Samantha awoke to the sound of sizzling meat and the comforting scents of freshly cooked breakfast. She had slept for a few hours on Thomas’s couch and felt completely refreshed, her High Copper body allowing her to get by with only 3 hours of rest a night. She sat up and stretched, looking over towards the noise to discover that Silas was already wide awake. It appeared that Thomas was feeding him scraps of food from his breakfast-making process, and Silas was greedily devouring anything that was thrown his way.

Realizing that she still hadn’t tested her new ability to share senses with Silas, she tentatively pushed her awareness along the string of qi that bonded them.

Samantha blinked, and when she opened her eyes she was suddenly looking up at Thomas instead of at him from across the room. She felt her tail wiggle in apprehension of the next tasty morsel that he would give her, and when he threw an eggshell in a gentle arc above her she leapt high into the air to catch it. The shell had a satisfying crunch in her mouth as she chewed it, and the taste was heavenly--unlike anything she’d ever experienced before. The ground approached rapidly, but the strength of her two back legs easily caught her weight as she landed softly on the wood floor.

Samantha tried to move her body, but felt absolutely nothing. An unexpectedly loud thump to her right caused her to flinch in surprise, and her view shifted to see her own body flailing wildly on the ground.

“Oh gods! Sam!” Thomas shouted, and rushed over to her prone figure. “What’s wrong?”

Samantha tried to pick herself up off the ground to assure Thomas, but her body just slapped itself in the face with its uncontrolled thrashing.

“Samantha, are you hurt?” Silas sent, concern evident in his tone.

She stopped trying to get up and watched in morbid fascination as her body went completely limp. Deciding not to leave Thomas pondering her strange behavior any longer than necessary, she cancelled the ability and felt her awareness being pulled back into her own body.

“Sorry! I didn’t expect that to happen.” She said, quickly standing and dusting herself off.

“Expect what to happen?” Thomas asked irritably, “You nearly gave me a heart attack!”

She felt her face flush in embarrassment, “I was trying out a new bond ability I received to share senses with Silas. However, it appears that when I use it I lose touch with my own body. Though I’m clearly still able to move, I’m only able to feel things through Silas… hence the sudden flopping around.”

Thomas gave her a light whack on the head with the spatula he still clenched in his hand, “How about a warning next time?” He rolled his eyes at her then stalked back to the kitchen to finish cooking.

“By the way Silas, since when do you eat eggshells? I had no idea you liked them.” she inquired.

“I didn’t before. I just suddenly wanted to when I saw them being thrown away. Then, I found out they were tasty!” He explained, “You should try one.”

Remembering the deliciousness of the food from her experience a moment ago, she shrugged and broke off a small piece of shell to put in her mouth. The crunch was off putting, and the slight sliminess that clung to the inside made her want to gag. It tasted like chalk, nothing at all like how it was when she was eating it through Silas’s perspective.

“It’s good, right?” he asked, and she could see his small tail nub wiggle at her in anticipation of her answer.

She swallowed the horrible morsel with difficulty, then patted his head lightly in affection, “Sure is, Silas. I’ll let you enjoy all of them yourself, though.”

With a happy chirp he continued to catch the food scraps and feast, and Samantha moved on to planning the day with Thomas.

“Are you cooking for an entire army?” she teased, taking in the enormous mountain of scrambled eggs, ham, sausage, and bacon.

“Where you’re going you’re gonna need it.” he warned somewhat ominously, but before Samantha’s concern could grow too great he elaborated, “Stat training all day is hard work, and your body is going to need a lot of energy to keep up. There will be other meals provided to you while you’re at the training grounds, but this should help you make it until your first mealtime.”

She nodded along in understanding, “So, when do we head out to meet this trainer? The sun’s not even up yet.”

“He works from sunup to sundown every day, so as soon as you finish eating everything you can stomach I’ll introduce you. There’s about an hour or two left before first light.”

“I also need to register as a cultivator for my quest, will I have enough time to do that beforehand?”

“Oh, that? It’s not really that important, so you can do it later. All you do is go into some fancy building and fill out some paperwork for the city. The quest doesn’t even update when you complete it, so there’s no rush to get it done. It’s more a formality and tradition as far as I can tell.”

