Beastforged Bond

“You think he won’t make it?” Mrs. Zerog regarded her husband inquisitively. “I was certain you… Never mind.”

Her tone didn’t change one bit, though the same couldn’t be said about Daniel. He stared at his father, fuming.

“Why are you like that, Father!?”

But as fast as his anger manifested, it was replaced just as quickly by confusion and uncertainty. He turned to his mother and added in a whisper, “But seriously, how is Adam supposed to do that?”

“I will be with him and observe his fights. I won’t let your friend die.” Mrs. Zerog smiled at Daniel.

It looked like he had a lot more to say, but my attention lingered on Daniel’s parents. Mr. Zerog regarded me for a moment and shook his head again, and it almost felt like he was displeased with what he saw. So why was there no displeasure in his eyes? All I could see was a cold, calculating man. He was certainly not the type of person who let their emotions shroud their judgment.

“He still won’t make it,” Mr. Zerog told his wife, who looked back in irritation.

The irritation in her eyes dispersed in a fraction of a second, but I caught it nonetheless.

Is he going off the script?

It would have been a lie to say that Mr. Zerog’s commentary didn’t faze me. At first, it stung knowing that one of Daniel’s parents didn’t think I would make it. That didn’t make any sense, though. Why would they invite me, waste everyone’s time, if they didn’t think I was good enough?

“Why would you say that, Father? I mean… I think Adam would struggle a little bit, but he killed a 3-Star Bloodbath Deer on his first outing. It exhausted him, yes. However, I’m sure he can fight two or three 3-Star Wilds as long as he’s lucky enough to find lone hunters. More than that… Well, as long as Mom is there to protect him from serious harm, he can probably make it happen. Maybe? No, I am sure he…”

I was thankful Daniel stood up for me, but his words did little to convince anyone I was going to make it. Daniel sounded as confident as a puppy in the face of a Titan Direwolf.

Why do you sound like you’re pitying me, dude? I would have loved to ask, but I swallowed the words as Mr. Zerog looked up to meet my eyes.

“Do you know why you will fail?”

There was still no disgust in his eyes. No displeasure either. Mr. Zerog did not underestimate me. So what was the issue? My body shouldn’t be the problem, nor was my World supposed to be crucial for the mission—except for the ether generated in the core and the connection with Aureus, of course.

I glanced down and regarded myself like Daniel’s father had regarded me earlier. It took me a few seconds to cast aside the nervousness that had taken hold of me, but I managed. And I realized what Mr. Zerog was talking about.

I’m so stupid. I nearly burst out laughing.

“I think I do.” I nodded subtly and reached for the silvernit sword. Once unsheathed, the sword’s beauty as well as its flaws unraveled before me; a thin crack ran through the sword’s blade near the hilt.

“Damn, Adam! How did you do that?” Daniel exclaimed, stepping closer to take a look at the blade he’d wielded when he was smaller.

Mr. Zerog didn’t say anything, but the look in his eyes changed ever so slightly. Was that recognition? Respect? Neither? I had no idea, and I doubted I’d ever know.

“That is… interesting. How did that happen?” Mrs. Zerog asked, releasing a wave of ether to pull the silvernit sword out of my hand. I didn’t resist and watched the blade change hands. It whirled through the air and levitated before Daniel’s mother, slowly revolving around its axis.

“An encounter with a 4-Star Wild resulted in the damage. It was a blunder,” I answered honestly, though I’d have loved to lie to bolster my image in front of Mr. and Mrs. Zerog.

“Huh!? But we didn’t…” Daniel whirled back to me with furious eyes. “You went out when I was busy concocting those damn potions!”

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I smiled wryly at my friend. That wasn’t the only time I’d gone out without Daniel. To be honest, I’d spent the last ten days hunting. Every single day. It was probably for the best to tell the Zerog family about my achievements in the Windbloom Forest, but I kept quiet. Daniel’s hurt look made me think I was a villain for going out alone.

Why do you look like a kicked puppy?

“What were you hunting when the blade chipped?” Mr. Zerog asked, and I turned back to Daniel’s parents.

