33 Gotta tame 'em all

Four large Big Horn cattle were pulling an armored carriage down the road. Their freshly shorn coats reflected the morning sunlight, as it pierced through the forest canopy. Having left home, Zanir was eager to find new things to add to his collection.

He already had plenty of the materials from around the area. What he craved was something interesting, unusual, or rare. Realistically, he knew that something like that wasn't likely to show up, not in a remote area like this forest.

It wasn't even a named forest.

Just as he was thinking it might be a dull trip, several wolf howls were heard. They came from every direction, as a large pack of wolves began to descend on them, once they stopped. Seeing the size of the wolves trying to attack them, he could only laugh.

With a wave of his hand, he released the two wolves the Reed had given him. These wolves were much larger, and more dominant. Snarling at the attacking wolves, they could only back down now. Seeing the pack leader hesitate, the scar-covered male quickly approached.

These wolves had accompanied Reed for years, through countless battles, they had hardened instincts. Seeing the confident alpha approach, the pack leader lowered in submission, whining. The rest of the pack soon followed suit.

As Zanir exited the carriage, the alpha ran over excitedly, licking his hand. He trotted next to him, as he made his was over to the attacking wolves. Seeing the wolves submitting as intended, he pet the alpha wolf's head.

Seeing the smug look he had, the other wolves were jealous. Everyone wanted to be pet and scratched behind the ears. They would get there wish, as one by one, he absorbed the new wolves. An entire pack, about twenty wolves, was added to his world.

Not only would they increase his overall strength, but they would help him capture any other animals or monsters he ran into. He was still wondering how the system would handle monsters. Unfortunately, that was not what they ran into next.

After the wolf attack, it was a relatively peaceful journey. Nothing happened for the next hour, as they continued through the familiar forest. They eventually came upon a young man, who was holding a small child in his arms.

Stopping the carriage, they could see that the child appeared injured. The young man called out them, pleading.

"Please, stop! Help, ya gotta help me! It's my little brother, we were attacked by wolves!"

Terry leaned in, whispering to Zanir.

"It's a trick. These boys are with a local crew, working the forest. Both of those 'kids' are bandits, and we're being surrounded as we speak."

Hearing this, he let out a sly grin. Zanir didn't think he'd be getting more slave workers so soon. Signalling his men to get ready, he unlatched the door and slid it open. Popping out of the carriage, he yelled out to the two 'kids'.

"Hey youngster, your brother doesn't look so good. You should bring him in the carriage, we have a healer who can fix him up for you."

Hearing this, the sly bandit showed a look of relief on his face. Not a bad acting job at all, he could see how people were fooled. Ushering them in, they were taken by surprise, when several nearby guards grabbed them.

After tying their hands and feet, the guards searched them, removing several concealed daggers.

Movement could be heard from the forest, no doubt their backup. Probably trying to rush in, after seeing the bait pulled in.

There was no need to be polite, he released the wolves. As they appeared near the carriage he also released workers. Seeing the guards step out of the carriage, joining up with the other troops, the attacking bandits quickly felt overwhelmed.

It was easy to understand why they felt that way.

Seeing the number of opponents suddenly multiply was bad enough, but these guys had just appeared out of thin air. Anyone who could teleport or summon was bad news, without exception, they would be someone ordinary bandits couldn't afford to offend.

Just when they were considering running away, a cold bucket of water was poured on their heads.

"Don't think about running away, you're on foot. These wolves will chase you down, and tear you apart. Send your leader out."

One of the men approached, dread evident on his face. He bent down one leg, taking a kneel, as he cast his sword aside.

"I am the leader. Please forgive me great lord, spare my men at least."

It was this point, that the guards broke out into laughter. Not being able to see their faces, due to the helmets, he thought they were mocking him. Terror started to set in as he thought they might kill everyone for offending them. Terry called out to the bandit, bringing him back to his senses.

"You sure look like you're up shit creek without a paddle right now, Jacob."

Hearing the familiar voice, he was shocked.

"Terry?"

Removing his helmet, he revealed a huge grin. Seeing his former co-worker scared half to death, he couldn't help but laugh at his misfortune. It wasn't malicious, it was more like watching your friend jump around, and seeing their ice cream fall off onto the ground.

Having to do a double take, as if to confirm he was really there, he responded.

"What the hell are you doing here? What's going on?"

