The Chimera Summoner - Ch. 08

Ch 8 --

The train ride into Bayloft took several hours. It boarded, carrying what were now, effectively, all my worldly goods in a big suitcase. It was a route that wound deep into the Eirie mountains, far further north than I'd ever been. Though, to be fair, nearly any north would've been further than I'd ever been. Or south.

At least the trip gave me the time to finally look at my Animus and manage my leveling. I stared in shock.

Eir

Human

Lv 3 Chimera Summoner

Body:3

Mind: 3

Spirit: 3

Attribute points: 6!

Skill(s):

Familiar Summoning

Chimera assimilation

Paramore's mending

Skill points: 2!

I gawked. I had leveled up twice!

All of the fighting Lucy and I had done must've counted for more than I had realized. Future Levels would only get harder to earn, but I was relieved to have a couple easy ones under my belt. I didn't want to be the lowest Level first year at school.

Each of my stats had risen by one per level, I now had six attribute points to allocate and I could upgrade two of my Skills!

I settled in, to consider my options.

Skills currently cost one point to upgrade. But each subsequent upgrade would be more expensive. But for now, I could upgrade any two of them.

The attribute points... I wanted to dump them all in Spirit, to make Lucy more powerful. Gods knew she deserved the trust. And it would increase the potency of my other Skills too.

But there was the question of my stamina. I could barely keep Lucy summoned for two hours, and if I got more Familiars in the future...? I would need points in Mind as well.

And some in body would be good too, for the purposes of not dying and staying alive.

My Class's priorities, while maybe not as straight forward as say a swordmaster Class, were fairly clear.

I was essentially forming into a healer for my own team. And with my team being Familiars, I was even more clearly the point of vulnerability for the team. To that end, I needed to be able to take a hit better. I thought back to the cult leader, Max, able to break me in a single attack, nearly ending my Wayfinding career before it started.

After much debate, I ended up splitting my points between Mind and Spirit, mostly in Spirit. I was a caster, after all. Most of my Body upgrades would have to come from Leveling.

Body:3

Mind: 5 (+2)

Spirit: 7 (+4)

That left the skill points.

I waffled for a long time as the landscape slipped by outside my compartment.

I tried to convince myself to advance my healing skill. But the right choice was pretty clear to me. My healing had been more than effective, if expensive. My Spirit boosts alone would improve my healing tremendously. What I needed....

I advanced my Familiar Summoning. The keystone skill of my class. I couldn't ignore it, even if I really wanted to advance my healing skill. Helping Lucy get stronger was an obvious choice. She was amazing.

The results were not exactly what I was expecting.

My Familiar Summoning upgrade didn't increase Lucy's stats or unlock more of her own Skills as I had anticipated. Instead....

Available slots (1/2).

I already got another Familiar!

I was beyond content with Lucy. But it was hard to deny that she and I simply didn't have a full party. An off tank and a healer were a decent foundation. But we needed help. And I wasn't even a dedicated healer. I was an off-healer, if anything, quite a rare position.

I wondered if it was possible, with the random nature of the call, that I could end up with a wildly unbalanced composition of allies. Or a second off tank wouldn't be a disaster. But another healer? That would be far too much vulnerability for Lucy to cover for. The trade off would almost certainly be worse than just us alone.

I decided to wait until I could get some privacy to conduct my second Summoning. Given how... loud... the first one had gotten, it seemed for the best.

The chimera skill advanced in parallel to my Summoning skill. At the second tier, I could copy a skill from a second Familiar. Meaning I'd need my new Familiar bonded before I'd get a new skill.

I called Lucy quickly and she formed out of her green circle, and popped onto my lap, happily.

"You're feeling better today." She purred into my ear, nuzzling my cheek. It wasn't a question. She must feel my emotions as clearly as I could feel hers. "You ready?" She asked eagerly.

I wrapped around her, and twisted to give her cheek a kiss. Lucy twisted back and caught my lips on her own, instead. We shared some lovely, sensual making out. My pants started to stir, and she wiggled welcomingly as she sensed my pressing into her perfect ass.

I broke apart to answer her, trying to stay focused on my mission.

"I think I am ready." I answered her earlier question.

"Good! I know it's been a hard few days for you, but I've been dreaming of having this cock stretch out my asshole. Do you want to be on top, or--"

"Woahhhh!" I said, patting her frantically. "I meant I was ready to copy a skill from you!? If that's ok with you? It seems important, and if I'd already done it by the time I got us into trouble, I might've been able to help you more. I don't want to get caught unprepared ever again."

