I’ve barely even opened the ‘trade window’ before Bastet has piled a whole lot of sensation in and shoved it in my direction. It’s hard to describe, and I have to take a few moments to parse through it all. When I have, I just stare at her in disbelief.
“Really?” I ask, too dumbfounded to say anything more. Given that we no longer have a Bond, she shouldn’t be able to understand me. Maybe it’s that we’ve been together long enough that she can read my tone and body language well enough, because she clearly does. And from how easily I interpret her exasperation, I reckon the understanding isn’t only one-way.
The best way I can describe what Bastet has just done is to once more draw on the comparison with a trade window in a game. It’s like I offered a trade which she accepted. Following that, she proceeded to offload her entire inventory, heck, her entire bank into the window. Then, without waiting for me to show any of my goods, she just accepted the trade.
Obviously, she’s not giving me any goods exactly, but what she has given me is far more precious: trust. All the aspects of Dominate which were the reason for me doing this in the first place, all those elements of control...she’s offered them to me again.
It’s not that she’s done what Sirocco did – laying out specific demands. She hasn’t even laid out specific offers, separating the different aspects of the Bond. No, she’s basically said ‘I was happy with what we had, and I want it back’.
The sheer amount of trust she’s offered me here is staggering. She’s already accepted the Bond. It’s like she’s written me a blank cheque. I could make whatever demands I wanted of her right now, and she would be powerless to reject them.
But I’m not going to do that. Of course I’m not – it would be an utter betrayal of her, and of her trust. And, I think ruefully, knowing how I’d react is probably exactly why she did it in the first place.
Instead, I pour in my own promises to her. To never take her for granted. To respect her opinion, even if I ultimately choose something different. To work towards her growth as I also work towards my own progress and the improvement of the team. To protect her cubs until they are old enough to make their own choices. And then I accept the trade.
The Bond snaps back into place like it had never vanished, brighter and stronger than ever before. I feel Bastet’s pleasure and satisfaction pour through from her side of things and I can’t help but let my own crash back across the link. If my own emotions are tinged with a good bit of relief, only Bastet and I will ever know.
“Thank you,” I say to her, a little hoarsely through the sudden lump in my throat. “I don’t know what I would have done without you.”
Don’t be silly, she seems to say, though it still comes across in emotions rather than words. I’m not going anywhere. With that, she pads close to rub her face against mine. I bring my arms up to give her a hug, realising that it’s the first time I’ve done that. She’s slighter than I would have expected, her pseudo-feathers serving to make her a little bigger than usual. Yet below them, she doesn’t feel fragile; the reverse, in fact. Her sinewy muscles feel like I’m holding a creature made of steel, yet still of flesh and blood.
Bastet endures my embrace for a few moments, but then pulls away. I don’t fight her on it, not wanting to ruin the moment. Without a backwards glance, she pads over to where the cubs are now playing – they’d moved during our discussion. Lying down, she clearly relaxes again, obviously far less moved by what just happened than I am.
Maybe I should follow her example, not make such a big deal of it. But for me it is a big deal. Despite how our relationship started, despite all the dangerous situations I’ve led her – and the cubs – into, she still trusts me to Bond with me. More, she trusts me with all the power I held over her before.
There’s the nagging sense of a notification. I’m not terribly surprised. I know I need to go and work on my internal matrix, but there’s no way I’m going to be able to ignore whatever message is waiting for me. I quickly open it to check.
Skill Evolution!
You have gained a Skill evolution to your Class Skill: Dominate. Unusually, this Skill evolution does not affect your base Skill, but instead adds another option to it.
Companion Bond
You have learned that if you wish to know whether something is yours, you must let it go. If it returns, it is yours; if it does not, it never was. Based on Dominate, Companion Bond contains almost all of the same features and limitations for both Binder and Companion and will not advance independently of the base Skill. However, Companion Bond has one difference: both Binder and Companion have the power to break the Bond at any moment. A Bond once broken may not be reinstated. A new Bond may or may not be able to be created depending on the circumstances.
Limitation: In order to use Companion Bond, a Bond of significant depth must have already existed between the Binder and the prospective Companion. The original Bond must have been sundered. The Companion must choose willingly and with no coercion to accept the Companion Bond. Companion Bond cannot be used unless another Bond has previously existed between the two parties.
Close messages? Y/N
I close the messages with my jaw feeling a little slack. Quickly navigating to my status screen, I stare at the new addition.
Name: Markus Wolfe
Race: Human
Class: Tamer
Level: 12
Energy to next level: 100%
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
Energy absorption rate: 26u/hr
Energy towards debt: 78%
Intelligence
36
Mana: 360/360
Wisdom
34
Mana regeneration rate: 722u/hr (-15%)
Willpower
42+8 (+20%)
Health regeneration rate: 40u/hr (-20%)
Constitution
19
Health: 190/190
Strength
17
Stamina: 100/100
Dexterity
15
Stamina regeneration rate: 150u/hr
Class skills
Dominate – Novice 2
*Companion Bond
Tame – Beginner 9
Fade – Initiate 1
Non-Class skills
Lay-on-hands – Journeyman 2
Stealth – Novice 1
Animal Empathy – Novice 6
Meditation – Initiate 2
Energy Manipulation – initiate 1
Sensation Management – Beginner 5
My new Skill is immediately different from the others just by the fact that it’s preceded with an asterisk and has no indication of level. I guess that that’s because, according to the information box, Companion Bond appears to be intrinsically tied into Dominate. I can only assume that further evolutions to Dominate will also affect Companion Bond. I don’t really know how to feel about that, but then I’m not sure how to feel about any of it, really. I push my confusion to one side and try to work out what the consequences are to all this.
