"Why did you let her attack you?" Eclipse asked


    "Cause she needed to see that she was getting in her own way. It was going to do no good for me to simply say it. She would have denied it immediately," Ob replied. "It''s clear she has a hard time keepin her emotions in check, which is quite interesting for the heir to her kingdom. But I suppose she is running from that."


    "How do you know that she is royalty?" Eclipse asked again.


    "She talks like you, all prim and proper, the way she moves, how she is dressed, it wreaks of royalty," Ob said. Eclipse shot daggers at her soul-link partner as a warning to tread lightly. "Hey, I have no issue with royalty. It is just not my thing. I grew up in a rural area; we grew our own food, for heaven''s sake. It''s not that we didn''t have money; it''s that we acted like we didn''t. Then all the pricks from the fancy private schools looking down their noses at us." Ob paused, noticing he was getting worked up. Took a deep breath and said, "I just don''t appreciate when people act like they''re hot stuff over things they did not do themselves."


    "Hold firm to those principles because you already have a lot of gold. More than most people earn in two years'' wages." Eclipse stated, "Crusaders are wealthy, very wealthy, and that''s rewards from missions they accept. It appears you have something in your powerset that gives you bonus rewards during things. This is rare; soon, you will see what it is like to be royalty. Then I want to see how many of those faces you look down on." She ended flatly.


    "I get it. I shouldn''t judge. I also should not have insulted you; for that, I am sorry." Ob said, recognizing the offended tone in his partner''s voice.


    Eclipse didn''t say anything, just kept walking. Arrogance, she thought.


    The two entered the village just as the sun set; a few food stalls were open with very little food left. "Sorry, the pickings are slim." The vendor said. "What can I get yew two?" He started eyeing up the dragon slowly, "Don''t think I have enough for that one there, but enough for two or three of yous," he said, gesturing to Ob.


    "Oh, but that''s too bad," a sinister-sounding voice said, appearing out of the shadows. She was tall with leathery light purple skin, and black horns mixed with her black hair stood atop her head. She had a pair of giant bat wings protruding from her back. She walked and talked with Sultry, clearly trying to seduce the vendor. "My friends and I just got back to town and are sooo hungry. You''re going to feed your loyal customer second to this… "she looked Ob up and down "...Draconian…"


    "I''m sorry, friend, but she is right. Loyalty comes first. I''ll have to serve her first, and then you can get what''s left if there is anything." The vendor said, sounding slightly off. "Or come back tomorrow, and I''ll get you right." As the vendor turned to gaze at that thing, Ob asked him one more thing.


    "Know anywhere where I can buy produce and meat?"


    "Why do you care, Draconian? It is time for you to go." The lady said.


    "Listen, I was not talking to you. Unless you have anything useful to say to me, you can beat it." Ob said, annoyance setting in. Eclipse shook her head and told Ob to be prepared for a fight.


    The woman raised an eyebrow, then laughed. Her laugh was like nails on a chalkboard. "You dare speak to me like this, Normy? I am a Bronze level Crusader, leader of my Crusader party, The Dark Wings," She said with her voice raising an octave. "I ought to kill you where you stand. All your powers are level 1 anyway. This would not be much harder than stepping on an ant." She laughed again.


    "What is with this area! It''s like we strolled into asshole central! That first dude was hot garbage, treating my friend like nothing. Then there is you, tryna be all sexual and seductive, which is not working, by the way, so you can chill with your weird aura. WHILE ALSO BEING A GARBAGE BEING. HOW?!" Ob said out loud, thoroughly annoyed, "You suck." He said, starting to turn in the other direction, "we''ll find something else."


    "Mmm, not so fast, sweetheart," The seductress said. "You don''t get to say that and walk away free of charge."


    "I''m doing it now, ain''t I," he said, walking away and waving a hand in the air.


    Suddenly, the air got thick, and a pervasive aura engulfed Eclipse and Ob. The aura was domineering and seducing, willing its target to bend to every order it gave. It was trying to make Ob fear them and regret the moment he opened his big dumb mouth. "I said you can''t go without some sort of repercussion," the seductress said. "What is your name, fool."


    "Why not just identify me," Ob said through gritted teeth, pretending to be hidden in fear until the right moment to attack.


    The seductress chuckled, "Silly boy, I can only identify you with consent, and I doubt that you''ll give me consent now, but when I am done with you, you will."


