86 Changing of the Guard (2/2)

The eerie presence from earlier above deck was gone. With it went likely any monsters within leagues of them as well so she supposed it had been for that purpose. With the Tarainien Empire fully aware of the aged states of two of the three founding heads, and subsequently them being less active in defending ships, they had upped their raids and support of slavers and pirates. It was all secretive of course, but no one really questioned where the raiders got their support.

She was quite glad to have such a mage guarding them. As strong as Alaya Fenrar was - and that particular Wolfkin had quite the history hunting even the stronger groups of slavers and pirates - she doubted the Wolfkin compared to a Mage who could duel with her father. Now that information from her agent who witnessed the fight had been quite the reveal. And, after all, the strength of a mage lay in groups and never in such circumstances,

She had little doubt he couldn't have quickly killed even the man called in certain channels as the Aura Zombie, for his impossible tenacity, had he had someone to take the heat off him. Based on the description of the fight she had been given, the moment said mage had even a moment's freedom he had nearly done just that.

That he proved quite skilled in magically altered music made it all the better.

When the Wolf King had suggested a change in guard, she had been quite irritated. All her work in getting an envoy from the Wolf King went out the window in that one moment. She could have reasonably demanded Alaya remain her guard, but that would have ruined the whole original purpose and make her intentions far too obvious.

Whether the alternative proved to be better, she'd have to wait and see. It was more than possible her father would be severely displeased she didn't come back with a relative of the Wolf King. Or, that she chanced upon something more valuable.

”I'm surprised you're so okay with your man traveling with that Moon Elf,” Alaya said, slightly panting. The two had just finished a spar, and she had been quite surprised how strong the 1st Tier Kara was.

”Why?” Kara asked. She would say it was because Alaya didn't know that Luna was with Rainer, but that was less an assurance and more of a negative. The Fairy would probably cite the Moon Elf as perfect for Rainer because of variety. No, Kara was assured because Rainer spent weeks around impossibly beautiful Fae who were deeply attracted to him and viewed it as more of an annoyance than anything else. To the point where, rather than inciting any jealousy, it was hugely entertaining watching him deal with it.

”She isn't the most reserved of people.”

Kara shrugged, ”I trust him, even if he wasn't coming back here most nights,” It wasn't as if she had an alternative choice, in any case.

”Coming back here?” Alaya asked, confused.

”Oh? You didn't know. He's teleporting back here whenever he can,” It wasn't really a secret, and, if anything, she knew Rainer planned to use it as part of his reputation. A man who could go anywhere he pleased at any time was quite a frightening thing to have as an enemy.

Alaya stared back at Kara stunned, having not been aware of that 'little' detail.

Already below deck after his meal, Rainer checked on Gunthar. He was most certainly not just interested in playing with Tiamat like his Sun Elf friend, no...he was just seeing that everything was alright with the rooms.

Walking to the back of the deck, Rainer found the two rooms allotted to them. His, that Gunthar currently sat in, was about as lavish as Ele's was. There were also already fruits and other similar assortments, that weren't dependent on being cooked, prepared.

Gunthar, as Rainer expected, played with Tiamat. Said Dragon stood in her full four foot length on Rainer's bed. Gunthar stood a bit farther away, arms stretched out as if making to catch her. It was, of course, not necessary in the slightest as Tiamat had already developed quite the resistance as a Dragon, even as a baby one.

Tiamat flapped her wings, gathering magic. It flowed through her body with her blood. Just like Rainer's when he used [Eldritch Flight]. The difference being with Tiamat's failures she was nowhere near as consistent. She'd use the spell properly and moments later lose her grasp on it. No fault of her own, being only two or so months old.

Rainer started to float in the background, keeping in the mind that the ship was also moving. It wouldn't matter for short term flight, but anything longer than a moment or two and you'd have problems.

