Myles was out of commission for another two hours, slipping in and out of wakefulness before finally recovering in his bed. He sat up sharply, regretted it, and instantly laid back down.

Soul Shivered was no joke.

His head throbbed and his hand burned, but if that had been all it was, he would have taken it. As he processed the loss, a deeper hurt throbbed with every waking moment, Myles’s heart ached. His thoughts were like looking through a broken mirror. He could see them, but the majority of the last moments before he crashed were distorted through the cracks of the Soul Link or just missing. Sitting up again, Myles took in breath after breath, trying to clear his head and make something out of the confusion.

He was so lost in his thoughts he hadn’t realized someone was with him trying to get his attention until a hand was on his shoulder.

“Myles, you okay?”

For a moment, Myles recognized the voice but not the tone and turned to see Kendra pulling back as he did and in the act of putting a book down on the nightstand. His notebook, he registered after a moment, and looked to her questioningly.

“It was my turn to watch you,” she said as if she wasn’t just reading his journal while watching him sleep. “You were pretty bad for a while there, but when you started sleeping peacefully, I got bored and needed more excitement in my life. How are you holding up, by the way, Bright Eyes?”

Myles was about to point out the obvious, but the feeling of a red-hot pan on the back of his skull stopped him. In reality, it was nothing physical and his recovery was quick, but he could still feel the empathic echoes and broken shards of Ashra’s emotions.

“I still feel it,” he admitted, rubbing his temples to try and release some of the tension. “It’s like I got hit by a fully-stocked wagon.”

“Sounds like the drop from high Bloodlust,” Kendra said, trying to empathize with him. “It isn’t so much a pain though as it is like being exhausted.”

Myles could relate to that all too well.

That was as far as either of them got before the silence began to encroach again. Myles knew the answer to what he was going to ask before the question slipped into reality, but he had to ask.

“Has…”

“No,” Kendra answered quickly, already knowing what he was going to ask. “She’s still gone, Myles.” Before the blow could completely land, she did her best to pull the already familiar punch. “We’re doing all we can, so it won’t be for much longer. Will’s gone to get a map and any information he can find about the Tundra region and the Monsterkin that live there.” Before he could ask how she knew that, Kendra stopped him again. “Before you ask, you wouldn’t shut up about it at your worst. Not to mention, the information on Ashra was in your notebook. We’ll start as soon as Will gets back and you’re ready.”

Myles nodded, and Kendra took that as her dismissal. His heart pulled as she stood and began to leave. He panicked, and he couldn’t stop himself as the words came. “Something went wrong.”

Whether she could feel his need to talk or just because she enjoyed pointing out the obvious, Kendra took her seat again. “Kinda picked that up from context, Myles.”

“I don’t know what happened.”

“You’re not surprising me here.”

He sighed. “I don’t understand.”

“Well, what do you understand?” Kendra asked, seemingly curious.

“Not enough,” Myles groaned in frustration.

Kendra groaned. “Then start at the beginning.”

Myles didn’t have anything better, so he did.

“You and Medic were a Level One Symbiosis, Ashra and Squishy were a Level Two.”

“Okay, remind me not to go to Level Two,” Kendra said flatly, instantly regretting it as Myles’s face darkened. “Sorry.”

“No, it’s alright,” he assured, then shook his head to clear away some of the cobwebs. “Her Species and Class changed as soon as the two bonded.”

Kendra nodded again. “I figured that light had something to do with it?”

“Light?”

“Yeah, the flash of light as soon as Squishy bonded with her?” she asked dumbly. When Myles looked as dumb as Kendra thought the question was. She relented. “You really didn’t notice?”

He shook his head. “My Complexity increased at the same time.”

“Probably isn’t a coincidence then.”

Myles nodded, as another piece of the puzzle came together. Then, he remembered something. Holding up his hand to stop Kendra from interrupting, Myles opened the new information he’d acquired during his increase.

Monster Lore Unlocked!

Kinetic Iron Rabbitkin (Postulation) information obtained!

Kinetic Iron Rabbitkin (Postulation)

Fusion Creature - Monsterkin (Rabbitkin/Kinetic Iron Slime)

Unknown Threat level

Best Trait - Strength, Dexterity (Postulation)

Preferred Method of Attack - Hand to hand combat (Postulation)

Special Attack: Kinetic redirection, Force Strike (Postulation)

Known Drops: Unknown

Kinetic Iron Rabbitkin (Postulation) are an unnatural species created by the fusion of two compatible monsters using the Fusion Skill or as the result of a highly compatible Symbiosis. As a unique species, information is limited and will be provided as more entities are encountered and studied.

