59 Phase 49: Potential

Dreamworlds is a psionic network that links the dreams of billions of people.

Colin is a Dreamer, one of those who put on the Dreamworlds Headband when they go to sleep and share their Dreams with each other in Dreamworlds.

Tonight, Colin Dreams in Nakama World, a Dreamworld where animals become the Comrades of humans. Comrades help Dreamers with all sorts of things, but are especially important to Travelers like Colin, who faces many dangers during his Journey.

It is the seventh night since Colin first joined Nakama World, a mere hour or two before dawn.

***

Colin called Abby.

"Colin!" Abby greeted him. "You're back! Where are you?"

"Maro Airport." He answered. "Satrox said to help fight the Frenzieds. What do I do?"

"Get to HQ at Maro City. Shinji is running flights from there to our Forward Command Post."

"Forward Command Post?" Colin echoed. "Where's that?"

"A burnt out spot just a bit south of Sunshine Ruins. Some farmer went so far as to dig a pond here large enough for Shinji's Storm Swan to land or drop crates into. That's why we're using the place; it's easy for cargo drops."

Colin stared. "Abby… are you talking about…"

"Yes, Colin. It's the place you and Katrin used for a Home Base before the Green Men blew it up. It's where Edward's Farm used to be."

Colin wasn't sure how he felt about that. On one hand, he knew they had good reason to choose that location; Sunshine Town, according to the news, was the most badly hit and needed the most attention. Having the pond just outside the danger zone was a huge advantage.

On the other hand, it was going to be painful. That site was a place of many memories. He was there when they dug the pond; Shiro had taken command of their joint Comrades to dig it in record time. Edward and Katrin were his first new friends in Nakama World. They'd often ask him to bring things back from his Travels, like seeds and Tames useful for farming. He had trained with them and stayed with them for many nights.

"Did you contact Edward?" Colin asked slowly. "About using his land?"

"Yeah. We're renting the place while he has his vacation. He seems to like the water in Hot Springs Village."

{Renting it… well, I guess that's fair. It's a way for him to profit even before he rebuilds. IF he ever rebuilds. After everything he's been through, he might just decide to find another place to Farm or quit farming entirely.}

"I'll get there as soon as I can." Colin said.

"How's Katrin, by the way?" Abby asked next. "She was hit extremely hard, wasn't she? Satrox put in a DRIFT request for her. We approved a 5k DRIFT for her ten minutes ago."

"A what…?"

"DRIFT. Disaster Relief Instant Fund Transfer." Abby told him. "She was a Blue Badge before she lost all her Comrades by enemy attack, so we'll likely give her a second, more reasonable DRIFT later, but right now we've got a list of hard-hit personnel reaching to my knees, so five thousand Clira will have to do. It's enough for her to get a decent 6-stage Comrade from any Home."

"6-Stage Comrade?" Colin blinked, even as he waited with a line of others at the bus stop. The shuttle to Maro City was arriving this very minute. "You mean a Comrade that has reached its 6th Stage of Growth?"

"No, I mean a Comrade that can grow as far as 6 Stages before its growth stops." Abby said. "The kind that stops growing after level 50. Something like a level 10 Watergull, Arachnid, or Flying Squirrel."

"That's… not much." Colin said.

"It's a step up from a level 5 Starter Comrade. We'll send more later, but she'll have to make do for now."

Colin sighed. "Abby… I gave Katrin half my Comrades."

"You… what…?" Abby trailed off.

"I'm back to Yellow Badge now."

Abby fell silent as the shuttle arrived, hovering five inches over the ground. About thirty people got off, a few of them accompanied by Comrades.

Colin got on with his four Comrades. Three of them were cubs; Shiro sat on his right shoulder, Raiki on his left, while Sonia was carried in his hands. The only one that took up space was Kirin, the Storm Swan hatchling, already up to Colin's waist when she stood up.

"That's… very generous of you, Colin." Abby said.

"I owe her." Colin said briefly. "She gave me her strongest Comrade to save me, once. I owe her for other things too."

"I… see." Abby said. "Look, Colin, come find me when you arrive at the Forward Command Post. I'll talk to you then."

"Sure."

***

Kirin was delighted to see her mother again, even though they just saw each other last night. Rain, Shiji's Storm Swan, happily greeted her daughter, and then they were off.

Colin remembered something important as he boarded the container behind the saddle on that huge swan. "Hey, Shinji… can you…"

Rain took off with one powerful beat of her wings and both the ground and Colin's stomach fell away in an instant.

"…take it… slow?" Colin winced.

Too late. Rain already flapped a second time and zipped towards the mountains so fast, Colin thought his heart was going to stop right there and then.

"Why?" Shinji asked, looking at him curiously.

"I…" Colin gulped as Rain crossed the mountains. "Uh…"

"You okay, Colin?" Shinji queried as Rain took a dive that left Colin's heart in his throat. Colin struggled but barely managed a few squeaks before Rain swooped low over to the pond where he had first met her and Shinji.

"Colin?" Shinji asked, as they made their landing.

"Never mind." Their entire flight from J-Knight HQ at Maro City took just a minute. Getting on and off itself took as long.

