SPHERE ITEM AWAKENING

The instant Dallion entered the realm, his firebird familiar grabbed his shoulders, lifting him in the air. The reaction was quite sudden. Dallion didn’t even remember setting foot on the ground, being propelled in the sky instead.

Thanks, Lux.

It seemed that the little firebird was growing up as well. After the expedition, Lux had become far more proactive, doing things to help rather than earn praise. Even Nox let out a meow of vague recognition.

Down below, in an endless sea, the chain of seven islands remained calm. Looking at them, no one would suspect that they belonged to a giant vicious creature. Unlike the last Vermillion, these were different: they seemed a lot more saturated and full of life. That, however, only made Dallion feel somewhat nervous. If the previous guardian had been worn out with time, this one was brand new.

“This brings back memories,” Gleam said. The butterfly had appeared on her own, fluttering a short distance from Dallion. “This one’s a lot smaller than what I remember. Prettier, though. That’s what they do when they capture us—make us pretty.”

“You’ve seen such guardians before?” Dallion asked, surprised.

“They weren’t always guardians. They used to live in the coastal areas. Some of them even tolerated people living on them. Shows how well that turned out.”

Despite her beautiful appearance, the shardfly remained quite cynical. Being rescued from the mirror had taken off the edge, but there was still a long way to go. With luck, the other echoes and familiars would make her feel at home in Dallion’s realm.

“Can you defeat him?”

“Probably. Not as familiar, though. You’ve given me a second chance at life, but that also means I have to start from scratch. I can cover you with illusion dust, but that’s it.”

It was the same with all familiars Dallion had captured, with the exception of Nox. They were much more impressive in the wild. On the positive side, that meant they had the chance to become so again, as long as Dalloin figured out how to reliably level them up.

What do I do now? Dallion asked the armadil shield.

Wait for a bit. The Vermillion will react soon enough.

And so, Dallion waited and waited and waited. Minutes passed, but the islands stubbornly remained the same. On several points Dallion was tempted to shoot a bolt down at one of them, just in the hopes of getting the creature to react. Even Gleam suggested poking the Vermillion to get it to react. However, no such steps were undertaken. Knowing that he was about to ask a favor, Dallion didn’t want to start at the wrong foot. Finally, the island snake reacted.

Giant ripples filled the sea. One of the islands rose, revealing the head of the creature, and rose up into the sky. This was the moment of truth. Every instinct told Dallion to move away. However, if he were to follow the shield’s advice, he had to move closer.

“Darude,” Dallion whispered. “Get me down, Lux.”

The firebird did as ordered, slowly letting Dallion descend until reaching the level of the Vermillion’s head.

“Hello, young one,” the creature said.

“Hi.” There was no good way to respond to such a monstrosity. The last one had attacked without provocation. This one, though, seemed very different. There was curiosity in him, as large as a mouse. “I want to talk to you.”

“I’ve never seen your kind before.”

Someone must have been locked up for a long time, the armadil shield said. That’s a good thing. Vermillions don’t attack things they find curious.

“That’s related to what I want to talk to you about,” Dallion went on. “I want to become your owner.”

“My owner?” the Vermillion snorted a torrent of air at Dallion. “You’re amusing, young one. You’re so small, weak, insignificant. And yet you want to become the master of me?”

“Not the master, just the owner. Don’t forget, I created you.”

The guardian hesitated. The curiosity turned to mild anger, along with a sense of duty.

“You created the ring, not me,” the snake snapped back. “I was there long before you existed, before the world you found me in existed. You can’t claim to have created me!”

“I know and that’s why I want you to become the guardian of the ring I created,” Dallion added a lot of flattery in his words. “I wish for you to guard it for me.”

The isle snake considered the proposal. As the armadil had told Dallion, there were certain things that the creature was certain to react to. Vermillions were natural guards, so when hearing the offer, they would find it difficult to resist, as long as they thought it would be worthwhile.

“What will you have me guard?”

“The most precious thing I have,” Dallion replied without hesitation. “My personal realm.”

“That’s a bit excessive,” Gleam remarked. “Are you sure about this? He’s just a Vermillion you’ve never met before.”

“The most precious thing indeed,” the island snake completely ignored the shardfly. “But it still isn’t enough to convince me. Words are cheap, even when you put music in them.”

Damn it! Dallion thought. It was getting more and more difficult to win with music skills alone.

“I like your attitude, young one. And so, I’ll give you a chance. Fight me with everything you have. If you win within an hour, I’ll become your guardian. You’ll still not be my master.”

That was as good as Dallion could hope to get. Defeating the vermillion under such circumstances wasn’t the same as leveling up the item, but it was the only thing he would get. Besides, having such a creature protect his realm was a much-needed upgrade.

“When do we start?” Dallion summoned his harpsisword.

The island snake just laughed, then, against all expectations, darted down into the sea. A loud splash sent waves hundreds of feet into the air, almost reaching Dallion. However, no attack followed. The guardian was letting Dallion have the first move. That was one of the differences between talking to a vermillion and trying to improve the item through force. The other was that Dallion wouldn’t be locked in the ring should he lose.

