Chapter 7: Shadow and Spark
The 100 System Points felt like a pittance, a single copper coin in a world of gold. But in the [Beast Nexus], with the two Dire Rats waiting patiently, it was a seed. Leo pulled up their stat screens, the evolution path glowing with promise: [Shadow-Stalker Rat].
The requirements were specific:
· [Shadow Affinity Crystal]: 50 SP
· [Nightshade Berry x3]: 45 SP (15 SP each)
· 500 SP Evolution Cost
He had 100. The Evolution Cost was out of reach, but the materials weren't. He could acquire the components now, stockpile them, and save for the final catalyst. It was a plan. A slow, grinding plan, but a plan nonetheless.
He navigated the [System Shop], the interface shimmering. He purchased the [Shadow Affinity Crystal], a shard of obsidian that seemed to drink the light from the Nexus. Then, he bought the three [Nightshade Berries], plump, dark fruits that smelled of midnight and damp earth.
[System Points: 5]
He was nearly broke again. But he had the pieces. He held the crystal and the berries in his hands, their latent energy a cool, tingling sensation against his palms. Whiskers and the other, still-unnamed rat sniffed the air, their pink noses twitching with keen interest.
"Not yet," Leo told them, his voice echoing in the mental space. "Soon."
He stored the items in a conceptual "inventory" the Nexus provided, a small shelf that materialized against one misty wall. The rats watched the berries vanish with what felt like disappointment.
Now, he needed the SP. He needed a source, a repeatable method. The system hadn't offered any "grinding" quests yet. He had to make his own.
The following day, during his cleaning duties, he found his opportunity. A [Flame-Sparrow], a common F-class beast used for igniting forge-fires, had escaped its handler and flown into the rafters of the main aviary, panicked and disoriented. The handler, a flustered apprentice, was trying to coax it down with a piece of fruit, but the bird was too scared, its tiny body puffing up, emitting sparks of nervous flame.
The senior tamers scoffed, ignoring the minor disruption. It was beneath them.
Leo saw it differently. He felt the sparrow's fear, a bright, sharp pinprick against his empathy. This was a chance.
He approached the flustered apprentice. "I can try," he said softly.
The apprentice, a girl named Lyra with wide, anxious eyes, looked at him with surprise. "Elian? How?"
"Just... let me," he said, not waiting for permission. He didn't look at the sparrow. He didn't make any sudden moves. He simply stood beneath the rafter, closed his eyes, and pushed.
He activated [Calming Aura], focusing it into a tight, invisible beam directed solely at the panicked bird. He poured his will into it, envisioning a blanket of peace, of safety. He combined it with a thread of [Beast Insight], not to probe, but to project: You are safe. The danger is gone.
The effect was immediate. The Flame-Sparrow's frantic chirping ceased. Its puffed feathers smoothed down. The little sparks fizzled out. It cocked its head, blinked its beady black eyes, and with a soft flutter, landed gently on Lyra's outstretched hand.
The apprentice stared, stunned. "How did you...?"
"Lucky, I guess," Leo mumbled, already turning away, pulling his cloak of unassuming anonymity tight around him.
But a notification, clear and satisfying, bloomed in his vision.
[Minor Task Completed: Calm the Flame-Sparrow.]
Reward: 25 System Points.
It wasn't much. But it was something. A precedent. He had generated SP through an act of Whispering.
The rest of the day, he looked for more such opportunities. He didn't seek out major crises; that would draw attention. He found the small, overlooked moments. He soothed a [Rock-Hide Lizard] that was stressed by the vibrations of construction, earning 15 SP. He used a subtle nudge of empathy to guide a lost [Crystal-Eyed Pup] back to its kennel, earning another 20.
By nightfall, he had grinded his way to 65 SP. It was tedious, exhausting work, a constant drain on his mental focus. But it was progress.
