CH.7 Comrades
After a very stressful couple of months I could finally have a good night's sleep, letting shade out of the system after so long she seemed ready for a fight but was surprised by the fact that there was no enemy to face instead we were in a strange building that she wasn't familiar with. Smirking at her confusion I patted her head before heading the king-sized bed, the blankets were light, the pillows were cold to the touch and the bed formed around me, it was like the bed was made perfectly for me. Shade who was still confused walked towards the bed before plopping down beside me, she laid her head on my shoulder while I pet her side. The smooth green skin was an improvement to what it was when I first made my contract with her, when I first made a contract with her her skin was rough to the touch and was very uncomfortable when she laid next to me when going to bed. As I laid there I could only think about the results of the test, if the mercenaries can pass my test then things can progress faster than anticipated but we'll see.
The night passed quietly and quickly thanks to the bed the system provided, these conditions were night and day compared to the island which I started on. I fed Shade then made myself some breakfast and coffee before heading downstairs where three individuals were waiting, beside them were six creatures unique in their own right however three of these creatures were beaten so bad they were on their last breath. Sighing at this sight I walked up to them giving them a burst of healing energy before turning my attention to the healthy creatures. Two of the creatures complimented each other instantly, the first creature was an ape shaped monster with ice attributes. The other monster was a pure black monster that hid in the darkness, if not for its glowing purple eyes I wouldn't know it was there. The third creature was a Falcon with steel like feathers, it sat in its cage silently waiting for its moment to strike. The system responded to each monster in kind.
[Name: Glacier Ape
Rank: 1 (3/4 conditions met for evolution)
Type: Ice/Strength
Skills: Ice Control LV 2, Enhanced Strength LV 1, Intimidation LV 1]
[Name: Shadow Fiend
Rank: 2
Type: Darkness/stealth
Skills: Shadow manipulation LV 2, Stealth LV 3, Ambush LV 2]
[Name: Steel Falcon
Rank: 2
Type: Metal/Wind
Skills: Wind control LV 2, Flight LV 3, Harden LV 3, Sharpen LV 4]
'System I want a description of these creatures and see their potential.'
[Name: Glacier Ape
Potential: Great
Details: An Ape that lives on glaciers, it controls the ice around it to immobilize its prey before using its incredible strength to crush their prey, be aware that without the hypnotic drugs within its system this creature would be extremely aggressive and would enter a frenzy for being taken from its home]
[Name: Shadow Fiend
Potential: Extreme
Details: a shadow fiend is considered the weakest of the fiend family however it is also the deadliest, it manipulates shadows and darkness around it causing it to vanish from even the most keenest of eyes before ambushing its prey, note that without the hypnotic drugs within its system it would have eliminated all life within its field of vision]
[Name: Steel Falcon
Potential: Evolving
Details: A steel Falcon is the king of the sky's and one of the most aggressive bird type monsters in the world, for every Falcon that has been killed over 100k hunters died, the number is doubled if captured, please note that the hypnotic drug keeping it calm is about to wear off]
Turning my head to the mercenary responsible for bringing in these monsters my heart couldn't remain calm as I finally noticed the mercenary was a female in addition to that not human. The mercenary was dressed in dark leather armor that formed to her figure perfectly, she had two short swords hanging on her waist along with several vials of what I could only guess to be poison. Her face had a gentle expression on it with a calm and warm smile, her eyes were violet in color which reflected my figure perfectly, her hair was raven black and shined from the stores lighting, on her forehead were two horns that curved upward slightly. I couldn't remain calm no matter how hard I tried; sure, she was a beauty but what set her apart was her skill, I gave everyone twenty-four hours to capture two creatures within the cities outskirts and yet she captured three monsters, each was monster among monsters. Compared to the other two mercenaries and their monsters she truly was a diamond in the rough.
