130. Bonded Tracker
Sunlight streamed through the large windows of the restaurant. The buzz of conversation and clinking silverware filled the trendy breakfast-brunch spot. Young professionals hunched over their laptops while others lounged, shared plates, and drank mimosas and Bloody Marys.
Alex’s cloak shifted slightly on the back of his chair, and he reached back to ruffle it, gently shaking it back and forth with his right hand. “Be still,” he muttered. Val had been restless all morning, having gotten almost too much sleep the night before, and Alex knew that the amphiptere hated staying in the cloak illusion for extended periods of time.
“So,” Mark said, taking a bite from the omelet on his plate. “Why’d you drag us out here at the crack of dawn?” He grabbed his cup of coffee and took a sip.
Alex shifted in his seat. “Well, for starters, it’s already 10am… so no one woke you up at the ‘crack of anything. ’ Second, I just didn’t want to have this conversation in the HA rooms.” He tapped his thumb on the table. “The rooms were assigned to us, and I’d rather not take any chances of them overhearing.”
Sarah’s fork paused halfway to her mouth, and he gave her an apologetic smile.
“You think they’re monitoring us?” Sam asked.
“Eh,” Alex shrugged and gave a slight wince to Sarah. “Sorry, I know you work for them. I’m probably just being paranoid, but-”
“No, being careful is smart.” She set down her fork. “The Hunters Association is in a time of tight control, and it wouldn’t surprise me if they had some way to monitor certain rooms… either from technology or skills.”
Sam took a bite from his biscuit and asked past stuffed cheeks, “Better safe than sorry. Besides, the food here is probably better than whatever they’re offering. The hospital food always stinks.”
The edge of Alex’s cloak suddenly snaked forward, snatching a piece of bacon from his plate.
“Val!” Alex hissed. But the mana-evolved wyrm had already retreated, leaving only a ripple in the fabric and feelings of satisfaction running through their bond.
Sam stifled a laugh while Mark and Olivia both rolled their eyes.
“So, then… What’s got you so worked up?” Mark chimed back in. “You’ve been practically vibrating since we sat down.”
Alex stopped his thumb from tapping the table and couldn’t hold back his grin. “Remember how I’ve been working on completing my magic? Creating the spell circles?”
“Well, yeah. That’s the whole reason we’re here, right?”
“Well, I finally cracked it last night.” Alex lowered his voice and leaned forward despite the noise of the restaurant. The others leaned in closer to listen as well. “I finished creating the circles last night. I still need to test them a lot more, but that’s beside the point and not even the best part… I got a unique title and I was offered an Epic class evolution.”
Sarah’s eyes widened. “Epic? You got it? That’s incredible, Alex!”
Mark shushed her to keep her volume down. “Holy crap, dude. What kind of class? Show us!” While his tone was still excited, it was a comical form of a loud whisper.
Sam beamed. “Is it something new? Did you get cool skills with it?”
“Alright, alright.” Alex laughed and sat back a bit. “I wanted to wait like we did with Sam, so I haven’t accepted the evolution yet. I wanted to check it out with you guys.”
Willing the advancement and evolution options to appear in his vision, Alex selected the Evolution option. He watched greedily as the window shifted, and he saw the offered benefits of the Spell Weaver.
| Spell Weaver: Epic
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| The Spell Weaver is a versatile master of the arcane who excels at blending multiple forms of magic into potent spells. By harmonizing diverse magical traditions, the Spell Weaver adapts their approach to meet any challenge, whether supporting allies or confronting enemies. This class embodies the principle that true magical mastery lies not in specialization but in understanding the power between different forms of magic. |
| Primary Class Stat: Willpower Secondary Class Stat: Intellect Tertiary Class Stats: Constitution, Mana, Wisdom
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