Alden smiled at the open road before him, only pausing to toss a wave to Ol’Finch over his shoulder. He just shook his head before turning around and heading back into that mansion he called a house. Alden laughed as on his shoulder Bob clucked, staring at the retreating form of Ol’Finch. “Don’t worry, he was talking to me, not you.” Bob clucked once more as he turned to stare at Alden before his gaze traveled to the towering sky in front of them. Aldens grin widened. “I know buddy, I’m ready to be back! Watch out world, we’re coming for you! You ready for this Bob?” Bob squawked and flapped his wings. Alden rubbed his hands together. “Of course you are! Onward we march!” Alden kicked up to a light jog. The world wasn’t going to wait for him after all.

The Farming Collective- as the country Ol’Finch resided in was called- was, as it sounded, a collection of massive farms. As Alden jogged along the road he passed by numerous fields. Some had plants growing on them. Some didn’t. Some were cleared. Others were still filled with thick forest. Alden took it all in stride. Literally. He marveled at each tree, each unique depression and reentrant. Time passed quickly as he continued onwards, feet carrying him faithfully forward. At night he would continue onwards, not paying any heed to his body’s complaints. It was around a week of travel that he finally succumbed to his body’s demands. He walked slowly, limping on one leg, heaving for breath, and struggling to not cramp. He staggered up a small hill, pausing at the pinnacle. A large building, easily three stories tall, emitted an incredibly appealing smell. Around it he could hear the neighing of horses and the occasional huff of a Bullwop or chuff a Tigris. He sniffed- and something awoke within him. He crossed those last few steps with a thundering of feet. On his shoulder Bob stirred from his rest, puffing out his waddles and fluttering his wings. Alden pushed on the warm brown doors, easily swinging them inwards. A long and low hearth burned merrily along the right wall while various cuisines roasted over it. Numerous tables were spread out with perhaps a hundred or more different people eating.

A few side-eyed him when he entered but most turned their attention back to their plate quickly. A young woman, standing behind the desk upfront, smiled at him. “How can I help you sir?” Alden chuckled as he walked up to the lady. “Don’t call me Sir, I work for a living.” A polite chuckle was his response, Alden laughing harder at his own joke than she. “Ah, I crack myself up sometimes. I’ll take a table and whatever today’s special is. I’d also like a room for a night, presuming you have any open?” The girl smiled, nodding her head. “Yes, sir-Alden- we do. For a night its half a silver piece, a full silver if you include food.” Alden smiled at that. That wasn’t a bad deal. A bit pricy, but that was to be expected for such a well-known tavern.

“That sounds wonderful. I’ll go ahead and take the full package. Do you happen to have any bathing areas nearby?” The woman nodded again, gesturing. Another lady-nay a girl- walked up, smiling and doing a small curtsey. “Yes Alden. This is Marice, one of our younger staff members. She can guide you to the bathing area, if you wish to bathe before you eat.” Alden shook his head. “I believe I’ll eat first.” The woman nodded. “Very well Alden. After you eat Marice will be at your disposal. In the meantime, please follow her to your table.” The girl gave him a small smile before turning around. Alden followed her to a smaller table against the back wall. He sat down, Marice heading over to one of the waiters. They had a murmured conversation before the waiter headed back to the low bar at the back. Soon a steaming plate of cow was placed in front of him. Alden smiled and rubbed his hands together as he dug in. A cluck from his shoulder prompted a chuckle as Alden cut off a bit of meat before feeding it to Bob. With a contented sigh he dug in.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

A meal, a bath, and a change of clothes later Alden happily relaxed in his bed. Bob was sitting next to him, staring at Alden in the eyes. “Alright, alright. Time for your daily checkup. You ready buddy?” Bob just jutted out his beak, Alden chuckling in response. He reached out and rand his hands over Bob, slowly letting his sense sink through his body. His hands could feel the different layers inside Bob, his touch relaying more information than should be possible. In his mind he easily created a 3-Dimensional structure of Bob, his Aether trickling through him in his entirety. He hummed as he felt Bob’s increased glossiness, the strength of his muscles and feathers. It appeared that his spell cleansing regiment had been extremely beneficial, with Bob being stronger by around 20%. His immune system was more vibrant and powerful than ever, his blood flowed cleanly through his veins, and his beak and claws were at their strongest. Alden lifted his hands and pulled over his research journal, idly stroking Bob as he did so. “Okay. Here’s the issue Bob. I think I know how to do things- pretty confident in fact- but don’t really want to try on you. In case, you know, I mess up.” He looked towards Bob, eyes narrowing. “There are some things that would be fairly simple to do. I need to unblock the limits on your growth, and I need to feed you enough to grow. That’s pretty simple, ‘cause your body knows how to do that. Growing new organs however- and strengthening them too- that’s a bit more of a challenge.” He chewed on the end of his pencil, eyes flickering rapidly. He stopped suddenly, as he remembered something. “The Olm’an’il. They’ve got the Maddorak riders. I bet they know how to modify different creatures.” He stood up, pacing around the room, as thoughts continued to tumble out of him. “The Tunk’lan are pretty close. I’ll just skip over there, find that translator and the baker, then hightail it north. Any pursuers of mine won’t dare tread on their soil, especially with Wurm migrations starting up.” Alden’s feet slowed down until he stopped right before Bob. “They’re also pretty friendly- as long as I help out a little bit that is.” He nodded once before flopping onto the bed. The mattress shuddered and Bob glared at his human for disturbing his position. “Sounds like a plan then. I’ll just have to find some way to entertain myself between now and then. I’ve read some absolutely fascinating things about the mind’s eye, mana techniques, and developing affinities. Maybe I’ll branch out.” Musing to himself Alden let his mind drift off into the darkness of sleep.