The Unwanted Tamer

The journey began rather uneventfully. There were a few monster attacks, but after the last month, they were quite easy to deal with. The first day passed by in this manner and the night passed by rather smoothly as well. There were a few attacks during the night, but only one occurred by Fauna's area and was dealt with immediately. The second day was similar to the first, but more monster attacks occurred and this continued through the night as well.

The third day was when everything started getting worse. Monster attacks occurred at least every couple hours and never stopped. The hunters didn't have any issues during the day, but nighttime was a different story. The attacks were occurring frequently, and had gotten more intense, requiring nearly full parties to eradicate. This was also when injuries started occurring, none were major, but some were bad enough that the healers were needed.

This wouldn't have been a problem if the healers or hunters could rest and sleep to boost their recovery. This was not something they could do since the attacks started coming almost every hour. While hunters could go for days without sleep, it still helped boost their recovery speed. It wouldn't heal all of their wounds like in many role-playing games from Gaia's memories, but it still helped boost their natural recovery by a noticeable amount. The healers especially needed to rest as every time an attack occurred, they were needed to heal injuries. They couldn't however heal someone every time an attack occurred causing the injuries to build up and making each defense a more dangerous event.

It eventually got to the point that on the fifth day, one party ended up collapsing while trying to deal with an attack, leaving the support staff to deal with it until another party could help. This led to arguments between hunters and the support staff. The hunters believed that the support staff was able to defend or protect themselves enough that they should be able to at least be on watch or help relieve some of the burden of constant attacks. The Support staff, however, believed they shouldn't need to pick up the slack of the "incompetent" hunters that were being paid to defend them. This eventually led to a party of hunters ignoring a wagon full of support staff that believed this leading to major injuries.

After hearing of this, the Guild Master punished both groups. She also ordered that everyone had to take watches whether support staff or hunters. The support staff didn't need to fight, but at least needed to take watches to allow the hunters, who were getting injured defending them, to rest and recover. The support staff could immediately wake the hunters if they heard or saw any signs of attack, but they needed to take a watch. She also gave an order that anyone who was intentionally shirking these responsibilities would be left behind without supplies or assistance.

This did not go over well with the support staff, but after the Guild Master explained why, they couldn't argue. "The healers can't keep up with the injuries when the hunters aren't healing naturally, making the situation all the more dangerous." She had said. The support staff went to argue, and Delilah just stared at them before motioning to the injured and exhausted hunters. Fauna and the Mighty Brigade were about the only stone rank parties that weren't injured or exhausted. They had been placed beside each other in the caravan again, so they took turns to allow each group to sleep. Liv was always awake and on lookout with another member of Fauna while one of Gaia's other bonds was on lookout with a member of the Mighty Brigade.

This strategy allowed most of the party to sleep while they still had two people on lookout at all times. This allowed them to wake up the other members quickly in case of an attack too, but they were both parties that could fight monsters that were stronger than them. This wasn't something most other parties could do. Most other stone rank parties were made up of four to six people, so keeping two people on watch wasn't feasible and the entire party was needed for strong enemies. The only time all of the members of Fauna or the Mighty Brigade needed to be awake was when it was either a very strong enemy or a large group of them.

The support staff reluctantly agreed to the watches the Guild Master ordered, but the staff with Fauna and the Mighty Brigade didn't need to do much. They still took their turns on watch but mainly helped the groups on each side of the two parties, since their area was covered. With this order being followed the hunters were finally able to get some rest and some of the minor injuries healed much quicker. The healers didn't need to heal the hunters nearly as often, allowing them to focus on any major injuries. It also caused the number of attacks that the support staff had to deal with to decrease.

The days dragged on with attacks occurring consistently almost every hour. It wasn't until the seventh day that the attacks started occurring less frequently and the monsters were weaker than before. They had been traveling for a while, but the size of the caravan caused it to crawl along in order to ensure its safety. The trip was scheduled to last a week, but they were now guessing it would take at least twelve days. They had just passed the midpoint of the trip and were hoping the monsters would continue to weaken.

