Chương 131: Chapter 23: Storm Within- Part I

The Adventurer's Guild is quieter than I expected when Darran leads us into one of the smaller rooms behind the main hall. The noise of the Guild does not disappear completely once the door closes, but it becomes distant enough that the voices outside blend into an indistinct murmur. I can still hear footsteps passing beyond the room and the occasional scrape of furniture against the floor, reminders that the Guild continues with its usual business despite the rather unusual reason for my being here.

Gale follows me inside without needing to be called, his claws making a soft tapping sound against the wooden floor before he settles near my side. He has been watching me ever since we entered. More specifically, he has been watching the pouch hanging from my belt. I have noticed it several times already, the way his attention keeps drifting toward it whenever I stop moving.

He does not seem restless, exactly, but there is a curiosity in his expression that reminds me of the first time he encountered something he wanted but did not yet understand. Darran notices it as well. He takes his usual place behind the desk and watches Gale for a few moments before his eyes settle on me.

"He knows something is in there," Darran says. I glance down at the Hollowmane, "I think he does." Gale's ears twitch at the sound of his name, though his gaze remains fixed upon the pouch. I cannot help but smile slightly before reaching for it. The leather is worn from travel, I loosen the fastening and take out the beaststone, holding it carefully between my fingers before placing it on Darran's desk. The stone immediately catches the light.

It is not particularly large, yet the amount of mana contained within it is difficult to ignore. Pale blue-white veins run through its darker surface, branching irregularly beneath the crystalline exterior. They do not actually move, but the energy within them gives the impression that they might whenever I shift the stone in my hand. There is something distinctly different about this beaststone compared to the ones I have encountered before.

The corrupted stones carried an oppressive presence that seemed to linger even when I stopped touching them. This one feels clean and focused. The lightning affinity within it is unmistakable. Gale takes a step toward the desk. Darran notices but says nothing. I look at the beaststone again, remembering the last time Gale consumed one. At the time, I had not fully understood what I was witnessing.

His reaction had been violent, and the changes that followed had been gradual enough that I might have overlooked them if I had not been paying attention. By the time we returned to Fallowspire, however, his body had become slightly longer, the muscles beneath his shoulders more defined and the mane around his neck thicker.

Later, Lorcan had explained what I had actually seen: magical beasts with strong enough constitutions could consume beaststones, absorbing some of the concentrated mana within them and using it to accelerate their natural growth and strengthen abilities they already possessed. That experience had given us one important piece of knowledge. Gale could do this. His affinity had already been established as well, so there is no uncertainty about whether the mana within this particular stone is compatible with him.

The uncertainty lies somewhere else entirely. We know what happened once. We do not know what will happen when the beaststone carries an affinity that matches Gale's so closely, nor do we know whether the amount of mana contained within this one will produce a greater reaction. I reach for the beaststone and Gale immediately moves closer. I crouch down until we are nearly at the same height and hold the stone out toward him.

He approaches cautiously, though there is no hesitation in his movements once he recognizes what I am offering. His nose touches the surface, and he remains there for several seconds, breathing in the scent and the mana contained within it.

"You want it?" I ask quietly. Gale looks at me. Then he looks at the stone. I hold it out another inch. He opens his jaws and takes it. For a moment, nothing happens. Gale closes his mouth and swallows the beaststone with surprising ease. He then looks back at me, and the expression on his face is so ordinary that I almost wonder whether we have made too much of the whole thing. Darran watches him from behind the desk.

"Maybe this one will be uneventful." I am about to answer when Gale's entire body stiffens. A faint crackle passes through his fur. My smile disappears. The Hollowmane's legs spread slightly as his claws press against the wooden floor. Another spark travels along his shoulders, followed by a second that runs beneath the thick fur around his neck. Gale lowers his head, and his breathing becomes heavier as the mana begins moving through him. I take an instinctive step forward.

"Wait," Darran says. I stop and the lightning intensifies. It does not erupt outward so much as move beneath Gale's body, searching through him. Pale strands of energy appear between the individual hairs of his mane before disappearing again, only to emerge somewhere else moments later. His muscles tighten visibly beneath his fur, and a low sound escapes his throat.

