A Relatively Powerful Mage

Emelia said her farewells as the hunting party departed, giving Imri three kisses in quick succession. She would be accompanying the hunting party as their healer, while Dr. Thompson remained behind to help those in Celestia. He also had the advantage of sending people to the healing spring if more mundane medicine couldn’t handle whatever ailments befell them.

She had been relieved when the council had been formed and didn’t include her. She had never been a good leader, and having empathy to some extent made leading more difficult. She found it hard to be objective about decisions when she knew just how passionate a person was about a particular topic. With Imri and the council running the settlement, things would get done most efficiently and practically, something they needed with how little margin for error there was.

Their hunting parties consisted of about a dozen hunters each, forming three parties in total, with a few people left behind to defend Celestia and serve as lookouts. The three highest-level people, herself, Zhaire, and Sylvi, were split among the groups, one in each. Imri had been opposed to having her among lower-level fighters, insisting that Sylvi or Zhaire be with her group. Emelia had shut that down right away, they would need to gain trust in everyone, not just Zhaire and Sylvi.

The lead warrior in their group was a man named Brad. He was pleasant, if a bit quiet and awkward, reminding her of Imri in that way. The similarities ended there, where Imri was always deep in thought, while Brad rarely ever thought at all. He was a lead warrior simply by his physical strength, which was far from Zhaire’s level but still quite impressive if his level and physique were any indication to go off of. Fortunately, he wasn’t inclined to push moronic ideas onto them, instead leaving the decision-making to Emelia and their lead tracker, a middle-aged man named Jenson. Jenson wasn’t quite on Sylvi’s level of proficiency, but he was one of the few who had spent most of his life in rural areas, having only been near the city by happenstance. He knew how to hunt and survive in the wilderness, and everyone respected his perspective.

Emelia figured the group would work well enough together, at least her empathy didn’t pick up on anyone harboring resentment or ill intent. Hopefully, the hunt would go smoothly, and everyone would get along.

The first few days were uneventful and Emelia got to know the group a bit better. They were all normal people, having had boring mundane jobs before the integration. Most were in over their head, and like Emelia, they had looked up to their leaders for their ability to adapt to the system. Unlike her, they hadn’t known them before the integration, and they almost seemed to disbelieve her when she brought up their pre-integration situations. They held the three in almost a reverent semi-religious awe that scared Emelia. She was actually relieved that she wasn’t viewed in the same light, with them having a more moderate degree of awe at her abilities. However, some did reference her saving Zhaire as a sort of miraculous holy act. Emelia quickly decided not to bring up the three of them again, the entire situation making her somewhat uncomfortable.

On the morning of the fourth day, they came across a pair of human travelers, looking half-starved and wretched. They were on the younger side, in their older teens, both short and slight. The two were fraternal twins, Antonio and Veronica Costa.

“You can stick with us for now. We’re out hunting game on the plains, but we have a small settlement that we’re building on a mountain plateau,” Jenson explained as the teenagers greedily devoured some of the rations the group had given them.

“Are you sure?” Antonio asked, getting an elbow to his bony ribs from his sister.

“We would love that,” Veronica beamed. The gathered hunters chuckled at their antics but nodded along, ignoring the brothers' question.

“Were you forced to flee the Chixel or Azala?” Emelia asked after the two had finished eating as much as they could handle, which wasn’t much.

“The what?” both asked in unison.

“The lizardmen or the mind-controlling parasites,” Jenson clarified.

“No, we were fleeing from dog ogres,” Antonio said matter of fact.

“Of course, there are dog ogres. What else can this sick and twisted fucked up place throw at us next?” one of the hunters moaned, getting a chorus of nods.

“So, are they werewolves or something?” another asked.

“Not really. For one, they’re not shapeshifters. Second off, they aren’t all sleek and graceful like the werewolves in movies, they’re just big, like eight feet tall and chunky. Their faces and bodies are pudgy like they’re a cross between Shaq and a bulldog,” Antonio explained.