After a few moments of thought, I realise that this is the answer to my increasing moral concerns about essentially enslaving my Bound. It says it in the information: they have to be free to choose to take the Bond or not, free of any other Bond; free of coercion. That means that if they do choose the Bond, they’re doing so knowing what it entails.
Not only do they choose to enter the Bond, but they also have the option to leave it. It sounds like either of us breaking the Bond would be pretty final, though, so not a choice to be made casually, but just knowing that the option is there is a relief: I cannot feel I’m holding them against their will when they have the option to leave.
The main question I have is actually about what it means by a Bond ‘of sufficient depth’. It’s not exactly clear…. Then again, I suppose that I could go by my Bond with Bastet for guidance, since that was clearly sufficiently deep enough. But that...is a big ask.
The Bond I had – have, I suppose – with Bastet was – is – deep. I don’t idly call her family. I don’t think I have that kind of Bond with anyone else. I feel like I’m getting there with River, but it’s more complicated – he’s more complicated. It comes of being fully sapient, I guess.
Besides, I can’t forget that I would have to break the Bond I currently have with him in order to offer him this new one anyway, which would make him vulnerable to Kalanthia. Plus, I sense that it isn’t the right time anyway: the information talked about no coercion being possible. Although I’m not intending on coercing him this time, from what he said earlier, he would probably feel duty-bound to consent – it wouldn’t be fully of his free-will.
No, I resolve to wait until a better time to offer this Bond. But I know that, unless things change significantly between us, I’m going to make that offer at some point.
Should I offer it to Fenrir? Sirocco? I consider the possibility for a moment before shaking my head. No. My bond with Fenrir is far too new; we’re still trying to find our place with each other. Maybe that’s why a Companion Bond can only be offered to a being once they have had a Bond of ‘significant depth’ – that way they know better what they’d be getting into by consenting...or losing by rejecting it.
Sirocco is an even easier decision. She’s only just starting to adjust to the role of being an actual part of the team rather than just an external ally hanging around for benefits. No way is our Bond even remotely deep enough for this; I doubt if she’d even want it anyway. Actually, could I even offer it to her? She’s Bonded to me through Tame, not Dominate.
Then again, it didn’t actually specify what kind of Bond had to be in place, just how deep it had to be. Anyway, it’s not something that’s feasible for now. Maybe in the future, if our relationship changes.
So for now, Bastet is the only one to be a Companion. Maybe River will be later, but now isn’t the best time for him either. We need to clear his debt for him first. On that note, I push myself to my feet and walk over to Kalanthia.
“Do you have a moment?” I ask the massive nunda as I get closer. Her eyes are shut but she opens them at my approach.
If you wish. I am taking Lathani out hunting shortly, though, she warns me.
“OK, thanks for letting me know,” I say, trying not to let my surprise show. I shouldn’t be surprised – she said she was going to do that.
Is your offer to take her out hunting with you still open? Kalanthia asks next.
“Of course,” I answer immediately. “Though,” I check myself, “I’m not sure when I’m next going hunting – I need to work on my Energy channels.”
That is understandable. I wish to see how Lathani does later today, but I have been thinking on what you said about her being unable to learn to hunt properly with me, and I will admit that it seems likely to be justified. I will need to teach her proper technique first, however, so there is no rush.
“Great,” I reply, smiling a little. I certainly don’t mind having the cute nunda cub around a little more, as long as she’s taking hunting seriously. And I think it will be good for her to learn: I remember how lost she looked when Ninja was almost killed by the snake. Perhaps learning to hunt will help with her emotions around that. But that wasn’t why I came over.
“Look, you remember what you said about needing to get another fifteen fist-sized Cores in the next ninety days to pay off River’s debt?”
I do.
“Would this work as a start?” I ask, pulling out the salamander’s Core. I was thinking about giving it to Bastet since she’d almost died in the process of killing it, but finally I figured that it might be most effectively used to help River. Kalanthia leans closer and inspects the large Core.
Very well, she said in the end. It is good quality, from a young Beast. It is more than sufficient for a single contribution. The guardian of the cavern you mentioned to me?
“Yes, how did you know?” I ask, surprised.
There is much that can be divined about a Beast’s life from their Core, she tells me a little mysteriously. Now, I must go hunting with Lathani, she continues, pushing herself to her feet and stretching languorously.
“Alright. Have fun,” I reply, putting the Core down for Kalanthia to do with as she wishes and going inside. Time to have another go at ‘feeling the earth’ before doing some more work on my internal matrix.