As the founder of this species, you have the right to register the official name of the Kinetic Iron Rabbitkin (Postulation) to the Universal Codex. You may exercise this right at any time by speaking the command Name Species and then speaking the replacement name. This may be performed only once.

Study Kinetic Iron Rabbitkin to expand this entry.

Monster Lore information Requested - Monster Symbiosis

Monster Symbiosis

Monster Husbandry - Methods and Information

General Information: Monster Symbiosis is nothing new to the world at large. Monsters find comfort in making allies and working together to achieve a goal neither could on their own. Many tribes of monsters are recorded as working together to defend territory or to go as far as food cultivation. Some monsters such as elementals, spirits, slimes, and the like have the ability to meld with allies known as Symbiosis. This allows the monster, at this point known as a symbiote, to join with the monster to unlock new Skills, Traits, and increase their attributes. In rare cases, this symbiosis can become permanent.

Myles felt his heart drop, but there was more.

Symbiosis occurs in two levels with varying levels of control within each level:

Level One is a surface-level symbiosis. This stage is for mutual benefit and gives one the protection of the other, usually as a temporary arrangement. Level one has drawbacks but is a simple melding that is easy enough separate the host and the symbiote. Extreme conditions such as stimuli overload and temperature can also force a separation between the two.

Level two is commonly referred to as melding, an advanced symbiosis, which results in a variety of outcomes. For all involved, the benefits are doubled. There is a complete sharing of mind, body, Skill, and Traits. Depending on the species, this can also result in a change of race, a change in Class, and even personality as the two acclimate to being one. Intelligent monsters are seen as being the most susceptible to side effects from the melding until a dominant personality emerges.

[Monster Tamer]s are warned against attempting a symbiosis between two monsters with high empathic links without proper preparation as it may result in an unintended level two symbiosis leading to premature Soul Shivering, madness, abandonment, and death for all parties involved.

As a further note, symbiosis should never be attempted between two sapient-stage monsters or a sapient monster and a human.

The sickness in his heart grew as he took in the depth of the last lines of the information.

In one fail swoop, he’d lost everything he’d worked for. He’d lost Ashra, his first friend within the Run and his most trusted monster, and he’d lost Squishy, the first real attempt at being a [Monster Tamer] he’d made, and he may have doomed them both to an early grave or worse. Unbidden, their words came back to haunt him.

“I want you to understand. I do not know what lies ahead, but I am forever grateful for what you have done. I will not make the same mistakes I did. I will be a worthy partner.”

“We will grow stronger.”

“To the ends of the dungeon and beyond.”

“Myles?” Kendra asked him. “Hey, Myles, are you with me?”

He barely heard her as the guilt, and maybe a concussion, turned his stomach.

Urgently, Myles leaned over the other side of the bed and threw up, heaving until there was nothing left in his stomach, and retching long after it was empty. A hand on his back kept him steady as his body shook. For a long while, Kendra kept him stable as he got back to his senses and for the nausea left him. When Myles finally sat back up and looked at her, he expected her to shake him, to say something snarky, and leave, but it never happened. Her expression was softer than he was used to as she kept the silence for him to fill.

Neither of them got the chance to say the first word.

There was a commotion outside the room. Lyna screamed profanities while, he assumed, Tail calmed her. That much was confirmed when Lyna screamed for them to ‘Quit talking and help her. ‘When no one came to get them, he figured it wasn’t important, and hopefully, whatever Lyna had broken could be replaced.

The two of them just sat together, and Myles let his mind wander in the safety of her company, enjoying the break from the world. The moment seemed lingered for what seemed like comfortable hours until Kendra finally spoke. “I don’t know what you think you’re thinking, but you’re not getting anything looking,” she took a long sniff, “and smelling like that, Myles.”

Myles gave her a weak smile and felt some of his strength return. “And what’s that supposed to mean?”

She shrugged as her reply.

Myles glared, making Kendra smirk as she elaborated.

“Depends on if you take a bath…” she sniffed again, “or brush your teeth anytime soon.”

He chuckled, smiling more strongly with the return of the snark as he pulled himself back into the world. In a steadier motion than he thought possible, he swung his feet over the bed. It was then he was proven right as he nearly fell forward. He was still unsteady, but as he adjusted to things, it was enough. Kendra reached out a hand to stop him, but he brushed it aside. He didn’t have the time to wallow anymore and explained everything to Kendra as the final message lingered in the corner of his vision like a waiting wraith.

Temporary Shiver will be adapted to Soul Shivered if the trauma cannot be resolved within seven days.

