Ethan expected some kind of fanfare when he summoned Revan, his Legendary Guardian Familiar, but instead it was lightning quick, and almost subtle. A burst of energy seemed to pour from his Bond Rune, and suddenly the beast was simply there, walking calmly next to the tall oxsteed, looking up at him.
The Familiar was changed from what Ethan had seen. The most obvious difference was the size, as Revan was about as big as a wolf now, rather than a small building. His colors had shifted as well, now being primarily black, with red stripes, very much in contrast to the deep orange and white that had made him seem so tiger-like before.
He still had multiple tails, though there were only three, rather than the dozen or so flailing whips he’d possessed. His horns remained as well, but were shorter, and less threatening. With his small red mane, he certainly could be considered related to his Twilight counterpart, but not so closely as to be immediately apparent. Still, Ethan decided walking through town with him might be tempting fate.
“Hey buddy,” he said, hopping down from his mount and holding his hand out. Ethan wasn’t sure if petting the legendary creature was wrong somehow, but he still remembered the feel of the beast’s fur under his hands while he used his healing, and felt a need to feel that contact again.
Revan surprised him by pushing up against Ethan like a cat, leaning his impressive weight hard into Ethan’s chest and rumbling with deep, contented sounds. “Good to see you too,” he said, feeling the familiar, soft coat.
“This seems…sacrilegious somehow,” Maggie said.
“No,” Valanor said, surprising Ethan. “Theirs is a True Bond. If I didn’t believe it before, I do now.” They’d all halted to watch the display, and respectfully gave the two a few moments to get acquainted. Glenn even summoned his own gray, dog-like Familiar, who began playing with Revan, the two running into grass next to the field to chase one another.
“Be nice, Kit!” Glenn called, then Valanor indicated they should move again.
“Are they going to be okay out there?” Ethan asked, enjoying seeing his Familiar happy after only knowing it as the target of a brutal Hunt.
“They’re in little danger, and can easily be recalled,” Valanor said, then turned to Ethan in his saddle. “But that leads to an important lesson. Familiars are powerful companions in combat, but they are also a liability. If defeated, they’ll retreat back into your soul, and you’ll lose access to their abilities until they’ve recovered.”
“That’s the best way to win a fight against other Hunters,” Glenn said. “If you can bait them into bringing one out, then take it down, a third of their power is gone like that,” he snapped his fingers.
Valanor turned a glare on the other knight. “Of course, you shouldn’t be facing other Hunters,” then he sighed. “Though it is best to be prepared,” he conceded. “Speaking of, summon your other Familiar, and tell me of its ability.”
Right… “So about that,” Ethan said awkwardly. “You remember those rifts we encountered in the mountain?” Valanor nodded, eyes narrowing. “Well, when I got sucked through that one with you, I kind of found their source. It was an egg…and I Bonded it.”
“What?” Valanor said, at the same time Maggie snorted and said, “You can’t Bond an egg.”
“I didn’t have a lot of choices!” Ethan insisted. “I appeared in a sealed room. No door, even. Just a glowing egg on an altar. My system said the creature inside was dying, but I could Bond with it. So I did, and it gave me a teleportation power.” All the knights turned to look at him at that revelation.
“Those are…exceptionally rare,” Glenn said. “There aren’t supposed to be any monsters in Viridus who grant them. What exactly was in that egg?”
“A…uh, dimensional type,” Ethan replied, not sure if this was going to lead to another fun visit to the king.
“Those are rare,” Glenn said, nodding. “They’re only supposed to be in Terranovus. What kind was it exactly?”
Terranova again? I need to know more about that place. “Nothing too fancy,” he said, feeling Valanor’s glare on him. “I think it was called a Dimension Devourer,” he added casually.
Surprisingly, no one panicked. “I haven’t heard of that one,” Glenn said after considering. “Not a surprise really, they might know more in Terranovus.”
Ethan let out a nervous breath. Looking around he realized the road they were on was now descending, and the green fields were giving way to some kind of swampland. “I was worried the name might be alarming,” he admitted.
