Chapter 252 - Gift?

Chris

10 days.

10 days of utter agony.

10 days filled with nothing but pain and suffering.

10 days-

"Alright, I get it. You got a boo boo." Austin remarked annoyed.

Austin was right to be annoyed. I had complained about it since I woke up, which probably didn't sound the best. Even though it was-

No, don't dwell on the past.

The past was behind me and I could focus on the future. A future that had me one step closer to evolving. With my newest notification to confirm, I was only one step away from being ready.

Body Stage Upgraded:

Body of Wood -> Body of Stone (Northern Winds Body)

After being... out of commission, (the polite way to put it), for 10 days, I required 2 more of intense healing.

The healing wasn't as bad as the Demon fight, as I hadn't lost any limbs, but it did have to be thorough. My body went through a traumatic experience and a touch-up was necessary.

I spent most of the two days resting anyway.

Being awake for ten straight days was a challenge in its own right. My Endurance was high, but ten days of... vigorous exertion was still a challenge. If I'd sat and done nothing, ten days still would've been hard to accomplish.

My forge was the coldest room in the Castle, no small part because of the Spirit Fire it housed, and I had a nice relaxing rest in there. [Cold Meditation] helped get my mind on straight after-

No. Don't think about it.

The skill worked wonders and that was all I was going to say about it.

The Healers and my Assistant didn't appreciate the cold but they could shove it. Both had to layer up before entering but it wasn't like they were getting frostbite or anything.

Austin was radiating Heat along with a subtle glow as he stood to ward it off and I had to fight the... annoyance it caused.

"Come on, it's been long enough, you big baby. I still have my surprise to show you." He said happily and not at all like he just insulted me.

"Is it actually a surprise, or am I about to walk out and see a Donkey's ass in my face," I said from my bed. I had it moved to be more comfortable.

Austin put his hand to his chest offendedly, "I would nev-... yeah, that's totally something I would do, but I didn't this time!" He apparently didn't have enough sarcasm to get through lying with a straight face.

"Fine, lead on." Rising from my bed still elicited some soreness and pain but it was about time for me to get up and walk around. Laying in bed all day was getting boring anyway.

My body was different and would take time to get used to fully, but I had enough wherewithal to walk at least.

Austin led me on a merry trip throughout the Castle and out into the courtyard. We were still within the Inner Wall so it was piquing my curiosity to what he did.

If it was anything dangerous, Abigail wouldn't have allowed it within the walls. He asked for Sarah, so I had assumed it was an animal of some sort, but I wasn't sure what.

After exiting the Castle, he dragged me over towards the stables. They were mainly built for Sarah, but they housed all the horses of our family. Remi especially, as I liked having him close.

I didn't get to ride him as much as I wanted, but I was still around to groom him occasionally when I had the time.

And, standing out of his usual stall, the black stallion was not* happy. I heard his unhappiness even before the stable came into view.

That's... questionable.

Whatever it was made my horse upset, which limited the options.

Austin brushed up next to me, closer than was necessary, and began to raise his arms.

"If you're about to cover my eyes, I'll hit you."

He put some distance between us at the threat.

"Spoilsport," He said under his breath. "At least close your eyes."

Little did he know I could already feel what his surprise was. My aura was still something I was figuring out, but I had enough mastery over it to tell there was a new addition inside the stables.

And the new addition was not a horse. It was much more powerful than even Remi, and he had gained some levels over the years.

It was also large.

The feeling I was getting was of something with some weight behind it. I already had a guess as to what it was and I wasn't about to close my eyes.

Instead, he used his body to try and block my view as we entered but he was far from big enough to do that.

His body did practically nothing to block my sight from the multi-ton furry creature that now occupied our stable. The sole creature in the stable, as it took up so much space nothing else could fit.

It was taller than I was at around ten feet from hoof to shoulder and nearly double that in length. Its... girth, made me worried about the floor of the stable, as it was hefty enough to put divots in it.

There were slight depressions from its tracks, but not so much to cause alarm. Whoever built this did a wonderful job.

Said heft shifted at our entrance but ignored us not long after, going back to munching on some grass. At least it's docile. I wasn't sure the structure would handle it if the beast decided it didn't want to be there.

"Tada!!" Austin hopped out of the way like he was doing a grand reveal, "It's not what I wanted, but it was all I could find."

"It's a bison," I said.

Austin smiled, "I know. Cool, right?"

