The Wolves Ch. 033

"It'll be a minute," she said, looking back at us. "Gurok is quite a bit slower than Ashe."

Standing in front of the portal, she looked through it, a big smile soon appearing on her face. "Ah, there's my boy. C'mon, Gurok," she called.

There was an answering call a moment later, and then the large head of a bear appeared. He stopped and looked around, spotting my friends and I. Ignoring us, he made his way through and stood on his hind legs before putting his massive paws on Tamara's shoulders. She walked forward and embraced the massive bear, giving him a big hug before stepping back.

"Guys, this is Gurok. He's a Grizzly bear I tamed oh, fifteen years ago. He's another of the animals that lives in the area surrounding my cabin."

"What's that?" Ben asked, pointing to the cube on the floor.

"Oh, right. It's a miniature enclosure similar to the one the gryphons are in, but portable. I haven't come up with a name for it just yet, though all of my companions except for Fenra live inside it. It was developed so I would be able to bring all of them with me no matter where I go, rather than only bringing one or two and leaving the rest at home. You'll each probably get one in a few months, when you're actually able to use it. I don't think any of you even come close to generating enough mana to keep one powered."

"I'm sure there is a backup mana crystal that will continue to power it if you're unable to, but where is it?" I asked. "It seems too small to contain a mana crystal powerful enough to contain enough mana."

"The outer shell is, that's why the mana crystal is actually in there," she said, pointing through the portal. "Well, it's a bunch of mana crystals, actually. Finding a single mana crystal big enough to power this thing for a few days is nearly impossible."

"Ah. I'll probably pass on one of those, actually. I think that Abi can do something similar with this," I said taking the Beacon out of my inventory.

"Ooh, what is that?" Tamara asked, her eyes growing wide upon seeing the fist-sized ball in my palm.

"Something Abi gave me. It has a few uses, including the ability to access her dimensional storage. If she can replicate what you've done with that cube, then I'll have one that is powered by the crew, rather than myself."

"That would be nice," she replied. "Alright, back to my demonstration. Armor, Gurok."

The large grizzly bear was sitting upright while we were talking, though he was soon standing on all fours again. When he was standing still, she took a black cube out of her storage and placed it on his back. The cube itself was probably one cubic foot in size and was entirely seamless. When she was satisfied it was in the right spot, she placed her hand on top of it. It didn't seem like she was doing anything, but soon the cube began to shrink in size while spreading out over the bear. After a minute or so, the entirety of the bear was covered in the black armor, including his paws, which he raised one by one to allow the armor to form around them. The only parts of his body not covered by the armor were his eyes, ears and claws.

"There you have it. Different animals require different armor, but this variant is a couple times more durable than the stuff you're currently wearing. Gurok could stroll through a dungeon suitable for adventurers at level one hundred and be perfectly fine, though he would still have to be wary of casters. The armor does provide some decent protection against spells, but powerful casters will still be able to do some damage."

After she showed off the armor, she placed her hand back on Gurok's back and the armor began to retract again, quickly forming back into the cube. It disappeared and she proceeded to scratch his neck. After commanding him to go back through the portal she bent down to shut down the portal before picking it up and sitting back down opposite of us.

"So is there any limit to how many animals we can tame?" Anja asked.

"Nope!" Tamara quickly answered. "I've tamed hundreds of different animals over the years. Most have long since passed away, but I still have a bunch I tamed long ago."

"What about limits inside of a dungeon? Could someone bring like a hundred companions with them?" I asked.

"There are no limits whatsoever. If someone could control that many animals, and have them be a cohesive fighting force, then they could certainly bring that many with them. There are actually a couple of beastmasters who bring a half dozen or so animal companions with them rather than operating with a team of other people. They can be quite effective. Conversely, there are other teams that bring a single companion each, like your team is planning on doing. They can be quite effective as well."

"How does that work most of the time? Does each person bring a companion from the same species, or do they bring different ones?" Mason asked.