    "Good to know. Then Nah, I''m good. You don''t get to know."


    She was now inches away from his face. Her mouth grinned the smile of a predator that caught its prey and was ready to eat it. Her mouth was full of razor-sharp teeth dripping with purple venom. "I am going to enjoy this".


    As she stalked closer, Ob felt heat rising from his belly; his instincts were screaming for him to wait a little longer, and he gave the same mental command to Eclipse. The stalker opened her mouth to bite on the neck of Ob.


    <hr>


    Abigail held her boyfriend''s hand, fingers interlocked; she absently squeezed it as she thought. How had Ob gotten the best of her? What caused the attack to do damage when all the other times it did not? Could she do it again? Who was this man? Abigail was always taught how to keep her emotions in check; this was the way of elves, after all. They were known to be well-educated, proper, and even-tempered. What she displayed was unbecoming of an Elf. She felt that shame radiate through her entire being. "My father would be very disappointed in me," She stated. "We keep telling them tribe, but we come from vast kingdoms. As the heir to the throne, I have to know better; I have to be better."


    "Your father is not here." Vincent replied, "he sent you to gain new experiences to be a crusader like he was. Losing your temper in this space is the best thing to happen. You found out that you can be pushed AND that you can attack. That''s awesome, Abs!! I bet there is even more to your powers!


    "You are sweet. I thank you for your words; they are kind and reassuring," she replied, kissing him. "What do we do with Ob? He is smart and cunning. I want to know what makes him tick. I want to know more about this tribe and how it can be magically desolate in this world. Magic reigns supreme?"


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    "There''s a lot of worlds out there, Abs," Vincent replied calmly.


    "Okay, so maybe there is. Is this someone we want in our party? What? Because he stood up to an alpha wolf, he likely does not even know what an alpha werewolf is?"


    "It is not just that, Abigail, and you know it. What is really bothering you about him?"


    "I do not know Vin, but there is something about him that I am not comfortable with. My instincts tell me things are safe, but my mind is not. I have never experienced such tribulation in my senses before."


    "Mmm," He replied thoughtfully. "Maybe we should be more cautious with him, after all. I wanted to see him; you wanted to see the dragon."


    "This is true. About that, did you notice how she gets a little more upset every time he calls her princess? Do you think that he is mocking her? Do you think he has a thing against royalty?"


    "I think that she is a princess. Dragons have monarchies, too. We do need to find out what species of dragon she is because I have never seen a dragon that beautiful or felt the power of a dragon such as that but was so young." Vincent commented, "I bet when Eclipse hits Adamantium, it will rival that hydra from your story. Here''s to hoping her soul-link isn''t made with power."


    "I agree, which brings me back to my original question. What do we do with Ob? I think we have the power to mold him into something good. However, something tells me he has a soul of gold, a very good man trying to make it in this evil world. Perhaps that is what is bothering me because he is a Draconian, which goes against their nature or the reported nature of Dracionians. Those are rare; to be considered a true Draconian, they must be neutral inherently."


    "How do you mean? If that is the case, why does the world hate them? Also, what is a soul-link?"


    "Dragons are unique amongst all magical creatures. They can be caught and treated poorly. They can be manipulated to do things in order for the dragon to keep their kin and offspring safe." Abigail began to answer


    "Dragon eggs..."


    "Exactly. You, of all people, know how valuable a dragon egg is. Some take centuries to hatch, and most take decades. A newborn dragon is completely and totally neutral; they have no biases. They are moldable like clay. So when a newborn dragon is hatched and taken, it can be morphed into whatever its captor wants it to be."


    "Okay, so a Draconian must display a similar nature or be neutral?"


    "Yes. However, you have seen Ob. He is not neutral; he is good. He stands up for those who are being treated poorly. Someone evil does not do that. Someone neutral would not be upset about Moris telling him to leave; he would just have left. This is what is interesting about his companion. To find a dragon charm is impressive in its own regard. To find a rare dragon such as Eclipse so young makes this encounter nearly impossible. You have a moldable newborn with a Draconian Ally. The mother dragon must have sensed his aura of being a Draconian before offering the soul-link because there is no way that would happen in the wild.


    A soul-link is essentially a lifelong bond. The charm connects the souls of two beings; this bond is deep. The two must have just linked because their connection is growing exponentially. Which means they linked shortly after Ob received or found the dragon charm. Something is going on with Ob that he is not telling us. Once again, what do we do with him? He is hiding some big secrets, and his story has significant gaps. Is this the type of person we want to be partied with?" Abigail finished her long explanation, looking pleadingly into her partner''s eyes, seeking the answer to a question she really desired the answer to.


