As I see the Horned Rabbit charging towards me, I can’t help but smile. I am a Tamer now, well partner but it amounts to the same thing, and there is no way I will run from this weakling of a monster.

“Mana Bolt!” I shout while pointing my finger at the rabbit just as I have seen other Tamers do when they cast their spells. As soon as I say the spell name I feel a pull in my gut, that I assume is my mana being pulled out for the spell, and then… a small white wisp seems to just seep from my finger. All I can do is stare in shock at my finger… there was supposed to be a ball of pure mana shot out of it into… shit the rabbit. Just as I thought that I feel the Horned Rabbit slam right into my leg with, luckily its’ horn just missing but the force of the blow knocks me off my feet.

I shout out as I land on my face and Notch flying off my shoulder. I scramble to my feet and search around for the rabbit only to see it charging at me again. With the adrenaline coursing through my veins I was just able to jump out of the way of the crazy bunny. Only to trip and fall on my face again.

From a sitting position I see the Horned Rabbit turning around for another charge, so I try to use my spell again, “Mana Bolt!” I shout and feel the tug in my gut, but it was stronger this time, but the conclusion was the same as before just a small white wisp seeping out of my finger. This time I don’t stare at my offending finger and keep my eyes on the rabbit as it charges. When it gets closer, it jumps at me with its horn heading straight to my face. I just watch it the rabbit’s horn getting closer and closer unable even to move. Just when I think, I’m finally something other than a Zero, and I’m just going to die to the first Horned Rabbit I ran into… what did I do to deserve this luck…

That is when I see a white light seem to shoot out from the right and straight into the rabbit’s side hitting it off course. The Horned Rabbit only tumbled about two feet away and got to its’ feet almost instantly. I look to my right and see Notch getting ready to shoot another Mana Bolt at the rabbit… I forgot the first rule of being a Tamer; you’re a team so work as one. I jump up at the same time Notch shoots his Mana Bolt and hits the rabbit. Before it can get back to its’ feet, I pounce on it punching with everything I got.

Over and over, I just keep punching the rabbit putting all my frustration, anger, sadness... everything I have had to experience since I turned 16. I beat it all into the Horned Rabbit until I was covered in its’ gore and all that was left was battered flesh and fur. When I finally stopped there were tears, and snot dripping from my face and Notch is poking me.

While sniffing and wiping my face, I was finally able to say to him, “I’m sorry little guy, I ah… kind of lost myself there… Let me just clean my face real fast, and we can leave. Unless you think this meat is salvageable?”

Notch shrugs then starts climbing up and around my arms cleaning off the blood and gore as he goes. Staring in wonder I watch as Notch slides across my whole body absorbing all the gunk off of me, and I keep staring until he glides across my face.

After some coughing and gagging, “Uh… thanks for cleaning me up Notch but can you not do my face ever again… it was kind of gross, and I couldn’t breathe.”

Looking back down at the Horned Rabbit then at my friend that is now resting on my shoulder, “Nice shot Notch you saved me with that Mana Bolt. But why didn’t mine work?”

Thinking ‘status’ and seeing it pop up.

Name: Nox

Spirit Level: 1

Health: 8/10

Mana: 2/10

1 mp/per hour

Skills:

Weak Mana Sense Level 0

Magic:

Mana Bolt Level 0

Partnered Monsters:

Notch (Basic Green Slime) Health: 9/10 Mana: 6/10 Spirit Level: 1

Partnered Monsters Skills/Magic:

Notch:

Weak Mana Sight Level 10 Weak Mana Sense Level 10 Dissolve MAX Mana Bolt Level 5

Tamed Monster: None

Tamed Monsters Skills/Magic: NA

Oh, yeah I’m am level 0 in Mana Bolt it did say I wouldn’t be able to use it until I practiced it. I do remember my father saying I would have trainers in my different skills they would probably help raise the level of my skills faster… It took a lot of mana out of me just to fail two times though.

Looking at what’s left of the rabbit I realize… I have no idea how to cook it or even start a fire. Looking back at Notch, “You ah… don’t know how to start a fire, do you? Maybe shoot a Mana Bolt at some sticks?” I ask without much hope. After a few seconds, Notch just shakes his body and then does a wiggle that seems to mean, why the hell would I know how to start a fire. That may not have been what it ment, but it sure looked that way.

All the teachers and classes I had as a Royal amount to nothing now… how can they never teach us how even to start a fire. Granted I was in a fire-based family, so I guess starting a fire has never been a problem. But still, I know history, math, and how taxes work, why was there no wilderness survival class… Thinking about it though, I probably wouldn’t have gone if there was one anyways... Damnit!

