"Her." the man corrected me, his smile now relaxed. "This way then, please." he walked back to where we came from.
We followed and left the building, walking to another, smaller one. It looked like a cabin of sorts.
Inside, a desk and a few chairs occupied the room. The man sat down and motioned for us to take a seat. He touched a ring on his right pinky and some papers came out.
I took the chair offered and Alyssa sat next to me.
"Alright, so." he began. "Write your signature here, here and here." he said, pointing at various papers before pushing them to me. "Write your information in this form." he handed me another paper. "You'll keep the original, and we, the copy." he took out another sheet of paper. "I am obligated by Law to read to you the various regulations regarding ownership of a Beast like a Ratnak."
I took the papers and a quill he offered. I looked at the form and it was as extensive as it could be. I began filling the thing and Jök began reading the Law. Which was basically 'do no harm, stop what harm you can, report harm, and avoid harm if at all possible'. Of course, it was more than that, wizards, warriors, and all manner of individuals had a place in the law. Even if it was just 'live mount ownership'. It reminded me of studying the law for a driving license, but Electric Bogaloo with a mount that could eat metal.
I chose my name in cursive as my signature.
Alyssa was paying close attention, even correcting the man when he made mistakes or used the wrong term. Jök appreciated the help. I was surprised at her knowing the law so well. She only winked at me when I turned to her.
After he finished, I sighed. He had paid special attention to sections that referred to E'eral beasts and those of a specialized diet. I felt drained. I had put the gold piece on the desk while he explained and he took it when he was done.
He took the papers and gave them a read. He did some magic thing and another set of identical documents appeared on the table. I received the 'original' and he stored the new ones.
He nodded and stood up. "A saddle will be provided along with a month's worth of feed." he extended a hand, and I took it.
"So what's her name?" I asked, he never mentioned it.
"That is for you to decide, Lady Natasha." he chuckled and went to the door, motioning for us to follow.
"Are they that smart?" I turned to Alyssa. "Or are they that 'simple minded'?"
"A mix of both." she smiled. "Smart enough to understand they're being given a name, though." she giggled.
As we came out, there was another man, tall and muscular, next to the merchant.
[Perco Human, Lvl 157 Peltasta]
Oh, a tank. I felt energy coming back. I was familiar with the class, having had it myself. It was pretty shitty in the game, however, it must be a life saver in reality.
"Darling, could you go fetch the Ratnak?" Jök told the warrior. "This customer has just purchased her." he smiled.
"Alright. I'll be back." he said in a thick accent. He walked over to the shed.
I was flirting a little with Alyssa when the man came back, beast in tow.
It looked at me and lowered its head.
"What do I do?" I whispered.
"Rub the top of its head. It means accepting her surrender." Alyssa responded.
I walked to it and did as advised. Its scales were hard and cold. At least these are proper reptiles. I thought. It raised its head and looked me in the eye for a second. Then, it headbutted me again, but much gentler this time. I felt a tiny bond form. The beast's heartbeat was fast.
It sniffed me and sat. The tall man produced a large saddle and began the process of putting it on the beast. It was mostly leather with small metal details. The pieces too small to get its attention and eat them. I hope.
Once the process was finished, I made my leather boots disappear, replacing them by the leather and armor ones. I equipped the rest of the leather garments and stored the dress. Then, my armor covered my body. I succeeded on the first attempt, having already figured the trick.
It opened its mouth and tried to bite my hand.
I pushed its head away with little force. "No." I looked it in the eye. "My armor is not food."
It nodded. I was momentarily surprised. Shit, this little monster is quite smart.
I went around it and climbed on its back, the surface had flat scales and the saddle was comfortable. It stood up with no problems. I was satisfied with the animal. The height was a little worrying, but I'd get used to it.
"Looks like it can handle me." I summoned my spear, the beast not reacting. "Good." I said, rubbing its neck, the tip of the head over a meter away.
"You look powerful." Alyssa said from the ground, giving me a thumbs up.