"There are examples of both. It tends to be better for them to be the same species, though other species can work quite well together. A pack of wolves can be very formidable inside of a dungeon, especially as they get stronger and stronger as you level up Tame Beast. Wolves are masters of distraction, making it very hard to know where the next attack is coming from. Often times a wolf will dart in for an attack which causes their prey to turn towards them, then they'll quickly dart away before they can be hit in return. This causes another wolf to move in which repeats the cycle, either until their prey is too tired to move, or it dies to its wounds. This tactic will work even better as they get stronger and faster. Your team couldn't have done much better in picking a starting companion than a wolf."

"Out of curiosity, what would be better than wolves?" Sonja asked.

"There are only a few better options on Earth, though they are also much harder to tame. Hyenas would be one. There are trade-offs of course, but hyenas are also able pack hunters. While they are less intelligent and have less endurance, they make up for it in raw power. Of course once tamed they would get a percentage of your attributes, so those deficiencies don't matter too much. Another example are lions and lionesses, with emphasis on the females. They're better at hunting than lions, and regularly work together to take down their prey. They're the best of both worlds between wolves and hyenas; intelligent, agile and very powerful."

"Are there any teams that have Phenidae as their companions? I know untamed Phenidae aren't very powerful, but that has to change when one is tamed right? Especially if the tamer has Tame Beast at rank 100 of Tier S," I asked.

"They're a frequent staple," she answered with a nod. "While teams with multiple Phenidae are rare, a team will usually always bring one. They can get quite powerful, but they're brought because of both their ability to teleport, as well as their ability to scan their surroundings using their tales. They can be invaluable in stopping creatures from ambushing a team, and can also provide a distraction when fighting. You'll have to wait a long time before you'll be able to bring Vixa with you, unfortunately."

The impromptu Q&A session went on for another half hour or so before Tamara ended it, it now being slightly past 16:00. She was nice enough to open a portal that would take us directly to the elevator, all of us cramming inside for the couple minute trip.

"I wonder what your mom wants to talk to us about."

"Probably something about the meeting with your parents tonight," I answered. "Or about the trip. For me it's probably about my date tonight. She probably wants to know what I have planned so she can make sure any areas are secure."

"Where are you taking her tonight? You're not usually one to be so close-lipped about a date. I remember when you used to come to Sonja and I for advice."

"I've got some things planned. I decided to change things up after the attack yesterday."

"And? Don't tell us that you're taking another date to Lone Star. That's where you took all your dates."

"What? It's good food and a good atmosphere. Besides, this date is different. She just arrived on Earth a few weeks ago and her father is super rich. Going somewhere other than a high-class restaurant will probably be a nice change of pace."

"He does have a point, sis. Besides, there are many worse places that he could take her," Sonja said while looking at her sister.

"Thank you, Sonja."

The door to the elevator opened a few seconds later, and there was immediately a pop followed by a loud, high-pitched bark. Looking down, Vixa was standing there with her tongue hanging out the side of her mouth while her tails were going nuts. Such was usual for her, it seemed.

"Aww, hey, Vixa," Anja said walking forward and picking her up, the rest of us following behind her, exiting the elevator

Vixa licked Anja's face and immediately began purring while enjoying the neck scratches Anja was giving her.

[Jonathan, I'm assuming you've arrived at the main level since Vixa just disappeared?]

[Yup, she's here. Basking in the attention being shown to her by the twins,] I sent with a chuckle.

[The med chamber finished its work and your sister is awake now. You and your friends can take some time seeing her. When you're done, let me know and I'll meet you at your room. I've got some things to deliver. Have your friends join you as well, as I need to have a chat with them as well.]

[Alright. Thank you,] I sent. "Hey guys, Aleena is out of the med chamber and is awake. We can go visit with her for a little bit, but my mom wants to meet with us afterwards."

"Did she say why?" Ben asked as we began heading to medical.

"Nah, we'll know soon enough though, I guess. Apparently she has a delivery for me, though I have no idea what."

It only took us a few minutes to get there with Vixa basking in attention the entire time. Her purring was clearly audible, even with us chatting as we walked. As soon as we got to medical, there was a pop and she was no longer in Anja's arms. Instead, we found her on the hospital bed that Aleena was lying in. Alexis and Lucille were sitting in chairs next to her, while Yuki was actually passed out in a corner of the room.

