C19: Beast Tamer & Reunion
as mentioned last chapter, c24 was finished shortly after and now C25 will be ready soon after this is published.
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[Congratulations Host, You have obtained a new achievement and Title. Beast Tamer & Successful Beast Tamer]
"Say what now" I immediately respond as I see Alfred slowly vanish. I switch back to the Nugget man title to regain back up to 2 and then back to Young Hunter again.
[Beast Tamer: A person who has tamed a beast through any means. Passive Effect: Unlocks the pet subsystem and grants usable pet slots for all newly tamed beasts or pets. Active Effect: increase affinity with tamed beasts. This affinity is shown by granting the owner substats or skills from said beast].
Used to my habits, the system automatically pops up the new title to reveal the newly minted power I just stumbled upon.
"Oh hell yea, so my short term goal should be to fill up all my slots to maximize benefits" Im jocular (happy) about this situation but the system quickly comes in to beat me down.
[Warning: To prevent abuse, special measures have been taken into account. The feature regarding affinities is random and each slot has a year long cooldown before more benefits can be gained from the same beast. The contrast to being able to repeatedly get more benefits from living pets, the more pet slots filled, the less overall benefits any one beast amongst the slotted pets gives per year. ]
I shlomp over the nearby pillar in dreary agony over what I read. But then I pause.
"Wait a second, I am in a timeloop, how does that work? The entire night of the hunt is literally less than a day but I know I'm experiencing much greater time than that. It's been hours since I originally woke up but it's only dusk…now"
[The subsystem has an internal clock that is counting down from the moment the pet slot has been filled before providing rewards. Even if the host were to spend a whole year on this one night, it would still keep track and provide rewards when the time arrives.]
"Phew, that's good to know, I actually got nervous there for a bit. It's not like I plan to just stall in the night for a whole year but it's still good to know. Though I do wonder what is in store for me after….all this" I wave at the grand cathedral building around me.
[As the host has tamed the boss and not slain it, only partial rewards are given:
+1 Pthumeru Chalice,
+20k echoes,
+1 radial bloodtinge gemstone
+1 pet slot,
+5 insight (1 for finding and 4 for taming)]
[Due to effect of Nuggetman, gained insight is doubled]
"Oh hey, the boss just paid for himself at that point, now I have however many slots I got from the very start that this title provides. Now what does the achievement give?"
[Successful Beast Tamer: You who have successfully tamed your first beast have been rewarded for your valor. Reward: one random pet egg]
"ACK" As I read the message, I find a glow suddenly appear before me akin to a miniature sun with no heat, the light seeps into my eyes as I'm nearly blinded for life as I cover my face with my hands. Groaning from pain. It takes a few minutes for my eyes to heal and then the light even longer to stop before I can finally take hold of my achievement prize.
It is a fist sized egg at the moment. Well it's a bit bigger than a fist, about the size of a standard cantaloupe. Not enough to be head sized but far bigger than a store bought egg. The egg has a peculiar design, like swaying snakes though it obviously isn't moving. But there are shadow-like markings on the egg shell that appear 'serpent-like'. I choose to identify it by putting it in my inventory.
[Pet egg: Awarded by the system, this pet will be of a random snake species. It will hatch in 50 years-time.]
I choose to go hollow in this very moment as I will never be able to hatch this mystery egg. I only snap back a moment later as the system finally unlocks the pet subsystem.
[Ding: Pet system has found master has a pet egg, would you like to store this egg in the system incubator]
"Is there a difference between the incubator and the inventory?"
[The incubator is capable of accelerating the growth of incubated pet eggs according to various time factors starting at 2x and the limit being 50k-x. Of course the master must pay to keep these accelerators running but the payment is only monthly]
"Ah, so what is the cheapest option and most expensive option"
[it is 500 echoes a month for the 2x option while it's 100k for the 50k x option.]
Cough cough cough "ah what the shit" I curse as the sudden price reveal causes me to choke on saliva. I continue to cough for a few minutes before I finally calm down but still have remnant coughs even for a while longer.
[No worries master, You may interrupt the timeline process whenever you choose so that you can upgrade and degrade the speed boost whenever you like. Though there is a 1k BE penalty cost for each update.]
"So you're saying that I can start the cheapest option now and then 3 days later pay 1k and change the speed if I can afford it at the time? Ah screw it, ill take the 4x if I can afford it, otherwise it's 3x speed."
[Correct, there would also be a partial refund based on whatever was the selected option at the time of the change. The new timeline would also be adjusted to a month from that newest change. Processing desired speed, 4x speed would cost 800 echoes. Go through with it?]
"Ok, it's not a one and done purchase, thats nice. And yea, go with the 4x. That will leave me with a crisp 20,157 Show me all your features for now"
[...] I begin to glimpse through this 'subsystem'. It's quite user friendly as it shows me I have ⅓ + 1 slots available. Which means by default I had 3 slots and gained one from taming the blood starved beast. Though it's hard to describe its appearance as blood starved anymore. It's like looking at a Gatcha game where it shows character cards for someone rather than a full body view.