Not quite sure how to respond, I said nothing and let him continue, "Now that you're a lord and all, I figured you needed a mount to match your stature. I was aiming for a Wooly Rhino but couldn't find one."

He genuinely looked disappointed at not finding one.

"Instead," he pointed at the bison, "I got the next best thing!"

Looking over the beast, I had to admit it was... formidable. [Identify] put it in the high 90s level wise but that wasn't all. It felt strong and it clearly had some weight behind it.

A charge would devastate whatever it hit. Person, building, wall, it wouldn't matter with that much momentum running into it.

The thought brought a smile to my face. Sure, I'd imagined charging into battle on Remi, but I knew he wasn't strong enough for the kinds of battles I partook in.

This, though, was perfect.

"Now, before you say no or that you don't want it, I have to admit I didn't exactly keep it acquiring it secret," Austin said offhandedly.

Before I could correct him and say that I did want it, I caught the end of what he said. "What's that supposed to mean?"

He looked abashed, "Well, when people saw me returning with what they assumed would be your mount, some... didn't want to be left out."

I took a deep breath. "Austin, are you telling me there's a herd of bison in our City now?" How would we feed them? How would we keep watch? How would w-

"There you go with the negatives again." He waved, "I like to think about the positives. Instead of worrying about a herd of bison, think of it like your new Calvary Order. Or whatever they call themselves."

I struggled with what to say.

"Just imagine a line of these puppies charging into battle." He patted the one in front of us, "It'll be amazing."

After petting the very large creature, Austin turned to leave the stables while I was stuck trying to think through everything he just dropped on me. I honestly thought his gift was going to be something stupid, or a prank, not an entire herd of bison.

"On an entirely unrelated note, we'll be having steaks for dinner tonight and it's better for everybody if you don't ask where they came from." With that said, he disappeared out the stable doors and I felt him fleeing my range quickly.

He left me alone with the beast and all I could do was stare at it.

"What in the hell am I going to do with you?"

~~

It wasn't until Sophia found me and told me dinner was ready that I broke out of my funk. I was only gone for a short time and so much had changed.

In celebration of gaining a Body of Stone, a family dinner was prepared and nearly everyone was present for it. The room was easily large enough for everyone and the table was specifically built for such an occasion.

"There I was, stalking through the frozen wastes on the hunt for my quarry. The beast stood proud in the distance..."

Austin waxed his quest to find the bison like it was some grand epic. Anna and Josh were laughing it up. Even Lily, a usually quiet kid who kept to herself, was giggling at Austin's story.

Most of the adults knew the story for what it was, a wild exaggeration, but smiled and looked on anyway.

Only a few in the room had pinched faces or had the urge to bring a hand to their face. Abigail specifically, as she had to find a way to house, feed, and take care of a number of animals she was unprepared for.

Austin's story wrapped up with howling laughter from the children as he described hopping on the bison's back and riding it into the city like he owned the place, which was decidedly untrue.

Sarah told me they still weren't saddle trained, which was a mark against them being ridden for any reason.

"Seeing how awesome and regal I looked, everyone else rushed out to get one of their own." Austin finished.

"Mom, can we get one?!" Both Anna and Josh turned on Abigail with pleading eyes. She turned to Austin with a death stare that he only smirked at.

"Why don't we stick with the... dog, for now." She still struggled to call it a dog. They had worn her down for weeks to get her to agree to that animal and I highly doubted they would convince her about the bison.

Having Sarah's assurances that it was well-trained was the only reason she agreed in the first place.

Both pouted disappointedly.

"I'm still baffled at how you did it in such a short time." I said, "I was gone for barely a week."

"Oh, my friend, you'd be surprised what I can get accomplished in a week." Austin bragged.

"What you can accomplish?" I questioned, "What did you do exactly? I thought Sarah was the one who did all the work."

"Bah, semantics." he dismissed, "I found them and that was most of the work. All she had to do was sing fancy words a few times."

"A few times?" I clarified. The numbers Sophia brought me said there were 34 new... Calvary units in the city. 34 was far from being considered a few.

"Sarah didn't tame them all." He said, "There's more than one Tamer in the City."

Ah, I forgot. I always pictured only Sarah when it came to animal-related tasks that I forgot that others took up the Class. Not all were strictly Tamers and instead evolved to work with the beasts, but we were far from needing to get a young girl to be our sole Tamer.

"I can't wait until someone gets the Class for Bison Calvary." Austin barely contained his mirth, "Bison Calvary!" He burst out in laughter.

I did have to admit. It was funny to picture.