"You have exceeded my expectations, though I have to ask why you captured a third monster?" (Me)
"It is a gift to my employer, I can only sense one monster linked to you so I brought another along that would be quite useful in your endevors." (Female Mercenary)
"Well I thank you for that though can you please administer more of the hypnotic poison, the effects are wearing off." (Me)
"Of course, please step back." (Female Mercenary)
While she was administering the poison, I turned to face the other mercenaries, both of them looked burly dressed in iron armor. One had a great sword while the other had a short sword and tower shield, their gear was in disrepair however it could still do damage to common monsters. The man with the great sword had a monkey beside him, when I first saw the monkey its gut was cut wide open along with its arm and leg missing but thanks to my healing it was back to full health however it sat in its cage staring at the mercenary with bloodshot eyes. The other two creatures were a deer that had spear-like antlers, next to it was an armadillo the size of a cow, both of them had lacerations on their bodies when they first got here but their injuries weren't as bad as the monkeys. The deer and armadillo weren't dying from severe injuries instead they were dying from blood loss, I gave the mercenaries this test so that they can acquire partners which would be very beneficial to them. The pact between tamer and monster negates the natural hostility for a human however it has limits, the deer and armadillo won't be a problem however the monkey will.
[Name: Spear Deer
Realm: 2
Skills: Charge LV 2, Danger Sense LV 2, Detect Herb LV 2]
[Name: Soft Shelled armadillo
Realm: 2
Skills: Roll LV 2, Iron Stomach, Detect Mineral, Dig LV 2]
[Name: Nimble Monkey
Realm: 1
Skills: Deft Hands LV 1, Swift LV 1, Night Vision]
There have been countless times in which a tamed monster turns on the tamer because of past grievances. For the deer and armadillo, it was simply nature for them to submit to the stronger force however unlike them the monkey was basically tortured and then put on display so it is now a safety risk to make a contract between the monkey and mercenary. Sighing at this development I turned towards the female mercenary which was finished administering the poison to the falcon.
"You and the mercenary with the tower shield passed my test however the mercenary with a great sword didn't." (Me)
"Really?" (Shielded Mercenary)
"What did I do wrong?!" (Great sword Mercenary)
"First you didn't follow my instructions and did a half-assed job, second you caused the monkey to resent humans, I don't know what you did to it but you over stepped your bounds when capturing it." (Me)
"It's just a filthy beast what does it matter if it hates me or not!?" (Great sword mercenary)
"Shade please come down here for a second." (Me)
As soon as I said Shades name, she appeared before me, her sleek wooden skin shined under the lights, her tail sweeping back and forth while her eyes glazed over each of the mercenaries and the monsters before her. The mercenaries were all stunned by the sudden appearance of shade, the female mercenary showed more curiosity than anything while the mercenary with the tower shield showed caution. The mercenary with the great sword showed hostility and arrogance towards Shade but I restrained Shade by placing my hand on her head. Unlike the mercenaries all of the monsters in the room showed an expression of admiration though the deer had a mix of fear in its expression as Shade stared at it the longest.
"Monsters are a part of this world and if treated carefully they could be your greatest ally; sure, hunters can grow stronger by absorbing the energy in monster cores however they will never have the natural abilities that monsters have. As a monster breeder I can and will make the strongest monsters this world has ever seen, as my mercenaries each of you will be tamers yourselves however now that your monster resents you I can't in good conscience make a contract between the two of you. In return for your efforts I will pay for the monkey at full price." (Me)
"Fine keep the damn beast, I can find a better employer anyways." (Great sword Merc)
The man stormed out of the building leaving me with my new mercenaries and their soon to be familiars. The monkey might resent humans right now but sooner or later I will find a partner for it, I just need to bide my time. Now that my mercenaries have been chosen, I taught both of them the process of making a contract with a familiar, while they were making their contracts, I made a contract with the falcon which instantly showed its results.