Tiamat glanced at him and with a small 'hmph' breathed air out of her nostrils. Mistaking Rainer's attempt at helping her as a taunt, she put an extraordinary effort into her next flight. She jumped off the bed, bypassing Gunthar entirely, and flew in a circle around him, before the effects of flying over a moving object made themselves known. Success had been known for only a moment when Rainer Void-walked to catch her.

”You had that huh? Who's a good girl?” Rainer said, scratching underneath the not-so-little dragon's chin in his arms. She tried to continue being angry at him but found herself shrinking to a smaller size and enjoying her master's presence.

As Rainer viewed what was undoubtedly a touch of jealousy from Gunthar's undead visage, no matter how impossible that was. Then he felt another source of the emotion coming from his shoulder. The rune on his shoulder glowed in heat and soon after a serpent escaped. Jor immediately went into a small size and floated in front of Rainer.

”I fly well too,” Rainer heard the monotone voice of Jor, though for the first time outloud.

The serpent wasn't the same as in the past. Its violet scales now seemed fully corporeal, and its body had a trace of divinity laced in throughout it. A pool of Miasma and Arcane seemingly functioned as this being's core and existence as it lacked any other organs. At least from what Rainer's [Arcane Revelation] covered eyes could gather.

”Very well,” Rainer responded, hiding his surprise at Jor's changes. The feeling of Divinity was unmistakable even if it was tiny. The rest had seemingly been consumed to produce the changes in the arcane-mixed Serpent. There was no doubt in Rainer that this was a being of power beyond its unique consuming abilities. [Appraisal], however, still showed the usual [Unknown].

Rainer handed Tiamat into Gunthar's waiting arms, said dragon not even voicing a complaint as she enjoyed the scratching that came from the bony hands of Gunthar most of all.

Jor took the opportunity to wrap around Rainer's arm, his head now staring out above his hand at Rainer. Seeing the serpent slowly lift his head higher and higher as if 'hinting' at something, Rainer put him out of misery and finally conceded in scratching under his chin as well.

Unlike Tiamat who could alter the softness of her scales with her magic, Rainer intellectually knew Jor's scales were as hard as steel. And yet in terms of touch they were just as pleasant, if not a bit more. Not that he'd ever admit it to the small eldritch being. Jor preened with pride and eventually moved, wrapping around Rainer's neck and snaking up around to the top of his head, resting there.

”Is everything in order?” Rainer finally asked.

”Apart from your magic practice earlier, Sorcerer, there are no issues. I see you've made progress on one of your presence spells?” Gunthar asked. He momentarily wondered if the presence he felt earlier was worse than even the increase of gravity from his more physical magic.

”What do you mean... I aimed it away from the ship.”

”Not successfully it seems,” Gunthar laughed.

”I suppose I'll have to find something else to do during the day,” Rainer mumbled. Presence skills were relatively benign, so normally there'd be no issue even if he used a living target for practice. But if the crew had been so on edge earlier because of him, rather than despite him, then that wasn't an option.

”Why don't you just return to the palace?” Gunthar asked.

”I suppose I might as well. Don't hesitate to call me if you need anything.”

”Call you? I'm afraid you overestimate the strength of my non-existent Vocal Chords” Gunthar said, confused. How would his voice reach Rainer? Did he add a feature to the Familiar Bond or [Soul Trace] magic?

”Contact me with the Familiar Bond I mean,” Rainer corrected, ”Jor, you mind heading back inside for now?” He then got the general sense that the serpent was unwilling to do that though he would if Rainer truly needed it. Jor had been stuck inside the rune, and whatever was in there for most of his short life, so Rainer found it hard to say no to the serpent's request.

”On second thought, Gunthar, we should discuss our plans for once we get to the city.”

Gunthar instantly read the emotions of the pouting serpent on Rainer's head and nodded in agreement.

”A fine thought, Sorcerer.”

”I'll be back in a few hours,” He still had the promised meeting with Ele, though she never gave him a specific time, ”Call m- Contact me if someone comes to the door for me.”

”I shall do as such, Sorcerer.”

Rainer vanished after checking on Kara with a [Void Seer], Luna in tow. He reappeared through the Void behind a resting Kara.