This occurred for most of the seventh day, but the night began with a massive monster attack. Monsters suddenly came from both sides of the caravan about halfway through the night. They weren't overly strong, with the stronger ones being mid-level stone rank. There had apparently been a couple bronze rank monsters in the attack on each end of the caravan, but the Guild Master and Legion had been nearby to deal with them. The biggest issue with this attack was that it focused on quantity rather than quality.

Fauna and the Mighty Brigade could deal with most of the monsters quickly, but when one died two more took its place. At least that was how it seemed, for the first couple hours of the attack. Then, the monsters stopped rushing the caravan, instead staying just far enough away that they could be spotted. It was odd coming from monsters and made Gaia think of the stampede and the tarantulas they had run from. The numbers just didn't make sense, and they weren't just a single type of monster.

There were tarantulas, beetles, wolves, and even a couple of trolls from what some of the other parties described. It didn't make sense since there weren't any iron rank monsters to lead a stampede like last time, and the bronze rank monsters couldn't control other types of monsters. The situation just caused more questions to arise in all of the hunters minds. They were on high alert for the rest of the night since there were monsters within sight, but no other attack came.

The weirdest thing was that the next morning, when the caravan started moving, the monsters followed alongside it. A few larger attacks happened during the day where the group of monsters closed in and struck, but the group continued alongside the caravan. This continued for another day and on the night of the ninth day the hunters decided to plan an attack. The monsters' presence kept them from getting any real rest as they could attack at any time.

The Guild Master decided to plan an attack to eradicate the problem. To start, the caravan split into two small encampments that were close to each other. This caused the monsters to move closer together and around the encampments. Then a few strong stone rank parties, a couple members from the bronze rank groups and the Guild Master herself would attack each side. Fauna was chosen, as was the Mighty Brigade, and a couple other parties Gaia hadn't gotten to know. Francois, Titania, Ava and Fern decided to join as well. The groups were divided in two and they proceeded to the sides they were designated to.

Fauna, Titania and Ava were in one group alongside a stone rank party called Steel Wall. They were all melee-based attackers that each had a shield. Their leader was someone who used two massive shields to fight. The group moved towards the right side of the caravan and prepared to split up to attack along the monsters' length. The parties that weren't chosen were defending the smaller encampments from the monsters.

The first to attack were the two groups that attacked the monsters' rear. This caused the monsters to turn around and attack while the other side rushed at the encampment. The monsters were stuck between two groups of attackers. The monsters were driven towards the defending groups of hunters by the attackers, while the attackers hounded their rear. With this strategy, the two groups of monsters were eradicated. Few managed to escape without injuries, and any injuries on the hunters' side were treated by the healers.

The entire battle took around an hour and the encampments were back to the night routine. The hunters were truly able to get some restful sleep that night with only a single attack for the rest of the night. The next morning the caravan got back to traveling, around halfway through this day they realized the forest was thinning slightly. This meant they were reaching the outer reaches of the forest. The monsters should truly start to weaken now. In this section of the forest, stone rank monsters were prevalent with few bronze ranks.

The caravan started to relax after noticing this as it meant they should be safer. Most of the hunters dropped their guard slightly. The eleventh day went by with few incidents. There were a few monster attacks, but most didn't really get close to the caravan. Fauna started to relax as well when they reached day twelve, they were supposed to reach Boundary within another day or two at the most. Gaia finally got Griff to start trying to translate the journal about the Tamer class, now that they were within a day of the city. When it reached nightfall, Griff relayed something to Gaia about the journal.

"It's going take me a long while to translate this thing. The language is difficult to translate, and I'll need a library to make sure I translate it correctly. I think there are a couple languages used which makes it that much harder." Griff said.

"Of course it is, because the Eternal Lord was paranoid and thought he needed to encrypt his journal. Why wouldn't he?" She replied sarcastically.

"He was probably worried that one of the kingdoms that banded together to kill him would discover it." Griff replied honestly.

"I was being sarcastic. Sorry. I was just hoping I could finally learn something about this class."

