Delight surged through Anser.

‘A Rare Wondrous Item!’

Rand did not even have a mount of his own, yet he had given Anser a magic item capable of bonding an otherworldly steed. How thoughtful. How generous. The very picture of a warmhearted man.

‘Wait. Did his steed die?’

Following a paladin was certainly dangerous. Rand might have lost more than one steed already. Otherworldly beings could perhaps sense the traces left by a soul bond, and they might have “blacklisted” him by now.

The Otherworldly Steed property resembled Find Steed, the 2nd-level spell unique to paladins. Find Steed worked by compulsion, however, and the summoned creature was more like a particular magical being whose strength depended on the spell slot’s level.

Anser gripped the holy symbol, unable to wait another moment. He rose and walked behind the trees so the refugees would not see him.

Bratt and Finn did not know what he intended to do, so they stood guard nearby in silence.

Anser held the holy symbol before his chest. After silently praying that it would not call some bizarre species, he poured his innate magic into it and activated the item.

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

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

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

‘Looks like I can’t choose carelessly. An Evil-aligned creature might cause trouble, while a Good-aligned one would come with too many restraints...’

After considering it for a moment, he selected the Feywild.

At his command, an invisible ripple passed through the holy symbol and quietly reached into the other plane.

He did not really understand the process and could only wait patiently.

Several minutes later, a simple, innocent consciousness brushed against his mind through the holy symbol, curious yet tentative.

Anser immediately learned its identity: an unusual horse. Apparently, the holy symbol sent requests only to creatures that met the requirements for a “steed.”

After a while, several more minds answered the summons. There were deer and goats, but none were particularly strong, and none could fly.

‘Strength rules the animal kingdom. Maybe the powerful creatures don’t think I’m worthy.’ He sighed inwardly.

The magical effect was about to end, so Anser had to choose quickly. Of course, he could also give up and try again tomorrow.

After some thought, he decided not to wait any longer. Trusting his instincts, he chose the unusual horse that felt closest to him and activated the holy symbol to forge a magical bond.

Threads of magic wove themselves into an intricate arcane pattern. It branded both minds, binding them closely together.

‘Come!’ Anser called softly.

Several seconds later, a black stallion emerged from the void without warning and raced around the woodland twice in sheer delight.

It then trotted up to Anser and lowered its head, meeting his gaze with enormous blue-black eyes.

‘Hello. My name is Anser.’

They were communicating through Telepathy, unhindered by language or species. A thought was enough, and the maximum range was roughly 2 kilometers—a mile and a quarter.

He stroked the horse’s face. It felt tough and cool beneath his hand. Instead of hair, its hide was covered in scales so fine they were almost imperceptible.

‘Do you have draconic ancestry?’ he asked in surprise.

The black horse shook its head and sent back a guileless thought. ‘Born this way.’

‘What’s your name?’

The black horse tilted its head and thought for a long time. ‘Nornoth?’

‘Ha! Then I’ll call you Nornoth from now on.’ Anser thought its intelligence was a little lacking, but that was hardly the most important quality in a horse.

He circled Nornoth and found that the steed was exceptionally tall. Its shoulders stood nearly 2 meters—about six and a half feet—high, while its head rose 2.5 to 2.6 meters, well over eight feet. Its ears were long and pointed, and its entire body was covered in black scales nearly invisible to the naked eye, gleaming faintly blue beneath the sunlight.

A row of heavy, sword-like plates grew along its neck. When spread, they formed a fan that protected its body.

A blunt protrusion rose from its forehead like a battering horn. It was only a few centimeters—an inch or two—long, but as hard as iron.

Its tail was long and slender, ending in a flattened, conical point. Pitch-black and solid-looking, it appeared capable of delivering a powerful blow.

The die turned and displayed Nornoth’s statistics.

[Name: Nornoth]

<Creature Type>: Fey (Large)

<Level>: 0

<Experience>: 0

<Hit Points>: 35

<Alignment>: Chaotic Neutral

[Strength: 18]

[Dexterity: 14]

[Constitution: 16]

[Intelligence: 6]

[Wisdom: 11]

[Charisma: 13]

<Life Bond>: When either master or steed regains Hit Points, the other regains the same number of Hit Points. Life Bond ceases to function if they are more than 2 meters (about 6 feet) apart.

[Fey Ancestry]: Magic can’t put Nornoth to sleep, and he has Advantage against the Charmed condition and psychic magic.

<Otherworldly Slam>: Nornoth’s attacks deal an additional 2 + 1d8 (1–8) Psychic damage.

<Fey Step>: A spell-like ability. Nornoth teleports himself and his master to any location within 120 feet (36 meters). Once per day.