She pouted. "But what about you stuffing me full of your cock? It doesn't have to be my ass if you don't want that? Do you want my pussy? Or maybe I could use my mouth to make you feel good?"

My cock throbbed enthusiastically, and she started to crawl out of my lap, probably to start sucking me off immediately.

"As much as I want that, all of that, and let me assure you, it is a lot... this isn't the time. We are pretty loud, after all, and it would be rude to make the other passengers listen to us through the walls."

Lucy nodded in understanding. "So we should invite them to come in and watch properly, instead of teasing them." She actually stood, and I tackled her before she could get out the door to make an insane first impression on some of my fellow students.

"Nope!" I cried. "Quite the opposite. I am saying we need to wait on all of that stuff for a little longer."

She looked devastated. "But it's been so longgggg, and you're already so hard for me." She whined plaintively. "I can be quiet...?" She lied transparently.

I raised an eyebrow at her.

"No, I can't." She deflated. "But you feel so good, I just can't hold it in! Don't you like making me scream?"

She batted her eyelashes at me. Another quirk of hers that I would've sworn before that I disliked, but that made my heart flutter along with her when Lucy did it.

I gave her a long, urgent kiss. She melted into me, desperately pressing her soft curves into me, and pawing at my cock like she needed it to live.

"Soon." I promised her and myself. "As soon as I am settled in, and I can get a bit of privacy, I will summon you and take care of each of your holes one by one until you can't remember your own name. Deal?'

I stepped back from her and offered her my hand.

"Deal!" She agreed, snatching up my hand, and sucking my fingers into her mouth with a longing moan.

I groaned as her tongue worked lovingly around each of my fingers as she gazed at me with seductive eyes.

I finally activated my skill on Lucy:

[Chimera Assimilation]

Energy coursed through our bond. I felt her revel in our deepened connection, happily letting my skill take an imprint of her power and use it to form my own in her image.

New Skill: [Tempest strike]!

My hands swirled with the same kind of compressed wind as Lucy's had, when she'd fought the raiders.

FwOOMMMM!

She startled, and leapt back, spluttering in surprise.

"Sorry!" I cried, afraid I had hurt her.

"I'm fine, it didn't hurt!" She assured me. "Just surprised when the finger I was sucking on started gusting! How does it feel? Good huh? Do you like my skill? I'm a good girl?" She angled, fishing for praise as she settled back onto my lap.

