Chapter 62: Chapter 62: Beast Taming Elimination Tournament Presser

A week after my imp encounter, I’m standing in the village square with my family, including my beast family. The atmosphere has festival vibes, because we are two months away from the Beast Taming Elimination Tournament. A banner reads, “Celebrating Our Local Contestants in the Beast Taming Elimination Tournament!”

Laughter and chatter and rumors fill the air. Conversation flows. Music plays. And the smells of festival foods! I can barely stay still beside my family while we wait at the front of the crowd for

The whole town is there, including this world’s version of media. They have tablets, but no cameras. In a quaint touch, portrait artists scurry around, doing thumbnail drawings of Demos, Lobo, Gussie, and me.

[You’re the famous one.] Gussie can’t resist teasing me. [Everyone is looking at you after what happened with the goblins and the imps. You need to fight some BIGGER creatures, though.]

[Not at the tournament.] Demos is knowledgeable and can’t resist showing off. [You fight at your level, and you fight opponents that are close to your size. It’s only fair. As you grow, you can take on larger and more powerful beasts.]

I hadn’t thought about that. Most of the beasts I’ve gone up against have been at or slightly above my level. As I recall, that’s how the game works. System?

[Yes. Later on, you can level up by fighting tougher opponents.] System seems almost happy to provide me with this information at this time. [But while you are still Level 3 and below, you fight at, below, or slightly above your level. As you’ve seen, fighting the goblins and imps definitely helped train your skills.]

Kaline scratches behind my ears. “Blaze, look alive! The Gamemakers are going to be talking soon! We’ll hear all about the tournament.”

I focus on the stage in the town square. The Village Council, the mayor of the village, and the Gamemakers have gathered on the stage. There is something just behind the stage, covered in a white sheet. It almost looks like a movie screen. A pair of heralds blow horns, and a boy and a girl on either side of the stage give an enthusiastic drumroll.

The mayor of the village, an orc named Crothu, stands tall and imposing. He’s dressed in a metallic-looking shirt and pants, almost like armor, and has an intelligent air.

“My fellow villagers,” he declares in a voice as powerful as the beating of the drums. “today marks the official start of the tournament season! The Beast Taming Elimination Tournament is an annual event that we all look forward to. I am sure that we will all caravan to the Infinity Dome of Champions to watch our hometown beasts and their tamers compete!”

The crowd applauds enthusiastically. I get the sense that this is the Tanglewood equivalent of sending athletes to the Olympics.

Mayor Crothu continues. “The Beast Ball hosted by the Noble House of Lammermoor was, in many ways, the start of the tournament season, but now, preparations will proceed apace. Intense training, and weekly check-ins with our beasts and their tamers. We will be charting their progress as in years past. Ah, the chart! It is a thing of beauty, if I do say so myself.”

Vedette mutters, for our ears only, “We’ll be here for an hour while he talks on and on about his beloved chart.”

Kaline is mischievous. “I heard he sleeps with that chart.”

Gussie squawks, “Here comes the chart! Here comes the chart! His beloved chart!”

Ripples of laughter spread around us, followed by applause.

It’s so silly that I snicker, followed by Demos and Lobo. Niall tries and fails to stifle his laughter. The fun is short-lived, because a glare from Lamant and Minette silences all of us.

Mayor Crothu claps his hands. “You are all over-eager to see the chart, are you? Well, I won’t play the laggard any longer. Without further ado, I give you…the Tamer and Beast Tracker Chart!”

He pulls on a slender cover, and the white sheet falls away, revealing a shiny gold, silver, and bronze chart with a list of names and scores.

The scores are for the beasts, and they are all my stats. Level. HP. Strength. Defense. Magic. Resistance. Speed. Charisma. Luck.

The names of the beasts are familiar…mostly.

Lamant Riddlehoeven and Gussie.

Minette Riddlehoeven and Lobo.

Vedette Riddlehoeven and Demos.

Kaline Riddlehoeven and Blaze.

Terrah Bottomsley and Zuba.

Martyn Bottomsley and Ophion.

Minette nudges Lamant and whispers, “I didn’t realize the Bottomsleys were back. I thought they were touring, showing off their beasts to the delight of crowds.”

The corners of Lamant’s mouth turn up. “Perhaps the traveling was too much of a strain on them. They like–what were the words they used–the ’rustic uncomplicated life.’”

