You’ve been rewarded with the Bubble Ball Spell.

  Spell Level: 1

  Effects: Launches a small ball of water and soap to the pointed direction

  Cost: 1 MP

  Matheus decided to practice with his new spell right away.

  Together with Captain he found a quiet place and got ready to start doing some magic.

  He aimed a finger to a tree a few yards away, controlled his breath and fired.

  “Bubble Ball” Matheus cried, as the energy concentrated in front of his finger and a small ball of mana was created, moving like tempestuous waves. It launched to the tree direction and exploded.

  The tree didn’t move, but it was now covered in water and soap

  “Hell yeah” Matheus exclaimed. Sure, the result was a little disappointing, but it was still freaking magic, something he’d been looking forward to since he started on his adventure.

  Captain hissed at him. Apparently it didn’t like his new spell as much as him.

  “Don’t worry. I promise I’m never firing at you.

  Matheus fired 5 more times, until his mana finally ran out. At his recovery rate, it would take him 1 hour and 24 minutes to have it at full capacity again, but that was ok.

  He tested the distance, impact and many other variables from the spell. It wasn’t impressive in any area, if he was being honest. But that was also ok.

  It was freaking magic.

  “It’s amazing, isn’t it? Using magic for the first time”.

  Matheus startled. Turning around, he recognized the redhead he saw the first time he got in the city, the one who wielded two swords.

  Had Matheus been so distracted with his practice he failed to notice him coming? Or had the guy used some stealth technique?

  He couldn’t let his guard down. And he had just drained his whole MP. Fucking great.

  “I remember when I got my first spell. I spent the whole night burning random objects, completely fascinated.” The guy continued with a friendly smile.

  He waited for an answer, but when Matheus didn’t say anything, he decided to continue.

  “I’ve been keeping my eye on you for a while. It’s nothing personal, I keep my eye on everyone in the city, truth be told.” He added after seeing Matheus’s shocked reaction.

  “Alright…” Matheus finally said, still not nothing where this conversation was going.

  “Sorry, I think I may be causing the wrong impression.” The guy straightened, face turning more serious. ‘You ended those annoying Stuffed Koalas, and you saved little Daniel. Those were very impressive feats.”

  “Thanks”. Matheus simply said.

  “I’m Dylan.” He said, nodding his head in a greeting.

  “I’m Matheus.”

  “I know. Daniel told me all about how you saved him. A great start for someone’s legend, don’t you think?”

  Matheus felt himself blushing, and tried to hide it. What did this guy want? He was trying his best not to show how uncomfortable he was.

  “I was just completing the quest.”

  “Of course. You know, we sometimes partner up, in order to deal with the more complicated quests. Things that are too much for one person. It would be great having you join us one of those days.

  Was that really it? Did Dylan come here just to give him compliments and an invitation? It could be a trap. It had always been a trap in the past.

  Matheus Analyzed him again, and noticed he had gone only 1 level up since the day Matheus first came into the city. In the meantime, Matheus had leveled up 4 times.

  That seemed a little odd, but it made sense higher levels would take more time.

  Still, only 1 level in all this time. He couldn’t let his progress be this slow.

  When Matheus started thinking about the possibility of accepting Dylan’s offer, a new notification popped up.

  Due to your Loser Court Curse you are unable to partner up with this person.

  And just like that, all his dreams were shattered again. How did he let himself forget about that?

  “Thank you, but I’ve gotten used to working alone.” Was all Matheus managed to answer. He saw no point in explaining any further.

  Dylan looked disappointed, but he didn’t insist on it. He gave another friendly smile and a small nod.

  “As you wish. But if you ever change your mind, feel free to meet with us at the city hall.” Dylan said, turning and walking away.

  Captain had watched their whole interaction in silence, and gave a questioning meow when they finished.

  “Don’t worry, I didn’t forget about you.” Matheus said, petting his head.

  Putting Captain on his shoulder, Matheus walked through the city.

  Neither Matheus nor the cat were really comfortable with this arrangement, but that was the best they could do. Matheus was planning on looking into something better as soon as he had the chance.

  But first, he needed to check the limits of his curse.

  While they walked, Matheus analyzed everyone he saw, but the results were always the same.

