273 Chapter Seventy Three - I am going home at las (1/2)

Sixty teams of six entered the Shattered Empyrean Isles realm, but only seventeen made it until the end.  Should mention that this was not because any teams had been lost to the denizens of the realm or its other pitfalls, it was an event set up by the Institute and they tried to ensure that death during any competition and expedition that they led was minimal.  No, the other teams had simply left the competition early, having lost the will, due to injuries, or simply knowing that they were facing death otherwise.

Two of the most serious injuries were suffered by youths of different teams with one squishy mage having lost his hand due to his team's failure to keep him shielded while he cast spells and the other was a head injury caused by an unforeseen accident, very hard to avoid.  Both were currently in the Healer's Hall.  It was uncertain whether the mage would be able to get hold of one of the most illusive pills that literally regenerated limbs, such was rare in the Higher Realms let alone in Xulaphrey.  The other, a female Martial Artist was currently in a coma, but the Healer's felt that she should wake up soon.

Other injuries were mostly superficial, exhaustion and hunger had been common factors in teams giving up early.  In fact, had they seen Pike's team emerge looking quite chipper and well fed, they would have glared in envy and disgust.

As Pike handed over their interdimensional bag to be sealed, ready to be evaluated a day later by the judges, Bowyer and his team appeared behind them.  Their team returned with an additional member.

”Bo ge, Lua Lua is hungry, squawk!”

Three black lines appeared on Bowyer's forehead as his tired team rolled their eyes and other teams stared at them in disbelief.  Was that a Luan?!

”Bo ge...”

”I'll give you something to eat soon, just hold on a bit longer,” Bowyer told the four foot tall bird beside him, a note of exasperation in his voice.

A Luan was a bird-type beast, shaped somewhat like a pheasant with slightly longer legs than the weaker creature in comparison to their respective body sizes.  It's colouration was not too different from the male pheasant, the majority of its feathers speckled brown, reddening at its chest and cut off by a white ring upon its neck... or in this case, necks.  A Luan was a twin headed bird.  This Luan had sea-green feathers adorning its neck and head, becoming more peridot than emerald around its black eyes.  These colours were reflected in its long tail feathers and upon the tips of its long wings, which were not just for decoration.  It could fly, but it was quite lazy and usually chose not to.

The other important feature regarding a Luan was that it had intelligence and could communicate using human speech.  That said, it was only that of a three-year old child, but considering it retained much racial instinct, actually taming one not held in thrall while it was still in its egg was unheard of.  Even more, eggs hatched in human hands were very, very few.  So finding a person with a Luan as their spirit beast was like finding a needle in a haystack, not impossible, just not probable.

Yet one had joined Bowyer's party?!

The mage assisting an elder Teacher hesitated as Bowyer handed him his team's interdimensional bag.  ”Will the Luan be considered part of their spoils?” The man turned to the elder behind him.  It wasn't as if the Luan could be put in the bag!

”Oh, its not unheard of for teams to bring back live beasts,” she said in response, looking nonchalant.  In truth, she was also flustered, usually the spirit beasts to be captured were only half-tamed cubs or fledglings, not something as unbelievable as this adolescent Luan.  ”We usually add a scroll of note to the bag before sealing, let the judges know that the beast was indeed tamed in the realm.”

The assistant did so, just as the Luan's left head began to whine about its empty stomach once more. Leon recalled that he'd stored a few berries in his interspatial bag as he'd become fond of the taste of them and thought to try grow some with the seeds buried inside the fruit. He took a handful out and was about to offer them to Bowyer, however the Luan caught their scent and rushed over to peck them out of his hand. It seemed that both heads could eat freely.

”Yum! Like!” The left head gulped down the last berry happily, while the right head rubbed against Leon's hand affectionately.