“That’s kind of strange. It seemed like it was part of a larger chain quest, but it doesn’t update when you register with the city?” she asked, doubt in her voice, “Are you sure you did it right?”

Thomas shrugged, “I followed the instructions that the city officials gave me. Everyone else I’ve spoken to has said the same thing, so I wouldn’t worry about it too much. It’s not like the quest has given us more details on how to ‘complete’ it anyway.”

“Hmmm,” Samantha hummed noncommittally, “if you say so…”

Thomas handed her a bowl filled to the brim with food, “Enough talking! Eat now, then we’ll get going”.

He filled a bowl of his own and both ate in companionable silence. After finishing her third helping of food and feeling positively stuffed, Samantha changed into a fresh set of robes. She originally wanted to wear her armor and bring her spear, but Thomas warned her against it. His reasoning was that for training purposes the gear would only hinder her progress, and she decided to trust his opinion on the subject.

When they were finished, Thomas led her and Silas through the city to the Northern exit at a fast walk.

“I don’t want to scare you off of this training since you’ve said you really needed it, but I also don’t feel right sending you in completely unprepared for what’ll happen.” he began, choosing his words carefully. “The stat trainer, who you should only address as ‘Sir’ or ‘Teacher’, is a complete sadist. He will push you to the breaking point over and over, and when you feel like you’re about to drop from exhaustion he’ll force an elixir down your throat that will give you the energy to do it all again. The first day is typically the easiest, since he’ll be evaluating your current stats, cultivation, qi arts, and also ask about what you want to achieve from the training. Ah, there he is now.” Thomas finished, pointing to a small group forming just outside the open gate.

Four cultivators were watching and listening to a large, scarred man of at least Mid Bronze level with rapt attention. His head was shaved, his facial hair was neatly trimmed, and she could see that the top part of his left ear was missing. At a glance, he looked to be a young man in his late twenties, but the way that he carried himself with the unwavering self-confidence that came from years of experience gave a hint that he was much older. He stopped his speech as he noticed them approaching and gave Thomas a shallow nod.

“Oh? Back again? I thought my methods didn’t suit you, boy.” he called, looking over Thomas with a calculated gaze.

“I’m here to introduce my cousin, actually. She left for her cultivation quest three months ago and has already reached High Copper. As you can imagine, her stats are seriously lagging behind her cultivation, so she needs your services.” Thomas gave the higher ranked man a low, respectful bow and then whispered to Samantha, “Go on and pay him your five gold for today. I’ll see you later.”

Thomas rose, placed a comforting hand on Samantha’s shoulder, then left her to whatever fate awaited her with the stranger.

Following his advice, Samantha gave her own low bow to the man. She walked forward and presented her payment, saying, “Greetings Teacher, I look forward to learning from you.”

He gladly pocketed the coins and laughed aloud, “You won’t be saying that for much longer I expect, but I appreciate the enthusiasm. Go and join the others.”

The group consisted of three men and a woman, ranging from Mid Copper to Low Bronze. They all appeared to be either Samantha’s age or a few years older, though it was difficult to tell if that was reflective of their true ages. The low Bronze man was the only other cultivator here with a Spirit beast--a ferocious looking Dire Wolf. As the canine saw Silas approach he let out a low rumbling growl and licked his chops, but Silas didn’t shy away from the predator. His fur puffed up to make him look double the size, his ears pinned back, and he bared his teeth and hissed back. The cultivator glanced over at the sound, but when he noticed that Samantha was of a lower rank and her Spirit Beast was not as imposing as his, he dismissed the scene. It appeared that the responsibility of keeping Silas from being eaten would fall squarely on her shoulders alone.

Samantha moved to the side of the group furthest from the Dire Wolf and stood between the still-snarling beasts.

“Silas, what’s gotten into you? Just ignore him. I don’t want to try and fight off an attack from a Low Bronze on my first day of training.” she silently pleaded with the ball of fluff. She noticed that lately he’d become less timid and more aggressive, but she didn’t know if his recent evolution was responsible or something else.

“He thinks he can take me, but I know I can take him. Let him try and eat me and see who really ends up bleeding. I’m not helpless prey anymore.”

The Dire Wolf lunged forward with a threatening snap of its jaws, seeking to frighten her bond into submission. The other cultivators finally took notice of the scene and stepped away, fearing a fight would break out at any moment. In response to the Dire Wolf’s threat, Silas thumped the ground several times beneath him and a huge cloud of dust emerged from the impact site.

