With those tasks out of the way, his thoughts shorted, he carefully moved his butt closer to the edge of the dome and slid down onto the patio that connected them to the branch that had a pathway with railings built into it, wide enough to fit two cars side by side, wider than some roads in the city.

Syl, Dakini, and Mery were ready, they stepped out of the room with all their stuff and headed down to the market place. It was early, the sun having only risen from the East over the glimmering in the morning mist Emerald Forest. The air smelled wonderful and fresh, despite being so devoid of Aether and stealing some of the intensity and depth it could have from its taste. Myron enjoyed it nonetheless. The complete absence of gasoline and diesel cars as well as screeching tires melting on hard asphalt was a gift, almost as important as the Aimon by his side.

The four of them stepped down and browsed through the Market Plaza. It was only now opening up, with most of the Guilders here deciding to sleep late and party instead of wake up and enjoy the more. They found a cheap clothes store and bought a pair of sets for themselves. Burning through their dwindling supply of Crystals to use for cash. Having no coins hurt just a tad as Myron was sure we was getting scammed out of his money, making the days of every shopkeeper whose establishment he entered.

Mery got a large sky blue shirt, as large as they had it. It was over sized even for her and she tied at the back in a little bun, while she got similarly large and billowing pants with a straight cut, colored brown so as to not have to worry about mud. She tapped her temple with a smirk when she came to the decision and it was cute. Dakini put on corset of sorts and hot pants below, the less clothing the better she argued. Meanwhile Syl bought a large flowing chiton fastened it at the shoulder and let it drip down to her knees, cutting off any fabric below that for ease of movement.

Myron changed it up completely. He bought a pair of pants with a lot of pockets which looked a lot like cargo pants, their color black, and then a tight long sleeved shirt; the sleeves reaching all the way past his arms; that was an interesting dark green.

From the shop next door they bought supplies for camping, canvas for tents and spikes to stab into the ground, big backpacks, water-skins, medical supplies, proper shoes for Myron, and whatever else Syl considered important.

With that settled, and the group looking dashing, they found a place to eat, bought fresh squeezed juice from the stall right next to their table and ordered whatever breakfast was served.

Syl finally decided on this meal to consume the Orange Crystal of the Pyrobill, Taher’s Aimon. It would do her good, and she had only kept on to it in case they needed the cash, but it seems they were settled.

When Myron asked his team about their preferred fighting styles, Dakini said she would need more time to think. While Mery agreed to go with whatever Myron suggested. Syl had been locked in on her ways, but suddenly found herself with an entirely Typing on hand and the potential for more, she wouldn’t be against some experimentation, those were her words exactly. After which the table fell into a content silence, filling their bellies with eggs, meat, and soup.

“So, this has been on my mind, ever since the Wind Type infusion into your Aether Pool… But what are the Types?”

Mery perked up as well, as she knew not for she couldn’t know since Myorn didn’t.

“Water, Plant, Fire. The Three most commonly owned with fire being the harder to obtain of the three.” Syl started.

“Then there is Wind, Earth, Metal, Electric, Dark, Light, Poison. Psychic too, you have met. It’s considered the toughest to Capture, and the most hateful of Humans.

“Fighting too!” Mery interjected and received the praise she deserved and nodded, before getting back to eating.

“And last but not least, the special ones. Dragon, and Fairy.” Myron turned to Dakini and gave her a thumbs up, Syl shook her head.

“These two are considered difficult to train, difficult to find, and extremely powerful. Dragons have more of a reputation than Fairies on the last part simply because of historic use. The Emperor, the First Emperor, not the current one, had a Dragon Aimon. Along with the Immortal Snail those are the only two members of his Aimon team that are known. So strong was the Dragon that it’s memory still lives on, potentially viewed with more awe than the still leaving beast that is the Immortal Snail, the moving city.”

“It would be cool to have a Dragon on the Team. Though, every typing is cool and every Aimon can be cool in the correct team. Even Bubachu, which is arguably weak, but in the correct team with proper training and thought to combination, to team battles and a bunch of other stuff I probably don’t know about, it would work amazingly well. It has a cute name.” He shrugged when he saw the doubt in Syl’s gaze. “A cute name won’t ever be enough reason to Bond with an Aimon.”

“Sure thing.”

Then a blond man with a scar on his upper lip running sideways to his cheek plopped his ass next to Myron and smiled. “Good morning to ya.” He brought a hand forward and Myron looked at him.

