Logan was sowhat reluctant to go back, sighing a few tis as he looked out from the small carriage, taking a few sips of the pink alint curing potion, a habit while on a cart.
Nestled on his lap, Luna enjoyed his hand sweeping through her soft, fluffy coat. On his shoulder, his falcon stood with one wing over its face, trying to rest. Within his jacket, he felt the gelatinous form of the sli nestled like a chain around his torso.
As for his other two tas, they had stayed behind. His goblin remained to avoid scaring any of the students, and his salamander decided to return to his house within the Rosengard Estate, where it enjoyed the familiar surroundings.
There was only one other person in the carriage: Ruri, who was humming a lody softly while shaking one leg in a relaxed manner. "We are almost at the castle, Master Logan. I hope you are doing well," she said, understanding that he was not in a good state.
"Thank you, Ruri…" He said while nodding.
Ruri smiled gently; her eyes filled with understanding. "You're welco, Master Logan."
The carriage continued its journey, the rhythmic clatter of wheels on the cobblestone road providing a comforting background to Ruri's soft humming.
Logan noticed that he couldn't speak as much as he did this morning. His loner nature had resurfaced, and while Ruri tried to strike up a conversation a few tis, he found himself back to his monosyllabic responses.
"Ruri, I am sorry." He finally said mustering all the courage he could.
"For what, Master?" she replied, her head tilting to the side in a cute, almost innocent motion.
"I'm sorry for being so distant. I know you're trying to be kind and engage with , but sotis… it's just hard for to open up," Logan admitted, his voice barely above a whisper.
Ruri smiled softly; her eyes filled with understanding. "There is no need to apologize, Master Logan. We all have our problems, and I appreciate that you are trying."
Logan nodded, feeling a bit of the weight lift off his shoulders. The rest of the journey continued in a comfortable silence, with Ruri continuing to hum softly and Logan feeling a weird sense of peace and balance with how things were going.
As they approached the castle, the sense of anticipation grew. Logan knew it was the calm before the storm. He was acutely aware of being the weakest and had tried to get stronger, but with so few days, not much progress had been made.
He was almost at level 10 while the rest of the class was probably higher. Although there were many blue goblins, their used-up magic cores did not provide much experience.
By now, he could guess that experience in this world was basically the accumulated mana the body absorbed from a fallen creature. The more a body's core absorbed, the more powerful it beca.
He sighed as he saw the castle's great walls closing in on the moving carriage. It would be at least two minutes before they arrived at the inn where his entire class was probably resting.
"Hey, Ruri, do you think I can stop here? I want to check sothing quick before I head back," Logan asked.
Ruri nodded, her expression understanding. "Of course, Master Logan. Let have the coachman stop, just don't be too late in coming back to your room."
His maid tapped on the door a few tis and opened the window to explain the situation to the coachman. The man nodded and proceeded to open the door for the hero, allowing Logan to step out. The coachman then continued towards their original destination, taking Ruri with him.
"Well then, I had left this for far too long. Let's visit my first companion to see how it is doing," Logan said to his three tas, who all accepted the late-night mission.
The carriage had left him next to the king's audience room, a place he would have avoided during the morning to steer clear of any encounters that might force him to et the king.
As he got close to the mystical garden which he saw on the first day, Logan took in all the scents and the magical visual allure that the plants were producing while bathing in the night's moonlight.
"There you are…" Logan said, getting close to a particular deep red flower that reminded him of a rose.
He noticed his presence had an effect on his Crimson Majesty, the plants vines began to reach for one of his fingers which he placed close.
[Na: Scarlet / Species: Crimson Majesty / Level: 1 / Blood Mark: Right Ankle / Ankle Loyalty: 1/100
Str: 1 Agi: 1 Dex: 2 Con: 2 Int: 1 Char: 9
Scent of Serenity: Emits a calming fragrance that soothes those nearby, reducing stress and attracting prey.
Hyper sense: Detects nearby presences through vibrations and movents around the plant.
Thorny Defense: Protect itself using thorns found in its vines if attacked.]
As he checked on its stats, Logan noticed that they were one of the worst ones he could have hoped for, only its Charisma was high, but that seem to do nothing in battle.
He let the small monster vine keep pulling at his finger for a few seconds before wondering how he could help this particular plant grow. He looked towards his fox, who might know sothing, being the daughter—or should he say, a part—of Ferra, who was considered the guardian of the forest.
[No, hard, understand, just born] Luna tried to communicate to her master, but that didn't stop her from sniffing the small plant.
"Well, there must be so other way… let's see…" Logan muttered to himself, determined to find a solution.
Logan watched in fascination as the tentacle gently interacted with the vine, almost as if it was offering comfort or support. The vine seed to respond, its tendrils wrapping around the tentacle in a delicate embrace.
Suddenly the tentacle reeled back slowly, the vine trying to chase it. At first, Logan thought they were playing, but he noticed that the clear tentacle was actually being sapped of its mana.
"Don't tell !" Logan exclaid, realizing what was happening. He suddenly had an idea. He reached for his ring, activating it to make a small amount of water pour into his cupped hand.
The vine, sensing the moisture, shifted its attention from the tentacle to the water. Logan watched as the plant absorbed the water greedily, its tendrils becoming more vibrant and robust.
"There, that should help you grow without draining my little friend," Logan said, relieved. He looked at Luna, who seed to nod in approval, and the falcon, who perched quietly on his shoulder. As for the small sli, it retracted its tentacle, nestling back inside Logan's sleeve.
Taking more of the magical mana-filled water out from his ring to refill, he heard the clear sound of a ping resounding in his mind. It was a familiar sensation, indicating that sothing significant had just happened.
He looked through his stats and noticed that the Crimson Majesty had gained one level. A sense of satisfaction washed over him as he realized what had happened. He spent a few more minutes feeding the plant, which stopped once it had gotten its fill.
It took around four handfuls of water in total, and Logan was glad that it was enough to raise the small plant by two whole levels. He watched the vine, now thicker, and the flower grew even bigger, giving off a greater aroma.
Logan smiled, feeling a sense of accomplishnt. "You're doing great," he said softly to the plant. The plant seed to co alive even more, with the magical energy radiating from the rejuvenated vine.
"Just please try to look normal, even if you are a bit bigger. Try not to stand out or you will expose our secret, little one," Logan whispered, petting one of the flower's leaves carefully to avoid its thorns.
It shouldn't be too noticeable, right? he said to himself, glancing around to ensure no one was watching. Luckily, the area seed to be empty, giving him a sense of relief.
"Now then, I have to go for today. I will visit tomorrow to feed you again... Rosie... no, too simple. How about... Scarlet. Yes, that should be an okay na, right?" Logan asked his other pets.
His sli seed to want to say sothing, lightly tightening its grip around his arm.
[Hii, Hiii!] the sli bubbled excitedly, seemingly angry about sothing.
"Oh yeah, sorry, I forgot to give you one too, right?" Logan said, realizing his mistake. He gently patted the sli, thinking of a fitting na for it.
"How about… Jelly," Logan said playfully, feeling the small creature tighten its grip, seemingly unhappy with the lack of seriousness.
"Fine, fine, let's see… how about Kryst… short for Crystal. It should be unique and easy to say."
His tad sli jiggled within his shirt, [Hiii!] it finally said, playfully pounding on his shoulder as it decided.
"Guess that's that, Kryst it is," Logan said with a smile. "Now then, it's ti to go back before Ruri gets mad."
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