It took Leo a bit of time to get back across the city. He purposefully went out of his way to try and find some antlings to kill. Not only for himself, but because Ellie was at the precipice of level fifty. It was a real milestone for his class, so for Ellie he was expecting it to be something similar, or at least do something for their bond.

This was all speculation on his part, as he didn’t know for certain. It was certainly worth doing however, if not for nothing, bonus stats for both of them was always good. Especially if he was going to be venturing into another dungeon soon.

“I am wondering,” Leo spoke to Ellie as they walked along. “Whether we should try this dungeon on our own.”

She looked up at him with her usual big eyed curiosity. He continued. “We managed the other dungeon with Cain’s help, but if this one also has a level 35 requirement, then we are already miles past it. The loot might be good, and the experience will be too, especially if we do it solo. Worst case, we could always leave if it gets too hairy.”

Talking aloud to Ellie like this, he wasn’t expecting her to bark out a reply. It was just easier to air out his thoughts this way. It was something he often did when he used to sit alone at his computer. Even playing a game by himself, he’d talk through his options aloud. It hadn’t been that prevalent lately as he was usually not alone.

Now that he was alone—plus Ellie—he did want to test out his new Elemental Severance skill. The only issue was that the Elemental momentum, or Elementum as he called it, didn’t stack outside of fights. And when the fighting was over the stacks quickly diminished.

Gale Talon had given him around 4 stacks, which didn’t seem like much against trying to build up to one hundred, but he could easily launch that attack several times during a boss fight. His other skills that used elements, plus just fighting in a stance, could also give him a lot of stacks.

“Alright! I’ve decided,” Leo announced. Ellie looked up at him excitedly. “We’re going to kill a boat load of ants.”

Ellie was delighted.

The pair made their way out of Cain’s side of the city. The truce was apparently holding, so he didn’t want to be the one to immediately wreck it. It took a bit of time, but Leo and Ellie just used it as mobility practice.

They jumped from roof to roof, darting around like they were in combat. If anyone had seen them it would have looked a bit silly, or perhaps been quite alarming. When there weren’t deadly ants, killer convicts, or unreasonable beast-like humans looking for one’s head, the city could be quite the playground for powers like theirs.

The sun had passed its apex a while back and was now on its way down. Leo had gotten back to his side of the city and was currently quite close to the Queen’s castle. Reports from a few people that had decided to scout out the area said there were quite a lot of ants, reminiscent of the push to the tower.

Cecelia had advised caution upon going near it, and so far Leo had agreed. But now that she wasn’t around, what harm could one look be?

The less-than-stealthy pair were on a rooftop, staring down at a veritable tide of antlings. They were higher levels too, with the majority being over fifty. Something that surprised Leo as the antlings his group had fought on the way to the bastion when scouting were no higher than forty at most, and those were massive outliers they’d find every fifty or so.

Did Leo think he could jump in there and take out enough antlings to level up himself and Ellie at least a few times? Yes. Was he going to?...

Sadly no.

It wasn’t that he was worried about getting out okay, that was basically a given. It was that he wasn’t sure he could kill every single ant down there without running out of stamina. Leaving a bunch of high level, pissed off ants could be a real problem. There was no guarantee they wouldn’t all attack his camp after going on a rampage.

Best to just leave it alone for now.

Leo and Ellie ducked from the building and took off in the opposite direction. His camp was one way, on the other was the keep. Leo said he’d give Cain a few days to clear it, but there was no harm in clearing some of the way there before heading back to camp.

Plan decided, the pair surged into action. On the way they fought numerous ants, all around level 30. The experience they felt they gained was minimal at best. There wasn’t an experience counter per say, but one got a rough sense of the experience flowing into them. Right now it was like a trickle.

What he did accomplish was testing his Elementum gain. Using an Elemental Stance tended to give one point of it every few hits or after a particularly large or effective one. Volt Crash, Scarlet Impact, Frost Lance, and Absolute Shatter all gave between 1 and 5 based on damage dealt.

As the stacks increased, Leo could feel the well of power within him grow. It wasn’t like his storm where he unleashed devastating power that had no control and just begged for an outlet. This was like charging up a battery with elemental power. It wasn’t begging to be unleashed, it was completely under his control.