Remember, you only need to impress him, the armadil shield reminded. Don’t let your strive for coolness ruin your shot.

Strive? Dallion asked. He didn’t strive to be cool; he was cool… at least in his own mind. Maybe it was time to have a long talk with the dryad on the matter once this fight was over. Then again, maybe that was precisely what the armadil shield wanted.

Music and forging, Dallion thought, concentrating on the landless sea. Thanks to his perception, he was able to see a few feet beneath the surface. Thanks to his music skill, however, he could see miles below, specifically the veins of metal ores abundant in the islands.

“Gleam, can you freeze water?” Dallion asked, looking at what he believed to be the snake’s submerged head.

“No,” the shardfly replied.

“Can you make it seem as if it’s frozen?”

“Sure. Why would you want to do that?”

“You’ll see.” Dallion smiled. “There,” he pointed.

The familiar didn’t hesitate, fluttering down, then over the water’s surface. As she passed, layers of crystal formed indistinguishable from the real thing. Once the entire area was covered, Dallion approached.

“I see you,” he smiled, looking down. “Do I need to chase you down there or you’re willing to fight me here?”

On that note, it was a good idea to get a water faring familiar at some point. The Green Moon had warned him not to rely on familiars in the future, but even so Dallion couldn’t stop thinking of the advantages one would provide. If he were able to fly and swim, there was virtually no realm he wouldn’t have an advantage. Then again, maybe he could focus on learning more individual skills…

Beneath the surface, the Vermillion moved. The creature was smart enough to know that it was spotted, and too proud to resist such a provocation. Without hesitation, it thrust up towards Dallion. The last time that happened, it was the shield that had saved him from serious consequences. Now the shield was going to save him again, although in a completely different fashion.

Shield, make a semi-cocoon in front of me! Dallion ordered. Lux, be ready to match the serpent’s speed, but keep me close to it.

Contact occurred exactly as Dallion expected. Even with the armadil shield extended in front of him, the force was enough to make Dallion feel as if he’d hit a truck head on. The firebird pulled him back in an effort to reduce the impact.

Periodically splitting in three instances every second, Dallion found the perfect moment to order the shield to contract, then hit the island cliff with all his might. The strike was strong enough to shatter a rock in two, but no rectangle emerged. There was no other way it could be—hurting an island required more than a standard attack.

Harp, I need you to help me make a line strike, Dallion said.

You’re not ready, the nymph replied in a combination of melodic sounds.

I’ll have to get ready at some point.

It’s not now.

That was harsh, but Dallion couldn’t deny that his skills were still lacking. He had learned a lot compared to his time in the village, but not enough to perform the really powerful attacks. At least not yet.

You can do it, Dallion thought.

You’re still not ready.

Please, Harp. I need to get ready at some point. What better place to practice this than here?

Both familiar and owner knew that was pushing it. The reason why Dallion hadn’t asked this in advance was because he knew that she wouldn’t agree to it. However, when threatened, she had no choice.

The weapon moved on its own, performing a horizontal strike. As it did, a line seemed to appear in the air, moving further away. Watching it was fascinating. It cut through rock and soil, slicing the entire island in two, then continuing on.

MINOR STRIKE

A red rectangle emerged.

Minor? Dallion couldn‘t believe his eyes. Such an attack was capable of finishing off most beings he’d seen, himself included. However, against a Vermillion it only did this much? There was no way this was Harp’s full force.

Losing its momentum, the island fell down, sinking beneath the sea. As it did, the next segment took over, changing into a head before Dallion’s very eyes.

Move me further back! Dallion ordered.

“You’ve done well, young one,” the Vermillion said. “But all your strength is borrowed. I want you to face me.”

It didn’t take a genius to know that such a battle would end in failure. Without Lux, Dallion wouldn’t be able to remain in the air. Vermillion probably knew that as well, so why did he make the request? If neither strength nor music were able to bring him victory, then what could? Dallion thought about it, then summoned a large metal ingot.

Time to use the big guns, Dallion smiled. Lux, let me go and propel this chunk of metal towards the island.

Chirp? The firebird asked.

Catching me later would be helpful.

Though even that wasn’t essential. The important thing was to determine whether the method worked. The only time Dallion had used anything similar was during his first encounter with a chainling. Back then, a cleric of the Seven Moons had helped propel a dartbow bolt using magic. Now, Dallion had Lux for that. If the expedition had taught him anything, it was that he was starting to become complacent with the rules of this world. While he did, he wouldn’t be able to make real progress.

Now, Lux, Dallion urged.

Suddenly, his body felt heavier. In contrast, the chunk of metal he was holding darted out of his hands and at the new island. Moments later, the ingot impacted the island with the strength of a meteor. A large explosion blew out half the vegetation on the island, forming a smoldering crater.

Now we’re talking, Dallion thought.