A contracted beast

Amist the deceased body of the panther beast, lying in the center was a glimmering crystal. It shone brightly with an otherworldly shine.

And it seems to have some sort of attractive force, as it pulled Garmond to it. But more than anything, the hunger that Garmond felt was already enough to make him want to get the crystal already.

That single slash had drown out so much energy from him. He couldn't even stand properly.

"That ability was terrifying. You never told me the sword had abilities. I only thought it could boast my battle prowess." Garmond complained, sitting on his butt to catch his breath.

During that moment, he had felt a lot of energy from the sword pour into him. He had never felt so powerful before. It seemed surreal, a feeling that made him above every being. Regrettably, it only lasted for mere minutes.

Along with the power up from the sword, their was a lot of information that was poured into his head, containing different techniques. That was how he got to know of the 'devine slash'.

But his display paled in comparison to the memory that played in his head, of the figure who once used the same technique .

He wasn't afraid of other beast coming to the area. After hearing all the loud explosions and the destruction coming from the area, no beast would dare to come any closer.

"Indeed, I didn't tell you because I never believed it would be unlocked by a non-elven blood" she scoffed, crossing her hands over her chest.

Seeing Ariana physically, the expressions she gave was a prideful one, which Garmond didn't like too much.

'She still looks down on me' he smiled wryly. However, he shoved the thought off his mind.

More importantly, how did she materialize?

"So how did you manage to come out of my mind, was it also due to the sword?" He asked.

"Yes, the sword gathered up enough energy to free my soul as well" she replied.

Her ethereal figure was one that could turn necks.

Her red golden eyes stared off into the distance, her brows knitting tightly.

"There's a beast behind the boulder, and I've scouted the area as well. It seems there is no other beast as powerful as this in the area" she calmly said.

"A beast behind the boulder?"

"Yes, but it's insignificant, it's at the adept level. And it cannot harm you." Ariana added, her voice steaming with confidence.

Even Garmond at the moment felt more confident, perhaps prideful than he'd ever been. A feeling he wasn't used to, it seemed as though the power from the sword gave a different touch to his personality.

"At least I can take a deep breath from all the fight" Garmond thought, as he decided to rest a bit, before he continued his hunt.

Since the beast he had killed was the strongest in the region, then if he was to continue with his rampaging, then certainly no beast would be left!

"...But I don't even think I'll be able to do that" he winced as he got up from the ground. He was already way too tired, going on a rampage. Even the weakest beast might kill him.

That was too much of a risk.

Besides with the level of the crystal he got, he would be able to eat to his fill for about a week or so. The amount of food one was able to buy ranged based on the quality and rank of the crystal they brought.

Garmond trolled towards the deceased body. Looking at the body, Garmond couldn't help but feel sick.

Regardless, it didn't stop him from taking the crystal, "I can't leave my hard work, just cause of some filth" he said, simply pulling out the brightly glowing crystal from the pile of pile of bones in the puddle of blood.

The strick from his sword left the beast in a state where not even the best healer would be able to save it.

After he was done taking the crystal, Garmond's eyes darted towards the boulder.

'She said there was a beast there to, right? Why didn't it scurry away like the rest?' he thought, now trolling towards the large boulder.

As he neared the boulder, surely, he could feel the presence of the beast, thanks to his heightened senses.

"Adding one more crystal won't be too bad" He thought with a large smile. It only meant more food! And for his training to go well that was exactly what he needed.

If he could, he would gather as much as he could, so he would avoid coming there for hunting again.

As he peeped behind the boulder, his face was struck with surprise. It wasn't exactly what he expected to see.

It was the black panther beast again!

However, this one appeared to be a lot smaller, and could hardly stand up on its own.

Each time it stood it would stumvle back to the ground.

Seeing Garmond's stunned face, Ariana quickly floated over. She had no legs, but that didn't hinder her movements at all. And it could hardly be noticeable if one looked.

This was because of the long gown that covered her graceful figure.

Her long hair followed graciously behind her.

As she saw the little cub, her expression was one of surprise as well.

"It's the cub of the beast you fought?"

"Yes, now I actually feel a bit bad" Garmond replied, he had no idea that the beast was only trying to find food for its younger one.

"It doesn't matter though, your mom tried to kill me first" Garmond said with a soft voice, as he bent low to pick up the beast.

"Careful, beat like these are dangerous. Don't forget, if the mom could speak. Then it should be same with it..... But this is a perfect opportunity" An idea suddenly struck Ariana.

"What is that?" Garmond asked.

"You see, intelligent beast aren't like the rest. You can sign contracts with them. So you can bind them to you and you can become their master!" Ariana said her voice tinging with excitement.

"Alright then, but how do I do that" He asked, somewhat confused.

"Leave it to me" Ariana said, and with a wave of her hand a magical scroll appeared floating gently in her hands.

At least this wasn't much of a new sight to Garmond. It looked very much similar to the escroll they used back then for communication.

"It'll need a drop of your blood" Ariana demanded, as she handed the scroll over to Garmond.

"Sure" he replied without hesitation. He had learnt to give Ariana a bit of his trust. This was because he was well aware that they were both in a mutual relationship.

They both had similar enemies, and witha her current state. There was no way she could fight on her own, so she had to rely on him.

That said, she couldn't harm him. At least for the time being.

With his sword, he made a small cut on his palm.

"..." He flinched as he drew out fresh blood from his palm.

Then gently he placed his bloodied palm on the scroll. The scroll lit up, as if in approval.

"Now do the same to the little cub" Ariana instructed.

Taking a deep breath, Garmond raised his blade once again, using the tip to prick against the cubs paw.

A little, muffled shriek filled the air, as the little beast cried. It's sparkling azure eyes looked at Garmond as though crying.

It was a hurting look, if Garmond didn't know better he would have fallen for the cute look of the beast. It's eyes sparkled, shimmering brightly as Garmond drew blood from its paws.

"Ahhh, it's not going to work" Garmond said in frustration as he looked away to avoid the beast cute little eyes.

The reaction from Garmond quickly made Ariana to burst out in laughter. She watched as Garmond fought within himself.

" I think the beast likes you" Ariana commented, placing its paws on the scroll.

With a bright light, the scroll lit. And in a 'puff' it disappeared from sight.

Garmond felt a strong attractive force drawing him to the beast. The feeling was nothing like he'd ever felt.

It seemed like the beast was another part of his body! Like he could control it anyhow he wanted.

"Congratulations Garmond! You have a tamed beast under you. They can be really handy at important times." Ariana announced with a bright smile.

Each step Garmond was taking was finally drawing them closer to defeating their greatest foe.

As Garmond raised the pup into the air, suddenly it disappeared from his hands.

"Huh where'd it go to?" Their expression quickly changed into that of surprise and shock.

"Is this also part of the contract?" Garmond turned his gaze to meet Ariana, who was also shocked.

"This is definitely not part of the contract" she replied