When Kone exits the Class change menu she is faced with another dilemma, in the form of a notification.
[Wild Affinity] Requires Beast Lord Kone to choose a Companion. One time choice. Beast Lord will gain a bonus based on their Wild Affinity Companion.
But what should she pick? Something cool, since it grants a bonus. She gave up a lot of her healing abilities, so maybe something that can heal? What is powerful and can heal?
Well, there's a few things, starting with the Forest Dragons. Wouldn't that be awesome?
[Selection Made: Summoning Companion]
Wait, no, It was just a thought. But then Laura is a Companion too isn't she? So it might really be possible.
A Dragon slightly smaller than Laura, with green and brown mottled scales starts to take shape and everyone in the room gasps in shock except Cain, who is still busy in his interface. As it forms, it becomes clear that this Dragons scales aren't hard like the Opal Prismatic Dragon that is Laura, instead they're soft and flexible like leaves, giving the Dragon a soft and shaggy appearance like it was wearing a ghillie suit.
"Hi, I'm Kone." She greets the Dragon, at a loss for words.
"You can call me Su." A gentle voice responds and the Dragon extends its neck forward to rub cheeks with Kone.
[Companion Chosen: Calculating Bonus]
[Gained Shared Spell: Draconian Regrowth] heals all Allies within 30 meter radius of selected point over 15 seconds.
[Gained Shared Ability: Wither] breathe a cone shaped cloud of Dragon Breath that damages foes and applies the [Wither] debuff, reducing Stats and resistances by 30 percent.
Dragon Breath as a bonus? Now that's just way too awesome. Not even Cain can breathe Dragon Breath. Everyone is so intrigued by the new Dragon that they don't even notice Cain awaken.
"Well aren't you a cute one. What might your name be little forest dragon?" Cain asks, unsure where this dragon came from.
"I'm Su. The Beast Lord Kone's Companion." The Dragon announces proudly.
"Good to meet you Su. I'm the Puppet Master known as Cain." He reaches over to pet Su's head and Laura, in her Pixie form, makes a disgruntled noise.
"This is Laura, the Opal Prismatic Dragon." Cain says, stroking the Dragon pixie's back to calm her down.
The rest of the group take turns introducing themselves before Cain turns to Kone. "So, I see it gave you a hidden class option already?"
"Yes, Beast Lord. I lost a bunch of my healing abilities, but got a Regeneration aura that cleanses. Su here grants me a huge area heal too, plus I've got a basic heal. There's some other stuff, like I get 8 Turtles now, but no bears, but the important part is Dragon Breath. I get Dragon Breath!"
"Okay, that is pretty awesome. I can't argue with that." Cain agrees. Seriously, Dragon Breath? That's going to be insanely broken when he clones her for combat. Like having a dozen Dragons all at once.
Cain doesn't realize that Kone has glossed over some of the crazier parts of her class, like the damage and Stat buffs, in her excitement about Dragon Breath. Even with what she just mentioned, the class seems pretty good, and the aura she's got active isn't bad either.
With the interface still active after the battle, Cain can see the potential healing incoming. 100 every second, with two stacks of the Aura. Likely one each from Kone and Su.
The sound of crews working outside is getting increasingly loud. The Guild Houses were all in this neighborhood, and Vala basically destroyed most of them looking for stragglers, so the streets are blocked in a number of places, and there are bodies everywhere that need removal before they start to smell up the place. The fact that the neighborhood looks like it's been painted blood red will have to wait until the next rainfall.
Being a good neighbor at heart, Cain wants to do something to help out. The Golems are smart and strong enough to clear the streets, but they're a bit scary to the townsfolk, being large demons and all. Plus, they might be even more frightening now that they've been enhanced by his new skill [Glory of the Mark].
He's got the Puppeteer ability now, but no puppets. He could make some with the Voodoo Doll ability, if it makes them big enough. Cain tries for one his size, but the spell won't do it. So he goes for something Kone sized, failing again, but with just a little more shrinking he manages to make a Wood Nymph puppet about 120cm tall. The doll looks very spindly, but when he uses the [Puppeteer] ability it becomes a level 10 Puppet and has fairly decent stats.
He quickly repeats the Voodoo Doll spell, creating a total of twenty puppets that he sends out with orders to help with the cleanup. As they're still Voodoo Dolls, just animated, they've still got an active curse on them. Cain sets the curse to affect anyone who deliberately harms the Puppet, a simple failsafe that should teach people not to harm the helpful Wood Nymphs.
They're even less self motivated than the Golems, they don't do anything without instructions. But Cain's order does send them to the cleanup crews before they stop and wait for directions. After a few failed single task orders, the crews get the hang of them. Don't say bring the blocks to the pile, they'll just bring what they can carry and stop. Tell them to bring blocks from the street to the pile until this section of the road is cleared of rubble.
The [Voodoo Doll] spell isn't intended to last forever though, and a few hours later they all disappear. It was a good start, getting the area around the house they're staying in cleared out and it's almost time to clean up and get ready for the meeting in the City Square. The mayor will be informing everyone of current events and establishing his place back in the Mayor's office, as long as nothing goes too horribly wrong.
"Can you take a secondary form Su? City streets aren't really made for Dragon bodies." Cain asks the shaggy forest dragon currently occupying most of the foyer in the palatial Guild House.
"How about this?" Su shifts into a small Dryad, roughly the same size as Kone, with a dress made of leaves.
"That is an ideal size. Not too big, but not so small that you would need to fly to get around. Laura preferred this adorable shimmering dragon Pixie form, and to simply ride along on a shoulder or fly." Cain gives Su a gesture of approval for her chosen form.
"Why are there two of her though? I can see that she's been cloned." Su asks, tilting her head in confusion, as if looking from a different angle will make it make sense.
"It's an ability of mine. It clones all my summons and companions. The Vala twins, who are the pale winged Wrath Demons over there, and the Nemus are also companions." Cain explains. Looking first to Vala, and then to Nemu, who has snuck up on the Dragon to investigate their new traveling Companion.
Vala waves her greeting, but Nemu gives the Dryad form Dragon a big hug from both sides.
"Good to meet you. We're Nemu, the group Bard." They say in unison.
"Good to meet you too. You're very soft, it feels good on my scales." Su greets them back, making the Felian laugh.
"Alright, we should start heading out if we're going to get to the meeting in time. Guild custom is that companions are active at all times, which is why I had you transform, Su. But I'll be dismissing the rest of the Summons that are currently out in the yard." Cain says as he does exactly that. It's been long enough since the fighting ended that the show of force shouldn't be necessary for a bit, though some fool is likely to attack during the meeting and try to either get rid of them or take over the city for themselves.
The mayor did say the locals took care of everyone who sympathized with the Montauk Guardians Guild and their tyranny, but someone always slips through the cracks. Even if it's just a political rival who wants the Mayor's position by any means necessary.
The looks they get as they head towards the town center are understandably skeptical, after all nobody in town knows what their intentions are, only that they used some sort of rapidly spreading debuff and Dragon Breath to take the city before the Guild ruling it could even formulate an organized defensive effort.
It had been so long since they were challenged that all sense of organization had crumbled and they had no guards at all except the patrol that hunts for transfers coming too close to the city.
The crowd is getting thick by the time they arrive at the town square, but a path clears up to the stone stage in the middle where the mayor is waiting to begin giving his speech. Climbing up the steps they can hear the crowd's unease. Hopefully the mayor has a good speech ready.
