A Tamer's Tale

The following day, Eliza woke everyone up with an annoucement. "Today is the Harvest Festival! There will be lots of games, treats and festivities. Come on, get up; the whole Hamlet is going to be there!"

Gabe and Jule popped out of bed, clearly excited about the mention of food and fun games. Jerimiah stood to the side equally as excited. Everyone loved free food, especially him.

Gathering the family, Eliza made sure to set a few ground rules before she let the kids run wild. "Mind your manners. Don't run in front of anyone. Watch where you are going. Don't grab more than you can eat." She prattled off a few more ground rules. Gabe and Jule monotonly nodding their head as the list of dos and donts grew.

With a huff, Eliza finished. "Onwards!" Jerimiah pointed, leading the group into the town.

As they walked, Rue stood between Jerimiah and Eliza while his siblings ran ahead. Dodging back and forth between pedestrians, Jule and Gabe's eyes went round as they scanned the Hamlet square.

Colorful banners and flags hung between homes, crisscrossing back and forth over the road. Many parents mingled about, their children running along the edges of the festivities. Bunches of kids chased after one another, some holding kebabs full of mystery meats and vegetables. Others held a variety of toys in hand, some being wooden swords, 'magic' wands, and carved Beasts.

Laughter filled the Hamlet square, enticing the newcomers to join the fun. Most parents couldn't help but watch the children, thankful they could start their lives again in such a peaceful place.

As Rue's family approached the center, Jule and Gabe dashed away to play with the other children. Rue was left with his parents, who began talking with another couple nearby.

"We all are quite fortunate, ain't that right, Jerimiah?" A grizzled man said; his arms were full of dark hair, and his canines were unusually sharp. He extended his arm for a handshake.

"You betcha," Jerimiah responded, clasping the grizzled man's hand, giving it a hard squeeze. "How was your harvest?"

The grizzle man smirked, "Our melon onions grew fantastic here. The soil is just right, and thanks to your pal Billy, few pests sneak in to have an afternoon snack."

Jerimiah nodded, "We had a great harvest of daylight barley ourselves. We can make more Bread than we know what to do with."

Another man happened to shuffle over as Jerimiah finished talking, bragging about his harvest as well.

Rue glanced at the growing group of men. 'Looks like we won't be starving to death anytime soon,' he concluded, a small laugh echoing in his mind. Turning towards Eliza, he pulled the hem of her dress. Pointing towards a nearby stall, he said, "Hungry."

Eliza smiled and grabbed Rue's hand. They approached the stall and were soon greeted by a young lady, her dull orange hair standing out from the usual black and brown. "Happy Harvest!"

"Happy Harvest." Eliza replied, "Rue here would like some food."

The orange-haired lady glanced over at Rue. "What would you like, little guy?" she said, extending her arm to show the variety of snacks and treats.

Rue pointed at a pink carrot stuck on a stick. "Please!"

Grabbing the pink carrot, she gently handed it to Rue. "Once you finish that, come on back. We got lots of good food to fill you up, " she said, pinching Rue's cheek.

Rue couldn't help but scowl. At this point, he was almost 22 years old; he didn't want his cheeks to be pinched! He thought he passed that phase already.

Waving goodbye, Eliza guided Rue around the festival.

Taking a bite out of the pink carrot, Rue's eyes widened. 'Wow, this is like a mixture of cotton candy and a carrot. No wonder so many kids are running around with them.' Taking another bite, his face melted in pleasure.

As Rue savored the taste of the sugary carrot, they browsed the festival stalls. They passed by a woodworker expertly shaping toy swords. Another had a woman handing out donuts to a group of kids. Rue was happy that he convinced Eliza to stop there and pick one up for himself. He was glad donuts didn't just exist on Earth.

In one stall, Kiera was happily giving away small shots of mysterious liquid to giggling little children. Each shot they took would result in some form of gas or bodily reaction, be it farting, burping, or sneezing.