"Ah. Got it. I can guarantee that it talks about the Tamer class though. I sadly haven't gotten any information other than that. I don't remember enough of this language to do more without a library." Griff stated.

"Thanks. I'll count on you when we get back then." She replied.

They set up camp just as night fell. The forest continued to thin throughout the day, so they expected to reach Boundary the next day before nightfall. The caravan slept for the night and awoke early the next morning. Throughout the day the caravan grew restless, they were close enough they could see the end of the forest and the walls of Boundary far in the distance. The caravan picked up some speed when the walls could be seen on the horizon. Everyone was eager to be back, some had families waiting while others were happy to be back in the relative safety of an actual city.

They had one last night on the road where everyone was on high alert. They didn't expect any strong attacks, but didn't want to be caught unawares. The next day started early, and the caravan moved quickly. They reached the gate of Boundary just before noon and were welcomed heartily. Baron Carrelion was there along with a couple people from the Hunter's League, who had been notified when the caravan was seen by the guards.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

The people from the Hunter's League immediately pulled the Guild Master aside who gave them a basic report of what happened and let them know an artifact had been discovered. The Baron was by them as well, and listened to the report. When this was done, the caravan continued into the city before stopping in front of the Hunter's League. The League announced that they would be meeting with the bronze rank parties and Fauna first. Mainly because the bronze ranks were the strongest groups and Fauna had been the ones to clear most of the floors of the ruins.

The parties were taken, one by one, back into a private room where the League asked them questions about the ruins, items discovered, and other such information. Fauna was the last group to be pulled back and they answered all of the questions. Then at the end they described what had happened on the ninth floor. The League immediately called for Delilah to corroborate the story. She did so and the League immediately put out an announcement about the Eternal Lord and that no one was to approach him unless adamantine rank or higher. This was because no one knew his actual strength and since Delilah was iron rank and had been overwhelmed, he was likely at least adamantine.

After the questions finished, Fauna was taken to the counter where they were given their pay. They had been asked to come back the next morning to answer any more questions the League might have but were told they were free to leave for the day. They immediately went to the inn they'd been at when they'd last been here to get a couple rooms. Luckily, there were two rooms open, the downside was that they were both on the second floor. They paid for them and asked the inn owner to let them know when a room on the first floor was open.

They made their way towards the second floor, with Gaia only stumbling a few times. She wasn't used to going up or down stairs without sensing the ground, so she felt like she'd been successful. The rooms were the same setup as their last ones. There were two beds, a wardrobe, and a desk. Stephanie and Gaia immediately pushed their beds together and moved the furniture in the room. The room was set up almost exactly as the rooms from the camp, which she realized through her web manipulation skill. Once they were settled into the rooms, they relaxed in them for about an hour before going to get dinner.

They walked the city streets for a while snacking on food from street stalls and just enjoying the night. The night ended a couple hours later with each person being exhausted and falling asleep as soon as they reached their beds. The next morning started quickly, since they were heading back to the League to answer any other question they had. They were at the League for another couple hours before being released once again, only this time they were truly free to go.

They happily exited the League and decided to relax and pursue their own hobbies. Gaia once again started her garden in the area behind the inn and rode Malachite around the town. Fergus was creating figurines, visiting his family, or just walking about the town. Griff was at the library deciphering the book Gaia gave him alongside studying any other texts that intrigued him. Stephanie was back with her family for the night, but she also tinkered a little throughout the night. They met back up the next morning and decided what to do next.

"What do you guys want to do now? I'm currently in the mood for a break. After the last gauntlet of fights in the ruins I want to relax for a couple weeks. Maybe take a couple quick requests if we want, though." Gaia stated.

"I was thinking of visiting my family for a few days. It's been months since we were last here anyway." Fergus added.

"If y'all don't mind, I was thinking of opening my shop for a while." Said Stephanie.

"I'll probably need a few weeks to translate this book from the ruins, so that sounds good to me. We got paid a lot for the commission, anyway. We can afford to take a break for a while. How long do you guys want to relax?" Griff asked.

"Honestly, I think a couple weeks should be good. We can always take requests if we get bored or finish whatever we want to do." Gaia replied.

