Foxbond Chapter 3

For better or worse, Dante wasn’t much of a talker. From the week-long journey from Geor to Talsmark and the four day journey from there to Hewspara, the man only really spoke encouragements to his two horses. This was fine by both Baern and Kurix; they had their own way of passing the time.

When a Soul Beast wasn’t manifested, they inhabited their Carded’s core. It was a moderate cost to Baern’s mana to release Kurix but, once he was free, he was fairly self-sufficient so long as he breathed in the ambient magic of the air and didn’t get into a fight. The fox was one that would rather be out and about rather than sequestered away as only an observer like some others. So long as they avoided crowds, at least.

On long trips like this, Kurix spent his time running wide circles around Baern. He was much faster than both of the horses while they were pulling the cart. This was done for two practical reasons.

The first was as a deterrent. Monsters generally stayed away from well-traveled roads, but bandits were another story. Fighting a Carded was often more deadly than it was lucrative, and seeing a Soul Beast around would make them think twice about ambushing what appeared to be two plain, unarmed men in a cart with bags filled with who knew what kind of treasure.

The second was because it strained the bond between the Carded and his Soul Beast. They were tethered together by an invisible chain that prevented them from getting too far away from each other. By overcoming its limit, more links would be added to the length, allowing for more space. Baern and Kurix’s chain was already abnormally long for a duo that hadn’t started all that long ago, but it paled in comparison to those who had been training for years.

It also gave Kurix something to do during a long, boring ride, and he had fun running through the forests and bouncing off of the trees.

Baern, for his part, was staring at his deck. He could still use the cards on Kurix while they weren’t in combat. They lasted longer in what the system designated as Training Mode than they did in Combat Mode, and this allowed the pair to get used to new cards without having to be in a fight.

So while Kurix was running through the trees on either side of the road. He also had to do it with a flat, unwieldy tail.

<This card is beneath me,> he complained for what seemed like the hundredth time.

Baern smirked, but only shook his head. He wasn’t at the level yet where he could telepathically speak back to his Soul Beast, but the empathetic bond was there. It didn’t feel like it would be much longer before they reached that next step. That was one of the milestones that would come with time and familiarity.

<So you agree, we should ditch the card,> Kurix said, purposefully misinterpreting the emotion he felt from his partner.

In response, Baern raised his hand and pushed the mana through his body. He could draw in more by breathing, which would flow from his lungs to his heart. Every beat refined the atmosphere's energy into something he could use, slowly refilling his mana core. By forcing this process, he could increase his capacity for magic.

Before bonding with Kurix and forming his mana core, he had been able to perform Cardless magic. He couldn’t store any of the energy, but he could manipulate it when it passed through him. Even though they were small tricks often thought useless by Carded competitors, the control needed to perform the act was no small feat.

They were honestly little tricks such as cleaning, heating, cooling, marking, but the vast majority of people couldn’t do it. The hardest part had been learning to sense the ambient mana in the air and going through him in the first place, something that had taken years.

Baern had been about to make a breakthrough into more complex magic when he took on Kurix, which would have been a much bigger deal. Not only was such spellcasting extremely rare, but it gave him a step up after becoming Carded. He still lamented that he was forced to bond with a Soul Beast before he was ready, even though it had been his best option given the circumstances.

Not that he would ever take it back and give up his fox companion, no matter how much it took the wind out of his sails when it came to his own growth. Carded magic came with its own set of rules that he was still getting used to. For now, he continued to cast the spell the Stone Manticore Tail provided him: Poison Dart.

Since the mana belonged to him, Baern could send the raw energy for Kurix to activate the spell or do it himself. Back in the manticore’s den, he had cast the Illusory Wall spell himself in order to practice, but also because it was more frugal that way.

Sending the energy to Kurix meant that it cost more, but the Soul Beast also had the ability to cast faster thanks to the cards. Baern’s magic was slower because he wasn't the one affected by the cards, which was what he was working on fixing. It would be an essential ability for protracted fights. At the level they were operating on now those were going to be few and far between, but as they rose up the ranks it would become more common.

So, every few seconds Baern would shoot a green, dart-shaped blob of light out of his finger at the ground next to the road. Any grass it hit quickly shriveled up on contact. On occasion he’d send the refined energy to Kurix. The spell would originate from the fox’s tail in the direction the Soul Beast wanted, but it didn’t cost as much mana.

