A Second Companion

"I don't think it's safe to tear this here. We should find somewhere outside and secluded."

Rune got to his feet, checking the nearby storage chest for anything useful.

"Eh... hehe. This is convenient as hell."

Pulling out a small hooded cloak, Rune began to air it out a little. He swung it a couple times before swinging it around Marisa's shoulders. His face turned slightly red as her nose nearly hit his chin when he leaned forward.

'Girls sure are short...'

Rune grabbed her hand, leading her out of the room. She moved along naturally, not even stumbling even though her cracks seemed to be dangerous. They headed down the stairs, nearly slamming into Lloyd. The elf merely nodded as Rune walked passed him.

"Hmm... Analyze?"

Rune whispered quietly, his eyes locking onto Lloyd.

'Name: Lyandril Ve

Race: Elf

Age: 413

Level: 76

Current Emotion: Rage, Curiosity'

Rune almost spit, quickly ducking out the front door before Lloyd spoke to him.

'I don't wanna go down that rabbit hole. That level gap was huge.'

Rune looked both ways, the street clear and uncluttered. He could see guys here and there, but it wasn't very busy.

"Ey kid!"

Garren waved Rune down, unknowing of Analyze.

'Name: Garren Bix

Race: Human

Age: 52

Level: 60

Current Emotion: Generosity, Compassion'

'Very different, but still strong as hell.'

Garren patted Rune on his shoulder, pulling him towards a building further down.

"So, I know you wanna get strong. You wanna survive and kick some ass. So I got a friend of mine to give me a deal. See, he's a bit of a Beast Tamer. Some may say a Slave Trader, but he has a heart of gold. No cages, no whips, no pain. He takes care of his beasties like a proper man."

"What kind of deal?"

Before he could respond, Garren noticed the hand Rune was holding. He eyes Marisa up and down.

"Who?"

As he reached for the hood, Rune lifted his arm.

"It's something of a project. You were saying?"

Garren nodded in understanding, though what he understood was anyone's guess. Thankfully, he continued to speak.

"So this deal, so long as you take care of them, he is willing to paet ways with one beast. Only catch, you have to keep them enslaved. A precaution, but a necessary one."

Rune nodded slowly.

"I mean, if it's a true beast, it'd make some sense to want a slave contract drawn up."

Rune was led into the building, then through a series of rooms. Soon, the rooms became a small hallway.

"Why-"

"Security. Some beasts are rare and exotic. We took the direct path. There are others more dangerous than this one."

Rune could only gulp down his saliva. A bit of fear was instilled in him, yet he continued to follow after Garren. Before long, they entered a large and dark room. Many noises seemed to come from all directions, some squeaks others roars. Rune felt a sickeningly slick substance across his skin. Garren began to hold his head with one hand.

"Ick. Always hated this room. Constant debuff in the air. Fear, I reckon."

Taking a few deep breaths, Garren seemed to finally clear his head.

'Fear? It just feels gross.'

"Ey, Vikta!"

A hurried set of steps suddenly came into earshot. Sprinting forward, an extremely short, old man appeared. His whiskers hit his gut, each strand wiry and cloud grey. Beady eyes peered from behind a pair of bifocals.

"Ah. Twas you Garren. This the boy?"

His voice showed his age, but had a playful hint to it.

"It is, old friend. This young man is in need of an ally. A stalwart-"

"I'll give him this puppy."

Garren bit his tongue, quickly back tracking as Vikta pulled out a small creature with pointed ears. It's muzzle was thin and long, while it's paws were tiny. Sporting a strange blue-green color, the creature looked up at Rune.

"V-Vikta, what the hell is this?! We agreed-"

"He gets the puppy, or nothing. I did a stock check. Many are sick, hurt or wild. We do not have what it takes to hand him a fresh beast that may die, or kill him. If we had time, maybe."

Vikta was good about interrupting Garren, but his eyes fell upon Rune. He had an intrigued look, almost like he liked what he was reading.

"You know... that's a fox. Not a puppy."

Vikta's eyes went wide as he looked at the creature he had.

"No, no. A fox is a bad omen in this trade. Hmm... boy, I shall give you a special bonding seal."

Rune could only tilt his head. In all the stories he had seen, never was a fox an ill omen for the slave trade.

'Congrats! You have found a Normal rank unit nearby! Do everything in your power to claim it!'

"Ah... Analyze."

His voice was inaudible over the beasts.

'Name: Mae

Race: 3-Tailed Spirit Fox

Age: 19

Level: 1

Current Emotion: Confusion, Fear'

His eyes drifted from the fox.

'Name: Torri

Race: Divine-'

Vikta waved his hands, causing Rune to snap his eyes shut. When they reopened, the panel changed.

'Name: Vikta.'

No other info was shown, leaving Rune baffled.

'Guess we got two people hiding their identities.'

Rune reached out his hand towards the fox. To his surprise, Mae skipped the sniffing. She nuzzled his hand before hopping up onto his shoulders. Both Garren and Vikta were bewildered, Vikta genuinely more surprised than ever.

"I guess the creature likes him. Would you like to accept the bond?"

Less than an hour later, Vikta had Rune and Mae sitting in opposite sides of an infinity sign.

"Boy, this is a permanent bond. You will be responsible for the young fox, long into your lives. Do you truly wish to accept?"

Rune could only nod, his eyes locked onto Mae's. The fox yipped softly, a bright red symbol forming within the confines of its chest fur. A similar symbol formed on Rune's wrist, but slowly dissolved.

'Congrats! You have tamed the Normal unit: Spirit Fox, Mae!'

'Spirit Fox, Mae: A Spirit Fox that was never given the chance to grow.

Rank: Normal

Element: Fire

Stars: -----

Level: 1

Strength: F

Vitality: D

Stamina: C

Speed: C+

Magic: B

Focus: B

Luck: C

-

Affinities

Earth: D

Water: D

Wind: D

Fire: B

Holy: D

Dark: D'

Rune scratched her behind the ears.

'So you're a mage. But can you actually protect yourself?'