Kiera happily gave one to Rue, a mischievous smirk on her wrinkled face. Scared but somewhat curious, Rue downed the swirling purple liquid. Then he felt his bowels rumble.

Toot.

Before he could leave, she gave him another. Reluctant, he downed it again.

Toot.

Now, he was somewhat suspicious. Two farts in a row? Taking the liquid she held out for him again, Rue wanted to determine if she was rigging it.

Toot.

'Yep, she's messing with me.' Rue concluded, looking Kiera straight in the eyes. She looked at him with innocent old eyes but couldn't hold back her playful smirk. 'You old hag.' Rue chuckled to himself.

Waving her goodbye, they continued to explore the festival.

Eventually, they came across a small pen of animals. Little kids and adults took turns petting the variety of animals. One pen had a group of fluffy bunnies with large floppy noses. A little girl playfully poked one bunny's nose, giggling each time it bounced back and forth.

Another animal pen held the most round pigs Rue had ever lay his eyes on. They had short brown fur and squished noses. But their mass was just so round. Rue entered the pin and instantly hugged the closest chonker. 'Cuteeee' Rue couldnt help but think. They reminded him of baby seals.

The specific pig he was hugging just plopped to the ground, turning its little head to stare at Rue with its round eyes. Eliza had to pull Rue from the fluffy, adorable abomination that it was. Reluctant, he let go and wandered around the other animal pens.

A group of winged goats with hollow horns was popular with younger boys. Each boy took turns riding the poor creatures who probably couldn't lift themselves in the air with their tiny wings.

They continued to look around at all the cute animals until they came to another pen that stopped Rue in his tracks. The animals within looked similar to chickens, but instead of having feathers, they just looked like big puffy clouds. Rue couldn't help but sit and hold the little chicken in his lap, the puff of cloud chirping as it ran along his legs, its cloudy wings flapping along as it stumbled.

Rue held it in his hands, a look of bliss clear on his face. 'This is pretty great.'

Just as he was about to visit a pen full of colorful ostriches, a middle-aged man took to the center stage of Hamlet square and announced aloud, "Everyone, please gather around; there is an announcement to be made."

Everyone shuffled to the nearby benches, each splitting from their groups and meeting back up with family.

Once everyone had taken their seats, the middle-aged man spoke, "First of all, I would like to thank everyone for their hard work! This year's harvest has been a great success, and we have all profited greatly." Pausing, he proudly looked around at the surrounding families and individuals, "With how great this festival has been, I saw it fit that we announce some more great news today. I am proud to announce the start of the brand new Pine Forest Griffle League. Starting today, each new Hamlet will assemble their own Griffle team and compete against one another." The man paused to let the information sink in.

"Each Hamlet will form a single team and compete for a combined prize pool!"

A random citizen shouted, " Who will be on our team?"

Pointing to him, the middle-aged man said, "I love you, random citizen!" Glancing back at the crowd, he answered the question, "Because there is no limit to who can join, we hope those few who are awakened will lead the rest of us to victory. I will go around afterward to gauge who amongst us will be willing to join."

"But keep in mind, there is a large prize pool, contributed to by all 18 hamlets. Winning would greatly help the expansion of our little Hamlet. Maybe it could push us towards becoming a Town."

Everyone instantly became interested. If the Hamlet were to become a Town, they would see an increase in trade and the value of their land. Merchants would come through more often, willing to spend more.

The middle-aged man clasped his hands. "But first, we have to make a team before we even think of winning." Gazing at the crowd, he changed the subject. "But that is for the future. For now, let's enjoy the festival!" he announced.

The people below cheered. Soon, the atmosphere turned lively once more. The sun began to set, but lanterns were lit, adding a fiery glow to the festival.

Rue and his family wandered towards a nearby magic act. The man on stage disappeared behind various objects, each smaller than the last. As they watched, the middle-aged man who made the announcement approached them. He stuck his hand out, shaking both Eliza and Jerimiah's hands.

