First confusion, then relief washed over him. From the tone and the way this strange thing addressed him. A servant. So, it was probably a spirit.
Melchior looked at the small wisp of smoke carefully once more
"Identify yourself," He said, voice flat. It was strange how easily the cold impartiality came to him. However, his voice wavered a little this time, seeing as he thought his cover was blown.
The wisp of smoke bent a little as if to bow. "I am the one known as Tirun, my Lord. I await your commands,"
He wasn't sure how to believe this Tirun just yet. He hadn't shown any sincerity like Damjan did at first, and could even be lying about his identity altogether. Paranoid as it was of him, he didn't want to take any chances. Hence, he began escape preparations at the same time.
But it looked like all his worries were unfounded. A small screen popped up in front of him, swiftly removing all those issues.
[Ding!]
************
[Status Window]
Name: Tirun the Underworld Gate | Race: Spirit
Rank: Elder-rank Spirit
Bonded: Zale (Human, 3rd Layer)
****
[Abilities]
Swirl, Pull, Inversion Whirlpool, Dark Swirl, Dark Whirlpool, Vortex, Dark Vortex, ???]
************
He learned a bunch of things from this status panel, but his eyes stopped on one thing in particular; his father's name.
So it turned out that this was his father's spirit. That already made it far more interesting in Melchior's eyes. Aside from that, there were several more things he noticed like the ranks and skills mentioned there.
Spirits were graded by several ranks, going up from Common to Nascent, Elder, Ancient, Saint and Star.
Those were the known ranks of Spirits to humans, which would put Tirun right in the middle of the list. Not too powerful, but most definitely not weak, either. That only made him wonder how strong Damjan was.
As for the bracket after his father's name, it was simple. After Bonding with spirits, humans unlocked the ability to use Spirit Energy and grow stronger while using it. Their strength was grouped into seven layers in ascending order from 1 to 7.
His father was at the third layer, meaning he was just like Tirun; nearing the middle of the hierarchy. Not weak at all, but not world-shattering levels of power.
For someone like Melchior, who wasn't used to it, even that alone was a lot of power.
'This is good, though. I can use the system to check the status windows of specific targets. I can use that to my advantage.'
Melchior promptly returned his advantage to the flowy wisp of smoke in front of him.
"Are all the Spirits bonded to the humans in this town as strong as you are?"
Tirun wiggled a little, to indicate a no. Then, his smooth voice came out. It was even smoother than Damjan's, though not as soothing as the Flood Serpent's.
"Not at all. I'd say my host and I are the strongest in this entire town. I am one of two Elder-ranked Spirits currently residing here and Zale is the only Third Layer bonded in this entire town. Most people here are just barely First Layer,"
Meaning his father was the exception, not the norm. Good to know.
"Although… this town has some potential," Tirun continued, "There are two boys, both have bonded with Nascent Spirits and can manifest their Bonds whilst only being at the First Layer of cultivation when it usually only happens at the Third Layer,"
It took a little less than a second for him to figure out who the spirit was talking about.
Clyde and Andy.
"What makes them special?" he asked calmly.
"They appear to be much more attuned to Spirit Energy than normal people are. They'll likely be able to push past the set limits of the Bonds they possess,"
Melchior paused at that. He had gathered a great deal of information in that time, and it mostly amounted to a few things.
'Zale is an anomaly in this town. Clyde and Andy have great potential. And there's a second person with an Elder-rank spirit apart from my father,'
That last part stuck out the most because of the sheer mystery it possessed to it. He wondered who the person was.
Right now all he was doing was taking the variables into account, and it didn't seem like he'd have many problems after learning how to use Spirit energy.
"You've done well, Tirun."
"I strive to do the best for my Lord," the wisp said, wiggling.
It was a funny scene if he had to be honest, but he kept a straight face and kept talking.
"You may leave me now. I will call on you when you are needed next time."
"Understood, sire."
Without waiting any more, Tirun sauntered back down in a floaty way before finally disappearing completely.
[Ding!]
[Allegiance has been sworn by Tirun the Underworld Gate]
Melchior briefly glanced, then completely swiped the screen away from his vision. The interaction had been very interesting, and it taught him a lot about this town, especially. It was much better than going in half-blind, like he'd been assuming before.
He sat there to ponder the implications of everything for a while longer before finally turning to leave.
"I should get back home now. This is enough for me to chew on for the rest of the day."
Very quickly, he dashed through the treetops and left the area without any disturbance.
. . . . .
*Zale*
Zale had noticed it from the first second.
The amateur eyes watching him from above the trees. But he chose to ignore them and focus on the task at hand. They weren't particularly hostile, just annoying.
It was why he finished the task much quicker than he usually did. He went around and waited to see who it was.
And he did.
'What's he doing here?'
WHOOSH~!
As soon as Melchior left the branch he stood on, Zale jumped up and appeared on it. His large figure was hardly supported by the branch, but he made it work.
The man sported the same sharp look that he always wore, only this time with an irritated tilt to it.
Zale had a headache. A very heavy one. He reached to massage his temple.
"Mel..." he sighed, "What was that troublesome boy doing here?"