"Thank you." I laughed. "Let's see how fast you can run…"
I thought for a second, looking at the animal.
"Sonya."
It growled and started moving. I had never ridden a horse, so a massive reptile was a high hurdle. However, knowledge of how to handle a ride had already been downloaded into my brain, so I felt like I had done this a million times. It was a little annoying. I wanted to spend time learning to ride this monster.
I took the reins and guided Sonya to a gate on the side of the property leading to a large expanse of grass. I looked back and called.
"I'll be right back!" I was worried about Alyssa, but remembered she was higher level than the two men, and if I didn't misunderstand the merchant's comment, they were in a relationship. Besides, I'm told men are passive. I sighed in relief. There were many things I needed to change my perspective on. And a less than a week was not enough time.
She waved at me. "Have fun!" her voice reached me followed by a giggle.
Once we crossed into the field, the reptile gained speed.
From a walk to a jog. I felt the air brushing my face lightly.
Then, she started a full on sprint, lowering her head. My hair was flowing behind me, the air resistance increasing.
Animals around us went by as the two of us sped like a cannonball. It was about as fast as a motorcycle I had before. It was an old Kawasaki Versys 1000 I had little chance of riding after going into isolation.
I was no physics expert, and my numbers were dubious at best, but I reckoned we were going at 100 km/h at the very least.
"How can a living being run so fucking fast?!" my voice disappeared in the wind.
Well, I run faster. I leaned forward and raised my hips from the saddle. Just like the day I ran by myself, the air resistance didn't sting my eyes nor made breathing difficult.
"To the right." I said, and she followed.
The turn didn't loose speed at all. It was sharp, almost ninety degrees. Her claws digging into the earth granting much needed grip. She didn't even lean to one side to compensate for the added weight.
I saw an elephant looking animal passing by like a pole in a highway. Its trumpet distorting due to our speed.
I looked ahead and saw nothing but fields of grass for kilometers. So, I decided to let her go as fast as she could.
"Faster Sonya!" I called and she sped up even more. Her body bending sideways as four legs moved in perfect synchronization. The head too, went from side to side. I looked back and saw the tail doing the same. The movement was incredible. The speed was increased by half. I looked at the trees and they were zooming past.
"Turn right again." I doubted it would reach her, but she turned once more. Her long claws gripping the ground kept inertia from sending us rolling.
I gripped my spear and aimed forward. I had no idea how to make the skill work, but pushed E'er into Initiation, Preparation, and Charge. I hoped it would somehow work that way. It did.
In what I assumed was slow motion, air in front of us compressed and was pushed aside by a thin film of particles coming from me. A loud boom went off and I saw the world accelerate even in my sped up perception.
I laughed like a possessed woman. Such speeds were not meant to be achieved so easily, but I did it anyway.
In the distance, the farm was growing closer by the second. I deactivated the skill, cutting the stream of E'er off after five seconds. Our speed decreased noticeably.
"Slow down, girl." I patted her neck and she slowed to a fast jog. "That was terrifyingly awesome." I felt my heart pumping, adrenaline coursing through my body. I laughed loudly, the excitement was too much to contain.
I noticed barely seven E'er points were spent. "Fucking hell." I was shocked. "I get the E'er efficiency, but shit. That's broken as fuck." I took a deep breath. "Let's go back."
Sonya followed my instruction and jogged back into the farm. On the way, I stored all my armor and leather, leaving me naked for a second, then summoned the underwear and dress over me, my feet covered by the leather boots. I had a wide smile on my face as we turned around the fence and entered the farm.
"That was pretty good." I said, nodding at the merchant. "I really like her."
"I'm glad you do, Lady Natasha." he had a complicated expression. "Was it you who produced that loud boom?" he was wringing his hands.
"Yeah, I was testing a skill and we broke the sound barrier. Sorry if I made you worry." I stood up and jumped down from the beast, making sure my skirt didn't flip up. I landed on the floor and bent my knees slightly to compensate.
"I thought something happened." he said. "But I'm relieved to know it was you." a sigh escaped him.
