Fairy Horse

Anse's heart jolted with excitement.

"A rare Wondrous Item!"

Land didn't even have a mount of his own, yet he was giving Anse a magical item that could contract a Planar Mount. How thoughtful and generous—he was the perfect sweetheart.

"Wait, could his mount have died?" Anse suddenly wondered.

Following a Paladin around was certainly dangerous. Perhaps Land had already lost more than one mount. Extraplanar creatures might be able to sense the trace of a soul contract. Maybe they'd already blacklisted him.

A Planar Mount was much like the Paladin-exclusive second-circle spell Find Steed. But Find Steed was compulsory, and the creature it summoned was more like a specific kind of magical being, whose strength depended on the spell's circle.

Clutching the holy symbol, Anse couldn't wait another moment. He got up and walked behind a tree so the refugees wouldn't see him.

Brat and Finn had no idea what he was up to, so they quietly stayed nearby and kept watch.

Anse held the holy symbol against his chest. First, he silently prayed that he wouldn't summon some bizarre species. Then he poured in his innate magic and activated the symbol.

The next moment, he felt his mind being drawn into the holy symbol. One hazy plane after another appeared in his perception.

Dreams, despair, chaos, wilderness, joy, vitality, warmth, kindness, malice, madness...

Anse knew a little about the planes. The two closest to him were probably the Feywild and the Shadowfell, both of which were part of the Material Plane.

"Looks like I can't just pick at random. An evil-aligned one could cause trouble, while a good-aligned one might be too restrictive..."

After a moment's thought, he chose the Feywild.

At his prompting, an invisible ripple used the holy symbol as a conduit and quietly reached into another plane.

He didn't really understand the process, so all he could do was wait patiently.

A few minutes later, a hazy consciousness gently brushed against his mind through the holy symbol, full of curiosity and hesitation.

Anse immediately learned what it was: a Strange Horse. Apparently, the holy symbol only sent requests to creatures that qualified as mounts.

After a while, several more consciousnesses responded to the summons. There were deer and sheep, but they were all fairly weak and couldn't fly.

"It's survival of the fittest in the animal kingdom. Maybe those powerful creatures don't think I'm worth their time," he sighed to himself.

The spell was about to end, and Anse had to choose soon. Of course, he could also give up and try again tomorrow.

After thinking it over, he decided not to wait any longer. Trusting his instincts, he chose the Strange Horse that seemed most drawn to him and used the holy symbol to establish a Magic Contract with it.

Threads of magic intertwined, forming a complex pattern that branded itself onto both their minds and bound them closely together.

"Come," Anse called softly.

Seconds later, a black stallion emerged from thin air without warning and galloped around the forest clearing twice in delight.

Then it trotted over to Anse, lowered its head, and looked him in the eye with its large, blue-black eyes.

"Hello, I'm Anse."

This was Telepathy. It ignored language and species, allowing them to communicate with a mere thought. Its maximum range was about two kilometers.

He gently stroked the horse's face. Its skin felt firm and cool beneath his hand. It wasn't covered in hair at all, but in incredibly fine scales.

"You have Dragon Bloodline?" He was surprised.

The black horse shook its head, sending him a simple, honest thought. "Born this way."

"What's your name?"

The black horse tilted its head and thought for a long while. "Noronos?"

"Haha, then I'll call you Noronos from now on." Anse thought it seemed a little dim, but for a horse, that wasn't the most important thing.

He walked a circle around Noronos and found that it was absurdly tall. It stood nearly two meters at the shoulder and was two and a half meters tall at the head. Its ears were long and pointed, and its entire body was covered in black scales so fine they were nearly invisible to the naked eye, shimmering faintly blue in the sunlight.

A row of heavy plates like sword-shaped spurs ran along its neck. They fanned out to protect its body.

A blunt, hornlike bump protruded from its forehead. It was only a few centimeters long, but hard as iron.

Its tail was long and slender, ending in a flattened, conical tip. It was pitch-black and looked powerful.

