This Beast-Tamer is a Little Strange

Outside the unassuming three-story building, a group of five individuals huddled together in the shadows of a nearby alleyway.

Their eyes were glued to the building's entrance, their expressions a mix of anxiety, impatience, and fear.

"I'm telling you, he's dead," muttered a wiry man with a scruffy beard and a perpetual scowl. "It's been an entire day and this whole thing reeked of a trap from the start. Some random beast-tamer offers him power? Yeah, right. They probably lured him in, chopped him up, and fed him to their contracts. Classic beast-tamer move."

Like Darius, this ragtag crew was made up of ordinary people who had spent years honing their skills and plotting revenge against the beast-tamers who had wronged them. Naturally, they all did not have the best impression of beast-tamers.

"Shut up, Jax," snapped a tall woman with sharp features and a no-nonsense demeanor. "The Boss isn't dead. He's too stubborn to die. Besides, if they wanted to kill him, they wouldn't have gone through all this trouble. They could have just ambushed him in the street. Moreover, from what I heard, this beast-tamer has quite unusual abilities, he could have killed him alone when they'd first met."

"Lira, you may be the group's strategist, but I think you're wrong on this one. Maybe they're torturing him," suggested a burly man with arms the size of tree trunks. "You know, trying to get information out of him. Like, 'Who sent you?' or 'Who else is in your little revenge squad?'"

"See! Musclehead agrees with me," Jax said, while pointing a finger at the burly Garret. "So now we may not only be waiting for a dead body, but a betrayed dead body. Fantastic."

"Will you two stop being so dramatic?" interjected a petite woman with fiery red hair and a mischievous grin. "Darius is fine. Probably. Maybe. Okay, I don't know, but sitting here speculating isn't helping. We need a plan."

"A plan?" Jax scoffed. "What kind of plan, Miya? Storm the building? We're not exactly equipped to take on a beast-tamer, let alone whoever else is inside that place. Remember what happened last time we tried to ambush one? Garret got thrown through a wall." Experience new stories on My Virtual Library Empire

"That was one time!" Garret protested, his face turning red. "I was caught off guard!"

"Guys, focus," Lira said, pinching the bridge of her nose. As the group's resident strategist, in the absence of Darius, her words held the most weight. "We're not storming anything. We're not doing anything reckless. We're going to wait, watch, and gather information. That's it."

"Wait, watch, and gather information," Jax repeated mockingly. "Sounds thrilling. Can't wait to add that to my list of life achievements."

Miya smirked. "Well, if you're bored, we could always play a game. How about 'Guess What Horrible Thing Happened to Darius'?"

"I'm in," Garret said immediately. "I say he got experimented on and turned into a spiritual creature. Like, he's someone's pet now. A really buff, angry pet."

"I say he's being brainwashed," Jax said. "You know, like those creepy cults where they make you chant and drink weird elixirs. Next time we see him, he'll be wearing a robe and trying to convert us."

"I say he's fine," Miya said, crossing her arms. "He's probably just… negotiating. Or something. Yeah, negotiating."

"Negotiating what?" Jax asked, raising an eyebrow. "The terms of his own enslavement?"

"Details, details," Miya said with a wave of her hand.

The group fell silent for a moment, their eyes drifting back to the building. Despite their banter, the tension was palpable. They had been through a lot together—years of training, planning, and surviving in a world that favored beast-tamers over ordinary people like them.

Darius was more than just their leader; he was their family. And now, he was in danger, and there was nothing they could do about it.

"You know," Garret said after a long pause, "if something has happened to him, we're kind of screwed. I mean, who's going to lead us? Jax?"

"Oh, hell no," Jax said, holding up his hands. "I'm not leader material. I'm more of a…funny group mood reliever. The class clown!"

"Lira, then," Garret said, turning to the tall woman.

Lira shook her head. "I'm not cut out for leadership. I'm better at telling people what to do, not inspiring them to do it."

"Miya?" Garret asked, looking at the redhead.

Miya grinned. "I'd be a great leader. If anything I feel as though the entire Empire should be run by me. My first order of business would be to declare a national holiday in my honor. And maybe ban pants. They're overrated."

"See?" Garret said, throwing up his hands. "We're doomed."

"Relax," Lira said, though her voice lacked its usual confidence. "Darius is fine. He has to be."

As if on cue, the door to the building creaked open, and a figure stepped out. The group froze, their eyes widening as they recognized the man. It was Darius. He looked… different. His usual scowl was gone, replaced by an expression of quiet determination. And floating beside him was something that made their jaws drop—a small, glowing creature with shimmering tentacles and an otherworldly aura.

"Is that… a spiritual creature?" Miya whispered, her voice filled with awe.

"You mean…it was true?" Lira whispered, voice half doubt and half anticipation.

"No way," Jax said, shaking his head. "No freaking way."

Darius paused for a moment, his eyes scanning the street. Then, as if sensing their presence, he turned and looked directly at the alleyway where they were hiding. For a moment, no one moved. Then, with a small smile, Darius gestured for them to come closer.

"Well," Lira said, letting out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. "I guess we're about to find out what happened."

The group exchanged nervous glances before stepping out of the shadows and making their way toward their Boss. As they approached, Darius's smile widened, and the glowing creature beside him let out a soft, resonant hum.

"Guys," Darius said, his voice filled with a mix of pride and excitement, "meet my new partner. And trust me… you're not going to believe what just happened."

The group gathered around Darius, their eyes darting between him and the glowing creature floating beside him. The tension that had been building for hours finally broke, replaced by a mix of curiosity, disbelief, and a healthy dose of skepticism.