It's been a year since the trial ended, Ren is a full-fledged Beast Tamer now and he just became an adventurer. His beast is now a teenager, they grow up fast, faster than human.
Its orange body has grown quite a bit. Its scales have spread from the body to the back of its hand and on its feet it's a bit strange, its scales are mixed with feathers.
Ren pulled the herb off the ground and put it in the small bag hanging from his waist. He stood up and looked at the sky while smiling, he's close to buy his own land, he just had to sell the herbs that he had collected.
He wiped the sweat dripping from his forehead and turned behind him, he whistled and in less than a second, his beast came out from the top of the tree.
"Did you get a good rest?"
He came closer and stroked its head while smiling. The lizard makes a satisfied noise and licked Ren's hand.
"Oh, hahaha! That tickles."
He grabs the lizard's body and lifted it to his shoulder. He placed it down and started walking back to town.
The sun is shining today and it's so hot that it's nice to always have his beast by his side.
Because his beast's breath emits thick smoke and its body temperature is down to 10°C, it's nice to hug especially when he wants to sleep at noon.
"They say that it's good if you're trained to fight but... I don't want to see you get hurt, you're too cute for that."
He said to his pet, he stroked its head again and soon there was a rustling in the grass. Ren turned around and looked closely at the grass, but he didn't see anything.
Suddenly, a figure sat up from amidst the grass, a woman, with wild, windswept hair and an easy smile that seemed to belong to someone without a care in the world.
"Oh, you've got sharp eyes, spotting me like that."
She said, grinning up at him as if they were old friends meeting by chance. She stretched her arms out with a yawn and blinked at him with an almost sleepy curiosity.
"Were… you sleeping there?"
"Taking a nap, yes! Best place for it. It's cooler under these bushes, you know?"
She brushed a stray blade of grass from her hair, unbothered, then glanced at his beast, her eyes lighting up.
"Ohhh, what a lovely creature you have there! Stardust scales… how rare."
She said, reaching out a hand slowly as if seeking permission.
Ren was taken aback but nodded cautiously. His beast tilted its head, intrigued, and allowed her to stroke its scales, emitting a low, approving hum.
Their faces were close together and even though she wasn't looking at him, he couldn't help but blush.
"Uh... You're too close."
"Was I?"
She released her hand from the beast's head and backed away a little from Ren.
"What are you doing here anyway? Aren't Beast Tamers are supposed to travel to the Kingdom and get a medal for the next tournament?"
She asked as she took something from her clothes pocket.
Ren shifted, his mind racing at her mention of the tournament. Competing among the best Beast Tamers in the Kingdom had always been a distant dream.
"I… Well, I'm just working on buying a bit of land here first, but one day, I'd like to go."
She raised an eyebrow, but she didn't push why Ren hasn't come to the Kingdom yet.
"One day, hmm? Tell you what, Ren, why don't you show me a bit of what you've got now? Your beast here seems quite talented. Let's see if you've got the skills to match."
"I don't know... what do you have in mind?"
She stepped back, her hands on her hips as she looked around the field.
"See that ridge over there?"
She pointed toward a low hill covered in wildflowers and brush.
"If you can send your beast up there and have it bring back a wild moonvine flower, I'll give you something interesting in return."
"A moonvine flower?"
Ren had seen them before, delicate blue flowers that only bloomed during the day under certain conditions. He glanced at his beast, who was already tilting its head curiously.
"Deal."
He responded, smiling.
The woman leaned against a tree, watching him intently as Ren focused on his beast, quietly giving it the direction. His beast scurried off toward the ridge, disappearing into the brush.
She watched with a faint smile, nodding approvingly.
"Good command. But do you think your beast will trust you enough to listen when things get challenging?"
Ren glanced at her, curious.
"You sound like you know a lot about taming."
"Let's just say I know how difficult it is to gain that kind of bond."
She shrugged, pulling something from her pocket, a small, folded map with unusual markings.
"So, here's the map of the ridge, and this is where the moonvine flowers is. Now I need you to use your magic to command your beast from here."
She said, pointing to a place with red marking.
"That's all? That's going to be easy."
As his beast reached the ridge, it suddenly hesitated, sniffing the air. A gust of wind swept across the field, rustling the leaves and making it difficult to see clearly. Ren narrowed his eyes, sensing his beast's uncertainty.
"Keep low."
He murmured, signaling with a swift hand motion. His beast crouched, moving carefully through the underbrush, avoiding noisy branches and sharp rocks.
Just then, a small hare dashed across his beast's path, skittering right in front of it. His beast's eyes followed, a spark of predatory interest flashing.
"Focus!"
He called out in a low, calm voice. He raised two fingers, signaling a command only they knew. The beast's gaze shifted back to the task, dismissing the hare as it continued toward the flower's location.
When his beast reached the cluster of moonvines, Ren made a soft, circular motion with his hand, a command for "gentle." His beast carefully plucked a flower, taking care not to damage the delicate petals, and then looked back at him, waiting for the next instruction.
"Return."
He murmured, gesturing toward himself. The beast retraced its steps with the same precision, finally emerging from the ridge and padding over to Ren with the blue moonvine flower held carefully in its jaws.
He took the flower, smiling with satisfaction, then looked at the woman. She crossed her arms, clearly impressed, as a glint of admiration shone in her eyes.
"Here's your flower."
He handed the flower to the woman and smiled. He sat in front of his beast and rubbed its head gently.
"You did a good job."
The beast let out a small roar but it hummed as if it was enjoying the pleasure.
"I still haven't asked for your name, right?"
Ren asked as he stroked his beast. He finally stopped and picked up his beast and put it on his shoulder again.
"Mine's Ren."
He said, extending his hand in front of the woman.
"Mona, Mona Clair."
She said, shaking his hand.
After shaking, Mona removed her hand and grabbed a steel like bracelet with a shiny stone in the center. She handed it to Ren with a smile.
"Here, take this. It's a Rune Bracelet."
Ren took the Rune Bracelet from Mona's hand and looked at it carefully, the shiny stone on it was like a rune stone used to feed a beast.
"What's a Rune Bracelet? I've heard about a Rune Stone, but a bracelet? No."
"Really? Well, let me explain it to you."
She took out a book from her bag and took the eyeglass hanging from her clothes, she opened the book and read what was written in it.
"Rune Bracelet is made out of woven silver vines and the stone embedded in the center is called a gemstone. When worn by you, it can grant additional improvement to your abilities or makes you faster and stronger. Depends on the gemstone used."
Ren admired the Rune Bracelet in his hands, tracing a finger over the silver vines and gemstone.
"This is incredible… I can't believe you'd just give this to me."
"That's the reward for that impressive bond you and your beast have. Besides, it'll be put to good use with someone like you."
Ren glanced at his beast, already eyeing the bracelet with curiosity.
"Thanks, Mona. I really mean it. Not many people would give something so valuable to someone they just met."
She shrugged, her eyes flickering with a mysterious warmth.
"I have a feeling it'll come back to me in some way. That's just how things tend to work out, right?"
He chuckled, securing the bracelet in his bag.
"If you want, maybe I can repay the favor with some lunch or at least introduce you to the best bakery. I was just heading back, actually… Care to join me?"
Mona's eyes lit up with interest.
"Well, I'm never one to turn down a good bakery. Lead the way, Ren."