Myles nearly slumped over in his bed.

People were exhausting.

He’d lost a chance at Sindra’s party, but he still felt like he came out on the better end of things. He had a new skill, Ashra’s improved connection, and tomorrow, once his Soul Energy began to recharge, he was going to meet with Kendra, Will, Lyra, and someone named Tail to form an official party. Myles felt bad for being happy they still had open spots, but it passed quickly. Turned out, Will wasn’t kidding those nights ago when they asked him to join the party. It seemed that no one wanted to be around a [Berserker].

Myles smiled though as he considered the other side of that. Who was really harder to be around, Kendra, a warrior known for getting lost in battle lust, or Rocky, Lyra’s pet rock?

A voice clearing from the side of the room and a feeling of dread brought him back to reality as the sun set and the light stones around his home began to glow. His monster companion was clearly on edge about something.

“Yes, Ashra?” Myles asked, sitting up on his bed and giving her his full attention.

Ashra shifted from foot to foot, and the dread faded to nervousness. “You said that this evening we would be able to discuss the terms of my taming.”

Myles cursed as the memory came back to him. The day had been so busy that it’d almost slipped his mind, and he scolded himself. Ashra was his partner; she deserved better than that.

“Of course, Ashra.” With that, Myles gave her a nod and stood up before moving to the main room of the house and sitting down in the more open area. “Now, I’m not sure if this will be something my skill handles or if it is just something we discuss, but I know you’re worried about what will happen as we gain more…”

—

A monster with a tempered or higher Soul Bond has requested an audience!

Ashra Snowpelt has requested negotiations on the terms of her taming.

As this is the first time you have entered negotiations with a monster, the following information will be provided and added to your Monster Lore:

Soul Bond Negotiation:

Soul Bonded Monster Skill - Triggered [Hidden until exercised]

Requirements: Sapience, Soul Bond of Tempered or Higher, Influence 10, Safety

Effect: A monster may make a request of its tamer for additional freedoms, restrictions, comforts, or the like. When negotiations have been entered, all outside influences will be removed and neither party may engaged in anything other than negotiations until the terms are either accepted or rejected.

Outcome: If the negotiations are accepted, the Soul Bond will be modified to reflect the requests made. If the needs are not met in a proper time frame, the Soul Bond may be shivered and the monster may leave. Based on the outcome, a Soul Bond may increase in time with the request.

If negotiations are rejected, the soul bond will remain but may be weakened substantially based on the importance the monster has set on its request.

This skill can only be triggered once every three months.

Knowing this information:

Accept or Decline?

—

He had made a promise…

As he mentally accepted the negotiations, Myles felt the world come to a crashing halt.

—

Soul Link has been disabled for the length of this negotiation.

—

For a moment, he was stunned as Ashra sat. For the first time in what felt like weeks, Myles was alone in his own head. It was like part of his self had been disconnected. His senses felt weaker. His body felt worse than he could ever remember. It almost felt like his hands were made from clay rather than flesh for a moment. Then, the feelings passed, and things began to feel normal again.

It was enough to make him sick. Was this what being Soul Shivered was like? Would he feel like this any time one of his monsters died? For not the first time, Myles reconsidered taming another monster from the first floor for combat.

His emotions were completely his own, but even without the link, he could tell that Ashra was dealing with the same effect. She seemed dizzy for a moment as she swayed in her seat but recovered quickly enough.

It was strange, but he did his best to focus on the task at hand. “Did you know that would happen.”

“In a way,” she admitted. “Ever since our Link reached the Tempered status, I knew I could request an audience, but I did not expect the link to close like that.”

It was probably to keep them from influencing one another during negotiations, Myles figured. He was a bit hurt, but then again, what did he expect? Ashra was still an intelligent, living creature. “What are the terms you’d like to discuss?”

Ashra’s eyes glazed over for a moment, seeming distant then snapped back. “My first request is that you do not view the additional panel of information that was unlocked for you. It is personal.”

—

Term one has been set.

[Monster Tamer] Myles Chase will not view the information in Ashra Snowpelt’s Advanced Condition Menu.

—

“Personal?”

Ashra nodded. “Yes. I know you have not looked yet, or you would understand. So, I am confident in saying it will not affect my performance, advancement, or our survival.”

Then what was the point of having access to it?

“Then why is it so important?”

“It…” For a rare moment, Ashra looked… vulnerable as she searched for the proper term, and without much tact, she continued. “It is breeding information on myself and my prospective interests along with other information that could be used to manipulate me.”

Oh.

“Ashra…”

She starred, her eyes as stern as steel as she continued. “I know you are not a monster, Myles Chase. I have seen enough of your soul to confirm as much, but combat changes people, and a time may come where you would void morals for strength.” She paused for a moment, considering what to share. “There is always a breaking point. I have seen it. If and when the time comes, I will choose my own partners. That is my second term.”

—

Term two has been set.

[Monster Tamer] Myles Chase will not force Ashra Snowpelt into selective breeding and will be allowed to choose her own breeding partner or partners in the future.

—

Myles tried to keep a level head as he read the two prompts. “Is there anything else?”

Ashra nodded. “One more request.”

“Go ahead, Ashra.”

She took a breath, breathing deeply before releasing it. “I would like for you to do everything in your power to spare my family if you come across other Monsterkin like myself. You may murder any of my desert kin or my more bestial cousins, but my mother and father are to be spared if at all possible.”

—

Term three has been set.

[Monster Tamer] Myles Chase will do all within his power to prevent the deaths of the First Floor Lapin Monsterkin Matriarch and Patriarch.

