I pause my writing and sit up, tilting my head back I look to the ceiling. After a glance to Zan, who had awakened at my slight noise, I waved a hand in a silent 'it's okay'. Seeing Zan relax, if you could call it that, I leaned back over my journal and dipped my quill anew, but paused.

What next? So much more to tell...

***

Things were starting to happen now. The little town was waking up, and getting bigger. It was almost as if the sacred disks that I unlocked, were creating people too. Half way through my 'contracted' stay, the town had almost doubled in size. Monsters helped people build new homes quickly. The land around the town was further developed into farm fields or orchards for mango trees. A saw mill was in the process of being planned. And I was visited by what I would think as a 'mad scientist'.

Doctor H Percius was his name. A tall lanky fellow with thick glasses and a shock of white hair that looked untamable. He introduced himself with a sort of absent minded voice. Not impolite, just distracted. Angel hid behind me as we talked.

'Ah, your eminence.' He said as I opened the door of the stone house. 'I am Doctor H Percius, hm hm.' This last bit was said as he looked past my shoulder at the shy seeming Angel and then past her to Durahan.

'Mike Rutian. Come in please, have a seat.' I had just gotten home for the evening, and had yet to take off those silly shrine keeper's robes, so after I showed the doctor to a chair, I tugged the robe over my head and hung it on a peg. 'What might I be able to do for you today?' I sat in the chair opposite him, and gave Angel a glance and smile.

Angel nodded and went to the small kitchen in the next room, while the doctor explained himself. 'Well, to be honest, hm, I am looking for a place to, yes, set up shop.'

I found his speech kind of odd. Like he was talking to me, and listening to somebody else too. Maybe he had a voice in his head, I had heard some people were 'touched' like that.

'You see, I am a scientist, and have recently finished my training as a monster, er, storage and merging man.' He trailed off muttering something about 'need a better job title'.

'Let me guess,' I started, 'You want to set up shop here.'

'Indeed, I was just getting to that. Yes.' He replied.

'Well, ask the mayor about space, and...' I reached into a pocket and pulled out a small green stone with a single nick carved in it. 'Tell him you have my approval.' I finished, handing him the stone.

'Oh thank you very much!' He accepted the stone and looked it over once, before sticking it in his lab coat. 'I hope he allows me to build everything I need.'

At this moment, Angel came back into the room with a pot of tea three cups, and a metal tankard. Durahan sat at the table after I waved him over, and Angel served tea.

'Interesting. Your monsters are well trained it seems.' Doctor Percius said, accepting the cup Angel handed him.

'Not monsters.' I corrected him gently, 'Companions. As for training, I'd like to think of it more as, 'including' them in the common things of life. Angel can read and write, and Durahan, as you can see, has overcome his lack of manual dexterity, with improvisation. That tankard was his idea.'

This was obviously something new to the doctor. During the next couple of hours we, that is, Angel Durahan and myself, enlightened him to some of the less known things monsters are capable of. After this, he looked outside, and excused himself so that he could talk to the Mayor before he went to bed.

The next few meetings with him were equally as enlightening, for him as well as myself. He talked about monster 'genetics'. Something I had only a mild understanding of. He even gave me his theory on a way to bring back 'lost disks.'

'You see. When a monster passes on, and becomes a lost disk, it is trapped in those vines. It is still a disk though. If there were a way to some how remove the vines without the disk breaking...' He explained.

Lost disks... A monster who dies becomes a disk, covered in petrified vines, rooting itself into the earth. Every attempt to break or remove the vines has broken the disk as well. And not many are willing to do more than pay their respects to such a grim marker anyhow. It was said to bring any number of bad things to a person who does. The usual, bad luck, sickness, bad dreams.

So Doctor Percius's idea was a little... Unsettling. 'Interesting,' I said, after he was done explaining. 'But, I must forbid you from trying anything along those lines to the lost disks on the shrine grounds, please.'

'I had no intention of that.' He said to this.

Slowly, Doctor Percius's lab was built. A stone's throw from the shrine, partially for safety reasons, it was made of stone from a newly dug quarry. (The quarry had been found recently after the first rush of people.) It wasn't a very grand structure. But it was big, and solid, and after some loud complaints, hair pulling, and finger pointing, the good Doctor managed to get the right parts to make it work up to code. (As stated by the FIMBA and ImA monster boards).

Not that anyone wanted to use the place yet. The town had not yet chosen a representative (a monster rancher) to participate in any of the tournaments, so the new laboratory's freezing chambers had no use yet. Nobodies monster was old enough yet, to attempt merging either. So poor Dr. P was basically running a useless building. But now that there was a laboratory in town, the mayor was determined to make it a 'useful' building. And that meant appointing a rancher.

This of course, meant that he would be asking people, so about seven months into my stay at the once sleepy town, I was awakened one morning by a knock at my door.

'Morning, your eminence.' He started the instant I opened the door. I had gotten used to the title, it made my lie about my name hurt less. 'Fine morning isn't it?'

Still squinting in the pre-dawn light coming in from outside, I waved him in. Angel, who was sleeping on a roll out bed with many many blankets opened an eye and started to rise, but I gave her a sleepy wave and she went back to sleep. Durahan was already up, having always insisted on 'night watch'. Him I dismissed to got have a nap before we went to watch over the shrine. Se we both sat at the dining room table alone. 'Good morning Mayor. What can I help you with this morning?' I asked still waking up and getting the sleepy edge out of my voice.

'Well,' he started, mercifully quiet, 'Now that our growing town has not only a shrine, but a lab, I was thinking of appointing a monster rancher, to represent the town.'