“Hey!” the trainer shouted with irritation, “What the hell is going on over there? Get control of your bonded beasts, both of you. I will not tolerate this lack of discipline.”

The Low Bronze scoffed, “If that bunny submits to Torak, he’ll leave it in peace.”

“He says that if you submit to the wolf then it’ll leave you alone.” Samantha pleaded, “Can you let it go? I’m not even equipped, there’s no way I can win against the cultivator if it comes to a fight.”

“This is between me and the mongrel. He’ll be the one submitting to me.” he said, determination spilling through their bond.

“Are you absolutely sure this needs to be a dominance fight? It’s pointless!” Samantha tried one last time.

Silas looked up at her with fire in his eyes, “He thinks we’re weak and that we’re fair game to attack whenever he wants. Nothing good will come of letting this pass. Trust me.”

Samantha sighed, “My bond refuses to back down as well. Shall we let them fight it out between themselves?”

The man’s lip curled in a sneer, “Fine. Your loss. Don’t cry when your pet is ripped to shreds, I tried to warn you.”

The trainer gave a loud sigh, “Bonded beasts can certainly be troublesome. You can never fully get the wild out of them… Everyone back up and give the animals some space! This is a one time deal you two, understand? After dominance is established today, no more outbursts will be tolerated. I’ll have you both kicked from the class, no refunds, understand?”

Samantha and the Low Bronze both nodded their agreement and watched with the others.

In an instant Silas appeared to vanish in the cloud of dust he kicked up, and Torak was snapping at open air in the space Silas had just occupied. She could feel the thrill of the fight in Silas’s heart, and sensed that he was readying some sort of attack. A high pitched yelp resounded through the clearing as the Dire Wolf was knocked back by a translucent blur.

Torak swiped out with front sharp claws and Samantha felt a twinge of pain emerge from the right side of her torso.

*Ding* Damage to torso has activated “As One”. Moderate wounds for Silas have been transformed into minor wounds for Silas and Samantha.

Samantha activated Flawless Regeneration, and held her breath as she watched Silas’s translucent form continue to harry the Wolf. Torak howled in pain and frustration as small bloody cuts and punctures began appearing across his sides and flanks, and the Low Bronze began shouting at his bond, “What are you doing Torak! Get it together!”

The wolf staggered back from yet another blow and shook his head as if clearing it. He let out a mournful howl that reverberated through the air and Samantha felt every muscle in her body clench.

*Ding* Bonded Dire Wolf has used “Debilitating Cry”! Temporary paralysis is in effect.

Samantha felt Silas’s confidence waver for a moment and give way to panic. His deadliest weapon--speed--had been forcibly taken from him, and it was only a matter of time until he was found by his opponent. She felt him fight the effects of the ability with all his willpower, and though she wasn’t sure if it would do anything to help, put a few extra qi points into Flawless Regeneration.

With his target no longer moving too quickly to catch, Torak searched nearby for the offending Jackalope. Within moments Silas was discovered, and Samantha could only look on in horror as Torak began rapidly closing the distance between them.

She felt the temporary paralysis wear off on both her and Silas, but it was too late for him to get out of the way. Torak was practically on top of him.

The wolf lunged forward with an open maw, gleefully chomping down on his prey with a loud crunch and a spray of blood as he finally locked on to his target. Samantha gasped and waited for As One notification to hit her, followed by searing pain, but nothing happened.

An ungodly shriek emerged from the throat of the wolf as it reeled back on its hind legs. Silas was no longer translucent, and now Samantha could clearly see that the bite from the wolf had backfired spectacularly. A pair of sharp, bloody antlers protruding from Silas’s forehead were lodged in the predator’s mouth, one prong completely puncturing through the upper roof of its jaws.

Silas was whipped violently through the air as the Wolf backed up and tried to dislodge the horns, but to no avail. It was when Torak began taking frantic swipes at her bond that Silas’s antlers suddenly detached from his head, leaving only two smooth, hard disks on his temples as before. The wolf fell over and tried kicking the horns out of its mouth with it’s back legs, but each attempt only left the gouges the antlers made wider. If this was a situation happening in the wild, he would be as good as dead.

