As everything returned to normal, Logan stood in a daze, questioning whether the recent events had been a dream. The water flowed as usual, and the leaves swayed gently in the afternoon breeze. One of the suns remained overhead, while the other had moved slightly ahead.
[Master, back, scared, strong monster] Zephyr suddenly sent a mental message, breaking through Logan's thoughts.
Logan's eyes widened as the little falcon smashed into his chest, causing him to step back two or three steps. "Ough, yes, it's nice to know you're safe, Zephyr…"
Soon he felt little paws scratching his leg. Looking down, he saw the tiny fox staring up at him, her ears twitching a little as she let out a soft yip.
"Oh yeah, you're still here, little one. Guess we have to mark you…" Logan looked around, not seeing the girls, and thought about what he should do next. Should he mark his newly given tame now, and if so, where? Or should he wait to make sure that Chloe does not see them?
Well then, let's make this quick. He did another double take around and decided to just go for marking the little fox. Logan looked at the scab that was just beginning to heal again, thinking if he should open it for the fourth time or make another cut somewhere else.
"Oh, to hell with it!" He ripped a small part of the scab with his teeth and lightly pushed a drop of blood with his thumb before pressing it on the inner left elbow of the young pup.
It took less than a few seconds for him to feel the link with the small fox. He then held on to his piece of the chronicle crystal to check its stats.
[Name: Luna Species: Glacivulpes Level: 1]
Str: 1 Agi: 3 Dex: 2 Con: 2 Int: 5 Char: 4
Ice Shards: She can shoot small shards of ice from her tail, used both offensively and defensively.
Cryo Shield: Generates a shield of ice around herself or an ally, providing temporary protection from attacks.]
Looking at its data, Logan noticed this particular tame already had a name and a focus on ice magic. He felt glad that he was slowly getting different monsters with a variety of abilities. He didn't think it mixed well with fire, but what if he used ice and wind together—would it cause a blizzard of sorts?
Logan was itching to use his abilities but knew he needed to wait. Thinking about calling out to the girls seemed a bit late since, at a distance, he could see both of them running towards him with worried expressions.
"Hey, Logan, why do you always make me worry!" Rubina was the first to reach the boy, who stood dumbfounded as she placed her hands on his shoulders with a glare.
"I don't know what happened," he replied, knowing that he should tell Rubina about everything that happened later.
"Whatever it was, it was strong, none of my powers seemed to affect the strange surroundings we were trapped in. Are you sure nothing happened to you, hero?" Chloe said while glaring at the boy with some apprehension.
"I can only say that when this small fox came… to me for help, everything went back to normal." Logan tried his best to lie, not fully trusting Chloe enough to tell her what actually happened.
"Well, let's get out of this place before something happens again," Chloe commanded, looking at the small fox curiously for a few seconds before marching off.
Both Logan and Rubina exchanged a small nod and followed the amber-haired girl, who was taking quick steps even while fully armored.
Within a few hours and without stopping most of the way, the trio and their two monsters finally made it out. The carriage was parked in the same spot, and Chloe's mount, the big chicken, jumped up a few times to greet its master.
"I'll escort you both part of the way and then head back to town for something, so we probably won't get a chance to talk after you enter your carriage. I will say this: if you are planning on going out tomorrow, we will need supplies, so we should head out earlier," Chloe suggested while hopping onto her mount.
"Yes, about that, we will be coming back, hopefully to another area that's a little less dangerous," Rubina replied, hugging herself while shivering.
"So we will meet you a little after dawn then," Logan sighed, knowing he was never good with mornings, especially when they had to go outdoors again.
"Good enough, see you tomorrow then." Chloe kicked the side of her mount gently, making the giant bird go around the carriage to get ready to leave.
"I should really get a mount…" Logan murmured before going into the vehicle with deadpan eyes, knowing the fate that awaited him.
