Chapter Fifty: The Bestiary.

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Dauvar waved with a set of arms, prompting the rest of them to step inside. Aiden felt skeptical still, but Isaac and Ian already stepped through. There seemed to be no adverse effects upon entry, and he wasn’t going to leave them inside by themselves.

“Let’s go,” he called to the rest of the group.

James stepped between Aiden and Dauvar. “You sure about this, man?”

“The Emissary says it’s a gift, and he’s bound by the Alliance Contract. I think it’s safe,” Aiden explained, but he didn’t feel confident. Looking past James to Dauvar, the Naudox waited for them with his hands clasped.

“You haven’t led us wrong yet…” James took a deep breath, stepping through the door into the Great Bestiary. Aiden watched as the older boy looked around the entrance, his face lighting up with excitement. Poking his head out, he looked at the others, waving them in. “Y'all have to see this! What are you waiting for?”

Then he returned inside, rushing out of view.

“Don’t have to tell me twice - er, three times,” Josh said, stepping past Aiden.

Cloudy followed, raising a brow. “You’re gonna explain everything, right?”

“Later, sure. Let’s just get through this first,” Aiden said, ushering her after Josh who tugged her forward through into the bestiary.

Anna stepped through without saying a word, still frustrated he’d used the Alliance Contract. Olivia grabbed his arm, looking up at him. “She’ll be okay.”

“I’m sure of it,” he agreed. It was just them two now, and he wanted to spend some time with her. They hadn’t really had much time together since they left the school, but now wasn’t the time to get all emotional - not with the Emissary standing over them. “Will you keep me company for our trip?”

“Was hoping you’d ask!” she said with a grin. They stepped forward, Aiden waving his sister forward, entering into the Great Bestiary.

And it held true to its name.

As Aiden watched, awe overcame him. Any hesitance faded the longer he observed the bestiary.

The two closest biomes to him were the biggest with a distinct difference between common woods and jungle terrain. Interestingly enough, he saw as many foreign creatures as he did native creatures to Earth.

Like the panther that stared down at him from the jungle, casually resting atop a tree trunk dozens of feet in the air. A couple of kittens mewled at his group as they spread out, shamelessly gawking at every new creature that caught their eye.

“Before they get too far, I want to explain. Each is allowed to take a youth if they can tame it.”

Aiden relayed the message.

Isaac immediately darted in the direction of the panthers, doing his best parkour up the trees, swinging from vine to vine and pulling himself up to the level of momma-panther.

In a flash of silver and black, they disappeared. Isaac scratched his head, looking around. Finding something Aiden couldn’t see, he leapt off the large tree trunk, presumably chasing after his next challenge.

Olivia giggled at Isaac, looking around herself. Aiden looked up, pointing towards the dozens of aviaries above the individual biomes. They boasted hundreds of types of birds, dragons, gryphons, and things he couldn’t even put a name to.

Each aviary had a functioning ecosystem full of running water that accumulated at easy access points for the creatures to drink from, game animals for the predators, and different types of nuts, seeds, or berries for the omnivorous or herbivores.

She stared in awe, taking her time observing the different sections of the bestiary while Aiden bid adieu to the Emissary.

“Before you go, Candidate. I want you to know that this gift is for your people. Your Blizzard Dragon is far too prestigious. I wouldn’t want to offend it by offering a lesser creature for companionship…”

“Ah, okay.” Aiden looked down at Blizzy. Her eyes darted from creature to creature, her eyes squinting at anything that dared look at her Bonded. Turning back to Dauvar, Aiden nodded. “That’s probably for the best.”

“I’m glad you see reason. I’ll be here when you return with your companions.” Dauvar saluted toward them, making Aiden feel strange. He had no idea how to return the gesture. The best he could do was clasp his own hands together, bowing slightly.

“Thank you for this gift.”

“Keep my words in mind, Candidate. The system enforces equal trade.” The disclaimer hadn’t been forgotten and made him nervous about the others running about. Either way, it was too late to turn down the gift. It was a problem for another time.

Olivia tugged him, pulling him towards a stairway to the side of the bestiary. Handrails were mounted on either side of the walkway, easing a lot of Aiden’s anxiety as they walked up to the aviaries. Blizzy dutifully walked behind Aiden, making sure that none of the creatures dared approach her Bonded - not that any actually attempted to, he noted.

Olivia looked like she was thinking hard, so Aiden gave her a moment. Only when they reached the platform above did she speak.

“The last two days have been unreal. Even now, we’re standing in an alien’s animal warehouse, looking at different fantasy creatures,” she started, pointing to an especially bright bird the size of Blizzy. “Everything is happening so fast, yet at the same time, it’s all so slow. Time is dragging. It feels like weeks have passed, but it’s only been two days.”

Aiden thought back to the time he’d spent with Anna and couldn’t help but agree. He opened his mouth to respond, but she continued speaking.

“I don’t know what to think, but I’m happy we have our friends. James is nice, and you have…” She paused, taking in a deep breath. “You have Anna. She’s strong, smart, confident.”

Aiden raised a brow. “Are you jealous of her?”

Looking down at her, he saw her cheeks growing redder by the second, ending with her trying to imitate a tomato. She looked away from him and muttered, “So what if I am?”

He shrugged. “Anna will never replace you, Oli. Nobody will ever replace you, okay?”

Nodding, she beamed a smile at him. “Okay!”

