"Filipino architecture is regressing quite quickly compared to other countries but I mean it in a nice way. The wooden floors feel way better than concrete and tiled ones while having reed roofs allows nice circulation of the tropical air. I would want their kind of housing but those building types freeze during snowy winters."

The sun’s heat woke Favio up as it entered the room. Normally, he would rise but there was a problem:

He can't move.

Favio looked down and saw the bindings that bound him to the bed. It was a very thick long rope covered with scales.

A pulse separate travelled through the rope, along with a relaxed rhythmical breathing. He knew exactly what or rather who the rope is.

“... Bakunawa…”

Considerate of his sleeping companion, he tries to wriggle free silently but it did nothing. Then with a loud voice, he tries to wake her up.

“Please wake up…”

Seeing that it has no effect to her, it gave him no other choice but to use his Authority, the privilege given to Contractors to control the living.

“I Compel you, please wake up.”

Compel is a technique that focuses the Contractor’s Authority on a command. The organism that receives the command receives a boost if it's willing or become more willing to do the command.

By adding or removing certain words a Compel could be modified. The word ‘please’ for example, turns the command gentler for the target.

“Hmm? Ah, good morning…”

Bakunawa yawned but she remained in the same position. This made Favio to bear a bitter expression on his face.

“Uncoil, now.”

“Aren’t you happy being embraced by a woman early in the morning?”

“What’s good in being held by a literal snake? Why are you doing this? What if I get crushed...”

“I might surpass most coldbloods in temperature resistance but holding a comfy heat source at night sure is nice and no coldblood in their right mind would kill their warmers.”

After their little banter, Bakunawa finally decides to start the day.

“Come boy, let’s have our breakfast and work out where are we.”

“I think we should have done that yesterday, right after we entered this town but the encounter with Jay slowed us and I completely forgot.”

No, Favio would have remembered it if Bakunawa didn’t suggest to do training.

Bakunawa shrunk and coiled around Favio’s arm as usual, looking like an ordinary armband. They went downstairs.

There’s only a bit of people on the dining hall to eat breakfast. Jay seem to be on guard duty because there was a nice lady manning the counter instead of him. Favio was about to seat at his usual place but there was a white haired girl in it so he went to seat across the counter, away from her.

“I would like a Tapsilog, what would you want Bakunawa?”

“Coffee is the only thing I want now.”

Unlike last night, the meal arrived a bit late or was Jay too fast? A dish with grilled meat, rice and a fried egg along with a cup of coffee releases a bit of steam into the air.

Bakunawa uncoiled herself and shrunk even more until she was the size of a big worm. She flew into the air, does a lap over the cup before smoothly landing into the coffee without splashing.

“Ahhhh… This is life…”

“How can you fly? I know that you can jump all the way to the moon, but how can you fly?”

A snake head peeked from the brown liquid.

“It's not flying at all, I just manipulated the ground’s pull to push me and move my body to the change. Tis simply falling with style…”

Favio continued to observe Bakunawa swim through the coffee as he starts eating rice with a bit of meat and egg.

“You know what, I can't understand why you are even swimming in a hot drink. Won't you smell like coffee if you get out?”

“I don't know why but after I gained a Diwata status, I won't smell for some reason and for why I am swimming here, I just want to know the experience of swimming in your food.”

“Thas petty andy…”

“Swallow your food first, boy.”

“Why are you so small?”

“Dunno. After I had you, I somehow knew I could shrink myself. Probably something about Familiars and their Contractors.”

The serving lady moved to their place and starts talking to Bakunawa. It was something about jewelry and things that most women Favio met through his life liked.

Favio, being mindful of their private discussion, decided to eat his Tapsilog very quickly after he had moved a seat away from them.

After eating his breakfast, Bakunawa had finished both her coffee and conversation. She crawled on the table and settled in her position.

“So boy, where do you want to go?”

“I don't really have any idea but now that I'm hearing about an American settlement nearby, I want to see that town and maybe go to the America.”

Bakunawa grinned. It was a familiar smile that she has used last night.

“America? Boy… That country never exists. It's called the Sorcerate Union right now, just old is your travel guide?”

“Shut up. Anyway, I want to see the settlement.”

“Do it your way then. Just buy me jewels because that's your duty as my master. I want to try one of their synthetic gems.”

They saw a cluster of tall towers from the North gate of Halvert. Bakunawa pulled the carriage at a leisurely pace for her that is.

The cart is quite light so their speed could equal to a normal one at maximum speed and speed also has disadvantages like the shaking.

“Ugh… Can you slow down, I'm getting sick…”

“You got to get used to this, boy. In future battles, I would have to move faster while you ride me.”

“H-how can you-”

The wagon jumped, cutting off Favio.

“I'm too good at crawling or it's the coffee, most likely, a combination of both.”

That moment, Favio knew, to never, ever feed coffee to Bakunawa.

10 more painful minutes passed by in silence then the cart suddenly stopped.

“Take a break, the city is nearby. I think they won't take any dirty people so sharpen your appearance.”

Favio got off, slowly walking to a bush nearby, nauseated.

“Oka-uugh!’

Disgusting sounds came from bushes but Bakunawa paid it no mind.

