The room was small for the price, but the quality of the room more than made up for it. Despite its small size, it felt spacious, with enough room to move about without bumping into anything. Two wooden chairs and a small table sat against one wall near the entranceway.
Next to the massive windows overlooking the city, nestled in the corner, was a nightstand beside the bed at the back of the room, complete with its own bathroom attached.
An adjustable showerhead rested over a jacuzzi-sized bathtub that looked big enough to fit a couple comfortably. To get the hot water, you used a button next to the sink in the corner of the room where the washcloths and towels were hanging alongside basic toiletries: shampoo and soap.
Jackson turned around and stared at the sheet-covered cage, taking a deep breath and slowly exhaling before he walked over and grabbed the top of the sheet. After slightly tugging the center of the fabric and gently lifting the sheet off, his eyes widened when they beheld an adorable little Winged Snowdrift Panther cub staring out at him innocently. She had bright blue eyes and pure white fur except for spots on her ears and along her chest and belly, which were covered by shades of light grey patches with small pure white wings protruding behind her shoulders.
Her tiny paws reached towards him curiously, her long tail twitching in the air behind. Her sharp claws could have easily torn Jackson's arm if she wanted to. He smiled softly as he crouched down, reaching his hand into the cage and stroking her head with his fingers, rubbing the soft hair that stuck straight up between each finger; it seemed like cotton candy.
This caused Khione to purr loudly, nuzzling them happily. It sounded almost like an owl, although more profound than any bird or bat could ever make their 'hoot,' making her seem even cuter. Jackson leaned forward slowly until he sat cross-legged on the bed, opening the cage as she slowly ventured out onto the bed in front of her, still petting her.
"Hey there, cutie!" He cooed as she began chewing on his thumb. He chuckled softly as he removed his jacket and shirt, revealing his muscular physique underneath the black bodysuit. The young man gently placed his fingers under her head and lifted her chin. She looked back at him with wide blue eyes as the system chimed, and a window appeared before him:
[Please submit name:]
Jackson stroked his chin while thinking of names as he smiled at the small cub, "Kh... ee-on." He muttered while nodding his head repeatedly before he typed "Khione," causing the window to disappear and another to pop open:
[She will now be known as Kione.]
The system confirmed the new name and continued:
[Begining the Synchronization Process...]
[Please Wait...]]
A white circle with a black line within it floated around Jackson while the little girl rubbed against his leg curiously, looking up at him expectantly. Khione crawled toward him and pressed her face right through the system's window, leaving only its outline behind. Her tiny mouth was visible inside the screen for a moment as she opened and closed rapidly several times; the windows disappeared as bright lights flew from her blue eyes into his bright green eyes.
Khione started disappearing as glowing threads flew from her and jumped out along Jackson's left shoulder, his bodysuit being temporarily removed by the system. It stretched from where his bicep and collarbone meet his shoulder down his back to his scapula.
Bold lines seared into his skin with vibrant colors and deep blacks, resembling a leopard with sharp claws on big paws, a long tail, muscular hindquarters, and strong chest muscles underneath a thick white pelt with grey spots, large white feathered wings covered part of the leopard's back.
Jackson winced in pain, gritting his teeth, before sighing in relief as the searing pain finally subsided, followed by a notification appearing:
[Synchronization Completion!]
[Khione is now listed as a Spirit Beast. You may now Call her.]
'Khione!' Jackson thought after dismissing the notifications as his snow leopard tattoo lost all vibrancy and faded as the image slowly changed until Khione was sitting on top of him, gazing upon him with bright blue eyes as she purred quietly.
A single paw reached up, brushing against Jackson's cheek affectionately before she walked back to sit next to his head and continued chewing away at his thumb again. She looked almost like a plushie toy rather than a real pet, cute enough to make someone want to pick one up if they weren't told otherwise.
He continued to pet her with one hand as she chewed on his other, bringing up her status screen:
[Name: Khione]
[Species: Winged Snowdrift Panther]
[Spirit Rank: Queen (Evolvable)]
[Spirit Trait: Inspire Loyalty]
[Spirit Level: 2]
[Affinity: Ice]
[Power: 17]
ραпdα nᴏνɐ| сom [Perception: 19]
[Stamina: 18]
[Speed: 21]
[Instinct: 30]
[Available Points: 0]
[Spirit Artes: None Registered]
Beast Spirits were categorized into five tiers: the weakest, Duke/Duchess, Prince /Princess, King/Queen, Emperor/Empress, and finally, the strongest, God/Goddess. 'Not a bad rank for my first pact, and she can increase her rank!' Jackson thought as he smiled down at Khione, stroking her softly.
Some Beast Spirits are capable of increasing their rank to the next tier, but not every beast is guaranteed one, and only their potential can determine if they can break through to a higher class.
Jackson inspected her Spirit Trait as another window appeared:
[Spirit Trait: Inspire Loyalty]
[Khione's presence alone is enough to increase the morale of her companions.]
[Rank: 1/5]
[ While summoned, all allies, including her, receive a 25% increase in all base stats. For each partner buffed in this manner, opponents suffer a 5% decrease in all stats. Each rank increases the power of the buff and debuff.]
Spirit Beasts did not start with any Spirit Artes, but they developed new abilities that suited their combat style as they grew more powerful. However the Climber utilized them in combat and allocated their points would determine how they would grow.
"She'd be really powerful if I was part of a Guild... Her affinity must have been the reason Flaming Dawn didn't form a pact her... If Viktoria ever found out I received her... She'd probably flip out even worse..." Jackson muttered to himself, shuddering at the thought of her reaction.
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