To say that Rae was excited about the car ride was an understatement. The Bloodbath Spider naturally wanted to travel to spread their brood and find a mate, and as they gained intelligence, that instinct turned into a form of wanderlust.
Being able to cover this much ground in one day was wonderful for the young spider, who watched everything from the safety of her growing nest within the low trees and bushes that Karl was creating in the space for her.
On the other hand, Thor had no interest at all in the scenery. He was content to munch all day long as long he was certain that he wasn’t being left behind. Even compared to Rae, he still had a lot of growing to do. Most of her size would come from her long legs, with a comparatively small body, so she was going to reach full maturity before he would, but he also had a solid and durable body to form with armoured plates that needed time to solidify.
Hawk was more eager to get back and show Dana their new friends. She had two Golems now, but Karl had three pets. They weren’t outnumbered anymore, and with the amount that Thor was growing, they wouldn’t even be the physically smaller team for long.
It was a good thing that the Lightning Cerro was content to remain within his safe space because he wouldn’t be able to wander around the balcony for long.
Karl was more worried about Dana’s response to Rae. The Bloodbath Spider was a sensitive soul, and having someone be terrified of her at first sight would be a heavy blow. Not everyone was terrified of spiders, but monstrous spiders the size of a small table might be a different story.
They drove through the day, and classes were long over by the time that they made it back to the Academy. From the direction that they arrived, Karl realized that they had actually detoured around to the far side of the area by nearly fifty kilometres because there was only one road leading in and out of the Academy, and it ran alongside the railroad tracks.
Keeping the Academy isolated was best for both safety and security, but he hadn’t realized how remote this region was until he was paying attention to the trip during the daytime.
“Alright, everyone will need to fill out a mission report for the morning, and this one is going to be significantly longer than usual, with the progress that was made. I will let you all rest for now, and see you all later.” Alice instructed the others while looking at Karl to ensure he knew that meant him as well.
The Academy and the Government would naturally want to know all about the new pets, as well as the backlash from bonding two when his mind was only ready for one weaker pet.
Normally, he would omit the speculative parts when he made a report, but this time it seemed important enough not to skip, so he added it to his report, along with a note about how trying to bond a fully grown monster might be a disaster if it was significantly more powerful than he was.
Not to mention that fact that if it wasn’t significantly stronger than him as an adult, then bonding it would be a mistake, as it would hinder his growth.
A brisk knock at his door after dinner alerted him to a visitor, and Karl let Dana in, noticing how he looked a bit panicked and exhausted.
“What happened? Did they come up with new training for you as well?” Karl asked as she flopped down on the bed.
“You could say that. The choreography and singing teachers have decided that we’re not paying enough attention to them with all the cutbacks in their allotted time. They have to split the afternoons now, and they have been prohibited from issuing homework, as Jill decided my magic is more important than their department’s plans.
So, they’re going crazy every day to pack everything they want me to learn into the time that they have.” Dana explained, staring at the ceiling.
“Have you eaten? I can grab something and bring it to the room. I have some new friends after this trip, and they could use a bit more variety in their diet.” Karl suggested.
“I did. Jill brought something to the end of choreography class, and I ate before coming over. I think that she’s trying to pull me out of the classes entirely, but someone senior to her isn’t going for it.”
Karl smiled. “In that case, would you like to meet someone? She is a lovely fuzzy Bloodbath Spider, and she likes meeting people, but not in the bright sunlight.”
Dana smiled. “You bonded a spider?”
He nodded. “And a Lightning Cerro, but he’s sleeping right now. Rae is growing more smoothly, and she wants out to explore the room.”
Dana nodded, and Karl brought the spider out to sit on the bed next to her.
The two stared at each other for a few seconds, then Dana smiled and Rae moved closer, as if to get a better look at her.
[So, this is a juvenile female human? She’s cuter than the other ones. Tell her that I say hello.] Rae instructed.
“Rae says hello. I’m not sure if you can shake hands safely, given her claws, but she’s very friendly.” Karl explained.
“Do you know about magic? I need to study some spells, and it was too loud in my dorm for that. It was great for focus training, with the random explosions from the neighbours rooms making it harder to keep the spell stable, but for reading, it is just distracting.” Dana asked the spider.
[I know about magic. Lots of animals use magic. What is reading?]
Karl briefly explained the concept of books, written language and learning from recorded information, which shocked the young spider.
[That is great. You don’t even need them to be nearby to learn from them. Books are good. I will watch her technique.]
Karl laughed. “She’s still quite young, and hasn’t seen enough books to learn to read yet, but she wants to watch you. I need to meditate to improve the power level in her mental space, but you two are free to work.”
Rae ran out onto the balcony and disappeared into the foliage, then followed Dana to the gazebo and began admiring the hammock before creating one of her own from webbing. Bloodbath Spider web was very versatile. It could either be flimsy enough that the smallest of disturbances would break it and alert the spider in its web, or it could be strong enough to hold a hundred kilogram monster in place despite attempts to escape.
What she used this time was the stronger kind, but without the stickiness, so that she could more easily move about and watch the reading process below her.
Karl settled in to meditate, listening to Rae’s reactions as she admired the pictures in the book and contemplated what the runes would mean. Dana was narrating things to her, thinking out loud, as she worked on the assignment to improve her spell formation speed.
Rae wasn’t much help, as she only knew one ability, but the moral support seemed to be helping the two of them bond.
With Rae outside, it also reduced the strain on his mind a little, as she was burning her energy and not using his to actively grow. Karl realized that this would be a great advantage to him, and he worked much harder on her space, getting it further ahead of Thor’s space, in balance with the progression speed of the two species.