“Good Morning, Stranger.” Myron said but didn’t shake hands.

The man’s green eyes shifted from his own hand to Myron. He retrieved the offered limb with an embarrassed chuckle. “That kills my next move in this conversation, don’t you think?” The blond man said.

“Maybe don’t sit down next to me uninvited? What do you want mister?”

“Jaimon’s the name, here on a C-Rank Quest, Jasper Ranked trainer.” He thumped his chest in pride.

“I’m Myron, this is my team. Syl, Dakini, Mery.” Myron simply answered. “Now, you need something?”

“Don’t need anything. I’m new here, and I wanted to let my Aimon out of their Tethers. You’re the only other guy around doing so. I guessed I would be welcome at your table. Guess I was wrong.”

“Ha~~ No, sit. Join us.” Myron gave up on playing the tough guy and made room.

Jaimon scooted over with a smile. “Thank you Myron. Nice to meet you all!”

Stolen novel; please report.

He opened his button-up white shirt and stuck his hand into his chest. A Golden hole swallowed his palm.

He pulled out a flat circle with a dome on top, shining golden, connected with him through a faint pathway of glittering gold.

He threw one on the ground, and repeated the process two more times. With each one he threw, the shape disappeared and from it; grew cast in gold; before it cracked away, an Aimon.

They took their seats wordlessly, not even exchanging greetings with each other.

Jaimon made their orders as he brought his backpack to his lap and took out three leaf packages. “This is Red Tier Meat and Fruit. I hope you don’t mind me bringing it out?” He asked and Myron shrugged. He couldn’t care less. What he had just witnessed had him enamored, bewildered, bewitched. All of it. It was familiar in its own way.

The pungent smell of the meat did hit him the next moment. That was fascinating in its own right.

Jaimon’s Aimon begun by consuming their food, with proper manners, causing Myron to look at Mery and pat her head, feeling her embarrassment. “Nothing to worry about. If you learn you learn. If you don’t… well, you eat up all the scraps as well so I think it’ll be okay.” He consoled her.

“I think we started off on the wrong foot.” Jaimon offered after taking a few bites from a concentrated bar of nuts and other assorted food stuff. It looked sticky and smelled like flower honey. He offered his clean hand and Myron, this time around, shook it. “All well with you, Myron?”

“It’s been well enough. I feel relatively happy right now all included, a good night’s rest set me back in place. Though I’m still terribly tired.” Myron shrugged. “Came from the North Region, it was wild.” He said.

Jaimon frowned. “Mean bit of business that. Rumors are flying and I don’t know who to blame or who to thank.” He said and then snapped his fingers. “If you’re heading south coming from the North, then where are you going? For that matter, do you know what’s the cause of the fire?”

“I have my sights on Great Oak City. Right Syl?” She nodded. “Need to visit the guild for now. We’ll be leaving soon, while the sun is down and its still early.”

“That’s unfortunate. I saw you arriving yesterday and thought we’d make a good team you and I. I plan on staying here, Hunting Mutated Beasts, protecting the Border from whatever may come. We are close to the Balanced Rockies. It’s a tough Region, potentially Green though none have ventured deep into it. If there are green Aimon there and they are disturbed by the Fire… The Soldiers are going to have too much trouble to handle. Heck. We’ll have trouble then.”

“Are they that dangerous? For a dangerous region, Balanced doesn’t sound that horrible.”

“Haha! If only it worked like that. It’s named so because a whole lot of species of Aimon all with the Earth type and another second type live there, vying for control and power, but never growing strong enough to corner everything. Thus the whole place is a self increasing and self decreasing mountain, with gorges and peaks all over. A tough land.” Jaimon answered with a Shiver.

“You’ve been?”

“Shortly, and I don’t want to go back again.” His eyes turned to the ground as if he were scared.

“What happens if the Guilders don’t stick around long enough to stop a potential down-poor of Aimon?

“Well, Hell happens. The Duke may even mobilize his Aimon. That won’t look good for him, who supports the Emperors Human-forward reforms, but he may. Aimon of the Second Tier deep into his lands mean a horrible disaster of Mutant Beasts. At the Best case Scenario. And a siege on the capital with everything until then having been destroyed at the worst case. Tens of thousands dead.” Jaimon said, frowning. “Fire is always like that, when not controlled.”

“Shit. That’s pretty bad.” Myron had to admit. It was true. No Aimon, from what he understood was incline to head into Human territory and die to someone that much stronger than them. But when faced with an impossible situation their first instinct may be to run towards safety.

