"But the Thunderhoof looked like it was starting to like you, so why didn't you just use this chance to try to get close to it and bond with it?" Diana asked as she walked closer to him.
"It doesn't work that way. If I try to make him feel uncomfortable in any way, it will only make it difficult to tame him now and in the future."
Aaron was trying to be extra careful when taming the stag. He knew he wouldn't be able to tame it as easily as he had done with Glimmer, but with everything he had done so far, Aaron was pleased with the results he was seeing.
This was because it looked like it was only a matter of time before Thunderhoof became completely loyal to him.
And to be honest, even Aaron hadn't expected to increase the stag's loyalty to 20% within such a short period of time.
But then again, this wouldn't have happened if Thunderhoof hadn't willingly sought him out.
And with that out of the way, the trio arrived at the capital by sunset with their packs full of herbs.
As they arrived at the city gate, Luna's eyes lit up the moment she noticed Aaron and the girls.
"You're back!" She screamed as she ran towards Aaron, throwing her arms around him.
"Yes."
"Did you find what you needed?"
"More than that," Aaron replied with a mini smile while ruffling her hair as well. "The forest isn't completely safe yet, but we're making progress," He informed her as he made his way back to the mansion, with Aurora and Diana trailing behind him.
Once they entered the mansion, Aaron could feel a flicker of hope in his chest when he thought about everything they had accomplished so far.
The farmlands were already secured and his bond with Thunderhoof was growing significantly as well. Everything was quite exciting, but Aaron knew this was just the beginning.
The next morning, the first rays of sunlight spilled over the city. It illuminated the streets which were filled with farmers and laborers as everyone prepared themselves to return to the newly secured farmlands.
Everyone could be seen with their various tools and supplies, and the mood around them was cautiously optimistic, as a sense of fear still lingered within them as well.
Aaron watched everything from the balcony of the mansion and his gaze swept over the people below as they headed out of the city and to head towards the farmlands.
Luna entered the room while carrying a tray with two cups of tea on it, then she joined him on the balcony.
Luna placed the tray on the flat part of the railing and leaned against it to see everything her big brother was looking at, and a beautiful smile appeared on her lips.
"Everyone seems… hopeful," She said while grabbing a cup.
"They are," Aaron replied and grabbed a cup as well. "But hope can be fragile. If something goes wrong, it'll disappear faster than the time it took to build it."
"I understand, but you've done so much already. They're starting to believe in you, I can see it in their eyes."
Hearing what his little sister said, Aaron smiled faintly but didn't say anything.
The two continued to spend their time together and a few hours later, Aaron decided to meet up with Aurora and Diana in the mansion's study to discuss their next course of action.
He laid a map of the barony on the table and marked the areas that were still under threat.
"The farmlands are secured, but we can't stop there" Aaron informed the girls before pointing to the dark forest. "We've started to gather resources, but the deeper areas are still unexplored."
Diana leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. "We've seen what the forest can do. If we're going deeper, we'll need to be prepared to face powerful demonic beasts."
"I agree," Aurora said in a hesitant voice. "If we really want to go back to the forest to find the shrine, I'll need time to prepare the potions we need and you guys could be making sure that all the supplies we'll need are ready by the time I'm done."
Both Aaron and Diana nodded in agreement, and the meeting came to an end with everyone getting ready to prepare for their next outing.
The goal was simple; Aaron and the girls were going to venture deeper into the forest to clear the demonic beasts in that area and find the shrine as well.
It wasn't going to be easy, but everyone was prepared for the task ahead.
That evening, Aaron arrived at the courtyard with Glimmer by his side. He tossed a small piece of dried meat to his cute little fox and she caught it midair with a snap of her jaws.
"You're getting faster," Aaron said as he sat down on a nearby bench. He raised his head to look at the stars, which were glittering in the night sky, and Glimmer hurriedly leaped on the bench before curling herself up on his lap.
He stroked her fur and Glimmer melted into his touch. The soft purring sound she occasionally made showed how contented she was at the moment, and this brought a smile to Aaron's face because he knew that his fox liked what he was doing.
However, he couldn't help but think about Thunderhoof as well.
"Thunderhoof looked really strong, didn't he, Glimmer?" Aaron asked his fox but Glimmer remained silent as she focused on the feeling of his hand petting her.
"I wonder how strong he really is."
"It would be cool if he was a rank E or even a Rank D beast, right, Glimmer?"
"Anyways, I can't wait to see how you'll evolve, and I bet you'll be just as strong as Thunderhoof or maybe, even stronger than him."
"I know you will," Aaron leaned back in his seat and continued to pet Glimmer, but then, a system notification suddenly popped up in front of him.
[Congratulations to the host, Glimmer's loyalty has risen to 40%.]
[You have received an additional 10 bond energy points.]
[Your cumulative bond energy points are now 60 bond energy points.]
[Would you like to take a look at your status?]