CHAPTER 33: “BOND”

Ai was jolted awake by a large, slow pounding on the other side of the door. It almost sounded like a giant's fist was pounding at it, trying to break in. With each pound, Ai got more and more awake until his heart pounded along as well. 

Who was trying to break in the room?

The latest large pound had him on his feet now. He looked at the others with alert in his eyes. Naeya stood protectively over Nebule, her wings spread as if it would be able to cover Nebule’s unconscious form from attacks. Nerea was more alert and ready compared to all of them, in her hands was the dagger that she used to cut Nebule’s palm and she had pulled her hood back up as well.

The pounding at the door suddenly stopped. The room was now dead quiet. In the quietness, Ai could now hear retreating footsteps just beyond the door. It was mostly likely the guards of the palace. The footsteps told him that there were many prepared to ambush them. 

But why did they retreat?

“The door looks simple, but it's made from the hardest and sturdiest type of wood there is.” Nerea explained. “It can’t be easily broken. The guards know that, they’re trying to scare us out.”

On the bed, Nebule let out a groan as she slowly opened her eyes. She still seemed extremely weak and disoriented. Naeya quickly attempted to sooth her by running her feathers over the siren’s hair gently. As soon as she awoke, her face once contorted into pain, even more than before. Painful groans escaped her lips as she trashed around in her bed, pushing away all the sheets and pillows.

She was in no condition to get out there and present herself to her guards and tell them that she was fine and that they needed to retreat.

Nerea approached him and pushed the dagger onto Ai’s hand.

“You two need to go out there and take care of the guards.”

Naeya looked incredibly against the idea of leaving her lover alone, especially when she didn’t appear to completely trust Nerea either even though she was Nebule’s twin. Nerea wasn’t fazed at all with Naeya’s resistance towards the idea.

“Can you help her with this?” Nerea asked, her voice cold and cruel.

Naeya looked at Nebule with hesitation in her eyes. She glanced from Nerea to Nebule who with each passing moment grew more and more in pain and agitated. Feeling that Nebule safety was best left in Nerea’s hand who knew more about what to do, Naeya backed off. She gave a gentle hug towards Nebule, her wings wrapping around the siren’s body as tightly as she could.

It could be just his imagination, but he thought he saw some bit of relief in Nebule. Some of the tension seemed to leave her body, her brows and clenching hands easing just a bit.

Another stroke on Nebule’s head then Naeya prepared herself to go outside, sending a glare in Nerea’s direction before huddling close to Ai.

Ai examined the dagger.

[Ceremonial Dagger - Boosts skill effect by 15%. ATK: 150. An Oceanus Ceremonial Dagger not built for combat.]

“Not built for combat”

Which meant that it wasn’t a very sturdy weapon. It probably only had a limited number of uses in it. He supposed it would have to do for now. No way his measly dagger with 5 attack points was going to do much.

With his heart pounding in his chest, he carefully pushed open the door with Naela trailing behind him.

More guards than expected greeted them when they stepped beyond the door. They were much more armored than the NPC guards guarding doorways to the castle he saw before, and even more than the guards who chased him and Naela down the street the time they escaped from the castle. Their faces were covered by fish head shaped helmets and their tridents were fancier and sharper than the ones before as well.

Whoever these guards were, they were definitely much more armed for important matters such as saving their precious priestess and idol. None of them spoke and simply stared at the two of them with a fierce look, their tridents were poised for battle.

The sheer difference in their equipment was enough to at least send Ai a couple of steps back, his bravery diminishing just a little bit. Besides him, Naeya pulled out her sharp talons and took a single step forward, her whole body slightly trembling.

Even in their top form, none of them were in the right shape to fight. Naeya’s wings weren’t as strong as they could be since they were broken and Ai was much too underequipped and low leveled to be able to deal much damage.

No. 

He can fight. He had something, something that could help him.

As his eyes scanned the room, two of the guards moved forward intending to capture them once they realized that none of them were a match for a group of highly trained and armed guards.

Once he spotted what he was looking for, Ai waved his hand widely. Seeing his gesture, the guards approaching them stopped in their steps and pointed their trident at him. Nothing obvious happened but Ai felt it and they probably did as well. There was a pressure in the air that felt as if it sucked out the available oxygen in the room.

A dark shadow and a strong breeze passed over them. The shadow cast endless darkness over the room. It had never been that bright in the first place but with the shadow, you couldn’t even see your hand even if you put them up in front of your face.

Ai heard multiple groaning sounds and the clanking of armor against the floor as the breeze and shadow blew the guards away and sent them sprawling on the floor. When the shadow lifted, Ai saw the toppled down on the floor. The shadow that lifted contorted and consolidated until it formed a giant wolven shape. The shadow wolf made its way to Ai’s side and bared its fangs at the guards.

The siren guards had managed to gain their bearing, some of them already getting up and preparing themselves to fight. While some reared back a bit in fear when they laid eyes on the beast’s fangs and claws.

“A Shadow Familiar.” Ai heard Naeya whisper in awe beside him. He didn’t know what that meant but he was pretty sure it wasn’t unimportant. For now he had no time to think about it. Right now they need to drive the guards away or worse comes to worse, possibly kill them. Though he prefered if they didn’t have to kill anyone. The game would definitely consider the guards a mob to kill now, but Ai still felt that they were another NPC just like Naeya or Nebule, so he felt strange about having to kill these guards who were just devoted to their priestess and wanted to save her because they thought that she was in danger.

He reached out and brushed over the shadow wolf’s misty figure to calm himself down. It felt cold and wispy against his hand, but he definitely touched flesh underneath all that mist.

He had felt it within him ever since the fight with the giant wolf. The owl had been slowly growing its powers and skills. He didn’t know if it was due to their pet and owner bond or maybe the system was designed that way.  Although he hadn’t read anything in the forums and gameplay guide about being able to feel your pet’s growth like this, nonetheless he felt it.

And now, right now, was the perfect time to see what this growth was.

At first sight, Athens had definitely grown. Its form right now was a mix of its original shadow beast form and the wolf that it had defeated before. Their form also looked more solid than before. The shadow beast had been pretty shapeless, barely enough to make its original beast form, but now the outline of a wolf was much more definite.

“Naela can you fight?”

Naela looked away from the shadow beast and gave an affirmative nod. Ai swallowed and prepared his buffing skills and sorted a few things in his inventory for a more ease of access. He wouldn’t be able to deal much damage, relying on the beast was the best plan he got. Both it and Naeya would be the ones who took on more of the DPS role while he would do his utmost best to act as a support.

He didn’t know how much Naeya could deal and the shadow beast was still not up to its full potential, the preemptive shadow attack did some good damage but it took a good chunk of the beast’s energy or MP so it wasn’t in its best condition.

But it would be enough. It had to be. 

Nerea and Nebule were counting on them to succeed.