Emelia says "That creepy looking thing? Well, if you really want to, I will help."

"A normal horse can't carry me, but that thing looks like it would be able to."

Giles says "I am a lancer and I know combat mounts. I will help too."

"Thank you."

Giles says "You saved all our lives, you don't need to thank us."

"It wasn't my power that saved you, it was Krenocia's so don't worry about owing me."

Emelia says "It may not have been your power but you were still the one who saved us. And from what Justin said if you hadn't spared him we would all have died working for an evil king."

"The king is an evil man and you shouldn't underestimate him. But you should be more wary of the power that is manipulating him."

Giles says "Right, that shadow demon you told us about."

"Yeah."

Emelia says "There it is, I still say it is creepy."

Giles says "I thought it was just a statue, but if that thing is real it will be an awesome combat mount."

"Assuming it can be tamed, I agree."

Emelia says "Judging by the teeth and the shape of the jaw it is a strict carnivore, having some meat handy to feed it will help."

So following her advice I take out a big chunk of drake meat and hold it in one hand, in the other I hold the wand. Emelia takes out a crude hand carved flute and starts to play a soft soothing song. Once the song is going she gives me a nod and I reach out and touch the wand to the statue.

The wand instantly turns to ash in my hand after I touch it to the statue. Unlike with the heroes the statue does not revert instantly. Instead the brown of stone where I touched the wand slowly turns to gray.

The gray moves slowly expanding from the spot I touched, it seems the petrification is lifting an inch at a time. I get the feeling of movement but there is no wind, after looking for a minute I realize I can see mana being sucked into the lizard. As more and more of the petrification fades the mana intake increases until it looks like a vortex.

Even when the head is completely restored it doesn't move, the only sign the lizard is alive is that it blinks its eyes once. As the petrification recedes down the neck I notice that the scales on the nose where I first touched are looking different. They are drying out and cracking, thinking it is due to dehydration, I take out a water pouch and pour water over the lizard's head.

Giles says "What are you doing?"

"Look at the scales on its nose, they are dry and cracking."

I notice the lizard is staring at me, its eyes look just like the drake's. Come to think of it since I gained dragon sight my eyes are pretty much the same. The lizard continues to meet my gaze as I pour the water over its head, I feel that the lizard is more intelligent than a normal animal.

When the petrification leaves the lizard's chest it starts breathing and tilts its head up with its mouth open so the water pours inside. As soon as it has had enough to drink it lowers its head to sniff at the meat in my other hand. It gently takes the meat from my hand and scarfs it down, while I quickly pull another piece out of my pouch.

The lizard goes through half of my remaining drake meat before it is satisfied. It makes me sad because the drake meat is so delicious and I doubt I will ever get more, but if it means I don't have to fight the lizard it will be worth it. By now the petrification is almost completely gone, only a little on the legs and tail remains.

Emmy has been playing her soothing song this entire time, but the lizard hasn't looked at her or Giles. The only times its eyes have left me is when it was drinking and eating. Maybe because of my eyes it thinks I am similar to it, or maybe it is smart enough to understand that I am the one who freed it.

I slowly hold out my hand to it palm up, it sniffs then licks my hand. Taking that as permission I reach up to rub the side of its head, when I do the dry, cracked scales crumble and fall away. Beneath them are brand new scales which are gray with hints of red.

Realizing that it was not dehydration but shedding I start rubbing off all the shed scales. The lizard seems to like it and keeps leaning into the rubbing so I use a bit more strength. As I finish cleaning the face and move onto the neck I hear Emmy's music stop.

Emelia says "Ah, looks like you don't need my help. It has already accepted you!"

Giles says "Maybe it was tame before it was petrified?"

Emelia says "No, I don't think so. It feels like it chose him."

Giles says "This was a military post so it was probably trained as a war mount, they only accept one rider."

Emelia says "That would make sense, but whatever the case it has chosen Ash."

Giles says "Well, if that is the case, here I found these earlier."

Giles takes a grooming kit and a saddle out of his inventory and puts them on the ground. They look like they were meant for this type of creature so I quickly take up the grooming kit and try it out. The lizard won't let Emmy or Giles near it so they end up just telling me how to groom it properly.

"Thanks for all your help! I'm going to take this guy outside and try riding him."

Emelia says "Okay, but just so you know it's a female."

"Ahh okay, thanks! I think I will name you Lizzy!"

DP: 245/1145

There is a sudden thunderclap and I am left with my ears ringing and feeling dizzy. By the time it passes, the other heroes have arrived, Silveria is checking on Emmy who is sitting on the floor. Giles also ended up on the floor and Rachel is checking him over.

Justin says "What happened? We heard an explosion!"

"I'm not sure!"

Emelia says "I know! Ash named Lizzy, the same thing happened when I named Silveria."

"You say named, but I feel you mean something different. What really happened?"

Emelia says "The way mother wolf explained it to me, a beast is not supposed to have a name, but with enough will and power we can give them a name."

"So what does having a name mean for a beast?"

Emelia says "Mother wolf told me for a sacred beast it means they can gain class levels. She didn't say what it does for a normal mana beast but I would guess it makes it easier for them to become sacred beasts."

"A normal mana beast can evolve into a sacred beast?!"

Emelia says "That is what mother wolf told me. Except for Silveria all sacred beasts started as mana beasts."

"Silveria is special?"

Emelia says "Yes, she was born a sacred beast, mother wolf didn't know why though."

"Hmm, interesting. Anyway, while I go take Lizzy for a trial run, why don't you all discuss your plans."