Spirit Taming

Chapter 412: Unwilling Goodbye

The red face that Illia had was not hanging at all. She was very embarrassed yet, they could all feel the warmth of happiness from her. "Thank you again. I don't know what else we can do for all of you." Illia would gladly give them money or energy crystals, but that seemed to fake. Too basic.

"Nothing more. We have connections with Nebula because we know you. We have things that relate us to one another now. And we have a way to visit here no matter what. If we are in trouble we have a safe place to go now." Isa was a little miffed that she could not use the badges they had received to be able to trade freely as much as possible, but that didn't limit her personal business.

She had her own intentions for the group to get materials when need be.

"We would have helped you regardless of the reward. Rewards are just a way to make sure that others don't push their way in and steal any influence or use the situation to their advantage." Clark made it clear that if they had not been rewarded, there could be political implications.

"It's rough being a noble of any kind, but it's fine. I don't think you are spoiled like the others. If you need us I can fight some. If you need a blacksmith, I'll make something for ya." Ralph showed a strangely positive side. But he was more thankful than the others knew. Isa's attendants and Isa had listened when he had been forging.

Therefore, Ralph had actually gained a few more books than he would have normally gained about blacksmithing. His own goals grew as he found the methods capable of smelting and forging with his molten boar.

While it was odd to them that Ralph seemed so warm, no one doubted his words. Ralph might be a little hot headed at times, but he was pretty damn honest. He wouldn't speak just to speak when it came to his thoughts like this. But his words had made the rest of the group express their own congratulations that Illia was able to spend time with her father properly again.

Especially because Illia was just so clearly happy .

"So you are all going to leave soon?" This was where everything took a down note. Illia appeared unhappy that they would all be leaving. She knew that Raph and Grace had intended to stay at the first set of the journey. Now she was hearing that they were all leaving.

Ella had even shown her that they were going to travel a decent distance in to the wilderness to visit dungeons specific to healing for her older brother. Hiding this from Illia wasn't a big deal since she could be trusted with the information.

"We need to get stronger so we can fix up our home. There are some tough tamers there that we can't beat. If you need an example, look at the fact that we could barely do anything when the monsters attack Nebula. We were led around by the guards who stood out and struck them down easily. We aren't even at the level of a guard yet.

We are strong, but in the big picture…" Maria didn't want to say anything anymore. It would make things too negative.

"We are weak. I hate that." Reese gripped the hilt of his abyssal sword. It vibrated with the same annoyance that he clearly showed. But that annoyance was perfect. That annoyance would harp on them from the moment they started their next journey. In the end, they would be stronger because they would give an extra effort because of that annoyance.

"Then you should stay here. Grace can take advantage of the dungeons we have and the materials. We even have some with decent wind energies. If you leave then you will miss out on strengthening using what we have. Isa might not need it now… I can sense that." Illia had not asked but she could feel the dense ice energy around Isa which had changed.

"I just helped my partner grow. She is now a powerful ice beast. She is resting now but I do not need materials right now. Just time." Isa proudly explained this while hiding the secret of what her ice maiden had become.

"I need to stay with the group. I want to make sure that Ella's brother is brought to the healer's safely. I can also get stronger with them. It's better to train against all the energies I run in to and not just one." Grace had taken everything to heart very clearly.

She understood if she focused on wind and ice that she would be unable to toughen herself enough to handle a fight against her toughest opponent. She also saw how Ralph strengthened himself against the cold and water which made him a better fire and metal energy user with his molten boar.

These simple facts should be embedded in every single tamer that strove for even the lowest form of strength. The fact that someone would not spend time learning to toughen themselves against everything, sounded like a fairy tale. Or as Clark could imagine, a glass cannon. The cannon could attack but it would get destroyed with the slightest of bumps.

"Hmm, I know you are all right but I don't like it." Illia seemed to be having a moment she had not encountered. The feeling of loss when a friend leaves. But she quickly thought of something as the light appeared in her eyes. "When you get to Solar academy, can you send me materials that relate to fire so I can use them to train? I will pay for them and use them to also get stronger."

The thought of working with the same goal as Grace, to withstand opposite energies made Illia feel closer to them even though she would have distance between them. But it also showed that they would be able to maintain some contact through letters. Grace liked this idea and so did Isa. They both immediately set to work making promises between the three of them before Illia looked at Clark.

"Before you leave, can you and Ella help me with a step to take with my dragon to become really powerful?" Illia was sure that Clark would be able to give her another step. She had been focused on the fact that she could one day make her partner a real powerful ice dragon. It had come from the same dungeon and been handed to her by her mother. The egg had been from the ice dragon within the dungeon.

Now that the group knew a little more, they had understood that the ice dragon didn't hand over a child like this as a way for it to be used and captured by humans. Instead, it was a way to free it from the dungeon. Overall, it was slightly sad but very respectable.

Not to mention that the ice dragon would definitely not be able to share territory with a child that could become stronger or as strong as it. That was just the nature of dragons. They rarely lived together as a beast species in dungeons unless they were certain kinds of dragons.

"Of course, it ate the dragon lilies already?" Clark knew that the answer was yes, but he was surprised when the little ice wyrm was in front of him. It has grown at least three inches in height since he had last seen it.

The information from the analysis was the same. A growth spurt was still going and the little beast needed a lot of nutrition. But what had been added was interesting. "From what I can tell, the growth spurt is great but it is still hungry. You might want to bring it out to fight some very weak ice type beasts. Maybe some of the snowball mice that are sold around town as food.

Find some that are a little violent and let it hunt them."

The idea was simple. Let the little beast develop some of its own instinctual fighting habits early. It would also act as physical training. The movements would allow energy to flow and its body to grow stronger. "I will do that then. Thank you." The small look from Clark was what the others would have said too.

Simple, gain energy and grow.

However, where the group differentiated from Clark was the next step. They all knew that materials and energy were key. Adding specific hunting in now seemed too quick, but Clark had Crim, a dragon slime. They chalked it up to that. Knowing a dragon would allow any tamer to advise on dragons better.

"I guess all that's left is to say, we are leaving tomorrow morning. Earlier than I think we all want. I think that the next time we see each other though, well, we will all be a lot stronger." Illia brightened a little even though she seemed sad.

"My mother is very busy still with everything that's happened, but she will send you off with a guard escort. She might also leave a few gifts but I know you won't leave me behind. I have your promises." Illia made a point to hug everyone at least once.

Her feelings very clear that she would gladly go with them if it wasn't too unsafe for the daughter of the city lord to go on a long journey away from Nebula. For now, they would all need to rest and show that their efforts would be worth the time and bragging in the future.