"I say we plan for a month at most. A few weeks in we can decide what we want to do after it. I'm assuming we're going to want to travel or at least take requests to try and level up after the break. We can discuss the specifics after a few weeks though." Fergus added.

"Sounds good." Griff and Stephanie stated almost in unison.

With their plans made the party went about their business. Gaia went out back to continue her work on her little garden, her bonds following along to help. Griff went to the library and split his time between deciphering the journal and working on his own projects. Fergus spent time with Titania who had also taken the day off to relax. Stephanie went back to her shop and spent time with her family as well.

The next few weeks passed in a blur. Each person pursued their hobbies, but they also spent time together as always, only now they could walk around the city. They enjoyed their weeks of respite without any monster attacks or exploring the dangerous ruins. They were relatively safe, outside of a few drunkards and people who wouldn't take a hint, there weren't any incidents. Now, they'd been on their break for about three weeks and Baron Carrelion had invited them all to dinner the following night. Fergus had tried to convince his friends that they didn't need to dress up, but Griff and Stephanie wouldn't listen. Stephanie had even pulled Gaia in to dress her up.

This was how Gaia found herself in a dress, a new one that Stephanie picked out. It was also the sixth one Stephanie had her try on. It was apparently the one Stephanie liked the most, based on the cheerful noises and compliments her friend was making. Stephanie had tried to get Gaia to pick something out for her before realizing. Gaia asked her bonds to send the images through their bond to her to decide though. Much to Stephanie's delight, Gaia chose a red dress with gray streaks through it based on her bond's opinions and the images she got.

They purchased the dresses which were expensive at around fifty stone cores each. They would have to take great care of them. They met up with Fergus and Griff at another shop where the men were trying on suits or formal robes. The guys had asked them about the dresses, but they refused to tell them. Stephanie, however, told Griff about Gaia's dress. He then made Fergus go try on a few more outfits before deciding on one that matched Gaia's.

Griff chose a robe that matched Stephanie's dress only with an opposite color scheme. It was mostly gray with some red accents. With their wardrobe purchased the group returned to the inn and relaxed for the night. The next day passed quickly and before they knew it, it was time for dinner with the Baron. They approached the mansion casually, except Griff and Stephanie were overly conscious of everything they did.

Gaia had been to the mansion a few times and ate with the family, while Fergus was casual about it since they were family. Griff and Stephanie had only met the Baron a few times and were nervous about messing up. When they reached the front door, Baron Carrelion opened it and welcomed everyone in. Fergus and Gaia got hugs while Griff and Stephanie got handshakes. Mostly since they didn't know each other super well yet.

"Thank you all for coming! I'm happy to see everyone here, but you didn't need to dress up for dinner." Baron Carrelion stated.

"Happy to see you dad. Griff and Stephanie were worried and dragged us along to get some better clothes." Fergus replied.

"Ah, well. Did you tell them about the first time Gaia came over for dinner? Nothing will ever beat that night. No offense, Gaia. It was a memorable night." He asked.

"I tried to, but they wouldn't listen." Fergus replied.

"What happened the first time she came over?" Stephanie asked when she'd calmed down slightly.

"I didn't know they were nobility. Found out the League has an age requirement, after registering. I didn't have any clothes aside from my living silk armor. Finally, I learned about the overseers and other such things, the Lost should know. It was an informative night." Gaia replied as she counted on her fingers.

"Oh." Stephanie stated.

"Yeah, I don't think we can top that." Griff added.

"We're just glad we can finally talk to our son's party members. I've known Gaia for a while but haven't truly gotten to meet you two." The Baron stated.

"We're honored you want to learn about us." Griff replied with a bow.

"No need for the strict etiquette stuff. I only use it in front of the citizens or other nobility out of tradition. Also, Fergus." He started before waiting for Fergus to look at him. "Take care of her, you hear?"

Fergus' face blushed slightly before he answered. "Of course. I wouldn't think about doing otherwise."

"Good, because then you'd have to deal with Titania, your mother, and me. We like her a lot." He finished before whispering in Fergus' ear. "Good luck."

