While walking back to the others, Quinn's steps suddenly came to a halt and turned around, only to see a giant cavity in the side of the mountain. He didn't know what had come over him at that moment.
Maybe, it was the fact that he wanted to test out his strength, or this was a challenge that no one seemed to pass, and he wanted to accomplish. Perhaps it was the turtle's bickering, but being able to destroy a shell like that felt extremely satisfying. However, he realised that it had come at the cost of hurting the world, and now he felt quite bad that he let these strange emotions get the better of him.
"I'm sorry, if I can give some of my energy to help restore this world, I'll fix the mountain," Quinn said, rubbing the back of his head out of embarrassment.
None of them replied because they all stood still with their mouths open at what they had just seen. The shell was, without a doubt, very tough. None of them could deny that, so how on earth did Quinn manage to break it?
"Bhahahaha." Owen let out a hollow laugh, "After all our hard work just damaging one scale, you go and do that. You really are one of a kind."
The cat looked furious, Quinn never thought he had seen a vein on a cat before, but it seemed like it was possible because there was one bulging through the side of the cat head beyond the fur, which honestly had Quinn quite worried.
"I'll speak to Bony or something about it. I'm sorry." Quinn said once again.
Although most had gotten over the initial shock, there was one among them who still had his jaw left wide open, literally.
The turtle Genbu still couldn't believe it even after Sunny walked towards him and waved her hand in front of its face.
Eventually, though, as Quinn got closer, the turtle snapped out of it, slamming its mouth shut.
"You tricked me! You all tricked me! This little bug wasn't weak at all. He had great strength, why would you, and how…how? No one has ever broken my shell!"
"I deeply apologise." Sunny immediately said, seeing how the situation could perhaps get rough, and at the end of the day, she had to cover for her king. "You see, he is a little special. He is not just any vampire but the king of vampires, which is why he has great strength.
"We were afraid that if you saw his strength, you might wish to find someone that would match up to him, but you should know that your shell is one of the strongest things in existence, and there could rarely be anyone who could match up to its sturdiness."
"Apart from someone like him," Genbu complained and was staring at Quinn with his intense eyes. Thinking about it more, Genbu knew the real strength of his shell. In the first place, he actually hadn't expected even one of them to activate the purple sparks, and if he was honest, even the first human, the girl, who had taken this test, had passed in his eyes.
He had greatly underestimated them all, which was why he had decided to change his tune after the first one to take the test.
"I have already signed a contract, I can't go back, but I just don't like how you made me a fool," Genbu said, walking away. He started to remember all the times he called Quinn weak, and recalling those words, he couldn't help but his feet stomp the ground in embarrassment.
The group soon moved. The mountain began to repair itself as they made their way out from it. The group found it strange; it was as if the familiars themselves were in control of when they would use energy to repair the world, or perhaps the world was aware of what was going on and decided to act once they were done.
Either way, the group waited for the horses to enter the area, which didn't take long. This time there were enough for everyone, allowing for each of them to ride their individual horse as they made their way back.
Genbu, who could change its size, had become so small that he could be easily held in Owen's palm and decided to stay on top of his contractor's head, similar to how Ovin would sit on Leo's head.
"I'm not used to being in that space, and I prefer the outdoors, so keep me out for as long as possible. Although I will need to rest from time to time." Genbu claimed.
While riding, Quinn noticed that he was getting looks from a few people. Genbu, for one, still seemed to be upset over the whole thing. Then there was Abdul as well.
'That strength… he didn't display that in the game. Wait, didn't they say something like he wasn't the one who fought? He was that strange dragon-looking thing, right? But even then, his strength is far beyond what I suspected.
'I wonder if he and Sera fought with their full strength, who would win.' Abdul thought.
"I still can't believe it," Genbu repeated as they continued to go through the land. "Even if I can't sense energy, I can't believe you people tricked me just like that. Hey kid, your familiar is the Undead king, correct? He certainly picked a good one."
For some reason, upon hearing the turtle's words, Quinn felt like he needed to correct the turtle.
"Although the Undead king picked me, I didn't have this strength when we made the contract, and I was actually weaker than anyone here at the time. I still don't understand why he picked me."
"The Undead king, I have known him for a while, a lot longer than the other two," Genbu replied. "He had been in this land for a long-time, and just like myself, he was someone who never left or formed a contract with anyone.
"He took his duty in culling those familiars more seriously than anyone, and if there were any disputes between those in his area, he would be the first one to solve it, which is why I was more surprised than anyone to learn when he had contracted someone. However, there was a rumour that he hadn't returned even though his contract had broken.
"Honestly, it's been a long time since he and I have spoken to each other. I would also like to know how he made up his mind to contract, which person he contracted with and why. All familiars have a desire, a craving, and it's similar to a life goal, which words can't explain so well.
"Perhaps it's something similar to humans believing they have a purpose. Energy is just what we need to live and for our world to continue, but the desire is something else. What I am trying to say is, that you must have something that is fulfilling his desire, or at least he thought you would satisfy it somewhat."
It was a question that had been on Quinn's mind since he had been here, and it would have been a lot easier if the Boneclaw would just answer him.
...
Eventually, the group returned to the spot, and the whole mission was a success. Layla and Leo were the most exhausted from this adventure, and it looked like they might need a couple of days rest before they returned to action.
To their surprise, the Boneclaw was already waiting for them in the exact spot. For how long, who knew.
After getting off the horses and saying goodbye, Quinn first walked up to the Boneclaw and looked up to him.
"I guess you did what you needed to do?" Quinn asked, to which the Boneclaw just nodded. At least it looked like he nodded. Quinn was hoping that the Boneclaw would tell him what he had done, but his familiar hadn't been open to him for this long, and it looked like it would take some more time before he relaxed himself a bit more.
When Genbu and Boneclaw looked at each other, the two of them didn't say anything. It looked like Genbu wanted to say some words, but in the end, he just smiled, and everyone continued on their way. The teleporter opened, and the group found themselves back in the room they had left before.
"Everyone is here, right; no one is missing?" Quinn asked.
Everyone answered, and the Boneclaw disappeared, forming a simple mark on Quinn's back. Ovin did the same along with the horse, while the only one that chose to remain outside was Genbu. He had never seen what the actual human world looked like and was quite curious.
"Quinn," Chucky called, standing in front of them, leaning up against the wall, and it looked like he had been waiting for the group for a while now. "You weren't gone as long as I thought you would be; well, Sam would be glad to hear that.
"I have some news for you. The vampire soldiers, along with Ashley, have arrived, but before you greet them, Sam told me to tell you, Hayley is with them, and she wishes to speak to you."
It was a conversation that Quinn wasn't looking forward to, and behind him was another female who wanted to talk to him as well.
******
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