Just then, the Dice turned gently, displaying Noronos's attributes.

[Name: Noronos]

"Race": Fairy (Large)

"Level": 0

"Experience": 0

"Health": 35

"Alignment": Chaotic Neutral

[Strength: 18]

[Dexterity: 14]

[Constitution: 16]

[Intelligence: 6]

[Wisdom: 11]

[Charisma: 13]

"Life Link": When the owner or mount regains health, the other regains the same amount. The Life Link breaks if they move more than two meters apart.

[Fey Ancestry]: Noronos cannot be put to sleep by magical effects and has advantage on saving throws against being charmed or affected by Enchantment spells.

"Mind Strike": Noronos's attacks deal an additional 2+1d8 (1–8) psychic damage.

"Fey Step": Spell-like Ability. Noronos can teleport itself and its owner to any location within 120 feet (≥36 meters), once per day.

Unlike before, Noronos's Character Sheet was quite detailed.

"Maybe it has something to do with the soul contract," Anse speculated.

He touched Noronos's hornlike bump and exclaimed in surprise, "You're a Fairy?"

He knew about Fey Dragons, but this was the first time he'd seen a Fairy Horse. It looked peculiar, but was undeniably magnificent and imposing.

A Fairy Horse was a Fairy, while a Fey Dragon was a Dragon. The creatures in this world were just that wondrous.

Noronos's attributes were quite good. Its Intelligence was painfully low and its Wisdom was average, but the rest of its attributes were all high.

Its traits and abilities were quite useful too. Mind Strike hit harder than Anse's Sorcerous Burst, though it could only be used in melee.

Fey Step was a life-saving ability. Even if it accidentally fell into the Abyss, it might still be able to teleport back out.

All things considered, Noronos's combat strength was comparable to that of a novice Professional.

Although he hadn't contracted the flying mount he'd dreamed of, Anse was still very pleased. He circled Noronos, petting it and examining it from every angle.

Noronos thought Anse was playing with it and excitedly pranced back and forth.

Brat and Finn stood off to the side, stunned.

Brat took a couple of steps closer. "What is that...?"

"His name's Noronos. He's from the Feywild, and he's my mount. Hehe..." Anse's grin was impossible to suppress.

Seeing the two approach, Noronos snorted and pawed the ground twice, seeming a little wary.

Anse hurried to reassure him. "They're my teammates. This is Brat, and this is Finn."

The two were visibly envious. Who could understand the value of having a mount out in the wilderness, let alone a Fairy Horse?

Brat exclaimed in amazement, "He's so tall. And beautiful."

"Magnificent!" Finn said succinctly.

Noronos understood Common. He lifted his head slightly, his gaze softening as he looked at the two.

"Let's go for a couple of laps."

Anse waved to Brat and Finn, then clambered onto Noronos's back. He carefully held on to the plates on his neck. At a thought from Anse, Noronos began walking briskly.

Anse had never ridden a horse before, and there was no saddle. He squeezed his legs tightly around Noronos and lay half-prone across his back, trembling with nerves and looking rather ungainly.

Fortunately, the two could communicate telepathically, and Anse had a decent sense of balance and coordination. Little by little, he began to enjoy riding.

Noronos was so tall that Anse could see far and wide from his back. His body rose and fell with the horse's movements as the breeze rushed against him, making him feel as though he were dancing freely and flying just above the ground.

After riding for more than half an hour, he finally returned to the clearing.

Brat came over. This time Noronos didn't treat him like an enemy, but still wouldn't let him touch him.

"Aw, why doesn't he like me either?" Brat felt both envious and miserable.

Anse tied everyone's backpacks together and put them on Noronos's back, then comforted him. "He just needs time to get used to you..."

"Alright."

The group set off again, traveling light this time, which made the journey much easier.

Noronos was strong and sturdy. Even with Anse and more than a hundred kilograms of luggage on his back, he moved with a light, steady stride.