Ant stood in the middle of the yard. The rain had stopped, but steam still rose from the numerous holes in the ground the lightning bolts had just caused. The smell was worse than the view, char and wet ash, the ozone still burning the back of his throat. He carried his sword, not quite willing to believe the battle was finished. The bodies of those he and his Kithren had slain lay still, fresh, bleeding with the water washing the blood through the cracks.
It had been what, three months? Six months? He had lost track of quite how long it had been since he had gained Mahkir, his Kithren so much had happened. He wanted to say his feline Kithren, but to be honest, even now, no-one could quite tell him exactly what he was. Only he grew every time he levelled, and his power was ridiculous for his apparent level. When he thought back to the egg he had accidentally broken, in a cave guarded by some magical creature he was ill equipped to face, his journey could only be described as farcical.
Get your head in the now, Mahkir's voice reverberated through the bond. I have already had to do most of the work here. At least get that beast out of our way so we can see what's left.
Ant was used to Mahkir's way with words, arrogant with authority of something ancient but with the patience of a creature who had only recently hatched. He looked at the Kithren they had just killed. It had been the size of a building. If it wasn't for the fact that Kalsar's Kithren had evolved, absorbed all of the lightning aimed towards them, and taken the hit, they could have all been killed tonight. Where had they gone though? He remembered Kalsar taking that hit, his Kithren too. Despite evolving he was only a Rare, and there was only so much a Rare could do against an Epic-grade Kithren. Only the newest member of the clan was strong enough to take that thing on, and even then, without her help, it might not have been enough.
He saw the wall, the hole created from the impact, and saw his clan members already in action, clearing the debris. That was another thing he hadn't expected. He was kicked out of his old clan. Two years without being able to bond with a Kithren was clearly enough for them to consider him a failure. To look at him now, three and a half years on and leader of his own clan, he couldn't believe it himself, and he wondered what they would think.
He checked his stats screen. He had levelled up, which explained the notification he had heard in his head. He didn't need chips like everyone else, his system was different. His was... he couldn't even properly describe exactly what it was, or how he got it. It came with his Kithren, he supposed. His screens burned to life within his head.
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