He felt he could use all of his accumulated stacks of Elementum and activate Severance, but instinctively knew it would be less than 20% effective, even at ninety stacks. So really, it was fully charged or nothing. A little disappointing, but even twenty percent effectiveness could be useful in a pinch, depending on what the full skill did.

They chained fight after fight, slowly building Elementum. It took quite a few before he hit full charge, and when he did it was like a flash of power coursed through his body. He didn’t even need to check the counter, he knew.

It was ready.

The last antling of a pack of five, an armoured variant Leo had always left for last due to its annoying nature, was wounded and had already used its reflective skill.

“Perfect target.” Leo smirked. This was going to be good.

The accumulated elemental power danced through his veins. The air grew heavier as he slowly approached. Red hot fire burned across his skin from his Fire Stance, but his breathing was calm. The pulsing of his chestpiece was a low constant. This wasn’t like his storm. He was fully in control.

The elemental power gathered into his hand, almost sparkling as all the elements he could channel combined their Elementum. Fire took charge, converting it all into a roaring flame that ignited the air around it.

The armoured antling pounced. Its desperate last ditch effort would do it no good.

Leo sidestepped it.

“Burn.”

He slammed his palm into the creature. All of the concentrated Elementum was poured into the body of the antling. There was no fiery explosion, no lingering burn on contact.

This Severance was deeper.

The antling paused for half a beat.

Then, cracks of molten light began spreading beneath its carapace. Fire erupted from within, bursting through where the antling had been injured. Any green ichor spilling out was ignited, turning its own blood into internal lava that scorched it from within.

It barely lasted a second before it crumbled into ash.

Leo looked down at his hand, smiling excitedly at the sheer power delivered from the strike. The feeling of all his accumulated stacks being utilised for such controlled destruction made him eager for all his other stances.

“Feels good to be in control,” Leo said, open palm turning into a fist.

Having a finisher that didn’t require him to tap into his bloodline was a massive bonus. The damage from the attack—while used on a weak opponent—was still something to behold. Leo imagined using it against a Goliath, seeing its armour be completely worthless as its own blood burned it from within. Might not be an instant kill, but it would certainly be devastating.

And there were four more options to use.

Ellie’s eyes burned with excitement after she felt the power from the attack. After the fight, notifications had come in, along with the welcome one they had both been striving for. It even came with something extra.

Ellie has reached Level 50

Stat points distributed

+3 Free Points

Ellie’s gains from race:

+5 Free Points

Bond of Unity Level 50 Skill unlocked:

You have gained the Companion Bond skill: Draconic Greaves (Rare)

Ellie has gained the Milestone skill: Draconic Physiology (Rare)

Leo’s face lit up, but before he could even inspect the skill notifications, Ellie began shining with a glorious light. Her body grew ever so slightly, sculpting itself into greatness. Her muscles grew beneath her scales, the scales themselves hardened further. Her claws sharpened.

The mana around her was circulating with such relaxed ease he expected her to come out looking like an old sage. When the light finally faded, Leo saw the magnificence that was a true dragon. She still had a baby-like attitude and goofy smile. But it was slightly under-cut by her radiant rainbow scales that caught the light and regal stance as the wings unfolded.

The changes finally settled and Leo thought she looked maybe 10% bigger at most. It wasn’t growing in size that this skill seemed to do. It was honing her into greatness no matter the size. He couldn’t resist looking at the skill first.

Draconic Physiology (Rare)

Your body continues its transition toward true draconic form. Scales harden, muscle and bone refine, and your natural weapons grow sharper as your physiology adapts to the legacy within your blood.

Elemental mana now circulates through your body with far greater efficiency, strengthening your affinity and allowing your power to flow with instinctive ease.

This transformation is only the beginning. As your strength grows, so too will the true nature of your draconic body, shaped by something greater.

There was no scaling. No mana cost. No cooldown. This skill was the system showing Ellie she was growing. Giving her a visible reward for all her efforts. The skill was a pure positive through and through, and no doubt one day would evolve into something legendary.

Leo looked toward his companion, smiling as he thought about their short, but life-changing time together. She’d grown so fast, adapted so quickly, and did everything with that same heartwarming smile that melted even the most hardened of men.

