57 Prototype(2)

Prototype of a Utility Tera?

Aaron had no time to even think about what this term meant, as the old man in the ground below had just gotten a smile on his face, before he glanced at the stands to match the gaze of the official.

The official chuckled, and the old man said, "I see you've been plotting behind my back with Gildart. Well, no matter."

Saying so, he held out his fist, and this time, a familiar Tera appeared on the ground.

It was the same pile of mud that had hardened before to block Anissa from coming out of the room, and as soon as it flashed into existence, it slid across the ground to the Giant Eagle.

In a maneuver that looked like it had been practiced many, many times, the mud slid up the legs of the Eagle which just stood there, unflinching, before finally reaching the spot where someone would sit if they wanted to ride the Eagle.

Aaron was puzzled as he saw this. Wouldn't it just burden the Eagle? What use could it have? He had expected the mud to also form a shield for the Eagle, or to transform into a weapon that could be used, so this action confused him.

"Scan that Tera. You can't scan the other one, anyway."

Aaron had expected as much, and this idea of information being kept from him was already starting to piss him off. Yet, without allowing it to affect him, he asked the A.A to scan, and as it listed the Teras that were present in his vision, he chose the one that was labeled 'Mud Monster'.

"Name: Mud Monster

Description: A very rare Tera that is born through methods that cannot yet be understood by anyone. Initially, it was thought to be a monster that is not capable of being Bonded with, and hence, this name was given. Even though this was overturned, the name was retained. Scientists posit that the monster might have evolved due to the fusion of some other Tera, animal or monster with mud, but no clues can be found regarding which one that is. This is included in the '108 Mysteries' of the World Government, each of which, when solved, will reward the one who managed to find the answer with one favor from a Monarch.

Type: Unclassified

Abilities: -Can harden various parts of its body at will.

-Can detach various parts of itself, which can be reassimilated into the main body later.

Potential: Elite

Combat Role & Rating: Support Role, 2-star rating."

"A star rating denotes how good the Tera is compared to the best in its Potential, and, by now, you must have guessed that the role is the one played by the Tera during combat. The rating is low, but the old man's Tera…is an exception."

Even as the Official spoke, the match had already begun.

Anissa looked like she had expected this action by her grandfather, and she had a very focused expression on her face as she kept her eyes on her opponent.

Meanwhile, the Giant Eagle on the other side yawned, and this made Anissa get slight anger on her face.

Instantly, with a flap of its wings, her eagle, Daisy, took to the air.

On the other side, the old man said, "Joro, old friend, have fun."

With a nod that almost looked human-like, the grizzled Giant Eagle flew into the air, too.

First, the two eagles began circling each other, and on the ground, the Tera Masters only kept their gazes on their opponents.

No commands were being shouted out, and Aaron understood that the Tera Masters were probably communicating with their Teras through the Bond.

As if she was done playing around, Anissa put her foot forward, and her Giant Eagle suddenly shot toward the enemy.

"You are too expressive. I already told you that a Tera Master should give no signs in a battle."

As the old man said this, Joro, as it had been called, did something that answered Aaron's question regarding why it had the Mud Monster on its back.

In a swift movement that was almost too fast to spot, it snapped its wing, and a spike shot toward Daisy, who was going too fast to do anything to dodge it.

It was aimed at its head so as to bypass the armor, but…as Aaron watched with wide-open eyes, the metal blob suddenly pulsed and grew to defend against the attack.

Thud!

With a loud sound, the spike impacted the metal and fell to the ground, while Anissa triumphantly said, "So what? You'll still lose."

"Oh, it seems that her training has been going well. This will definitely delight the mentor!"

As the official spoke with enthusiasm beside Aaron, the old man raised a brow and opted not to say anything.

He gave his answer in the air, though, as Joro agilely flapped its wings and rose, allowing Daisy to pass by without hitting anything.

The moment after that, though, it snapped its wing again, and another spike flew toward Daisy's back.

Joro had chosen the perfect moment when both of them were quite close together, so there was no time for the metal blob to react again and blob.

'Arrr!'

Making a painful sound, Daisy had to flap its wings furiously to right itself, as the momentum of the spike had made it falter in the air.

It didn't look like it was bleeding, but it was definitely injured.

"This old man won't go down so easy…"

As the old man laughed and said this, the Eagles began circling in the air again, which was when Aaron suddenly turned around to the sound of a door opening.

As a teenager started stepping down the stairs to reach where he was, Aaron blinked and saw that it was Edmond.

Edmond was different from how he had remembered him last. There was no more of the flustered teen who had been scared of being too late to save his parents. Instead, a confident man strode to him, who seemed like a completely different person from the one Aaron had first met in Skystead Hamlet.

Sitting down beside Aaron, Edmond smiled and got a difficult expression on his face, as if he was struggling to say something.

Finally, after a second, he mustered up the confidence and spoke his mind.

"Aaron, I am sorry, but I think I must ask whether it is possible that our agreement can be put on hold."