That night, in the Nexus, he repeated the healing session with the gryphlet. The process was slightly easier this time. His [Spectral Mend] proficiency had inched up to 12%, and the [Empathic Catalyst] made the torrent of pain more manageable. He poured his energy into the wing, feeling another tiny, incremental improvement. The gryphlet endured the process with a quiet, trembling patience, its purr a steady, grounding rumble throughout. When he broke the link, utterly spent, he felt a new sensation from the bond: a trickle of vitality flowing back into him, a faint returning of the energy he'd given.
[Gryphon's Pact (Nascent)] is strengthening. Minor Stamina Regeneration buff detected when in proximity to bonded beast.
It was a feedback loop. The more he gave, the more the bond strengthened, and the bond itself helped him give more. The Whisperer's path was one of symbiosis.
He checked the gryphlet's status.
[Storm-Wing Gryphlet - Wing Integrity: 3.2% Improved.]
It was working. Slowly, agonizingly slowly, but it was working.
The next morning, a change in the routine threw the Aviary into a buzz. A supply caravan had arrived, and with it, a group of visiting tamers from a neighboring clan. The courtyard was suddenly filled with strangers and exotic, unfamiliar beasts. There was a sense of festival and competition in the air.
For Leo, it was a field of opportunities—and dangers.
He kept to the edges, hauling fodder for the influx of creatures, using his [Beast Insight] to passively absorb information. He saw a tamer with a serpent that moved through shadows, another with a badger-like creature whose claws gleamed like metal. These were not just bird-tamers.
He also saw Kaelen, preening. The arrival of outsiders was a chance for him to show off, to cement his status as Borin's heir apparent. He was demonstrating his control over a young, aggressive [Iron-Beak Roc], forcing it through a series of complex aerial maneuvers with sharp, shouted commands and the occasional crack of a light whip.
The Roc obeyed, but Leo could feel its spirit chafing, a roil of [Resentment, Fear, Suppressed Rage]. It was the old way of taming. The way of breaking.
Leo felt a cold anger settle in his gut. He focused on the Roc, pushing a tiny, targeted thread of [Calming Aura] towards it, a silent whisper against the storm of Kaelen's domination. Steady. You are strong.
The Roc, mid-maneuver, faltered for a fraction of a second. Its wingbeat stuttered. It wasn't much, but it was enough to break the perfect rhythm of Kaelen's display.
Kaelen scowled, yanking on the control reins. "Focus, you stupid beast!" he snarled.
His eyes swept the crowd of watching apprentices, and they landed on Leo. There was no proof, no logical reason to suspect him. But the hatred in Kaelen's gaze was pure and instinctive. He blamed the dreg for the disruption, for the quiet gryphlet, for the subtle unease in the natural order of his world.
As the demonstration ended, Kaelen shoved the Roc's reins at a subordinate and stalked towards Leo.
"The caravan master says they've had trouble with scavengers on the road," Kaelen said loudly, his voice carrying. "Pests. Dire Rats, grown bold. They need the storage cellar cleared out again. Since you're so good with vermin, dreg, you can do it. Tonight."
It was a transparent attempt to get him out of the way, to humiliate him, or perhaps to hope the rats would finish what they'd started last time.
Leo just nodded, his face blank. "Yes, Kaelen."
But as he turned to go, a new quest notification appeared, its text glowing with a subtle, dangerous light.
[Opportunity Quest: The Scavenger's Bounty]
Objective: Re-enter the storage cellar. Subdue or eliminate the new Dire Rat pack. Harvest [Rat King's Fang] from the pack leader, if present.
Reward: 300 SP, [Minor Evolution Catalyst] x1.
Bonus Objective: Tame the Pack Leader. Reward: 150 Bonus SP, unlocks [Pack Mentality] trait for rodent-class beasts.
Leo's breath hitched. 300 SP. A catalyst. This wasn't a punishment; it was the system offering him a golden opportunity on a silver platter, delivered by his greatest idiot of a rival.
He looked at the cellar door, no longer a place of terror, but a gate to power.
He had his rats. He had his skills. And he had a very, very good reason to clean house.
The hunt was on.
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