<I guess it’s not all bad,> Kurix reluctantly admitted, though he was clearly still upset. <Even if the tail is stupid, being able to cast that dart over and over again could possibly be useful. Plus, it'll probably make for a decent shield.>

The fox clambered up the back of the cart and sat down on the bench Baern was resting on. Baern smiled, trying his best not to laugh. The flat, quill-covered tail looked ridiculous coming out of the fox's small frame.

“You’re right. The spell doesn’t cost much because it’s small, but it’s clearly powerful. It should be easy enough for me to spam, too. My only issue is that we don't know how long the poison lasts after dealing the damage.”

<That can be rectified.>

“Won’t know until we test it on something that isn’t roadside foliage.”

<Could accidentally hit a horse.>

Baern gave his partner a look. “You’re right, we do need to be really careful with this one. I’m so happy we’re always on the same page when it comes to safety.”

<Yes, I’d never steer you wrong on anything just because I think it would be funny,> Kurix replied, showing off his teeth in his best approximation of a grin.

“We are almost there,” Dante announced.

<Thank the goddess!>

“I’m going to drop you off here, away from the wall,” Dante continued as steered the wagon into a flat area just off of the road. “Going in will only cost me more money, and I can find passengers easy enough out here.”

“Thanks, Dante,” Baern said as the cart came to a stop. He grabbed his bag and jumped off. “I appreciate you taking us so far out of your way.”

The large man shrugged. “The money was good. But, I wish you and your speedy friend as much good luck as you need, should the goddess wish it.”

“And you be careful getting back to Goer.” Slinging his bag over his shoulder, Baern waved goodbye to Dante before continuing down the road, Kurix at his side.

The tall walls of Hewspara were made of thick, brown stone and were clearly well maintained. They went all the way around the city only deviating for the thick, wooden gates at the four cardinal directions. Each entrance had a small settlement outside of it with buildings for the guards, inns and stables for travelers, and a couple of shops here and there.

Dante had let the pair off before reaching the settlement and, based on the traffic, Baern couldn’t blame him one bit. With the preliminaries starting tomorrow, Hewspara was incredibly packed. The gates were teeming with people trying to get inside the city, and turning around in this traffic would have been a difficult task for the driver.

<This is way too many people,> Kurix complained as they started mixing with the crowd. His ears were up, alert, and his tail was puffed out.

“You don’t have to stay out if you’re not up for it. It’ll be easier, especially if there are children again. Like you said, you’re just so cute and adorable.”

Baern felt a moment of uncertainty across their connection before Kurix nodded. He would still be mindful of everything going on outside until he manifested again, and the act really was no trouble at all.

Leaning down, Baern offered his hand and Kurix pushed the top of his head against it. There was only a moment of resistance before the Soul Beast was sucked into his palm, disappearing without a trace. A few of the people nearby noticed, but said nothing. Seeing a Carded during this time of year really wasn’t out of the ordinary.

<Your senses suck,> Kurix complained as his mana settled. Baern snorted, but didn’t say anything.

So long as Kurix was in his core, the fox was limited to the man’s senses. They saw, heard, smelled, and tasted the same things. Only touch wasn’t transferred by their bond.

The mana fully settled into Baern’s core while he waited in line. Due to the busy time of day, more guards than usual were posted at each of the gates. It wasn’t too long ago, a few years at most, that the tournament circuit had been disrupted by a group of troublemakers set on stopping the games. Everyone was more vigilant these days.

While the line was long, the wait went by quicker than anticipated. Whether it was because the guards were used to this or there were simply so many working to process the people, it only took twenty minutes for the pair to be seen.

Baern moved forward when it was his turn, stopping in front of a young woman who was sitting at a table and shuffling through paperwork.

Her uniform matched the others sitting with her. Each guard wore a thick gambeson in the colors of the city, black and yellow, with a falcon crest on their breast. At their belts were short swords, but they each had spears and shields against the wall behind them.

The only exception to this was a man leaning against the wall in the back wearing full plate armor with a green-feathered falcon perched beside him. The bird, which Baern recognized as a Soul Beast known as a Razorfeather, watched him carefully through the crowd.