Valanor barked a laugh. “Not if it came out of that kingdom,” he said. “They have a number of exports, but none so plentiful as melodrama. It’s not like your Familiar actually eats dimensions.” Ethan thought about the surge of power he felt when the knights had sealed the rift on his way to the capital, and chuckled awkwardly.
“Either way, I don’t think I can summon it. It’s still in the egg–I kept it in my inventory.”
“You can’t Bond an egg,” Maggie repeated, shaking her head as she steered the wagon.
“She’s right,” Glenn confirmed. The second you Bonded the thing, it went into your soul. If it was dying though, it probably needs to be exposed to its element before it’ll wake up. I’ve seen it before. Bonding unhatched monsters is a pretty common practice, especially if the egg is damaged.”
“We’ll find a few rift notices when we return to the city,” Valanor said. “After we’ve awakened your Soul Rune.”
That’s comforting, Ethan thought, then looked down at his runes. It was a little more difficult to swap to his dimension Bond, but imagining the blue-white light of a rift did the trick. Immediately he felt Revan disappear, and Glenn’s Familiar Kit whined a little before returning to its own master.
Ethan’s ability to create unstable rifts was accessible again, though he had no interest in playing with it right now. Instead, he practiced switching back and forth between the two until it began to feel natural. By the time he was getting the hang of it, he realized they were completely surrounded by swamp land.
“Is this where we’re supposed to be?” he asked.
“Fire Swamp,” Valanor called back from the lead. “The monsters here rarely leave, so they’re almost exclusively used for Hunting. We’re looking for an ignarana. It’s something like a giant, fire spitting frog.”
Ethan began looking around. The swamp was foggy, and humid, and smelled a bit like rot. It was mostly tall reeds, and short trees, with streams and ponds shifting into marshy areas all around them. The road was impressively well maintained, if small. It was raised up a couple of feet out of the water, and covered in a layer of small stones. The group had to move in a single column, with the wagon behind.
It soon became apparent why it was called the Fire Swamp, as the stench of methane reached Ethan’s nose. “I take it we need to be careful using flame abilities in this place,” he said, and Valanor nodded.
“I was debating whether to mention it, or enjoy the show,” he said back. Ethan smirked, then resumed looking for their prey. Several times he thought he saw monsters, either ducking out of sight behind reeds, or disappearing under water. Ultimately though, Glenn had to call Kit once more, the gray beast–looking a bit like a cane corso–bounded off, sniffing the ground.
It still took a half hour before Kit growled, then returned to its master. “Up ahead,” Glenn said, pointing to a mound in the center of a nearby pond. Ethan quick-changed into his armor, and removed his spear from his inventory, then took out something he was excited to try.
The bandolier of knives fit comfortably around his left thigh, a gift he’d looted from Revan when they Bonded. Now that his system was upgraded, he’d been able to identify its function.
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Infernal Bandolier (Dawn Rank)
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Throwing knives that replenish over time. Knives replenish more or less rapidly depending on the damage they deal. Knives may be imbued with specific abilities. [Special Effect] Abilities normally restricted to melee can maintain their charge when used at range.
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Ethan grinned. It didn’t all seem to apply to him, but given he hadn’t found any playing cards for sale in town, these would make an excellent method of utilizing [Volatile Infusion]. The bad news was that he didn’t have any experience with throwing knives, but the good news was that he shouldn’t need it, given these ones would explode.
Valanor had already halted the column, and the well trained mounts remained still as the group gathered. “I want you to try to handle this on your own,” the shield knight said. “We won’t let you die, but making your own mistakes now, with us as support, is far better than in less controlled circumstances.”
Ethan was surprised, but Valanor seemed to be in a constant struggle between desperation to keep the Chosen alive, and not wanting to coddle him. “Okay, I’m on board to try. What should I know?” he asked.
“Check the bestiary that Kenji gave you. That should become standard practice, especially for someone who knows so little about this world.” Ethan nodded, though it felt uncomfortably like he’d just been told to ‘Google it’.