    "Better with him than against him. I suggest we train with him and do what it takes to get him to join our party. He and Eclipse are powerful, even if he is a level 1. She is level 5 and holds very high potential. His potential," Vincent paused to stare into the campfire. "My grandpaw used to tell stories of beings with insane potential. Where they appear, it is clear that they are strong, their aura, their soul, their powers. It is as if they were born as magical and physical beings, not split 50/50 but fully 100/100. There is a name for it, but I forgot what it was called, something with a C." The world went dark and cold. A mist filled the cave, and there was an aura that seemed familiar but not something he should have been able to understand.


    "Celestine," A divine voice said, "Oscar -Blane Jones is indeed a celestine. Or at least he is progressing towards that." The two of them looked up to see a being transparent and blue, with a form roughly fading in and out.


    "Grandma…" Vincent stated in disbelief, "Why, how are you here?"


    "Hello, dear boy. My time is limited as I am making my final pass; I wanted to say goodbye. I overheard your conversation. The goddess of death allowed me to say one thing before I moved on." Vincent''s grandmother explained, "Shh, don''t speak. Just listen. Your path is your path, and I am not here to provide additional knowledge or advice. You have made all of us extremely proud; our tribe and our people have seen the remarkable young man you have become carry on the gift of our ancestors. You have been chosen by our ancestral tribe to wield this; take it and be the best hunter in this generation. I love you; I will see you again." She touched his hand, bestowing the gift, and just like that, she was gone.


    <hr>


    "NOW!" Ob shouted as flames erupted from his mouth, entering the mouth of his attacker. As the fire entered her insides, Eclipse released a bright white fire breath attack to coat her outside. Eclipse was closer level to this woman, so her damage on the outside would be formidable. Eclipse was also strong, very strong; she could easily outpace anyone or anything at least 10 levels higher than her within her tier. Her white fire breath was a unique feature of being a solar dragon. Each solar dragon is born with the energy of a star. Stars are known to have various heat signatures in multiple colors. White is the hottest a flame can be. Then blue, then yellow, then orange-red. Eclipse has the power of a white star she was born with, and her attacks can do maximum damage.


    When Ob attacked, he realized two things. 1 - He had finally learned and loved how to harness his powers. The energy powering into his body and being released was a huge rush. Secondly, the creature was using some kind of fear to impact him. His strength had been gaining significant bonuses the more she used it. He had to act like it was working so she would keep using it and he could get strong enough to do some significant damage.


    There it lay on the ground, burnt to a crisp, motionless, dead. Ob has obtained his first confirmed kill. "I-i just… killed her." Ob stammered shock setting in.


    "Yes, fire tends to do that to… kill." Eclipse responded with zero remorse, "Oh. Have you never killed anything before? Or seen anything die?"


    "I have nothing so human or sentient like insects or bugs. I have seen small animal creatures get taken or dead. This through her eyes, the look in her eyes, as she realized she was dying. It was creepy." Ob couldn''t shake the scared look that creature had displayed; it was haunting worse than the wraiths. "That is going to give me nightmares, for sure."


    "All things considered, good job. Consolidate our spoils later; let''s find some food and return to the cave. I''m pretty sure that Succubus said they were a team. I don''t want them to find us; you cannot do another attack like that. Plus, the smell of burnt Succubus is really gross." Eclipse said as she was striding side by side with her new partner. They had completed their first kill together as a team, and it went flawlessly. Too flawlessly. Why were their tactics so on point? How could they take out something so many levels higher than them without too much cause? Ob. If you are going to have power rivaling a god, I have to keep you alive. This can be a forever link, how exciting Eclipse thought to herself. She may have resisted it initially, but she was really starting to like Ob and cared for him deeper and deeper as each moment passed.


    "Eclipse…" Ob said, sounding very off, interrupting her thoughts, "I don''t feel good. Eclipse. My head is pounding; I feel nauseous, and like I am about to pass out."


    "It''s your manna; it must be very low. I think you may be progressing to bronze tier as well; let''s get you back to the cavern; we''ll send the others to get us some food and water," Eclipse responded, sounding concerned for her partner.


    Ob muttered something slightly intangible and then saw black. Ob, once again, passed out.