After years of waiting, John Reh, a seventeen year old village boy, had finally set off on his journey to see the world with one task in mind; find the stone tablets that match the one he carried and find the answers of who he really is.
A few weeks had past since John left his home. It would take quite a while before he reached his first town by foot. He had finally come to a large oasis. Its now night out and he is out of food having run into many creatures in the desert. It will be difficult to make camp without food.
Cat: you know you could try hunting those creatures instead of running from them.
John: Geh!? *sigh*... Stop that. I hate it when you just start talking out of nowhere after so long. It makes me think I'm actually crazy.
Cat: don't worry, you're not. Everyone else is just ignorant nowadays. You now have almost all the knowledge in the world. And with me now in your possession, you can easily utilize that knowledge to your advantage to get material and food for yourself. Just go hunting and you won't go hungry.
John: that and I could also start making real money so I can have a roof over my head if I sell the material. But... I'll have to get used to the jump-scares.
Cat: meh. You'll get over that real soon. Trust me. What you see in this desert will be worse as you continue to find the other beasts like me. But, once you master them fear will have no place in your dictionary anymore.
John: yeah, it'll get replaced by madness. Anyway, I think we're close to the next town so I'm gonna see how far we've come.
Cat: how's that?
John walks to a leaning tree and leans against it.
John: by utilizing you. Remember you said how I could use your power to my advantage?
Cat: oh? Well, just keep in mind that you're currently limited to want I can do since my stone is incomplete. What exactly are you doing right now though?
John begins to scale the tilted tree with ease until he reaches the top. He continues on to another tree, then another, until he was above the rest of the oasis. He could see the next town and a path to the main gate to his far right were the foliage seems to begin.
John: well, how about that. They build it in the oasis.
John slides his way back down the tree just as easily as he climbed it, then heads to the main gate.
Cat: hey! Wait up! I'm the one with stubby paws here!
It takes them till sunrise to reach the entrance, but the gate was closed off.
John: ah, man. What the hell?
Cat: maybe it's closed to the public till a curtain time?
John: probably. I better...
John hears a hissing sound closing in on him. A chill runs down his spine and his blood runs cold as he turns to see a small horde of five desert spiders; large sand colored, hairless spiders the size of wolves. They were enough to surround him as he backs into the wall of the gate.
John: crap... What do I do?! What do I do?! No one's here to help.
Cat: hunt. Big scaredy cat. Use my power like I said before. My true form is king of the wild. Think of how you can over power them. I can provide the strength.
John quickly thinks of what the cat said. Soon the studies he learned of spiders swim through his mind. He waits for one to jump and ducks under the belly. It slams its head into the gate and gets stunned. Soon, one after the other, they jump at John and he ducks under them each time. He was out of the sticky situation, but now he can't get to the gate.
With out a second thought, john somehow built up the courage and strength to tackle one to its back and break its head under the fangs, killing it instantly. The sound startled the remaining four to a halt. John's arm and leg were now covered in a pale blue-green colored blood. John looks at his arms disgusted, then was distracted by his finger nails. They looked like claws. He gets back into focus and tries to wipe off the blood.
The other spiders slowly creep closer as he was distracted. Once he noticed, John jumps another one on instinct. Scaring the now remaining three to jump back into the trees. John looked to see them finally running off and lets out a sigh of relief.
John: ugh... Jesus. Those guys are heavy. I cant believe I just killed two of them! Two!! What the hell did you do to me!? And what are these?!
John holds up his hands to show the cat his claw like fingers. He now had padding at his tips.
Cat: ... Uuh... Beastification?
John: eew~... This is just wrong.
John desperately tries to get the goopy blood off his arms until he realized his arms were now dyed a blue jade color.
John: urgh!!
Soon after his first ever battle with the spiders, the gates open to reveal a festive looking city with a temple at the other end of the wall. The beauty of it stunned John with amaze. But enough to distract him from the gross feeling he constantly got from the spider blood.
Two guards walk to the front for their posts when one of them sees John struggling with the two dead spiders he killed.
Guard1: hey!! State your business, hunter!
John: wha? Hunter? Me?
Guard2: who other than hunters and guardians can kill a beast that big twice? Your obviously not a guardian because you have no armor. So you must be a new hunter, right?
John: uh... Nope.
Cat: what can you tell them, then if not a hunter? You could have just went with it.
John: .... True~. But its a little late for that now.
Cat: then say something that doesn't make you seem so suspicious with all that blood on your hands.
John: I uh... Just a village boy on his first journey, really. Geh... You wouldn't know how to get this off would you?
The guards don't question him and guide him inside to a cleanser where he is should how to clean off the stains. They then ask him to follow them to the king. John is nervous. He wonders if he did or said something wrong. Then he remembered his tail. Now he's worried if they think he's a beastman or something similar.
Just before they reach the the castle walls, john and the guards are stopped by a small girl in medium light armor with a sizable cleaver on her lower back. She had a small phoenix on her chest plate.