Silas jumped up and sat on Torak’s heaving side, looking down on the creature with imperious superiority. Torak met Silas’s gaze and laid still, baring his throat and whimpering pitifully. Silas lifted his small snout in the air and huffed with no small amount of pride, before hopping down and making his way back over to where Samantha and the others were watching.

Samantha looked over to the Low Bronze, whose mouth was hanging open in complete shock at the outcome of this fight. Not wanting to gloat and possibly start a fight, she turned back to the trainer and bowed to him. “My bond has won. I apologize for the disturbance to your plans today.”

The trainer began laughing hysterically, putting a hand to his chest and practically doubling over in mirth, “What a surprise, what a surprise! This just goes to prove what I always am saying, it’s not the size of the beast in a fight that matters, it’s the size of the fight in the beast! I don’t think I’ve ever seen a rabbit take down a wolf before. What a great show.” As if on cue, his laughter cut off and he stood up straight, looking over to the Low Bronze “The results are clear as day, and I better not see you complaining about it in the future. I’ll leave you to take care of your bond as we head to the training area. Catch up with us when you’re ready.”

The trainer then gestured to the remaining four cultivators and began jogging away at a fast clip into the nearby treeline. Wordlessly, they followed behind him, Silas easily keeping pace with everyone despite the exertions from his recent fight. They ran for about 10 minutes until they stumbled across a well-tread dirt trail, about 3 feet wide. It was obvious that some of the cultivators present desperately needed help with their endurance, as they were already getting winded from the effort.

“Now then, if you all look North East you will see a large hill about 10 miles away. It’s peeking over the treetops there.” The trainer reached down and picked up a stick from the ground, about a thumb width thick and 3 feet long. He gave it a few test flexes and nodded to himself before using it to point in the direction of the hill.

“I’m expecting all of you to run there as quickly as you can. I’ll be behind all of you to… motivate… the slowest runner.” he smiled evilly at them as he flexed the stick in his hand again and started leisurely swinging it through the air, the wind whistling slightly during each pass.

The woman began running immediately, sprinting towards the hill for all she was worth. Quickly catching on, the other two cultivators took off after her, leaving Samantha behind in last place.

“Better get moving, newbie, or it’s going to be a rough first day for you.” the trainer admonished, before swinging the rod forward with blinding speed and caning her along the back of her thighs.

She cried out as a sharp crack echoed through the forests, and without thinking more on it began sprinting with Silas towards the hill.

*Ding* Damage to legs has activated “As One”. Minor wounds for Samantha have been negated.

“Too bad the pain isn’t negated too!” she scowled quietly to herself as she ran away.

As much pride as Samantha took in her speed and Agility, the trainer was much, much faster. He easily kept pace just a few steps behind her, caning her every now and then as she increased her speed further to catch up with her peers that had a head start.

“As I always say, you don’t need to be faster than me, just faster than them!” he ‘encouraged’ her, pointing his accursed stick at the two cultivators ahead of her. Hearing this, the two men looked back at her with wide eyes, then noticeably increased their pace in a bid to stay ahead of her.

Eventually, she resorted to using Swift just so she wouldn’t be in last place anymore. As she passed both of the men that started running before her, she could hear their ragged breathing and smiled to herself. It probably wouldn’t be hard to keep them behind her so long as she didn’t wear herself out. She could see the woman not much further ahead, and could tell that her natural speed would allow her to catch up given enough time. Silas happily bounced along beside her, feelings of contentment and pride overshadowing any discomfort he might have felt from the extended run.

Since she didn’t need to use Swift anymore, she focused on breathing deeply and moving as efficiently as she could so her energy reserves wouldn’t flag before she reached the hilltop. The smooth gait of her jog was only interrupted by the occasional low hanging branch she needed to duck beneath, or the odd logs and rocks that she needed to avoid on the trail. She winced as she heard a fresh crack and cry of pain from one of the unfortunate souls behind her.

The laughing guffaws of the trainer could clearly be heard with each new strike, and Samantha could only be glad that she was no longer the target of his blows. As she left the men further and further behind over the next several minutes, the last thing she heard was the trainer shouting in glee.

“I love my job!”

Maybe Thomas wasn’t exaggerating when he said that this man was a sadist.