Beastmancy, or taming, was a serious occupation that required a set of specific skills, such as beast training, nurturing, minding, and binding. Traditionally, it would take years to develop those, and a proper taming could last up to a year. That being said, in the absence of a professional, Anne was confident enough to guide someone fit for the craft, with the help of a couple of books, of course.
Unsurprisingly, she had to explain it two times before the group could believe her. And even so, they only ‘believed’ she thought she could do it. Their reaction wasn’t the result of a lack of faith, they had seen firsthand the power of books. However, it was too inconceivable that this knowledge was just waiting there inside of a book.
Through the years, beastmancy became rarer and rarer. However, the situation was completely different from what happened to bookmancy; it hadn’t been a process of obsolescence, but gentrification. A long time ago, because the number of beasts decayed but the need for their materials didn’t, beastmancy became unpopular. After all, every tamed beast meant fewer materials available.
Therefore, only the wealthiest and strongest would still keep tamed beasts as they didn’t lack resources. Consequently, only the finest tamers could serve those masters. In time, beastmancy became an expensive and lucrative craft. And now, when the shortage of materials disappeared with the fall of the Wall, beastmancy became even more prestigious and covet.
The truth is that Anne didn’t lack common sense. She deliberately dropped the matter over the group as if it was something simple. In the face of an opportunity, why wouldn’t she thread a bigger net? If they were to believe her, aside from increasing their respect for the bookstore, she might even score another customer. And a beastmancer on that.
Confused, Rick looked between the trapped beast and his patron. He wouldn’t dare to deny her, nor doubt her craft, at least he was trying hard not to. But she had placed him in a difficult position. What should he answer?
“There’s no need to be nervous. Just speak your mind. Do you want to keep it as familiar or not?” The bookmancer said kindly. She wanted to laugh at his silly behavior, though the distrust pained her a little.
“I…” Rick hesitated for a moment before calming down. She was right. There was no need to worry, he should just follow her guidance and consider it truthfully. Having a familiar could help him became a better hunter, especially a grey wolf. It was only a copper beast, but it was fast and silent, just the right combination for his job.
“I do.” He said with certainty. He had already bet all of his cards on the storeowner, there was no use in backing down now.
“See? It was easy, wasn’t it?” She smiled while walking passed them towards the beast.
“Restrictum!”
With the sign of a hand and a word of power, Anne compelled the circle’s energy to breach through the ground and bind the beast. The sudden casting put the trio on edge and sent shivers down Rick’s spine, he remembered that spell too well.
“You can take off your net now. Moruh, come and take it to the backyard.” She commanded before turning around and walking into the bookstore.
“Come inside and have some tea, everyone.” Her kind words sounded after she had already left through the door.
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The mix of a kind counselor and a ruthless storeowner made the group respect her even more. Still, they felt a little ‘uncomfortable’ after the power show. Fortunately, the blue cat-like familiar came out and broke them out of the daze. Then, the trio hurried inside while Rick retrieved the net.
The hunter was careful to approach the captured wolf, but he soon noticed there was no need to. The once angry beast was now pitifully wailing. So, he didn’t stand on ceremony and untangled the net fast.
Inside, Anne was already serving tea to the adventurers. She couldn’t take more meat, so they would have to exchange it for coins before paying for reading credit. However, there was still the matter of the captured wolf. If she wanted to train a tamer, time was of the essence.
“Can you really train a beastmancer?” Iris asked in a suspicious tone. She didn’t want to offend the storeowner, but controlling her tongue wasn’t one of her best abilities. Anne took a sip and looked at them calmly before answering.
“The honest answer is maybe. Actually, it would more accurate to say that I can guide a beastmancer with the help of some books. That said, resources and guidance are only half of the work, the rest can only depend on the effort and suitability of the guided.” She explained clearly, and after seeing that they understood it, she continued. At this point, Rick had already joined them.
“I’m glad to keep the beast restrained, but that’s no solution. If you want to tame the wolf, you need to find someone to learn beastmancy…” Anne said while serving Rick a cup of tea. The implication of the words ‘you need to find’ was evident; they would have to undertake the task themselves. She recognized the glimpse of excitement in the hunter’s eyes, and she needed to cut it short.
“I don’t advise you to learn it yourself. All of you already sailed on a path, and in my humble opinion, you have the potential to progress. Stopping now, or trying a double path, would be contra-productive.” Her tone was firm and the message was clear. Still, she could only advise them.
Though she didn’t address him personally, young Rick was pretty sure that those words were meant for him.
“And how would we find someone… appropriate?” Rick asked. The hunter recovered from the disappointment of not becoming a tamer and quickly moved on to searching for one.
“Well, there’re some requirements, but nothing too complex. First, you need someone that doesn’t have a path yet or that didn’t walk too deep on it. They would need to have a strong soul, and a strong personality, preferably enthusiastic but also patient. Finally, the person needs to want it and have the drive to learn the craft, of course.” The bookmancer pointed out while trying to control her excitement. She might be getting another customer very soon.
“That’s… very specific. How do we know if someone has a strong enough soul?” Iris voiced her doubts. The group felt a little confused about how those characteristics would interfere with learning the craft but chose to trust Anne, or at least go with it.
The truth was that Anne wasn’t being picky about it. A beastmancer would need to engage in mind and soul attrition so strenuous that bordered neuromancy. A weak temper would be easily influenced by the beast instead of influencing it. And even then, the taming could take months of repetitive tasks, so an energetic and patient person would face it better.
Instead of answering, the bookmancer asked for a minute and went to the back room to retrieve something.
“You can use this soul crystal, to estimate someone’s soul power. Anything brighter than this would do. Just ask the person to hold and concentrate on the crystal for a minute or so... You can test it yourselves.” Anne explained while walking back with a purplish crystal. She controlled her inner power to press the crystal just enough to reach the right level.
An hour later the adventurers and the hunter left the bookstore with a new goal, finding a future beastmancer. The boys were carrying their loot and chatting happily while Iris was focused on increasing the shine on the soul crystal. She couldn’t accept that Hakon had a stronger soul, nor that hers wasn’t much stronger than Rick’s and Cyrus’.
This time, Anne didn’t go outside to observe them leaving for town. Instead, she was absorbed in preparing a list of books suited for the beastmancy training. She could already feel a new customer coming on her way.