"That's just a regular dude now" My disappointment is immeasurable and my day is ruined as I look at the top half of the 'beasts' appearance. Black hair with freckles of red dotted around, spotless, hairless face that gives the impression they are just a teenager, or at least an early adult at the very least. A lean build with compact muscles. It's not too far off from my own body type but the childish face is not giving it any benefits. I then begin scrolling down to its history and stats.
[The blood starved beast was once a man, mutated by rituals and force fed lesser quality blood, transforming into nothing more than a mad beast. Its transformation bred new blood, higher quality, to be used for rituals. It had been bled for years before a fire broke out, breaking its chains but taking heavy burns as a result. It had found solace in momentary peace within the chalice church.]
[Starved for so long, it had mutated to the point of using poisons to weaken its prey until it could feast to its heart's content. This was still true until new blood had been administered haphazardly. The unique taste had soothed the beast body, mending the disrepair of its body and undoing the madness of ritual yet retaining its enhanced strength in a new state. Gone was the man, replaced by beast, now gone is the beast, replaced by man.
I simply stare as I read the description. My habits lead me to skip over entire lines as I feel like I've read them before until I stumble onto something new and have to go back and properly read it until I repeat this process a few times and finally finish the whole set of paragraphs.
"Horry sheet. My boi stronk, mentally broken but who needs a brain anyways, not me." I praise the vampire-like creature that my pet system kidna..cough retrieved. Its physical stats are much higher than mine but its other stats are dog shit indeed.
Though by physical stats I'm only referring to the basics like vitality, strength and endurance. Its skill and other stats are far worse than even a waste of skin would have.
This naturally reflects its other stats like a higher base number defense than myself but I have clothes on while this one appears naked. It also has poison immunity while bolt and arcane are its next highest defensive stats while fire will still melt the poor bastard. Seems he kept this weakness even when it regained his humanoid form.
Not really a problem since he also kept his poison skills, though how that will work is unclear as the subsystem only tells me he has the skills and not how it works. There is also a skill to extend it's nails for claw attacks. Might be able to link it with the aforementioned poison skill but ill find out soon enough.
For now I summon the newly tamed beast…annnndd it's naked. Luckily it has nothing between it's legs so it cant possibly impact my self esteem nor traumatize me from suddenly looking at a weenis.
I wave at the creature and say, "Can you understand me? Shake your head like this if yes and like this if no" I demonstrate by moving my head up and down for yes and sideways for no. It shakes it's head no.
'Alright asshole' I nearly say aloud but instead I'm in a good mood now as I simply take out the top hat hunters set for him and tell him how to get dressed. It takes about half an hour but he finally gets it after I explained not to put both feet into one of the leg holes at once…many many times.
Overall, he looks good.
Quite Dapper if I do say so myself.
The top hat certainly has a charm to it, now if only I could convince him to actually keep it on and not let it slide off his head every test step he takes with his newfound bipedal form.
I then hand him the saw spear to use as his weapon, should he need it but after finding out how to store it on his back, he never touches it again.
"Alright, let's go Gerald" I name my 'pet' and he doesnt seem to mind the name, a small smile creeps up on the former beasts face as he still wobbles his way behind me. I keep pace so he doesnt fall behind too much. Of course before I left the cathedral, I activated the lamp.
I activate the lamp and find a cloud covering Gerald, I feel like it's my imagination but he did the peace sign as we both vanished.
Returning to the dream momentarily, I wave at the doll before using the tombstone again and re-appearing at the entrance to old Yharnam.
Gerald appears beside me and begins to trail me. His dumb ass top hat swaying on his head because he cant lower it an inch at all onto his god forsaken forehead.
We both make our way to the bridge just outside leading into Yharnam when a voice calls out to me from a distance.
"You there, hunters. Didn't you see the warning? Turn back at once."
"Old Yharnam, burned and abandoned by men, is now home only to beasts."
"They are of no harm to those above. Turn back..."
"...or the hunter will face the hunt."
I pause, but not because of the threat, but because I recognize that voice. Djura, a veteran of the powdergangers. Yet there is something I know that most don't.
"Change of plans Gerald, I'm gonna kick that guy's ass. But to do that, we will need to sneak up on him. So we are returning to the cathedral. I'm not gonna make you do acrobatics just yet so we'll take the long way via the lamps." I guide Gerald back then to another set of two 'ports' we return to Gerald's lovely temple. I find antidotes behind his altar and then we make our way out.
Killing the few beast patients and then across the multiple scourge beasts, I finally get to see how Gerald fights.
It's pretty brutal but he has the strength to stab his claws hands into the bodies of beasts, before causing an eruption of poisonous liquid. How that works, I have no clue but it's cool and I dismiss the fact that he still hasn't touched the saw spear, not that I really cared but we gradually make our way out of this bottom area, across a bridge to kill a few more beasts before arriving at a temple where another bsb is hanging above.
