“…Is it time already?” Alnea said, staring at Yuri with a solemn face, but only got a smile in return.
“What do you think?” Yuri said. “How many Aspects have you tamed?”
“…Twenty seven.”
“And what about you, Cecilia?”
“…Fifteen.”
“And how many Intermediate Stage Arcanas have you two created?”
“Including the Arcanas I gave you two, eight. But that also includes four Arcanas that I upgraded from the Initial Stage.”
“It’s seven for me. And I have upgraded all four Arcanas of the Initial Stage.”
“Do you know how many Aspects, and Arcanas normal Wanderers have?”
“…Intermediate Stage Wanderers generally have fifteen to twenty Aspects, and five to six Arcanas. Advanced Stage Wanderers… they can have anywhere from twenty five to forty Aspects, and ten to fifteen Arcanas. After all, it takes a relatively long time to cross from the Advanced Stage to the Peak Stage. So much so, that most of the Wanderers remain stuck in the Advanced Stage for as long as decades. That gives them plenty of time to tame Aspects, and create Arcanas.”
“…You are not wrong, but the numbers you gave were on the higher end. On average, Wanderers have even lesser Aspects, and Arcanas. Besides, you will not be fighting the peak phase Oren Beasts all by yourselves. I will be there too. And I may not have been at the Advanced Stage for long, but I already have tamed around thirty five Aspects, and created three new Arcanas, not to mention upgrading my old ones.
“As a team, we have enough strength to take on Oren Beasts in the peak phase of their Adolescent Stage. But only if we act as a team, and make no mistakes. However, if we do not have enough understanding, and cooperation to take down some Oren Beasts, then we will surely not be able to handle Heterodox Wanderers. It would be better if we just let big sis Nyssa handle them. So, treat this as not just any other fight, but as a rehearsal, and a test of all that we have learnt. A test to see if we are ready to fight the Heterodox Wanderers or not.”
“…If you put it like that, then I cannot really argue, can I?”
“What is there to argue about anyways?” Cecilia said with a smile filled with confidence, and pride. “Only someone still stuck in the Fourth Level like you can be afraid of Oren Beasts.”
“You broke through just two days ago though.”
“A Fourth Level weakling does not have the right to question me.”
“…You are just one level above me.”
“One level above you is still above you.”
There were so many things that Alnea could say, so many ways that he could tease her with. But looking at the prideful face of the birthday girl, he decided to let her enjoy her win. It was her day, after all.
“When are we leaving?”
“Now would be as good a time as any,” Yuri said, before adding, “Are you not going to stop us this time?”
“…What is there to stop? We are fighting as a team. All the dangers we will face, we will share as a team. Besides, I am not so insecure anymore. And most importantly… I believe in you two.”
“…You are getting better at sweet talking with each passing day.”
Coaxing two girls at the same time… If he still did not learn how to deliver his thoughts in a way that the girls liked, then he would have long had to say goodbye to all his comfortable days. His violent friend aside, the cold glares that Yuri gave him whenever she got angry with him was not something he could bear. He could not let her know his true thoughts though. And so, using his experience with the white haired girl, he easily diverted her attention to a different topic.
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“Is it not because of you that I have become so good at talking?”
“Oh? Are you saying that I am so difficult that you need to—
“It’s to help you,” Alnea said, hurriedly stepping in before Yuri could twist his words against him. “Did you not say that I would have to deal with all sorts of people, and Orthodoxies if I want to help you, and share your burden? This is my practise of the day I will finally share your burden, and face all your problems with you.”
It was not everyday that he could make Yuri blush a little. He had been getting better recently though. And she also knew it. So, she did not give him any more opportunities to tease her, continuing from where she had left off earlier.
“…Have both of you recovered your Spirit Power?” Yuri said. And after getting their affirmation, she added, “Good. Then let us head out. Cecilia—
“Leave it to me,” Cecilia said with a grin, and flipped off the rock, twirling in mid air to land on her feet. Yuri, on the other hand, slipped off her boulder ever so elegantly, as if she was not jumping, but drifting through the air. Alnea was too lazy to bother with either of those ways though. He just simply jumped off the boulder, like a normal person would.
And just as he jumped off the boulder, both the boulders, and the statue at their centre vanished from all his senses, even those of his Spirit. They were still there, just hiding from him, and the girls. It was normal routine for them though, so they ignored the Fortune Spring, and began making their way into the darkness, with their scout leading the team.
After Alnea had broken through to the Intermediate Stage, Cecilia had decided to lead the way most of the time. It was her responsibility, she said. Her duty as the scout of the team. She was so enthusiastic about her role, that she had even gone out of her way to tame a couple of auxiliary Aspects just to enhance her senses. However, she did not let her enthusiasm interfere with her role.
Unlike how she used to be a few months ago, she did not let herself be distracted while leading the way. And she always kept her attention focussed on the things around her. From the grasses under their feet, to the taste of the air, and the texture of the ground, nothing could escape her scrutiny. After all, for a qualified scout, everything about their surroundings, even the smells, and temperature was like a trove of treasure, hiding all sorts of information of the enemies that they might face.
“…Muddy ground, humid air, fishy smell, and no source of water for at least a hundred metres. Probably a Mud Fish. And from the depth of the mud, it seems to be at the intermediate phase. Not worth our time…”
“…There is a strange fishy taste in the air… Almost like rotten eggs. And the ground feels soft, and loose. We either have Shadow Moles, or Dark Earth Moles swimming under our feet. And from the intensity of the smell… I would say there are about twenty of them. Some of them may, or may not be at the peak phase, but at least five of them are at the advanced phase… Not worth the risk…”
“…Such a vast expanse of Dark Assimilating, and Red Herring Grass… Even fools will be able to see it for the trap it is. I am sure that we can take one the beasts inside, but they are not our goal today, so let’s skip them…”
“…Flaky ground, rocks crumbling at just our touch… Rock Eater Beasts…”
“…A burnt smell in the air… Beasts with Innate Ability of Fire. From the shape of tis paws, it is probably a Firefox. And from the size of its paws, along with the thick burnt smell in the air… It should be at the peak phase. But it is too strong. Let us look for a weaker beast first…”
“…A Twin Tailed Python…”
“…A Twin Horned Shadow Bear…”
“…A Razorback Black Water Turtle…”
“…A pack of Shadow Monkeys…”
After a long, long search, Cecilia finally raised her hand, and motioned for everyone to stop, as she looked ahead into the darkness with wariness. Curious at her reaction, Alnea tried to look for what she was seeing, but without the senses of his Spirit, and the aid of his Aspects, he saw nothing. Cecilia, though, had no such restrictions. Urging her Aspects, giving of a yellowish golden, and silverish blue glow, she enhanced her senses, before casting ‘Dark Sense’.
“…Three hundred metres to our left. There is something wrong with the crevices of the canyon’s wall. Their shape… You will understand when you see it. But be careful. There is a Dark Wind Wolf hiding in one of the crevices. From how big it is, it should have reached the peak phase. Try not to startle it.”
Spotting a Dark Wind Wolf from three hundred metres away…
“A Dark Wind Wolf,” Yuri mumbled. “How about it? Do you think that we can handle it?”
“…It would be troublesome,” Cecilia said with a frown on her face. “But as long as we can finish it before it becomes desperate, or give it no chance to launch its Dark Winds, then there should be no problem.”
Indeed, Alnea thought, gripping the hilt of his sword. Cecilia had truly become a qualified scout in the past few months. Next, it was time for him to show the results of his training. It was time for them to test how they worked as a team.