Chapter 15 – Hearthstone Recall Activation

The level 500 stone colossus lumbered onwards in its eternal patrol, each step it took shaking the ground like an earthquake.

Level 500, its name emblazoned in bold black font to denote its level differential. An end-game guardian boss leisurely patrolling around the pillars made it clear that the ancient capital ruins was an area completely unsuited for newbies like Daniel.

Fumbling to find something to conceal himself with, Daniel opened his inventory, as a pacifying action to sooth his nerves rather than actually expecting to find anything in his empty inventory. But when he opened it, it was less empty than he expected. He noticed an unfamiliar item sitting in his inventory called a [Hearthstone].

Daniel highlighted the new item, and a tutorial message popped up on his screen.

[Hearthstone Tutorial]

Greetings adventurer! If you’re seeing this message, it means that you have successfully completed the tutorial, and have been granted a hearthstone. One of the most important items in an adventurer’s kit, every player’s hearthstone is bound to their inventory, and cannot be traded, lost, or discarded.

Activating the hearthstone will recall you to your designated starting city, Raskal.

Hearthstone recall cannot be used during combat situations, and thus there are certain limitations to recalling using your hearthstone. If you have taken recent combat damage, hearthstone functionality will be blocked. Certain events will also bar a player from utilizing hearthstone functionality, including but not limited to battles, special quests, and competition events. You may use a hearthstone to return to your starting city after clearing a dungeon, or to abort a dungeon attempt if you have not taken recent combat damage.

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The description extended down to his feet, and Daniel didn’t have time to read the entire entry. However, he needed to know how to bring Aerie with him when he traveled through the hearthstone.

Dun.

Scanning through the description, he found one passage that was of interest.

[Pets and summoned companions may travel with you using hearthstone recall.]

Dun.

The stone colossus turned its head slowly, looking directly at the pillar that Daniel chose to hide behind. It detected their presence.

“Eliminate… enemy…”

“Hey Aerie,” Daniel whispered urgently, taking out the hearthstone from his inventory and holding the rune infused rock lifeline in his hand. The jagged oval stone with pointed edges on both sides looked suspiciously like a heart, with a deep dark red crystalline color and rocky crevices running down its sides like ventricles. “I’m going to have to make you my pet, to bring you with me, alright?”

“Hm? Make me a pet?” she said, confused and frightened as the stone colossus’s tremors neared, its footsteps accelerating in pace. Her cloth rag dress danced in the wind while she flew panicked circles near Daniel’s head.

“Make Aerie… pet?” Daniel said into the air, seeing if that would work. “Make Aerie summoned companion!”

Nothing worked, and Daniel quickly took a peek from behind the pillar to see the stone colossus knocking over a tree casually with one swoop of its hand. It was less than a dozen steps away from reaching his hiding spot.

“Eliminate… intruders...” it said with a low, magically enforced mechanical voice.

“Come on, come on… make Aerie my pet!” Daniel whispered loudly. “Summon knight!”

Fwooooosh.

A tendril of energy emanated from the reddened brand on Daniel’s chest, and the emperor’s loyal guardian began to take physical form.

“My liege,” the knight said to Daniel telepathically. “The guardian of Azgard’s capital, my old friend, has lost his sanity over the years. He has mistaken us for intruders and plans to eliminate us. We must flee immediately, as I am not sure if he will recognize me.”

“I know we have to run!” Daniel shouted. “But I don’t want to leave Aerie behind. Knight, do you have any ideas? Can you think of any way you can bring her with us?”

“By Aerie, are you referring to this wind faerie here?”

“Yes!”

Standing with its sword sheathed in a regal stance, the knight placed a gentle gauntlet hand underneath the faerie’s legs, and she settled gracefully into his palm.

“Knight?” the precious wind faerie asked in a small voice.

“Oh wind faerie, your tribe has taken good care of me for millenia during my long rest,” the knight said, projecting his voice so that she could hear as well. “It is time to return the favor.”

The knight made a ceremonious circular gesture with his gloved hand, then placed the back of his index finger on the small faerie’s shoulder.

Dun.

“Aerie, I hereby take thee as my squire,” the knight declared. A tendril of visible energy flowed from the knight’s finger towards the faerie’s body, and she howled in pain, then collapsed into a petite bundle onto the knight’s palm.

“It is done, my liege.”

Daniel nodded. The stone colossus was mere seconds away from stomping them out of existence, so he had no time to waste. Gripping the ventricular hearthstone, he squeezed and spoke.

“Activate hearthstone recall.”

[Hearthstone recall has been activated.]