Logan turned in shock as the door was almost torn open. Standing there was a well-dressed middle-aged man, breathing heavily. His unruly hair was a deep shade of chestnut, with white sideburns giving him a classy look. Logan couldn't ignore the fact that the man had similar facial features to Rubina. Even his differently colored eyes held the same attractive quality, and a pair of gold spectacles perched on his straight nose gave him a scholarly appearance.
Even though Logan didn't know the person who had entered so abruptly, he could tell that the man exuded an aura of excitement, as if he were on the brink of discovering something new.
"Hero! I see you have arrived, great to make your acquaintance. My name is Earl Victor Rosengard, owner of this mansion and lord of Hargate to the east of this city," the Earl said in excitement, wanting to speed through formalities. "Now then, I see you are both seated, perfect. Just give me a few seconds!"
"Hestia, please bring me an incubator and a few big fire stones," the Earl called out while setting himself in front of a sofa and carefully placing a 15-centimeter-long egg over his lap.
Logan stood in wait with curiosity, noticing the egg wiggling from time to time. It was light orange, and at times it glowed and turned red before returning to its original color. Soon, a maid entered with three butlers, placing a large incubator containing red crystals in the room. With their help, the earl carefully placed the egg inside the contraption.
"Now then, while we wait, let me tell you a bit more about myself and why I have called you," the earl said, taking off his glasses and starting to wipe them as he settled comfortably in his seat. "As Earl, I decided to help the hero who would be summoned. Yet, we were surprised that a class full of students was called, each one a hero with powers in different classes. I, of course, waited to see which one I would help out, and to my luck, one of you held the power of taming. You see, I became an Earl due to my work as the kingdom's top monster breeder. My greatest achievement was giving this kingdom its first tamed dragon, a feat that only the empire had accomplished thus far."
The carefree Earl tried to pick up a teacup, but the maid named Hestia quickly attended to him before he could move.
"Thanks, dear. Now then, I think you know where I am going with this, right? I need your help to understand the world of taming. We could make the perfect team as you benefit from my studies, and I, with your power, achieve a few other goals I have in mind."
"Father, can you calm down for a bit? I think you're going too fast, and the hero won't be able to follow," Rubina raised her voice in agitation, knowing that if she didn't stop her father, he would continue without restraint.
"Oh, yes, I have yet to get your name, young man. How about you introduce yourself?" the Earl said, taking a bite out of a cookie and gesturing for Logan to speak.
"My name is Logan," the boy shrugged, unable to think of anything else to add.
"Alright, nice to meet you, Logan. A man of few words I take it, that's good. Let me guess, my daughter has already informed you about the basics of this world. How about I tell you a few rumors about what's happening with the other heroes." The earl paused, licking some jelly from one of his fingers. "First off, the church has taken a keen interest in the Saintess; she will be given all their support. As for this kingdom, the King announced they would invest in the Champion, the kid who beat up the knight. And while other nations have each named a child to help, the most interesting would be the Empire's chosen, the Alchemist. One would think the strongest nation would covet a warrior or martial artist, but they quickly took the boy away. This is strange, considering that the church stated the heroes would stay in this kingdom for half a year..."
Before he could go on any further, the egg began to move erratically. The earl stopped speaking and beckoned Logan to come closer.
"Boy, come here. I need you to stand close to the egg. You see, this particular creature imprints like some fowls. It will be a good companion for you."
Logan noticed that most of the stones placed around the egg had lost their color. Only three remained bright red, with one of them dimming rapidly. The egg began to rock back and forth, soon a fissure appeared at the center, the small creature inside using its mouth to break through. A small flame shot out, and Logan realized he was too close. A few parts of the eggshell crystallized like glass before incinerating, narrowly missing Logan's face.
Soon, a small orange eye could be seen within the shell, staring directly at the boy who stood in front of the small creature. A tiny chirp constantly coming from its little mouth. As with the part of the shell that had blown off, the rest of it began to disintegrate with a few bursts of flame the small creature was emitting.
It was soon fully released from its capsule, emitting a long chirp as if roaring in celebration. What emerged from the shell was a small, newt-like orange creature that kept its gaze fixed on Logan.
"Father, don't tell me that's a Scorchwyrm? Did Miles sell it to you? No wonder you took so long; I thought he had sold it last week," Rubina asked while placing one of her hands near its head to rub it. The small creature, which did not approve right away, sent a few flames in her direction, but they dissipated as soon as they reached her hand.
"I would warn you against doing the same, Sir Logan. I have the Great Fire Spirit's protection, so something at this level won't harm me," she added.
Logan, who wanted to cuddle the small creature as Rubina had done, suddenly straightened his back. But the small creature, sensing the boy's retreat, took a few steps toward him.
"Well, that was part of the reason I was late. You see, there is something else we need to help young hero Logan with," the earl, satisfied with the events that had unfolded, suddenly took a small golden sigil from his pocket. It was a crystal with bright white symbols embedded within it.
"It's a small piece of the Chronicle Crystal, I had to play a few good cards to get it from the church, it seems the other heroes will have it hard though. Give it a try Sir. Logan, you just need to hold it and close your eyes and concentrate. I will warn you though, keep what you see to yourself and those you trust. Its information that could help you but also put you at risk if it falls into the wrong hands." The earl cautioned, while handing the sigil to Logan.
Logan took the small transparent object, feeling a strange warmth emanating from it. He did as the earl instructed, closing his eyes and focusing his mind. Almost instantly, a flood of information entered his thoughts, revealing his basic stats, skills, and abilities. It took a few attempts, but in the end, he felt he could organize the information in a way that games would display it.
Name: Logan
Class: Soul Bound Tamer
Level: 1
Health: 10
Mana: 8
Attributes:
Strength: 3 Agility: 2 Dexterity: 2 Constitution: 5 Intelligence: 2 Charisma: 1
Skills:
Taming (Rank: Beginner): Forms a permanent bond with a marked beast or being using the masters blood; the being must be willing to form a pact and cannot be of higher rank or level than the master. (Max Beings: 2/3)
Empathic Link (Rank: Beginner): Establishes a mental connection with tamed creatures, allowing for silent communication and understanding of their emotions and thoughts within a certain distance. (Max distance: 5 meters)
Abilities:
Tamer's Bond: Allows the hero to form a soul bond with creatures, making them permanent allies.
Tamed Beings:
Crimson Majesty (Level 1 - Blood Mark – Right Ankle) Skills: Scent of Serenity: Emits a calming fragrance that soothes those nearby, reducing stress and attracting prey. Hyper sense: Detects nearby presences through vibrations and movements around the plant. Thorny Defense: Protect itself using thorns found in its vines if attacked. Error: Unable to display further information. (Level 1 – Blood Mark – Ring Finger)
Experience Points (XP): 16 / 50
As Logan carefully thought about the information, he noticed a few discrepancies. For one, he already had two supposed tamed beings. From the first, he could gather it was a plant. He read through his skills and thought about the strange incidents with blood that had happened the day before. The weird rose-like plant could possibly be his first tamed being, a so-called Crimson Majesty.
The next one caught him off guard as it displayed an error. He thought hard about it, and only one other instance of weird blood activity entered his mind.
[Lisa!]