Aias rolled through the castle grounds together with Podrick as well as Sophia. The castle was far larger than he had anticipated.

It covered far more than even the institutes grounds, they could just keep going and it didn’t seem to end. Every bit was well decorated, lit, and attended by servants, to Aias it truly felt like a palace. However the way Podrick spoke of it, it seemed as if this was nothing.

“You are going to the capital correct, master Aias? When you get there you will understand why this can’t be considered grand. Of course, this is far more than most other forts or castles throughout Antrim!” The look on his face spoke to Aias more than his words, he held great pride over it. Most likely that pride was for his master, Georgio.

From what Aias knew, Georgio was a hero to the people. Obviously he would be rewarded for his great efforts.

The group finally made it to their last stop in the castle, the beast pits. Here was where Varja had been placed while Aias slept. Varja’s large size wasn’t very handy when inside buildings, thirteen meters in length and almost a meter in diameter of a body. Corridors and smaller rooms were definitely out of the question for the large serpent.

Upon looking down into the pit that held Varja they saw both the large snake, and a person.

“Sir Hannes!” Sophia gasped in excitement when she looked into the pit.

So this was the Hannes Aias had heard of the other day, he had most likely come on request of O’jghar.

Even though Sophia had screamed into the pit Hannes inside it didn’t react. He was standing in front of Varja and seemed to be gathering energy, for what Aias couldn’t tell.

The group climbed down the ladder to enter the enclosure. Podrick was an older man however he easily picked up Aias together with the wheelchair he was in and carried them down the ladder on one arm. Aias felt ki running through his body as he carried him.

The difference when comparing the energy of Podrick and any of the children in the orphanage was astounding. The children couldn’t measure up to even his pinky. The control of its flow, the amount, the distribution, and its reaction to sudden changes, were all superior. He was using energy as if it was a side thought, as natural as breathing.

As they got down to the floor of the enclosure and Aias was put down, the energy within Podrick dissipated as if it had never been there before. Aias had never felt the energy of someone other than his classmates before, so this felt like an important lesson for him in how to handle energy. O’jghar could have shown him however neither of them had ever thought about it and so it never occurred.

Now that they were in the pit they could see that Hannes was standing and meditating, it appeared that he was trying to use some sort of spell. Aias could feel an energy he wasn’t familiar with swirling about Hannes, from the feel of it it somewhat matched O’jghar’s description of nature energy.

Sophia was about to go up and greet Hannes however was held back by Podrick.

Aias didn’t know what spell Hannes was about to use and neither did Podrick. However Varja seemed to trust him, as the large serpent had noticed Aias but hadn’t moved to greet him, only acknowledged that he was there.

After three minutes Hannes stopped his meditation. Now in his hand was a gathering of energy like none Aias had ever seen. The clump of energy intensely swirled and shined, as if a twister of green flame. He held out the ball towards Varja, it quickly began to shoot out small rays of green light that went into the serpent. Varja didn’t react to the lights as they hit his scales, which greatly calmed Aias minor worry.

After a few moments all of the green energy had broken apart and entered Varja, only then did Hannes turn around to greet their group. “Hello Sophia! What brings you here sweetheart?!” He opened his arms in a large hug for the little girl.

She jumped into his arms and shouted, “Uncle Hannes, that was so cool! What did you do?” Something Aias also wanted to know.

Hannes carried the child into the air and onto his shoulders. “Its called Nukitu, a spell to gather information from live animals or plants! As you saw it shot out green energy into the beast which will then be shoot back out in different colors. I will analyse the energy coming back out which will let me know more about the beast”

Sophia didn’t seem to comprehend what that would lead to or what it really did, Aias was also somewhat confused on how much could be gained from the spell.

Sophia did however understand one critical point of the spell, “So when it’s done more sparkly light will come out?!”

Hannes smiled, “Yes and this time in many different colors!”

Aias started to understand why others spoke highly of him, he was indeed a kind man, and he did seem to be strong. Looking at him, Hannes was a shorter man, only around one sixty in height, he didn’t have a large wellbuilt body. But when Aias looked at him he could tell that Hannes was experienced, his stance was steady and from the look of it ready to grab Sophia and protect her with his body.

Although his intentions were clear, there was nothing an opponent could do to harm her unless they were way more powerful than him.

“So when-” Aias began to ask but when he began to speak Hannes reacted by almost falling over in surprise.