Though not before killing the few beast patients here and getting another set of 2 pungent blood cocktails. Along the way I also slayed my second scurrying beast and got 3 bloodstone shards, plus another i got from the scourge beasts along the way as they mostly gave me more vials. Passing through a tunnel. I find a very nice looking location with a few trees and 'praying statues'.
On my right side i spot a glow and thus pick it up, getting 6 vials and finding a staircase leading very high up. I recognize this as the shortcut but don't go up it yet. I Instead turn towards the temple and cross to the other side where 6 crows lie around. Killing them and being disappointed in how effectively worthless they are (64 echoes each). I collect another 2 blood stone shards before moving into the temple proper.
I enter behind the altar and using my skills, I sneak up on the central beast patient cloaked in green. I am unfortunately not lucky enough to kill it before it releases a screech that seems to power up all the nearby beasts, unless of course they already had red eyes from the start but i cant be fully sure. I slay the main beast and then fall back to the entrance where I tunnel them all. Gerald was left behind and the beasts don't seem to pay it any mind as they get grouped up in the tunnel.
I take out Gascoignes Axe and extending it, I release a charged spin that takes them all down but not fully dead. I switch back to my cleaver and finish them off with Gerald stabbing them in the back. I collect the ritual blood and then procedurally slay each beast patient here one by one.
After all nine are taken down including that head priestess (female beast patients are the ones with the cloaks) which had enraged them as I noticed all these beast patients had yellow eyes until this one roared and turn it a bloody gold or whatever is the closest to this. I keep going as I take down the 10th patient that was guarding a madman's knowledge and getting another tempering bloodstone gem from that patient's body.
After a very hefty chump of change, I begin walking up the stairs and into a side room where I do get ambushed by another patient as I'm in loot goblin mode but Gerald outright decapitated the beast in a punch that echoed throughout the temple. I decided to check on the pet system as it felt like Gerald wasn't that strong a minute ago.
I check his status and find that he has a level, and he has leveled up….
"System, why does the tamed beast have a level? And why does he not need a 'caretaker' to level it up?"
[pets operate on an xp basis. Certain pets like new borns use this version to mature against the betterment of time while other creatures have been weakened from their original version. Such was the case with the pet named "Gerald". The NG+ version is far stronger than you physically but the system placed a restriction to ensure it was not doing everything for the master. As such, over time it will regain their original power but more likely than not, it will be alongside your own power to not create any sense of overshadowing.]
"But why"
[So that the tamed beast does not break out of the systems control and turn on you]
"Good point, moving on" I say as I collect the vials here and then go up the stairs again, taking out two more patients, one big, one small and then a third that jumped down from some rafters above. It did get a hit off, but not on me as I had Gerald leading the way forward, making sure nothing jumped out at me. I give him a vial and tell him to use it which he does and he does not seem to suffer from my curse, let's go.
Slaying it, I go to the side room here which is essentially just a bunch of rafters. Climbing down a bit after despawning the pet hunter, I collect the cold blood dew (2). I get down to the giant auditorium and then head outside again, kill the crows on the path opposite of the main path towards Gerald's church and get two more shards. Then I lead us to a shortcut i found earlier but didn't open yet as it's a long ladder up.
I originally tried to teach Gerald on how to climb a ladder but around 5 steps up, one of his legs slips past the bar itself and he stiffens, essentially turning into a horizontal log compared to the ascending staircase.
I chuckle at his spread eagle form on the ladder with his leg stuck and just despawn him and then bring him back when I reach the top and open the door.
Now my game knowledge was incomplete here as I just knew that going to the right is the entrance to the church that I just killed all the beast patients in and that the gunner man is above me right now. I look around and lo and behold, a ladder just hidden off to the side by great darkness.
Who knew that a gray scale ladder would merge with the surrounding darkness of the surrounding buildings.
Since I'm heavily bored whilst climbing this ladder where I despawn Gerald again, I begin to hum to myself. My song in question is Everything at once by Lenka. Though my recollection of the song was mediocre and only remembered the variations of chorus, syncing my steps up with my words.
" 🎵As sly as a fox, as strong as an ox,
As fast as a hare,
as brave as a bear
As free as a bird,
as neat as a word
As quiet as a mouse,
as big as a house 🎵"
When I start being able to see the end of the ladder, I have already finished both the chorus I remembered and switched songs.
"Im gonna getcha-getcha-getcha, one way or another. I'm gonna win ya. Im gonna getcha-getcha-getcha, one way or another, im gonna meetcha."
[Bad singing has gained necessary experienced] x 2
[Bad singing has reached level 3]
CLICK I arrive at the top of the ladder and am about to pull myself up when I hear a click.
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Word Count = 3374
Enjoy
Some tomfoolery with the system and then the new pets before hunting for money and loot again.
Whether you like the chapter or not, drop a comment. I can't be letting myself get complacent in my writing. I still have plenty of growth in all forms.
discord channel still has the next chapter preview like usual: https://discord.gg/rE6gtg28XH
Patreon.com/Xanok to find me.