He could feel the loss of his monsters, and they didn’t have seven days. Three at the most if Shardking was consistent. If he was still shivered or worse…

“It’ll be okay, Myles,” Kendra assured, doing more for him than he could for his Monsterkin. “You’ll see. We just have to find her, you can talk her down, put her in her Stasis Gem again, yeah?”

He was about to disagree when the door slammed open, startling Kendra to action and Myles to fall forward into an undignified position on the floor.

“What the Mists are you? How’d you get in here?” Kendra demanded more than asked as a war hammer found its way to her waiting hands from her inventory. “And where the Mists are your clothes?” Kendra shot a look at Myles who made it back to his feet and saw… something wearing little more than shells and seaweed. “Myles, who in the frozen Mists is she?”

Myles was about to answer before Lyna stood behind the creature, waving her hands and obviously distressed.

“I tried to stop her,” Lyna called through the door. “But she says she’s Myles’s monster. I think it’s true since I couldn’t throw her out.”

The short, slender, blue humanoid bowed to Myles, addressing him in a voice he found all too familiar while offering him a glass of water. “I’m sorry for the delay, Master Myles.”

Myles starred, trying not to look too dumbstruck as he took in the physical form of a voice he knew all too well— Silpha.

Silpha’s form was humanoid, taller than a dwarf but smaller than a human, with deep blue scales easily mistaken as skin with their fineness and green seaweed for hair. She had large, black eyes and an aura of water tracing lines across her body. Her chest was covered in what looked like seashells strung together with still wet seaweed, and it continued below to form some kind of two-piece swimsuit that became a split dress below her waist, the likes of which he’d seen at beaches more than once. As she caught his eye, Silpha smiled, showing sharp, pointed teeth.

Kendra shot him the second dirtiest look he’d ever received. “Care to explain her?”

“Not really,” Myles let slip, and the dirt of his words began to bury him. “Silpha wasn’t supposed to be out of the barn yet.”

He could feel Kendra fume as his words shoveled more dirt on his grave. Did she really think so little of him still? Silpha seemed to understand the predicament better than her ‘master’ did and attempted to dig him free.

“Master Myles’s eldest monster convinced me to join two days ago,” Silpha said, being as meek as possible. Something Myles wasn’t accustomed to from the dungeon core, but he hid the expression well enough as he sipped the water he’d taken. “Ashra has been working with me to adjust to Runner culture and training with Master Myles’s style of combat.”

Myles tried not to glare.

Did you really have to do this? Why are you even here?

Using the link hurt still, but the pain was dulling by the minute as he worked through the pain. It didn’t help with Kendra though.

“Are you now?” Kendra asked with obvious suspicion.

“Ashra is my friend too. Remember? We need to help her. She’s not in her right mind.” Then for emphasis, the dungeon core smiled again. “I’m a naiad by the way when she asks, and no, you didn’t hear my song.”

Why’s that matter?

“I am, Mistress Kendra. I am quite familiar with your party tactics and designations by now and will not be a burden. I am not a front-line fighter like Ashra was, but I can hold my own well enough.”

The term seemed to mollify the woman as she turned back to Myles. “I see why you don’t like Ashra calling you master.”

Right, she’d read his notes…

“Kendra is fine.”

“Silpha,” Silpha offered, still shying away from contact.

“A siren?”

“Naiad.”

“You’re joking,” Kendra said humorlessly. “Myles, you didn’t…”

Monster Lore Unlocked!

Silpha, Naiad of the First Circle information obtained!

Silpha, Naiad of the First Circle

Dungeon Creature - Fae (Variant)

Rank C Threat level [Guardian] (Power Restricted)

Best trait - Willpower/Influence (Power Restricted)

Preferred Method of Attack - Hydromancy, Lure (Power Restricted)

Known Drops: Naiad Scales, Focus of Hydromancy, Ear Clasp of Water breathing, Species Stone (Drops Restricted)

Diet: Fish, Flesh, ambient mana, tantric energy

Breeding Groups: Humanoid, Fae, Elemental

Special Ability: Aqua Geyser, Enchantment, Restricted Revival (Power Restricted)

Silpha, Naiad of the First Circle is the manifestation of the lake’s protection. As a Naiad of the First Circle, Silpha has access to near unparalleled control of any source of water. It is said that she can even bend the blood of a weaker individual if she so chooses, making them fight their allies if she is given enough time and focus. Though she prefers to keep her hands clean with the use of her hydromancy, she is not above luring men and women into her service for long periods if she so chooses.

Class Specific Information: [Monster Tamer] -

Silpha is your dungeon core’s avatar.