"Well Jacob, you tried to attack us, but you only have around twenty five guys. You really picked the wrong day for raiding carriages. Or maybe, it's the right day for you, if you play your cards right."

"Terry, are you threatening me?"

"Jacob, it's not a threat. It's because of our friendship, that I want you to do the right thing. Come with us man, we're guards now. Real officials, serving a real lord, with a real fief."

It didn't take long for the men to step aside, continuing to talk for a few minutes. Zanir wasn't worried, he couldn't reveal anything specific, due to the moderation he made on the security settings. They returned shortly, with the captain agreeing to join.

Just like that, he gained another twenty six guards. Adding them to the spirit contract was easy. The modifications immediately became effective, ensuring that if they ever tried to betray him, they would have a brain aneurysm. Brutal, but necessary to protect the existence of the world space.

He would have to rename this forest. At this point, it could be called the giving forest. With the wolves and the bandits, in addition to his own workers and guards, it was like he was forming a small army. He felt even more equipped to deal with what was ahead.

Sending the majority of the people, and all the wolves, back into his world space, they once again set out. They were able to journey peacefully through the rest of the forest. That was to be expected, as they were almost through it, at this point.

Soon, they came out of the forest and into the grassy plains. The scenery stretched out into the distance, there were rolling hills and rivers, along with a lazy road winding out. Over towards the horizon, Trostin's city walls could be seen, much further down the road.

As they were making their way along the road, the Big Horn cattle seized up momentarily, neighing out loudly. Sensing that something may have spooked them, he began releasing his army of troops. Everyone gathered up around the armored carriage, as movement was detected from the long grass at the sides of the road.

Several short, squat green creatures emerged. They were ugly and mean, brandishing crudely made wooden spears and clubs. Covered in warts, they moved in quickly at first, yet they hesitated upon seeing so many men and wolves gathered. One of the men cried out.

"Goblins!"

Seeing the hesitation, one of larger goblins stepped out. Angrily, he started yelling in an unknown language. You didn't have to be linguistically gifted to know what it meant. They began trying to attack a much larger, much better armed force.

It didn't work out very well for them. Not only were the men physically larger, they outnumbered the goblins at least three to one. There were also wolves ready to pounce in, or chase down any stragglers. He hoped they wouldn't lose too many, during the battle.

"Try to keep them alive, if you can!"

Hearing his command, they could only obey. It didn't take long for the men to overwhelm the goblins. There were a few minor injuries here and there. Two of the goblins had been killed resisting. The leader and the rest, were all bound and brought before Zanir.

It was shocking, but the leader seemed to have an iron will. He refused to submit. Even upon being bitten by one of the wolves. He was more intelligent than the others, his eyes seemed to contain a cold defiance, as he stared directly back at Zanir.

He knew that this kind of resolution came from the soul. It was the result of someone who had survived countless struggles. It couldn't be directly broken, but he knew how to get through to this chieftain.

This tribe was obviously outcast from a much larger goblin clan. There were elderly, woman, and children goblin with them. If it was a hunting party, they would have been left at the goblin base or camp.

Having his men gather the young goblins, they placed their weapons at the exposed necks. The body language and implication bridged the inter-species gap. As Zanir raised his hand, the chieftain knew that he was offering him an ultimatum.

Sensing his defeat, he relented, surrendering his will. Upon submission it didn't take long for him to be absorbed.

[Material analyzed:

Name: Goblin

Type: Monster, Biped

Rating: Level 2

Description: These small green creatures are all that is left of a once proud race. Cursed by the gods for their vanity, they were stripped of their alchemy and engineering knowledge. Only vestigial traces remain, perhaps one day they can be unlocked again.]

Once the leader disappeared, the others were shocked. He was quickly brought back out, to help convince the others, and smooth things along quicker. Soon enough, he had forty various goblins. A small tribe, and the conformation he needed that the system handled monsters.

If only he could expand the collection. As the old adage goes, be careful what you wish for. As he was causally thinking about more monsters, large pounding and smashing sounds could be heard. They were, of course, getting closer and closer. The noise from the battle must have attracted him over.

It didn't take long for the men to spot what was coming. A damn giant had come over. What looked like a large, grotesque man, was stomping over towards them. His fat wobbled, as he stomped angrily, smashing a tree he was holding as a club.

"OGGGGRRRRRREEEEE!"

Ok, so it wasn't a giant, just an ogre.