"Alright, alright, you had your fill," Logan told the vampire girl as he tried to reel his finger back, attempting not to think too hard about what had happened, especially the warm sticky situation his finger was in.
He found it incredibly hard to resist the vampire who had skills that enticed humans, especially when they were drinking their blood.
Looking at his still-wet finger, Logan wiped it on his pants before getting up.
"So tell me, how is Regal doing? It should be closing in on the golem's cave about now, right?" Logan asked, trying to understand how his spider was faring.
"Yes, she and Valeria are exploring the outside of the cave that we think belongs to the crystal golem. Luckily, now that the snow has melted, they are able to explore without worry," Serana replied, looking sad that she did not get more blood.
"Do you need to go back, or are you going to return to the estate with me?" Logan asked.
"I will be heading back with Zephyr to help Valeria. It's a good chance to practice using my Garmr form without others noticing the mess. I tend to forget myself when I become that beast, but I feel with a little more work I will be able to keep more of my sanity," Serana said while licking a small drop of blood that had fallen on her hand.
[Damn it why does she look…] Logan screamed internally before he forgot others could hear and tried to gloss things over.
"Alright, sounds like a plan. Tell Zephyr to fly home if something happens. As for Valeria, give her this; it's food and the supplies she wanted to set up camp."
Right after finishing, he heard Zephyr come close. Serana turned into a bat and clung to its back, and they both quickly left, leaving Logan with Scorch.
"I hope Silis doesn't take too long," Logan told his fiery beast, who had settled himself comfortably.
Logan was about to sit when he noticed ice forming around his feet.
Scorch, who was nearby, tried to resist the cold surrounding him but stopped struggling and ran off, as if knowing he wouldn't be able to fight it.
Logan observed the events unfolding just like before: the forest became quiet, a thick fog formed, and his breath became visible.
[Champion of darkness, we meet again…]
He heard a feminine voice call to him within his mind.
Soon, her figure appeared after a whirl of snow passed through the area.
"It is nice to see you again, Ferra," Logan said while casting Storm Shield around his body, using Zephyr's barrier skill to create a current of wind that shielded him from the cold.
"It's good to see that you are getting stronger. I recall you couldn't hold yourself up last time. As for my child, I just spoke to her and noticed her rapid growth. She is stronger than I was at her age. I thank you for accepting and raising her well," Ferra said in a good mood.
"Today, I have come to tell you that you have passed my first trial. You have finished your part, and as the owner of this territory, it is fair that I do mine," Ferra explained.
"Wait, what? I was not able to do much about those blue mutations. Sorry, but how did I pass your trial when I could not do my job correctly?" Logan tried to clear the misunderstanding.
"Whether it was by your hands or those of another, you did your part in clearing the forest of the mutations, hero. Sometimes a task is too grand for one to do alone. This time, your role was to make the kingdom aware of the problem and have them correct it. The result is now a forest free of the blue-skinned ones' influence and the return of balance with the monsters from the poaching the kingdom did, as they wanted to use them to train the heroes," Ferra said in a manner that seemed like she wanted to hurry the conversation
"Alright, if that's the case, then good. I am glad everything worked out… so, what can I do to help you now?" Logan asked, trying to understand the guardian's next move.
"For now, you just need strength. What you are trying to do will help with that. Just avoid killing more than you should, and everything will be fine, Logan. Remember, balance is the most important thing. Your next trial will be when I find you fit to commence it."
"The reason I came today is to give you your reward for completing the first trial. This should suffice. Now then, until I find you worthy, we will meet again, young hero," Ferra said as another gust of wind passed in front of Logan, clearing the area with snow before everything went back to normal as if nothing had occurred.
"That was…" Logan did not dare finish the sentence, unsure of the extent of Ferra's power or if she could hear him.
He looked at the object she had left on the floor.
It was a shape Logan knew well, something he would need to work on during the next few days.
"Well, I am a tamer. Let's see what we have this time," Logan said as he got close to the ovular object before him.
Even with all the wind and snow, the egg was strangely warm.
It was not because it was a fire beast; this time he had gotten something he was looking for.
A few electrical jolts began encasing the egg as he got closer, making him doubt if he could hold it.
Luckily, he had collected elemental stones of various types in case something occurred.
He had asked Rubina to ask her dad for them and was thrilled that he would finally put them to good use.
The boy adjusted a few of them around the egg, trying not to get too close as a few volts circled around it, creating a faint, glowing aura as it moved.