"That sounded pretty dangerous." Alyssa walked to me. "A loud boom like an explosion, then a roar, then you laughing like a maniac." she chuckled, approaching the lizard. "She looks fine."
"Good. I thought she'd be exhausted." I stared at Sonya. Her breathing was fast, but nothing too out of place. It stretched its neck and playfully headbutted me again.
I laughed and scratched her chin.
"It was a pleasure doing business with you, Jök." I said to the man.
"The pleasure was mine." he bowed slightly. "I'm glad you're happy with the Ratnak."
"Sonya." it was my turn to correct him.
"Pretty name." Alyssa said, petting the beast's head. The merchant and the warrior nodded approvingly.
Sonya reared her head back. I moved to stop the beast, but Alyssa raised a hand.
"I can take it." she smirked at the animal and met the headbutt with one of her own.
The sound of skulls hitting resounded, making me wince. The beast lost and covered her head with a hand, a pained growl on her throat. She didn't lower her head this time, but nodded at the Luzo.
"These are not just for show." Alyssa pointed at her horns and the scales on her forehead with a smile.
"HAHAHA" the tall man that had been quiet so far let out a merry laugh. He turned and left just like that, laughing. The merchant laughed too and followed after him.
I chuckled at the sight and turned to my new girlfriend. "You okay?"
"Peachy." she answered, fixing her hair. "My scales are pretty hard."
I giggled and hugged her, giving her a kiss on the impact area. "Wanna go grab lunch?"
"Yes." she said, blushing.
I released her and climbed on my new mount. Alyssa accepted the hand I offered and helped her up. She sat behind me on the large saddle, hugging my waist and pressing her big breasts on my back.
"Not too fast, please." she said in a quiet voice, tightening her embrace.
"Okay." I was convinced by the two divine pillows. "Sonya, go slow."
The beast growled and began walking.
"Why did she headbutt you too?" I asked as we left the farm, the road mostly empty save for people on horses every now and then.
"The Ratnak are herd animals, so they try to establish their position in the group." she explained. "I'm sure Lapia will have to do it as well." she giggled. "I'll help with that." she rested her chin on my shoulder.
"Sounds like a troublesome animal." I laughed picturing the Elf receiving a headbutt by the massive drake-looking beast.
"They are." she agreed. "But they're the perfect mount for you. Durable, long lived, strong."
"Mhm." I nodded. The Ratnak was indeed a good mount. "Where do you want to eat? It's on me."
We crossed a few carriages, Sonya ignored the other beasts.
"I know a few places. There's a really good restaurant near the Church." her breath brushed my ear, sending pleasant shivers down my back.
"Sounds-" I stopped mid sentence.
Meet?
I felt a word enter my mind. It was decidedly foreign, but a voice I recognized. Lapia's.
"What the fuck was that?" I said, looking around me. "Alyssa is there a class that can fuck with my mind?" I took my spear out and pulled the reins, Sonya stopping too.
"What did you feel?" her voice was cautious, a large staff in her grasp. I didn't focus on it, the weird voice still vivid. I felt an electric sensation go up my spine, my muscles felt lighter and my eyesight sharper.
"I heard Lapia's voice." I explained. "But she's not around, and as far as I know, she's not a telepath." I was about to take out a shield when Alyssa burst out laughing while clapping.
"Hahahahahahahaha!!"
What now? I sighed. The spear went back into my storage. Just make it quick.
A few minutes went by with the Luzo laughing. I took the reins and Sonya continued advancing.
"Natasha, you're a riot." she giggled. "That was a message through the bond." she wiped a tear. "What did she say?" she sighed, her breasts going up and down my back.
"Only 'meet?'." I sighed.
"You can send messages once a day." she leaned on my back, hugging me again. The staff gone. "You can answer, grasp the bond and think of a word, then whisper into the bond, picturing the word going through." she explained.
"Do you want to go?" I asked, the slight embarassment fading away as fast as it came.
"Yeah, sounds great." she said, giggling still. "You're the best." I felt a kiss on my neck.