“We should focus on getting you a companion,” he said, bringing them back to focus on the creatures around them. “What about that one?”

A phoenix flittered by lazily, but Olivia shook her head. He resisted the urge to gape at her, knowing what the phoenix’s capabilities were. Shaking his head to clear the disbelief, he accepted her rejection.

Well, he’d be lying if it didn’t take him a lot of mental gymnastics to accept her refusal. It was her choice and her companion, so he wouldn’t force her into something she didn’t want.

Even if she should take the magical bird and run as fast as possible.

Looking around further, he spotted a large falcon-like bird with four sets of wings perched at the top of a tree, staring down at the hubbub below. He caught her attention, pointing her in its direction.

“It doesn’t look very friendly…” As she spoke, it turned to look at them. Aiden’s eyes widened as a haughty presence washed over them. He allowed Apex Predator to rebuff the feeling, focusing it on the hawk.

Two can play at that game.

“A- Aiden,” Olivia said. She balked under his gaze. Even though it focused on the hawk, his presence still unsettled her. “I-I think y- you should stop. I- I need to be the one to t- tame it, right?”

Grumbling, he stemmed the aura again. Glaring up at the falcon casually preening its feathers, he said, “You win this time, bird, but Oli’s gonna get you.”

“Well, it’ll actually be one of its little birbs.” She wilted under Aiden’s playfully scathing gaze. Blushing, she shrugged. “But who needs to argue semantics. Not me, nope!”

Aiden leaned back against the wall on the handrail, making sure his position was secure. “Get to it. I’m not sure how long this thing stays open for - or even if time passes normally - but I’d prefer to do what we’ve gotta and get back to the Town. Being away is making me antsy.”

Olivia nodded, hopping in place as she looked around at all the birds. There were so many flitting to and fro. But as he watched her, he saw her eyes gravitate back up to the falcon that continued to stare down at them.

It didn’t take a mind reader to tell she was going for the falcon. She turned to look at him, back at the falcon, then back toward him. “I… might need a minute.”

“Take all the time you need. Blizzy and I will be cheering you on from the sidelines.” He gave her a thumbs up. “You can do it.”

Nodding she continued up the spiraling stairs, ascending to the same level as the hawk. When she got within arm’s reach, it cawed at her. A wind wall slammed into her, pushing her back several feet.

Aiden grumbled under his breath but didn’t step away from the wall. Crossing his arms, he watched as she continued.

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Companion Quest: Finding A Friend!
Requirements	Tame a creature. Must be a youth.
Reward	Companion System New companion!

Anna wandered around, taking in the impressive architecture. Crouching low, she touched soft Patterns etched into the ground. Swiping away the dirt and revealing the metallic floor below, she found the Patterns spanning into a great work - each Pattern layered over one another with different levels of complexity. Some areas were simple, boasting two or three, while others had dozens.

The array expanded outward, but she figured that it covered the entirety of the space they resided within. She didn’t need to see any more of the array. She couldn’t comprehend as much as she’d seen, and she could only imagine that it got even more complex the more she saw. She considered showing Aiden, however, she still fumed over the use of the Alliance Contract.

Standing, she looked around. Heading past the woods and jungle, she encountered grassy plains of herding beasts and grazing animals, comfortably lounging around without fear. It was an interesting lot they had here, but she wondered if they were better off freed instead of in captivity.

Each one looked far bigger than anything she’d ever seen on Earth, standing at a minimum of fifty percent larger with several different varying changes. The roaming bison had three tails with bulkier front halves and four back feet. They had three sets of horns, sharp and deadly.

As captivating as the bison were, she carefully maneuvered her way around them. There were dozens of antelopes - spotted, striped, six-legged. Some were big, some were small. Some were short, some were tall.

And she moved past them all. None of them resonated with her. While she moved, she pulsed waves of her Paths into the ground, empowering the ground around her with raw nature Essence.

Snort!

Huff-huff!

Anna turned around to find a lone rhino - a baby rhino, its stubby horn barely formed at the end of its long snout. She pulsed the nature attuned Essence through her foot again, taking a step toward it with her hand out.

Snort!

It approached her without fear, trotting around her with its wide feet. Nuzzling against her leg, it snorted again. She looked around for its parents, but she didn’t find any trace of them.

Crouching low, she pet its head. “Where’d you come from, little one?”

It rested its head against her palm, squealing in delight as she pulsed her Essence once more. She grinned as it licked at her fingers. Its tongue was long and soft, covering her fingers with its spit.

Wiping her hand on the grass, she observed the rhino. Giving it a bit more focus, she realized it had two sets of eyes. There were also two more horns growing out of the side of its snout, already forming small points. Outside of those two things, she was looking at a bonafide rhino like she’d find on Earth.

Running her hand along its side, she appreciated its thick hide.

Vaulkian Rhinoceros tamed! Confirm Vaulkian Rhinoceros as your Companion?
Yes.	No.

Repeatedly pulsing her magic for the creature earned her more and more squeals, nuzzling, and huffing. She idly continued to do so as she considered the option. She’d been looking for something that would respond to her Essence, and it needed to be a child for the Quest.

But a rhino?

“Well, why not?”

Nodding in affirmation, she mentally prodded the Quest prompt.

Vaulkian Rhinoceros has become your Companion!

 

Companion Quest: Finding A Friend completed!

 

“Sure, why not?” Prompting the notification made another take its place.

“I think you’ll be…”

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