An Owl's Rise

"I see you have brought some friends with you this time." Lucia said curiously, looking between Bylur and Rehni.

She had been expecting Evelyn to be alone, but instead there were two other beasts with her.

At first, she was wondering if it might be some sort of ambush for her, but the addition of two low-tier awakened rank owls would not be any threat to her.

"Ah yes, we have another errand to attend to nearby and on the way, I figured that it would be best if I brough you the item I promised. I always make sure to pay my debts and you did save my life." Evelyn said, gratitude in her voice.

"Wait! You have already procured such a large storage magic tool. I was expecting it to take you at least a couple of years. It has only been around five months" Lucia said in shock.

When Evelyn had left, she was still only a low tier awakened rank, and the item that Lucia had asked for was something that normally only tyrant rank beasts could comfortably afford.

"Well, I did have to work very hard and take out a loan from my master, but I figured it would be best to secure the item for you as soon as possible. I do not like things like this hanging over my head. If I had put it off, I felt like I would have kept doing so for a long time."

After saying this Evelyn took the storage cuff she had recently purchased and held it towards Lucia.

With a quick glance at it to make sure that there was no sort of trap she took the cuff and attached it to her left arm.

"It works quite well. I can tell that the inscriptionists at the Roost are still quite talented." Lucia said after storing a number of random objects into her new magic tool.

And despite her doing her best to keep a neutral expression, a small, satisfied grin did appear on her face.

"I am glad that it is up to your standards. It was not easy to obtain but it was a small price to pay for still having my life."

Lucia, satisfied with the item, thanked Evelyn for going through the trouble of procuring it for her.

"Now that I know how punctual and trustworthy you are, would like to make a business deal with me?" Lucia asked, looking at Evelyn in a fairly favorable light.

Instinctively taking a step back, Evelyn was completely caught off guard by this request.

She had figured once she dropped off the storage magic tool that would be it. Lucia would head back into the Elmot Gorge, and they would never see each other again.

Now though it seemed that Lucia had other ideas.

"I mean we can, but I am not sure that I can really be of use to you. I managed to obtain that storage item after some grueling work and borrowing the extra funds that I needed. Obtaining items that are suitable to a peak tyrant rank beast like you is pretty beyond me." Evelyn said, a slightly worried look on her face.

"I understand that. There are just a few things that I need that are difficult for me to procure in the Elmot Gorge. You need not gather them in a timely manner as you did this time. I am patient and am willing to wait. In return I can offer you some of the excess materials I have. I believe that it will be a win win situation for us both." Lucia said with a smile on her face, trying to entice Evelyn to agree.

"Very well, I see no reason to turn you down. I am sure that a tyrant rank beast like you can obtain things that I could only dream about getting my hands on."

The deal struck Lucia asked Evelyn to come back in a few days after she had finished whatever errand she was on with Bylur and Rehni.

She had not been expecting Evelyn to return so soon and needed time to prepare a list fo things that she would want her to procure at the Roost, and a list of items she had to trade for them.

"Okay, we will be back around in probably four days or so. I will pick up the list then." Evelyn said.

Their business now completed, Lucia descended back into the Elmot Gorge and was gone from sight within just a dozen seconds. Seemingly eaten by the dark abyss.

"You really are impressive Evelyn; you spoke with that tyrant rank beast like and equal. I could barely keep my head up in her presence." Rehni said, a lingering tension still visible on her face.

With a single wave of her hand Lucia could have killed them all, and Rehni was hyper aware of this fact.

Just being in her presence was oppressive, and most awakened rank beast would not have been able to keep their heads up and look her in the eyes.

"Hm, I suppose her aura is a bit formidable, but it is nothing compared to Melisandre\'s. She did not have any hostility and was not trying to oppress us, so I did not really feel any pressure." Evelyn said, wondering why Rehni and Bylur seemed as afraid as they were.

However, as they explained it to her, she started to understand a bit better.

Normally it was expected for lower ranked beasts to act more subservient to upper ranked beasts, rather than treating them like equals as Evelyn had.

\'I suppose that it is just a difference in the way we think. I have my memories and experiences from back on Earth. It seems natural for me to treat anyone I am having a polite conversation with as an equal.\'

Shrugging her shoulders, Evelyn had no plan to change her ways, and unless a higher-ranking beast forced the issue, she was not going to correct herself.

"Now we should head to the Velinis Desert. We will find the magic spring there." Evelyn said before taking off.

The three of them swiftly flew through the sky towards their destination, and within a few hours as the sun was beginning to come up, they reached the entrance to the burrowing owl\'s home.

\'They have hidden themselves well. I can tell that there are four of them down there keeping watch, but their small size makes it difficult for me to pinpoint exactly where they are.\' Evelyn thought, staring down at the entrance.

Slowly she began lowering her altitude, leaving Bylur and Rehni up in the sky so as not to spook the burrowing owls.

Thankfully when she was within clear view, one of them flew out to greet her.

"Lady Evelyn, you have returned!" They said excitedly.

It was clear that their appreciation for her help in reclaiming their home was still strong, and this guard was more than happy to lead her and her friends inside without any hassle.

"Are you sure you do not need to speak with Otis first and get his permission to let us in?" Evelyn asked the guard who was happily taking her to the central chamber.

"Nope there is no need. He already informed all of us to show you inside as soon as you arrived. Even if you have brought your friends with you this time. It would be rude to have our savoir wait outside for something so trivial."

Soon enough the three of them had been brough to the central chamber of the burrowing owl\'s home.

There the magic spring was, softly gleaming from the slight illumination coming from the glowing crystals that protruded out of the ceiling.

"I suppose that is it?" Bylur said pointing a wing at the spring.

Nodding her head, Evelyn gave her acknowledgement and scanned the area.

She could see that a number of burrowing owls were in this room. Some looking at her with reverence, while others seemed curious.

\'I can guess that the ones that are looking at us curiously are those that have recently evolved. They certainly have raised their numbers a fair amount.\' Evelyn thought, seeing around a dozen new awakened rank burrowing owls.

Not long after they arrived, Otis along with Po came flying in. Both with elated expressions on their faces.

"It is good to see you again Lady Evelyn." They both said before bowing.

Watching all these interactions, Bylur and Rehni could not believe how subservient all of these burrowing owls were to Evelyn.

All she had said was she provided a bit of assistance to help them reclaim their lost home, but it must have been more than that with how all of the burrowing owls seemed to practically worship her.

"I see that you have brough some companions with you this time. Would you mind introducing them to us?" Otis asked after greeting Evelyn.

"Sure. This is Bylur and Rehni. The big snowy owl is Bylur, and the smaller one is Rehni." Evelyn said.

Otis then gave them a formal greeting and welcomed them as Evelyn\'s friends.

"I can assume that you are here to use the magic spring, and that will not be a problem. There are a few of our members that are exception to use it to reach the next tier, but I will keep the numbers down so that you and your companions may receive the best possible benefits." Otis said, more than happy to extend his aid to Evelyn.