AN: So, here with go with the next installment of this first chapter. Two more to come in the next few days. I hope you're enjoying the new overall look of the story. This update is a bit larger than the last one, so there is that.

I'll update again tomorrow. Once this first chapter is completely done. I wont update again till next Monday, so basically no weekend update. There are two more updates to go for chapter one.

Enjoy!

Chapter 1.5: You Suck

The business at hand was a simple affair. Paperwork and decisions about his next step weighed heavily on his mind. However, his options were limited, and for once he was thankful for it. He needed to choose between three sponsorship offers, and weigh each of them against the standard government contract.

John looked over the sponsorship offerings and compared incentives. The Fellowship of Solar Prominence offered a large upfront cash and equipment offer, but he would have to send his captures solely to their headquarters. He could not legally trade or sell them on the open market. The Carolina Capture Conference worked in a similar fashion to the FSP, but they offered fewer incentives upfront. They did offer a slightly larger bonus for sales to their organization, however.

It was not until he looked over the offer provided by the ASDCA that he saw a few things that interested him. All true sponsors offered at least one demi-human, a little money upfront, and some equipment.

The ASDCA offered a vehicle, some experimental equipment he'd never heard of, and no restrictions on how or where to sell captures so long as they were obtained both legally and ethically. He did have to document the method of capture for various demi-humans, though. The field knowledge from actual tamers would be collected and sifted through so that the ability to capture and tame wild girls would continue to advance with the changing of the times.

John nodded to himself. "I'd be an idiot to turn that down."

He quickly sorted through the paperwork and filled out the appropriate sections. John sent back the necessary acceptance paperwork not long after making his choice then settled in till he received the call to meet with the financial aid officer. Things were going fairly well so far. He wasn't certain what to do after being sponsored, but at least he still had another few days before he would be tossed out on his ass.

The thought of being homeless when hope dangled before him like a particularly fat little carrot was not something he relished. In possession of numerous skills and an encyclopedic knowledge of many arts, he should be a highly valued commodity on the job market. However, his lack of real world experience was a severe handicap. Most employers needed experienced humans to lead demi-humans in the work force. An inexperienced human was a liability compared to a cheaply acquired demi-human.

Time passed, as it often did, slowly and in a taunting manner. The seconds crawled by one by one. The minutes came like hours. The hours felt like weeks. In the end, he did not receive his desired confirmation until the next morning. It was quite the relief to John. The offer was extraordinary. He would hate to have to take one of the lesser offers.

After getting cleaned up, and prepared for his next meeting, John headed down to the local tamer reserve branch. His arrival led him to momentary elation, and then quite a bit of annoyance.

"So, these are the only companions that I have to choose from?" He looked over the spec sheet at the front desk. He was not particularly impressed. The tamer reserve was the place for tamers to acquire a demi-human if they had the money, or a sponsor. Upon entry he showed his claim chit to the overly enthusiastic Generica on duty. It was good for one girl of up to uncommon rarity. This meant that he could acquire an uncommon demi-human of at least tenth level, or any girl who was of lesser rarity and combat statistics.

"Yes, sir. Your claim chit is unusual for a beginning tamer. Most are only authorized common companions. You may choose one of the four on the list, however."

John looked her over. She was yet another Generica working behind a desk. The pretty little things were everywhere, apparently. It was strange how he'd never noticed it before, but after spending most of his time among taming support personnel, Genericas were suddenly everywhere.

A brief moment of thought on the matter reminded him that a few of the girls worked at the technical school. His father even kept one on hand as a secretary for various reasons. Until today, he'd never really considered them worth notice. They were largely invisible to him.

John considered the list and bit his lip while making a noise that carried both his thoughtfulness and its annoyance into the world. He knew about attack statistics and typing, but there was a difference between learned knowledge and actual experience. He was also rather gun-shy about the taming aspect. This was especially true in regards to anthropomorphic species.