<That bird is staring,> Kurix said when Baern turned his attention to the woman. <Take a deep breath, mana man.>

The Carded did as instructed. This wasn’t anything he would be able to smell, but the fox was a different creature altogether, even if he was currently stuck in the human’s body.

<Wow, how rude,> Kurix scoffed. <That’s a yellow core beast. You’d think it would have something better to do than to watch us.>

“Welcome to Hewspara, sir,” the woman said, her youthful voice marred by fatigue. “May I ask the reason for your visit?”

“My name is Baern,” he answered, reaching into his belt pouch for his identification papers. There had been plenty of time to get it all in order during the wait, and he set them down before showing her his tattoo. “I’m here with my partner, Kurixevinear, to participate in the preliminaries in Hews Arena.”

The woman looked through his papers, which were a form of magical identification specifically for Carded. They had everything they could possibly need from him from age, home town, family, his Soul Beast, which cards were in his deck, and more. She shuffled through them quickly, seemingly intent to get him into the city as soon as possible.

It was an identification issued by the empire, and it made it hard to pass yourself off as someone else. They were nearly impossible to alter after being made and were keyed to a particular Carded's mana signature.

Just when he thought he might be waved through, the woman stopped and regarded one of the pages with concern. Her eyes flicked from the papers up to Baern and back down again. Slowly, she turned to the final page of his identification to check one more thing.

“Ma’am, we’re only here to compete,” Baern said quietly.

“You know that protocol dictates that I have to alert the knights,” she whispered back. All fatigue was now gone from her voice as a twinkle appeared in her eyes.

“Which I don’t agree with at all.” Baern closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. If the process of making someone’s identification papers didn’t have to be done magically by an official of the empire, who were often chosen for loyalty, then he would have kept a few things off of the record for just this reason.

<This happened back in Goer, too. You might as well lean into it,> Kurix snickered. <Looks like you’ll have to, because the big guy in charge is coming.>

Baern glanced over at the knight in full plate armor. His visor covered his face, but he had no doubt been watching. Likely communicating with the Razorfeather Soul Beast that was now perched on his shoulder.

“Whether you agree with it or not, this is protocol,” she said before standing up. “Please, come—“

“Is everything in order, Estella?” the knight asked. His voice was powerful, though slightly distorted from the full-face helm.

The guard, Estella, quickly turned around and hastily saluted. “Sir Feriz, I was just about to get you,” she said, dropping her salute once he nodded. Turning back to the table, she quickly grabbed the papers and passed them to the knight.

Sir Feriz hesitated for a moment before taking them, and Baern stood with his hands behind his back, waiting. The other guards were starting to take notice now that their superior had moved, and the people waiting to get into the city weren’t being shy with their gazes either.

“What is your purpose for being here, Baern?” the knight asked slowly, his attention still on the papers. The Razorfeather, on the other hand, was looking the man up and down with narrowed eyes.

“By my own partner, skill, and cards, I am here to compete,” he answered, holding a hand across his heart. “On the honor of the Sunbound Throne, we are here on our merit alone. Sir.”

Silence stretched for a few moments before Sir Feriz nodded. “That’s good enough for me. You are free to go on your way so long as you don’t cause any trouble in the city,” he said, handing the papers back to Baern.

The woman didn’t seem to agree with that. “Sir, that’s—”

“The decision I am making, Estella,” Sir Feriz interrupted sternly. She seemed ready to fight for a moment, but sighed and sat back down. The knight looked back at Baern and lowered his voice. It didn't travel far in the din of the crowd, but he heard it clearly. “No trouble. You’re here as a competitor, and nothing more. By the honor of the Emperor, Estella and I will not tell anyone about your arrival.”

“By the honor of the Emperor,” she repeated, holding a hand up as part of the oath although she didn’t look happy about it. The twinkle in her eye was long gone.

“Thank you both for your discretion and service,” Baern said with a bowed head, placing his identification papers back into his belt pouch. “I’ll be heading straight to the arena, now.”

“Baern,” Sir Feriz said loudly. He only got a few feet away from the table when the knight addressed him, and turned around. “I look forward to seeing how far you and your partner can get on merit alone. Good luck.”

<Well, that was easy.>

“Thank you, sir,” he replied with a smile before turning back to the city. It was time to register.