Myron took this chance in the lull to their conversation to examine Jaimon’s Aimon. Despite the serious topic, he was still happy to see three new Species sitting there and eating before him.

The Aimon sitting closer to Syl was a short one. She stood with her knees bent, legs under her thighs for a makeshift cushion. She was metal, simply. From head to toe, from her well-combed hair to her eyelashes, even her clothes seemed to be molten metal shaped to her standards and moving along with her every breath. Above her head a single massive antler split in two and branching of into round and curved protrusions. It stood as tall as her, a beacon of glimmering metal for all to see. ‘Bercule, The Metal Beetle’ Syl provided.

Next to the Bercule was another Aimon, this one with a sharp line of spiked hair running down its head colored neon yellow, purple skin that was wet on its face with high cheekbones and no chin, a wide mouth and a tongue that jumped down to its place to take pieces of food before shooting back into its mouth. His neck was long, his arms situated on his body almost without shoulders, they had webs connecting each finger to the net, and the fingers where very long, with more joints than a human’s. He wore a leather jacket cropped short, and Myron couldn’t see his legs but he did see the hair spiked running down his spine melding into its purple skin and running around his waste from below his ribs and then down into his legs. ‘Amplicroak. A Poison/Electric Type.’ Syl once again provided.

Then, next to Jaimon and across from Amplicroak sat, prim and proper a different Aimon all together. Tall, white and light blue, with a long neck and a crown of feathers open like a fan atop its head. White as snow. She had a small head and a gray-blue beak, two large bulbous eyes. Her Wings where long and tall, they hid her, curving around her entire body and left just enough room for sky blue arms, taloned thrice to pluck food and retreat back into the secrecy of her wings. A tail with feathers as long as her neck was tall reaching back and out of her wings in a large sweeping cone, each on starting white and ending in a light blue hue. From below the cover of her wings, mist and cloud billowed out, slowly, as if overfilling. ‘I am not sure what she is. Wind and Ice Type, but I don’t know the Aimon.’

“These are my Aimon, Herf, Kira, and Angel.”

Out of nowhere a foot stomped down on the table, throwing plates of food all over the place.

The man responsible for that scoffed and looked down at Myron and Jaimon with hate, holding onto his nose. “What do you think you’re doing? Dumb Idiots? Have you no manners? Stinking up the whole Fort!” He shouted and spat directly at Jaimon.

The globule hit his chest. Myron stood and spat back hitting the guy right in the eye.

“Gah! Shit! You spat in my eyes you fucking pig!” He grabbed an offered water canteen and poured that on his face to clean the saliva from it.

“You spat first, you talon nosed shit face. What do you think you’re doing? Stomping on our table and throwing food everywhere?”

“At least the food smells good. Get your Aimon back in their Tethers or we’re gonna have problems, fucker.” The man said through gritted teeth and Myron scowled.

Others had gathered by now and Myron looked around. Everyone was looking at him and Jaimon with disgust. Jaimon stood up and look at his Aimon they stared back. Angel was defiant, her chest puffed her eyes glaring at the offending imbecile and not looking at her trainer.

Herf and Kira looked just that bit reluctant.

“Look. I-!” Jaimon begun to say but was interrupted by the sonorous call of a dozen bells, deep and loud, resonating through the Fortress and up the floor of the rooftop plaza.

They rang thrice the vibration growing each time until the whole tree seemed to tremble at it. Trumpets came out and sounded out a tune of glory in unison. A man’s voice was heard thundering through the meadows and all the way up to the rooftop Plaza.

“… The Heir to the Proud Duchy! Tomin Oakenshield!” Myron heard the name, and looked to Syl. Then he looked to Jaimon who had left the table and went over to the edge to stare down at the entourage surrounding the Heir in all his armored Glory, Myron assumed.

“So…. We run?” He stood up, and so did Syl, knowing that if they ran into the Heir he would recognize her. What he would do after that. Myron didn’t know, but he didn’t want to find out if he could get out of a confrontation with Tomin safe and sound.

And then, out of nowhere, a different sound echoed through the fortress. A siren shrieked, grasping the attention of a thousand men at once. “Incoming Threat! To the West of the Fortress. Second Tier Aimon have been Spotted. Jasper Level Stampede. All Soldiers! Deploy for Battle!” A voice called and the rooftop plaza fell silent.