Beast Taming In The Apocalypse

Chapter 2: Chaser

The tutorial also explained what the stats meant.

Vitality was your life force. It controlled how tough your body was and how fast you healed from injuries. Someone with high vitality could shrug off attacks, resist poison, and see wounds close up right before their eyes.

Strength and Agility were the obvious ones. Strength controlled raw physical power—how hard you could hit. Agility controlled your speed—how fast you could move your whole body.

Dexterity was a bit different. It worked more with your reflexes and flexibility. A higher Dexterity meant your body could react on its own, dodging an attack almost before you even saw it coming.

Intelligence and Wisdom, on the other hand, had to do with Mana. This part fascinated Kingdom.

Intelligence increased your total mana pool. It decided what level of magic you could cast and how fast you could cast it. At a high enough level, the tutorial said you wouldn't even need to chant spells. You could just wave a hand and make it happen.

Wisdom controlled how quickly your mana refilled. It also increased your chance of understanding a new spell quickly. Without it, you might spend a week just trying to figure out a basic fire spark.

So, it was exactly like an RPG game. Fair enough.

Kingdom reached down and grabbed the goblin’s wooden club, which he had dropped while reading. He took a few practice swings, getting used to its weight. Then, he started walking cautiously back toward his house.

He spotted another goblin lurking near the trees that surrounded his property. Crouching behind a thick bush, Kingdom debated. Should he try to kill it, or just sneak past?

He steeled his nerves. Power would be everything in this new world, and killing monsters was the only way to get it.

Moving slowly, he crept up behind the creature. When he was about four meters away, he broke into a sprint. He closed the distance and swung the club down at the goblin’s head with all his might.

Bam!

Crack!

A sickening crack echoed as the club connected. The goblin dropped dead instantly. A small glow floated from its body and into Kingdom’s chest. Before he could even feel a flicker of pride, a loud, familiar howl cut through the air from the direction of his house.

His face went pale as he remembered.

“Chaser!”

He yelled the name and sprinted toward the house, his heart pounding. He prayed his dog was okay. Chaser had been with him since he was thirteen—over five years. The dog held a special place in his heart.

He didn’t stop. He rushed around to the backyard and skidded to a halt.

Six goblins were surrounding… was that Chaser?

Kingdom could hardly recognize him. Chaser looked completely different from the loving wolf-husky mix he used to be.

His shoulders now stood about one meter tall, and his body was over two meters long, not counting his tail. His fur was no longer a mix of white and black, but a pure, glossy black. His eyes glowed a fierce, bloody red.

The goblins had him surrounded. They were using a nasty tactic, taking turns darting in from behind to attack and then jumping back whenever Chaser tried to bite them. They were trying to wear him down, to tire him out before moving in for the kill. It was vicious.

Chaser, frustrated, let out a fierce growl. He saw an opening and pounced on a goblin that had stepped too close. His powerful jaws clamped onto its neck. With a sharp shake of his head, he snapped the creature’s neck, killing it instantly.

But in focusing on that one, Chaser gave the remaining five the chance they were waiting for.

They all attacked at once.

Chaser tried to throw the dead goblin and run, but the slightly intelligent monsters didn’t give him the chance. Two of them jumped and grabbed his front and back legs at the same time, pulling him off balance and down to the ground.

Seizing the opportunity, the other three goblins rushed in, their crude clubs rising and falling as they beat Chaser where he lay. A pained, furious howl tore from the dog’s throat.

“Let go of him!” Kingdom screamed, charging forward.

Distracted by his yell, the goblins holding Chaser’s legs loosened their grip for a second. It was all Chaser needed. He kicked free with a powerful thrust, crushing one goblin’s throat under his paw in a flash of anger.

At the same moment, Kingdom reached the fray. He swung his club with a furious roar, bringing it down on the skull of the other goblin holding Chaser. The impact caved its head in with a wet crunch.

With the numbers now even, Kingdom and Chaser made quick work of the last three goblins. It was over in an instant.

Ding!

Ding!

Kingdom heard two soft chimes in his head but chose to ignore them for now. All his attention was on what he assumed was his dog.

He walked slowly toward Chaser, who was licking a wounded paw. Kingdom was forced to stop when Chaser looked up and snarled at him, a deep, rumbling sound.

Confusion and a sharp sting of hurt hit Kingdom. He didn’t recognize him? He tried to calm him down, thinking he must still be panicked from the fight.

“Hey, buddy. It’s okay. It’s over now. Calm down,” Kingdom soothed, keeping his voice low and gentle.

Even if he evolved from all this, he shouldn’t have forgotten me, right? I still remember my parents. This didn’t wipe our memories… right?

The thought was a cold worry in his gut. He didn’t want to even consider the other option—that he might have to fight the buddy he’d raised since he was a kid.

Chaser was still growling, his head low, those red eyes fixed intently on Kingdom.

Hoping to show he meant no harm, Kingdom slowly placed his club on the ground. He kept his hands open and visible and took a slow, careful step forward.

Chaser’s growl deepened. He let out a series of barks, deeper and more threatening than his old voice, a clear warning to stay back.

“Come on, buddy, it’s me,” Kingdom whispered, his voice pleading. He reached out his hand, aiming to gently touch Chaser’s head like he’d done a thousand times before. “I even fed you this morning.”

GrrrrRR!

BARK!

In that moment, Chaser lunged.

His jaws snapped shut around Kingdom’s outstretched hand. A loud, sickening crack echoed as bones broke. Hot, searing pain shot up Kingdom’s arm. He watched, stunned, as blood began to drip from between Chaser’s black lips.

He was shocked. Chaser had never bitten him before. He had never bitten any person. Not like this. Not with this much fury.