“Actually, are we sure we can just walk up to one of these forts and they will take us in?” Myron asked and his Aimon stopped.
“In fact, aren’t we just coming from a war-zone? Dakini… Did your previous Trainer come through one of these forts? Does anyone know that you are his Aimon potentially?”
“Hadn’t stopped to think of it.” Dakini said and Syl nodded. Mery was starting to look worried.
It was that simple question as they were preparing to cross the river that lead to them right now. Myron’s face set into a scowl, his head shaven nearly clean of hair. His inner-shirt’s sleeves torn, and the shirt unbuttoned heavily, yet he stood straight as a sword, with his shoulders set.
He was to act, like he knew what he was doing. He had secrets, he had a mission, he did have Choro’s Aimon on him, and he had come from the Zone that was falling apart, it was just a thing. That is what had been decided and that is what he struggled to do.
They stepped out of the little copse of trees they had searched for on the other side of the bank all prim and proper and dry. They marched towards the fort and as it grew closer Myron had to really take it in.
A Tree, maybe some thirty meters tall, with wide roots that dug into the earth and churned it, digging all the way till the river and drinking heavily from the waters to feed the tall canopy of leaved dotted with orange structures masquerading as plump fruit ready to fall. From its relatively slim base, it begun to take on width, and from the middle until its corona of branches begun, it transform into a structure, a cube that seemed to be unnaturally stuck in its throat. Hundreds of small windows dotted the outside of four different floors with large balconies and parapets allowing for constant patrols away from the ground level.
It was an interesting structure and certainly unique to Myron’s eyes. But he had to school his face into one of stoicism. He couldn’t let his curiosity or childishness overtake him while they where here. They needed to travel to the Capital, to the Great Oak City to be able to actually rest, away from the danger of the Zone, as well as to get the rumored Class Syl had promised him, and a Trainer’s license. Which if he had had on him, it would have saved them all this trouble.
“Halt!” Came the shout. And from within the stretch of roots came out a guard. Wearing actual plated armor, and holding onto a spear. He let Myron and his Aimon approach.
“Halt!” Came another shout, another guard rushed out and Myron stopped. He pointed to himself and spoke to the first guard. “Was that for me?” He asked.
Someone chortled. “Fancy meeting you again. It seems your group has grown larger since a mere two days ago.”
Myron turned around and saw the blue hair shaved at the sides and cropped short over top. The blue eyes glimmering in the red light of the sun, which was red because of the fire clouds from the north drifting south into the land of the Duke.
“Hanau, I remember. It is indeed… Unfortunate to have met you again.” Myron faced off opposite to the woman who had no Aimon with her, his Aimon behind his arms.
“Don’t be like that. That was then, this is now. We’re in the Duke’s Land.”
“You won’t attack me?” He asked demanding a clear answer.
She wiped off the smirk. “I won’t. I can’t. Got here to get some Healing. My Aimon need it, not to mention. The Pay for helping in the border over the coming weeks, is going to be great.”
“Great, then I’m Myron. Nice to meet you Hanau. Thin you can show me the ropes around here?” Myron dropped his hackles and dropped the act he had put up. Syl didn’t seem to disagree with this course of action. He looked at her for certainty and she nodded, hesitantly, but it seemed she believed the woman.
The Guards then approached them and did a search of their bodies. “I would prefer it if you could take your Aimon into their Tether’s…” The Guard said having finished the inspection of his person, finding nothing a bit threatening. Obviously.
Myron fished into Syl’s little satchel and took out a leather pouch with Red Crystals in it. He walked up to the Guard speaking, his hand taking the guard’s own. “I’m afraid I can’t do that. I hope it won’t be a problem. I’ll properly pay for all of their rooms.”
The guard wasn’t even subtle about it. He opened the pouch, raised his brows at the glistening Crystals and pocketed it. He sniffed and turned around. “Follow me then.”
Myron nodded, happy at the success of what they had prepared. Syl had expected Myron’s apparent inability to take his Aimon into…. Wherever the Tethers took them, to become a bit of a problem, but they’d deal with it.
The walked into the rising mess of roots until it was too high for them to see over and took a few turns. Reaching a hole cut into the base of the tree. Hanau and him, as well as his three Aimon stepped into the hole, deeper into the tree and in that darkness a Guard came and squeezed in with a torch burning a Crystal of sorts for light. Wooden doors closed shut in front of them, from the inside pulled shut by the guard remaining on the ground.
He rang a bell and slowly but surely the wood below them begun to rise. It took a while, enough for Myron to puzzle out that they were using water to push themselves upward. The went and went, passing through more doors, until the reached their stop.
