System Change

Not a sound could be heard in the Great Hall once the king commanded everyone to stand down, but his guards were still tensed up after the unexpected arrival of the bunny, not to mention the way she arrived.

“You must be Silvi.” Edwin gave the bunny a deep nod. “Mr. Hunt is extremely fortunate to have a bonded companion such as you.”

“I agree,” a childlike voice chimed out from the crystal connected to her collar.

The king was taken aback by her immediate agreement, but quickly brushed it off. “I have to say, I was not expecting you to save the day. My family and I are in your debt.”

“Great!” the voice chimed again, this time very enthusiastically. “Do I get rewards?”

“Uh…” the king frowned for a moment, then his smile returned. “Of course you will receive a reward. It’s only proper. Though, I’m afraid I’m not sure what kind of reward…”

“Ingredients!” The voice cut the king off in the middle of his reply. “I want ingredients.”

“Ingredients?” the king asked. “Like… for crafting? Alchemy ingredients?” Ingredients for Alchemy wasn’t a bad reward, actually. The king was beginning to think that there was even more to the bunny sitting in front of him. So far, nobody had been able to gather much about her. She was Derek’s companion. She seemed to dine at the Crown Restaurant quite often, which he did find weird, but who could resist the food there? And now, he had only just learned of her battle ability.

With the right Alchemy ingredients, she, or Derek more likely, would be able to hire an Alchemist to concoct extraordinary potions. Not to mention, Derek’s association with Roman Pascal was well known, and that halfling was a very skilled alchemist that even the royal family used from time to time. So, the bonded companion is thinking of Derek. They must have a very good relationship. Though it would be weird for soulbound companions to not think of one another. With all that in mind, the king began to nod his head, but he was interrupted once again by the small voice.

“I haven’t tried Alchemy ingredients yet. Do they make for good meals? Hmm… Actually, I think there are some plants that I got that I had to share with the mani… that I had to share. We can add some of them to the reward,” Silvi said.

“Make for good meals?” the king asked. “You don’t want them for Alchemy?”

“Alchemy? Do I look like an Alchemist?”

“Well… no. Not exactly.” Edwin answered.

“That’s right. I’m a cook.” The voice rang with such finality that Edwin didn’t know what to say or do.

She didn’t want Alchemy ingredients for Alchemy… she wanted ingredients because she’s a cook? With such talent in fighting? What’s going on here?

“So… you want cooking ingredients, then?” the king hesitantly asked, making sure he was correct in his thoughts.

“Exactly! But you can add the Alchemy ones, too. Well… just plants and meats and stuff. I don’t think claws in horns would make for very good meals… but… they could add to the texture. That would be interesting…”

The king continued listening to the bunny rattling on about the possible different uses for ingredients. It was all so surreal. At first, she didn’t seem like she wanted to talk much, but when she began talking about ingredients, it took her a while to stop. But, finally, after stunning the entire room with her rambling, she seemed to come back to reality.

“Anyway. You just make a list of what ingredients you have, and I’ll stop by later to pick it up. That’s all I need for a reward. Easy, right? I have more things to do. Don’t forget!”

Then, without another word, or a reply, the same pressure fell on the entire Great Hall once again, and once again caused severe discomfort in some of the king’s guards. The portal-like skill activated again, and a rip in the space behind the bunny appeared. She hopped into it, and the tear closed in on itself.

Everyone stared at the now empty space in stunned silence. Finally, Phillip Musgrave, currently the king’s only true advisor, spoke. “Your Majesty… what… was that?”

The king quickly composed himself and looked directly into his advisor’s eyes. “Phillip! You heard Silvi. Go to the kitchen and take inventory. Also, take an inventory of all our Alchemy ingredients,” the king commanded. “Go on! Make haste!”

Edwin didn’t know when the little beast would be back, but if all she wanted was cooking ingredients, maybe having her as a friend would come in handy in the future.

***

Slightly Earlier…

Raid Dungeon…

Derek and Edgar were sitting at the table beside the blacksmith’s temporary workshop and discussion the trials and the possibilities of what was currently going on in the kingdom while they waited for Avery and the others to return from their trial. Derek was also waiting in anticipation for Tyron to finish his leg armor as well.

“I just think they should have been back by now,” Edgar said, still visibly anxious after all of their guessing and theorizing.

“Yeah, but Avery is with them. They’ll be fin…”

But, all the sudden, Derek was hit by a flurry of notifications, and stopped talking mid-sentence to view them. After all, he hadn’t done anything to receive any new notifications, and if it was his Time Prison leveling again, there would have only been a single notification.

Your Bonded Companion Has Killed level 250 Elven Barrier Mage

239,750,000,000 Experience Gained

Level Up

Your Bonded Companion Has Killed level 250 Elven Archer

Your Bonded Companion Has Killed level 250 Elven Warrior

120,750,000,000 Experience Gained

Level UP

85,550,775,550/235,550,800,000 Experience to Next Level

Derek frowned as he read the notification… the kill notifications. He tried to wrap his head around what he was seeing. Obviously, something had happened that caused Silvi to react, and react in a big way. Three people… No… Three elves killed all at once. What happened? Does that mean that the elves are part of what’s going on?