Niall snorts. “Maybe they were too complicated for the bigger world. But their beasts are fierce. That snake and that baboon are talented.”

Uh oh. Local competition.

I communicate to Kaline. [Do you know who they are talking about? And why haven’t I heard about them before?]

She grimaces. [The Bottomsleys. You haven’t heard very much about them because, as Mother and Father said, they’ve been on a whirlwind tour of Tanglewood] She scratches behind my ears, her touch soothing and grounding. [You don’t need to worry about a bigger baboon and a mesmerizing poisonous snake.]

Mesmerizing and poisonous? One of my least favorite combinations.

I put my paws on her knees, begging to be lifted up. [Where are they?]

With a sigh, Kaline hoists me up in her arms and rotates her body a half turn to show me our competition. Two intense-looking people, a young husband and wife, who have pinched, drawn faces and slender bodies. A snake, presumably Ophion, is draped all over the man, reminding me of a python wound around a tree in the jungle. A purple-nosed tawny-furred baboon, Zuba, sits obediently beside the woman.

I study our competition for a long moment. [Don’t they eat?]

Kaline considers the question seriously. [They must. They’ve been traveling all over, showcasing their beasts at festivals and other grand events. So, they probably eat well.]

Mayor Crothu bares his big teeth with huge canines jutting out. “We have six excellent contenders from our two leading houses. When I call your names, please come up onstage. Lamant Riddlehoeven and Gussie!”

Dignified and strong, Lamant strides up onstage with Gussie perched on his shoulder. He waves to everyone, and Gussie squawks, “We are in the tournament.”

The crowd applauds. Mrs. Threadgood claps, while Dex hoots and hollers, perched on her shoulder. Mrs. Wheelwright gives that polite, lukewarm clap that people who want to keep up appearances do.

Mayor Crothu shouts, “Minette Riddlehoeven and Lob!”

Queenly, Minette mounts the stage with Lobo dogging her heels., and goes to stand beside her husband. Lobo howls with glee.

“Vedette Riddlehoeven and Demos!”

At Mayor Crothu’s introduction, Vedette hurries up onstage with enthusiasm, while Demos clambers onto the stage after her and roars, to the delight of the crowd. He especially roars at the Bottomsley beasts. The snake hisses, and the baboon makes screeching noises.

“Kaline Riddlehoeven and Blaze!”

This is it! This is us. Why do I feel so excited? I have been to a ball and been introduced at a ball. This is just a village event. But somehow it feels like more.

Kaline sets me down, and we make the triumphant walk up to the stage. Somehow, my four feet get tangled up in my tail, and I have to waste valuable time uncrossing them. It’s not that long, only a second or two, but it feels like an eon. Kaline gives me a brief pat, and my nerves settle.

Finally, I’m standing on the stage beside Kaline and my family, looking out at the entire village. Niall raises his fist in the air, excited. Oh, I wish he could be up here with us. That his name and his beast’s name would be on The Chart. We will just have to redouble our efforts to find him the best beast.

Mayor Crothu’s voice cuts through the cheers. “And now, Terrah Bottomsley and Zuba!”

As long as our walk to the stage took, it seems that Terrah’s and Zuba’s happens in an eyeblink. And Terrah nearly treads on my tail while Zuba gives me a frighteningly pleasant monkey smile.

“Last but not least, Martyn Bottomsley and Ophion,” Mayor Crothu concludes. “These are our proud local contestants! We will be cheering them on! Their scores are on The Chart, as you can see, and we will all be following them every second from now until the tournament!”

I stare at my scores with pride.

[Name: [Blaze]

[Class: [Journeyman]

[Race: [Common Tiger

[Level: 3/10 [XP 20/100 STATUS: Full

[HP: 6/6 [MP: 0/0 [Stamina 100/100

[Strength: 29

[Defense: 27

[Magic: 23

[Resistance: 15

[Speed: 24

[Charisma: 39

[Luck: 26

[Skills: [Bite (Attack Skill] [Pounce (Attack Skill)] [Sprint (Skill)] [Camouflage (Skilll) [Escape Power (Skill){Divine Vision/(Skill)[Telepathy](Skill)[Super Jump (Skill)]

It is on, Zuba and Ophion!

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