The noise in the room gradually died down, as people stopped talking and looked at the scar faced military man standing near the front of the room, facing them. Slightly behind him was a desk where two males in suits were seated, scrutinizing the people in the room, with black laptops opened up in front of them, on the white table. Once the gathered Battlepet Master Trainees and Novice Martial Warrior's had all turned to look at the scar faced military man, he continued speaking.
"Now, I'm sure you all want to know why you have been asked to this room. The reason is to give you some information that will be made accessible to you once your granted access to the Battlenet. I want everyone to know what you hear here, you are not allowed to mention to someone who is not above the age of 17 and has become a Battlepet Master Trainee or a Novice Martial Warrior. If it is known you have done so, you will have your Battlepet Master Trainee and Novice Martial Warrior ID revoked, along with access to the Battlenet, as well as facing the possiblity of jail time. And I will give you time to ask questions at the end, so don't interrupt."
"First, it's commonly shown in Beast classes in Primary and Highschool, along with occasionally showing on the news that beasts explode when a human tries to initiate the Astral contract. What you need to know is the why."
"The beasts explode, for the exact same reason a human would explode if a beast would try to initiate a bond and force a Astral contract to a human who's stage was at a higher level then that of a human's Astral Body size."
A surprise gasp rang out from the assembled group, along with the thud sound of a table being hit. The scar faced military man held up his hand, waiting a moment. When the sounds in the room died down, he continued.
"The reason why you haven't heard of this is because of government policy, and the hard realities. It took us countless lives for us to find a safe way to strengthen the soul, and that was with us being able to share information and being the most advanced and dominating species on this planet. In addition, the perks of this mostly come with being the Astral contract anchor, and having the bonded beasts increase their stage or evolve while bonded, sending the excess energy through the link subconsciously. There is an added difficulty of also needing to get the creature you are trying to bond with to initiate the Astral contract if one wants to become the Astral contract anchor."
"On the other hand, there is the path of the strengthening the body, which is far easier to start on, even as a rookie, due to the pain receptors our bodies have, along with being granted immediate and practical perks for the body."
"There have been Astral Beasts that have emerged among the population of creatures on this planet, but because of a mixture of how rare they are, how low level they are, and the governments attempts to control information, it has mostly been successful in hiding the information. As for why they do it...."
At this, the scar faced military man smirked, and said "Raise your hands, those of you who are Battlepet Master Trainees."
Six people raised their hands in the room, including Jamie.
"Now, keep your hands up if your able to stop any of your bonded beasts by yourself if they wanted to tear out your throat."
All their hands dropped down.
The scar faced man gestured around the room, his voice raising slightly "That is why it was decided to keep the information hidden. It is feared by some that if the information was made public, people would start treating the beasts horribly out of fear that we could be treated by them the same way as we treat them, of being domesticated and being walked around on a leash, and where that would lead. We want to increase the strength of humans as a whole, to better fend off the random portal incursions. Battlepet Masters are essential to our species growth and security."
"If any of you decide to venture into the portals, you will see some of the creatures in there capable of being an anchor for soul contract bonds. It is part of the reason why people are required to sign confidentiality agreements before entering into the portal."
"The second thing is something...."
As the scar faced military man was talking, Lynch walked next to him with an easygoing grin on his face."
"...Martial Warrior's need to know if you plan to reach stage 7. To reach stage 7, most humans are required to evolve, like Lynch here."
Lynch waved at the assembled group, as his features began to change. Black scales started to form all over his smooth white skin. A single, red horn started to grow upwards from the top of his head, and his eyes started to turn pitch black. There was a loud, audible gasp from the group and a large amount of screeching and thuds being heard in the room, as tables and chairs were hit and moved due to the reflex action of some people moving or getting up, along with some people calling out "Monster."
Suddenly, a huge, overbearing pressure, could be felt among all the Battlepet Master Trainees and Novice Martial Warriors in the room, stiffening them. The scar faced military man glared at everyone and called out "Silence everyone, and sit down!"
