{Bargamus}
It was late in the evening, and inside a grand office, Bargamus Keal, a Demon who went by the alias among humans of Augustus Klein, had just finished issuing his report to Omar Landrew, ruler of the Landrew Kingdom. This report was in regards to what Bargamus had observed of Chris Monty’s performance that day.
“I must admit that I’m surprised Christopher was able to pull it off, being as weak as he is,” Omar started, “Although I have my reservations about you taking him outside to face Monsters so early and ahead of everyone else, since he’s a Tamer, I suppose it was essential that he gets a Companion as soon as he can. Since you were also with him, I’ll let the matter of him being out late in the evening be overlooked.”
“I thank ye fer yer understandin’, Yer Majesty,” Bargamus thanked the king while bowing to him, “While we’re talkin’ about gettin’ Companions, Chris was thinkin’ of tamin’ another monster tomorrow.”
Omar lifted a hand to stop Bargamus, “Say no more. If he’s able to handle more than one, then I say let him get some more. You and Christopher have my permission to leave the castle and the city as much as necessary to tame and train Monsters. For as weak as he is, he’s gonna need all the help he can get.”
Oi … Chris, whatever the hell you did to fool a bastard like this man, it was more effective than you may have realized, Bargamus thought as he held up a parchment containing Chris’ status information. They were what the crystal ball enchanted with the [Appraisal] skill displayed when he and his class revealed their statuses through it. The attendants that were also there that time only recorded what they saw from the crystal ball’s readings. It was the first time Bargamus was seeing this information. Chris’ list of spells that weren’t recorded on the parchment, [Heal] and [Shock], weren’t what surprised Bargamus the most, though. Compared to what he saw from Chris’ battle with the Bloodhounds earlier, he was stronger than what was written in his stats, and definitely more so now. Not to mention his number of skills was surprisingly small, meaning there may be much more to the boy in that regard than anybody knew.
“Then again, if Morgan’s training was vigorous enough today, Chris may be feeling quite sore in the morning,” Omar continued, “Add into your excursion after that, and I’ll be shocked if he’s able to walk tomorrow, let alone whatever Morgan has in store for the heroes’ training.”
“Yer not goin’ t’ let ‘em rest, Yer Majesty?” Bargamus asked with a raised brow.
“I’ll see if I can have Morgan lighten the load for tomorrow’s training. If the heroes’ conditions are so dire, we have healers on standby to heal their bodily fatigue.” Omar rested his elbows on his desk, bringing both hands together as he looked to Bargamus with a somber expression, “We are at war, Augustus, the sooner we have the heroes strong enough to fend for themselves, the sooner they can aid us on the battlefield. It is essential that we win this war swiftly and efficiently.”
Bargamus gazed down with a furrowed brow, This king’s intending to run these kids ragged. They may be heroes from another world, but must they be pushed to their limits for something they don’t even want to do? [Heal] can only do so much to restore a person’s energy, too.
“Of course, if we have adventurers like you on our side, Augustus, then we’d certainly gain an edge to the tides of war,” Omar commented.
“… Pardon me fer my rudeness, Yer Majesty, but I’m an adventurer, an’ th’ adventurer’s guild has policies in providin’ assistance in political skirmishes. Just hirin’ us t’ train these heroes t’ go into war is already pushin’ boundaries.” As if you can pay me enough to fight against my own kind, Bargamus finished in his mind.
“I jest, I jest. Here’s your payment for today’s services. I’ll be looking forward to seeing the fruit of your progress tomorrow,” Omar said as he dropped a pouch of money on the far side of his desk.
Bargamus took the pouch and counted its contents, “It’s all in here as we agreed on. Thank ye fer yer time, Yer Majesty. Ye have a good evenin’.”
After Bargamus made his exit, a face of scorn replaced his calm demeanor, Damn you, Omar, he thought. The disguised Demon regrouped with his monster canine Companion, Siggins, who was waiting for him at the front gate. Once he bid the post guards goodnight, the pair walked to the castle city and down to the stables of the inn where Bargamus was currently residing. This took them a couple minutes until the two of them gathered in the stable reserved for Siggins for the time being. Horses that were occupying the other ones were currently sleeping for the night.
Bargamus glanced around the stables and confirmed his surroundings were empty.
<… Right, then. Coast is clear, Fades,> he called out with telepathy through his [Companion Bond] skill.
Some very subtle steps sounding on the stable’s stone floors indicated another visitor, but they were unseen by the naked eye. Moments later, a bipedal gecko-like monster suddenly appeared before Bargamus and Siggins as if fading in from a mirage. The camo colored, lizard-like creature stood a bit shorter than a high schooler, just big enough to not be readily compared to a young child. Next to Chris, he would likely reach between his shoulder and elbow when standing. He had a very slim, long, smooth, scaly body that gleamed under the lamp light, and his tail was curled up and off the ground. Beady black, softball-sized eyes blinked while he looked at the Monster Warrior and King Mutt he associated with.
