I don't know why, but when I turned 2 years old, a switch flipped in my brain. Something happened where I suddenly went from sleeping whenever I could to sleeping maybe 4 hours a day. That continued up until today, where I went to bed at ten last night and woke up today at 4. It didn't hinder me in the slightest, though, and just meant I had more hours in the day to do things. Such as complete my dailies that I didn't get the chance to do yesterday.
[100 Pushups (Complete)]
[100 Sit-ups (Complete)]
[100 Squats (Complete)]
[5km run (Complete)]
[50 exp and 5 stat points awarded]
I lay on the ground with my chest heaving. As I caught my breath, I decided to immediately put 4 of the five stat points into stamina. While I wasn't out of shape by any means, I did very few things that required long term endurance, as evidenced by my stamina only being 1. I then added the leftover point to agility. While probing the system last night, I discovered that 5 in any stat was the average adult male's standard provided by the system. My first goal was to get all stats to level five, then use 4 of my daily points to level up my basic stats equally and save the last point for emergencies.
After adding the stat points, I recovered fairly quickly and began the first task for today. Finding a beast to tame.
[A new Spontaneous Quest has been issued]
[Tame Your First Beast]
[Sub Quest One: Explore various options available and decide on a suitable first companion. Reward: Minimap with locations of chosen beast (Minimap will be permanently unlocked once all sub quests are completed)]
[Sub Quest Two: Locate a suitable beast within two hours of completing sub quest one. Reward: Temporary Skill Calming Aura]
[Sub Quest Three: Succeed with taming on the first attempt. Reward: Calming Aura becomes a permanent skill. Punishment for failing: Minimap and Calming Aura will be removed]
I was about ready to leave the house when the system stopped me. I had planned to roam until I found something I could tame, but looking back, that was a stupid idea. I immediately turned around and started to look for an animal native to Idaho that I could find easily, while also being useful for my Myriad Beast Transformation. After about a half hour, I finally found the perfect species for me to contract with. As soon as the thought solidified in my head, a timer appeared in the corner of my vision, counting down the two hours I had left for the quest. I grabbed my jacket and ran for my bike. Every single second counted, but thankfully it was still early enough that most things were asleep.
The minimap was very useful, showing every example of my choice in the immediate area. I got to the nearest dot on the map, and immediately wrote it off. There were two parents looking after their kids, and it would go against my principles to separate them. I then visited several other sites, but the same scene displayed itself wherever I went. With the timer at 15 minutes, I was pulling my hair out over whether to go against the rules I had set for myself.
'Should I worry about families for beasts? Hunters don't worry about the lives of the prey's family, right? It shouldn't matter for this...'
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It was at that moment I noticed a red dot that was pulsating at irregular intervals near me on the minimap. Curious as to what it could mean, I walked over and took a look.
Lying on the ground was a Red-Tailed Hawk, one of the most common hawks in Idaho. With a brown speckled coat and a bright red streak in its tail, it was easily one of the most stunning visual sights to see flying through the sky. The wingspan could go up to 5 feet, and up close the feathers glisten and slightly reflect the light. However, the one in front of me was knocking on death's door. One of its wings was broken, and any hawk that laid on the ground obviously was severely injured, as their instincts kept them in the sky or perched high off the ground.
[Sub Quest Two complete]
[Calming Aura has been temporarily activated. 15 minutes left until deactivation]
The hawk noticed me immediately after I came out from the bushes. It shuffled away as fast as its limp wing would let it, giving me wary glances as I approached.
"It's ok, buddy. I'm not gonna hurt you. I just want to get a little bit closer." I spoke gently, trying not to spook it.
'I should have asked this earlier, system, but how do I issue the contract?'
[Host must use the paper provided by the system, and place a drop of blood in the circle drawn on it. Host must then place the paper on the forehead of the beast you wish to tame and recite the following words: bound in life, bound in death, my soul for yours, and yours for mine.]
"Okay, I'm gonna have to touch you. I'll try not to hurt you too much, so just try to stay still."
Maybe the effect of Calming Aura was more significant than I thought it would be, but the bird who had probably had no human contact was almost welcoming my touch. I tried to focus on my hand to see if that would bring the contract paper to my hand, and like it had always been there, it appeared. I bit the pad of my thumb and smeared it inside the circle drawn on the page. Now that I had a closer look, the circle was made of many tiny little runes, probably what made the contract work in the first place.
I gently lifted the bird into my lap, being careful of its wing. Placing the paper on its forehead, I suddenly felt an immense pressure fall on my shoulders, taking my breath away. Dark shadows flickered in between the trees, red eyes flashing. An ominous chant appeared in the background, and while I didn't understand the words, I instinctively knew that if they finished, dire consequences would follow.
'I knew the quest was too easy up to this point. System! I thought I was immune to mental attacks.'
[This is not a mental attack. For every contract you carry, the difficulty of making another contract increases. There are only two ways this will end. You complete the contract in time or you suffer a severe backlash from the failure.]
'Crap, crap, crap, crap...'
Again, the cooling sensation I felt last night rushes from the base of my skull. I think that no matter how many times I experience it, I'll never understand how I'm able to go from panicking to ice -cold stillness in an instant. I needed to complete this contract successfully the first time, or I would suffer the backlash and lose all the rewards I'd claim up to this point. I forced my lungs to eek out the first part of the chant.
"Bound... in... life...'
For each word I say, it feels like the pressure multiplies tenfold. Creepy giggles start to echo around me, as if whoever is watching enjoys the pain I'm going through. Not only that, but the chanting grows faster and faster still
"Bound... in..."
At this point I feel like I should've been crushed under the pressure, but my body still doesn't break. Howls have been added into the cacophony echoing in my ears, and the entire forest around me is littered with red eyes.
"Death... my... soul..."
My head is ringing as I almost vomit. The pressure doesn't seem like something a human could endure, but I keep speaking word by word.
"For... yours..."
I felt something crack within me, almost like a shackle had broken, and almost right away the pressure decreased. Riding the euphoria from the absence of pain I shouted out the last line:
"AND YOURS FOR MINE!"
Everything stopped, and time seemed to roll back as the eyes and the laughter faded into the background. When everything went back to normal, it was just me and the bird.
"I did it?"
The hawk looked up at me and hopped onto my shoulder, while a tendril of thought probed my mind, proof of the success.
"I DID IT! I DID IT! I.... did..."
I felt my eyes roll back into my head as darkness enveloped me.
I guess school wasn't gonna be a thing today.