God Ash: Remnants of the fallen.

***

{Congratulations to the host... You have received the opportunity to create a [Body and Soul] contract}.

{Beast Contract}: Form a [body and soul] contract with a mutant beast. This contract allows the target mutant beast and the host to forge a bond that is governed by the following set of rules;

{Condition 1}: The beast's and human's involvement in the [body and soul] contract shall be bound by the laws of magic as long as both parties may live.

{Condition 2}: This contract can be initiated by either one of the parties involved, but can only be concluded if and only if the other party fully agrees upon the conditions involved wholeheartedly.

{Condition 3}: The agreement is built upon the law of equivalent exchange. A trade deemed to be of equal proportions by the system must be made for the contract to be enabled.

{Condition 4}: This contract is based upon the universal laws of mana, and cannot be broken.

{Does the host agree to all these conditions?}

***

The series of texts and voices that flooded his mind filled Cain with nostalgia for a moment.

He remembered that time, just before midnight, when the ashes of the fallen celestial begins had fallen onto his world.

On that day, he had made his first beast contract with Ruby.

And now, he was about to make another one in this dark, damp cave.

He stared into the beast's eyes...

He mentally accepted.

***

{Processing response...}

{Response; Affirmative!}

Body and Soul Contract]:

Type: Mutant Beast

Details: Exchange of eternal servitude for an eternal promise.

Note: This contract cannot be renewed, and will be permanent upon activation.

***

Cain's eyes widened.

He was shocked by the details of the contract.

'Exchange of eternal servitude for an eternal promise.'

That could be interpreted in many ways...

He looked at the beast again.

There was a pool of blood gathering beneath it already.

Cain frowned. Whatever they had hit it with seemed to be doing its work as its regeneration was not working well to stem the bleeding.

The Mutant Beasts were powerful, with ungodly physiques. But they were not immortal. They could bleed. Hence, they could perish as well.

The body of the {Argent Amphithere} twitched and it let out pained hisses.

Cain spoke with his mind,

'What do you want from me? What promise do you want me to make?'

The system seemed to have understood his intentions. In the next moment, a thought entered his mind.

It didn't come in the form of words. No, it was intent. He could feel the very intent of the beast.

It's deepest desire, one that was even deeper and more absolute than its overwhelming hunger.

'Growth, unlimited power, to devour all, to stand at the top and encompass all there is.'

Cain was shook.

He had never felt something so egotistical in his life.

He looked at the beast again, this time, in a new light.

He was right. This beast was not ordinary at all.

He sighed.

***

{Congratulations to the host... The contract has been completed}.

{The host's hidden title, Friend of Beasts, has evolved into the special title, Beastmaster}.

{Beastmaster}: Increases charisma with all types of beasts by +1. All creatures connected to the host by the [Body and Soul] contract, can be kept and summoned from an auxiliary spatial dimension. Contracted Beasts that stay within this space will have their wounds and ailments heal twenty percent faster.

***

Vincent walked up to Steve and whispered,

"So what now?"

Their final attack had caused the beast's defenses to crumble like a mound of dirt. All it would take to finish it off was a well placed bullet which Vincent didn't mind giving.

Steve grimaced, his expression rather unpleasant.

However, after a few seconds of silence, he shook his head.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Vincent's eyes widened, "You..."

Steve glared at him,

"Calm yourself. You heard what Cain said, right? Not now. We wait..."

Then his eyes narrowed,

"However, the moment it shows even the slightest signs of aggression, take it out."

Steve sighed internally,

'What are you doing, Cain?'

This beast was a dangerous one, that was certain. However, that was not the reason he wanted it dead so desperately.

The main reason for his desperation, was his need for the beast's corpse.

He had learned many fascinating things about the creation during that battle, but he was still curious.

He frowned even harder,

'Getting my hands of that thing's corpse can push my alchemy forward by leaps and bounds.'

The light of greed in his eyes was palpable. However, he held back. Even if it was just a little...

He, and the others as well, continued to stare with bated breath as Cain stood before the creature, his expression blank.