The dreadful two-hour ride was enough to make Logan want to return to his old world. He still couldn't get used to the bumpy roads. Rubina, who sat beside him, kept patting his back and making small talk, which Logan ignored as he struggled with his nausea.
They saw Chloe wave before making her mount run at full speed halfway near the town.
After Logan had calmed down, he decided to pet his new tamed fox sitting on his lap. His other tame, the falcon, was busy flying around the carriage, occasionally using his mental link to inform Logan about the small matters happening around the cart, whether it was a guard walking nearby or another bird flying away after seeing him.
Reaching the Earl's estate was probably Logan's favorite part of the exhausting day. As soon as they opened the door, they were greeted by the Earl and Ruri, who seemed to have waited for their arrival with anticipation.
The Earl quickly hugged his daughter, who looked quite worn out from all the traveling, while unable to hold himself back after looking at the small fox who would not leave Logan's side.
"A-woo!" the small fox cried when Earl Victor tried to pet it. The small pup created three consecutive shields and jumped through each one to reach Logan's arms.
"Interesting way of using its abilities; its intelligence is on par with a demi-human," the Earl said, quitting the chase and guiding both Logan and Rubina to the living room.
"Now then, please tell me what happened today. It seems you have quite a tale to have such a beast with you, and don't try to hide anything, young hero. I am one of the few who know where such a beast can be found, and it's either from a part about thirty leagues to the north or by meeting Ferra, guardian of these lands. Although a rare occurrence, I am inclined to think it was the second option," Earl Victor said while sitting himself in his usual armchair.
"Well…" Logan nodded towards Ruri, who had helped him remove his top armor wondering if he should continue.
"Oh, also don't worry about the young maid; we made a contract for secrecy. Sorry for not informing you earlier," Earl Victor assured.
"There is no problem. Sorry, Ruri. Now then, we met Ferra as you said," Logan began, telling the part of the story everyone in the room wanted to hear, as he sat next to Rubina, which was beginning to feel normal.
"So it seems our little kingdom is antagonizing the guardian's forest by taking too many of the beasts to train the heroes. That won't do, huh?" The Earl scratched the short beard he had let grow these past few days.
"That is awful indeed, but how else can the heroes train, father?" Rubina added, trying to think of the consequences of the kingdom's current actions.
"Well, there are a few other ways to get stronger. Some dungeons come to mind, and those are not regulated by any of the guardians. They are dangerous for beginners, but from what I heard, most of the heroes are almost reaching light yellow," the Earl informed everyone.
He continued, "Someone in the class mentioned that instead of colors, the chronicle crystal lets them see their actual strength in numbers… Logan, I think they said something about level 10 to 12. Brian is at 14, I think."
"What? Level 14!" Logan stood up, grabbing his hair. "I only just got to level 5! How did they even get past 10?"
"I guess you also see your stats in numerical value. I wonder why though," Rubina added.
"It's probably because in our world we had games that displayed everything that way..." Logan explained, half-guessing the reason why.
"Interesting, to have games with such complex systems…" the Earl chimed in.
"Don't worry, in about one thousand years, your world will probably have something even better," Logan said, half-joking.
"Not sure I like that thought; it means we are behind other worlds' civilizations. No wonder they sent you all here…" Rubina said dejectedly.
"Our world has its own set of challenges… I'd rather not get into detail now," Logan sighed while thinking of all the wars that were currently happening throughout his world.
"That is enough then. I will have to talk with the King tomorrow to discuss what we can do with the heroes so it does not affect our standing with the guardians. They have been quiet so far, so many thought them extinct. For you to have met one is a great achievement, worthy of being called a hero," Earl Victor exclaimed, making a fist pump with a proud smile.
"Not sure I want to meet her again though, the whole experience had me on edge," Logan laughed dryly, petting his fox who would not leave his side and had taken a nap on his lap.
"Now then, you said you have gotten a new skill, huh? How about we go out and test it, I know the perfect place!" Earl Victor suggested with enthusiasm.