A Tamer’s Adventure

‘This makes week three.’

He was realistic in his approach as he ventured through the luminous catacombs, knowing how rare it was to come across a female kobold variant. At some point, he would cave in and just bond with a common one, but he kept going, his mind aware and yet wondering.

“How long am I going to keep this going?”

Entering through a mossy entrance into another space, he heard the flowing water splashing on the other side. Knowing something stood in the next space, he braced himself for the encounter.

‘Kobolds probably, rock lizards don’t like the water.’

And he was right as he entered the space; it was fairly large, with glowing algae on the walls. He focused on the pond, with water cascading down from a crack above it.

He couldn't make out the Kobold and realised why. It was because it blended with the water and algae. Blue stepped out, flicking a finger and forcing the droplets off. The shape undoubtedly belonged to a female Kobold.

At that moment in time, Martyn recalled Orc Smith’s words: This was his test; was she enough to challenge him? Was she worthy of him? Was he of her?

Sensing his gaze, she hissed and ran for her stone-tipped spear. Before the battle commenced, he appraised her. His appraisal skill increased allowing him to see her title in a single try.

[Female Kobold, Level 1; Title: Leviathan Descent]

He Couldn’t appraise her class but the rest was fine as the title was enough.

A thrill ran through him as she pointed her finger at him, mumbling something as the water by the pond rose forming a ball of water.

Martyn moved to the side, avoiding the projectile. Quickly, he cast his soulbond, and her aggression froze.

Martyn gulped. He saw it in her amber eyes—the intelligence—realising his intent and what it meant for her, for him and she glanced at his scimitar, which he dropped, opting for the stone one.

[Soulbond request was rejected]

She planted her spear into the ground with a growl. Martyn, having done his research, removed his sack, placing it next to his iron scimitar.

The two stepped forward, circling one another; no interruption was allowed; it was as if the dungeon had set the stage. This was the moment.

She was attractive. She had blue scales with dark blue spots and a light belly that went to her chest. She had a smooth build and seemed to wear bracers made of stone scales. And fin-like hair reaching right above her long tail, her face softer more akin to an axolotl than a snake.

‘Gonna have to keep her away from the pond.’

The two circled each other. Martyn took in her height, which was just shy of five feet, two inches, while he stood at five foot nine. He had the strength advantage. And the higher ground.

As if a silent bell ran, they charged. Martyn moved, swinging down with his scimitar. The Kobold girl feinted her attack and leapt back. Mana, filling at her palms, thrust it forward, shooting a stream of water.

‘Waterbolt,’ he recognised the spell and blocked it with a mana barrier, cracking from the force.

‘She used more mana that’s a bad move on her part.’

She hissed, casting a mix of water bolts at him. Not letting Martyn move any closer, he parried, ducked and formed barriers.

But a warning spiked his instincts and told him to jump, and he did so as a jet stream of water based on the ground he stood on before.

She wasn’t close to the pond; he stood between her and the pond to keep her from earning the advantage.

‘Her reach of mana and control are long enough that it makes it futile,’ he frowned. This made things tricky, as he had to watch his back now.

Letting out a cry, she charged at him with water bolts firing off from the pond behind. He parried her spear thrust with the scimitar, and his free hand erected a barrier, blocking the attack.

He stepped back, avoiding her tail swipe, and went in for a kick to the side. She took the blow with her bracers and spear only for it to break.

He followed with a body slash she barely managed to dodge, a clean cut appearing on her chest. She took a deep breath, and Martyn watched with anticipation as the wound slowly closed; it wasn’t deep enough to draw blood in the first place, which is why he actively saw the regeneration.

She hissed, mana flaring from her body. ‘This is going to be huge,’ he braced himself and turned rapidly, forming a magic barrier as the entire pond of water slammed into it.

‘Are you serious!?’

The barrier cracked under pressure, and soon the mass of water split apart, forming separate balls of water suspended in the air.

At this moment, Martyn was worried he might’ve gotten a bite more than he bargained for, but it only thrilled his pride as a Beastkin.

From every direction, water bolts crashed into his barrier. The female Kobold’s lips curled; she had won, she believed it but her smirk fell, as his barrier stood tall with no sign of damage.

Her body shook, the toll of draining so much mana so rapidly taking effect, her eyes centred on Martyn, who simply had his palm raised to the barrier. How was it standing?

‘Thank God for simple rotation,’ Martyn grinned. Had he kept the dome static, it would’ve crumbled. But with its rotation, weakening the majority of the force from her spell, he had nothing to worry about.

Still, it drained a lot of mana; he only had a quarter left. Soon enough, her attack stopped.

“Out of mana?” Martyn said, Sword on his shoulder. He knew she was suffering from extreme fatigue; he’d been there before.

Still, she stood, and with no weapon or mana, she raised her fists, preparing to use her claws.

‘I don’t have to, but...’ The drive within him wanted her struggle and submission; his emerald eyes gleamed with a predatory glint.

