The All Powerful Mutt Tamer

Chapter 3

"Looking for a snack, beggar? Or is the academy finally feeding the trash to the trash?"

All of Alex's attempts to hide from the crowd in the academy market by placing a hoodie over his head failed as he was quickly spotted by another group of arrogant student elites.

Julian’s voice dripped with so much arrogance and irritation as he walked towards the stall that Alex stood.

 He stood at the center of the path, flanked by three other noble students who looked like they’d never seen a day of hard work in their lives. 

Julian’s nose wrinkled, his fingers twitching as he adjusted the expensive silk of his robes. 

He stared at the blackened, shriveled "Rotten Shadow Fruit" sitting on the back-alley stall with a look of pure physical pain.

Alex didn't look up. He kept his hood low, his fingers hovering over the fruit. "I’m just buying what you’re too stupid to use, Julian. Go back to the main square. I’m sure there’s a mirror somewhere missing your face."

The noble students behind Julian gasped, their faces turning into masks of shock. Julian’s upper lip curled, revealing teeth that were too white and too perfect.

"You’ve got a lot of nerve for someone whose father smells like horse piss," Julian spat. He reached over and swiped a cluster of Bone-Ash Weeds from the vendor’s table, tossing them into a puddle of muddy runoff at Alex’s feet. 

"Since you like garbage so much, have some more. My beast wouldn't even walk on these, but they suit a family of stable-shovels perfectly. Go on. Pick them up."

The group erupted in rhythmic, mocking laughter.

 Julian stepped forward, his heavy leather boot coming down right on top of the shriveled weeds, grinding them into the muck.

Alex grunted, his nails digging into his palms but he kept his cool.

"Oops," Julian whispered, leaning in so close that Alex could smell the expensive floral wine on his breath.

 "My foot slipped. But a dog like you doesn't mind a little dirt, right? Scrub it off. Maybe you’ll find a copper coin in the mud if you dig deep enough."

Alex’s hands clenched into fists inside his sleeves. He felt the heat of humiliation rising up his neck, a familiar fire that had burned in him since he was a child. 

He watched Julian’s boot twist, destroying the very thing the System had identified as a "Divine Catalyst."

Stupid, arrogant bastards, Alex thought. He didn't let the anger show on his face. He kept his expression as flat as a stone.

"Are you done?" Alex asked, his voice deathly quiet. "Or do you need to piss on the floor to mark your territory too?"

Julian’s eyes flashed with a dangerous light. He raised a hand as if to strike, but one of his friends grabbed his arm. "Not here, Julian. The supervisor is just a block away. Let the trash rot in his own pile."

Julian pulled his arm away, sneering. "Fine. Enjoy your lunch, beggar. Make sure you get every bit of that mud. It’s the closest thing to a beast-resource you’ll ever touch."

The group walked away, their silk capes fluttering like the wings of vultures. Alex waited until their footsteps faded before he knelt in the mud.

 He ignored the stares of the other shoppers. He dug his fingers into the cold, wet earth, pulling out the mangled remains of the Bone-Ash Weeds.

[Item Detected: Ancient Bone-Ash (Mangled)] 

[Purity: 98%] [System Note: The physical structure is damaged, but the essence is intact. The fools have essentially pre-crushed the materials for you. Initializing extraction...]

Alex let out a short, sharp snicker. Julian had thought they were humiliating when they were actually giving him what he needed.

Alex stuffed the mud-caked weeds and the rotten fruit into his bag, his heart hammering a steady, predatory rhythm. They were feeding their beasts expensive, flashy sugar that did nothing but make them look pretty. He was holding the raw, ugly power of evolution.

Back in the cold, leaky shed that served as his room, Alex didn't bother lighting a candle. 

He sat on the dirt floor, spreading the "trash" out in front of him.

The mutt sat in the corner, its ribs still visible, and its hairless skin shivering in the draft. It watched Alex with eyes that seemed to grow deeper, darker, as if it understood the stakes.

"It’s now or never," Alex whispered. He followed the glowing blue blueprints that only he could see, crushing the Shadow Fruit and the Bone-Ash into a thick paste.

"If this kills you, I’m right behind you. They 

won't let me live through the week anyway."

The dog didn't hesitate. It lapped up the bitter, dark paste with a hunger that was almost frightening.

Almost instantly, the temperature in the shed dropped. A low hum started to vibrate through the floorboards, a sound so deep it felt like it was coming from the center of the earth. 

Black smoke began to leak from the dog’s skin, mixed together with a faint glow.

Alex sat against the door, his hands gripped around his knees. He didn't blink. He watched the shadows dance and swirl around the beast, listening to the sound of bones cracking and shifting. 

Every time the dog let out a low, muffled groan, Alex felt a sympathetic ache in his own chest.