When inspected by others, they will only see the provided information that Silpha has chosen to represent her form. If her form is defeated outside the influence of another dungeon core, she will return to her core to rest for X days, where X is equal to the severity of mental or soul damage received.

In the avatar, Silpha is like any other monster in all respects, having attributes, limits, and limited access to her dungeon core Skills and Traits.

Tantric energy?

“Sexual energy. It’s part of the reason I prefer being a dungeon core most of the time. I don’t need or want to feed on others like that.”

There was far more to that than Myles wanted to unpack and shook his head, putting two and two together with the importance of not hearing the song. “No… no, I did not.”

Kendra raised a brow and smiled. “That’s impressive, Chase. I don’t give you enough credit sometimes. Still, you seem to attract female monsters like flowers do bees, and we don’t need you starting a harem.”

“A… harem?” he groaned. He barely had the talent to keep one woman happy, let alone two or three. “By the Pantheon, it’s not like I go looking for them!”

“It’s true, Mistress Kendra,” Silpha agreed. “Our meeting was by chance.”

“Like Ashra’s?” Kendra smirked, seeming to accept the naiad’s story.

“From what I understand of it.”

“Sounds like a real hero, Myles.”

Myles groaned as Kendra waggled her brows.

Was he in the grand dungeon or a badly written romance novel? He couldn’t help but smile though. It was a good distraction and took his mind away from the shards of his healing link.

Under his own power, Myles left the bedroom and rejoined who was left of the team and explained the situation, the time limit, Silpha, and everything else he could think of relevant to the mission at hand. In Lyna fashion, the Halfling apologized to the Naiad for nearly ‘breaking her skull’ with Myles’s chair.

He had to find Ashra and help her however he could. If Squishy was still there, he had to help it too. They hadn’t chosen this, and he had to fix it. Things only grew more complicated as Will returned with something he did not expect to see in tow—

“Hello, everyone! I hope I’m not interrupting. I tend to do that, but we have business to discuss according to our friend here.”

Sindra.

***

A few minutes and the introduction of Silpha later, and Will and Sindra were up to speed. Both of them took what he had in stride; Sindra more so than Will.

“I see,” Sindra explained, taking in the information much better than Myles thought she might. “So, Will’s reasoning is pretty valid then. This is quite the emergency for everyone, and you’re really in a bind, Myles, huh?”

Myles looked to Will, unsure of what he’d told Sindra beforehand to have her come all this way at sunset, alone no less. “I told you it was important.”

“You did, which is why I am here. I need all the Runners in top form for the raid. Your team is one of the ones I trust to watch our back— which is why you aren’t on the front lines by the way. I mean I know I can trust more, but how many people could make use of what your team has?” She paused, noticing a few looks from the party as a whole. “Um, that came out wrong. Forget that I said that,” she rambled, turning to Myles once again but seeming to address Will. “But as I told you, I need to discuss payment for my help with her master, your leader, and Myles. Lucky for him, he’s all three of those things!”

Will looked like he was going to say something, but Myles shook his head. “Whatever it takes to help Ashra. If I can do it, I have to.”

Sindra smiled, seemingly to relax a bit. “That’s great. I was worried this would turn messy. I hate when that happens.”

There was a story there. Myles was sure of that, but Sindra had a way of rambling about her. Maybe it was just Dane from the other night, but he made a note to research it later and tried to tune into what she was getting at.

“Now, you’ve been very reasonable, and I have high hopes for resolving this.” Her smile was warmer now, but he knew she was building to something. It was like when a new supplier tried to butter up his father so that he’d slip into whatever they had for him. Sindra paused for the moment, waiting for Myles to say something, but continued when it was clear he didn’t have anything to say. “Now, I do know where she’s going, and I can help you find it. For a map of the region and an escort to the dungeon, I need a favor from you in exchange at a later date. We will discuss the terms in private when you return, but it will be nothing too dangerous.” As an afterthought, she added. “Oh, and you will need to swear a soul oath to complete it once we agree.”

Information Requested - Soul Oath

Soul Oath

Unique Skill - Sapient

Effect: Your word is your bond. A Soul Oath is a promise made on the power of your soul to another. These are not to be made lightly. If the oath is made and broken by your actions or by a lack of effort, your soul will feel the effects in the form of degraded stats, lost Complexity, Skills, Traits, or the breaking of a Class.

Unease crept up Myles’s spine, leaving a lingering chill like a frost spider’s web across his back.