“They might not be sleek and graceful, but they’re strong and tough with keen senses. In the first week, a lot of people were gathering in what was once Kansas City. Just when things seemed to be under control the giants showed up. They utterly decimated what little resistance the city had, before going on a rampage throughout the city. We ran and have kept running since. We had hoped to find somewhere safe but…” The young girl stopped mid-sentence, tears streaming down her face.

“It’s alright, Celestia might not be perfectly safe just yet, but we won’t let anything happen to you,” Emelia said, infusing a bit of her ability to subtly calm and reassure the girl.

“Don’t take this the wrong way, but how have you two survived this long?” Jenson asked. While the question might have been callous, Emelia had been wondering the same thing. They were gaunt and likely didn’t have the strength to face an Ulfr Hound, let alone something like an Umbral Tiger.

“I’m not entirely helpless,” Veronica said, looking defiantly at Jenson but didn’t elaborate further. Emelia could feel the confidence in the young girl's words, but also an unease. They certainly didn’t want this line of questioning. Jenson shrugged and let the matter drop.

The next couple of days were uneventful, with much of the free time spent discussing the situation with the teenage siblings. They warned them about the Umbral Tigers once they felt the teenagers wouldn’t panic. When they had asked why they hunted anyway, Jenson just shrugged and pointed out they still needed to eat.

The hunt itself was not productive, with them having only seen several Starseeker herds. Brad, being the bright individual he was, shot at the creatures from over a hundred meters away with a rifle designed to shoot pre-integration deer. Needless to say, the ammo was wasted and the herd sped off. Fortunately, the Starseekers decided not to trample their group. Of the needle grass hogs, there was no sign, and Emelia would have believed them a myth if she hadn’t trusted the scout who had seen it.

They were nearly ready to start making their way back to Celestia when Jenson shouted a warning. The sight came into view over a small rise in the rolling plain. A lone Starseeker neighed, kicking its hooves wildly. It was gimpy and moved about in obvious pain, several long gouges were torn down its flank. The reason for its panic wasn’t immediately visible, but it was obvious that an Umbral Tiger was stalking the injured beast. Eventually, they spotted the dark tiger crouched in the grass, staying clear of the flailing, waiting for the larger horse-like beast to tire itself out.

Emelia watched the scene unfolding, terror threatening to overtake her, but not her own. The Starseeker’s agony and primal terror were so intense that it threatened to overwhelm her empathic senses. She took a deep breath to steady her nerves, vaguely aware that Jenson was telling them to retreat before the tiger finished off its prey. Emelia ignored him, ignored everything but the feelings radiating from the terrified creature. Something about it was more profound than the instinctual fear all living creatures had for death, it was more profound, like something she would’ve felt from a person.

“We have to save the Starseeker,” Emelia stated. She didn’t wait for a response, instead, she started marching down the hill, towards the Umbral Tiger. A stream of curses followed from the hunters behind her as they had to race after her.

Emelia unholstered her handgun and pointed it toward the predator. She had been given the gun for her protection, but she was far from a good shot, having never fired a gun until recently. She had spent some time training with Sylvi, but their limited ammo meant most had been instructional, as opposed to actual experience firing the gun. She didn’t want to shoot from this distance and potentially hit the Starseeker inadvertently.

Fortunately, Jenson didn’t have that issue. He sighted down his rifle and fired a shot that hit the Tiger center mass in what should have been a lethal hit. However, the Umbral creature’s supernatural constitution and armor-like hide meant it was only moderate injury. The creature yelped in pain before releasing the unnaturally dark mist that completely obscured it as several meters of area in each direction were blanketed.

Thanks to Sylvi’s new abilities they now had a somewhat better understanding of what the Umbral Tiger was capable of. The dark mist was magical in nature and consumed mana, more so with limited shadows to pull in, meaning this mist would disperse in short order. They also knew that the Umbral creature could see through the mist, making it unwise for anyone to approach.