  Due to your Loser Court Curse you are unable to partner up with this person.

  Due to your Loser Court Curse you are unable to partner up with this person.

  Due to your Loser Court Curse you are unable to partner up with this person.

  He tried with dozens of different people, but the notification never changed.

  Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

  Stupid curse. Was there really no one in this whole city eligible to be his vassal?

  “Hey you.” Matheus heard a familiar voice behind him.

  He noticed the same person who tried to scam him days ago approaching.

  “I’ve heard you are doing quite well. Splendid! I knew you had the potential the moment I put my eyes on you.”

  What was his name again? Rick something.

  “You surely have a bright future ahead! And having that in mind, I am willing to generously lower the price for my apprenticeship even more.

  This guy was unbelievable. He was trying the same story twice. Was he really that desperate?

  What type of person could be this shameless?

  Matheus was about to give an excuse to get away, when realization took place.

  Oh no. Fucking no. He thought angrily, knowing the answer even before the System confirmed it.

  Rick - Human

  No Title

  Level: 4

  You are able to partner up with this person. Do you want to start a party or make a vassal offer?

  Of course, Matheus would get only the scum of Earth.

  With his humour soured, he left, not even bothering to answer.

  Walking away, he looked at his familiar resting on his shoulder. Well, maybe not only the scum. There were exceptions.

  He petted the cat gently on the head. There was one more thing to deal with before leaving.

  Now that they are bonded, Captain didn’t want to be left behind, however he wasn’t able to follow Matheus for long. He still wasn’t sure if it would work out, but now that he had accepted the little creature as his familiar, it was his responsibility to ensure a good life for him.

  He entered the store and put Captain on the floor. The cat stretched and it started licking its paw.

  “Oh, nice seeing you again, lad. How is that backpack working for you?” Said the shopkeeper seeing him approach.

  “It’s been very helpful.”

  “Good, good. Never once a client got disappointed with the quality of the products we sell here. Never once!”

  Matheus nodded and offered a tired smile.

  “And who is the little creature hiding behind you? I fancy I have seen him around before”

  “He is the reason I am here. I need something to carry him around.”

  The shopkeeper looked pensive for a moment, then loudly snapped his fingers and opened a chest behind the counter. A few seconds later, he presented a green cloak to Matheus.

  The fabric was very thin, and it seemed almost weightless.

  “I don’t understand.”

  “Put it on.” The shopkeeper simply said.

  Matheus obeyed. It fit perfectly. He noticed it ended with a hood, and he imagined rangers from medieval times wearing something similar.

  He wished he had a mirror. He’d always dreamt of wearing something similar.

  “Now, lower the hood.”

  Finally understanding, Matheus got down and locked eyes with Captain. As if he could read Matheus’s mind, he got close enough to jump on his hood, where he laid in a comfortable position.

  That would do. Captain was light enough for Matheus to carry, and he could easily jump away if Matheus got involved in a fight.

  “How much for it?”

  “12 Silver Coins”

  “That’s 4 times what I paid for the backpack!”

  “Well, of course. The backpack wasn’t Enchanted. Have you Analyzed it?”

  Uncommon Scouting Cloak.

  +2 Agility +1 Speed

  Matheus counted his coins. It would take him 1, maybe 2 more quests until he managed to gather this much.

  “Do you have anything less expensive?”

  “How much do you have?”

  Matheus showed his 6 coins.

  On his hood, Captain snored softly.

  The shopkeeper nodded, grabbed the coins and smiled.

  “Take it.”

  “Really? But why?” Matheus asked, not managing to hide his excitement.

  “During the past few days, many hunters started the quest to find Dina’s boy, only to give up on it after the first few hours. They say they are here to protect the people, deal with the stuff the common folk can’t, but that ain’t true.”

  “What they really want is to get better rewards and more experience to get strong enough to get away from here. They can’t waste time in fruitless pursuits.” He stopped and looked Matheus in the eyes. “You searched for Daniel for days.”

  “Thank you,” was all Matheus said.

  “Just don’t expect to be paying half the price again. From now on, always the full price.”

  “Agreed.”

  “Well, then what are you still waiting there for? If you are going to take it, use it to save a few more people and kill some monsters.”