Colin was shaking as his feet felt solid ground again.

"Oh. Well, it's a busy night. I should get going. Bye, Colin."

"Bye." Colin said, still shivering.

It took another minute or two to recover. Once he settled his nerves a bit, though, Colin took a look around at the remains of the farm he used as his Home Base during the first few nights he'd spent on Nakama World.

It wasn't as painful as he thought. He half-expected to get flooded with nostalgic memories, but this place didn't look anything like the Farm that had been here just last night.

There was {nothing} left. Not even the barns or the fences. The entire area had nothing but scorched earth. There was no trace of the farmhouse or the fields or the orchards. If not for the pond, Colin wouldn't believe that this place used to be Edward's Farm.

Oddly, he found his fist clenching. "Those Green Men…"

They really bombed this place out. Yellow spheres of energy, the report said. They didn't make holes in the ground when they exploded but they burnt everything.

The J-Knights had set up base here – people were putting up facilities and structures even as Colin asked around for Abby. He was pointed to a rather large tent that had a crew of Comrades working to build walls around it.

"Abby?" Colin called as he entered.

Abby and three others in light gray-and-blue J-Knight armor were sitting in a rough square at the center of that tent. Holo-projectors had no less than six separate screens up and open in front of her desk while she compared lists, data and applications.

"Colin, come in." Abby said, tilting back her cowboy hat over her long brown hair,then eyeing his Comrades with both chocolate-colored eyes and a frown. "You're one of the weakest knights we have in the area, but Satrox says the Comrades you brought have their own share of surprises. Can you show me a Summary?"

Colin called it up.

.

https://imgur.com/4kXCLQO

.

Abby stared. Her jaw dropped.

"What?" Colin asked, getting worried.

"This is impossible." She whispered.

"What?" the other three Coordinators around her turned around and took a look.

"No WAY!"

"I don't believe it!"

"You've GOT to be kidding!"

"What's wrong?!" Colin was getting very worried now.

"This!" Abby poked the sheet of light hanging in front of her and Colin with her finger, even through her hand went right through it harmlessly. "This can't be!"

"Why not?" Colin had to ask.

"J-87…? That's one of Professor Jijin's!"

"M-4 and M-5?! He's bringing Michi's breedings around?!"

"The Storm Swan comes in third?!!"

Abby shook herself. "Guys, may I?"

Her three colleagues subsided and turned back to their work. Colin felt sure, however, that they were paying close attention to whatever he and Abby said. "What's the matter?"

"Colin… where did you get these Comrades?" Abby asked first. "I'm not talking about the Lynxmouse. Tell me about the other four."

A call came through. Abby glanced at it and frowned. "Hold on a second."

Colin waited as she tapped her watch and took the call. "Yes?"

"Abby! Send help!" someone was yelling. "The Amber Mammoth here is tearing up our front lines! We can't hold it! Everything we throw at the thing just gets trampled!"

"Figure it out yourself!" Abby barked. She cut the link with a sigh, turning back to Colin. "Where were we?"

"Um… you wanted to know where I got these Comrades." Colin reminded her.

"Yes. Do tell." Abby said.

"But aren't you busy? I mean, with all the fighting…"

"Spill it!" Abby ordered.

Colin gulped. "Okay. Shiro was my Starter Comrade."

"WHAT?!" four voices blurted simultaneously.

Colin looked at them suspiciously. "Why do you keep saying that? Why are you all so surprised?"

"Colin…" Abby said slowly. "Do you know how this Summary list is sorted?"

"In order of potential, Edward said. At least, he said it was one possibility."

"I'm pretty sure it is." Abby agreed. "You remember what I said about 6-Stage Comrades and growth?"

"You didn't tell me much." Colin pointed out.

"Okay. Let's see if I can explain it…" Abby drew a deep breath.

Another call came in. Abby took it, holding up a finger to ask Colin to wait a minute. "Yes?"

"Abby! This Dune Scorpion's killing us! It…"

"Deal with it!" Abby barked, and cut the link. She turned back to Colin. "Where were we?"

"You were explaining about potential and 6-stage Comrades."

"Ah. Yes. Well." Abby scratched her head."You know how some Comrades mature faster than others, right? This Lynxmouse of yours, for example, has stopped growing at level 10, with only 4 stages of growth, having very few levels between stages. Meek is a 4-Stage Comrade, one that matures very fast, but has already reached her limits. Where is she, by the way?"

"I left her with Katrin. She's about to give birth."

"Ah. Well. Anyway." Abby took a deep breath. "For Comrades, the more levels between the stages, the slower they mature, the farther along in growth they can eventually achieve. 3-Stage and 4-Stage Comrades are considered to have Very Fast growth and little potential. 4-Stage Comrades stop growing at level 10."

Colin nodded. "Okay. So Meek's never going to get stronger. I get that."

"5-Stage and 6-Stage Comrades are said to have Fast growth. Most starter Comrades are 5-Stage or 6-Stage. Like I said earlier, the 6-Stage Comrades stop at 50. It's a decent level, and the growth doesn't take too long."