[Steel falcon has become your partner]
[You have reached your limit on taming contracts]
[New quest has been generated]
[Name: Advancing
Type: Evolving
Details: you have reached the limits of your body, now you need to take the next step, reach level 2]
[Realm 3 elite evolution recipes have been unlocked]
'System why did the recipes unlock just now?'
[Because every level allows you to evolve 2 monster realms, one when you first reach a stage and the second when you are at the pinnacle of a level]
'Well that's interesting to say the least.'
"Lord, we are finished with our contracts." (Female mercenary)
"Alright, before we continue, I'd like to know your names." (Me)
"Yes, my lord, you can call me May." (May)
"And you can call me Frank my lord." (Frank)
"Well lets get down to business then; as you can see this floor is the business area where I will spend most of my time when in the city, the second floor is residential which you can use any way you see fit, families can also live here. Finally, the top floor is my room, if I'm in the city and you can't find me down here you can find me up there. Food, medicine, and clothing will be covered by me and you will be paid and rewarded depending on your actions. Every realm you enter I will evolve your familiars twice, once when you enter it and another when you're at its pinnacle. Now are there any questions?" (me)
"What do you mean our families can live here?" (Frank)
"All benefits that you have will also extend to them; even the evolution part, you can share a room or pick several rooms for your families it doesn't matter either way. In addition to those benefits while we are away your families will be protected as long as they are within this building, the protection array that I set up is automated and will protect its inhabitants from any hostile entities." (Me)
"What about our familiars?" (May)
"That's your decision, you can keep them with you or keep them in the pens on the left side of the first floor." (Me)
"What exactly will we be doing?" (Frank)
"It will depend on the situation however you will mostly be collecting materials for me and protecting me, be aware that I am very hands on when it comes to my work so when it comes to collecting materials I will be going out with you though depending on the conditions that we are placed in you will be doing the collecting." (Me)
"What happens if we want to quit?" (Frank)
"You will sign a contract with me which will keep you from relaying any of my secrets to a third party and you will be given a final payment as thanks for your services. In addition to this any equipment you have acquired up until then you are allowed to keep as well as any familiars, when it comes to advancing your familiar you will also get a 5% discount for being a former employee." (Me)
"Are there any restrictions placed on us?" (May)
"Other than your secrecy and loyalty there are none, are there any more questions?" (Me)
"I don't have any." (Frank)
"None my lord." (May)
"Very well; You start tomorrow, put your affairs in order, we will be advancing our familiars as soon as possible along with getting better gear." (Me)
"Understood!" (Both)
My new underlings left while I put the monkey in one of the kennels; though it still had hate in its eyes it followed my instructions obediently which rewarded it an extra serving of food. If not for the fact that I already had two familiars that aren't compatible with it I would make it one of my familiars when I advance to the next stage. Sighing as I gave one last look to the monkey, I turned towards the falcon who was perched on the railing leading upstairs, at the moment it was having a staring contest with Shade. Both of them were elite creatures that had very few rivals where they came from but now both of them found their counterparts. Shade is a ground fighter that has a crowd control ability which so happens is laced with deadly poison, the falcon on the other hand is a sky fighter which uses its speed and mobility in the skies to take out its targets. If I can get them to work together then I might have one of the best familiar trio around, though I have my work cut out for me.
"Behave both of you. I should probably name you; steel would be to generic and doesn't fit you at all, your gaze is sharp and your feathers can cut through almost any substance so how about Razer?" (Me)
*Chirp*
Yah with those vocal cords I'm definitely going to send you to the system for bedtime, I don't need to hear that through the night when I'm trying to sleep. Tomorrow will be a big day for us so let's get training underway, just like when I first got Shade, I sent Razer into the system training ground where I began learning its habits and training it for expeditions. Twenty days within the training grounds and I have smoothed out Razers bad habits and taught it rudimentary tactics for team work, Shade and Razer still won't work together for an extended period of time however when it comes to quick coercion, they are unrivaled.
[It is now 6 AM, please note that the mercenary known as 'May' is waiting outside]
'I guess its time for the real test.'