He dropped the blade and raised his arms. A faint blue aura surrounded him.

This fight was unfair; she charged, slashing with her claws. Martyn dodged with ease, grabbing her palm and summoning his strength, throwing her across the floor.

Still, she rose and came at him once more. She had no experience in hand-to-hand combat, but he did; he struck her chest with a strong kick.

Expecting her to go flying, only to feel pain when she clawed his feet wildly. Martyn hissed and moved back. She drew first blood, and it hurt.

Looking up, he saw her licking the blood. The taunt was effective; Martyn charged, and so did she. He caught her hand and forced her into the wall, twisting her hand behind her back in an arm lock.

She growled, trying to use her tail to somehow strike him, only to succeed in striking the already-clawed leg.

“The fight is over,” he said, seeing her struggle some more. He felt her pulse beating rapidly and could probably hear it if he focused.

She stopped writhing to escape, and Martyn slowly weakened his grip. Feeling no resistance, he offered his hand, a faint wisp of mana trickling over to her.

In an instant, Martyn felt something change, like his mind had expanded a doorway into another mind; a part of his soul had trickled over to the Kobold and melded with hers in front of him, and he knew she accepted; he even felt her emotions through their bond.

[Soulbond has been accepted!]

[Congratulations! You have tamed a female kobold Variant!]

[You have gained +100 experience!]

[You can view her status window and grant her a name.]

“Amber,” he said, on the count of her eyes, and it seemed from the faint connection that she was content with it.

Before Martyn could open her status, more prompts appeared before him.

[The skills of swordsmanship, soulbond and monstrous talent have levelled up!]

[Monsterous talent has activated; please select a skill from your tame!]

This brought a smile to his face. This skill was rare among monster tamers as it allowed him to learn skills from his monsters outside his racial abilities and skills that were too difficult to acquire for him but not them, such as the one he was about to select.

[You have gained the skill “fast healing.”]

Immediately, he felt whatever mana he had left vanish, and the bleeding at his feet started to slow. It would heal in a few minutes. With no other prompts, he focused on Amber.

The Kobold in question had her back facing him, leaning against the wall. She turned her head around with a knowing look, a cute chirp, and a flick of the tail, and Martyn knew. She wanted to fuck.

Lust was sent through the bond, along with understanding and need. She stood right there, lifting her tail, waiting for him to take her, and Martyn would be a liar if he said it didn’t entice him. to take her right now, feel her quiver, and shake beneath him.

So long without simple masturbation. He knowingly grabbed her ass, squeezing them. He wanted to give so badly. With a heavy breath, he stepped back—not here.

“Not yet,” he said, earning a quizzical chirp.

Amber tempted him more, but through the connection, she conceded but pushed that she wanted him soon. Martyn agreed.

So with a wave of his hand, he conjured “Magic hand”, pulling his gear towards him. Reaching into his sack, he pulled out a brown cloak for her and gave her the stone scimitar.

"Good, now let’s get out of here.” He smiled at her. Along the way, he pulled up her status.

‘She must’ve recently levelled up.’ He concluded by seeing her attributes as they stood on the border of a normal adult person, which was 10.

And more, "Hey, can you talk?”

He asked her, getting no response from her; her face scrunched as she tried to speak.

“N-not… yet.”

She responded with a smile. Martyn was surprised; considering they were on the path up to the entrance, no monsters would appear there, so they sat down.

He pointed to himself, repeating his name. For a while, she practised and managed to repeat his name, her name, and others like sword and scimitar. With the soul link, he was able to send her waves of approval. She jumped in place, grabbing his hand and squealing.

“What the hell?” He held back, pointing to something in the air.

He pulled up her status, and a chuckle left him, seeing a new skill, linguistics.

“Wow, congratulations, Amber.” He patted her head.

Amber cooed in response, leaning into his hand and grabbing it. She licked his fingers, her clear intent being sent through the link. It was bad considering they were sitting down, and she crawled over him, the loose-handling cloak doing nothing to her naked body and small, smooth chest.

For a second time, he resisted temptation.

“No, I’m sorry, not yet,” he answered. Seeing her pout made him question it, but he reaffirmed himself.

[The skill “strong mind” has levelled up! “Strong mind” has reached the requirement for a subskill; please choose at your earliest convenience.]

Martyn was dazed for a moment before he burst into joyous laughter. He had finally gained the subskill option, and no longer had to hold back his burger, the timing couldn't have been better.

“Finally!” He smiled, grabbing Amber by her soft cheeks. He kissed her.

Taken aback at first, she leaned in, slipping her tongue into this kiss. They hungrily frisked each other. Martyn’s hands grabbed her shapely ass and gave it a firm squeeze and smack.

They pulled back their body heat, rising. “Soon,” Martyn said.

Amber nodded. “Soon.” She said back, her voice sweet like honey.

Once they made it back to the entrance, they walked past the guards, whom he had to inform were his tamed monster. They nodded and congratulated him.