The pressure on the gathered group of Battlepet Master Trainees and Novice Martial Warriors in the room dispersed, and the scar faced military man waited while everyone straightened the tables and chairs they may have moved and sat down. When everyone was sitting down, he continued.
"If you want to become a stage 7 Martial Warrior or higher, most need to evolve, like it or not. Most people who evolve can change between two forms, although for some the change is permanent. On the Battlenet, you will be able to find the different methods that people have taken to evolve, and the resulting changes. Remember though, the evolution's that bring about the permanent changes usually gives a greater boost in power. Evolving will give each person some unique abilities."
Lynch held out his right hand, palm up, and a small ball of flames started forming. He gradually increased the balls size and heat for five seconds, before it stopped growing, slowly shrinking, then disappearing. After the flames dispersed, he started to turn back to his original appearance. His horn started to recede, and the scales started to lighten, slowly shrinking, before disappearing from sight, and his eyes started to change to their normal appearance. Once Lynch had returned to their normal appearance, the scar faced military man clapped his hands and said.
"That's it everyone. Does anyone have any questions?"
Four people raised their hands. The scar faced military man gestured to a muscular man with black curly hair, and hawkish features. The man asked in a nasally voice.
"You said most people have to evolve. Is there a way to increase ones stage without turning into.....that?"
A murmur could be heard in the room. The scar faced military man waited for the noise to die down, before he smirked, and responded. "There is one method that is known. Soak up as much energy as possibly, and put yourself in extreme situations that strain your body beyond the limits. Nearly everyone who has tried that method has died, and after increasing their stage their growth becomes stagnant. Not a single person who has reached stage 7 using that method has increased their power again, and they lose the chance to evolve. In addition, their combat ability is the lowest in stage 7."
The scar face military man pointed at a lanky tall man with black hair and glasses, a five meter long Black-Headed Python curled up at his side, on the floor. The lanky man asked.
"Do Battlepet Masters gain skills later on?"
The scar faced military man said "Astral energy can be used by the Astral contract anchor to empower abilities of the creatures bonded to them. The energy requirements on using this are massive though. I'm not sure any Battlepet Master Trainees can do it. Also, anyone involved in a soul bond can use the link to track down the others location. You can find out how to use these skills on the Battlenet, along with the various abilities you get by increasing your Astral Body purity."
The scar faced military man then pointed to a petite female, with a her blond hair tied up into a ponytail.
"Is their any way to direct the excess energy a beast has from increasing their stage or evolving to a specific area, so we can control what gets improved? "
The scar faced military man shook his head. "At your level, no. The problem lies in that a creature is too preoccupied with increasing their stage or evolving to be able to accurately guide the flow of energy, and that much lower staged beasts simply don't have the intelligence and experience to be able to effectively guide it to where you want it to go. Later on, at much higher stages, you can give it a shot as long as you find a way to make it easier for a bonded beasts evolution or stage increase."
The scar faced man pointed to the last person with their hand up, a slim man with a chiseled jaw and black, wavy hair.
"How does one form a Astral bond anchor contract?"
The scar faced military man answered "There must be blood contact between the two parties, and the initiator directs a small, constant trickle of essence energy through the body, to the soul of the other. The Astral Body automatically blocks foreign energy, or energy that is too dense. If there is a sense of trust between the two beings, and the energy is compatible to the soul at a level it can withstand, the Astral Body will automatically lower it's defenses and the energy will rush into the soul, forming the soul contract. If not, the barrier will remain in place. One can train to raise and lower the barrier, as well as picking up if the energy approaching the soul is compatible. If the barrier is forcibly broken, the energy will rush in, and the volume of energy needed to break the barrier is guaranteed to overload the Astral Body, causing it to combust."
The military man clapped his hands together and asked "Is there any more questions?"
He was answered with silence.
"You can all leave now. Remember, to get your ID's from reception."
After the gathered group of Battlepet Master Trainees and Novice Martial Warriors left the room, the scar faced military man looked at the two people sitting at the desk with their laptops open.
"How many people showed a hostile reaction this time?"
"Ten. We've noted down who they were, and passed the information along."