“What is it? Why are you so spaced out right now?” Edgar asked worriedly.

“I think I may have just figured out what’s happening in the kingdom,” Derek said.

“What? How?”

“I just received notification of three kills. Kills made by Silvi.”

“She’s fighting? What did she kill?” Edgar leaned forward in his seat.

“That’s just it… it’s not what… it’s who,” Derek said.

“So, not monsters. Then Cydaria has been invaded and we are at war, or there was a noble uprising?”

Derek shook his head. “She killed three elves,” he said. “All level 250. There was an Elven Warrior, an Elven Archer, and… an Elven Barrier Mage.”

Edgar had stayed calm as Derek explained what happened, but as soon as he mentioned an Elven Barrier Mage, his eyes widened and he sat back in disbelief. It was now Derek’s turn to be curious.

“Do you know what that means?” Derek asked.

“I do…” Edgar nodded gravely. “From what I know, most of the royal line of elves in Indria uses barrier magic. Of course, it’s entirely possible for someone not of the royal family to luck into the magic, just like it is possible for someone other than us to end up with lightning magic. But, the fact that your companion killed not only an elf with barrier magic but also two other level 250 elves…”

“Indria is part of the attack.” Derek finished the prince’s sentence.

Edgar could only nod.

“And if Silvi has taken action, then Savannah…”

Edgar jumped up from his seat. “I didn’t think of that. She wouldn’t have any reason to leave Savannah?”

“No. I don’t believe so.” Derek shook his head.

“That means that Savannah is already under attack!” Edgar flicked his wrist, and a scroll appeared in his hand. “Blitz!” he called for his bonded companion.

Derek knew exactly what was going through the prince’s head. In fact, he was a little worried, as well. Silvi had just been in a battle, after all. He stood, and was about to talk-to tell Edgar to calm down for a moment, but before he could get a word out, he felt something in the air. Something that felt… familiar. It felt like the void, and it was rapidly closing in.

Derek was the first to feel it, but soon, Edgar’s eyes shot to the same place Derek was currently looking, and his grip loosened on the escape scroll. At that time, Blitz landed behind Edgar. “Dammit! What’s going on?” Edgar shouted, the new occurrence stopping him from ripping the escape scroll in his hand.

In the next instant, Rocky and Tyron were standing beside Derek and Edgar, both on guard, Tyron’s hammer now giant, along with Rocky’s body. But something was beginning to feel very familiar to Derek. No… It couldn’t be. We’re in a dungeon, he thought.

But soon, he saw a scene that he’d saw once before-inside the duel trial where he fought the whale. He had made the same rip in the void that was currently appearing before his eyes. The tear grew bigger and bigger. Instantly, Derek knew it was Silvi. She had somehow forced her way into the dungeon by using Void Travel.

The next thing he knew, though, Silvi was hopping out of the portal and Blitz roared loudly, lightning energy forming in his maw.

Edgar noticed it, too, and he had also noticed the appearance of Silvi. “Blitz! Sto-“ he began, but it was too late.

In the next instant, Silvi was beside the wyvern, crashing into his side with a charge. He also saw a flash of purple, letting him know that she had activated Void Lightning as well. But, it looked like she had taken in the situation as soon as she arrived, and had forgone hitting the wyvern in any vital area, which made Derek let out a breath.

Just after the crash between her and the wyvern, Derek felt a lightweight appear on his shoulder, and turned his head to look into his companion’s eyes.

‘Can I kill that? It looks delicious!’ her childlike voice rang in his head through their bond.

‘Close the tunnel,’ Derek said, ignoring her comment about eating Blitz for the time being.

‘Oh, right. I forgot.’

Finally, the tear in the void closed and everyone came back to their senses. Blitz eyed Silvi with fire in his eyes, and lightning still being channeled through his body.

‘What about the giant noodle?’ Silvi asked. ‘Can we eat it?’

Derek frowned, but soon realized she was talking about Rocky. He was a giant wyrm. Derek gave the wyrm a quick looked and did everything he could to keep the smile off his face. ‘No! These are my friend’s companions. No eating them!’

‘Fine.’ Silvi huffed. ‘But that big chicken better stop looking at me like that or I’m going to fry him.’

Derek looked at Blitz, who wasn’t really hurting… well, except for his pride. Then he looked at Edgar. Understanding crossed the prince’s eyes, and he placed the hand that wasn’t currently holding the escape scroll on Blitz’s side and calmed him.

“Uhem…” Tyron grunted to get everyone’s attention. “This is?”

“Oh, Tyron, meet Silvi. She’s my bonded companion,” Derek introduced her to the smith.

The smith took Silvi’s appearance in for a moment before slowly nodding. “I see…” he said. Then his eyes brightened. “That is a nice cloak, and the collar… very good idea. Using it to keep the storage ring and the communication crystals so she can communicate out loud. Very smart.”

That’s when Derek noticed that the ring was no longer in her nose, but instead on her collar. Was her evolution the same as mine? Actually, now that I’m looking at her, she is a bit different. She has more of the purple on her fur. Wait…

“Silvi, how… no… why are you here?”