Finally, outside, Martyn gazed at the falling sun. He felt a wave of joy reaches him from his bond with Amber; the Kobold girl in question was staring at the sky.

“It’s big,” she said.

‘She’s grasping the common tongue fast.’ Martyn wondered why and recalled a passage he read about influence in bonds. Since a part of his was connected to hers and vice versa, it might’ve enhanced her mental faculty.

Slowly, as they made their way to the city, Martyn engaged in small talk to help advance her linguistic skills.

"So, how old are you exactly? Do you have a tribe?”

“I… uh… I’m an adult and have no tribe. Tribe broke.” Amber said it with a cute scrunch of the face.

‘Thinking real hard, huh?’

“And you?” She asked.

“Oh well, not really except the orphanage I grew up in, but that’s in another city.”

Through their connection, Amber was able to associate words with their meanings, which made it easier for her to understand, and along with the skill, she had it levelled up twice on the walk back to the city. By the time they reached her, she could form full sentences.

As night was falling, he made his way to the blacksmith, gaining the eyes of certain people, with Amber following him.

Entering the blacksmith's, the orc looked up, smiling to see him. “Came for another repair?” He asked with a chuckle.

“Not this time, Jorn. I finally came to return this useless thing,” Martyn threw the stone blade over.

“Useless?” He caught it in one hand and said, “You seem to have gotten some use out of it. Nice to meet you, little lady.”

“Nice to meet you, big man,” Amber said.

Martyn stifled a laugh; Amber looked confused, and Jorn thought nothing of it.

“Oh, that’s great,” Martyn smiled.

"Alright, that’s enough from you. So are you going to get busy tonight or wait until you evolve her? I’ve heard about monster tamers like you, lucky fuck, though some don’t see the appeal. She even looks better than most Kobolds, probably the effect of whatever bloodline is running through her.” Jorn grinned.

Amber turned to Martyn and smiled. “Thats right, master, are we? Or are you going to make me wait?” She said it with a playful pout.

“Ahem, I came to get her measurements.” He coughed, trying to change the subject.

"Simple enough, if you can step forward," he said to Amber; she did, and he lifted his finger. “Measure” was all he said as a string of mana left his finger, circling and warping around Amber.

It barely lasted a minute. “And done. I should have some armour ready when you get back. What about weapons?”

“Ah, I’m a knight and use a shield and spear. I... master, is this alright? I don’t want to ask too much.” Amber turned to him.

“Oh yeah, it’s fine go ahead, so long as I can afford it, it’s fine, and there’s no need to call me master.”

"He’s right because you're not his slave, you're his soulmate, his wife, an eternal bond,” Jorn said. “We can talk about this later; now fuck off and fuck off.” He grinned.

“Was that neccesarry?” Martyn said thanking him and left.

There was still some time, so he went to the guild, the place now bustling with activity. As they stepped in, some eyes darted at them. Amber glued herself to Martyn as they walked in.

[An attempted appraisal of Amber was blocked.]

"Oh, come on guys, who appraised her, and quit staring; you're scaring her,” Martyn said aloud to his guild members.

Some were silent; others offered their apologies until a hand rose.

"Sorry, kitty cat, Joseph made me!” The voice came from an elf archer sitting in a booth with three other people.

One Joseph, a human, waved at him with a grin. Most of the adventures returned to their daily business. Martyn consoled Amber, and they went over.

“Hey sport, how’s it going? I see you caught yourself a Kobold variant. Sorry, the monster tamer inside me was curious.” Joseph shrugged.

“Don’t mind them,” a cat girl said to him. “Nice to see you got someone cool; I’m also curious why?” She said this, giving a knowing smirk as she sniffed the air.

“I think it’s obvious,” Joseph said, nodding to the other man in the group, an orc warrior.

“I know I’m not judging.” She said, downing an ale, “I understand why; hell, I’ve been there and had to go a whole year to get my mental resistance skill.”

“I’m trying not to; no offence, of course. I’m guessing she’s going to evolve into a lizard girl, but I can… understand.” The elf said enjoying her meal.

“That raises a question though,” the Orc warrior spoke, “how long?”

“Three years now,” Martyn said calmly, earning shock from the cat girl and the Orc.

Amber, who had been quietly observing spoke, “Is this your party members?” She asked.

The cat girl laughed, shaking her head. "No, we’re just acquainted, ‘cause Martyn, here’s a monster tamer like my brother Joseph. He supplied summoning materials, but it seems like it didn’t work considering you’re here instead of a summoned beast, not that it matters.”

“I just wanted to observe you,” Joseph said to Amber. “I’d like the time to chat and see how you’re coming along.” He smiled.

Martyn nodded, agreeing to a meeting between the two in two months from now when he’d at least rise a rank and evolve Amber.

Amber bowed, glad to meet them. Martyn went to register her as an adventurer and finally, after so long, returned to the inn. The mutual feeling of desire burned through their shared bond.

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