It was around this time that they reached the dining room. They each took a seat around the table before the servants served the food. It was just as good if not better than the last time Gaia had been there. The dinner's atmosphere was bit strained as Griff and Stephanie became nervous once again when the food was served, but the tension soon drained when they saw Gaia's bonds being served directly beside her. All of her bonds aside from Shadow were on the table near her enjoying the meal, Shadow was on the ground since she was too big to get on the table.

The dinner was nice and relaxing after that point. The Baron and baroness asked them how they'd been; they told the couple, and Titania arrived later with her party. They'd apparently been asked to answer more questions about the monsters they'd faced and any other observations they may have made while on the commission. They joined the meal and everyone just talked. It reminded Gaia of her family back on earth, they'd had dinner just like this only with fewer people.

The rest of the night passed quickly before a servant relayed someone was at the door and wished to speak to Baron Carrelion. He excused himself and went to meet the person, before coming back about twenty minutes later with a few letters. One was open and he was reading it, he looked up after finishing it and spoke.

"It seems you've all been invited to the Kingdom's capital. Specifically for a ball to celebrate the clearing of a ruin and subsequent retrieval of an artifact. It looks like the League relayed the information to the main League headquarters. The ball will be in two months, and we are to come with you."

"We're invited to a ball in the capital? Why? We're only Stone and Bronze rank." Griff cried.

"Nothing we can really do about it. We can't exactly disregard an invitation from the League's headquarters or royalty. Which are the only two who could plan a ball like this and invite us." Titania replied.

"She's right. The ball is being held by the League's leader at the palace with the king. The artifact is to be given to one of the generals or knights during the ball. They want the party that discovered it to be there and since I'm Fergus' father and Titania his sister we were invited along with her party." The Baron stated.

"Well, we at least have two months before it happens. We can figure out what to do tomorrow. I don't have the energy to deal with this tonight." Stephanie added.

"Very well. You all sleep well." The Baron replied.

With this, the party bid the Baron, and the rest of their friends, farewell. They quickly went to the inn and fell asleep. The next morning, Gaia pestered Griff about the journal, and he told her what he'd learned so far.

Firstly, the Eternal Lord was a Tamer. He had the class, but it was fundamentally different from Gaia's. He had been able to deal damage and had beaten the eight demons into submission. Then made them swear an oath and bound them to him. This was how he had become the eternal lord, only he eventually went mad, and chose a shortcut to power.

The main thing he had learned was that as a tamer she should be able to tame creatures other than those she'd hatched from their eggs. Only he wasn't sure if she had to be the one to defeat them or if her bonds could do it for her. He hadn't translated much more yet, since it's very technical and he wrote down every thought he had along with all of his experiments. He'd only managed to translate about a third of it so far. He didn't want to say more until he'd translated more and had a better idea of what he was doing.

Gaia sighed. She was happy to have even that information, but it had been weeks already and she just wanted to know more about her class. She'd thought about trying to tame a creature but wasn't sure how it would work. Now she at least knew it was a possibility, and just had to wait until Griff could finish translating the journal. They went about the rest of the day, with Griff in the library working on the journal, while Gaia played and trained with her bonds.

When they came back together that night, they checked their statuses. It looked like they had all leveled up to the sixties now. Gaia and her bonds were at sixty-two. Antonio was only one level behind them now and had gotten a new ability at level fifty like everyone else. It was called Malediction's Assault. It caused his curses to deal more damage, based off his bound agony attribute. It also made them last twice as long, and harder to cleanse. Stephanie matched Gaia at sixty-two as well while the guys were both at level sixty-four. They all relaxed after this and headed for bed around midnight.

Gaia reminisced while she laid in her bed. It had been a long journey since she had first arrived here. She'd had nothing and no idea what to do but gained friends and allies along the way. Now, it had come full circle, she was once again unsure about her future. Only she had her friends by her side and was prepared for whatever may come. With these thoughts, and a confident heart, she tried to sleep, because, come morning, they would be beginning their next adventure.