"Gale." His ears twitch, but he does not look at me. Another surge runs through him. This time he cries out. The sound makes my stomach tighten. I have heard him growl, hiss and snarl before. I have even heard him cry out in fear when he was still little more than a helpless cub, but this is different. His body is struggling against something powerful moving through it, and for a brief moment I wonder whether we have misjudged the situation entirely. I move forward again. Darran catches my arm.

"Don't touch him yet."

"He's in pain."

"Maybe," Darran says, keeping his eyes on Gale.

"But look at him." I do. The lightning is still moving through his body, but something has changed. Gale is no longer resisting it. His breathing remains heavy, yet his muscles are beginning to relax between each surge. The energy is no longer scattering randomly through him. It is following his mana, moving along paths that seem increasingly natural with every passing moment.

"He's adapting," I say. Darran nods. Another pulse passes through Gale and his body shudders; his shoulders rise. For a moment, I think he is simply tensing again. Then I realize that he is getting larger. The change begins so subtly that I almost doubt what I am seeing. His limbs stretch by degrees, his torso lengthening as the muscles beneath his fur become more pronounced. His paws press harder against the floor as his weight increases, and the mane around his neck begins to thicken.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. The transformation has begun. And this time, unlike before, Gale is not simply becoming slightly larger. He is growing into something new. The change continues slowly enough for me to witness every stage of it. There is no single moment when Gale suddenly becomes larger. Instead, his body shifts little by little as the lightning mana works through him.

His legs lengthen first, giving him a different stance, followed by his torso and shoulders. The compact proportions of the Hollowmane cub gradually disappear beneath the development of a stronger, more mature frame. I remain close enough to intervene if something goes wrong, but I keep my hands to myself. Darran does the same. Neither of us speaks for several minutes. The only sounds inside the room are Gale's breathing and the occasional sharp crack of lightning escaping his body.

His mane continues to grow, spreading farther along his neck and shoulders. The fur becomes thicker, framing his head and giving his face a more mature appearance. His shoulders broaden as the muscles beneath them develop, and his entire body becomes heavier. It is strange watching something grow so quickly. Gale has always been small enough that I could lift him when necessary. Even after the Veyrakh's beaststone, the change had been modest. This is different.

Every time I look away and then back again, another part of him seems to have changed. Yet beneath all of it, his mana remains stable. That is what matters most. The lightning no longer feels like something forcing itself into his body. It has become part of the flow moving through him. The pale energy travels along his shoulders and forelegs, occasionally slipping between his claws before fading away. Each time it happens, Gale watches it, but there is no longer any fear in his movements.

He is learning or perhaps his body is learning for him. Darran finally breaks the silence.

"He's handling it better now." I nod.

"The mana is settling."

"Then we made the right decision."

"I hope so." Gale suddenly lowers himself to the floor. I tense immediately. His body trembles once, then again, before becoming still.

"Gale." He opens his eyes and looks directly at me. There is no confusion in them, no fear. He knows me. I release the breath I had been holding. Darran notices the same thing.

"He's still himself."

"Yeah." I crouch beside Gale. Only now do I realize just how much he has changed. The small Hollowmane cub I knew is gone. In his place is a Hollowmane larger in every proportion. His legs are longer, his shoulders considerably broader and his body heavier. His mane has thickened into a prominent ruff around his neck, while the muscles beneath his fur give him a strength that simply was not there before. He looks at me as though waiting for my reaction.

"You've gotten big," I tell him. Gale's ears move. Darran lets out a quiet laugh.

"That may be the understatement of the day." I reach out and place my hand against Gale's shoulder. The difference is immediately apparent. The muscles beneath his fur are much firmer than before, and there is a faint warmth beneath my palm that I don't remember feeling previously. More importantly, I can sense the lightning mana moving through him. It no longer feels like something foreign that his body is trying to reject. It belongs to him now. Gale turns his head and presses it against my chest.

The movement catches me completely off guard. His weight is considerably greater than it used to be, and I have to shift my footing to keep from falling backward. Darran laughs as I steady myself and look down at Gale.