"Hey guys!" Aleena called out when she saw us. "Figured you'd be here soon after she arrived," she said, gesturing to Vixa. "She scared us for a second but I'm surprised the noise didn't wake Yuki."

"How are you doing?" Anja asked.

She pulled down the corner of the gown she was wearing to expose her shoulder. Where there was previously a large gaping wound, now there was nothing but unblemished skin. "Good as new! They're keeping me here for a few hours, but I'll be released later tonight, barring any complications."

"Good," I said walking up to stand beside her, where I could see Alexis and Lucille as well. "Did Yuki fill you all in on what happened yesterday?"

Aleena nodded. "We're going to miss her, but we understand why you had her pulled from our protection detail. We did meet her replacement, a woman named Kiri. She is very capable according to Yuki, if rather young. She was originally going to be one of the ones going to Veria in a few weeks, but she was replaced by someone else."

I nodded. "It will likely be a temporary assignment. Once this business with Dhir and The Storm Bringers is dealt with, Yuki can probably resume her duties, along with everyone else who needed to be pulled. There will be a team following the three around whenever you leave the base from now on. Abi has created a pair of shuttles to facilitate that, and Yuki will spend some time between now and next weekend getting them up to speed on them. When the groups are ready, you'll need to inform one when you need to go somewhere so they can secure the area."

"She already told us about all that," Lucille said with a smile. "She didn't mention The Storm Bringers though. What do they have to do with this?"

"They're the parent group of the group that attacked my team. I threatened the leader of the group but Esriro doesn't think it will dissuade her. I've got some plans to have it taken care of. Hopefully they won't be a problem by the time we're ready to head back to Nedovis, but we may have to make a detour along the way."

"I'm glad you're alright. My mom told us that you were awake so we figured we'd stop by. She needs to see us about something, and then I need to get ready for my date with Tessa. I'll see the three of you later tonight, or in the morning, yeah?"

"Probably in the morning," Aleena replied. "While I was sleeping in the med chamber it wasn't really a restful sleep. I'll probably be heading to bed shortly after they release me. I'll be looking forward to hearing how the date went. We like Tessa, don't mess it up!"

"I won't, don't worry," I chuckled. "You'd probably be better off asking Tessa about it though. I hope she has fun. Are you coming, Vixa?" I asked, moving to leave the room.

She hunkered down next to Aleena causing me to laugh again. "Alright, I'll see you all later."

After my friends said goodbye, we all left and headed in the direction of my room. I let my mom know we were on the way and she was waiting when we arrived, holding a garment bag. The bag itself was opaque, so I couldn't see what was inside of it. I raised my eyebrow at her, but she just smiled and gestured towards the door to my room. I opened the door and gestured her to enter. I followed right behind her, with my friends in tow.

"So what's in the bag?" I asked.

"It's your new suit. We called in a favor and got you a reservation-"

"Nope," I interrupted.

"What?"

"I'm not taking her to an expensive high-class restaurant. I've got something in mind and that doesn't include wearing a suit. I'm betting it's a tux, isn't it?"

I was expecting to get into an argument with her, but she just burst into laughter. "I knew you wouldn't go for it. It is a tux, but it isn't for your date tonight. We'll be having dinner with Ercan Warvyn and his family when we get to Veria. You'll be expected to wear it then," she explained, walking over to my closet and hanging it up there.

When she came back out, she had a box in her hands and walked right up to me. "You can wear whatever you were going to wear tonight, but you'll need to wear this underneath."

I lifted the top of the box and saw some sort of black fabric. Lifting it out of the box, I was able to see that it was a full one piece suit that would cover me from my neck all the way down to my feet.

"What's this?"

"You can't exactly go out into the open right now without being protected, and as you can't wear the armor you're in right now, that's the next best thing. It will stop ballistics and will dissipate a limited amount of shots from energy-based weaponry. We're not expecting an attack, but should one come, your skills along with that armor will protect you until Spectres can move in. Abi will also be with you every step of the way, so she'll be able to step in if it becomes necessary."

