The ashes before Strife

Episode 11 : battleforged ally ; 2

"What do you two say we take him in? I imagine for you two having another friend would be nice for you."

The two looked at me in their massive forms complacently thinking on my suggestion. Thorn was the first to reply "I don't mind since it means I get to bully him as revenge for slamming me into a wall whenever I want." "Lupra, how about you?"

Lupra kept thinking making strange faces until she finally decided "I'm fine with it... but you better give me lots of snuggles and remember that I was always the first." I chuckled slightly at her childishness and pulled out a white wisp from my bleeding forehead and placed it into the spinning face configured rock. "Alright, I promise Lupra."

"Oh no, oh no! I'm doomed! That demon is going to eat me! I know it! And if it's not him who will, it's going to be that dragon no doubt!" The worried voice was brutish and deep but intelligent holding loads of worry "relax no one is going to eat you."

The head then stopped spinning facing me "lies! I see that chimera soul inside you! I can see how it's eaten hundreds of my fellow spirits as well as many other species of beasts demon!"

Surprised by how it knew about the chimera soul inside me I asked "how do you even know it's inside me golem."

"I'm a Relican! Not one of those immature fettered idiots who are freshly born! I'm a spirit that has lived for 300 years! Of course, I'm able to discern the crystal center of your circuits attached to your mana heart! And never have I been insulted so much!"

"He certainly has a lot to say for a head made of stone Cayde!" Thorn leaned his large head down getting a closer look with his crimson eyes at the grey stone face making it scream in fear acting as if it passed out "how about we just take his core and be done with it!" Lupra then smacked the black dragon on the back of his head with her paw.

"Be nicer Thorn! Papa is trying to gain their allegiance, doing that will not help!" Lupra then shrunk down to her normal tiny cute size keeping her blue turquoise eyes sitting atop an icicle "I'm very sorry for what meany mc mean face said to you sir Relican. Could you perhaps ignore him and listen to our master's proposal?"

The head slowly turned towards her "I-I guess, but please ask your dragon to stop breathing on me!"

Thorn huffed breathing out hot steam "Fine I'll stop." Thorn then shrunk down to the size of a bat similar to Lupra landing on the glowing hot stones losing all the silver along with his wings and back keeping his six horns 4 small and growing while two were long but matched his size "thank you very much demon."

"Another question before I give my proposal how is it that you know I'm of the demon race?"

Shocked the floating stone face's beady eyes widened "you are actually a demon?! I just called you that because of how terrifying your aura was! It was as if I was facing chaos incarnate!" So I can even scare inanimate objects now... that's something.

"Anyways moving forwards, I would like it if you join our team. I'll offer you as much food as I can as well as anything else you ask for and we'll treat you as a good friend and not some disposable tool."

The stone face thought of the proposal seeing its ups and downs before answering "does getting me anything include a specific type of material I would like my body to be made of in large quantities?"

I nodded in agreement and the face's beady eyes sparkled "excellent! I agree to make a contract with you master Cayde! On the term that you provide me with your mana as a food supply and the wood of the redghast tree to form my future body."

Redghast? Aren't those the purple trees they were cutting outside? I then remembered how the guide said the wood from those trees is comparable to dwarven armors. "Yeah that's no problem with me, but you're going to have to keep some of the silver here for your body as weapons."

"I have no complaints, it will be helpful to have proper claws that can cut after all master. But first, please give me a strong name master."

I thought of some until one word came to mind "how's Ronik? Where I'm from it was the name of a famous tree that's roots covered an entire mountain."

"It sounds wonderful master. From this day forth I am Ronik!" Pale brown and violet wood then came floating past pulling the violet core out of the ice and melted stone forming a tiny baby yeti no longer made of stone but wood with silver acting as claws on his feet and hands with bits of purple covering his back as they all floated about held together looking almost like a proper golem the same size as Thorn and Lupra now.

I then quickly formed the equal standing contract with Ronik binding us together with chains.

"Alright let's head on out of here, actually another question before we do Ronik, why was it that you were even in here?"

He scratched the back of his head looking embarrassed "I Uhm.. uh I fell in through the ceiling and couldn't find the exit out."

Thorn immediately bawled out into a fit of laughter mocking the small wooden humanoid "you could have just followed the adventurers that came before, out idiot! Hahaha!" Thorn cheerfully fell into the soul veil in my body followed by Lupra and Ronik who was curious what the inside was like.