Which was smooth enough. The doors opened and they walked into the little tunnel. Immediately afterwards their elevator plummeted back down with the Guard who held onto his helmet so that it wouldn’t fall off.
Then they stepped into the roof of the structure grown into the tree, and presumably where the Garrison of soldiers resided and rested, or where different amenities where housed. But here, was the place to be for travelers and Trainers. An open styled market with stalls selling skewers, pubs out in the open without a roof but the canopy of leaves in sight.
“Come on, follow me if you want to book a room.” Hanau said and waved him on. She was confident, strolling through the rooftop city like she’d been there before. He thought about asking her, but he feared that would break the image she seemed to have of him.
He made sure to confirm his suspicions with Syl and Dakini, but she seemed to think he was actually a Trainer like them, or some foreigner from another Country. She hadn’t believed him when he said he couldn’t bring his Aimon into their Tethers, and that is what lead to these assumptions.
They reached a little shack after a while of swerving between drunkards and gamblers, people making merry and sharing bread. That shack had a little thatched roof, two hole rooms, the place where business happened, and a toilet from what it seemed as the little door was flung open. Said toilet was situated over the edge of the Tree Fortress, so at to minimize labor, and possibilities of disease because of Human laziness.
“Hello, me and my Friend here would like two rooms.”
“Two will be enuf?” The man said. He was old and his lips where sagging much like the skin under his jaw. He looked at all three of Myron’s Aimon. “If there is a room with enough beds for all of us then, two would be enough.” Myron said and Hanau raised her brow.
“There is a four bed, room. But it costs more, mister pockets. That o’right with you?” He asked and Myron nodded.
“You girlie, gimme two reds.”
“You playa, gimme eight reds.” Myron once again nodded and did as asked. He took the key, after being told with waves and pointed fingers up at the different branches, where his room was, and then left. After finding somewhere to sit down, ordering four 6 bowls of soup for the four of them a small platter of cheeses, Hanau spoke up.
“Are you some type of… Paranoid crazy? Are you a thief, maybe?”
“I don’t know. Am I?”
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
“No one just rents out a room for four, and just means himself and his three Aimon. Also like… Isn’t it worse for you if you show your hand to everyone instead of keeping it hidden?”
“How do you know that I’m showing my hand? Do you think I had these two?” Myron pointed to Dakini and Mery, who where busy gulping down their food, and gulping down a red crystal or two as well. “While you and the others schmucks had me surrounded, and simply never took them out?”
“Yes.”
“If so, what is making you believe that I don’t still hold Aimon on my person?”
“True enough.” She nodded. “If you can deal with it, then sure thing. I won’t judge.”
Myron quipped his brow at that, once again, he didn’t understand what she was speaking about. What was there to deal with? They were just going to be sleeping.. Are Aimon very hot when they sleep and will bring the room’s temperature up? He wondered as he didn’t respond and dug in. He was starving too.
“What are you going to do now.” She asked having eaten a little meat skewer, now downing her second pint of beer.
“I don’t think that’s any of your business. Did I ask what your plan are?”
“Fine. I’m leaving, your welcome.” She paid and left.
And that was that. Myron didn’t much care. “She seemed weird.” He told his Aimon after she was gone for good. “What was she going on about with the room situation?”
“Disgust. That is what she was going on about. Disgust and Fear. Many trainers fear to let their Aimon be outside whilst they sleep. They fear insubordination, they fear secret communication, they fear that their Aimon may simply run away as far as they can, and then break the bond. Thus escaping.” Dakini was the one to respond.
“It has been… more than a year since I last felt a night breeze on my tails. Or seen the stars, the Moon… it can be counted on one hand.” Myron held her hand. “Well. Here we are. If you want to stay up all night, maybe climb to the top of the tree, then do that. You’re free to do what you want.”
“The same goes for all of you. If you wish to leave at any point, you can do so. If you want to see the stars, do so. If you want to learn how to play an instrument, tell me. We’ll buy one. Eventually I want all of you getting a cut of the money we make, when he was a more stable income. You’ll have your own wage, your own money to do with as you please.”
Dakini smiled, and bowed, her forehead touching the back of his palm as she raised his hand with two of her own. There was reverence there. He didn’t blame Dakini. He hated Choro even more.
“Wait. Sorry to ruin a good moment.” Dakini waved the worry off. “At what Level did he Capture you?”
“At level… 5, I think. I’d been alone for a while and grew into those levels quickly after I reached adulthood and was actually able to grow in strength.”
“Huh.. So, wait. Mery, has gone from Level 5 to Level 8 in a matter of two days. It took one year for you to move from level 5 to level 8. What is going on here?”
“Level 9, now actually. I’ve been stuck on level 8 for months now, denying him the pleasure of seeing me grow. It’s not as if he knew what he wanted. I refuse to let him dictate the growth of my being.”
