Chapter 52: Main Quest Complete!

There was no rest for the wicked, it seemed. The Storm Eagle village had been partying all night in celebration of not just regaining the ability to cultivate, but also the engagement between Kren and Pina. They were a rather simple people. Kren and his party, on the other hand, had spent that time cataloging the vault, with Ruhu taking point.

Dawn was not too far away, and with it Kren would be leaving with several wagons filled with weapons, materials and blueprints. Pina, who had claimed the Forgebook the instant she got close to it, had already laid out several types of battle fortifications she and her people could build quickly and efficiently. Still, Kren did not trust her that much, so he needed her to remain behind and protect his interests along with Ruhu while he went back to Lasthold to prepare his people for battle against the Ale.

Still, the Forgebook was the most valuable treasure here. The weapons themselves were a different matter entirely. The sword had been forged for Gamade N’Kora, much to the surprise of everyone present. There were logs within the Forgebook that detailed the Storm Eagles’ most important transactions, and apparently a Dragon Slaying Sword was one of them. For now, everyone else pretended it was not there in favor of handling what was more important. That was a can of worms no one was ready to deal with yet.

It would still be a while before Pina and Ruhu were done cataloguing the entire vault. There were records kept in the Forgebook, but only Pina could read it for some reason, so Ruhu had to do his own audits. Seeing as he had some time to himself, it was time to see just what bonding with Pina had gotten him.

[Main Quest 1.B (COMPLETE): Lionesses of the pride]

[Marry and facilitate your first Pride bond. REWARDS: +50,000 SP. TIME LIMIT: 3 MONTHS, 15 DAYS. PENALTY FOR FAILURE: DEATH]

[You Have gained +50,000 Sovereign Points!]

Kren almost whooped for joy. What he needed now more than anything was points. And to be honest, he had slightly forgotten about this particular quest. In the face of the threat Elyvara presented, nothing else had mattered. But now that he had completed it and received some points, it almost made having to put up with Pina for the rest of his life worth it...almost.

He had advancements he had been forced to put off due to not having enough points. Now he could get them. His body was strong enough to push the advancement of his spells and Art, especially Sinful Mane. What that spell could do still left Kren feeling unsettled, because even now he could feel the Lyndwyrm alpha’s aura being digested by his own. If it could do that to a Lyndwyrm, what would it do to people?

He shook his head and moved on with his notifications.

[You Have Bonded With Pinariel, Last Of The Sovereign Bloodline Of The Storm Eagles!]

[For Bonding With A Low Grade Sovereign Bloodline: +100,000 Sovereign Points!]

[From Your Bond With Pinariel, You Have Gained The Storm Eagle Bloodline Trait: The Stormsmith’s Eye]

[From Your Bond With Pinariel, Your Wind Affinity Has Advanced From Mid Grade To High Grade. All Wind Arts And Spells Are Now 75% More Powerful At Base Cast.]

Kren was almost thrown back by the deluge of wind aura that seemed to come out of nowhere and attempt to drown him. He could feel himself in the breeze, the air that wound through his lungs and spilled upwards to hang in the stale atmosphere of the vault.

He felt his connection to the spirits of the wind grow stronger. So much so that he felt the next time he casts his summon spell, he would be in for a surprise. But then his eyes bled, sharp pinpricks of pain landing through him like a thousand needles stabbing into his skull. He felt the new bloodline trait settle in, altering him for good. That same change he saw reflected in the golden eyes of his inner beast. They switched back and forth between the eyes of an eagle and those of a lion, before somehow both merged into one.

A notification popped up.

[Bloodline Trait: The Stormsmith’s Eye: Your eyes are now able to see the flow of current, movement, and connections. Your eyesight has gained the visual acuity of a storm eagle and is now 8x better.]

It hurt. It hurt like hell. Aki was by Kren’s side, but the old guard was not panicked. That was understandable. Aki should have been old enough to have seen the bond in action before, though Kren never remembered hearing or reading about it being so violently painful.

"Maybe next time you’ll rethink bonding with a sovereign bloodline. Those tend to hurt when you bond with them, and their changes are almost always physical. Nice eyes, by the way. The blue really brings out the gold. I’m sure Pina thinks the same, considering she has the same eyes as you." Aki chuckled and walked away, leaving Kren to frown as he turned to see Pina stomping towards him.

When she was right in front of him, she jabbed a finger into his chest.

"What the hell did you do to my eyes?!" Kren gave her an amused look as he pointed at his own eyes. The gold had a thin ring of blue in it, making both their eyes look concentric. Pina’s vibrant blue eyes had also taken on a shade of gold, seeing as her sovereign bloodline had fully awakened.

"This one is actually your fault. The changes are from a bloodline trait attached to the Storm Eagle bloodline." Kren enjoyed the annoyed look on her face as she stood straighter. But still, he now had almost as many points to his name as he had just spent, which meant there would be another round of growth before he set out for Lasthold.

"We should hurry this up. Ruhu, I doubt you would be able to fully catalog this entire place even if you had a month to yourself." Kren drew the merchant’s attention, then turned to Pina.

"Is there anything you can give me that I can use immediately on the battlefield? There’s no time, and I need to be leaving soon while you handle things here." Pina looked like she wanted to argue for a second before she sighed.

"Give me an hour. I’ll have an arsenal ready for you." Kren gave her a bright smile that was genuinely pleased. Pina felt it through the bond as a light dusting of pink crossed her cheeks.

"Thank you." Kren said as Pina gave him a small nod and returned to the monumental task of arming her new fiancé with enough weapons to destroy his enemies.