“W- wait, who are you?” Hannes confusion made the entire group confused, Aias had been there the whole time. Hannes should have seen him as he went to hug Sophia.

Hannes quickly got his heart settled, his stance of protecting Sophia hadn’t disappeared even when caught off guard by Aias, so the respect Aias held for him didn’t crumble.

“Sorry about that! When I heard you coming it sounded like lady Permont so I didn’t expect another voice.” Realisation emerged on all their faces as they could understand why he had expected something else.

“Well, I should still introduce myself. I am Aias, student under O’jghar and owner of Varja, this serpent!” Aias felt it was time they addressed both the question of why Hannes was using a spell like Nukitu and when they would begin the test to determine Varja’s grade.

A large smile emerged on Hannes face as he realised who Aias was, “I see, of course you are, should have realised honestly! Well Aias, I have already been doing several tests this morning to see how Varja is on request of the lam. Varja is incredible, so I just had to use Nukitu!”

Hannes began to explain himself as he saw that no one in the group could see his logic, “Varja is a very odd specimen, in all my tests he scored perfectly. It was as if he could understand everything I was saying. That is to say he seemed almost human. The only way that is possible is if he has an A grade connection, which is impossible with today's techniques.”

The group still stood there not entirely sure in what he meant. Clearly there were beastmasters with A grade connections, Hannes wouldn’t be praised for being someone that can discern connections as A grade if people couldn’t attain them.

Hannes continued, “Well it is true that people can’t create A grade connections, however beasts can! Many beast are capable of creating connections with people or other beasts if they trust them, these connections are far more advanced than the ones we humans have created, however are also in some ways dangerous shackles.”

Hannes dramatically paused before continuing, “See our techniques only either create a link between us which will let the beast understand our intentions, or let us subdue the beasts mind making them slaves to our wishes. However beasts can create a link between themselves and a partner that give more than just that, it can let the other gain energy, physical strength and many more benefits, while also giving the creature its own benefits.”

Podrick and Aias began to understand and so did Sophia to some extent, however she seemed to have gotten bored from the explanations.

“So what are you trying to find out from the spell?” Aias still hadn’t gotten a firm answer to why the spell was needed.

“Oh well I’m trying to find out if the serpent has made such a connection, and what it has gained from it. And as I said, these connections are in a way shackles to the beasts. Some strong enough where they will share their lives and deaths with their partners. It is very odd magic and I need to study it carefully so you aren’t somehow in danger.”

He looked to Varja, “The spell should take effect sometime during the day, until then we just have to wait. I will need to stay nearby to collect the energy when it emerges, you should take Sophia and see the town!”

………

The group entered a small restaurant in the town below the castle and began to chat away the end of the day.

Aias had been rolled through most of the town while Sophia described all her favorite stores, most which were either cafes or fancy clothing stores. They had entered a few of them to both look and buy more clothes, or occasional pastries for energy.

Sophia seemed very happy to help Aias choosing clothes for his trip to the capital. Aias didn’t want to impose on them as he didn’t have any money but Podrick insisted that he had to look good as he did “represent” Goijbi.

In the end they had bought a neat black and white checkered shirt with dark blue jeans. Aias didn’t understand the fashion choice however couldn’t say no to their insistent praises. He had also been given a small ruby brooch, it had the pattern of a bear head, with the ruby to decorate its eye. The bear was the sigil for Svordie castle.

During lunch Podrick told a story of an old fable about Svordie castle, supposable Svordie castle and a large vicinity around it was all built upon the back of a colossal beast that looks like a bear. No one knows if it’s true, digging only revealed a thick layer of hard minerals that could barely be dug through, and was useless to use for anything. Underneath that, who knows, the layer of mineral was thick.

After shopping Aias had been brought to the top of the wall surrounding Svordie. During the night he hadn’t been able to get a proper view of the massive wall.

At the top there were two types of mechanisms, large stone orbs with inscriptions over them, and large catapults.

“This stone orb is named Styx elemental canon mark three, and is a powerful artillery unit that can both attack flying and ground units. It works by having a person pilot inside it and that person can fire large blasts of energy in all directions around it without delay.“ One of the guards standing next to the large ball explained when podrick rolled Aias up to get a closer look.

They were very expensive pieces of equipment, Svordie’s wall had seventy of them. There were similar but much smaller balls around the wall as well, they were the Styx elemental canon mark one. Which worked the same way but had considerably less power.

