Huff.. finally! We made it. After a 2 day trek, which allowed Ari to get to level 79, on the cusp of 80. It seems like 80 is a large milestone, as the required experience was close to double that from 78-79 for him.
'Siya', 'It is because on this continent, people and beast are ranked by Tier. Tier 1 would be your 1-19. Tier 2 is 20-29. Tier 3 40-59. Tier 4 60-79. Tier 5 80-100.
This is how your leveling system works compared to the current world. There is no great method to compare beasts in the world, so each tier can have very different levels and skills. A level 79, like Ari will have no trouble besting a level 60 even though both would be ranked the same by the metrics of this land.'
This made a lot of sense, and also helped explain why Siya insisted on creating this leveling system rather than following the tier rank, because if I was a tier 1, with no close to how close I would be to tier 2, I might have just given up. But now, I can easily follow my progression, as well as others.
Just before the sunset, we approached a small village , which was the first village we had seen for miles. We needed to stock up on food, clothes, and all normal supplies. Luckily, Siya informed me that I can get all the money I need if I swap in my beast cores for cash. So we kept the ones, from Ari's kills in a makeshift bag I crafted from my jacket.
However, as we approached, it soon became apparent I wasn't going to need to money, at least not for tonight.
The whole entire village had gather in the town square hosting what must be some festival. Beers were flowing, music could be heard all throughout the village, and not a corner was quiet.
I was not sure what to initially expect, humans for one, but other than that, this would be my first interaction with anyone from this planet, so I was on my best behavior, allowing myself to gage what this world was truly like.
I decided it was best to follow the music, as this worked wonders back at parties on Earth. I past plenty of stalls as I made my way towards the center of the village, and to my luck it seemed, everything was being passed around for free. I am not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, so I took enough for Ari, Ronin and I and continue my march inward. As we made our way towards the crowd, I noticed one tavern with a larger group than the others, this must be the place to get wasted. The crowd was a bunch of drunk villagers, with the majority not likely to remember the night. Yet, none seemed to care. For the first time in a while, they could fall asleep without the thought of death hanging over their head. At least that was what I had overheard between to burly men cheers their drinks together. When I asked, it seemed the cause for celebration was the death of a magical beast that was feared in this village.
Choosing to fit in for the night, I headed towards the wooden tavern to order a drink. The bar was jammed pack, but luckily there was a takeout window with a young lady selling beer. I ordered two beers, which were free, and handed one to Ari and Ronin to split. Typically, a large party was exactly my scene, yet it was a little different not having any knowledge of the culture I was apart of. So I choose to lay low, and learn as much as a I can. I was about half through my drink, when a young Asian man approached me with a question.
'What type of creature is this mister?'
The young man, must have been around 14-15, with short black hair, and fair skin. He was shorter than I would expect a teenager, but had a mature face, that made him seem more of a teenager than child.
I knew he was asking about Ari, as I could tell others started inching closer when he asked the question. Ari was way too big to go unnoticed by a crowd, it must have been the air of mystery surrounding myself, that stopped people from approaching me immediately.
Not one to shy away from a stranger, I choose to engage the man in conversation.
'This is Ari, he is a Collie Wolf. A hybrid between the Border Collie and the shadow wolf!'
'Woah! That is so cool. I have always wanted a beast companion.'
'Yeah, it really has been nice. I got Ari when he was just a puppy, and I'll tell you it wasn't easy. He needed to be trained each and everyday. It wasn't until after the first year, when we truly became super close'
'Really?!'
'Yes, and even having a strong bond between us, didn't make taming my second magical beast any easier' I said as i gestured towards Ronin, my new acquaintance.
'You have two?!?'
'Indeed, Ronin just joined my team today. I was out in the forest looking for a new companion. I was naive. I thought since I had Ari, it would be easy to get a 2nd and then a 3rd but the truth was, it was just as difficult.'
