With Damien and Arne's brief exchange now over, Trik and I made our way to the center of the stage-less grounds where they stood.
"Watching you all fight never ceases to amaze me," I praised as we approached them.
"What was that with your skin earlier," I asked, turning my attention to Arne.
"Hm? Oh, this?" Arne responded as the texture of their fist changed, giving off a grey metallic sheen. "Not sure, but I can coat my body in this stuff, making it even harder than normal."
Viraa?
Yes?
Care to elaborate?
Hmm...It's a concept of a temp cintracy called Hardshatter. It allows the user to give their skin a metallic coating, making their body many times harder than usual, providing incredible durability and defensive capabilities. When coupled with spirit enhancement, it makes Arne impervious to most physical attacks.
But Damien supposedly fought and won before...
Yes. Hardshatter is strong against physical means, not spiritual ones, Viraa explained.
And I'm going to guess Arne's other cintracy is a eutierric ability to control the earth?
Close. It's a eutierric cintracy that lets them manipulate neta. It's a more general term for rock and ground material. Not every planet is called Earth, you know.
"Wait," Trik said, directing his attention at Damien. "I thought no one could harm you due to your Submission ability."
"My pheromones don't work on those who have no libido or interests of the sort. Though rare, I do come across people like that occasionally."
Arne proudly threw their arm around Damien's neck.
"That makes me the only Primordial capable of fighting him without holding back," they boasted with satisfaction.
I immediately thought of Tymon and his Shield cintracy that would probably allow him to do the same.
"Now that that's done, we should get moving; there's a lot to discuss," Damien expressed, looking at Arne expectedly.
Arne raised their arms in a giving-up motion as if to show they wouldn't resist.
"A deal's and deal, I'll agree to go with you all, but first..."
Arne took my hand and walked me a little further toward the stadium's center, where they raised it high and announced me as the champion to conclude the SVVL tournament.
Though initially confused about everything that had just happened, the crowd slowly rose into a cheer, seeing as that was probably the most eventful tournament they had ever attended.
"Congratulations, you just became a millionaire," Arne said beneath the excitement of the crowds.
Once the stadium was empty and Arne's pet lion was left in the care of someone they trusted, we returned to HQ. Arne wasn't as fast as Damien, so it took a couple of hours, but it was still far quicker than our other options, so Trik didn't complain. Not that he flew himself anyway.
Once we arrived, Arne got registered and was informed of their connection to Viraa, the existence of cintracies, and the threat we faced from Avarice's group.
Arne listened as we spoke but didn't comment much on it. They seemed more intrigued by the clothes my mother made for them.
"They're loose, light, and don't restrict my movements... I like them. They're battle-worthy," Arne said with approval after trying the clothes on.
The clothes were Greek, light wear that didn't cover much of their body. Arne wore brown cuffs around their wrists, hiding the dark rings around them. They also wore a white and tan top that sat above their exposed stomach, a long, white cloth covering the areas below their waste, and a pair of brown sandals with straps almost reaching their knees.
I noticed something in the shape of a paw print was sitting just above their lower right hip and realized it had to be Arne's ascension mark. I also couldn't help but notice that, though large and muscular, Arne was still well-endowed in the chest department.
Looking around, I could see some men would pass by or stand at a vending machine while sneaking what they probably thought were unassuming glances at Arne. I noted most of the looks were mixed between envy, intimidation, and some of desire.
"Now, about the matter you all shared," Arne spoke, bringing me back to the room. "I'll gladly help you all fight; it's not that often I get to cut loose being surrounded by humans. But..."
Arne looked directly at me, their eyes clear with judgment.
"Though I'm sure you've been told this already, let me make this clear: you are not worthy of leading me or the rest of us. You don't have the constitution, strength, or power for such a job. Therefore, I will not acknowledge you as my superior."
Trik budged as he began to say something in my defense.
"That's fair," I inserted quickly. "I understand where you're coming from. I'm just happy you've decided to help us."
"Hm," Arne grunted as they started toward the door.
"Where are you going," Damien asked.
"To find entertainment," Arne said through a grin before shutting the door.
"What does that mean?" Trik asked, confused.
"Knowing Arne, it probably means they're going to pick a fight with a phoenix...or kitsune," Damien answered casually as he approached me.
"Oh dear, is that safe," my mom queried with concern.
Damien ignored her and looked down at me.
"Allow me to warn you that though they may not be the smartest or care much about complicated things, don't assume them to be a fool."
"I don't..." I began.
"I know. I was giving you some friendly advice. Arne won't be interested in anything beyond battling, but like me, they see a lot. Be careful not to mistake their lack of input for stupidity."
"I'll remember that," I replied as I looked in the direction Arne left in. I had to admit I had started to think Arne would be simpler than the others, but I guess there was more to them than what meets the eye.
Still, I sat back in my seat, sighing, feeling good about myself. Though I didn't have the respect of most of them, I was excited to be the first Watcher in 200 years to find each Primordial.
My mom, observing from her seat, suddenly stood and cleared her throat.
"Before we all disperse and begin our next course of action, I want to acknowledge Lisa and Trik's accomplishments as Watchers today."
She revealed a gift-wrapped box as she walked toward me and stood next to Damien. I rose from my chair as she placed the box on the table beside us.
"I want to commemorate this moment by gifting you this," she said as she took off her cindium necklace and placed it around my neck before also handing me the gift-wrapped box.
"I'm proud of you," she said softly, then turned to Trik, who had hovered over and hugged him. "Both of you."
I peered into the gifted-wrapped box through teary eyes as I looked at the unique clothes my mom had made for me.
No longer being able to hold them back, I felt the built-up tears start pouring out as I tightly hugged her.
"Thanks, Mom, I love you," I said softly with joy.
Little did I know that that would be the last peaceful day I'd have with her before our lives spun completely out of control.
------
Fun fact: One of Trik's least favorite foods is gum. Even he can't process it. He found out the hard way when a 5-year-old Alissia gave it to him among other candies.
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