"Alright, Ken," Lloyd called out, breaking the quiet hum of the morning. His voice sounded younger than he felt, a constant source of internal dissonance. "Appreciate you meeting me here."
Ken inclined his head fractionally. "Young Lord. How may I assist?" His voice was the usual flat baritone, betraying nothing.
Lloyd gestured towards Fang, who rose fluidly to his paws, stretching with a predator's liquid grace that hinted at terrifying speed. "My Spirit partner," Lloyd began, choosing his words carefully. "He's undergone some… development. I require an assessment. A practical evaluation of his current capabilities."
He saw Ken's gaze sweep over Fang. Professional assessment, devoid of surprise or curiosity, though Lloyd couldn't help but wonder what the stoic bodyguard really thought of the wolf's dramatic glow-up. Had Ken noticed the near-overnight transformation? Probably. Did he care why? Unlikely. Duty was Ken's operating system.
"I need a sparring partner for him," Lloyd continued. "Someone strong, controlled. Someone who can provide a genuine challenge without necessarily aiming for incapacitation." He paused, meeting Ken's steady gaze. "Your Spirit, Ken. Redborn. Would you be willing to summon him for a brief session?"
Okay, here we go, Lloyd thought internally, a flicker of nervous energy mixing with anticipation. Asking the Arch Duke's top bodyguard, a man whose power level is probably several tiers above mine even with my hidden tricks, to use his main Spirit for a glorified dog-and-pony show. He half-expected Ken to politely decline, citing security protocols or the inappropriateness of using a high-level Spirit for such a mundane task.
But Ken Park simply nodded again, the movement economical, precise. "As you command, Young Lord. Redborn can provide adequate resistance for assessment."
No questions. No hesitation. 'Adequate resistance.' Lloyd mentally chuckled. Understatement of the century. He knew Redborn. From fragmented memories of his first life, from whispered rumours among the estate staff, from the sheer weight of Ken's own power signature. Redborn wasn't just 'adequate'; it was a walking siege engine with a fiery temper.
"Manifestation level only, of course," Lloyd added quickly, just to be safe. "No need for… advanced forms today."
"Understood," Ken confirmed. He took a half-step back, creating more space. His hands remained loosely at his sides, but Lloyd felt the subtle shift in the air around him, the gathering focus, the thrum of Void energy specific to Ken's lineage mixing with the nascent call to his Spirit Core.
Okay, Fang, Lloyd sent a silent thought towards his partner, feeling the wolf's heightened awareness respond instantly. Showtime. Let's see what that hundred-coin bonus skill can really do.
Ken made no grand gestures, uttered no arcane words. He simply closed his eyes for a brief second, and the ground before him seemed to darken, radiating heat. The air shimmered violently, like looking over scorching pavement on a summer day. A low, rumbling sound emanated from the distortion, growing rapidly into a bass snort that vibrated in Lloyd's bones.
With a final, explosive shimmer, reality seemed to tear, and Redborn solidified into existence.
The creature was immense. Easily twice the size of a normal bull, its body was a powerhouse of corded muscle covered in thick, reddish-brown hide that seemed to absorb the sunlight. Steam puffed from its flared nostrils with every powerful exhalation. Its eyes were intelligent but held a core of primal fury, glowing faintly like embers. And sprouting from its broad forehead were two massive horns, wickedly sharp, dark as obsidian but seeming to pulse with an inner heat. The air around Redborn instantly grew warmer, carrying the faint scent of sulfur and hot metal. This was Ken Park's Spirit partner. A literal force of nature, grounded and brutally powerful, the perfect embodiment of controlled destruction.
Lloyd felt Fang tense beside him, not with fear, but with instinctive, primal challenge. The lightning energy humming around the wolf intensified, crackling faintly, a stark contrast to Redborn's earthy, fiery presence. Air versus Earth. Lightning versus Fire. Speed versus Brute Force.
"Impressive as always, Redborn," Lloyd commented aloud, mostly to fill the sudden, heavy silence.
Ken opened his eyes, his gaze fixed impassively on his spirit. "Redborn is ready, Young Lord."
Lloyd remembered Redborn's abilities from hazy fragments of memory and deduced knowledge. Fireballs launched from its mouth, concentrated beams of heat lancing from those formidable horns. Raw, destructive power. In its Ascension form – which Ken thankfully wouldn't use now – Redborn became a towering, burly, middle-aged man, still horned, capable of wielding fire magic with terrifying proficiency. Manifestation-level Redborn was challenge enough for today.
He focused back on Fang. "Alright, Fang," Lloyd commanded, his voice ringing with newfound confidence. "Engage. Attack pattern alpha!" (He didn't actually have numbered attack patterns, but it sounded suitably commanding, he thought).