Chapter 10

We both smiled at each other and glanced forward to see Theresa standing with her hands on her hips like an irritated child whose parents wouldn’t hurry up. We laughed and caught up to her and rushed to get back into the pact house. We didn’t even bother to get out of our gear, since I figured we would be going back into the dungeon when we were done. When we arrived, only Vor was behind the counter. As we approached, she looked up from the ledger she was reading.

“Ahh Pathios and Amenthia, welcome,” she greeted warmly. “I see you brought Theresa with you. How are your spells working for you?”

“Hello Vor,” I replied. “We are doing well. Thanks to the feat I selected, my divine blast is quite effective. Amenthia has been enjoying her spell as well, though we haven’t had to use it much since.”

“Oh I am glad to hear that,” Vor grinned and added, “but there is more than just a perk that has made your divine blast more effective.”

I shrugged, “I am sure you already know why, but we aren’t here to talk about me. We are here.”

“To help your new friend figure out what she wants to do,” cutting me off and dismissively waving her hand. “Fifty thousand gold for the bracelet, but that shouldn’t be a problem for you.”

I wasn’t surprised at her actions or words. Her job was to know anything and everything for the most part.

“No, I don’t know what is going on,” Vor answered the question that was on my mind. “We don’t have insight into the gods, just the adventurers and people on Eden. However, these red stones cause their exploits to be hidden. Jonta’s transcription never once showed the illegal actions he made, and there was no missing time in his log. The others are combing through those we know are part of that group to try and find some hint or clue in the logs to give us a sign of what to look for.”

“If anyone could figure it out, it will be you three,” I stated as I placed the bag of gold on the counter.

Vor smiled and bent down below the counter and rose to be holding a small wooden display box. She gestured for Theresa to approach, as she placed the box on the counter. She opened it to reveal a bracelet identical to the one we had seen a short time before.

Vor carefully picked up the bracelet, “This is a beast tamer bracelet, as you three already know. It can store five beasts to be called forth in the dungeon to assist you.” Vor picked up the bracelet and placed it on Theresa’s left wrist. “When they aren’t at your side, they reside in the same area as the Hatchery. It is a region that is zoned for various bonded beasts. You have to immobilize the beast you wish to tame. When you are ready, tap the crystal you wish to bond the creature to.”

Vor tapped the right most crystal, causing a half collar to appear. “Place the collar on the back of the neck of the beast and it will automatically extend and close around the beast’s throat. For normal beasts, like a wolf, the capture is immediate. When it is something much more powerful or has an innate magic to them, then there is a chance the collar won’t stay locked.” Leaning forward, she whispered, “Think of it like catching Pokémon, if they are too strong, weaken them first and try again.”

“Are there any creatures that you cannot ‘catch’ with these collars,” Theresa asked as she held the half collar in her hands.

“Anything that is dead, anything that has too much innate magic compared to yours ... Other than that, the sky’s the limit.”

“Too much innate magic?” Theresa asked, looking up from that collar. “What does that mean?”

Vor nodded, “There are beings of powerful magic that you would never be able to tame. The higher the difference of magic power between them and you, the harder it is to catch. The flipside is also true. The higher your magic is than your target, the easier it is to catch. That is why regular creatures like wolves and boars are so easy to catch. Dire beasts have some innate magic, which is why they have grown to a much larger side.”

There was one topic on my mind, so I asked, “If she is using a creature as a proxy, how do her stats increase?”

Vor smiled, “Good question, Pathios. The person’s stats will increase based on both the actions they take and the actions of their beast. They are bonded when the beast has been called out. Successful attacks and dodges will affect the corresponding stats as will receiving damage. You can only raise your magic stats calling your beasts out as it uses magic to summon them. The other way is with spells cast via your companions, as there are some creatures you can tame that will be able to cast spells. Keep this in mind as you go and what you may capture.”

Theresa placed the collar down on the counter and tapped the same crystal to make the half collar disappear. She had a massive grin on her face, and I could tell just how excited she was. We thanked Vor and headed back to the transit tubes to return to the pact house on the first floor.

“So do you want us to try and find a wolf for you?” I asked and was given an excited nod in response. “Then we are going to need some help.”

I used my bracer to call a raven and sent a message to have Katie meet us at the east exit. I mentioned that she could just go in the armory door and transit tube here, so I figured ten minutes would be the max. I was off by a few minutes, but fifteen minutes after I sent the message, Katie arrived.

“You said you needed me, master?” She queried, with a cock of her head. “I thought you were just trying to let her know about how the dungeon works?”

“That was the plan, yes, but we came across someone with a skillset that appealed to Theresa,” I answered, pointing at the bracelet. “Now we need to subdue a creature without killing it.”