—

Myles thought for a moment on that last one. “Then I have a request to make as well.”

Ashra betrayed nothing as she gave him the same intense stare as before. “Make your request.”

“If I accept your terms, you are to do all you can to stop your kin of any kind from attacking our party.”

—

Term Four has been set.

[Ambush Rabbit Princess] Ashra Snowpelt will do all within her power to prevent the Lapin Monsterkin Kingdom on the first floor from attacking [Monster Tamer] Myles Chase and his party.

—

Reading the last prompt, Myles was a bit impressed by the skill. His entire intent was translated flawlessly. Any loopholes seemed closed… except for that nagging classification of the first floor. Considering Ashra had never been to the second, it seemed iron-clad.

Satisfied, Myles gave her the answer she sought. “I accept your terms.”

Ashra almost looked surprised as Myles answered so easily. “I, too, accept the terms of this contract.”

—

New Terms have been set.

Soul Link - Ashra Snowpelt has been modified.

Terms have been locked in.

Both parties will have access to these terms at any time from their interface.

Breaking these terms may have negative effects on both parties.

Soul Link - Refined has been reestablished.

Ashra Snowpelt’s Advanced Conditions Menu has been locked by the terms of this agreement.

—

When the link reestablished itself, a sharpness came over Myles’s senses again. The world had more color, the scents were stronger, his muscles felt like themselves again. It was a refreshing feeling, something that gave him comfort. Had Ashra’s extra points been that meaningful?

Across from him, he watched as Ashra came to the same terms as he had. She recovered more quickly though and smiled. There was a warmth there that the link carried almost more poorly than her face did.

“Thank you, Myles. I did not want this to be where we parted ways.”

“I don’t appreciate being forced into an agreement like this,” Myles began, making his stance clear. “I understand it, but I don’t like it. I would have agreed to that without the skill.”

“I know, Myles. Though, words are a weakness when there is no bite to them.” There was no small amount of guilt there at the thought of betraying his trust, but there was a feeling of cold practicality there was well. She knew it couldn’t be helped.

Rationally, Myles knew that too. Ashra had to look out for her well-being as well, and she couldn’t perform like he needed her to if she was always looking over her shoulder at him… but still.

Shaking the thought away, Myles yawned as his body and mind reminded him of a more urgent need.

“Head to bed,” Myles said, getting up from the couch he’d been planted on. “We have an important day tomorrow, and we’ll be useless if we don’t get some rest.”

“We will show them our worth.” With that, Ashra walked to the back door, gave him a nod, and left him to his thoughts to the sound of a closing door.

He starred for a long while at the back door, feeling her relief across their connection, her slight concern, and the deeper emotions that skimmed across the surface of her mind and below.

How would he handle more monsters if they were like her?

Hopefully, he’d find out soon.

***

With two more of her charges dead from stupidity, day fifteen couldn’t come quickly enough for Trosana Leea. She was nearly pulling out her scales at the stupid risks some of them were taking.

Who went into the ruins alone?

Who went to the ocean without knowing how to swim?

Who did that?!

Even despite that, those small frustrations like the deaths of some of her investments paled in compare to the time bomb that was Myles Chase.

Every few hours, Myles was creating more buzz in all the wrong circles for her. He had the trappings of a hero, that much was true, and with the combination of a unique class, a unique monster, and already having a bit of a name from his family, it just all seemed to fall into place.

He was a good kid with a big heart that had no idea about anything, and, as a Korgan with her unique appearance, she couldn’t help but feel for him and the storm of shit that was going to hit him. If the current trend was anything, his growing fan base would be the death of her at this rate.

Hers had been almost as bad.

When she’d first gotten started, her… exotic appearance had drawn all the wrong people when she began looking for work, but she’d been ready and worked to be able to temper that with her skills and prowess in information gathering. If she hadn’t leveraged all of it in just the right ways, she’s have become some exotic dancer somewhere rather than be working for the Runner Times.

True, the money might be easier, but then, it wouldn’t be her choice anymore.

Knowing how thinly her career was hinging on him, Myles was worse than a ticking time bomb, he was the flickering flame under the thin rope holding up a piano over a puppy that represented her future prospects.

While yes, having that much influence and attention was a good thing, it could and would quickly be turned against him if the game master stopped taking a liking to him.

As she played back the last event, that negotiation was just another one of those tipping points. Trosana knew just how easily it could have been shown very differently, and the young [Monster Tamer] turned into an unfeeling, uncaring monster with just the right cut.

It was a good thing Darwin had a soft spot for the long shots and odd balls.

As for her end of the damage control, Trosana was well on her way to moving the flame further away from her rope. The Monster Delver’s Union had contacted her about him and provided a few good lines of discussion with the promise of a splash page, and the Pantheon had been even kinder by way of the Monster Lore Gazette. They just wanted to learn about how the rare monsters of this run were, and Myles had run into not one, but three if she counted the boss, and there were still plenty of time for more.

Even with the way her pockets were bulging thanks to her cut of the subscriptions, Trosana still kept a few questions in reserve for the… others, and it would only get worse when the feed of him agreeing not to view her menu came out. With what his monster had explained, the ‘fires of her passion’ wouldn't be ignored by the rag magazines, but she’d deal with those fires when and if they caught on.

Closing the latest feed, Trosana sighed wearily. She needed a drink, and she had to still dig into that care package his father had sent her. She’d never been one for that many sweets in a sitting, but the cinnamon rolls had extra frosting and smelled wonderful enough that she could feel the pounds going straight to her hips.

Maybe a bite before drinking wouldn’t hurt…