Perhaps a slower life as she grew into her body naturally would have been better. Perhaps that wasn’t even an option at all due to her nature as a bonded companion. If Leo had the choice to go back and let her do so, would he do it?

I hope she is loving her life. That’s all I want for her. To be with me and enjoy every moment.

Ellie seemed to sense his emotion spilling through the bond and leapt into his arms. He caught her and held her tightly. The muscles under the scales were more obvious than before, and as his hands ran along the scales themselves, he could tell they were rock solid.

“You’re growing up so fast. I hope that’s okay?” Leo gave her a sad smile. “I couldn’t do this all without you. Rather, I wouldn’t want to.”

She licked his face. It was wet and slimy as she coated it with as much dragon slobber as she could muster. “Oh, you little!”

Her paws pushed off him and flapped once onto a nearby roof, Leo gave chase as a Cloak of Wind coated his shoulders, running down his back. His power easily carried him up the single storey to catch up to her.

After a few minutes of playful chase that reminded Leo of time with Natalie, Leo scooped her up and tackled her to the ground. His fingers dug into her softer tummy as she squirmed in delight of the tickling.

He relented after she started spurting fire into the air from all the laughter.

“Thank you, Ells, you’re the best friend a guy could ask for.” She hugged herself into him, wrapping her wings around him. Leo savoured the moment, and would do so for the rest of his life.

They sat like that for a while, just staring across the city as the sun dipped lower and lower. The camp wasn’t far, and he needed to head back before night fell. Before he did, Leo checked out the other skill he’d gained, one that he could feel already in their bond without looking at it.

Draconic Greaves (Rare)

Bond skill

Your bond with Ellie deepens, allowing her draconic essence to manifest beyond your arms. When Draconic Equip is active, metallic taloned greaves may now form around your legs and feet, reinforcing your stance and movement.
While manifested, movement speed is increased, stability is improved, kicks and lunging strikes deal increased damage, and you gain minor resistance to ground based hazards.

Each manifested draconic segment increases Resonance consumption.

Scales with Bond

His grin grew wider the more he read. Ellie could feel it too, the strange closeness in their bond tightening another notch as the system had settled the skill into place. He gave her a look and she immediately understood.

“Oh? You want to try it?” Leo asked, pushing himself to his feet.

Ellie chirped in answer, already wiggling free of his grasp and hopping down to the stone beside him. She bounced in place, tail flicking in quick little swishes as if she were barely containing herself.

“Alright then,” Leo said, rolling his shoulders. “Let’s see what you’ve got.”

Ellie vanished into his soul-space and he reached for the familiar thread between them and activated Draconic Equip.

The shimmering rush of energy he’d grown used to flowed up his arms like liquid metal before hardening into draconic gauntlets. The metal formed around his fists with the same satisfying weight as always.

But this time the energy didn’t stop.

Leo felt it spill downward, sliding through the bond and along his torso before racing toward his legs. For a split second it felt like cold water running over his skin. Then the pressure hit.

Scales burst into being along his shins, overlapping plates of dark metallic grey that locked together with a soft clink. The sensation was strange, not painful, but heavy, like his legs had been wrapped in something dense and powerful.

He shifted his weight instinctively.

More scales formed around his calves, tightening into sleek greaves that hugged the muscle. At his feet, armour extended even further, curling down over his boots before reshaping them entirely. Taloned toes pressed into the stone with a quiet scrape as the final pieces settled into place.

Leo flexed his legs experimentally. The difference was immediate.

His stance felt… rooted. Solid. Like the ground itself had decided to cooperate with him instead of resisting every step.

“Whoa,” he muttered, taking a step. Then another.

He grinned, bending his knees and sprang forward.

The leap carried him further than he expected. His taloned boots dug into the stone as he landed, scraping sparks across the surface before he skidded to a stop.

“Oh yeahhh,” Leo’s voice was like a moan as he felt the power of this new skill.

He glanced down at the greaves again, admiring the way the metallic scales caught the fading sunlight. They looked brutal in the best way, like something forged for a dragon knight rather than a human brawler.

“Let’s see how quickly we can get back to camp,” Leo said, but Ellie felt his intention and signalled it through the bond. The metal almost quivered with excitement.

“Full speed.”

Lightning enveloped his body as he shot off like a missile, the new greaves biting into the ground with every stride as the city rushed toward him.