My body felt light, and fast, as the energy coursed through it, gathering in a thrumming aura around my fist and ready for action!

~~~~~~~~

I grinned. I couldn't wait to try it out for real. For now, I let the skill fizzle. The wind vanished.

"You're a very good girl. Your skill is amazing. It makes sense, seeing as you're amazing, yourself. Your skills would have to be as good as you are." I let her hook me into praising her.

She deserved far more, and I was going to give her her fill later. In a number of ways.

I had capacity for another skill, but I would have to have my second familiar before I could assimilate it.

I trailed off staring open mouthed out the wide window of my compartment at the snow capped peaks and massive verdant valleys, veined with glittering blue rivers and streams. Massive firs and pines climbed the mountains all the way to the snow lines.

The sunrise peaking between the peaks and drenching the valleys in golden rays was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen.

Then, I saw it.

Bayloft was perched amid the high mountain pass at the top of the Eirie's. Beyond it, I knew the land flattened out into an inhospitable wasteland of snow and ice.

The sprawling campus of Bayloft was right between this lush fall wonderland, and the depths of winter.

Stone towers jutted from the sharp mountains. Rows upon rows of glowing windows, carved into the sides of convergent cliffs denoted dorms built into the mountains.

The campus buildings themselves were massive, austere works of wood and dark stone. Something between a college campus and a mountain fortress.

The Dungeon hall dominated the pass, a huge circular building, constructed around one of the deepest and oldest entrances to the Dungeon in the world.

I shrank in my seat. Lucy joined me, radiating concern at my sudden reaction.

I'd wanted to go here for years. Since childhood. Ever since my goal of becoming a great Wayfinder healer had become serious enough for Wally to start getting me educated on the matter.

Compared to the lazy afternoons reading about great adventures with Wally, Bayloft was looking very intimidating.

A knock sounded on my compartment door. A moment later, without waiting for a response, a dark haired and bespectacled girl of about my age burst in.

I dismissed Lucy in a flash, wanting to keep my strange Class a secret for now. At least from the other students.

I felt some irritation at the abrupt dismissal from Lucy's bond, and I sent apologetic energy, as well as what I hoped was a promise of recompense later. She seemed mollified.

The intruder ignored everything and dashed to the window and pressed her nose to it, straining to see Bayloft.

"Chaos' perky asymmetrical tits, look at those BUTTRESSES!" She cooed.

I coughed, restraining a laugh at the insane comment.

The dark haired girl squeaked and whirled on me, falling backwards into the opposite seat in a heap.

"What are you doing?!" She demanded.

"Sitting in my compartment. What are you doing?" I retorted.

"Why didn't you say it was occupied when I KNOCKED?!" Asked the girl, ignoring my question.

"Didn't get much of a chance before you barged in and started gawking out the window." I snorted "How did you not see me when you came in."

"Seeing and noticing are two very different things." The girl sniffed. "As a rogue, I know the difference, being versed in the art of stealth."

I couldn't stop a grin from plastering itself on my face.

I couldn't imagine a less stealthy girl in the world.

Her bright pink, slightly glittery top shimmered as she puffed herself up angrily.

"Relax, relax." I said, trying to preempt a confrontation. "Look, you're welcome to the window. It's a hell of a view. I guess you were on the other side?"

"Yes." She admitted.

She looked like she wanted to prove her stealth expertise. Then in a flash, she was again glued to the window, like she couldn't help herself.

"It's just so...!" She murmured in awe.

"Big." I nodded.

"Synthetic!" She sighed, whistfully. Then recoiled. "Wait what'd you say it was?"

"Uhhh. Synthetic." I said.

She nodded enthusiastically, pressing her nose back to the glass as the landscape flitted by, gradually giving us a rotating view of this side of campus.

"Yeah." She agreed. "The perfect merge of form and function. A staggering feat. I want to cut it up like cake and dissect it."

I wasn't sure that was what synthetic meant, but delivered with such fervor and winsome enthusiasm, I wasn't prepared to contradict.

"I'm Eir." I offered. "First year. You?"

"Eir." Chewed the girl. "Like the Eirie mountains. Or is it Air, like take a deep breath?"

"The former." I chuckled. "And yours?" I prompted again. It was difficult to keep this girl on tracks that weren't her current fixation.

"Jennifer Amelia Montil Valant three." She recited. "Three because I'm the third one. Third one best one, as the saying goes. You can call me Jennie. Everyone does. Except dad. And mom. And Aunt Grace, but that's just because she's so--" she made an expression of exaggerated dignity that was too specific to be coincidental.

"That wouldn't happen to be Grace Valant, of Bayloft University would it?" I hazarded.

"You know Aunt Grace?!" She asked, surprised and suspicious. She actually pried her eyes away from the school. Though I realized that was just because the view disappeared as we entered a tunnel a second later. Lights flashed by regularly.

"We've met." I said, circumnavigating the question. "She's pretty famous."

Jennie snorted loudly.

"Famous!" She giggled. "Maybe if you think that Wayfinders are celebrities."

She broke down into a fit of mirth.

Ummmm? Are they not? I was really starting to have my doubts about Jennie.

The train was slowing noticeably. We rocked slightly in our seats as the breaks squealed in the back of the train.

Jennie stood, surprisingly steady, in spite of the unsteadily decelerating train. With balance like that, maybe she really was some kind of rogue.

"You're that girl that Aunt Grace was talking about the other day, aren't you?" She said, serious at last.

I narrowed my eyes.

"I didn't realized she was spreading that around." I gritted out.

"Oh she wasn't!" Jennie chimed. "I'm Level five and I like to snoop. She was just talking about a new student with mom. Don't think there's too many girls with half shaved white hair at the school. Do you?"

Level five! If there were students that were already that far ahead...? Was I going to be the weakest freshman before I even started??

She shuffled uncomfortably.

"Spit it out." I said, flatly.

"I chose this compartment on purpose, because I wanted to meet you." She confessed, still squirming in place. "Aunt Grace has always been kind of... unaffectionate? Not in a mean way! She just...."

Jennie waved her hands like she was trying to sculpt the idea out of clay.

Then huffed.

"She spoke very highly of you. Which does not come cheap. I just wanted to, I dunno. See what it took."

She smiled brightly. "And now I have! Goodbye!"

She vanished.

Like went invisible.

For about two seconds. The door slid open by itself. Jennie reappeared in a shimmer.

"Fuck! My exit!" She muttered, and dropped a couple pellets on the ground.

They turned out to be smoke bombs.

When the white haze cleared, quite abruptly, I was alone.

Well.

I had just met my first classmate.