Redo: Grimoire System in the Apocalypse

Geth stepped out of the Dungeon once more, walking into the light and straight to where Kane was lying. The silver Direwolf watched him curiously while the others were pacing or shaking off the effects of the drug.

"So, what's the situation?"

'She's curious about you, but I can't guarantee that they will join us. They haven't exactly had the best first impressions of Humans.'

"Well, Humans certainly didn't receive the best first impressions from you Direwolves either."

Kane lowered his head to the ground and placed his paw over his eyes. He was right... Kane could still remember their first meeting.

"Something I've been curious about... Why don't you or Bane hate me? I forced you into becoming a Tame. Outside of the harsh methods, it doesn't seem much different from Enslavement to me."

Kane recovered from his former embarrassment and looked at Geth thoughtfully. He didn't realize that the man was unaware of how Taming worked.

'Your method of Taming is different from Enslavement. If I chose not to allow you to Tame me, then I would have broken free.

Many things happen within those thirty seconds. For the first fifteen, it's all about our willpower against your Wisdom.

At the start of the second fifteen seconds, we are shown glimpses of your memories.

If those memories appeal to us, we can choose to follow you. If they don't, and we are still struggling at the end of the time frame, the Formation breaks... though, we are weakened and will likely die after.'

"Really? Then what made you decide to follow me?"

'The way that you feel about your pack.'

Geth faltered after hearing that. What did he mean by pack?

As far as he was aware, he'd always been somewhat distant... until recently. He could think about it some other time.

"What about the Tames that I've given to others?"

'Once we have chosen to obey you, we are bound to the card that you carry. If you give it away, we have to trust that you've made the right decision.'

Once again, that answer left Geth at a loss. His thoughts of Taming creatures for trade withered away.

'That isn't exactly how it works,' Albus stated. 'Though, it could very well be like that from the creature's perspective.'

'Is all magic so... subjective?' Geth asked.

'Well... yes. Magic and the control of Mana works differently for every Race, even if the foundation remains the same.'

Geth looked toward Kane and the female wolf once again. Then he had another thought.

'Can any Race be... Tamed?'

'Any Race can be Enslaved. Your method of Taming can be used on almost any Race. Ancient treaties accepted by the Mana protect Humans, amongst other Races, from most methods,' Albus answered.

'I see.'

Again, he gained some knowledge, but with this knowledge came more questions!

Treaties with the Mana? What was that? Were there other types of magic that had similar limits? What if one could bypass this treaty? Is Mana sentient enough to make agreements?

Geth really didn't feel as if he knew enough. That feeling only grew worse the more he learned.

'Master, she would like to speak with you.'

He glanced up to where Kane was now standing. The female wolf had wandered over and was staring at him curiously.

Her fur was pure white, and she was around a foot shorter than Geth. Much smaller than many of the other wolves lazing around.

If it weren't for the peculiar pressure that she was giving off, Geth would think that she was the weakest of the bunch.

The wolf sniffed around him, her face scrunching up the more she did. After a few minutes of inspection, she lifted her paw toward him.

Geth looked to Kane for an explanation.

'Sorry, take her paw into your hand. She will make a connection so that the two of you can... somewhat understand each other.'

Geth nodded and reached out.

His hand brushed against the paw of the wolf. A shock passed between the two, surprising Geth as he felt their minds become linked.

It wasn't as prominent as that of his and his Tames or even as straightforward as the Mana Resonance. 

When he concentrated on his mental sphere, he found that there was a minute orb floating just outside of his third sphere. It was pure white and didn't seem to be very substantial.

Geth was almost afraid that connecting with his Mana would cause the feeble globe to disperse. Still, he reached out with a tendril of liquid Mana from his reservoir.

He had the Mana gently wrap around the sphere. Not only did he want to connect with it, but he also wanted to ensure that it was blocked off in case of any possible surprises. 

As he sent a thread of Mana into the orb, a foreign presence entered his mind. It wasn't a voice like that of Kane or Albus... but it seemed that he could understand the wolf's intentions.

Thus, their "conversation" began.

Geth felt that the she-wolf's curiosity would have to be satiated before they could have a proper discussion. He looked at the young wolf and tried to think of the best way to describe what happened through feelings.

Luckily, he found that images and memories could be willingly shared through the connection, so the process became simple.

He shared images of the chained up Sub-Bosses and Bosses that they'd found... hesitantly showing the earlier slaughter of thousands of her brethren.

She seemed angry and resentful at first. But as he included the necessity of taking over the Dungeon to protect his 'pack,' her bitterness diminished, albeit only slightly.

Geth could feel the emotions passing through their connection. The wolf felt pain, sorrow, and finally, fear upon realizing that all of this had been done by one creature.

Feelings of betrayal and guilt arose when she heard the Wolf King's explanation of what had captured them. She shared an image with Geth of her leading a seven-foot-tall wolf-man to the entrance of the Dungeon.

When Geth tried to understand why he found out that the Beast had been injured and weakened from... something. Once it recovered, it must have captured the Boss and Sub-Bosses to increase its power.

After hashing out some details, the she-wolf agreed to follow him and to work with his 'pack' on two conditions.

One, he had to guarantee shelter, relative safety, and fair treatment for her remaining brothers.

Two, she wanted help finding and ending the wolf-man who had betrayed her family.