A Tamer's Tale

Morning rolled around, and the Hamlet got back into gear. People had work to do and sadly they couldn't party all the time.

Cain sat at a rough wooden desk, yellow papers and stacks of books piled on top. Looking to his side, a young lady entered the room. "A couple of men are here to meet you, " she said. She had a daisy in her brown hair, and her almond eyes communicated to Cain that these men weren't to be trifled with.

Cain grunted, waving his hand. "Bring them in Sola."

Sola nodded, closing the door.

Moments later, two men entered the room. Both wore expensive suits that probably cost enough to bankrupt the Hamlet. One was an older gentleman, a cane in hand and glasses over his dark brown eyes. His black hair was slicked to the right.

The other was a younger man, similarly dressed but lacking the cane and glasses.

Cain observed the duo. Those who could afford a lifestyle where they wore gel were either rich or a noble. A bead of sweat poured down his forehead.

"How can I help you today, gentlemen?" Cain asked, standing to greet them with a solid handshake. Both men's hands were quite soft, which comforted Cain; they should not be too dangerous.

The duo refused to take a seat, getting right to business without even introducing themselves. "We are here as representatives of Count Oasis's Tax Division."

Rolling down a piece of parchment, he read, "On accord with the agreement with Count Oasis, you, the people of Verdant Hamlet, are required to pay 40% of each harvest to the nearby Tax collection center." Pausing, he glanced at Cain. He smirked. "Your Hamlet has only sent 30%, and we require the remaining payment and an extra 5% to compensate for wasting our time."

Cain's mouth dropped. He vividly remembered when he had made an agreement with the Count's people. The percentage they had to pay was 30%. Now, these tax collectors are requiring him to send an additional 15% of their whole Hamlet's income.

Cain stood from his chair, flinging it against the wall, "This is preposterous. The initial agreement clearly stated a 30% Tax."

The older gentleman frowned. "So are you claiming that me, a tax representative of the Count, is trying to extort this puny Hamlet?" The younger man grew angry. Stomping on the floor, he accursedly pointed a finger at Cain: "We have been loyal vassals of the Count for years! How dare you accuse us of extortion!"

The older gentleman waved his hand, "Calm down, boy. Hopefully, this peasant will see reason."

They both stared at Cain. The younger man with anger and the older with a predatory glint. Gulping, Cain fell back in the remains of his chair. He had a feeling there was nothing he could do. Lacking both power and resources, the Hamlet was at the whim of others.

Sighing, Cain turned to the older gentleman and said, "Give us six months to raise the funds."

The older gentleman scoffed, "You have three months." Turning to leave, he waved his hand, "Don't forget next year's taxes as well. 45%."

As they walked out, the older gentleman laughed. "I would say it was a pleasure doing business with you, but I would be lying. I never want to come back to this poverty basket again."

The door slammed shut.

Cain rubbed his temples, placing his elbows on his desk. He yelled, "Sola, call for a town meeting. It's urgent."

----------------

"Okay, brat. It's finally time that we make your first Soul Construct." Kiera spoke, mixing strange liquids into quartz vials.

Rue sat at a nearby table, his head in a book. Looking up, a smile crept on his face. He couldn't help but feel anticipation well up inside him, but also a little bit of fear mixed in; he didn't want to fail horrifically. Even though creating basic Soul Constructs was practically harmless, he didn't like the feeling of failure.

Kiera seemed to sense his worry. Approaching him, she said, "You have nothing to worry about. You have already made a version of a Soul Construct. It is housing that fancy squirrel of yours."

"Shiny, his name is Shiny." Rue made sure to correct her. Nearby, Shiny was perched on a high shelf. In his hands was a shiny unused quartz vial that he was trying to fit in his mouth. Kiera merely glared at the little Beast. Shiny meekly put the vial back, avoiding Kiera's gaze.

"Anyway, it's better to have useful Soul Constructs sooner rather than later. Never know when an army will invade or a Beast Tide will form."

Rue solemnly nodded. "What should my first Soul Construct be?" he asked Kiera, looking for wise advice.

She laughed, flicking him on the forehead. "I'm only going to teach you how to make a Soul Construct, not tell you what to make." Pausing, she sat nearby. "But I will require your first one to be a movement spell. Increased speed is always useful, no matter the scenario."