Favio on the other hand, accidentally discharged a part of his breakfast on his boots so he had to clean them up.

He removed his boots with holes and saw the bloody bandages covering his feet. He removed them, expecting an open wound but his feet were perfectly fine.

(The wound from yesterday… I completely forgot during the night but how could it regenerate so fast?)

(I just gave a tiny bit of my life force to heal you. Are you fine now?)

(No, not yet. I still feel a bit unsteady. How can you speak into my mind? It's kind of creepy to be honest.)

(You have a first class Contractor’s talent: High Authority, Mind link, Soul link, Heart link heck, you even can Body link)

(So this is Mind link and the healing was from Body link. What about the other links?)

(Heart link allows you to share emotion while Soul link allows you to do things I don't know, I only had an inferior Contractor from before so yeah.)

Favio’s nausea eventually wore off and he got up from the ground to return to the carriage.

Favio PoV

We approached the gates of the settlement. The wall seem to cover an area equalling to a small village's worth of land but there were tall spires instead of normal buildings. Truly, the manifestation of spatial efficiency indeed.

The guards on the gate seem to be wielding strange metal tools. From their stinging aura, I can tell they are formidable Mages.

“Greetings, traveller! What's your business with Smithtown?”

Americans seem to be friendly enough, just like the travel guide said.

“I'm only here to see the American town I heard of and look for things that would be useful for trade.”

“Go park your carriage near the blue tower and you can buy anything you need inside it. Also, your powerful beast could be tested on the Arena tonight if you need money.”

“Thanks!”

I stroked Bakunawa’s scales, prompting her to move forward.

All the towers have different colors and all of them aren't made up of wood and concrete but some other material.

I dismounted from the wagon with Bakunawa on my left arm. It now feels so familiar that it would feel windy without her on it.

I did everything he said and walked into the blue tower. Inside the tower was cold or is it that outside was too hot for Americans that they apply cooling for their buildings?

Inside was a very picturesque scenery of many people bustling about, trading.

The place was so large that you could get lost any moment but there were maps all over the place so people won't get lost. Pretty handy.

“Look boy, the treasure section is on the 12th floor. Let's go.”

“In our current budget, I can only buy you a cheap gem.”

“It's alright, come on.”

From there, I walked to the 12th floor. I wonder how many steps was that bit strange enough, I don't feel any fatigue. Probably, Bakunawa’s life sharing.

I went towards the direction of the treasure section as pointed by the maps and everything there was shiny then next to the treasure section was the weapon section.

The location of both sections is quite well placed, I think. By having them on a high floor, a thief with weapons and valuables would have a hard time going down without sustaining damage.

There were all sorts of stones that are displayed on elaborate cases with mysterious transparent material covering it. I think Bakunawa might break it but nah, it’s not like she’s that dumb.

And the slight tightening in my arm has been removed. Bakunawa stood right beside me on her Diwata form, with eyes waiting for a command.

Is she one of those people that get obedient when something they want is in front of them? I think I should give her one then…

“You can go there but don’t break anything.”

Naturally, she smiled but what was strange was that her skin isn't the unnatural purple but a very normal tone of brown.

So, Diwatas being able to hold a human form was real...

“I’ll go ahead and check the stones and I’ll try not breaking anything.”

“I’m going to be at the weapons section and we’ll meet here within an hour.”

Favio looked around the weapons section and found nothing that fit him. All of the items were either unwieldy wands or heavy swords for Heroes which he can't use.

He was heavily disappointed about not finding anything but there was the travelling goods section right beside it.

There, he bought very cheap but comfortable boots to replace his damaged ones.

It turns out that American stores prefer to but goods on display with price tags and customers pay on the counters to deactivate some magical tag on the product.

Favio then noticed the time from looking through a window nearby and went towards the treasure section.

“Boy, buy me this one.”

His Familiar happily rushed into him with a crimson gem in hand.

Favio looked at the gem’s price tag and his mind froze… It costs 750 Ginto, which was basically 30 times current amount he has.

“I can give you waay more power, please! Gimme that thing. I also swear my full loyalty so buy this before anyone buys it. I want- no, I need this gem.”

And with careful consideration, Favio said:

Nothing to say besides I miscalculated the pacing of this chapter. I never thought it would be a double length chapter (1k minimal while this is 2k). Longest chapter of Unreal so far. I wanna write fighting scenes already but the next one the setup of his fight. Kinda sad, seeing a fiction having 8 followers within an hour… (I only have 2 formal/named readers [-_-] sigh... )

Spoiler : Invidia is spreading within me, prompting me to write more chapters while burning me out. At this moment, my Acedia Core is getting corrupted and I won’t walk the most human path of efficiency. Dear anon reader, pray register an RRL account to follow this fiction of mine… I need thy sympathy for my sanity and thy votes too!

Choices:

A Let's buy it later then, we don't have anything to pay for it yet.

B No, we could have bought if you didn't eat anything in the carriage. It's your fault.

C I would want to buy it for you but with our financial situation, we can't buy this.

D Okay, I'll buy it.

E Custom response. Comment below. If yours is good enough, you might break fate (my timelines) itself.

F This is a garbage fiction throw this away (Dun, dun, DUUUUUNN)