Tamer Asher Williams (POV)
Day 6 AFP (After Fluffals Pillars) 11:30 PM
Ever since the explosion that caused the Earth to shake, Asher had hidden inside a secret panic room inside his bunker. It was built in case security was breached by assassins or terrorists who wanted to eliminate or exploit the illegitimate son of the Russian President.
Asher's caretakers had hidden inside a similar Panic room, but they refused to let him inside theirs, so he had to find another one to hide in.
Asher could not figure out what Aaron did to scare them so much to make them afraid to be near him. He suspected the half-eaten crow bodies lying around the bunker was Aaron's work, but how could Asher make his caretakers understand that it wasn't him in control of those actions?
In his mind, the monsters that came through the pink pillars are demons from hell and are not God's creations but the work of the satanic Fluffals. He could not even feel disgusted by the carnage because they were all monsters that killed the people of the city he lived under. Therefore, they all deserved the gruesome deaths that were visited upon them by Aaron.
When Asher's Uncle called him the savior of humanity, it bothered Asher at first. But then he realized that he and Aaron were the same in the world's eyes.
Aaron said he would fight for Asher, protect him and make the world know his existence. All of these promises had been upheld in the past five days. Even if his monster tended to speak in confusing riddles about the relationship with the Monster App system, Aaron's loyalty was evident through his actions.
If everything good was the work of God, then maybe Aaron is one of his blessings to fight back against evil. So even though the monster app might be the work of Fluffals, good could come out of it under the right conditions.
Asher didn't spend all his time thinking about this, though. Instead, he tried to catch up with everything outside his bunker.
Since Asher's mind had been sealed away for five days while Aaron was fighting and eating the Metal Crow Monsters. Asher had no idea what took place in other countries hit by the pillars and the Tamers trying to survive it. Too many videos in the monster app highlighted these changes, but randomly going through them was a stupid way to understand the situation.
At first, Asher searched for videos that mentioned him, but sadly, there was nothing apart from his Uncle's announcement. But in that message, the UGP caught his attention.
Asher had to find out where this organization came from and what kind of help his Uncle sent through them to bring him to Alaska.
He soon discovered the video of the US Admiral Arthur Radford announcing the military alliance of the Five superpowers. However, their aim of creating a multinational Battalion with a thousand Tamers took him by surprise.
Tamers had been useless on the first day of the apocalypse, as he remembered. So how did they all become so crucial for human survival?
Hundreds of civilian Tamers from the territories of the five superpowers requested to be picked up by the UGP and brought to their HQ in Alaska. They wanted to find safety or help fight against the monsters globally. Sadly many of them were stuck like Asher and were waiting for the UGP to send combat-ready Tamers to first neutralize the monsters in their area to allow safe passage for transports.
Mash Royce released a video detailing the plan to prioritize Tamers located in the US and Canada. Those Tamers were close enough for the UGP's Junk Jet to provide immediate evac with a light escort of Tamers such as Carl Freeman, Sergei Kransatov, Soma Nathan, and Viren.
Quite a few Tamers were disappointed that the Knight of Bees would not be swooping into their location and wiping out the monsters blocking their escape. Nevertheless, Zao Han Fan's battle with the Ice-Bugs was the most viewed video on the Monster app. It inspired many Tamers to replicate such feats, but most who tried became monster food. It was only later that Tamers found out that Zao had been trained in martial arts, hover suits, and sword fights since a young age.
The only way to fight and survive for Tamers who had no combat training was through teamwork and picking targets separated from the main monster forces. However, even this was not a guarantee of success or survival.
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Several Tamer groups had been slaughtered because they let their success go to their heads and picked fights they were not ready to handle. Many others couldn't fight either because their skills were not suited for combat or they didn't wish to risk their lives.
Because of all these developments, the UGP was viewed as the only legitimate force capable of mobilizing the Tamers and turning them from civilians into a proper army.
Asher watched over a dozen mock combat training videos of UGP Tamers fusing with their monsters or turning them into armor & weapons. A few Tamers chose to stay human while harnessing their monster's skills like Witches or Sorcerers. These videos highlighted that the Tamer was in complete control of their combat forms and didn't rely much on their monster partners.