The dragon-Ice hybrid type Frolizard spoke to him as a powerful choice, but in all honesty he could not force himself to engage in intimate encounters with such a creature. Standing at an impressive seven feet tall, she would bear the appearance of a large bipedal lizard with tits. He was simply not ready for the love that such a partner had to give, or any love really. Still, it would be easier to enter the situation with one of the creatures who looked more human.

The Futanalia would easily be confused for a human if she was not scanned, but John was more than a little disturbed by the fact that her normal end-line evolution led to her becoming a girl with a little something extra. The intimate equipment that she naturally possessed by that point would be both large and potentially in charge during their bonding sessions. In truth, if he needed to engage in intimate actions he would vastly prefer to give the intimacy than to receive it, especially in the manner that would occur with the so-called futa breeds.

He considered the other two on the list. One was a common Catgirl of the variety in possession of an actual cat head, as opposed to the type with ears and a tail only. The other was a Charmmaron, both possessed strong animal traits. It bothered him that there were no standard human appearance girls who didn't want to play hide the toy surprise with his backside on this list.

"How often is this list updated?" he asked the sex pot on duty.

"Every day before the open of business, sir," she replied in a breathy manner. Her bust quivered in anticipation of giving an answer and appearing useful.

"I'll come back tomorrow." He still had three days of free room and board left. They had to give him something. If nothing else, he'd cash in the chit and use the funds acquired in conjunction with his own current bank account to try and buy something else.

John spent the rest of the day collecting his equipment via claim chits, including his new truck and corpse hauler. By the time all was said and done he acquired quite a bit of equipment. Some of it was almost like stuff a few people wore in sci-fi movies that he'd seen during brief study breaks. The scanning system definitely felt that way. Some company called Turner Enterprises recently released this newest model only two weeks prior. It was apparently a big deal among the taming and hunting community.

"Made in Japan, huh?" Pretty much all of the best high-end electronics were made there nowadays. Half of his initial sponsorship allotment had been spent on the device according to his claim chits. "How can this thing cost a hundred grand?" That was twice the cost of his truck and hauler alone.

The other chits had been spent on healing items, armor, type I tactical weapons and the like. By the time all was said and done he only had his demi-human claim chit, food allotment chit, and a little over eleven thousand dollars in spending cash. Somehow he'd thought he would have more of the latter with a two-hundred fifty thousand dollar sponsorship allotment. It was a fortune in initial equipment, but he knew he wouldn't receive another dime unless he went out and earned it.

Time passed, day turned to night, and eventually morning came. John woke up got dressed and headed over to the tamer reserve once again to check through the listing. There was nothing new save for a Bunnygirl and honestly he'd be better off bare knuckle brawling with wild demi-humans than relying on that sort of girl.

Evolutions of the breed were quite useful, but the basic Bunnygirl was a creature known for lacking in the courage department. Sweet and endearing, they were quite popular, but they were not fighters. Most of them ended up on farms, as sex pets, or in the adult entertainment industry.

"What do you have besides demi-humans available for my claim chit if I can pay extra?"

"Hmm. Well, let's see," said the Generica before she pulled up the necessary information. John noted that there were thirty demi-girls in the registry compared to the three which had been on the list prior. A new shipment must have come in between night and day.

Most of the girls were immediately discounted from choice as they were anthropomorphic. The registry was largely populated by demi-humans who were unwanted for some reason or other. Some of them were also still wild. He continued searching but found no one of interest save for a Dire Chef who specialized in pulled pork sandwiches. Sadly, he was hungry and decided that must have influenced his decision. He would have to wait till the next day.

He said his good byes to the animal on duty and returned to his room. The demi-human selection process was a wash again for the day, but he still had plans to make. The better part of his morning was spent plotting a travel course to the next town. The afternoon was spent checking his equipment and preparing it to move out. Tomorrow he would choose a girl no matter what. He could only hope that he found something reasonable.