“Almost there… just the last few lines to go…” I tense up and increase my concentration as I have been struggling with this infernal puzzling mini game for this gear station. I not only had to figure out and connect certain dots to each other in a very specific way, but I also figured out I’m supposed to mold the messed up mesh wiring into the proper shape as well. Thankfully it will ‘snap’ into its rightful place once I’m close enough, but if I mess up the dots and lines, I have to start all over. “Finally that last line-” Hours of hard work and painfully sore muscles due to the failure shock I have received numerous times already.

“Coo!” Chillet shouted from behind me, startling me as I connected the last line to the wrong dot due to my hand jerking around. “Gu?” Chillet asked as I just started at the red blinking almost completed saddle hovering over the table.

[Failure.] My Paldex seemed to beep with joy, before it sent a few thousand volts of electricity coursing through my body. [Do you wish to try again? Or should I set the work to be automated?] My Paldex chimed out as I twitchted about on the ground for a few moments.

“Just do the damned thing for me.” I sighed as I just laid there on the cool dirt ground. I listened as I could hear building noises that usually come from a construction sight due to the use of heavy power tools and machines. “How the hell… Nevermind, let’s just blame it on magical high tech bull shit.” I gave up trying to rationalize when I witnessed a mallet and other tools floating about, causing all the noise.

“Guruu?” Chillet laid down next to me with a concerned look on his big fluffy face.

“I’m alright buddy, looks you’re all better too. Did the magical box fix you up?” I pat the silky soft icy blue fur of the cut ice ferret dragon. Chillet begins to vibrate under my touch as he begins to purr in delight.

“Cu?” Chillet motions at the item which is beginning to take on a saddle-like form above the gear station, the cute big guy has an excited look on his face. “Coo?!” Chillet bounces on its tiny corgi sized legs thinking it was for him.

“Sorry big guy, I’m too weak to make your saddle yet.” I chuckle at the child-like excitement Chillet was showing. The moment he heard my words, his face fell. Tears welled up under his large round eyes, his once bright smile now an utterly sad arch as a sniffle sounds loudly from his nose. “Hey now! Don’t you cry big guy! I promise I am planning to use this to go level up enough to make your saddle once we get back to base!” I blurt out whatever I could think of to make sure my Chillet doesn’t start to wail.

“Guuu…” A sad faced, teary eyed, mopy Chillet turns away and slowly drags himself away, with a loud sniffle every so often.

“Now I feel like a bad guy…” I rubbed the back of my head as I watched the sad pal retreat to his rock by the pond before sulking in the water. “You said I’m close to unlocking Chillet’s saddle, so how close exactly?” I raise up my arm to ask my Paldex.

[You are estimated to be about 3 power levels away from being able to unlock that piece of Pal Tech.] The Paldex beeps in response to my question. [Recommendation for trainer to use Direhowl saddle to catch smaller slower pals while mounted on your Alpha Direhowl, will result in the quickest and safest way to increase your sou-power level.] A screen popped up with a simpler timer on it. [The saddle will be completed in a few minutes, right before your last pal has recovered.] The healing timer showed that only the Alpha Direhowl was left in the magical recovery space.

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“Where’s Trouble at if he’s done healing?” I asked while looking around the base for the large Chikipi, but didn’t see any sight of any chickens anywhere.

[Due to there being no free pal worker slots at your low leveled base, Trouble was transported into your Party. Chillet is also in your Party and thus taking up the only available free spot that Trouble could use.] The Paldex tried to inform me.

“So he’s stuck in the Party, until Chillet returns? So I can only have one pal out at a time?” I asked while sitting down on one of the many wooden boxes behind the workstations.

[You currently do not meet the requirements to have multiple Pals actively out of your Party subspace.] The Paldex beeped as a few locked information screens popped up.

“So I need to power up my soul more by killing or capturing other souls, I mean pals?” I stared intensely at the device as it withdrew all the glowing lights and panels. After a few moments of silence, I tapped on the dead looking device. “Just answer one question I have about the Base, and I will forget about the little slip ups, as long as they don’t bite me in the ass, deal?” I stare at the smooth obsidian sleek round watch like face of the Paldex as a dim spinning circle appears.

[Depends on the question.] A soft ding happens as a glowing eye made shifting colorful aura stares back from the Paldex face.

“Why do I need to be more ‘powerful’ to unlock better base functions?” I rolled my eyes when air quoting the word ‘powerful’ to the watching being, who’s eye narrowed in disapproval at my action.

[Simple answer, your soul would burn into oblivion if you overload it.] The eye glared at me as the voice of the Paldex whispered into my ears somehow.

“Ah… Good to know… Do things in order to stay alive.” I took in a deep breath while looking away for a moment, before turning back to the magical tech being on my wrist. “Um, thank you for your help, uh, Paldex AI, or spirit?” I felt slightly awkward talking to a small glowing eye on my wrist.

[Thank me by surviving this place.] The eye vanished in a huff as the light flashed and flowed back into the band of the Paldex. Screens popped up showing my Party space now included the newly acquired Alpha Direhowl. [The saddle has been completed, once in the inventory, it will automatically adjust and equip itself onto any Direhowl you summon.] A ding from behind me signaled the gear station completed its task.

“Well then, I had better get going.” I hopped over the stations with ease as I tagged the floating saddle, the item condensed into a ball of light before getting sucked into some subspace. “Chillet! Want to go get the stuff for your saddle now? We can even power up enough to make it before returning!” I called out to the mopy blue frost ball by the pond.

“Coo?!” An excited looking head pops out of the curls body bundle.

“Then we can go riding wherever you want to buddy!” I held out my hand to recall the Chillet as he happily started to dance and wiggle.

“Gu?!” Foxsparks cried from beside the bonfire.

“It’s too dangerous, little chef, I already lost one of you.” I rubbed its warm flaming head, while looking into its big round puppy dog begging eyes.

[You can unlock a sling for a Foxsparks to turn it into a living flamethrower, just head to the gear station.] My Paldex chimed as a screen appeared asking if I wanted to unlock a new Tech. I just blinked at the new information as I stared at the little bundle of living flames eagerly asking to join me.

“Guru!” The little chef roared out.

“You want to bake your enemies alive… I need to name you Gordon!” I lifted up the new member of our Party as I hit yes to the screen. “Remember, I expect them to be well done.” I remind the little chef as it disappears.