Looking out over the wall had given Aias a serene feeling of wonder, his parents had been guards over a wall like this, only smaller. He wondered over how they must have felt as they fought to protect their homes. Him standing here now was proof of their success.

…….

The group headed back to the beast pits, it was now late in the evening and Hannes should be finished with his investigation of Varja, considering that it had been eight hours since the spell was cast.

The group entered the pit where Varja was currently laying about. Hannes sat on a small chair by the enclosures wall, in his hands there was a ball of energy similar to the one he had held when they first met. The ball this time however was of several different colors, twirling around, occasionally lighting up then dimming back down.

Sophia was the first to speak up, “Uncle Hannes, what are you doing?” she seemed a little concerned for him as his face looked more than a little pained.

Hannes didn’t look to her however responded, “Sorry dear, I’m still reading through the information I got from the spell. I will be done in about an hour.” His concentration didn’t waver for a moment, his eyes were bloodshot as if he hadn’t blinked in hours.

“How long have you been reading that for mister Hannes?” Aias had to ask as he grew both concerned, and intrigued over how impressive the spell seemed to be.

“Don’t know, but I began at around twelve!” It was currently about seven o’clock, he had been intensely reading that clump of energy for seven hours and he still had another hour to go. Aias could only respect this man.

They didn’t want to disturb Hannes by playing with Varja so Aias only patted his lovely serpent shortly before heading back to the inner castle with Sophia and Podrick.

They sat down to eat and were joined by Sera. Sophia began to retell the whole day to her mother.

It appeared that O’jghar and Georgio had been stuck in Georgio’s office the whole day discussing plans for the countermeasures unit that O’jghar was to be a part of. And they would be stuck there for dinner as well, seeing as they had food sent to them to eat during the meeting.

Before the food came out a maid brought in the cutlery, which were beautifully painted ceramic plates, painted with bears and flowers, in bluish and reddish colors. Aias had never eaten on ceramic before, in the orphanage and at O’jghar’s there was only wooden cutlery. Looking at the shining plate and the metal knife he had beside it he began to fear that he would accidentally cut it apart.

His fears were quickly replaced by another feeling as the food came in, the smell from the plates alone was enough for his mouth to start watering. Another, smaller, plate was placed on his plate, similar to the first, very beautiful. But it wasn’t the plate that mesmerized him now, on the plate was a set of thick juicy ribs. The amount of meat on them told Aias that they weren’t of any domesticated animal, only beasts could have bodies this large.

Aias wasn’t sure what to do, the large piece of meat and bone was laying there in front of him. Instincts told him to bite down on it, but his little bit of common sense told him that he was with nobility and that may not be appropriate.

Aias began by looking over to Sera, she seemed to be the most “noble” one around the table but looking over to her only disheartened him, she was sipping some soup from a spoon. Obviously someone sick wouldn’t be eating thick meat.

Afterwards he looked to Sophia, she however was eating something that looked like a large onion, Aias had never seen one of those and was now left wondering what that tasted like.

Podrick and the other servants had left the room so there wasn’t anyone in the room to answer his question on how he should eat the meat, so he would need to ask the ladies.

Aias prepared his voice by making a small cough but before he got the words out a man behind him spoke up, “Boy don’t worry about the formalities, just grab the food and stick it in your mouth!” As he finished his sentence a hand came down from behind Aias and grabbed the ribs in front of him. The hand disappeared over his head again and in less than two seconds, six clean picked bones were thrown down onto Aias plate.

Before Aias could retort, or even consider what had happened Sera spoke up, “Honey what are you doing to the guest?! Don’t take others food! And stop sneaking up on people!” she didn’t seem angry or annoyed. Instead it seemed that she only wanted to set an example before Sophia.

The man behind him sat down on the chair beside Aias. He was a very large man, Aias didn’t think about it when he only saw his arm but it’s muscles were defined to the point of looking disturbing. Same with his chest, the muscle structure seemed to be sculptured by the gods themselves. But when Aisa eyes went a step lower he felt like they would pop out. The man’s belly was a large clump of fat mounted on a set of powerful legs. This man’s disposition confused Aias.

Sera called this man “honey” so that could only mean one of two things, either this was Georgio, or her son. And by the rugged look of the man’s face, Aias couldn’t believe in the second option.

“Daddy” Sophia yelled after swallowing her odd food.

No, yupp, this was the infamous Georgio ‘earthbreaker’. Aias wished something was wrong with his eyes or Georgio was just messing with him because that stomach did not belong with this legend.