Seeing the message from this Samael guy, Leo couldn't help but panic. How had his sister paid for his hospital fees for so long? She had always dodged that question when he asked her before. Did she take out a loan?
What if she borrowed money from some sleazy old man!. His mind was spiraling into darker and darker possibilities from the mere thought that his only family member was in danger because of him.
Navigating the menu, he sent a message to his sister.
Hey Sis.
I just got this weird message from a guy named Anthony Samael who said that he would charge you for unpaid hospital fees if I didn't donate my body for science. What the hell is this about? How did you pay for the hospital?
However there was no immediate response as Pyrs returned with a tall middle aged woman who had feathers peeking out from behind her ears and wore a shawl while also wearing an old pair of horn rimmed glasses.
"Pyrs, if this turns out to be a waste of time, we will have a very serious problem"
The woman seemed to be annoyed with Pyrs and even threatened him but he remained unfazed.
"Rori, it will be, trust me. Have I ever let you down?"
Pyrs smacked his chest while showing the woman a fierce but confident smile.
"3 times this week alone"
The womans immediate response caused Pyrs facial expression to freeze, making him appear a bit dejected. Leo turned to face the newcomer with a bit of anxiety on his face. The woman not knowing the cause of his unstable mental state, simply smiled gently at him and spoke in a gentle but reassuring voice
"Nice to meet you young man. My name is Rori. I run the alchemy shop in this little village."
"Y-yeah. Nice to meet you"
Leo knew it was rude but he couldn't stop checking his messages, unable to concentrate on finding out more about Astra.
"This old sack of dwarf bones doesn't know how to use advanced appraisal magic so he came and got me"
The callous treatment of the dwarf made Leo almost pity the dwarf but he naturally preferred Rori over Pyrs. After all, Rori noticed that he was a boy from the beginning.
A notification came back from his sister at that moment. The message itself was short but it did relieve him a little bit.
Bit busy at the moment. Long story short is everything is fine. I have a friend who I work for. She paid all of your bills. I am with her right now. We will see you soon. I'll explain more then.
Leo sighed in relief. He knew his sister would never lie to him about something like this. With that relief, Leo was able to focus on Rori and Pyrs.
"Sorry. I was just getting a message from my sister"
He bowed his head a bit in apology but Rori shook her hand in a dismissive matter
"It is alright child. Family is the most important thing. Now may I see this weapon that needs to be appraised?"
"This is it Ms. Rori"
Leo held out his wrists, nodding towards Astra. Rori looked at the bracelets before glaring at Pyrs, silently wording 'Are you kidding me?' with her gaze.
"Well might as well since I am here"
Rori was less than enthusiastic, thinking the dwarf had made her waster her time yet again but decided to proceed regardless. She held her hand above Leos wrist, mumbling something that seemed like a lump of gibberish to him. He did jump a little bit when Rori suddenly shouted.
"[Detailed Analysis]"
Suddenly A large status screen appeared before the 3 of them and the results caused each one of them to feel stunned at the results.
-Skill Level Inefficient
-Skill Partial Failure
-Partial Information displayed.
-Weapon Type: Soulbound (Growth Time)
-Star Bracelets (R) Max Potential: ??? Grade
-A pair of bracelets that have revived a small connection to the stars. Potential for Growth
Innate Skills: Invocation of Evolution (Low),Bond of the Zodiac (Low, Currently Unavailable),Ego Creation (Low) [New!],???,???,???,
-Bound to Player: Leo
-Stat Bonuses:
-Def+ 10
-Atk+5
-Upgrade Status: 0%
-Upgrade Requirements: ???
-Upgrade Materials: Any Weapon/Armor/Accessory
-Invocation of Evolution (Low): Summon the power of the void to consume Materials. Materials used will be used to evolve 'Astra' and unlock additional forms
-Bond of the Zodiac (Low) : Bonds formed from companions you have shared life and death with can be connected to each other via the power of the stars. Affinity based. (Max use is 12. Currently 0/12 in effect)
-Ego Creation (Low): Create an ego to be inserted into a weapon. Weapon grade will be reset upon successful integration. Failure will result in weapon destruction.
The three of them were surprised by different things that they saw. Leo was surprised at Astras versatility, capable of becoming a weapon, armor or accessory.
Rori was surprised by the fact that despite using relatively advanced magic, she still failed to fully appraise a pair of bracelets.
What stunned Pyrs though was Astras potential. It seemed like there was no cap on it and one of its skills was capable of turning other weapons into Ego Weapons!
It would be a lie to say that Pyrs wasn't interested in taking Astra for himself but he knew better. He deemed it would be impossible for Leo and Astra to be separated, they must have incredible affinity to have a potential like this.
'Do you see our Greatness now? We are impressive no?'
Astra was seeking praise yet again but this time Leo couldn't help but agree. What he saw was indeed impressive.
"Yes yes. Very impressive"
he stroked his wrists in an awkward but affectionate manner. His words drew curious looks from Rori and Pyrs. Now accustomed to such stares he knew the question they were both thinking and answered in a matter of fact manner.
"Astra can talk, but only I can hear her"
Pyrs nose flared, his interest rising, wanting to know even more. But before he could say anything, Rori covered his mouth
"You should go now. If you don't leave now, this old man is gonna yap so much your ears will fall off.".
Not wanting to waste any more time, he nodded his head at Rori in thanks before saying
"Thank you sir. I will drop by again another time"
before rushing out of the room, heading to the village centre in search of the chief. He had the necklace to turn in for a quest reward.