Katie smiled and nodded, “And you figured that my vines were the best means to do that. Well I would be happy to help.”

With Katie in our party, we left heading east, back to where we had left off, but there were no new spawns. We continued northeast for a while, coming across more boars, but Theresa had no interest in any of them. It took around an hour of grinding before we saw wolf sign and she started to get excited. I reminded her that we still needed to be cautious. I had her collect the orbs of the various kills as we went, so that we could instruct her on dropping them off to the guild. I could tell she was happy to participate, but her excitement at her new companion was a delight to see. I nodded to Amenthia, and she brought up her map. She showed Theresa how it worked to find targets and to create awareness, while also explaining the limitations that existed. Theresa absorbed it with rapt attention. A few moments later we entered an open area that had a trio of wolves, but I could tell we were going to have a bit more trouble.

It was a dire wolf with two regular ones, and I knew which one she would want. The dire wolf was impressive, with only a few spike growths on the joints of its limbs. The fur was a deep black and seemed to shine in the light.

“Amenthia target the one on the left, I will blast the one on the right,” I whispered. “Katie, bind the one in the center.”

They both nodded and readied themselves. I called my divine blast to my hand and nodded, unleashing my blast. My target erupted in a blast of light, just as Amenthia’s arrow pierced the heart of the other wolf. The dire wolf was knocked on its side from the blast of divine energy and I hoped that it may have hurt the beast a little. The dire wolf began to stir, but before it could rise, vines erupted from the ground beneath it and entwined the beast. It began to thrash against its bindings, but for the time being it was contained.

“There is no better time than the present Theresa,” I said as I took her hand and guided her to the bound beast. “We don’t have much time, so you need to try and bind this beast now.”

When we got near, the beast’s head turned and it tried to snap at us, startling Theresa. Katie snapped her fingers and smaller vines bound its snout and pulled its head down. Theresa took a few deep breaths and tapped one of the crystals on her bracelet, causing a half collar to appear. She slowly approached the beast and placed the collar around its neck. We waited on bated breath to see if it would be enough as the gems at the four corners of the collar began to glow red. The beast struggled beneath the vines, and we had our fingers crossed as we watched the red-light pulse again and again. Then there was a flash of green before the gems changed to black. There was a flash of light in the beast’s eyes, and it stopped struggling. I glanced at Theresa’s bracelet and the gem she used had changed to black as well.

“It looks like the capture was successful,” I announced to smiles from my companions, “but we may need to visit Vor again.”

Amenthia looked at me in confusion, “Why would we need to go there again Pathios? It worked and she has her first pet.”

I grinned and said, “Well don’t you think she should be able to actually talk to her pet? Or are you going to be the only one able to?”

Amenthia’s eyes widened, “Oh yeah, but I could just cast that on her couldn’t I when she wanted to?”

“The plan isn’t for Theresa to be in our group forever,” I replied. “Don’t get me wrong, if Theresa wishes to stay, I doubt any of us would object. My job is to make her find her vocation and be self-sufficient.”

“You are going to make it so I can talk to my puppy,” Theresa asked with awe and innocence in her voice.

I nodded and we returned to the village and ten minutes later we were standing before Vor again.

“And what can I do for you four,” She asked with her usual welcoming smile. “Kat’ilth’ana, it is good to see you are doing well.”

She nodded, “Yes I am doing well thank you, but we are here to assist Theresa with her plans.”

“Oh, I hope everything went well,” Vor replied, glancing at the bracelet. “I can see you have already captured your first pet.”

“Yes, but to make sure she gets the most out of it, I want her to be able to talk to her pet.” I explained.

“I see, but the spell isn’t permanent.” Vor muttered, as she began thinking deeply. “The issue is that items would cost quite a bit to get a permanent version of that ability.”

“Well how much would it cost?” I asked. “The spell was around eighteen thousand gold.”

Vor shrugged, “I am not entirely sure. You will have to go to Hephaestus’ shop, and they could have something. Cassandra is still too low a level to make one for you, even if you used the spell to assist.”

I bowed, and thanked her for her advice, before heading to the transit tubes. I explained to the others that we needed to go back to the dorm to talk to the others before we went to see if we could find an item. We popped into the armory and removed our gear, and I made mental notes of what to do for our next outing. We would see how she felt about wearing medium armor. It would be of the lighter kinds, and I think Brot’k would have even lighter materials for what she could wear when we settled on what she will wear. Once our gear was stored, we transited back to the atrium and headed to the dorm. We entered to find the others getting ready to go and they were surprised to see us back so soon.