Unlike the others, Nornoth’s character sheet was remarkably detailed.

‘Maybe it’s because of the soul bond,’ Anser speculated.

He touched Nornoth’s horn and asked in astonishment, ‘You’re actually a Fey?’

He knew about faerie dragons, but this was his first time seeing a fey horse. Nornoth looked strange, yet undeniably magnificent and powerful.

A fey horse was a Fey, while a faerie dragon was a Dragon. Creatures in this world were wonderfully peculiar.

Nornoth’s ability scores were excellent. Aside from his painfully low Intelligence and average Wisdom, none of them were poor.

His traits and actions were practical as well. Otherworldly Slam was even stronger than Anser’s Sorcerous Burst, though it could be used only in melee.

Fey Step was an exceptional escape ability. Even if they accidentally fell into an abyss, they might still teleport to safety.

Overall, Nornoth’s combat ability was comparable to that of a novice classed individual.

Although he had not bonded the flying mount of his dreams, Anser remained delighted. He circled Nornoth, touching and examining him from every angle.

Nornoth thought Anser was playing and pranced back and forth excitedly.

Bratt and Finn stared, dumbfounded.

Bratt stepped closer. “This is...”

“His name is Nornoth. He comes from the Feywild, and he’s my steed. Heh...” Anser had not stopped smiling once.

When Nornoth saw the two approaching, he snorted and pawed the ground twice, clearly resistant.

Anser hurriedly soothed him. ‘They’re my companions. This is Bratt, and this is Finn.’

The two men could not hide their envy. Only someone traveling the wilderness could understand the value of possessing a mount, much less a fey steed.

Bratt stared in wonder. “He’s so tall—and beautiful.”

“Impressive,” Finn said succinctly.

Nornoth understood Common. He raised his head slightly, and his gaze toward them softened considerably.

“We’re going for a run.”

Anser waved to Bratt and Finn, then clambered onto Nornoth’s back. He carefully gripped the steed’s neck plates and sent a thought. Nornoth set off at a brisk walk.

Anser had never ridden a horse and had no saddle. His legs clamped tightly around Nornoth as he half-sprawled across the steed’s back, trembling with nerves and looking thoroughly undignified.

Fortunately, man and steed were linked in mind, and Anser possessed good balance and coordination. He soon began to understand the pleasure of riding.

Nornoth was so tall that Anser had a broad view from his back. His body rose and fell with the steed’s gait while the breeze rushed against his face, giving him the sensation of dancing freely or flying just above the ground.

He did not return to the woodland until more than half an hour later.

Bratt approached. Nornoth no longer treated him with hostility, but still refused to let him touch.

“Ah, why doesn’t he like me either?” Bratt looked both envious and wounded.

Anser tied their backpacks together and secured them to Nornoth’s back. “He just isn’t familiar with you yet...”

“All right.”

The group set out again, this time traveling light and with far greater ease.

Nornoth was powerfully built. Even carrying Anser and more than 100 kilograms—220 pounds—of baggage, he moved with light, steady steps.

D&D uses a multiverse comprising the Material Realms, Transitive Planes, Inner Planes, and Outer Planes.

1. Material Realms:

Material Plane: Most D&D adventures take place on the Material Plane.

Feywild: This vibrant, idealized realm overflows with life and emotion, forces that reach their greatest intensity within its Domains of Delight.

Shadowfell: This gloomy realm encompasses bleak wastes, haunted ruins, and the infamous Domains of Dread.

2. Transitive Planes:

Astral Plane: This endless silvery expanse connects the Material Plane to the Outer Planes.

Ethereal Plane: This ghostly realm connects the Material Plane to the Inner Planes.

3. Inner Planes:

Elemental Plane of Air: Winds and clouds sweep through an endless sky filled with floating islands.

Elemental Plane of Earth: A labyrinth of caverns winds through stone and limitless mineral deposits.

Elemental Plane of Fire: An ever-burning inferno where life flourishes upon volcanic islands.

Elemental Plane of Water: Mysterious marine life fills this bottomless ocean.

Elemental Chaos: At the edges of the Inner Planes, elemental forces collide in incomprehensible turmoil.

Para-Elemental Planes: Along the boundaries between the Elemental Planes, elemental powers converge into the Planes of Ash, Ice, Magma, and Ooze.

4. Outer Planes:

The Abyss, Acheron, Arborea, Arcadia, the Beastlands, Bytopia, Carceri, Elysium, Gehenna, Hades, Limbo, Mechanus, Mount Celestia, the Nine Hells, the Outlands, Pandemonium, and Ysgard.

(End of Chapter)