Missing Materials

"I don't even know why she ran away…girls are messed up. If she was crying she could have said something." The mumbled words were harder to hear through the fact that he was waiting while pacing in his room.

"Then the freaking Cain family just has to butt in to my life. I have barely gotten through a full day and now have more corrupt fools to handle." The stomp of Clark's foot made Crim stand back up. He was just as annoyed as Clark.

"Let's just meditate. We can work on getting stronger for three days then go back to class. I want to try and open my taming space a little earlier than everyone else." a little curious, Clark tossed a piece of meat to Crim.

He watched as Crim ate it as any dragon hatchling would. However, Crim seemed to swallow it whole. There was a clear shift in the scales while Crim dissolved the meat in his slime body. "Hm, so you can eat if you want to. I wish I had a book about slime dragons. Maybe the system can give me one."

The manual for opening a taming space was already in Clarks' mind. However, what he found surprising was the fact that the system reacted to him wanting to learn it.

'The system will guide the host through the beginning training. Please focus on your energy flow.'

Clark followed the instructions and got in to a meditative position. He was struggling to find his own flow of energy since he was too new to being a spirit tamer. But when Devi floated up and sat on his head, he could feel both of their energies clearly.

'The bond of the spirit beast born with the host is extremely important for understanding flow of energy. The best and tamer are one being due to the connection of their soul. Hence the fact that the tamer would greatly lose power if they lost their spirit beast compared to their tamed beast.'

Clark had already known this. It was a simple fact of being a tamer. However, he was glad to know that just being closer to Devi helped him understand the flow of energy better. "We are better together. Cliche but true." Devi cackled in response to this. He was happy to help Clark any way he needed.

Normally tamers can open a basic taming space without the imprint of the tanner's energy. It will not be beneficial to the beasts or the tamer other than a place for the beast to rest. This may still take great training effort unless the body and spirit of the tamer is understood.'

"So it comes down to understanding. I need to know my body and spirit better. well…I have a decent handle on my body since I have trained it for fifteen years without a partner." Clark knew that he had an advantage there. But knowing his own spirit was a challenge.

'Meditation is key to understanding the spirit. It serves multiple purposes, strengthening bonds and understanding energy flow. Both make the taming space grow better. The longer it takes to complete a taming space while holding back the creation of the taming space, the higher the quality. It is recommended to use specific materials as well to boost the quality.'

With this small guidance from the system, Clark couldn't help feeling like he was winning over every student. He was getting private lessons after being kicked out of class for multiple days. He would be able to get a better taming space than everyone else. And on top of it all, he was not missing out on anything.

This also explained why taming spaces had varied times of coming to be. Align with the fact that some people never got them at all. They didn't train the right way to make them show or they were forcefully holding them back. "This is definitely information hidden by the big families. The entire city would be better off with training methods like this." Clark heard Crim and Devi react together in protest. This was another form of corruption.

' The host has a very specific energy being received from the little spirit. The host will require unique undead type materials to open a unique taming space of a higher quality. The energy to create this space can be gathered ahead of time but the materials will help to refine it upon creation.'

"I will be stuck already!?" Clark was beside himself. He was just dangled the prize of all prizes only to find he was lacking still.

'As the host finds materials related to undead or spiritual beings, the system will notify. The host can seek out materials with such typing. To begin, funnel your energy toward the heart. The energy will be stored within the soul for later use.'

One long sigh later, Clark had accepted his fate. He could still meditate and gain energy. He would get closer to Crim and Devi while also preparing. As soon as he had the proper materials he would create his taming space under the guidance of the system.

Crim found that the most comfortable spot to lay was with his head on Clark's lap. This enhanced the energy that Clark could understand flowing through his body. He followed it little by little learning how it moved and strengthened him.

From the center of his being, the energy would be moved to the smallest blood vessels and flow to the smallest muscles. Clark slowly felt that he was grasping why he was getting stronger along with Devi and Crim. Furthermore, he could feel the bond between him and them. The small string of soul that tied them all together. This was the lifeline that shared their energies. That allowed them to feel where the other was and how they were doing.

Upon finding this, Clark found that Devi had a stressed and worried feeling. One that was directed at himself. One that wondered if Clark was alright and would be able to handle the challenges that arose every day. "Devi, we will all get stronger and fight head on. Don't worry about me, with you and Crim here I can do anything."

The affirmation went a long way. The meditation that Clark was going through was mirrored by Crim and Devi. getting on the same page made the energy flow more and more. Before Clark could understand what was happening a sudden knock on his door brought him out of his stupor.

Looking out the window he found the sun to be rising. "I was doing that all night?" The clicking of his knees as he stood after hearing the knock again made him realize this was true. He had lost his handle on the time and meditated all night.

"I have a letter from your mentor for you. I was told you would know the rest." The student handed the letter and walked away. He was mumbling about how it was such a simple task for a large reward. Clark didn't dare to open it before closing the door.

"What could Alexander want that he can't tell me in person?" Clark opened the letter for a small gargoyle pendant to fall out. He was even more confused now.