The tiger almost snuck up on them, slinking out of the mist in a low crouch. Fortunately, the teenage girl spotted it and pointed a slender finger towards the beast. It wasn’t purely to alert them, as some unseen force sent the monster careening down the slope. With a thud, the beast impacted the bottom, momentarily dazing the creature as the wind was knocked from it. Before it could recover, the Starseeker brought its full weight down on the beast, trampling it with its considerable weight. It continued stomping and mashing the creature into the ground, even after it was obvious the beast wouldn’t be getting up again.

Emelia raced towards the Starseeker, ignoring everything else for the moment. The majestic beast was still badly injured, having only been able to keep going from adrenaline. Now that it was waning, the creature could barely stand, blood gushing from the massive rends the predator had inflicted upon it before Emelia had arrived. Despite this, the creature stubbornly persisted in kicking and attempting to gore Emelia as she approached it.

Emelia used her empathic abilities for the first time on a non-human, sending calming waves into the Starseeker. She sent her own emotions to the creature to help it understand that she didn’t want to hurt it. Eventually, the creature relented, though it was as much being physically too weak to fight as anything else.

“I’m here to help you, we’re friends,” Emelia said aloud to the Starseeker. The words seemed to have even more of an effect than her abilities had, as the creature visibly stopped struggling. With the creature's trust won over, Emelia approached its wounded flank. It was even worse than it had appeared from a distance, the wound was deep, having cut into the muscle before stopping at the bone.

Emelia didn’t hesitate, pouring the majority of her mana into her healing spell. The Starseeker likely had a massive health pool, with a lot of damage taken from the one injury. Her healing was effective enough, the spell healed the worst of the damage to the muscles and partially mended the hide of the impressive beast. It was still bleeding and still had a noticeable limp as it took a few experimental steps. It looked at Emelia, comprehending what she had done for it as gratitude flooded her empathic senses. Almost as strong as the sense of gratitude was another more complex emotion, a sense of pride and duty radiated from it.

Emelia focused, her head foggy from the sheer amount of mana she had used. She struggled to understand what the Starseeker was trying to express. Did it have a sense of obligation to her? Did it feel indebted to her? She was sure that mana loss was messing with her senses, but the more she studied the sensations, the more certain she was.

“You’re safe now, you can rejoin your herd,” Emelia said, wondering where said herd was when she said that. Instead of taking off, the Starseeker nuzzled Emelia affectionately, surprisingly gentle for a creature of its size.

“Well, I guess we’re not hunting Starseekers if you’re going to heal them,” Jenson said as he regarded Emelia with a mix of annoyance and admiration.

“They’re not just beasts, they’re smart and kind. It would be a travesty to hunt one,” Emelia explained. Jenson sighed but didn’t argue the point, instead, he looked over to Veronica.

“So, care to explain what happened in that fight? Miss, 'I’m more capable than I look',” Jenson said as he looked at the slender teenage girl.

“Promise you won’t throw us out of your settlement just because of our abilities,” Veronica said.

“That depends on…” Jenson started to say before Emelia cut him off.

“Yes, we promise,” Emelia said firmly. Despite the assurances, the siblings didn’t immediately answer, instead, they shared a look at each other before wordlessly agreeing.

“You have to understand, we didn’t want to keep it a secret,” Antonio said, speaking for both of them. “It’s just people sometimes react very negatively when they find out what Veronica can do. The few times people have found out what I can do, they’ve tried to kill me.”

“It’s alright, I’m sure we’re more open-minded than the other groups you might have come across,” Emelia explained when Antonio hesitated. She could feel his trepidation and fear still linger so she added on. “A lot of people were afraid of me too. I’m not just a healer, I’m an empath, I can sense other people's emotions and manipulate them.”

“You used that on me when we first met when I was upset after telling you about Kansas City,” Veronica said, her fear replaced with anger.

“I did,” Emelia admitted. “I was only trying to help, but I shouldn’t have done it without your permission.”

“Veronica, it’s fine. She’s telling us this when she didn’t have to. We might be strong, but you saw how strong the monsters are here. We need to trust them,” Antonio said.

“She wasn’t messing with your head,” Veronica pointed out.

“It’s not like she did something awful, she helped you,” Antonio said.

“You would side with the big-boobed empath,” Veronica huffed and looked away from her brother, now more annoyed at him than Emelia.