This was Fades, another one of Bargamus’ Monster Companions, a Rogue Cameocko Soldier that specialized in blending into their surroundings. Cameockos ambush their enemies by spitting poison or digestive acids from their mouths. In self-defense, they could also use special oils to paralyze their foes, spraying it from their bodies or shooting it in streams from their tails—which could blind their opponents if it hit the eyes.
Due to their non-hostile base species as Cameockos, they were very weak in physical defenses and vulnerable to attacks of any kind. They were born with these self-defense mechanisms, plus speed, stealth, and senses strong enough to let them pick up their enemies’ presence, magic, and moods, in order to survive. Once they become Cameocko Soldiers, though, they could be very lethal to deal with depending on the Jobs they evolved with. Fades was one that had the Rogue job, making him a valuable asset to have when performing reconnaissance or weakening an enemy with an ambush so his comrades could then come in for the kill.
Unknown to Chris, Bargamus had Fades observe him from the sidelines throughout the entire venture, gauging his behaviors and moods at certain moments in his time with his mentor. Normally, the disguised Demon was fully capable of observing a low-leveled Human on his own, especially with Siggins at his side for emergencies. Since this Chris was a hero summoned from another world, however, despite his low level, his stats and skills could possibly put Bargamus in a bind in a worst-case scenario. Having Fades nearby assured the Demon that he could slow down Chris a little with paralyzed and poisoned ailments, should he pose a threat.
<Okay, boys, first thing on the agenda: what do we think of the boy, Chris Monty?> Bargamus asked through the [Companion Bonding] skill’s telepathy.
It should be noted that he was currently speaking to them in his native language shared by demons in the Trozan Kingdom called Dornid. Landrew Kingdom’s main language, Penlish, was Bargamus’ second language, and though he could understand it to an extent, he has a harder time speaking it than other high-class demons would; thus, his use of a heavy accent and slurring his words whenever he communicated with Humans from Landrew. Lucky for Bargamus, a section of Landrew Kingdom has mountain ranges with Humans that had developed an accent similar to the large Demon’s way of speaking over the years. Any Human who heard Bargamus speak would therefore immediately assume he had just come down from the mountains.
Bargamus turned to his King Mutt Companion, <Siggins, yer first impressions on the boy?>
<That boy is surely keeping a great potential under wraps from us and the other heroes,> Siggins started, <How he’s able to do so is still unknown, but he seems very intelligent and careful in his judgement. The way he bonded with his Goblin Companion, Lily, shows how far he’s willing to go to bridge the gap between them. If he gives as much care and attention to her as he did with me earlier, then I can see the two of them living long, outstanding lives.>
<You would say that after he had you wrapped around his finger at the courtyard,> Fades said.
<Do not misunderstand,> Siggins argued, <I could make do without that strange way of speaking he did towards me, but by the gods … when you get touched by those hands of his, you are left without a care in the world. I’m still getting itches I need him to scratch as we speak.>
<Hey, I pet you enough, don’t I?> Bargamus asked.
<I don’t mean to sound rude, but his technique and hands were just way better. Plus, how he opened up to me without a shred of fear … it reminded me of Lady Gladistra’s treatment when she was a child. Curious, but delighted to see something so new and unique, yet practicing restraint out of consideration for my well-being,> Siggins said before closing his eyes and thinking back to an early memory.
Bargamus also got nostalgic as he recalled the same time period. Ah, those were the simpler, more peaceful days, he thought.
<If I had to generalize my thoughts on Chris, I’d say I find him interesting,> Siggins continued, <The only thing that disturbed me a little was how he smiled when the subject of Xenos was brought up. Heck, I didn’t even think Chris would bring up the idea of Monsters eating his own kind without a hint of unease, as if he wasn’t associated with them in the slightest.>
<Ah, yes, I sensed some strange things from that boy during that time,> Fades commented.
<What did you sense, Fades?> Bargamus asked.
<Well, contrary to what he showed on the surface, he was feeling all sorts of emotions throughout the day,> Fades started, <That moment with the talk of Xenos was one of the moments that stood out to me the most, as he not only felt intrigue and curiosity … there was a hint of lust in his thoughts, too.>
<Lust? Like females going into heat for males kind of lust?> Siggins asked.
Come to think of it, he complained about the lack of females at the end of his fight with the Bloodhounds, Bargamus thought, And Lily was also a female. Would the situation change if there were more females, or even none of them around? Is Chris planning to evolve his Companions into Xenos … for those purposes?