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Ignarana (Fire Frog, Common)
Often found in swamps and other hot, wet climates, full grown ignarana can weigh up to 200lbs. They are slow, unless underwater, possessing only a single set of legs, and a large tail, which they use for attacks. They are also capable of breathing out a combustible gas, which they may ignite with simple fire attacks.
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“Okay, I think I get it,” he said. “Do I have to do anything to make sure Revan unlocks an ability when I kill it?”
“Just make sure your Familiar is summoned before you loot the thing,” Valanor said.
“Also, try not to fight it in the water,” Maggie said, arms crossed.
Ethan glanced at the swamp, realizing he had no idea how deep it was. “Good call, thanks,” he said, and she nodded. Excited and a little nervous, Ethan followed the gravel road a little farther, until he was as close to the creature as he could get while staying dry.
His spear was far too short to reach the deep green lump, so he took out one of his daggers, then channeled Flare. “Volatile Infusion,” he whispered, and the long, steel dagger began to glow with a red and purple light.
Despite knowing it wouldn’t trigger by accident, it still immediately felt like he was holding a live grenade, and he hurled it in panic. It easily traveled the fifteen or so feet to smack into the lump–handle first–which instantly caused the dagger to explode in a burst of fiery power.
Two thoughts occurred to Ethan during that instant. First, he very much should have tested this ability to determine how big the explosion was. Second, holy shit that was awesome. Fortunately the distance was great enough that he wasn’t harmed, the burst of fire and energy being contained to a sphere a little smaller than a person.
It had the desired effect, as the huge frog burst out of the water, letting out a groaning roar that was amusingly similar to an angry ribbit. Standing on two thick front legs, the water barely past its knees, it seemed to evaluate Ethan with two tiny eyes on top of its very flat, frog face. The heavy, dark green tail flicked back and forth in the water behind it, making the creature look like it was still half-tadpole.
Ethan tried to maintain the momentum, hurling another Volatile dagger at the creature, but it used its massive legs to bound out of the water, landing on the road in a burst of rocks and dirt. The knife exploded harmlessly in the water, creating a small geyser as Ethan turned to face his opponent, spear at the ready.
He took on the pose his mind told him was correct, point forward, body sideways, weapon balanced. He nearly dropped the thing, though, when a massive pink tongue fired forward, and Ethan fell backward in surprise. He rolled to the side by instinct as the ignarana tried to leap on top of him, revealing a row of blunt teeth.
Ethan just barely held on to his spear, and beat at the creature–which was about waist height–like an old lady chasing a mouse with a broom. Shockingly that turned out to be ineffective, and the thick tail crashed into him a moment later, sending him sprawling to the ground once more.
Scrambling and pulling himself up, he palmed a handful of stones as he heard the beast thump while turning around behind him. Hoping that the size of the object affected the size of the explosion, Ethan used [Volatile Infusion], then chucked the charged stones while diving away.
Three small booms went off in rapid succession, and the frog let out a horrible pained croak. Ethan again scrambled to his feat, unhurt, though he’d felt the heat of the blasts this time. Looking back, he saw that the frog’s face was scorched, and one eye was closed, but it was far less injured than he hoped.
“You just used a fire attack against a fire monster in a wet swamp!” Glenn called, and Ethan groaned. Valid points.
Readying his spear, and wary of surprise tongues, he charged. The frog leaped to get away from him, but the missing eye meant depth perception was compromised, and the spearpoint lanced into the creature. The momentum of the beast’s jump only made the injury worse, savagely tearing the spear downward though its soft underbelly.
The frog landed a dozen paces back, groaning again as blood poured from the wound. That’s a good lesson, Ethan thought, magic powers are awesome, but everyone hates getting stabbed by sharp things. Confidence restored, Ethan charged again, spear held tight and aiming for the same spot.