A pool of blood had gathered beneath them from two streams, one from Cain's mangled arm, and the other from the beast's broken chest.

The red and silver pools of blood mixed together like the beginning of some sort of ungodly ritual.

Just then, a profound change happened.

The world seemed to come to a halt and the density of the mana in the air increased in a mere moment.

Steve frowned, unsure of what to make of the situation.

Very soon, his doubts were cleared as he watched the mana around them whirl towards Cain and the beast.

He frowned and gave Vincent a glance.

With a nod, Vincent closed one eye and locked onto the beast's heart with the scope of his rifle.

The moment it seemed as though something would go astray, he wouldn't hesitate one bit to put a bullet through it.

A faint light radiated from Cain and the beast. Then a series of complex geometric patterns and runes, which were a invincible to the naked eye, burst out all around them.

Steve's eyes widened, "Incredible..."

He was stumped, and all the breath in his lungs seemed to have gone somewhere with just a single exhale.

As the runic arrays assembled themselves naturally into an orderly chaos, the movement of the mana flow patterns around them gradually changed, until it stopped.

And then it reversed in on itself, like a whirlpool being filled up with the ocean.

Then, it was gone just as quickly as it had come.

Cain collapsed to the ground, and the giant frame of the {Argent Amphithere} dissolved into a streamnof silver motes that flew into Cain's body.

Steve paused, unsure of what to do.

Vincent glanced at him, confusion written all over his face,

"What the hell was that?!"

They turned back to Cain, who looked to be unconscious.

Ignoring them, Susan rushed forward.

Staring at Cain's bloodied mangled arm, tears welled up in the corners of her eyes. Without wasting a second more, she mumbled under her breath.

Streams of golden light were emitted from her fingertips.

With a sigh, Li dismissed his gauntlets and walked up to Steve, his face equal parts relieved and suspicious.

"This... Do you know what happened?"

Steve was silent, carefully staring at Cain's fallen body, as though trying to look past what he was seeing to locate the beast.

Then he shook his head,

"No, I don't."

Li glanced at him in shock,

"Well, that's a first..."

Steve frowned, "What do you mean by that?"

Li chuckled, "That's also a first. I've never heard you so unsure about something. I have also never seen you this perplexed and irritated..."

Steve frowned, but remained silent.

Vincent walked up, his rifle resting on his shoulder.

He shook his head,

"Well, it's good that we survived and all, but where did the damned beast go?! Did it possess Cain? Are we going to have to kill Cain?"

Li snorted, "Of course not."

Stan nodded his head as he approached,

"If I had to guess, then perhaps he has tamed it. You know, the same way he tamed the mutant bear?"

Li snapped his fingers and nodded with a smile,

"Just like that! But he couldn't do that before. Perhaps it's something new?"

Steve remained silent...

Ignoring the others as they discussed, Susan focused wholeheartedly, her face grim and her hands glowing with healing magic. The golden light enveloped his broken arm, trying to knit the torn flesh and bone back together.

"Will he be okay?" Ignis asked, her fiery gauntlets dimming as she joined them.

Susan nodded, but wore a look of discomfort,

"He'll live, but... His regeneration isn't kicking in fast enough. At this rate, he'll... He might lose his arm."

Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent, their expressions turning serious and a bit grim.

Li turned to Steve, his expression unsure,

"He... won't lose an arm, right?"

Steve shook his head, "I'm not a healer, so I wouldn't know. However, you should trust the experience of an experienced one. If she says he might lose his arm, then he might lose his arm."

He frowned, then turned to Susan,

"Is there anything we can do?"

Susan shook her head. She gritted her teeth,

"For some reason, he is consciously keeping his Ki and Mana from moving through his body. If it doesn't move, the necessary passive skills won't kick in, and his body won't heal as fast. My healing is working, but not effective enough."

Steve sighed, then shook his head,

"In other words, he can only rely on himself. It's out of our hands."

He snorted internally,

'Besides, I think he deserves to lose an arm or two for taking all the loot for himself.'