Guard1: Madam Hale?
Guard2: what are you doing away from training?
Hale: uncle said not to go today and just walk the town instead. Though I would prefer training. Who is this? A traveler?
Guard1: so it seems. He defeated two of the deserts spiders just outside the gates not too long ago. So we are taking him to the castle to classify him.
Guard2: though he says he's only a village boy from the desert edge.
Hale: ... Yeah, I don't buy it.
John: wha?! Hey, wait! That's not fair!
Guard2: it's just a precaution. Once the king says your in the clear you can do as you please.
John: not that. What she said. That was really rude.
Hale: be sure to check his stuff too. Don't want some suspicious rat in here.
John: huh!?
Guard1: leave it. Shes like that with a lot of people that aren't classed in the battle regions. She pretty harsh like that.
John: pretty prejudice if you ask me. Stingy runt.
Guard2: do you not know who that is?
John: should I?
Guard1: oh boy. Been a while since someone like you came here.
They make it to the inside in the throne room where two large men in heavy weight armor fight. The guards call for their attention and they stop fighting. John can feel the tension in the air. One of the men walk to them and removes his helmet. The guards bow down to him.
Guards: good morning, King Hale.
King: good morning indeed.
The king looks at John suspiciously making eye contact with him, but John doesn't budge. He was too afraid.
Cat: the heck are you afraid of? This guys a push over.
John resists the urge to retort. He knew full well that know one could see the cat on his shoulder. He finally built up the nerve to place his hands to his stomach and gently bow, just as his village elder taught him years ago. King Hale tilts his head in confusion.
King: are you a monk, boy?
John: ah... No, sire. My village is lead by temple elders. There are no kings or royals near me other than the town... Which I don't know of.
King: huh. Why did you bring him here?
Guard1: sir! He stood by the main gates with the blood of the desert spiders on him. He would not class himself so we brought him here to be classed, sir.
King: barehanded?
Guard2: he seems to be a beastman... Huh? Hey, what happened to your claws?
John:... I'd like to know myself. Geh! I still got that gunk in my nails. Gross.
King: no class, huh. Name yourself.
John: Eek! J-John Reh, sire!
King: what is you business?
John: uh... Not really sure yet. I just started traveling, so... I was hoping to have a place to stay while figuring out how to make my business. Kind of hoping to be a scavenging merchant. Or something like that?
King: sounds reasonable enough. If you were a veteran fighter that is.
John: huh? Fighter? I- I don't really like fighting unless its really necessary.
King: then I take it you did a lot of labor in your village. Otherwise you beating a spider that big would be impossible.
Guard2: sorry, sir, but it was two he took down.
King: ... I didn't ask, but how?
John: oh. I was made to do a lot of different studies to go with my labor. Desert spiders have a soft spot just under the chin behind their fangs, making their skulls easy to crush with the right angle of force. Just throw force them on their backs from underneath first without getting stung.
King: I see. Piecing it all together then, how did you get it on its back.
John: that one was tricky. I had to rush it the moment it pounced to throw off the balance, otherwise I would have pinned myself.
The king only stares at John.
John: did I say something bad?
King: hm? No. That was just a well processed play of action. You're a rare person. If you were older you'd be classed as a battle scholar. Some one knowledgeable in the field and capable of standing the frontline. But you don't seem to have the strength.
Cat: what's he talking about? Sure you look scrawny, but you have the strength of a great lion. You could easily kick his butt, no problem.
John holds back for retorting, though his face says told the cat to stop. The cat looks away smugly.
King: what? Don't like being called weak?
John: geh? No! Wait! That's not it at all. I'm use to that. Anyway. I'm just gonna go get a place to stay for a bit then be on my way in a few days.
King: just stay here. I can't really class you, but without a class it will be difficult to get a room even in the cheapest inn.
John: no~... Really? I need that to travel? Just make me a scavenge merchant. I'm probably just gonna end up selling the spider parts anyway. And it'll give me the freedom to get anything I need and want without prejudice. Plus its a weak title, so I don't get that much attention.
King: huh? You're really okay with that?
John: better that than a scholar. People don't expect much but good trades for cheap so long as the items are fresh and authentic. I won't have any trouble with that, since I'm more accustom to scavenging and basic labor anyway.
King: if you insist.
The king places his hand on Johns head and a stream of stars collide with each other. Suddenly they stop flowing and scatter, disappearing from sight. John was confused. He didn't know what happened. The king seemed to be just as lost.
King: hm?
John: did... Something go wrong?
King: no. That was just ... Different. You may stay here in the castle during your time here. Most of the shops and inns are packed for a while because of the festival coming up, but you probably don't know anything about it. I'll let my niece tell you later when she gets back from her walk.
Guard1: uh sir. About that. She already got a bad impression from him, so I doubt she'd bother.
King: oh, you can't be serious. Again? I'll talk to her later then. Damn. For now take him to the first room in the center hall. Make him comfortable. When I get my hands on that runt...
The king walks away muttering to himself.