No one mentioned anything about their monster partner taking over their bodies and fighting for days without returning to normal. However, no other monster could talk to their Tamers other than through emotions, which convinced Asher that Aaron was unique.
When picking his own combat style, Asher did not bother reading the details as he had followed Aaron's instructions without hesitation. After watching these videos, he was glad Aaron had chosen the style to do all the work.
Asher had no clue on how to fight people, let alone monsters. However, the Holy book's teaching and the wise words of anointed saints had instilled in Asher a need to help others even when they reject his kindness. As a result, his heart, though lonely, was empty of hate towards even those who mistreated him. His Caretakers, the Krasnatov Family, Sergei, and his Uncle had their own way of showing they cared without getting too close.
If it was God's will that Asher had to suffer in silence till now, then Asher was okay with it as it had led to the birth of Aaron.
As per his Uncle's interpretation of their divine purpose in the great battle of good versus evil, Aaron would help Asher uplift the people of Russia and countless others worldwide with the powers bestowed by heaven.
Asher wanted to contribute without having to rely on Aaron for everything. That method involved cleansing the corruption in the hearts of his fellow tamers and showing them a greater purpose.
From the videos, Asher could see that most Tamers are civilians who had to learn how to fight in the early days of the apocalypse due to the necessity of survival. Some managed to keep their sanity while others turned into monsters themselves in both mind and actions. Asher could sense the hearts of these Tamers had been corrupted by the events of the apocalypse, and they needed someone to pull them back before they fell into the abyss.
According to the videos of Italian Tamers, the Vatican was silent on the status of Tamers. Other videos highlighted that the other major organized religions have not realized the potential of what they deem as unnatural or unknown. Family and friends who refused to open the monster app have turned their backs on Tamers who fought and killed monsters like in a game. This drove many Tamers into isolation, depression, and a desire for revenge. Not just the demons that came out of the pillars but the non-tamers who treated them as monsters.
If this trend continued, Tamers no longer had a society to belong to other than their own kind. It wouldn't surprise Asher if the Tamers who joined the UGP became a godless para-militant force. They would ignore the plight of the non-tamers in their mission to eradicate all monsters. How long would this war last? How many souls will perish in the course of this conflict? Will those Tamers in the UGP abuse their power on non-Tamers when the war is finally over?
All those powers should not be directed towards bloodshed or be used on innocents. Since there are no longer any elected governments among the superpowers. The military would corrupt the minds of Tamers and classify them all into weapons for war instead of a force for good.
The UGP can mobilize Tamers to deal with the monsters in the major cities. But someone must remind the Tamers to use their power to care for the refugees who do not seek combat.
Even the Tamers who haven't joined the UGP must be guided to do good instead of evil. Some have already declared they want to create independent armies to combat the monsters. If those Tamers are left to their own devices, then a day would come when the U.G.P Tamer battalion would battle rogue Tamer armies over resources and territory.
The brief unity that humanity has achieved now under the scourge of the demonic monsters will be shattered, and the nations will plunge into war again, with Tamers becoming the main fighting force.
Asher would not let this happen!
Asher would be the light in their darkness! He would use everything he had learned from holy scripture and his own experiences to save these Tamers from damnation. Those he uplifted will help him create a new Divine Tamer Order dedicated to serving the Lord in heaven and those that refuse to become Tamers. If anyone interferes with this plan, they will face Aaron's rage, even if it is his own Uncle or the UGP that has sent Tamers to save him.
Speaking of those Tamers, it has already been over an hour since the explosion. Yet none had found their way into the bunker, which worried Asher.
Did the Metal Crow Monsters defeat them all, or were they in trouble and needed help?
"If I am to save others, then I must be capable of saving myself first. Therefore, I- cannot be afraid to let Aaron out and fight for me once more."
Asher stared at his phone and launched the monster app. He wanted to give Aaron more time to rest, but he might miss his ride to Alaska if he stayed here any longer. He had to get there regardless of whether he had help or not.