Strengthening the Bond [Solo / Training]

"Ready or not, here I come...!" Rima shouted out, her delicate hands peeling from her face so she could see again. Both her and her dear companion, Basit, were playing their fourth game of hide-and-seek for the day. It was their way to pass time, as they didn't have much else to do during the day. Not since everything that had happened, that is. Not only was it fun for the both of them, but it also was helping the two improve their bond significantly.

The only issue Rima had playing hide-and-seek with Basit was, was the fact he used his camouflage to hide his presence almost perfectly. This forced the girl to have to rely on using magic to actually find him, by using her unique ability "Life-seek" to track down his aura. However, she would not start the game by using this spell right away. Instead, she would wait until at least an hour passed before relying on it. By doing this, Rima was greatly improving on her tracking abilities without even realizing it.

After a good bit of walking through a more heavily forested part of the path, the girl's eyes would finally focus upon on a few tracks left by the great beast. Seeing them made her chuckle, as she could remember when the beast was nothing but a small baby that latched on to her shoulder. It's not like Basit was very old either, the creature was but only a few weeks old still. However, the process at which it had grown was unlike any other beast's she knew of. Whether Basit was big or small, she was still incredibly proud of the creature. To think that she had actually raised it to this point by herself, creating a strong bond between them. It reminded her a lot of how Diana and Pluto was.

"Hey now, you're getting a bit sloppy at this." Rima would say with a smug smile plastered on her face, quickly investigating a few broken branches and a puddle of saliva she had found next to it. Basit was somewhere very close by, it was only a matter of time before she ran into him.

Powering through just a little more walking, Rima would eventually reach an open section of the forest which the river gracefully forked directly into. This would be a nice place to camp for the night, as it would also be the perfect place to draw out her friend's attention.

Unlatching the bag on her back, Rima would sling the vessel to the ground below. She would then swiftly attempt to retrieve something from one of the compartments, eventually pulling out a decently large bandaged morsel. Unraveling the paper around it, she unveil the stockpile of dried meats that she had picked up from the town prior. The purple-haired maiden knew for a fact that the scent would be strong enough to force Basit to her location. Sure, maybe it was cheating in a game of normal hide-and-seek. But obviously this was more then just a game. It was their way of training together.

Rima would slowly slip a piece of the jerkey into her mouth, letting the flavors sit on her tongue as she waited patiently. As expected though, it was only about a minute until Basit cracked. The beast would unstealth instantaneously, rushing towards his master at the speed of an average horse, eventually plopping down next to her on his back.

"There, there. Here, take some." Rima would coo, throwing a piece of the dried meat into Basit's drooling mouth. The magician couldn't help but laugh at how pathetic her partner truly was. Obviously the beast needed more training, as just the simple smell of meat and spices was enough to draw him out into the open. This was something they were going to need to work on. Perhaps that was the case for Rima too though, because odds are, she would come running into the open if someone was taunting her with delicious dried meat.


Time Skip...

The two had continued playing hide-and-seek for a solid two weeks straight. They would have about two hour naps in between sessions, in order to keep their energy levels up somewhat, but generally it was pretty much non-stop training and playing for the both of them. This would obviously take a massive toll on both of their bodies. So, once all of that was through and over with, they would take about two full days to rest up before traveling to the next village.

During this intensive training session, Rima had greatly improved her scouting / tracking capabilities, ability to hunt herself food, and companionship with Basit. As for Basit himself, he had not only become physically stronger, but also faster, and capable of producing a vapor-like substance from his lungs. This would prove to be incredibly useful in both battle and hunting for the duo.

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