?”
She looked up from the mass and smiled as her hand ran through the black, wispy mass. “His name’s Phantom. He was nosing around the camp, so I offered him some honey drops to be my esper.”
Simon took a few moments to process what he was seeing. Then satisfied with what he’d seen, he rolled his eyes and groaned. “Of course, you did. A shadow…”
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
“It’s a shadowquill,” she helpfully offered as the quills bent around her fingers like tiny snakes before returning to their straight, sharp, needle-like appearance. “At least, it’s between that and a woodchuck of some kind. Woodchucks have quills, right?”
Woodchucks did not have quills, Simon remembered from their History of Species class.
“A shadowquill, a rare esper type and species for the region, just so happens to find its way to the camp, just so happens to have a sweet tooth, and you just so happen to have just the kind of candy it likes.”
June shrugged. “Sounds about right.”
“I fall down a mountain and nearly get frozen by mine, and yours comes to you for candy and a warm lap?”
She paused for a moment as if considering that and pipped out her response. “Yep. I do have a great lap.”
Simon sighed. “Sometimes, June, I wonder if you really are the protagonist in our story.”
“I told you, I’m the one people come for.” The way she grinned, he was surprised there wasn’t some brown marring that smile.
“Oh, there are people now?” Simon asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Of course.” June shrugged as nonchalantly as possible with a porcupine in her lap. “You wouldn’t know them. They’re very important, Simon.”
“Oh? And I’m not?” The eye roll that followed those words was so intense that there was a chance of him going blind.
“I mean compared to them…” she began, taking her fingers up to begin counting as if to stake stock of the situation. “You’re, like, sort of important. A solid seven, at least.”
“Ha, ha,” Simon said, going to his bag and starting to rummage. Finding his jerky stash, he split it between Power and himself. “Are you done yet?” he asked through a mouth of dried meat.
“No,” she said, taking out a small foil pan and holding it over the fire. “But I’ll be done for the sake of our friendship.”
“To the power of friendship,” he said, raising his slice of jerky towards her popping foil treat. In his merriment, Powder skittered from the hood, up his arm, and began freezing the ration. “Hey! No, bad Powder!”
———
Simon and June talked for a little bit and compared their espers. Compared to Powder, June’s Phantom was a bit more average for an umbral esper as she shared his information for an evaluation.
Esper Status
Name: Phantom
Species: Adolescent Shadowquill
Esper Type: Bonded Esper
Element: Umbral, (Open)
Current Status: Tired
Codex Status
Deck: 5
Expand?
Spell Start: 7
Draw: 1
Merge: 3
Endurance: 8
Ability: Bathe in Darkness
Any attacks made by Phantom are umbral in addition to all other types.
Like most umbral espers, they had a lot of spells to call at any time but took a while to recharge. Most of them disabled their opponents before ending them, so it wasn’t necessary to recharge. What surprised Simon the most was that Phantom’s Spell Start was higher than the deck itself. That was rare in itself and meant June would always have all of her spells any time she needed them and at least two doubles to Merge with. Their spells though…
Deck: 5
Quill Shot
Form of Shadows
Coat of Quills
Blinding Shadow
Terrain Hazard
According to the spells, their only offensive ability was Quill Shot. All of the others were strictly defensive or retaliatory in nature. The information made June deflate a bit as they both knew what it meant. Neither would say it aloud, but her chances of being a duelist were dropping by the moment.
As the firelight danced in the darkness and the popcorn finished popping, the two set the night’s watch. Simon took the first watch while June conked out under the thermal blanket. The soft white light of his phone glowed even in the firelight as Simon began his report to the regional chat rather than the SOS. His name had been surprisingly updated already, as had June’s. Instead of just reading ‘Simon’ in gray, his name had been turned white and had his designation on it as T5, a tier five esper trainer. His heart swelled, but he tried not to let it go to his head as he reported their findings.
Simon (T5): Possible incursion event in the mountains of the Northern Range about three or four hours from Point Alpha. There’s a pack of white wolves and at least one greater white wolf. No one was hurt, but they seem to be extremely territorial. Might be a Full Incursion. Avoid it at all costs. They are not friendly.
With that done, Simon reread the message before hitting send. When it appeared in the regional chat, there was a quick response from a familiar face.
Ranger Roy (Silver): Thank you for the report, Simon, and congratulations to you and June on your successful find. I’ll buy you guys dinner when you get to town. We’re dispatching a group of Iron and Silvers to the Great Northern Range Now. Regional Report will be updated upon confirmation. Did you get pictures?
Simon (T5): Was too busy not dying.
Ranger Roy (Silver): Confirmed. Take care.
He skimmed the local population for any of the other trainers, but the majority were still gray at the end of the first day. It didn’t surprise him though. Most trainers were picky and would be looking for more than just an elemental preference. They’d be watching them for tells and hunts at their abilities before they make their choice to approach. Simon knew he could work with just about any esper and would have gone above and beyond if he’d gotten any fog or frost esper. Thankfully, he didn’t have to worry about that as much as he’d imagined.
To his surprise, one of the group was upgraded to a T5 as well. Austin. Of all the people he’d met, that boy had the potential to be a great breeder if his esper was up to the hard work.
Good for him, Simon thought. He loved when hard workers got their rewards. Feeling a bit more pep in his step, he opened the basic messenger app and reported to Ranger Gabs.