“So… Aimon can refuse to level up? Just stop it from happening?” Myron asked and Syl butted in.
“They can. But don’t do it. Ever. Dakini. I am glad you are still alive and with us.” She looked deadly serious.
“You don’t want to see what happens to an Aimon that delays their consolidation past a certain point. Abomination is an understatement. Mutated beasts don’t hold a candle that malformed monstrosity. Don’t ever do it. Figure out how you want your Aimon to grow and what battle style they are to follow as early as possible and work toward consolidation as quickly as you can.”
“Then that is exactly what we ought to do with you Dakini. Take that question and think about it. Your task for the next few days. Come with me with whatever idea you think fits you and we can talk about making it a reality. Now no more talk of abominations and death. Not while we sit at a dinner table.” Myron said and retreated to himself with a sigh.
He had forgotten once again to check on His Aimon’s and his own, status. After fighting through all that and more for the past 30 hours, it was obvious that changes, important ones, would have come. He would have to make it a habit, an incessant one at that.
Myron’s Status
Tier: Unearned
Level: 6!
Distributable Points -> 5
Path: None
Aether: 24/32
Bonds
Syl - Level 29, Emeramantis Queen - Plant/Metal Type
Mery - Level 8, Pygmaleon - Fighting/Water Type
Dakini - Level 9, Kitsune - Dark/Fairy Type
Attributes
Explosiveness - 5
Might - 4!
Tenacity - 6!
Instinct - 6
Focus - 10!
Impact - 8
Spirit - 6
Clarity - 10
Skills
{P} Heart of Purpose (lv7)!
{P} Mind of Intent (Lv1)!
That stopped him in his tracks before he could even start. There it was, the impossible achieved yet again, through sheer effort. 28 years worth of effort had given him a new skill. And just from the name alone, from feeling, he knew it would synergize with his other skill perfectly. Two passives to spread the love with and confuse Syl even more that he already had.
Sleep took him not much later, and he left the rest of the System introspection for the morning.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Morning came and Myron worked quick to get up atop the roof of their little abode. He sat down comfortably and peered at the world spreading out before him. Then he dove into the Status sheets.
Bonded of Myron
Name: Dakini
Level 9! Kitsune
Tier - First
Type: Dark/Fairy
Attributes
Aether: 29/29
Shield: 52/52
Strength: 10
Agility: 13
Intelligence: 10
Control: 16
Abilities
Terrorizing Howl
Astonish
Dreamy Gaze
Body Morph
Energy Drain
So far Myron had found use for Dakini in battles in her Body Morph ability. Yet as mentioned the previous night, that was him, deciding on her path to power through circumstance, and all on his own. That wasn’t the correct path. So while they still had some time. She had to decide if she wanted a turn around, and if so he would try and make it happen.
It is true that for her typing, such a big Shield, with so much Strength and Agility, didn’t seem to fit his preconceived notion of what she could be doing. If she liked it this way, the so it would be, but a bit of diversity would do her good. Body Morph may be working out for now, but it wouldn’t forever without at least one Ability to cause real heavy damage.
Even then, her current build wasn’t bad. It didn’t feel bad. She had sustain, she had delay, she had a lot of versatility as well. If he dreamed of anything it would be some type of Hypnotic Ability, or a Poison for steady damage over time while she stalled. She could become a stall battler easily if she was willing to take the training that it would take to increase her shields even further. All to be discussed over a plate of breakfast.
Then came Mery.
Bonded of Myron
Name: Mery
Level: 8! Pygmaleon
Tier - First
Type: Fighting/Water
Attributes
Aether: 28/28
Shield: 42/42
Strength: 13
Agility: 13
Intelligence: 8
Control: 10
Abilities
Surge
Water Whip
Healing Soak
Hard Right
Headbutt
Karate Chop
He turned his nose up to the sky and chuckled mightily as his eyes zeroed in on the new Ability Mery’s status sported. Someone further down their branch stared at him from the window as he sat, legs crossed, atop the roof of their little private suite disguised as a juicy peach.
Not to mention all the other improvements. Her Shield not increasing even further only went to further improve his mood as it showed she was finally coming into her own as a combatant, finding her stride and not allowing just anything to hit her. He hoped to increase her Aether Pool further and invest a little bit more into her Water Type. Surge needed to create more force and then be able to attack a large area as well. She needed another Damage dealing Ability.
Other than that… he felt that the only things that they would need to focus on to make all of that happen, is her Control Attribute. Reaching level nine would hopefully be delayed a bit. He felt the need to have a more focused approach to Consolidating. Take time, and put care and effort in how she develops forward.