The sun didn't set in the Sealed Lands. The violet sky just bruised deeper into a suffocating indigo, and the temperature plummeted.
It wasn't a gradual cool-down. One minute, Val was sweating from the exertion of walking; the next, his breath was pluming in white clouds, and frost was forming on the jagged rocks around them.
"Stop here," Ferrer commanded from his arms.
Val halted. They were in a small alcove beneath a rocky overhang, sheltered from the biting wind. He gently lowered Ferrer to the ground. Her heels clicked on the stone as she stretched, her spine popping audibly.
"We rest," she stated, brushing dust from her leather skirt. "My human form is efficient, but maintaining this level of... aesthetic perfection... is taxing on my reserves."
"You mean staying hot uses mana?" Val asked, rubbing his arms to generate some friction heat.
Ferrer looked at him, deadpan. "Obviously. Do you think gravity-defying curves happen naturally? I am sculpting matter with sheer willpower, Master."
Val couldn't tell if she was joking. With her, it was probably 50/50.
"We need a fire," Val said, shivering. He looked around. There was no wood. Just rock, dust, and the occasional skeletal remains of something that had died screaming. "Great. I'll just rub two skulls together."
Ferrer sighed. The sound was like wind moving through a cavern.
"You are so primitive."
She snapped her fingers.
A sphere of white-hot flame, no larger than a marble, materialized in the air between them. It hovered there, humming softly, radiating a warmth that instantly chased away the chill. It didn't flicker; it just burned with a steady, intense light.
"Sit," she ordered, patting the ground next to her.
Val sat. The warmth was incredible. It felt less like a fire and more like sitting next to a sleeping dragon—which, technically, he was.
"So," Val started, staring into the floating flame. "What happens now? We walk to this settlement, and then what? I don't have money. I don't have an ID. I'm pretty sure I don't exist in this world's database."
"You have me," Ferrer said, leaning back against the rock wall and closing her eyes. "That is enough currency for any kingdom."
"That sounds ominous."
"It is." She opened one eye. "Check your status, Master. You leveled up earlier. You should distribute your points before you accidentally hurt yourself."
"Right. The System."
Val focused his mind. Status.
A semi-transparent blue window popped into existence in front of his face.
[Name: Val Vorkard]
[Race: Human (Soul Anchor)]
[Class: Sovereign Tamer (Unique)]
[Level: 3]
[Titles: The One Who Carries]
[Stats]
Strength: 12 (+150 - Pact Bonus)
Agility: 10 (+120 - Pact Bonus)
Vitality: 11 (+200 - Pact Bonus)
Intelligence: 14 (+50 - Pact Bonus)
Mana: 50/50
Free Points: 10
[Skills]
Active: None.
Passive:
Soul Pact (Ferrer): Grants 10% of the Bonded Beast's base stats.
Apex Aura (Level 1): Lesser monsters will hesitate to attack you.
Val stared at the numbers.
"Plus one hundred and fifty strength?" he whispered. "Is that a lot?"
"An average human soldier has a Strength of about 15," Ferrer murmured, not looking up. "An elite knight, maybe 40. You are currently hitting as hard as a siege engine."
"And that's only ten percent of you?"
"I am very strong, Val."
Val looked at the [Free Points: 10].
"Where should I put these?"
"Intelligence," Ferrer said immediately.
"Why? Shouldn't I get stronger?"
"You are strong enough to punch a bear into orbit. But your mana pool is pathetic," she said, her voice dropping an octave. She shifted, sliding closer to him. "And since you are my battery... I need you to have a bigger capacity."
Val dumped all 10 points into Intelligence.
[Mana: 50 -> 150]
The moment he confirmed it, a headache he didn't know he had cleared up. His mind felt sharper. The world seemed a little brighter.
"Better," Ferrer purred.