”Boo.” He spoke right in Kara's wolven ear. Kara jumped as her tail tensed but halfway through, she relaxed.

”Are you going to do that everytime,” Kara said, slightly blushing.

”After that reaction? I kind of have to don't I?”

Kara's head fell, ”I figured as much. Why are you back early?”

”You're not happy to see me?” Rainer asked in faux hurt.

”No.”

Rainer winced a bit. He knew she wasn't completely serious but still mentally decided to jump scare his sister instead of Kara from now on. Don't scare anyone at all? That seemed a waste of his hard earned tier 7 spell.

”How's the training going?” Rainer asked, noting Kara was by herself in the training room.

”It's surprisingly similar to how I unleashed my Demonic Transformation for the first time.”

”Which part?” Rainer asked confused.

”I meant, the feeling they describe, not so much anything else. Changing my Wolfkin Aura to the golden one of my bloodline, I mean. I can already feel the shift, it shouldn't be hard for me to use my past experience to push it forward. I can probably practice it in [Sleep Learning] and unlock it soon. Becoming an Aural Existence like Ymir and Alaya however…there isn't enough information.”

”Do you know why exactly Ymir is being so tight-lipped about that?” Rainer asked, taking a seat on the floor with Kara doing the same across from him. No matter how interested he was in this, he found himself more distracted by the light sheen of sweat across her skin. The clothes she was wearing for training didn't cover much.

”A law of the Royal Family. They Soul-bound themselves to never spread the key information on becoming an Aural Existence. It's a ritual of Soul and Aura dating back to the first Wolf King who founded the country, so while they can technically break it they'd have their Aura forcibly stripped and likely their lives.”

Rainer could understand why, when the major powers of the Dragon Isles were all Aura users. Such a secret could be one of the most valuable in the whole archipelago.

”So what do you know about it?”

”Very carefully infuse my Aura into my muscles and bones after my training. That was all he could offer…”

Rainer momentarily thought back to the two Aural Existences he knew. He had examined both with [Arcane Revelation], so he knew full well the differences between the two. Alaya was the equivalent of paying a three year old to throw a rubber basketball and calling her a professional basketball player. It was technically correct, but no one would actually consider said toddler as such. It was the same with Alaya.

With Ymir, he couldn't tell where the Aura began and the man ended. With Alaya, however, it seemed almost stored throughout her body rather than intertwined like with her father.

Muscles and bones…

Rainer pondered. That wasn't the case with the royal Wolfkin duo, as they had Aura everywhere without exception, including their brains.

In fact, that it was so heavily interwoven in their brains and yet seemingly gave no mental improvements beyond improved healing gave Rainer a theory as to how one became an Aural Existence. That, and the fact they lived on this weird mountain in the first place.

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”We can talk about it later,” Rainer said, not wanting to speak out his theories, ”Don't try to start the process before then.”

”I'll focus on what I can do for now.”

”How's it going by the way, with Ymir?”

”I don't see him often, but I suppose that makes our short time easier. No awkward pauses or lack of conversation. He asks about my mother a lot though, subtly or seemingly as an afterthought, but it's easy to tell he wants to know more.”

”Your mom ever say why she left him?”

Kara shook her head, ”She barely said anything about him at all.”

”You know…” Rainer started speaking, just now realizing he could Void-walk to Kara's mother, ”We could visit her some time.”

”Really?” Kara asked, surprised.

”We'd have to be careful, and make sure not to surprise her and cause any misunderstandings. After all, being captured by a Mage is one of the worst case scenarios, yeah?”

Kara hugged him with a giggle. ”Thank you. But we'll have to be careful for more reasons than that. I had left in the first place because they were unable to hide me safely. If any Demons aside from my mother somehow knew I was there, even after we already left, it could mean trouble…”

”We'll plan it out. In any case, it makes her an easy marker for when you need to take your Trial,” Rainer offered.

”And I still have plenty training left before that.”

”I'll help with what I can.”