The Search Begins

In the early hours, before dawn, Mateus woke up. He washed in the communal bathroom, packed his few possessions into a bag, and snuck into the girl's dorm to see his sister one last time.

That little girl who used to be dressed in rags is the only family he has now. At 14 Danica is just beginning to show how lovely she will grow up. There's no extra flesh on her frame - the food in the orphanage is enough for at most two meals a day. Kids do labour around the grounds to earn their meals. Being thin like this is just part of life when you're poor.

Gently Mateus stroked her hair, then quietly left the room. He bid all his goodbyes last night, and now it's time to go.

He left through the front door, pulling it shut behind him. The lock clicked into place, and he knew there was no way back. In this early time, the streets were nearly empty. The nocturnal workers were at the end of their shifts, soon to stumble home, while the day workers hadn't woken up yet.

Mateus started walking. The Essence Vale was located in the centre of Florinad city, so he had quite a walk from the orphanage, which was located near the outer walls. The Spirit Beasts it contains are the city's lifeblood. No Vale, no beasts, no city.

Spirit Beasts provide protection, labour, dairy products and clothing. If humans want to eat meat, they have to chance eating Mutant Beasts. Spirit Beasts are so revered that some people even worship the more powerful ones. They are strong, intelligent, and wise. The oldest Beasts even hold classes about history for humans and beasts alike.

Most humans only live to 50 years, and contract a single beast in their lifetime. To contract a strong Beast is to create a bright future. To contract a weakling is become a victim for the rest of your life. Most orphans like Mateus would try to contract fierce beasts, and stand out in society. One of the older boys contracted a Fire Tongue Lizard, and has since become a successful blacksmith. A beast like this can grant their contractor the ability to manipulate fire. Other beasts have similar element control abilities.

By contrast, Angoras usually don't have shareable abilities like this. Which means, if the Mutant Beasts break through the walls, as happens every few years, a human who contracts one is just waiting to die. In Florinad city, only 9 people currently have a contract with an Angora. When you add the low supply to the high quality of the fabric made from these beasts, you can just imagine how expensive it is to buy.

To support Danica, and take her away from the orphanage, Mateus is willing to give up his chance at having extraordinary abilities. Personal strength can ensure your survival in a fight, but it can't feed you when you're starving.

After walking so long, Mateus finally arrived at the main transport hub of his area. With an aching wallet he bought a ticket on the millipede train, and swiftly boarded the carrier to find a seat. It's barely dawn now, and most of the carriages is empty. Beside each seat is a space large enough for a mid-size beast to accommodate. Hopefully, his beast won't be too large, otherwise in future he'll have to buy the heavyweight tickets, which is triple the normal price. The thought makes his heart pang.

The millipede sets off quickly enough, pulling the carriages into the city centre in less than two hours. Florinad city is a large place - if Mateus had tried to walk this distance, it might have taken him a week or more.

After arrival, Mateus joins the morning line of young people waiting to use the Essence Measure Device. Before attempting to make a contract, it's important to know how much Essence you have. Some beasts require more Essence than others, so if you have 2 units of Essence daily, but try to contract a beast that needs 5 or more, the best result would be a contract failure. Otherwise you could suffer maiming, weakness, severely shorten lifespan, or even instant death. The more impressive the abilities of a Spirit Beast, the more Essence required for their upkeep.

After 3 hours of waiting, Mateus took his turn before the device. The results were unexpected. On average, a human will have between 3 and 9 units of Essence. Mateus has a full 20 units. The average Angora of moderate size requires perhaps 3 units a day, meaning Mateus could possibly take a second contract.

With a skip in his step, he approached the three entrances to the Vale. One led to the breeding base, where humans can take their companions to have offspring. The second led to the juvenile zone, where the offspring from the breeding base are put to form contracts. Entry requires a fee, but at least you have an idea of the history and bloodlines of the Spirit Beasts before the contract.

The third entry led to the wild zone, where all untamed Spirit Beast adults roam. This is the path Mateus took - not because he didn't want to try the juvenile zone, but because he had little money, and it had to last him until he found a source of income. Visiting the juvenile zone could require 2 or more tries to find a companion, and Mateus just can't afford the waste.

Resettling his bag on his back, Mateus set off into the wild zone, slowly and cautiously, hoping to find the Angora he needs.