“We both have abilities. Veronica and I are both psionics, she has telekinesis and I have telepathy,” Antonio explained.

“Tele what now?” Brad asked.

“Veronica can move things with her mind. I can read and control creatures' minds,” Antonio clarified.

“So you could mind control us?” Jenson asked.

“In theory, yes. Though I don’t have the mana to outright dominate any of you, let alone all of you,” Antonio said. Everyone stared at Antonio in horror and the teenager visibly deflated at the outright hostility, his emotion oscillating from disappointed to terrified.

“Come on Antonio, let's go. We’ll find another place to stay,” Veronica said as she turned to leave.

“Those abilities sound useful, I’m sure we can find a use for your talents,” Emelia said, ignoring the comment from Veronica.

“You're not kicking us out?” Antonio asked.

“While I don’t know the exact limits of what you're capable of, I doubt you could mind control any of our three craziest members, each of which has an insane amount of willpower. I’m also an empath, I will know if you're outright hostile or up to no good. Also, if you mess with my mind my boyfriend Imri will know right away, and he’s one of those three crazy strong people. Oh, and I have resistance to mental attacks,” Emelia explained.

“I promise I won’t use my abilities on anyone from your settlement,” Antonio said, relief flooding through him and, to a lesser extent, Veronica.

With the psionic twins now somewhat mollified, Emelia turned her attention back to the Starseeker, who waited patiently nearby, making no moves to run off.

“I guess we’re your herd now,” Emelia said as she patted the creature on the head. It leaned into Emelia’s touch as if agreeing with the sentiment.

They spent the rest of the day traveling back towards Celestia, camping near the base of the mountain. The Starseeker traveled with them, and eventually, everyone just accepted it. She wondered what she would do tomorrow, the majestic creature was far too large for some of the narrower passes they had to traverse to reach Celestia. However, the thought of simply abandoning the Starseeker seemed equally unacceptable. If she knew it was safe and that they would see each other again, then perhaps things would be alright.

Something happened as she desired that outcome, with a more pressing notification demanding her attention.

Emelia Fields has gained the profession Beast Tamer (1F)

Beast Tamer (1F)

Experience Gained: You gain experience in this profession by directing your bestial companion and having it complete tasks for you.

Primary Stats / Level Secondary Stats / Level

Agility .05% HP .25%

Constitution .05% FP .25%

Intelligence .05%

Willpower .15%

Charisma .2%

Achievements Gained Rank Attributes/Rank Description

Powerful Taming 14 .1% Tame a beast with a greater level than your own, 1 rank/level difference.

High Grade Taming 1 .15% Tame a beast with a greater rank or tier than your heritage, 1 rank/grade and tier.

Emelia Fields has reached Level 3 in Beast Tamer (1F)

Primary Stats Gained New Value

+2 Strength 100

+2 Agility 114

+2 Constitution 111

+2 Intelligence 112

+2 Willpower 116

+2 Charisma 128

Secondary Stats Gained

+6 HP 114

+5 FP 128

+4 MP 134

+5 Mana Efficiency 168

Skill Gained Rank/Tier Description

Bestial Bond 1F Form a connection with a bestial entity. Through the bond, you and your bonded beast can sense the other's location and general condition. You both gain an instinctual understanding of the other's thoughts and feelings, allowing for improved communication. This bond can never be reciprocal, one must be the master of the other.

Trait Gained

Strengthened Through Bonds 1F Your bonded beast companion is strengthened through the Bestial Bond. Your beast companion gains .1% of your primary stats / 10 charisma you possess.

Emelia felt the second presence in her mind: the Starseeker. It felt very similar, if less intense, to her bond with Imri. It was less emotional and more informative, though she could tell that the Starseeker was still in pain from its injuries despite limping less. It helped that Emelia’s bond gave the Starseeker a point in each of its primary stats.

Emelia drank a mana potion and tried to sleep. Before falling asleep, she named the Starseeker Orion, sticking with the star motif. She knew Imri would hate the name, but that only made her smile more.