I suddenly felt put on the spot. 'Well. You know I'm planning on leaving in... Five months. I made a promise, and I still must make my journey.'

The Mayor looked kind of hurt. 'But, you've done so much for the town, I figured you'd like to stay...'

I raised a hand to interrupt him, 'No. I'm sorry. I can't stay any longer than I promised.'

With a sad sort of frown the Mayor stood and offered a hand. 'Sorry to have disturbed you, your eminence. Have a good day.'

I shook his hand and saw him out the door. I immediately lay my back against it and started panting like a trapped animal. I was only sixteen, and here I was facing down the mayor of a town. Was I really that brave, or important? I don't think I ever got used to people treating me as a sort of savior.

But that's what I was, wasn't it? Because of my arrival, the use of the shrine had been restored, the town was getting bigger, they even had a lab. One step away from becoming officially represented in either the FIMBA or ImA league. But five months... And I would be gone.

These thoughts, especially before breakfast, made me glum.

***

The next surprise came to me nearly a month later, in the form of the Mayor, leading a young woman to the shrine. It wasn't so much the fact that he was leading a woman who couldn't possibly be his wife to the shrine, I knew her.

This was about as far along that line of thought as I got. 'Your eminence, this is Sarah. She is from the next town over, and an apprentice shrine keeper.'

She recognized me when she looked up, her eyes at first to the ground in a sign of reverance, but I interrupted her before she could speak, 'Mike Rutian.' I said this with a little emphasis, 'pleased to meet you Sarah.' I bowed and offered a hand.

Looking a little puzzled, and worried for an instant, she did a little curtsy and shook my hand lightly. 'Your eminence. I am pleased to meet you.'

This little awkwardness seemed to pass right by the Mayor's head without notice. 'Good, get to know each other, please, Mike,' odd, the mayor almost never used my name, 'teach her well.' His expression cleared up instantly, 'Anyhow, things to do! I must get back to town and attend to paperwork.' This last was said with a grimace.

After the Mayor had left, and I escorted Sarah to the inner shrine, I let out an explosive breath I had found I was holding. 'Sarah!?!?'

She likewise did the same explosive sigh. 'Miki? I'd thought that...' Angel chose this moment to appear in the room, holding a book in her hands. 'You escaped! I thought that when...'

I'm not sure what overcame me at that moment. Sarah was from my home town, daughter of the shrine keeper there. We had always gotten along, in a sort of 'tolerate the last prank' sort of way. But now I found that I truly missed having a real friend, even if all we did was play pranks on each other. So before she could finish the sentence, I had wrapped my arms around her in a sort of clumsy hug. 'Please... Don't finish that sentence.' I said between half sobs.

She was a little older than me, about a year or so. She could have been my sister, as we looked similar. My height, about 5'6", with sandy brown hair, long, where mine was only shoulder length, and the same liquid gray eyes. Her face was much more easy on the eyes than mine, not quite delicate, but not hard looking, where mine was starting to take on that 'outdoors man' kind of look.

She nodded quietly and returned my hug, obviously being patient with me. After what seemed like hours, but not nearly long enough, I let her go and wiped my eyes with my sleeve. Angel had, in that time, come to stand behind me. 'I've been hiding here... With Angel.' I answered her question as she looked over my shoulder at Angel.

'I'm glad you are all right. Your father's assistant started the trouble, and... Well, I'm glad you escaped.' Sarah caught herself starting to talk about that again, but with a determined look she forged on, 'They are still looking for you. The seemed to have ignored this town though. They didn't think you would head north, as it would have been getting much colder then.'

I sighed, and offered a small thought of thanks to dumb luck. 'Now that you are here... Will you tell on me?'

She shook her head, and smiled, 'No. I like Angel too.' She nudged me aside and gave Angel a fond hug and a little kiss on the forehead, as she always had when Angel visited the shrine with my father and I. Angel returned the hug and kiss as well, and Sarah turned back to me. 'It isn't really you they want. But her.' She motioned to Angel. 'Your father's assistant said something about a shrine...'

Angel assumed that 'hopeless' expression again, 'Yes. That's where I'm going in a few months, after I train a replacement.' I explained, 'When I got here, I found the shrine as it had been left after a battle fifty odd years ago. I needed a monster to help me with our journey, and well, I used the shrine.'

Sarah looked puzzled, 'I thought only ones of the shrine keeper's blood can do that?'

'Or they have to pass a test. Angel was almost killed, the disk almost broken, and if Angel wasn't there, I would have been killed. But I passed the test, and the Mayor almost pounced on me to get me to stay. Angel was hurt and Durahan, my new monster, was still untrained, so I agreed to stay for one year, or until I was replaced...'

'What ever came sooner, huh?' Sarah finished. 'You are just like your father. Good business sense.' She turned away and looked around. 'If this place was a war zone... It almost doesn't look it now.' She paused in front of a lost disk in the corner of the room, her face passive.

'No where near as grand as it was. But it is an improvement for sure...' I pointed to the dome. 'You would never think that those were the walkway tiles.'

***


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Well, here is the next part in my story. Enjoy. ^_^

Questions comments suggestions and constructive critisism wanted.

Superb!!!!

it makes you want to keep reading.

hurry with the next installment please

*is amazed*

I have a following now. makes me quite happy too. I'm glad that you like my story... Now if only Lisa would read it too. =^_^=

Next installment will be within a weeks time. (provided I don't suddenly have a heart attack or somthing)

Just curious if there will be a traumatic event.. ("companion" goes into the freezer... but Trainer is Dead when companion is revived.. possibly to help solve the mystery.. )..

lol.. ok, enough bad ideas from me.
It was good.
:)