TBATE - The Help of a Certain Being

Kuro

"Woah..."

As we stepped out of my rift, our eyes were covered in a blanket of light, forcing us to shield our sight as they adjusted.

"This place is..."

"It's impressive. This is almost as cool as how you beat up Geist," I joked, clenching my fist as the mana around us had somehow been passively entering our cores.

"It seems you will adjust just fine here, but what of your companions, Kuro?" Ren walked up to us.

"They'll be fine if I'm here.  By the way, I see your little friend's done some work. I can sense condensed mana inside of those ten's ears."

I pointed to the mages which stood next to a bespectacled man with a lab coat.

"And it seems polymorph isn't without your abilities," I commented, paying a momentary glance to the man.

"Ren. The boy has keen senses, it seems." The man's form changed to that of a wolven beast.

"The real question here is why did you bring us here?" Nico asked from behind me.

I turned and shrugged my shoulders. "Because why not? I'm not sure why you would think I wouldn't get you acquainted with a race just as old and powerful as the Asura's of Epheotus."

"Oh, right. Those people," Arthur grumbled slightly to himself.

"Ren. The boy seems to have a dislike with the Asura's. What have you done this time?"

"He happened to be acquainted with Lady Sylvia. I told him of our history with her."

"Yeah, Arthur's not exactly happy with the Asura's, but it's not like he has a choice to be picky. They don't exactly like the Vritra either, so they'll be acting as temporary allies."

"A truce means nothing to a person like Kezess, boy. He can sever connections at any time he chooses." The man crossed his arms.

"Call me Rizem. I am the lead artificer on this continent and the reason why our forces now have mobile communications."

He presented a small case with earbuds inside.

I grabbed the case, examining the buds. The buds themselves had a simple design, likely for a one-size-fits-all foundation.

But the buds contained a unique distribution of mana and some other energy I couldn't recognize.

"You weaved something into the mana." I tore my gaze from the bud in my hand.

"And it also seems you've got some sort of nanotech inside too; was it designed to fit weapons and armor of any choice?"

He chuckled. "That's correct. I'm impressed you could see through my design despite only being able to use mana."

I winked, a sly smirk on my face. "I've been known to learn fast."

I closed my hand, focusing in an attempt to replicate the weaved energy that flowed throughout the buds.

I could feel my mind leave my body, an ethereal realm appearing as I opened my eyes.

"Uh... this is new."

As I looked around, the space that surrounded me began to gain color. The black room changed to a simple cabin in the woods.

I peered out of the window into the trees.

It looked normal, yet it felt so ominous, I couldn't help but bring my attention back to the cabin's interior.

"Alright then. I guess that's fine."