The Sound Of Despair

While the two beasts were not actively pressuring him with killing intent anymore, their imposing statures were still intimidating. They needed him for survival, but if he could not save them, then they would take him down with them. Sturm was sure of that.

The question was, even if he chose one of them, would the other leave him be? If he saved the wolf, would it be able to protect him from the tiger's retaliation? The magic beast migration had been years ago, and if Sturm conjecture was correct, these two had been the cause for that.

That would mean they had been fighting for years. What kind of grudge would force these two to fight until their literal collapse?

<<Well. If I could match that mage in strength and we ended up alone in a cave, I would probably do the same. I would beat him into a pulp, break every single bone in his body, make him regret ever being born. Let Edgar and Reinhardt hear his screams in the afterlife. Wait. I have to concentrate. If I die here, they will never be avenged.>>

"If I choose one of you, what happens to me afterward? Won't the other just kill me? And what is that contract about?" Sturm asked.

"Even though I am in a slightly better condition than that kitten over there, as I obviously won our fight, we are both still strong enough to defend you should it come to that. There you have it. I could have lied to you, telling you that only I can protect you, but I told you the truth. Now, that oversized cat over there has nothing on me anymore. I will treat you like a companion, and he will treat you like a servant. The answer is obvious, boy," argued the wolf.

"The servants of our raitiger clan are treated with respect and sincerity. You brumawolves drag your companions from one battlefield to another. What purpose is there in sacrificing your oh so dear companions for your personal, selfish war?"

"I already told you, our purpose is noble! And sacrificing yourself for a greater cause is infinitely better than lazying around a stone gate, claiming to be protectors, and wasting your lives away!"

The two beasts descended into endless bickering again, ignoring Sturm as they disparaged each other's races. He tried to be patient, to let them finish their discussion before he spoke up, but there just seemed to be no end. As their quarreling started derailing into topics about some sort of seventh cousin twice removed that had stolen from the grand protector's third uncle's personal blacksmith's son, Sturm felt rage inside him boiling up.

"Please, you two. Tell me about the contract." Sturm forced himself to ask nicely.

Either they ignored him or truly were so absorbed in their discussion that they momentarily forgot about him. It went on for hours.

<<Show respect. They know what I think. I have time, and survival is the priority. I can't get revenge without surviving. One deep breath, another deep breath… this… I can't take it anymore!>>

"STOP! I am not in the mood to keep listening to your shit any longer. If you wanna survive, then start explaining what the fuck that contract is, and if you don't, then let us just die together!" Sturm threatened them.

The two beasts stared at the weak human boy in the cavern's entrance. They could not believe that the ant would dare to raise his voice at them. Was it incredibly brave or incredibly stupid? Probably both, but they couldn't just execute him for the insolence. They needed him.

After exchanging a few glances, the beasts seemed to telepathically come to an agreement. No matter how much they hated each other, they could respect one another as rivals. Whoever the boy chose could at least bring notice back to their people of the other's demise.

As the beast with the more refined speech, the white tiger took charge of explaining contracts to Sturm.

"Listen well, human. A contract can only be established between beings of the same elements. There are two parties in a contract, the contractor and the contracted. For the contracted, the contract is binding for life, and should the contractor die, he will die as well. So before you think either of us wants to bind you, do not worry. We are dying, and we need you to be the contractor to save us." The tiger regretted telling Sturm to be his servant, as that implied he had intended to bind the boy to him.

"Not only does that mean it will be in my best interest to keep you alive, but you will also be able to receive some of my strength. The amount of power received depends on the race of both parties, and I have never heard about attributed humans like you."

Before the tiger could go on, it felt the wolf's menacing stare on it. The brumawolf did not seem amused and started accumulating lightning in case the tiger was rechallenging it.

<<Damn, I thought I could trick that stupid dog. I never thought he would notice,>> the tiger thought.

"Ahem, anyway, both of us…"

Sturm had already decided, an evil grin forming on his face. If they had to rely on him, then he'd be able to control them. There would be no need for politeness anymore, and if they started bickering again, well, then he would show them the Edgar special.