“Notch if you’re still hungry you can have the whole rabbit except for the horn we may be able to sell that for some Talons,” I say to the little Slime. Notch nods so I set him down, and he wiggles a thank you to me before he goes and encompasses as much of the Horned Rabbit as possible. Watching him eat almost makes me throw up the few strawberries I had in my stomach. Just seeing the skin and muscles dissolving into nothing in his body… gives me shivers just thinking about it. So I turn around and start searching the area for nuts or something I’m not sure, but it felt like something I should do.

After looking around and not finding anything that looked edible, I decided to sit down and practice mana sensing until Notch is done eating. So I close my eyes and try to picture the mana all around me. At first, there is nothing but blackness, and it seems to stay that way until all around me then there are Slimes of different colors start to appear. What? Why are there Slimes is this just how my brain processes mana? Well now they're all dancing this doesn’t make any sense.

Then I feel a prodding on my side. So I open my eyes and realize I am laying on the ground… I wasn’t sensing mana at all. I was sleeping, well at least I don’t see mana as different colored dancing Slimes… I just dream about it. I’m not sure which is worse. I feel another prod to my side and look at Notch.

“Alright, alright I’m getting up did you eat your fill?” I ask while putting him, on what I have started to think of as his perch, my shoulder. He nods then wiggles in satisfaction.

“Did you leave the horn like I asked,” I again ask Notch, who just wiggles at me like I’m dumb and then nods. Looking over where the rabbit used to lay is only a small clean spiral horn sitting in a bare patch of dirt. Notch must have eaten all the debris too. Looking at the little 6-inch tall Slime then thinking about the size of the Horned Rabbit which was about four times the size of him.

“Hey, uh… Notch, how did you eat that whole thing and not grow at all?” Notch just shrugs then continues to wiggle in satisfaction.

“O...kay,” is all I can think to say as I pick up the horn and look again at my partner.

“I think we should head back to the road and just make sure to head north at the next crossroad. We got our asses kicked by a little Horned Rabbit,” Notch starts wiggling at me in a manner that seems to mean, What do you mean 'we'?

“Fine, I got my ass kicked by a little Horned Rabbit. Better?”

Notch gives me a very self-satisfied nod.

So after shaking my head at the weird Slime, I have partnered with I continue,”...Anyways, smartass, I don’t feel comfortable cutting through the forest with just the two of us. At least until I can use Mana Bolt correctly and not some white mist.”

Notch nods in agreement, and so I turn around, and we leave the forest back the way we came. We cut through some more fields with me picking different fruit and vegetables I see on the way using my shirt as a makeshift sack to hold all the fruit and the horn. We almost make it to the road when I hear from behind us.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” says a man's voice from behind me.

I turn around to respond and see an older man of average height and dark hair with a Stone Wolf, an earth-based wolf monster, standing next to him growling at me.

“Uh… walking to the road?” I ask more than say in confusion as to why this man is confronting me.

“I see that, but you were also stealing my crop! I have half a mind to sic Sed on you. But I won’t if you have the talons to pay for what you took,” the Farmer Shouts at me.

“I ah… don’t have any talons. I can trade you this Horned Rabbit’s horn for it,” I ask while getting ready to run.

A spark seems to appear in the farmer's eyes when he hears about the horn, “Boy, where did you find that horn?”

“The forest just next to your fields why?” I ask stepping slowly backward.

“On the North side?” The farmer asks now with some excitement in his tone.

“I guess so,” I respond now confused by the way the farmer is acting.

“You caught the god damned thing? Thank you! He has been stealing from my fields for the past few months. Every time I try to track him down with Sed, he escapes into the forest, and we can’t find him. Was starting to think I was gonna have to send a hunting party after it just to save my crops on that side,” the farms exclaims.

“So, will you take the horn in trade?” I ask again with a little more hope that I’m not going to be mauled by a wolf today.

“I’ll do you one better, you saved more of my crop then you took so I’ll let you go for free. Thanks again,” says the farmer now turning to leave with a smile on his face.

“Wait, sir?” I shout out thinking of something.

“Yeah boy?” says the farmer while looking back at me with a suspicion that I’m going to ask for more of his crop.

“What’s the best way to get to Dondton safely?” I ask hoping for more information than the general direction the gate guard gave me.

“Dondton? Hmmm… I think the best way would be for you to follow that road there and take a left at the next crossroads. If you follow that road it should lead right there if I remember correctly,” says the farmer while pointing at the road right behind me then turning to leave again.

“Thank you, have a good day sir,” I shout to the retreating back of the farmer.

“You too boy,” the farmer shouts back with a wave.