Another call came in. Abby paused to take it again. "What is it?"

"It's that Blood Vine! It's taking over half the ruins!"

"Just back off and handle what you can first!" Abby barked, cutting the link. She turned back to Colin. "Where was I?"

"You were talking about how 6-Stage Comrades were decent."

"Decent, yes. But the average, in my opinion, would be the 7-Stage Comrades. Most wildcats around Sunshine Forest have 7-Stage potential. Actually, a lot of Wilds the world over have 7-Stage potential. These max out at level 100."

"From 10, to 21, to 50, to 100…" Colin whistled. "There's a big gap in between their potentials."

"Yes. Exactly." Abby said. "Now, many types of Wilds have a certain rare type of their breed, or an elite of their kind. The Princess and Queen Megants, for example, are considered elites."

Another call bugged Abby. "Yes?!"

"Abby! That purple beaver's wiping us out! It took out both my bears with one flick of its tail! Nobody said anything about a fire-breathing Royal Beaver that shoots lasers from the eyes and shatters houses with sonic screams!"

"Evade it!" Abby ordered. "Just handle what you can first, and leave that one for the Seven Champions!"

"Right!" the guy cut the link.

{Purple Beaver…?! That sounds like Velvet…}

Abby let out a long, sad sigh. "A Royal Beaver gone Frenzied. It's such a waste."

"It's a tragedy." The sandy-haired guy directly opposite Abby agreed. "Who let {that} happen?"

Colin said nothing.

"Well, that Royal Beaver, for example." Abby told Colin. "That's one of the elite of its kind. I'm betting it's 8-Stage."

{Velvet WAS at the very top of Katrin's list.}

"That sort of elites grow slow, but have the capability of reaching seriously powerful levels. I've seen Sonic Wolves grow past level 170 and still continue to grow. I've no idea when they stop growing."

"Sonic Wolves are 8-Stage Comrades?" Colin glanced at Sonia, sitting in his hands even now.

"Yeah. That cub is going to grow Slow." Abby agreed. "But she'll be able to become stronger than most of my Comrades, one day. I've got a few 8-Stage Comrades myself, and waiting for them to mature is a pain, but it's worth it."

"I love the 8-Stage Comrades. It takes time and effort to find them, train them, and raise them, but to me, it's all worth it. Half my Comrades are 8-Stage elites." The sandy guy behind Abby added.

"Too slow for me." A girl with black braids and big glasses noted from Abby's left. "I prefer the Very Fast growth types. I'll challenge you to an all-out fight any day. Let's see your precious few elites deal with a hundred Green Hornets."

"You're on!"

"Not now, guys." Abby groaned. "Where was I?"

"8-Stage elites." Colin reminded her. "But I thought Sonic Wolves were common in the Forest of Legends."

"The Forest of Legends…" Abby shook her head. "It's a dangerous place, Colin. I wouldn't go in there without an army."

"I've heard that before." Colin remembered.

"But if you're nuts enough to try it, the rare Wilds in a place like that should be 9-Stage types." Abby said. "That cub in your hands, the one called the J-87 Enhanced Sonic Wolf… if Jijin played a part in breeding her, I'm betting she's a 9-Stage instead of an 8-Stage."

Colin nodded slowly. "She's level 20 and still a cub."

"Exactly. She grows that slowly." Abby paused. "Colin, I think she can become an Ancient."

"A what…?" Colin blinked.

"You know how Comrades mature from Cubs or Hatchlings to Juveniles, then to Adults, and later, to Elders?" Abby said. "For 4-Stage Comrades like your mouse, they change from one to the next every stage they grow. For the average 7-Stage Comrades, they change from one to the next every two stages. 9-Stage Comrades like Sonia here are able to grow two stages past Elders, to another stage of maturity that no Comrade below 9-Stages can possibly achieve. These are called Ancients."

"Probably because it takes so long to raise them to that stage." Big-glasses girl threw in. "Feels like a hundred years."

"You're saying that I have four Comrades that can, one day, become Ancients." Colin realized.

Abby nodded slowly. "As a matter of fact, yes. But let's go on to 10-Stage Comrades. For example, Rain, Shinji's Storm Swan."

"Kirin's mother." Colin nodded.

"She's one of the most powerful Comrades I've ever seen. Last time I checked she was over level 250, and still hadn't reached her 9th Stage of growth yet. Shinji's Storm Swan, Zoe's Unicorn, Lord Geoffrey's Imperial Steed… all these have the potential to reach 10 Stages."

"Over level 250…" Colin felt dizzy. "That's a really, really long way off."

"It gets worse, Colin." Abby told him. "Until tonight, I thought that was the ceiling. I thought 10-Stage Comrades were the slowest growing and highest potential creatures on Nakama World. But here, we find proof that it's otherwise."

"Proof…?" Colin blinked.

Abby pointed to Shiro and Raiki's levels. "Colin, Shinji's Storm Swan was a 3rd Stage Juvenile by the time she hit level 26. But Shiro and Raiki…"

Colin realized it then. They were already 30 and 35, yet they were still cubs.

"Whatever they are… they have the potential to go beyond 10th Stage."