That tiger had said he would receive some of the contracted's power, so why take one if he could have two? He needed power. If that mage was still on the island, then killing that little rat would require him to get a lot stronger.

"Yes." Sturm interrupted the tiger.

It looked at him, confused. "Yes, what?"

"I want both of you. You said I will get stronger, and I need to get stronger now, so I will contract both of you. What do I have to do?"

The wolf immediately interjected. "You want me to be bound to someone for the rest of my life, together with that kitten over there? I would rather die!"

Meanwhile, the tiger simply used their voice transmission technique to imitate the sound of retching. Sturm felt an incredible urge to smack them but managed to hold such thoughts back. Any kind of awe he had felt because of their mighty presences had long disappeared, replaced by annoyance.

What was even happening? The events over the past week were just too much—only the thought of revenge and honoring those that gave everything to and for him kept him from collapsing. These two needed him, and even though they spoke of death like it was of no concern to them, Sturm noticed their fear. This was why he simply decided to ignore their complaints.

"You, tiger. How do I initiate a contract?" Sturm asked.

"Just come here, place your hand on my back, and channel your mana cells into my body. Do not, and I repeat, do not convert them into mana matter, or there will be a terrible backlash. I will circulate your cells through my veins and add my own to them before channeling them back to you. We will repeat that as long as you can take it, after which I will swear an oath, and the contract will be done."

Without hesitation, Sturm stepped next to the giant tiger and placed his hand on its back, which excited it tremendously. The human had chosen it over the dumb puppy, which meant it was wiser than it seemed. The tiger could see the frustration, and even more importantly, the envy in its rival's eyes.

As Sturm started pouring his mana cells into the purring tiger's body, he felt the cells shake as if they were excited. It was not hard since he was basically using the [Fists of Mjölnir] without converting the mana cells into mana matter, which further lessened the burden on his will.

Everything went fine until the tiger added his own lightning attributed mana cells to Sturm's and channeled them back into the young human. It was like magma had been poured into his veins, and Sturm screamed his lungs out. The pain was no less than what he had gone through with that accursed whip, but while the suffering was the same, his body seemed to absorb everything like a man dying of thirst who found an oasis in a desert.

It was burning so much, but at the same time, the feeling was addicting. Sturm desperately held on to the little bit of sanity left in him. But, unbeknownst to him, the foreign lightning cells were cleansing him every time they circled through his body. Additionally, with every complete circulation, the bond between Sturm and the white lighting tiger started strengthening.

Sturm kept screaming under the observation of the two beasts. The brumawolf thought about interfering, killing the boy for having made an obviously wrong choice, but even though he hated the tiger, the protectors took their promises seriously. Like this, his family at least would know of his demise and could live without a constant doubt.

There was no more voice left in Sturm; he had screamed it all out for hours upon hours. Who knew how many circulations he had endured, but he had reached the limit. As the tiger's lightning cells entered his body for one last time, and Sturm intended to take off his hand, the tiger's colossal body dissolved into electricity and entered his body.

"Your contract has been established, human. Mirai Mamoru entered your lightning source and will need to slumber some time in there. Let me just tell you that you will regret your decision. This is not a threat, but you will come to know how arrogant that oversized cat is. You are free to go, tell that pussy to not forget his promise, now let me die in peace."

<<A little more. Come on, Sturm, you can take it. You need it.>>

Something inside Sturm craved for more, making him feel like a masochist, but at this moment, he welcomed the addiction. It helped him accomplish his plans, forced his overcharged and oversaturated body to take those few dozen steps towards the black wolf.

It widened its eyes when it saw Sturm tumbling towards it, and when it remembered his previous words, it started laughing loudly, once again shaking the whole cavern with its deep, booming voice.

"Hahahaha! You actually want to go through with obtaining us both? Ambitious, but I hope you can take it. What will happen if that kitten wakes up and sees me next to him inside your lightning source? His expression will be priceless! Come, young human, I will assist you as much as I can."

As Sturm placed his hand upon the wolf's back, a glimmer of hope shone in its eyes. It would have preferred being the only contracted, but this was better than death. There was still a chance to get the human on his side, and then they could bully that arrogant cat until the end of times.. It kind of looked forward to it, but first, the boy had to survive.