Chapter 350 Reunion With the Party
"This isn't any larger than our courtyard," Phoro complained as he opened the door. "How could he get so tired that he can't… What is that?!"
The moment Phoro poked his head in, he was baffled to see so many steps leading downward that he could barely see the end. And with his excellent vision, he could make out the dots of people in the distance. However, his excellent vision was completely unnecessary to comprehend the visible size of the Draconic Centipede, which dwarfed the wyrm he road in the dungeon.
"Come on, Phoro. Dragov won't eat you." Jack slapped Phoro on the back and closed the doors behind them. "Like you, Dragov shares a mutual seal with me, so stop worrying so much."
"But that thing… it's monstrously huge! How did I not sense it?!"
"That thing is the new guardian of the guild and his name is Dragov. Dragov is a Draconic Centipede, a beast with the terrifying ability to be undetectable by magic and normal sensory means. So if we get attacked by something we can't handle, Dragov will be the one to handle it. Don't you feel better knowing that he's guarding this place?" asked Jack.
"That… That would be great! Well done, Jack, doing all that to keep me safe!"
"Just hurry up and join me down the stairs. We need to hurry up and get going." Leading the way, Jack ran down the step with great haste.
Not letting himself lose such a simple challenge, Phoro opened his wings and glided down. Before Jack had reached halfway, the Minokawa was resting beside Tralon. "Come on, Jack! I thought we couldn't waste any time?"
"Shut up!"
Daruun, Tralon, and Argyle started laughing. The strange duo was perfect for each other.
"Hey, Daruun, I've been thinking," Jack asked as he hurried down the final steps. "You said I should only have up to four beasts as mutual companions. But don't I already have four beast companions?"
"If you're referring to your condor, Appa, then yes you do. Since Phoro's bloodline is far stronger yet is similar, the condor's essence was drowned out, not letting you merge with it. But that can be fixed if you transfer the seal to someone else."
Daruun's statement startled Jack and everyone else in the room. The god spoke so nonchalantly, yet what he said was something completely foreign and viewed as impossible to them.
"How does that work?" asked Jack.
"Simple, you'll remove your blood from the seal and replace it with the blood of another," stated Daruun. "But the conditions of the mutual seal still apply. Appa will have to respect and agree to reform the mutual seal with that person. But that's not an issue."
"Why not?"
Daruun sighed. "Jack, who do you think has been caring for Appa while he's been gone?"
Thinking back, Jack had given Eliza that responsibility since Maura was busy with Lina. And imagining how caring Eliza could be, his doubts started to fade.
"If you say so, but how do I make that change?"
"I'll teach you after your party arrives here. Now hurry up before you fail this side quest," chuckled Daruun.
Nodding, Jack then smiled at Tralon. "Thanks for this. Allow me."
Jack hastily but carefully rewrote his pact and removed the EXP sharing effect.
With that over with, Jack bid them all a quick goodbye and stored Bowzer in his bestial storage. Then, Jack dragged Phoro through the small rift that Tralonhad opened, not wanting to waste Tralon's time and mana.
On the other side of the rift, Jack found himself and Phoro in a forest.
"So, where to now?" asked Phoro.
"I guess Tralon hasn't been to Sunset Valley in a long time. Take us up." Jack hopped onto Phoro's back, who easily lifted the two of them into the sky overseeing the forest. "There! That should be the town."
With the sun still high in the sky, Jack and Phoro flew through the air in record time compared to Appa or Ayden.
'Eliza, where are you guys? I'm already at the town.'
'Jack! You're finally awake?' The happiness in her voice was apparent and impossible to miss. 'We're camping inside Sunset Valley, not too far from the entrance. You can't miss us.'
'Camping? You didn't want to stay at the inn?' asked Jack.
'It's easier this way, plus Lina wanted to sleep with Appa since his feathers are so soft,' Eliza replied. 'By the way, don't you ever groom him, Jack? How could you be so ignorant?'
'That… I'm sure he self grooms, Eliza. I don't have time to--'
'You can always make time, Jack. It doesn't take that long,' Eliza cut her husband off. 'Now, his feathers are twice as soft and he's much happier.'
Jack sighed. "Then you'll like what I've got to tell you. By the way, turn around."
'Turn around?' Not realizing that Jack's last statement was made verbally, Eliza turned around to see Jack standing not even a meter away from her. Both startled and excited, Eliza froze for a moment. But that moment cost her.
While Eliza froze up momentarily, Little Lina was already in midair, preparing to tackle her brother to the ground. "Big Bro!"
Knocked to the floor, Jack laughed, "Hey, Lina. Long time no see. Have you gotten taller?"
"Really? I'm getting bigger already?!" The little girl in a teenager's body started to pat herself down, hoping to sense that she had grown.
"Stop teasing her, Jack." Eliza quickly recovered gave Jack's shoulder a light punch as the hero got back up. "Don't leave me behind again, okay?"
"Eliza, that's a hard thing for me to promise," replied Jack. "But I can promise that I'll always come back. How about that?"
"And not wife another wife?"
Nervously laughing at Eliza's half-joke, Jack held up his hands and looked to his other wife heading his way. "Maura, it's been--"
Again, Jack was cut off but in a much more pleasant way this time. Maura's lips shut up the hero, locking with his briefly. A few seconds later, she broke off the kiss. "Jack, I'm glad you're back."
"Maura…" Surprised to see Maura act so affectionately in front of the party, Eliza turned Jack around and did the same. After ending their smooch, Eliza smiled. "We're both glad you're back, Jack."
"T-Thanks…" chuckled Jack.
"Ya finally came!"
Maynard led the men as they returned to camp with the corpse of a large, gnarly boar. It was being carried by Rydel and Dirk while Trax held up the boar's rear and tail.
"Sorry to interrupt your mealtime, but we need to hurry up and get going," stated Jack. "Let's hurry to find Jin, then we need to get back to Gilga."
"So soon? What's up, Jack?" Rydel asked, sensing that Jack's urgency wasn't from danger.
"So long as we hurry up, you'll all get to meet Daruun." While the entire party was rendered speechless, Jack continued, "I managed to summon him and he's staying in the Leisure Guild for now. But I also need to hurry to Korten and visit Eedaj. There's a lot to catch up on since we last met, so I'll explain all I can while we travel to Jin's shrine, okay? Now, where's Appa?"
Hearing his name, Appa poked his head out of the women's tent, which was far larger than that of the men thanks to Eliza.
Then, Appa startled Jack by speaking aloud, "Yes, Jack?"
"Oh, right… I forgot he can speak now too," Jack chuckled. "We need you to take us to the heart of the valley. Can you do that?"
"Sure." The massive bird wiggled out of the tent's entrance, then eyed the single unfamiliar face it found. "Who's this?"
Turning around, Jack released Bowzer from the storage and pointed to the Minokawa. "Everyone, you all know Bowzer but this is Phoro. He's one of my new bestial companions. Which reminds me…" While the rest of the party examined the draconic traits of the three-meter tall bird, Jack looked to the Giant Condor. "Would you like to be companions with Eliza instead of me?"