另类小说亚洲古典校园

He felt so bloated that every step was painful to take, sweat ran down his forehead and, to make matters even worse, his energy wasn’t increasing.

He went from being in the verge of starvation to the polar opposite.

Being close to Famine for so long, the amarok, he was used to always feeling hungry, but the bottomless pit his stomach had been was now the same as a regular human. Unbeknownst to Ryu, bonding with beasts and magical beasts wasn’t just the act of sharing his food and becoming friends.

Taming a creature required both parts to agree in forming a bond, the sole difference in who would become the master and who will become the pet laid in who activated the skill. If, by chance, the beastkin had tried to enslave him, all they needed to do was to activate the taming passive skill anytime they fed him and by eating the food he would be indirectly agreeing to it.

It wasn’t a quick process, the more intelligent a creature is, the more they would be able to resist. The amount of mana a creature possess also makes a big difference.

Ryu was able to tame Mochi because it was young, weak and it felt grateful towards Ryu for saving him from the jackal.

The amarok’s case was entirely different, though. Amaroks were considered mythical creatures and their might was only comparable to their hunger. They were so strong that even when Famine was a pup, he was able to break through stone walls. Be it luck or coincidence, the amarok was grateful towards Ryu for feeding him and, being so young he was also scared of being alone in the dark also, despite Ryu trying to deny it, Famine wasn’t the brightest. It was but a simple creature that enjoyed chasing his tail and biting it as hard as he could, causing himself a great deal of pain, only to forget about it the next day and continue chasing after it.

.....

At the same time, far away from Ryu, Famine was able to sense his master’s distress thanks to the mystical bond they shared. Not because of the impending danger his condition meant for him, but because Ryu was experiencing something an amarok would never be able to, the feeling of overeating.

Famine howled deeply, quickly alarming his caretaker, who after running outside and realizing his anxiousness placed a hand on top of the magical beast’s head.

“What’s wrong? are you hungry again?” The voice of a woman resounded in the stable. For a quick second, Famine felt tempted to nod and get a second dinner, but the strong bond between a beast and its master was too strong. It was an unbreakable bond that didn’t know distance, for as long as the amarok drew breath he would forever be linked to Ryu.

Which is why Famine nodded and got a second dinner anyway.

After eating enough meat to drive a small business to ruin, he lied down in the soft straw placed for him in his very own and luxurious stable. As he closed his eyes, with his hunger mildly satisfied, sudden images ran across his mind.

He remembered when Ryu used to apologize to Rina in his stead, because his wailing would keep her away at night. The times when Ryu shared his meal with him, despite having just enough for himself. Then, after shutting his eyes, he remembered the time when he ran away from him, that time when he bit him in the shoulder causing Ryu to bleed profusely. He could still remember the taste of Ryu’s blood, it was the first time he didn’t think of blood as nourishment but as a powerful reminder of the pain he caused to his master.

He darted through the wooden door and bit his caretaker on the sleeve refusing to let go until she mounted him. He wasn’t the same dumb pup he was when he chased his tail pointlessly only to end up hurting himself. He still did it, but he wasn’t as dumb anymore.

Now he was smart enough to, at least, know that if he was to run around wildly inside the city without a rider, people would think he became feral and they would try to attack him.

The next morning Ryu woke up in cold shivers, he had medicine, but no means of preparing it. He expected to being able to walk at least, but as the night progressed his condition worsened.

His stamina was depleted and he couldn’t lift a finger without panting.

Then, a tall, slender figure was casting a shadow on Ryu’s face.

“You’re not waiting for me to kiss you to wake up, are you?” Anne’s voice got Ryu to open his eyes immediately. His first thought was that he had finally lost his mind, but a warm hand placed on his forehead brought him back to reality.

“You’re sweating so much Ryu, are you ok?” Anne’s voice carried all of her worries. “Anne, medicine, please give me some medicine.”

“I’m sorry Ryu, I didn’t bring anything with me, not even money. Famine brought me on his own.” She shrugged.

Ryu mustered all his strength to point towards the red herb he had stocked in a pile next to what was left of the red dandelion plant.

“Grind it, then... no, wait, I don’t have a mortar and pestle, I don’t even have bowls.” Ryu managed to say before Anne cut him short.

“I’ve always known you don’t have balls, tell me something I don’t know” She laughed at her own joke, but when Ryu passed out he wasn’t laughing anymore.

Scared and not knowing what was wrong with her friend, a friend she had long thought dead, she did the only thing she could think of. She cut a small piece of Ryu’s shirt and put the herbs inside, then she squeezed it as hard as she could, letting a small red liquid fall into his mouth.

The result was as fast as it was powerful. Ryu stopped shivering and sweating cold immediately, he remained with his eyes closed but he was now sound asleep and resting properly.

Without much else to do, Anne helped herself to the piece of cooked meat that was left inside the cooking pot, expecting one of Ryu’s delicacies. However, reality begged to differ, zoan meat was bitter, tasted like dirt and it was so chewy Anne thought she might as well be eating a truck tire.

She forced herself to shallow by sheer will, even in the middle of the wasteland she was still a lady and considered spitting food to be bad manners. She also thought in how difficult Ryu must have worked to get it, because she knew how difficult it was for people to find food in the wastelands.

If it was something easy, the beastkin would have no need to invade and raid humans on a daily basis.

Looking at Ryu, Anne suddenly realized the reason why the meat tasted wrong. Her pupils dilated and she covered her mouth trying to keep her cool, but it became apparent that he had eaten tainted meat.

His black mane was dusty, his face was dirty with food and his clothes were stained with blood. Yet, what led her to think that Ryu was suffering from mana poisoning caused by the meat was his face. Both the color and texture of his face was distorted, his soft features were still there, but it was as if he had suffered from a bad case of acne.

Ryu himself had failed to notice it since he had fallen ill and the system only informed him about his indigestion and didn’t mention the mana poisoning. There was no longer any trace of his past beauty and that was the reason his charisma stat was so low.

Unbeknownst to them, Ryu had been poisoned with mana long before eating the zoan. Goblins treated him using their own blood for both medicine and transfusions, following the principles in both shamanic and scientific medicine, causing the feared condition called mana poisoning which was one of the biggest threats humanity was currently facing.

Anne looked at her friend with saddened eyes as Famine cuddled up to him. It looked like a cute gesture, making Anne sigh in compassion and sweetness, but all Famine wanted was to enhance the bond they had to experience the same as his master.

When the bond was re established, Famine was finally able to experience a life without hunger. His mind was now clear and he wasn’t thinking on when will he get his next meal. By focusing on his master, Famine was able to experience the same thing as his master, the feeling of overeating.

Meanwhile the amarok was enjoying himself in the intoxicating feeling, Ryu’s features started to change. His face shifted and his features became sharp, like those of a wold. If Anne didn’t know any better she might have even thought that Ryu was a beastkin himself.

Just like what happened when Ryu was fighting against Stefan, the sacred empire paladin, Ryu’s body became just a bit more similar to that of his pet. This time, no horns or claws appeared on him because he was only affected by the amarok’s presence, but he looked inhumane nonetheless.