2 Getting to Know Eachother

Screeching sounded, and Tyrel's eyelids opened. He got up and walked out of the small room. His head turned right as his eyes widened.

Saphira was in her fox form, and she lay on the floor. Three green deer nightmare creatures levitated above her. Each one had four long sabertooth fangs and three claws on their hoofs. Strangely, they didn't move.

Tyrel spoke. "Saphira. How are they levitating?"

Saphira chuckled, and one of the deer was slammed into the ground by an unknown force. It screeched before it levitated again.

Tyrel blinked before asking. "Saphira. Can you use telekinesis?"

Saphira replied. "Yes, I can."

The deer were laid on the ground. They tried to move but couldn't.

'I wonder what rank and class they are. I also wonder what rank and class Saphira has.'

Tyrel moved next to one of the nightmare creatures. He knelt, grabbed a small rock, and slit his right thumb over it. He winced as his blood quickly dripped onto the creature's head.

For a minute, it dripped before a scab formed over his wound. The creature's head was drenched in blood.

Tyrel moved to the next one and reopened his wound. This time, he let the blood drip into the second nightmare creature's eye for a minute.

With the last nightmare creature, he asked Saphira to open its mouth. When its jaws were forced open, he dripped his blood into its mouth for a minute.

Afterward, he sat down and turned toward Saphira. "Saphira. Can you cut them with your claws?"

Saphira shook her head. "They are a rank above me. I can restrain them, but my claws can't pierce their hide. I have to slam them into the ground repeatedly until they die from their innards being injured."

"I guess we'll wait and see."

Five minutes later, the nightmare creatures screeched loudly. Parts of their bodies slowly turned black, and others fell off. Another minute later, their breaths ceased.

[You have slain an awakened monster, Savage Elk.]

[You have slain an awakened monster, Savage Elk.]

[You have slain an awakened monster, Savage Elk.]

[You have received a Memory: Antler Pike.]

Tyrel's eyes widened, and he smiled. He turned toward Saphira, and his smile froze.

Saphira sighed and looked into Tyrel's eyes. "I only licked up a few pieces of your blood, and the rest only touched my tails...I'll live for a week at most. I need your help with something before I die."

Tyrel nodded and replied. "What do you need help with, Saphira?"

Saphira sighed and answered. "There is a creature that almost killed me in the past. And I couldn't kill it no matter how hard I tried. But now I believe we have a chance."

Tyrel spoke. "How could it not die from your abilities? You're powerful."

Saphira giggled. "I can't damage it by slamming it on the ground. The many parts it's made of is a form of metallic flesh."

Tyrel grimaced before asking. "How could you use your abilities constantly for a long time?"

Saphira smiled. "Whenever I kill, I assimilate their cores into my own. I gain all of my foe's soul essence."

Tyrel spoke. "You must have assimilated many cores."

Saphira nodded and said. "Of course I did. I lost count of how many I absorbed over the years."

Tyrel asked. "Saphira. Have you ever ranked up?"

Saphira shook her head. "No, I haven't. I'm still dormant. It's the downside to my core assimilation. I'm unable to rise in class or rank. I've been a dormant devil for centuries."

Tyrel grimaced. "I'm sorry you can't rise in power in either direction."

Saphira chuckled. "It's the price for my power. But, I can reliability hold a dozen awakened monsters in place and the air for a long time.

Tyrel quickly blurted. "Saphira. If you're not corrupted, what are you?"

Saphira smiled. "I'm what humans call a noble creature. And I'm immune to being corrupted."

Tyrel nodded. "Could we stay here for a while longer?"

Saphira sighed and looked at Tyrel. "Sure."

Tyrel summoned the runes for his weapon.

Memory: [Antler Pike].

Memory Rank: Awakened.

Memory Type: Weapon.

Memory Description: [A ancient weapon fashioned from the Antler of a Savage Elk.]

"Saphira. I have a weapon I want to use when we fight the enemy. Can I show it?" Tyrel questioned.

Saphira raised her left eyebrow. "You have a weapon?"

Tyrel nodded and summoned the weapon. A long spear appeared in his hand. It was black and had brown symbols on it.

Saphira's eyes widened as she asked. "Can you summon anything else?"

Tyrel shook his head and unsummoned it. "No, I cannot. I don't have any other things to summon. However, if I kill something, I have a chance to get one."

Saphira's eyes narrowed. "Perhaps I should find more creatures for you to kill."

Tyrel shook his head. "I personally believe we should create many small spears out of rock. We could cover them in my blood before we fight the enemy you want to kill."

Saphira paused for a moment before nodding. "Sure. However, I doubt you can cut rock with your hands alone."

Tyrel smiled and scratched the back of his head. "Well, I could use my spear."

Saphira shook her head and changed into her human form. "No. I'll use my abilities to dig out plenty of rock. You can rest, little one."

Tyrel sighed. "Okay, I'll rest."

Saphira's tails moved underneath Tyrel and picked him up. She lifted the Savage Deer carcasses with her telekinesis and walked outside. She tossed the carcasses into the ocean before she turned left and walked across the shoreline.