"Definitely stronger." The Hollowmane seems satisfied with my assessment and, after giving me one last look, pulls away and begins making his way around the room. His first few steps are noticeably awkward, and it does not take me long to understand why. His body has changed enough that even something as familiar as walking no longer comes naturally to him. His legs are longer than before, his shoulders carry considerably more weight, and the shift in his centre of balance forces him to adjust to every movement.

He manages several steps before turning too sharply, only for his shoulder to catch the edge of a wooden chair and send it scraping across the floor. Gale immediately stops and looks back at the chair, as though trying to understand what had just happened. After a few seconds, he turns his head toward me, and the expression on his face is enough to make me bite back a laugh. Darran, however, makes no such effort. He folds his arms and looks at Gale with the faintest hint of amusement in his eyes.

"You're going to have to learn how large you are now." Gale turns toward him, his ears shifting back slightly as he gives Darran a look that makes it abundantly clear that he does not appreciate the observation. That finally breaks whatever restraint I had left, and I laugh quietly before reaching out toward him.

"Give him some time." Gale responds with a short snort before turning away from us, apparently deciding that neither of our opinions deserves any further consideration. He takes a few more careful steps, this time paying considerably more attention to where he places his paws, but before he can get much farther, a faint spark suddenly travels through the thick mane around his neck. My amusement disappears immediately. Darran notices it at almost the same moment.

The spark does not vanish as quickly as the ones we saw earlier during the transformation. Instead, it lingers for a brief moment, travelling through the thicker fur around Gale's neck before branching downward toward his shoulders and disappearing beneath his coat. Gale seems to feel it as well, because he stops mid-step and turns his head toward his shoulder, trying to understand the unfamiliar sensation moving through his body. Darran's expression becomes thoughtful.

"That wasn't happening before."

"No." Gale lifts one of his forepaws cautiously, turning it slightly as though trying to understand the unfamiliar strength within it. Almost immediately, a tiny arc of lightning jumps between two of his claws. He lowers the paw in surprise and watches the last trace of energy disappear; his attention fixed upon the place where the spark had been. After a moment, curiosity gets the better of him and he raises the paw again, and this time another spark forms between his claws.

He does not pull away from it, though his eyes remain fixed on the flickering energy as it dances briefly across his paw before fading. I take a slow step toward him, careful not to crowd him while he is still learning what his body can do.

"Easy," I say quietly, and Gale lowers his paw as though understanding the warning. The last traces of lightning disappear beneath his fur, leaving the room quiet again. Darran watches him for a moment before turning his attention toward me.

"He'll need training." I nod, already reaching the same conclusion. Darran continues, "Not only with the lightning. His entire body has changed. His balance is different, his strength is greater, and even his reach has increased. Until he learns how to control all of that, he could hurt himself without meaning to, and the same could happen to anyone who gets too close to him during a fight."

"He'll learn," I say. Darran studies me for a moment before asking, "And you'll teach him?" My eyes move back to Gale. He is standing near the center of the room; his attention once again fixed upon his forepaw as he flexes his claws and watches the faintest trace of energy move beneath his fur. There is something almost uncertain in the way he examines himself, as though he is trying to understand a body that has changed faster than his instincts could adapt to it.

"Yes," I answer. The word comes naturally because I cannot imagine giving him any other answer. Gale has been with me since the day I pulled him from that Rask nest, and whatever this transformation eventually means for him, I have no intention of leaving him to figure it out alone. The beaststone may have accelerated his growth and given him strength that would otherwise have taken years to develop, but it has not given him the knowledge of how to use that strength.

That will come with time, patience and practice, and knowing Gale, probably after he has broken more than a few pieces of furniture along the way. I walk toward him and place my hand against his mane. The fur is considerably thicker beneath my fingers than it was before, and Gale lowers his head without hesitation, allowing my hand to settle against the side of his neck. The simple gesture eases something inside me that I had not realized was still tense.

His body may have changed, his strength may have increased, and there may now be lightning moving through his mana, but the creature leaning into my hand is still the same Hollowmane I rescued from that Rask nest. He looks up at me, and for a moment I simply meet his gaze. Still Gale, just no longer a cub.