Bargamus did hear of how much Xenos resembled sapients, mainly the females, which were said to hold a kind of beauty that was both exotic and tempting for males to be drawn in. Never having seen one for himself, he was skeptical of those rumors and figured the Humans were only having peculiar wet dreams. He knew of Monsters like Goblins and Orcs who would rape females of Humans and other races when those of their own species were lacking. Whether they did it for procreation or sating their desires is debatable. The Demon wasn’t one that put much thought into his or other people’s romantic inclinations, but he didn’t think anyone was crazy enough to chase after Monsters for such a purpose. This was especially so for species that were infamous for their sex crimes.
Bargamus then remembered sayings of how a Tamer’s first Companion tended to reflect a part of their personality and way of living. Goblins, while they were one of the weaker Monsters that exist, were dangerous if you faced them in groups. You can get unlucky when coming across just one of them with higher Intelligence and more skills than normal. They can learn at alarmingly fast rates, including how to use weapons and armors, when needed. Goblins were also well known for their high sex drives, which were natural for them considering their reproduction rates. Lily was clearly quite young and a late bloomer for her age when Chris found her. After the fight and food the Goblin went through, though, she was likely to get a growth spurt overnight and become much stronger.
Despite how overmatched she was before Chris even stepped in, Lily displayed anger instead of fear, her eyes burning with hatred and malice as she glared at the Bloodhounds. Fades also explained how much determination and resolve he felt from the young Goblin when she was alone with Chris at the table. What concerned him, though, were the traces of anger and hatred that were linked to Lily’s resolve. Whatever this young Goblin had against the Bloodhounds, she was determined to wipe them out before she would let herself truly feel satisfied, and she’d likely do whatever it took to make that warped fantasy a reality.
Chris, though he was totally new to this world and inexperienced in battle, seemed intelligent enough and able to adapt to his new surroundings quickly. He knew the right questions to ask when the situation called for it. Then there was the fact that he was a young Human male who was just stepping into the world of adults. If he wasn’t in a relationship with a girl yet, then he had to get quite pent up at times, especially around the more attractive females. Despite the disadvantages he was facing, the strong willpower that was heard in his speech showed how far he was willing to go to get what he wanted. Namely, to escape from Omar’s clutches and his war against the Demons. Fades pointed out how very little concern Chris had for the other heroes in his group as he made his speech, plus small traces of feelings similar to what Lily had.
Bargamus wasn’t sure how accurate the rumors were about a Tamer’s first Companion representing their personality, but after taking everything into consideration so far today, he realized how scarily similar Chris and Lily were. If Chris succeeded in evolving Lily into a Xeno, heck, before that if she evolved into a Hobgoblin, they could be a match made in heaven.
… I won’t question your choices in women, but you better not let your dick lead you to your death, boy, Bargamus concluded in his mind.
<That was just one of the few things I noticed from Chris,> Fades continued with his report through the [Companion Bond] skill’s telepathy, <There was one other moment that seemed really out of place from everything else that bothered me, though.>
<What is it, Fades?> Bargamus asked.
<From when Chris first met you, he seemed a little nervous before he started spoiling Siggins,> Fades explained, <I didn’t know what it was, but that somehow calmed him down a little. I thought they were pre-training jitters, so I figured I’d let it slide. But then, as he followed you two to the forest, he had a sudden moment of shock and surprise before his anxiety and suspicion went through the roof, and it was directed at you, Bargamus.>
<Shock and surprise, then anxiety and suspicion?> Siggins repeated.
<Yeah, it was like he discovered some huge secret about you, and he had great difficulty trying to act natural for a while after that. Chris calmed down after his fight with the Bloodhounds, but I was really thrown off by how hard his fear suddenly spiked, and seemingly for no reason. What do you think had got him like that, Bargamus?> Fades asked.
Bargamus took a moment to think, If this took place between the castle and the forest, I know I didn’t say much about myself to garner such a shock from Chris. We then got to the forest, he found Lily, tamed her, and then the both of them fought off the Bloodhounds … He tried retracing his memory through the order of events, until coming across the moment after he praised Chris’ and Lily’s efforts in their first battle.
“Hey, you think you can keep what happened here between us?”
“Huh? Why? Don’ th’ king n’ th’ other heroes already know what ye are capable of?”
“Not … all of it, anyway.”
Come to think of it … how did he know almost all of those Bloodhounds were males at first sight? Bargamus asked himself as a realization slowly crept up on him. The muscles in his large body tensed up. The skills he hid from Omar and the other heroes, could one of them be …
Can't wait for the next chapter! ?
Eagerly awaiting for Lily to be Fun size instead of fun-size.
Good sh*t can’t wait for more of this story.