Tyrel smiled and clung to Saphira's tails. "I feel warm, comfy, and safe in your tails, Saphira."

Saphira chuckled as her gaze moved toward the ocean and stopped. "I'm glad you do, Tyrel. For the remaining time I'm alive, I'll try to keep you happy." Her head turned back, and she continued forward as a tear fell from her left eye. "I'm grateful I won't have to die alone. T-Thank you for being here. Being alone with no one to talk to for so long was horrifying."

Tyrel asked. "What happened? Why was being alone that horrifying?"

Saphira sighed. "Being alone for centuries is a maddening Tyrel. I was so desperate to talk with someone I talked to the corrupted while fighting and killing them. I hope you never experience this like I have. It's torture."

Tyrel grimaced. "I'm sorry you went through that, Saphira. That sounds horrific."

Saphira smiled and shook her head. "It's fine, Tyrel, besides..." Tears fell from her eyes.

"Besides what?" Tyrel tilted his head to the left.

Saphira whimpered. "I'm going to doom you to the same fate I had. After my death, you'll be alone, just like I was. And I have a favor to ask..."

Tyrel quickly blurted. "May I know what your favor is?"

Saphira smiled. "When my body shows physical signs of rotting, can you kill me?"

Tyrel's lips quivered. "I-I c-cant kill you... You took c-care of me and protected me. You comforted me. H-How could I do that?"

Saphira sighed. "Even though you didn't mean to cause my body to rot. It is still your fault I'm dying slowly. I want a merciful death. Is that too much to ask?"

Tears fell from Tyrel's eyes. "I'm sorry for this, Saphira. I-I-I..."

Saphira's tails gently cradled Tyrel as she hummed softly. "It's going to be okay, Tyrel. I'm not mad at you."

Tyrel hugged Saphira's tails and cried for a long time.

***

Thirty minutes later, Tyrel's cries died down. "Saphira. I'm sorry for breaking down like that..."

Saphira sighed. "It's okay." A smile grew on her face. "We're here, Tyrel. Go ahead and fall asleep. I'll rip rocks out of the ground."

Tyrel's eyes closed for a moment before abruptly opening. "I just realized we don't have to make them into spears. We can just coat small rocks in my blood and throw them."

Saphira nodded. "Alright. Now go to sleep. I promise you'll sleep well."

Tyrel replied. "I will, goodnight Saphira."

Saphira smiled. "Goodnight, Tyrel."

Tyrel's eyelids closed, and he snored.

***

Tyrel's eyelids opened, and he yawned.

A soft voice sounded. "How did you sleep, Tyrel? Are you feeling okay?"

"Yes, I did, Saphira. Thank you for keeping me safe. I appreciate it." Tyrel clung to Saphira's tails and smiled.

One of Saphira's tails bapped his forehead while she giggled.

"Hey!" Tyrel yelled while pouting.

A tail moved toward Tyrel's nose and tickled it.

"Achoo! Saphira. That tickles!" Tyrel said.

Saphira giggled and lowered her tails, placing him on the ground, and her tails moved off him. The sun's light shone into his eyes.

Tyrel lifted his hands, covered his face with their palms, and let his eyes adjust to the light. Fifteen seconds later, he lowered them, and his eyes widened.

A large pile of stones with varying sizes lay before him. It was about as tall as her.

Sweat dripped from Tyrel's forehead as he chuckled. "I believe this may be overkill, Saphira."

Saphira smiled. "Having more than needed is better than less."

Tyrel questioned. "Can you carry all of those to the place?"

Saphira nodded. "Of course I can. I can carry much more than this with my telekinesis."

Tyrel closed his eyes. "How much soul essence do you have?"

Saphira closed her eyes for five seconds before they opened. "Tyrel... I might as well have no limit. I have spent centuries killing creatures a rank above me. For the past century, I never ran out of it."

Tyrel's eyes widened as he thought. 'She must have killed thousands of awakened nightmare creatures and possibly fallen ones as a dormant noble creature. It makes sense she can't grow in rank or class.'

Saphira smirked. "You can praise me later. Let's go home. We can relax a bit before our fight."

Tyrel nodded before asking. "Where is it located?"

Saphira frowned. "It's imprisoned inside a chamber within my cave. I couldn't kill it."

Tyrel asked. "Have you tried collapsing the cave on it?"

Saphira nodded. "Yes. In fact, that's how it's not able to move. However, I plan to train you by allowing you to fight it independently. I'll give you plenty of meat so you don't die. But you will throw the blood-covered rocks at it."

Tyrel's eyes widened. "Saphira? Why won't you help me?"

Saphira smiled. "I realized since you're going to be alone by yourself after I pass, you'll need combat experience. The best teacher is life and death. Luckily, you can eat raw meat to save yourself from it. So I'll keep you in there until you kill the creature."

Tyrel's lips quivered. "Can we not do this?"

Saphira shook her head. "You need to learn how to fight. And your spear may be useless against it, so I suggest you use the strategy we devised."

Tyrel nodded. "O-Okay..."

Saphira smiled. "Go to sleep. You're going to need it for the battle that awaits you."

Tyrel closed his eyes and fell asleep.