The creature didn’t try to jump, though, instead opening its mouth enormously wide, and spewing a sickly green gas out in front of it. Ethan desperately skidded to a stop, then dove to the side as the frog snapped its teeth shut, creating a hail of sparks, and igniting the gas cloud.
This explosion put Ethan’s to shame, the shockwave sending him crashing into the swamp. He came up sputtering, not sure where his spear had landed. His head hurt, but he’d managed to avoid the worst parts of the blast. He tried to stand, only for his legs to sink deep into the mud beneath him. When he looked up in panic, the frog was gone.
“Ethan,” Maggie called loudly, and he looked at her in confusion. “You’re in the water.”
His eyes widened in understanding, but he had no time to react before the frog burst out of the swamp in front of him, crashing into his chest. He felt the cold water rush over him, his back squishing into the thick mud beneath him. He swatted uselessly at the thick, ropey legs that held him down, but it was like pulling against slimy wet trees.
His lungs were starting to burn, and he could just barely make out the form of the creature above him through the muddy water. Bubbles drifted slowly upward as he thrashed and coughed. Ethan could feel his body slowing, his eyes bulging and the panic setting in. Are you really giving up? Dean’s voice whispered.
He never felt alone when he imagined Dean speaking to him, and that thought reminded him of a truth his oxygen starved mind had ignored. I’m really not alone. More bubbles rose to the surface as he used the last of his air to speak into the dark water. “Revan.”
The weight was suddenly thrown from him, and Ethan burst out of the water, coughing and spitting up mud as he desperately inhaled warm, reeking air. It tasted like the sweetest summer breeze. Looking over, he saw his Familiar scratching and biting at the frog, ravaging it with sharp claws and deadly teeth.
Ethan could barely stand, but he forced himself to his feet. Glancing at the road, he saw the three knights at the edge of the swamp, poised to help him. “I–” he coughed up more mud. “I got this!” he managed to yell, waving them back. He turned to his familiar and the surprisingly deadly frog.
“Alright Kermit, let’s finish this,” he muttered, starting to wade slowly forward. Things escalated, however, when the larger monster managed to throw Revan backward into the swamp. Ethan recalled his Familiar when he saw the frog begin to exhale the familiar gas.
“Not this time,” he whispered, quickly drawing three daggers. “Volatile Infusion…” he said, feeling the power flowing into them. He was only a half dozen paces from the frog this time, and when he threw the blades they were all on target, right in the middle of the monster’s enormous round mouth.
Ethan smiled as he let himself fall backward, catching a quick glimpse of the frog suddenly snapping its maw shut. Too late, he thought, sending a mental command to his three projectiles. As the water closed over him again, everything lit up. The gas inside the creature created a massive fireball as it exploded, washing over the swamp.
He was still short of breath, so Ethan didn’t wait long before emerging from the water. He was treated to the sight of the remaining half of the monster slumped over in front of him. Thank you Legend of Zelda, he thought. There wasn’t much more than a thick tail at this point, but he hoped it would be enough.
“Hurry,” Valanor called out. “It’ll disappear soon.”
Revan was there in an instant, half walking, half doggy-paddling over to the dead creature. As the telltale sparkles of light began to dissipate, the Familiar placed its paw on the remains, and began to glow slightly. Ethan felt a responding pulse in his chest, and glanced down to see his Bond Rune grow slightly, twisting to create another small branch.
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Attention: You have unlocked a new [Flare] Ability!
New Ability: [Internal Combustion]
Type: Flare, Debuff, Damage of Time
For a small ongoing mana cost, you may apply an instance of [Internal Combustion] with each successful melee attack. Targets afflicted with [Internal Combustion] will take a small amount of Fire damage, and become more susceptible to Fire and Lightning attacks. Additional hits will apply more instances of this affliction, and refresh existing instances.
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Ethan smiled, before looting the frog with a touch, and dismissing his familiar. He only received coins this time, which were more than enough after attaining a new ability. He slowly pulled himself out of the water, the grin never fading, and approached the knights.
Valanor looked at him, covered in blood and muck, then shook his head. “You dropped your spear.”