A soul oath was on the same level as his monsters’ ability to negotiate the terms of their taming. He’d seen it done once or twice before, and, if he understood the mechanics correctly when his father swore loyalty to the crown, whatever he and Sindra agreed to, he’d have to keep his word or suffer in time with how severe his breach of the agreement was. There was a danger in that kind of power…

But…

Ashra had talked about the tundra before but never in enough detail for him to make heads or tails of where her home had been. So, there was no choice to be made, and he was the only one who could make it.

It wasn’t hard to make the call.

“Fine.”

He felt annoyance from Silpha, but he’d gotten it much worse from Ashra since the day they’d met. It was easy enough to brush off as Silpha had quite a bit of work to do to get on that level of annoyance.

“Great!” Sindra exclaimed, opening her invisible interface and producing two seemingly normal items: a rolled-up piece of parchment sealed with red wax and a small, glowing green stone no bigger than his thumb. She practically pushed them into his hands. “Now, here is your map of the tundra region with the ambush rabbit dungeon marked in red and a locater stone. They aren’t hard to use, but it will turn blue when you get close to the dungeon entrance. It’s well hidden in the snowbanks, so you’ll want to dress warmly.”

“Thank you,” Myles said, breaking the seal and opening the map.

“Don’t thank me yet,” She smiled, giving each of them a slight bow before turning to leave. She snapped her fingers and looked back over her shoulder as an afterthought. “Oh, and just so you know, your team still has to cook breakfast in two days. Try to be back by then with or without your Monsterkin. Preferably with, of course, but dreamers die more often than realists, and I’d rather not lose a group as interesting as you.”

He wasn’t sure whether or not that was an insult or a compliment and had the attributes to know better than to ask, but that couldn’t be said for everyone he knew.

“Are you insulting us or complimenting us?” Lyna blurted out.

For a moment, all Sindra did was smile at Lyna as she stood in the doorway framed by the light of the setting sun.

“Yes.”

Myles ignored the words as Sindra gave one last wave and closed the door before Lyna could properly curse at the woman. Myles resisted snapping at Lyna as she began cursing the air in general.

Taking a deep breath, Myles tried to center himself. He didn’t have time to worry about what Sindra might want. There was a job to be done. Taking the care necessary not to break anything, he cleared off his counter carefully and then spread the map wide across it. To his surprise, Sindra spared no expense for the occasion. The map was magical and showed a photo-realistic overview of the entire tundra region and its bordering regions— the forest on all sides but the north where the desert apparently was. Pouring over it, Myles found a mark on the left of the map that had his face. The small frame was hugging the border next to where the tundra met the forest near the upper left. In the center of the tundra was a red X, just as Sindra promised.

Will was next to him as a second set of eyes, examining the map as Tail took the final spot, explaining that was their starting region. The more they began to talk, the more at peace Myles began to feel as they took up the task, giving him a chance to sit for a moment and his mind a chance to process everything and talk himself into a better place.

You couldn’t have known that would happen. It’s like a natural disaster. You didn’t know. You couldn’t have known.

It’s not your fault.

It’s not Ashra’s fault.

It’s not Squishy’s fault.

He just wished he was more convinced about it. If he could bring Ashra home though… if he could make things right…

“Myles?” Tail interrupted his thoughts. “We have our plans ready for your approval.”

Myles nodded and proceeded to listen as Tail and Will explained what they took as the best course of action.

“Worse comes to worst, we have to enter the dungeon, find Ashra, and bring her back.”

“And if she doesn’t want to come back?” Kendra interjected.

She wanted to come home. Myles was sure of it. Once she got help…

Myles put his conviction to his words and took up his mantle once more as he spoke as their leader. “We can’t think like that. She’s coming home.” Taking a moment to look at his party, his friends, he took a breath and continued. “If anyone wants to sit out, I understand. This is my mistake to fix, but there are going to be rules to follow if we do this. I made a promise to Ashra, and I have to keep my word.”

When no one argued about the danger or even offered alternatives, Myles began to explain the plans and promises he made to Ashra as Silpha did her best to fade into the background of every mind but Myles.

Long into the night until the stars began to fade, plans were forged, promises were made, and for a long while, Myles lost himself in the work of it all. He was working on fumes, working with partial information, and was down quite a few attributes.

But, he kept working.

He had to. If he couldn’t keep working…

If he couldn’t do it…

“We will find her,” Silpha echoed gently. “We won’t leave her to her fate.”

Myles considered Silpha’s words and shook his head.

“No matter what. We’ll do more than just find her, Silpha. We’ll bring her home.”

There was no argument on that from the dungeon core.

How could there be when she and the rest of the party had to nearly dive to catch an exhausted [Monster Tamer] who was falling faster than an unset soufflé?

***

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***