"Man, this bounty sucks. Now I've got to wear unitards?"

"Very high tech unitards, but yes," my mom replied with a chuckle. "Mana Crystals were treated to make them flexible, and a thin weave of them is sandwiched between two layers of special fabric. The Mana Crystals in the suit doesn't make it stronger, but it will give you a large well of mana to draw from if you do end up being attacked. There is no mana stored right now, so you'll need to charge the suit when you put it on. I believe it can store somewhere around two hundred thousand mana, so it'll take you a few minutes."

"As for you four," she said, walking up to Mason and Ben first. Her arms were held out beside her, two more garment bags appearing while she walked. She held one out to each of them, before turning to the twins and handing them them their own. "We haven't talked to your parents yet, but those suits and dresses are yours for dinner when we arrive. I believe we got your sizes, but if they don't fit let me know and we'll have them refitted."

"How did you even get our sizes?" Mason asked.

"We've got a few tailors on the base, all of whom have been doing their jobs for hundreds of years. They've gotten pretty good at sizing someone up just by looking at them."

"Oh."

"Alright, you can go and hang those in your rooms, I need to talk to Jonathan for a few minutes. Wait until after you've showered to try them on. I don't want to have to send them to get washed before we go," she said. Without even mentioning him directly I knew she was calling out Mason.

She waited for my friends to leave before turning back toward me. "So where are you going tonight? I know Abi will be shadowing you, but we would like to have a team on standby at each location you might be stopping at. There will also be a follow car, but we want to make sure the two of you are as safe as possible tonight."

"Well I planned on Lone Star for dinner as I thought it would be a different experience for her. Am I right in assuming that she and her family went to expensive restaurants while they were guests of Ercan?"

"Most likely, yes," my mom answered. "I know they visited a few here as well, as we got him some reservations at restaurants that are hard to get into."

"Alright, Lone Star it is. Besides, I know nothing about high-class foods or etiquette, and I wouldn't be able to explain stuff I know nothing about."

"I agree, though we'll have to work on that. Anything planned for after dinner?"

"I think she scanned a dragon so I was planning on teaching her how to fly before flying around for a few hours, but axed that after the attack. Instead, I am going to decide between two options. Tell me, are Scyftans, or any other species close to Scyftan space crazy enough to strap knives to their feet to glide across frozen water?

*****

Approximately two hours later I was pacing back and forth while periodically stopping to check the time on my phone. I hadn't been this nervous in my life. After what felt like hours, the time on my phone displayed 18:27. We had decided to meet in the lobby at 18:30, and it would take me a few minutes to make it there. Putting my phone away I left my room and made my way there.

After cleaning up and shaving I dressed in the unitard my mom gave me before putting on a pair of jeans, as well as a dark long sleeve shirt made out of whatever material it was that changed to match my size. I had also sent to Tessa asking her to dress casual rather than getting all dressed up. It would have been awkward if I was in casual wear and she was all glammed up.

When I got to the lobby she was nowhere in sight. I figured she was still getting ready so I made my way over to the couches were my friends happened to be sitting. I wondered why they weren't with their parents while they met with my mom and dad, so I walked over and sat down beside Mason.

"Hey, guys. What are you doing down here?"

"Waiting," Ben answered. "Your parents wanted to meet with ours without us present, so they asked us to stay down here. Depending on how things go, we'll either meet our parents up there, or they'll come down here. What about you? We thought you'd already be off on your date."

"Nah, we said we'd meet here at 18:30 before leaving. I didn't see her when I entered, but I did see the four of you."

Suddenly there was an elbow to my ribs. I was about to ask Mason why he did that when I saw where he was looking. Following his line of sight, I saw that he was looking at one of the entrances to the lobby. Standing there was Tessa.

She seemed to have lengthened her hair since I had last seen her and had it in some sort of braid that draped over her left shoulder. She wore tight green top that exposed both shoulders, and, like me, was wearing a pair of jeans. I was happy to see that she was wearing a simple pair of shoes rather than heels, as it was possible we might walk around after dinner.