Ren, whose name I found out later, was even more surprised when I showed him my second magical beast. It seemed, that some people in this world had one, but not many had two or more. Ren was very curious and kept asking questions on how I went about taming Ronin and why I choose him. Even though I told him, I searched for the weakest creature, Ren was still just as starstuck as he was when we entered the initial conversation. I had my first fan. Something, every hero or Protagonist would have but yet I found it odd. I still had the feeling like I had yet to accomplish anything, on top of my low knowledge of how magic works but yet, it seemed the little I had done was still impressive to some. This warmed my heart. Especially after Ren informed me that he wanted to become a beast tamer just like me, as he was born without any affinity! This caused him to be the black sheep of the village.
Ren and I continued our conversation, and I learned a decent amount about what goes on in the village and the day to day lives of the residents. He also gave me tips on who to talk to and avoid as the night went on.
Eventually the conversation made it's way back to beast taming, a subject that was clearly favored by Ren.
'So how many beasts can you tame at once'
It was a question on my mind, but one I didn't have the answer too. I wanted to say 6, just because of a specific game I played as a child, but also didn't want to limit myself.
'I'm thinking a minimum of 5. That way I can be considered a full party' I answered honestly, as it would really be awesome if I could form a full team.
'That is so many! What pet are you going to choose next'
'I uhh… well I haven't thought about it yet.' It was the truth. I had only been in this world a day or so, but it was something I needed to consider.
'Ari is a damage dealer, while Ronin focuses on healing' I added to clarify my current team makeup.
Ren seemed to take this information seriously, as his hand rubbed his chin in a curious motion.
'Well you are going to need a flying type, one that can cast long range spells as well as a big bulky beast as well to take the hits'
His observation was right on the money on how I played video games. A scout/rogue, a tank, a healer, a sniper or spellcaster, and a damage dealer. It seemed Ren had a keen tactical mind.
'You are right, I think any of those options would boost my team. Which do you think I should get first'
'A flying beast! One that can take you anywhere. I want a griffin! It can not only scout but be used as a mount and can fight. They are fierce creatures and extremely loyal!'
It was an interesting idea. I didn't love a griffin for my mount, it wasn't a huge creature, so Ari would be left behind, but the idea of a flying bird was something on my mind ever since I failed to tame one in the woods.
'I don't think a griffin is really my speed, but a bird that can scout and add air attacks would be beneficial. It could even carry messages'
My mind immediately went to an taming owl, one like hedwig! It was a tamers basic need. Especially if traveling by foot or magical beast becomes an occupational need, I will need a scout for directions.
'That's no fun tho! You need a big creature like your Collie Wolf that can fight!'
'Hahaha, I don't need any more fire power, atleast not for the time being. Ari is plenty strong!' This was certainly true. Ari could easily beat 100 of me in a fight.
I chatted with Ren for a while, he was happy to go into further details about why a griffin would be the perfect fit, eventually, he changed his tune to include dragons, wyverns, blood bears, krakens, and other mythological creatures that I have no chance to tame until my power level increases. Eventually I waved goodbye to Ren and headed towards the noise.
As I approached the center, the music suddenly ended, as an Elderly man approached the stage to give a speech.
"Today we celebrate the great Victory in Tyrn. The Ground Dragon has been killed! The terror inducing beast has been haunting our country for the past decade was beheaded! Attacking when with no warnings, inflicting damage and then fleeing just as quick. The coward of a dragon has been slayed! Tonight is a glorious day! Everyone have a drink for the unknown dragon slayer. He surely needs the luck!"
A short speech, but I understood the point. I'd say killing a dragon deserves a celebration. After slaying that Wyrm beast, I wouldn't have minded a celebration, but I'm sure the dragon was even stronger. I'll be sure to avoid whoever this dragon slayer is.
I spent the next few hours talking to the locals, eating there food, and understanding the currency exchange. They told me 10 miles northwest is a famous adventures guild called the Ravenaire. I would fetch a lot better price there, but a mid age butcher accepted a few of my smaller tiered beast cores, so I had a 2 gold, and 5 silver for a dozen of them, not a bad haul, especially since they were from the weakest monsters.
With everyone in a good mood, and open rooms at the village in, I didn't even need to pay for a nights sleep, but Ari, and Ronin had to sleep in the stable, which was fine, because Ari was now way to big for the rooms anyway. In the morning we would set off on a quick pace to the Ravenaire Guild House, hoping to get their before lunch time.
If only it would be that easy.