Tapping the ground, roots extended upwards. A table formed with a basic visual step-by-step guide. Kiera continued, "Just as we discussed, Soul Constructs are shortcuts to spells. Living in this remote Hamlet, we don't have access to spell books, but we can create Soul Constructs to channel specific Aetheric actions."

"Oftentimes, students begin by creating a ball using their Soul Ocean. They then connect that ball with their desired affinity. This creates a shortcut to cast any variation of fireball depending on the connected affinity."

"What is unique about Soul Constructs is the method you can use to decide how powerful each construct is. When you form a construct, you can make it extremely rigid. This will allow the construct to be cast with more power and precision. Or, you could form a more fluid construct. This leaves room for modification afterward but results in less powerful spells. Some mages often make use of fluid Soul Constructs to counter opponents. Though more firepower is much more tempting than less."

"When you create the outline for your Soul Construct, you can either make a rigid structure, which often takes the form of crystalized Soul Water. Or you can form a more fluid soul construct, taking the form of highly energetic Soul Water. However, keep in mind that each stage of mage is limited by the amount of Aether they can wield, not their affinities. The power of affinities is inherited; very few affinities can maintain more than 5 constructs at once. Those above that baseline are considered geniuses. If their affinity can maintaine over 20, then run. Those are Beasts in disguise, once-in-a-century talents."

"You aren't too bad, though; having the capacity to maintain an environment means your affinity with Earth is not low."

Rue looked interested in the new information. On one hand, he felt the utility and possibility of modifying constructs were extremely useful, but on the other hand, would people really have the opportunity to modify constructs mid-battle?

"So do I just make a sword and connect it with my affinity to shoot swords at people?" Rue asked. He felt like he understood the underlying information, but clarification would hurt.

Kiera shrugged, "If you want to shoot swords and not arrows or darts go for it. A construct should resemble the final product of the spell that you desire. If you want to create swords, do that, but remember you could create a bow alongside the arrow, propelling it at faster speeds than a sword."

Rue nodded, a form of understanding clicking in his mind. He still had one more question, though: "Can I make different parts of the construct fluid and other parts rigid?"

Kiera sat silent, her eyebrows scrunched. After a long moment, she responded, "I had never done so before, but I assume that it may be possible. Multi-part constructs are exponentially more difficult to create than single-part constructs."

Rue smiled. If he wanted, he could make a gun out of magic, but he definitely needed to be more skilled to do that. 'Let's start simple,' Rue thought. Closing his eyes he dived into his Soul Ocean.

---------------------

Jerimiah was happily humming along as he tended to his Daylight Barley. The newly planted crops had barely begun sprouting from the recently overturned soil. He carefully tended to each stalk, watering and picking out pesky weeds. Occasionally, he would come across a bright orange plant, its leaves separating into five points. He would carefully pluck it from the ground, placing it in a nearby sack.

A few ravens flew overhead, soaring amongst the pine trees nearby.

Jerimiah continued progressing through the field, his hands moving with practiced ease.

"Squeakkkkk"

From behind a nearby tree, Billy, Jerimiah's Tame, happily pranced along. In Billy's mouth, a female Treasure Squirrel lay limp. Jerimiah patted Billy on the head, "Good job, buddy. Make sure you are patrolling other fields as well."

"Barfff." Billy barked. He turned and trudged away towards a nearby field.

Whipping the sweat from his forehead, Jerimiah glanced at the sky. "Looks like it's time for practice," Jerimiah concluded.

Packing his bag over his shoulder, he trudged through the fields. After Dropping his bag off at home, he headed towards the fields north of the Hamlet. Crossing the tree line, Jerimiah observed a large meadow. Cain saw Jerimiah appear, waving him over to the gathering of people huddled around him.

Approaching the gathering of men and women, Jerimiah waved.

Cain was quick to welcome Jerimiah, bringing him into a half-hug. " It's Good to see you made it," Cain said. We need you more than ever now."