“It was a Bulwark Armadillo. Nasty bugger. It fought off a young Prouncer that charged into the armadillo’s lair, killing its offspring.” There was no reason to lie. If anything, speaking nothing but the truth felt good, and I hoped it would put me in the good books with Daniel’s parents. “I have no idea how it was discovered or why it attacked when I wanted nothing more than the young Prouncer’s corpse to sell. Anyway, it turned out the Bulwark Armadillo’s defense was stronger than an ether-infused silvernit sword. I may have overestimated the sword since I thought it could cut through the hides of weak Awakened.”

Heat rose to my cheeks as I added some details to the struggle with the Bulwark Armadillo.

“Did you sell the corpse?” Mr. Zerog asked over the questions of his wife and son, leaning forward in keen interest.

“Show me the transaction,” he demanded when I nodded in response to his question.

I followed his request without thinking. Retrieving my phone while I walked over to the couch, I opened the list of transactions from Sergey’s shop. Looking at the transactions, I could only smile at the fortune the skinny merchant had made through my daily hunts.

He most certainly made a killing off me, but I did not particularly care about that—not when my trades with Sergey allowed me to repay several hefty loans in full.

A flicker of emotion caught my eye as Daniel’s father studied the transactions with a glance.

“I think I owe you an apology. I’m sorry for doubting your words.”

That was surprising, and it looked like I wasn’t the only one taken by surprise. Daniel’s mother regarded her husband with a raised eyebrow.

Studying the change of tune, I could only hope that I was up to the Zerog family’s standards. I was still too weak to join the Camp through normal means. I knew that much. But would that still be the same with the support of the Zerog family? Doubts plagued my mind, and I felt bad about thinking of accepting their help, but it was obvious that they had thought long and thoroughly about this.

They might have found me thanks to Daniel, but they wouldn’t make me his retinue just because their son wanted that. I told myself over and over again, yet the words wouldn’t stick.

It was a favor—a debt I’d have to repay if I succeeded—but it felt more like an investment than anything. I had to fulfill each of the Zerog family’s criteria to step into the Camp, and they expected me to do well in the Camp and repay them for the opportunity they provided.

They risked a lot, if their image and reputation were as important as they appeared to be, and I’d be damned if I angered them. I’d make sure they would earn a fortune of interest to make their investment worthwhile—as long as I earned their favor through my own hard work.

“My time is running out,” I muttered, glancing at the silvernit sword. Without a weapon, I wouldn’t be able to hunt anything. Let alone 3-Star Wilds—even 1-Stars would endanger my life.

Mr. Zerog waved his hand, and a sword sheathed in a black leather scabbard materialized before me. It appeared to be a replica of the silvernit sword, yet it felt lighter as I caught it. Curiosity took over, and I stepped back to unsheathe the weapon.

Ether rolled out from my core and flushed through the internal weave of the sword. It resembled the silvernit sword, yet it was more intricate and extensive. I shuddered as I felt the sharpness of the sword just by looking at it, and I retracted the ether at once.

“Can I…” I swallowed my words and tried anew, “Thank you. I will make sure to return it tonight—undamaged.”

Mr. Zerog nodded, but the corner of his lips curled up slightly. “If you succeed, you can keep it.”

“A refined silvernit sword?” Daniel muttered, his eyes flitting from his father to me.

Mrs. Zerog just looked at us, one eyebrow cocked at her husband.

“Adam said it already, but time is of the essence. We should depart now if we don’t want him to miss his quota because we wasted too much time, or did we?”

Daniel stiffened and rushed to the elevator. “Hurry up, Adam. We have no time to waste!”

Ten minutes to the skytrain station, twenty minutes to the outer sector, and another twenty minutes to reach the dome without putting too much strain on my body. I should probably get some food and something to drink on the way as well. Fighting on an empty stomach will only distract me.

As the thoughts flashed through my mind, Mr. and Mrs. Zerog got up and caught up to Daniel.

“Are you coming as well, Father?” I heard Daniel ask his father.

“Do you want your mother to drive the cruiser? And here I thought you planned to help your friend leave the Bastion intact,” Mr. Zerog responded, which earned him a jab.

I was only half-listening as the Zerog family bantered with each other, but the words I caught yanked me out of my train of thought.

“Cruiser? Drive? Are we not going to take the skytrain?”

The entire family turned to stare at me with smiles that couldn’t have been more devious. Or…was I just imagining that?

“That will be fun!” Daniel exclaimed, and I couldn’t help but doubt that.

I was certain this—whatever it was—wouldn’t be fun.