"Happy Harvest!" he said, staring Jerimiah in the eyes. His gaze became serious. We need you, Jerimiah. You are the strongest awakened we have. Not to mention you have a Tamed Beast."

Eliza was quick to interrupt the conversation. In a stern tone, she said, "I don't care what we are competing for, but I will feel much better about this as long as you promise me Jerimiah will be safe." A tinge of worry seeped out at the end, and she couldn't help but glance at Jerimiah, grabbing his hand.

The middle-aged man nodded, " Don't worry, Eliza. There are rules in place. This League is sponsored by the Count, so only the extremely stupid would dare cheat and purposefully hurt another player."

Eliza's face softened. She stepped back, allowing Jerimiah to speak. Jerimiah gazed deeply at the middle-aged man. "Cain, I understand you need me, but what would we all get from this? I don't want any loose promises; I want absolutes. I have a family I need to take care of."

Cain stared at the children watching the magic show. Surprising him, the youngest boy wasn't watching but had turned to listen to their conversation. Cain's gaze met Rue's.

Cain shivered; he felt a threat underlying the child's stare. Shaking his head, he looked back at Jerimiah. "The Count had promised that the winner of each year would be granted 3 scholarships into the county-sponsored Colleges. If we win, you could grant one of your children the possibility to change their fate." He spoke, extending his hands as if showing how immense an opportunity this was.

Jerimiah looked hopeful at Cain. "Can the scholarship be saved for later?"

Cain nodded, "The Count put a 10-year time limit on each scholarship. Jule, there could go to the 9th-ranked school in the kingdom. That's unheard of for commoners like us."

Jerimiah looked at Jule. Turning back to Cain, determination mantled his face, "I'll do it, but you need to convince Jarod and Keller. Without them, we wouldn't stand a chance."

Cain grabbed Jerimiah's shoulder, "Lucky for you, I already convinced them. Practice is on the north field in the evening. See you there."

Cain walked away, saluting Jerimiah. Jerimiah shook his head helplessly. "Looks like Cain had everything figured out already, " he said to Eliza. She merely smiled, resting her head on Jerimiah's shoulder. "Just make sure you are safe, dear."

Jerimiah grabbed Eliza's hand, giving it a squeeze. "Don't worry, honey; when have I ever been unsafe?"

Eliza looked at Jerimiah in disbelief, "Either you are being sarcastic, or you have hit your head so much that you have forgotten our unlucky streak."

Jerimiah laughed, scratching the back of his head. "I guess I hit my head too much." smirking, he planted a kiss on Eliza's head. "Everything will be okay."

Rue shuffled next to Jerimiah, grabbing the bottom of his shirt. He didn't know what Griffle was, but if he imagined a sport that allowed magic, he couldn't help but worry.

As the sun went down for the day, the festival followed suit. Families began packing up stalls and heading home to put their exhausted children to sleep. Jerimiah held Jule in his arms, Gabe in Eliza's, and surprisingly, Rue still had plenty of energy, so he walked side by side with Jerimiah and Eliza.

On their walk back, a crow flew overhead, signaling the beginning of the night.

When they arrived home, Eliza put Gabe and Jule to bed, kissing them all goodnight. Headed off to bed, Rue's parents disappeared into their room. As the candles extinguished, Rue was left sitting in his new bed. He had recently grown out of his crib.

As night crept on and darkness engulfed the room, Rue's eyes glared at a nearby ceiling corner.

Within the shadows, red eyes shifted, skittering back and forth. With the wave of his hand, Shiny appeared nearby. Transmitting his thoughts, Shiny understood what Rue needed.

Blending in with the shadows, Shiny practically disappeared from view. Not soon after the red eyes disappeared as well. Rue smirked before rolling over in his bed. He didn't even have to lift a finger to kill spiders any more. It was a good day.