8 Test Pt. 5

Just as the contract was finalized and John opened his eyes, another monster attacked. John stared in wide eyed shock as a salamander nearly 3 feet tall and 5 feet long with a massive head jumped towards him. Diving to the side, he grabbed his newly contracted monster and rolled out of the way just as it slammed head first into the rock, little tweety birds flying around it's head. John put the viper over his shoulder as he rushed to his bag, and put all of his stuff back in it before looking at Sam.

Sam had a giant grin on his face as he looked at the salamander and said, "Looks like you pissed off the local boss."

Turning back, John winced as he saw it pull finally manage to pull itself free of the rock and shake it's head. "What now?" He asked as he tried to catch his breath.

"Now? I could take care of it, but we're technically still in the middle of your exam so you have to decide what to do." Sam said as he looked at John intently.

Taking a deep breath, John examined the monster as closely as he could before he suddenly grinned. "It's only a mid-lieutenant level salamander without an element but it has a high concentration of dragon blood and could reach the boss level, especially if it gained an element."

John really wanted to tame the salamander, it had such good potential but he couldn't. For now, his soul was only strong enough to handle a single contract and there was no way he would invalidate the Fire Viper's contract.

Sighing, he shook his head in disappointment and muttered, "I really wish my soul was stronger..." Pulling out the box of fire-element cores, he took one of the mid-lieutenant cores and chucked it as hard as he could over the head of the salamander who was just now getting back to it's feet as the tweety birds flew away. Unable to resist the possibility of gaining the fire element from the core, the salamander turned and chased after the core followed by several weaker monsters.

"Let's go." John said as he put everything away and made sure the Fire Viper was still on his shoulders. The two of them started running back towards the school, listening to the massive brawl that John had started fade slow away the deeper they got into the forest.

They were slowed down, needing several hours to return because the blood still dripping from John's hand kept attracting low-level monsters like bears to honey. Having finally shaken off the last monster, they stepped through the barrier and were home free. Collapsing to the ground panting, John cursed Sam. He was only 4 years older, yet he hadn't even broken a sweat sprinting the whole way from the hill to the school while evading monsters.

"Get up, we need to get your hand checked out." Sam motioned for John to follow him past the freshman dormitories and deeper into the compound. They passed several other dorms before walking into a massive zoo-like complex.

"This is the Tamer's Club. Most Tamer's keep their monsters here since they're too large to fit in the dorms, and because it's almost impossible to get a world ring."

John nodded in understanding, a world ring is an incredible treasure that can store living beings. The low-level ones need to be restocked with air, food, water, and mana. However, the highest level ones are self sustaining eco-systems that house minor worlds.

They took two left turns and a right before walking into a massive infirmary. Opening the doors, John felt his jaw drop as he looked at a massive war-elephant with several dozen poison thorns from a Devil's Tree in it's side as a doctor carefully plucked them loose and it's master tried to keep it calm. Walking past several stations, he saw a massive dog missing two arms and an eye being lowered into a tub of regenerative gel while it's master looked on with tears running down her face. A lightning mouse wailed squeakily as a doctor in protective gear tried to straighten it's broken tail. Every time the doctor moved, lightning shot from the mouse and slammed into the doctor. Finally, they made it to another section which was clearly for humans.

Walking in, Sam pressed a call button as he had John take a seat on one of the examination tables. A minute or so later a smiling woman walked in and said, "What have you done this time?"

Looking chagrined, Sam lowered his head and mumbled. "It's not me this time."

"Don't lie to your sister, I always know when you've done something stupid!"

Lifting his head, he glared at the woman and yelled, "It's not me!" Before he pointed at John.

Glaring right back at Sam for a moment, she turned to look at John and examined him with flashing eyes. In that instant, John felt as if everything about him had been categorized and understood in an instant.

Walking over, she quickly undid the makeshift bandage around John's hand as she said, "I'm Doctor Nichols, and I must say you're lucky this didn't kill you." The doctor put on some gloves before taking out some cotton swabs and slowly cleaning the wounds before getting a good look."

"Viper fangs, not too deep but a lot of poison. How in the world are you still standing." She asked, looking at John.

With a sheepish grin, he took the amulet he had on under his shirt and showed it to her. "I knew I was trying to tame a Viper so I came prepared."

Looking at the amulet, she examined the wound and nodded before taking a suctioning device and clearing the remnants of the poison from John's hand and then covering the bite marks with a glue-like substance. "It should itch for a few days, don't scratch it." Then, as if a switch had been flipped her professional manner disappeared and she stood up slamming her index finger into Sam's chest with so much force he left a dent in the drywall. "Now, tell me how this young man got injured on your watch!"

"It was a part of the Tamer exam!" Sam said exasperatedly. "The Fire Viper evolved last night, so he had to improvise. I have to say I was impressed with John's idea. Letting the Fire Viper bite the hand holding the monster core so that it'd be forced to eat it and go into a coma. Brilliant!"

The glare just picked up in wattage the more Sam talked, "Is he telling the truth?" She asked.

John jumped up from the examination platform and said, "Yep, all my idea." With a giant grin on his face as he pulled the Fire Viper from around his shoulder and give her a good look before putting it back.

Sighing, the doctor let Sam go and narrowed her eyes at the two of them. "Get out of here, that Fire Viper should be in the evolution room!"

Rushing out the door, Sam explained to John as they went a few corridors down and took another right. "The evolution room is for whenever an evolution has been induced, or is likely. It has a formation that helps guide mana and elemental energy to the monsters, easing their evolution."

Taking a left, he pushed open the door to the front room of what looked like a high-class doctor's office. Seeing Sam, the receptionist paused the game on her phone before standing up and saying, "Sam, you're here too early. Your Water Rhino is still in a coma."

"I know, we're here for a new member. His Fire Viper is in the process of evolution."

Widening her eyes, the receptionist looked at John in surprise, "A Freshmen?" When Sam nodded in affirmative she rushed over and grabbed John's hand shaking it firmly. "I'm Catherine, call me Cat."

"John." He said, a little nonplussed.

"Alright, follow me I'll get you set up." She held up a card to the doors to the back and they opened allowing John and Sam to follow behind her. "So, what happened to induce the evolutionary state?"

"She ate a mid-lieutenant low-level fire core, putting her into a coma which I used to contract her." John said, almost having to jog to keep up with her brisk pace.

"What kind of contract?" Cat asked.

"Growth."

As soon as he said Growth, Cat turned and turned around and walked back down a hall. She opened a door marked VIP and took a right into another room marked FIRE.

"Here we go, place her in this tray." Cat said as she pulled open a tray that looked like one of those plastic boxes premature babies are placed in. "Since you just contracted her you'll have to stay here until the process is done, I'll have someone bring food and drinks in. Sam can explain the rest of the procedure to you."

Cat closed the lid and pushed it through a slot in the door to another room where a hazy red mist could be seen floating. A man wearing a clean room style suit walked over to the container and moved it into place before activating an intercom. "This your Fire Viper kid?" A growly voice said.

Sam pointed to a button, and John pushed it before leaning into the microphone to say. "Yes, sir!"

"Good, what's your name, year, and position."

"John Caplin, Freshmen,..." Sam leaned over the microphone and said, "New recruit, it's a growth-type contract, full VIP package."

"Got it, looks like you'll be here a couple hours." The voice disappeared as he finished setting up the system and marked down who the Fire Viper belonged too.