Simon: June and I have our espers. We set up camp for the night, so we’re checking in. We’re safe.
For a long while, there was no response. Usually, the rangers replied quickly when they were messaged, and it was only ten o’clock. When he was sure that a response wouldn’t come, he clicked the screen off and fed a few twigs to the fire. The fire devoured them, and he kept a steady stream going to keep himself busy.
It was almost a half hour before a reply finally came.
Ranger Gabriella: Confirmation picture and species?
Simon figured they’d have to confirm it, so he took a picture of the sleeping June and her Phantom, then flipped the camera around to get a headshot of himself and Powder. Each image filled the screen as Simon attached them and added the required information before sending it.
Again, there was a long pause before the ranger responded.
Ranger Gabriella: Espers confirmed. Congratulations. Return to camp when you can.
Simon: Gotcha.
And that was it.
“Huh. Thought there’d be more to it.”
For a long while, Simon looked at the screen, expecting some emoji, another message, or even a picture of the smiling local ranger. Nothing came through no matter how much he willed it, but then again, she did have a job to do tonight.
With that in mind, Simon put the phone away and reached a hand up to scratch at Powder’s head. The small creature nuzzled into the hand, happy for the attention as she grabbed on with both paws and began scampering down his arm like it was just another plaything before making her way back to his hood. She seemed to like it there quite a bit.
For the next few hours, everything was quiet. The shadows didn’t move, the forest chirped and sang with the sounds of the night, and all was right with the world as Powder fell asleep in the cradle of his hood. For a long while, he did nothing else but listen to the forest, and when June’s turn came, Simon toyed with the idea of letting her sleep through it. He discarded that though when he realized they’d be terrible for walking the next morning if he slept past noon. She awoke easily, stretching like a cat before vacating the bed to Simon.
“Wake me if there are problems.”
“Nah,” June said, putting a few more sticks on the fire. “I’ll just let you die peacefully.”
“You’re so thoughtful.”
“I know.”
———
The morning came quicker than Simon thought possible. It seemed only a few moments ago that he’d closed his eyes and put his head against a pillow made from June’s backpack. With a yawn, he stretched himself out and sat up.
“Morning,” June yawned, lacking her usual enthusiasm that rose with the sun.
“Morning,” Simon replied as he worked a kink out of his shoulder. “I take it we survived.”
“No, we both died. We’re just ghosts that still have to wake up.”
“You’ve lost your touch.”
“I’ll get it back once I get some coffee back at camp.”
“You sure you don’t want to—“
“Simon… so help me, if you keep me from my coffee, I will drag you back up that mountain and throw you to the wolves.”
He rolled his eyes at her, she flipped him off, and the dynamics of friendship continued without interruption.
Even without a bed and exposure to the world at large, Simon was enjoying the trip. For being out in the wilderness, it wasn’t so bad.
After the morning rituals were complete, Powder was at his shoulder chittering away about something while Phantom had taken up residence in June’s backpack. The shadowquill was perfectly fine being as unsocial as possible while the frost marten kept examining everything it could get its little frosted paws upon. Simon had to protect his phone more than once as she found his way into any pocket he had.
Just because you were issued your espertech phone when you turned ten, didn’t mean they were easy to repair or maintain. It was just one of those things everyone had for protection and to start learning responsibility. The thought of its upgrade began dancing in his head not long after he placed the phone back into his front pocket rather than his back. Once he got home and his new profession was confirmed, each official trainer would be given an upgrade to their phones. Simon could practically taste the Attribute Scanner and its expansion app.
Still, no matter how excited he got, Simon found himself giving June sidelong glances when he could spare it from their walk. He wasn’t going to argue that Phantom was an excellent find, but if all it had was a defensive-based load out, it was going to take a lot of time, effort, and resources into getting its codex into true fighting shape. If she didn’t present herself right or failed any part of the practical they decided to give…
“It’ll be fine,” June said, putting her hands behind her head as they walked.
“What?”
“You’re worried about me getting to be a duelist, right?”
Simon winced, had he been that obvious? “Sorry.”
“Don’t be.” She grinned as they stopped to talk for a moment. “I can take care of myself, Simon.”
“I never said you couldn’t,” he argued.
“Ah, but you implied it, my friend. Phantom and I will be able to get that position no matter what they throw at us. Worse comes to worst, I don’t really know what other position they could put us in. Umbral espers don’t have many practical jobs outside of combat. I mean there’s always work in appropriations and redistribution.”
Simon paused for a minute as that grin of hers grew.
“No. Bad June,” Simon groaned. June seemed to consider that for a moment before Simon added. “No thievery.”
“You’re no fun, Simon.”
“I’m plenty of fun. Thanks.”
“You’re the thief stealing all our fun.”
And so, the bickering continued for almost half an hour before their phone began to blare.
Someone nearby had sounded the SOS.
Pulling out the device, Simon nearly dropped it when he saw the message.
Emergency!
SOS Issued by Ranger Gabriella (Silver)
Esper Trial Camp One: Point Alpha has been overrun.
Greater Energy Esper sighted.
Fire Espers in league.
The siren repeated three times message before becoming plastered on their screen. Opening the app, Simon checked the region chat and saw it frightening blank. Somehow, the regional chat was grayed out.
They were on their own.
June took one look at him, and he gave her the nod. That was all it took before the two of them began to run towards camp, putting thoughts of any more exploration to bed.