Jerimiah sighed. He had been kept in the loop. He understood what these Tax Collectors had done, but there wasn't anything he or anyone else could do. They were the little guys getting taken advantage of. In order to stop this behavior, they had to make some sort of name for themselves. They were hoping that this Griffle team could be the start. Until they figure out a solution, everyone is going to have to tighten their belts.

Shaking his head, he glanced towards the other people.

Cain motioned towards the group of people, "Even though we all live in the same Hamlet, let's introduce ourselves." Starting with himself, he continued, "I'm Cain. I awakened the Beast affinity when I was younger, which has contributed to my larger size and higher-than-average strength. I will be the captain of our team."

Everyone nodded, each in agreement. None wanted to be in the captain position. That was just extra responsibility.

Cain pointed to his left, signaling the young woman standing next to him to start. "I am Sola. I have awakened the affinities for water and air." Looking down shyly, she continued, "Though I had only recently awakened, so don't expect much from me."

Everyone nodded in understanding, looking towards the next person. A young man holding his hands behind his back introduced himself. He had long dark brown hair and was lean. "I am Ethan. I have also just recently awakened, and I have an affinity for fire as well as plants."

Jerimiah looked intrigued at the young man, an idea hatching in his head. He couldn't help but think of the pesky fire-weed plant.

The following person was quick to introduce themselves. Standing tall, his shoulder broad and back straight. "I am Keller, the town guard. I have an affinity for air."

Brief and precise, that's what Jerimiah liked about Keller.

Next was another woman. Older than Sola but still spry, she introduced herself: "I am Margaret. I have Earth as my affinity."

After Margaret had finished her introductions, Jerimiah introduced himself. Waving at the group of awakened, he spoke, "Jerimiah here. I have affinities for Beast and Earth." Waving his hand Billy appeared next to him, "I also have a Tame. His name is Billy."

Everyone waved back, each excited to have a Tamer on their team. Tames didn't take up a player spot in Griffle, so teams could have 5 players and still play their Beast.

The final man stepped forward. If Jerimiah were to describe him, he would use only the word "Mountain." He was almost 8 feet tall, and he wasn't skinny tall either. His body was packed with muscles ready to activate their dormant power. This was one of the people Jerimiah had requested to be on the team. "I am Jarod."

Jarod had no affinity but had awakened early on in his life. The passive refinement of the Soul Ocean on the body contributed to his massive growth, pushing him to become a Beast of a man.

Cain nodded, clasping his hands. "Now that we have all introduced ourselves, I'll explain the rules of Griffle to those who haven't played. Even if you have, it's good to refresh the official rules."

Pausing, he motioned for everyone to sit down on nearby benches. Each person found a spot. Cain stood in front of the six others. "First, I want to thank each of you for coming. I have picked you all for a reason. No person here will be useless on the field."

"Anyway, onto the rules. As we all know, Griffle is a high-contact sport. Don't be surprised if an opponent lays into you with a punch or a kick."

They all nodded grimly. Griffle was infamous inside the Kingdom. It was highly popular and extremely competitive. Spectators had always liked how intense the game was, so nobody had ever requested for anything less.

"Griffle has 5 matches per game. Each match is to 11 points. Winning a match gains our team a point. First team to 3 wins. Simple, right?" Cain asked, he chuckled. "Not quite. With each match, one less person is allowed on the field. For example, in the first match point, we will face our opponent with a whole team of 5. The second match point, we will be down to 4; the third, we will be at 3."

"That's not all. After each match, the goal shrinks." Cain reminded, pointing towards wooden hoops 12 feet in the air on both sides of their field.

"To gain a point in a match, you must throw this ball." Jerimiah threw a leather ball the size of a handball in the air. "Through the opposition's hoop."

Catching the ball, he glanced at his players. "Any questions?"

Ethan raised his hand, "Is goal tending allowed?"

Cain nodded, "Unlike the children's rules, we can goal tend."

Margaret raised her hand. "What are our positions?"

"I have initial positions for each of you, but these are subject to change."

"Our offensive players will be Ethan, Sola, and I. Our defensive players will be Jarod, Margaret, and me. Our Pitcher's will be Keller and Sola. And finally, our Ace's will be Jerimiah and Jarod."

Motioning for everyone to the field, Cain spoke up with a smile. "Let's begin."