Aurin let out a big sigh of relief as he and Luna stepped off the train. “It’s nice to be somewhere quiet again, isn’t it?” he asked, taking in the sweet smell of the maple trees surrounding the empty train station.

  Having left Newfort behind them two days ago, the duo had made their way north to the small town of Maplewood. Aurin had finally decided to take up the offer of a rancher he had met twice in Hazelton called Evan and visit the quiet rural town that was further removed from the hustle and bustle of the Bretonian cities than almost any other town in the country.

  “I’ve had my fill of shopping, so yes,” said Luna with a grin as she tied her cardigan around her waist. “Who’s coming with us today?”

  Aurin held up his tamer glove and summoned Desparee to his side, thinking that the nature elemental would enjoy being somewhere surrounded by trees. As he appeared in a flash of green light, the tree-like monster wept tears of joy and threw his barky arms around Aurin to thank him for bringing somewhere without lots of tarmac and concrete.

  Luna held up her own glove and summoned her Rabbafat. Admittedly, she was tempted to summon Angree, but worried that something may trip a fuse and he would cause trouble in the small town that lay somewhere along the road.

  “Ready?” Aurin asked the two Minakai, who both nodded.

  “Come on,” said Luna, beaming as she strolled down the brickwork steps of the platform and onto the dirt road. “I’m glad I brought my hiking books today.”

  “Hiking? Where do you think we are?”

  “I don’t know how far the town is from here, so we could be walking for miles.”

  Aurin pointed over the treetops where the ridge of a red-slated roof cropped out. “About sixty seconds down the road.”

  “Oh,” said Luna, looking at her heavy boots. “Is it too late to stop and change?”

  “Come on,” said Aurin, beckoning her to follow.

  When the two reached the fork leading to town, they glanced to the right and saw looming Maple Tower creeping out above the trees in the distance. It appeared identical to Harmony Tower, but Aurin knew that the Minakai rates would be different, the challenge would be different, and there was a good chance that the Tower Guardian awaiting tamers are the top would be an Arusom instead of a Zeera.

  The two walked along the road which turned into cobblestones as they approached the small town. It was a quaint little place with the two dozen buildings nearby all placed sporadically around, leaving the square wide open. Situated in the centre, was a trickling fountain with a dog statue sitting atop it. As he often did, Aurin pondered what Minakai it was before realising it was a regular dog rather than an elemental monster. He did not voice his thoughts to Luna, knowing she would laugh at him.

  “How do we get to this ranch?” asked Luna, looking around. The only sign nearby pointed back the way they came to show the way to the train station, while the other plank beneath it was marked for Maple Tower, further to the west.

  “We’ll worry about that later,” said Aurin. “It’s still early and I’m hungry, so how about we get breakfast first?”

  “Where?”

  “Over there,” said Aurin, pointing to a small café with three white metal tables sitting outside. There was a sign hanging from the beam between the first and second floor that named it. “Rhys’s Café. It looks nice, right?”

  Luna agreed and the two walked towards it. Luna took a seat with the Minakai and Aurin headed inside and asked the grumpy-looking man behind the counter for a menu. He passed them over and said someone will be with them in a minute to take their orders. As Aurin left, he saw that there were only three others in the café and the three young women were sat in the corner drinking coffee while eating pastries.

  “This town really is quiet compared to Hazelton,” whispered Aurin, sitting down beside Luna and handing her a menu. “I haven’t seen a Minakai since we arrived outside of our own.”

  “Maybe nobody here has their own?” asked Luna before realising why they were here. “Stupid question. Yes, I know.”

  “And with an unlocked tower nearby, that makes it all the stranger.”

  “It could just be because the town is that quiet.”

  The two looked through their menus and a waitress with her light brown hair tied back in a ponytail walked out in an apron and with a big smile on her face and her blue eyes curved to match.

  The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  “Good morning, travellers,” she said brightly. “Please allow me to welcome you to Maplewood and says that I hope you enjoy your stay in our humble little town. My name is Roxanne. What can I help you with today?”

  “Full Bretonian for me,” said Aurin, looking at the massive breakfast of breads and meats.

  “Me too,” said Luna. “And one more for my Rabbafat here.”

  “Oh, and a jug of water for my Desparee here.”

  Desparee hugged his tamer and cried, feeling guilty that Aurin was taking such good care of him—Aurin thought he wasn’t doing anything out of the ordinary.

  “Coming right up,” said Roxanne, skipping back inside. She was much more pleasant than the man at the counter.

  The morning passed along and a small handful of people passed through the town square. As Aurin, Luna, and the Minakai finished their breakfasts, the three young women walked out from the café and bid farewell to each other before heading in separate directions. One of them, a blonde one with pigtails hanging down her front did a double take as she walked past Aurin and Luna.

  “Do I know you?” she asked.

  “I don’t believe so,” said Aurin, looking to Luna who shrugged.

  “I could have sworn I’ve seen you somewhere before,” said the girl, biting her lip. “I can’t put my finger on it.”

  “Was it on television?” asked Luna. “We both competed in the Bretonian National Championships with our Minakai.”

  “Yes!” exclaimed the girl, jumping and clapping. “Yes, that’s where it was. You were both in the top eight, isn’t that right?”

  “Ah, that,” said Aurin. Since leaving The Collector’s manor, he had been recognised only once and it had briefly escaped him that he was a known face. It all suddenly came flooding back. “Yes, I was the one who lost to Tobias.”

  “Lost to Tobias?” asked the girl. “I think you’re underselling yourself. You almost defeated him! Hang on, that means…you know my brother, don’t you?”

  “Your brother?”

  “Evan! He was gobsmacked when we all gathered at the local bar to watch the National Championships on the big television there. He said he’d fought you twice before when he had travelled to Hazelton.”

  “Oh, I didn’t know he was your brother. Come to think of it, I think he did mention he had a sister. You run the ranch with him, is that right?”

  “Yes, my name’s Elodie,” she said, pointing her thumb at herself.

  “Aurin.”

  “Luna.”

  “Well, it’s a pleasure to meet you both,” said Elodie. “What brings you both all the way to Maplewood? I thought you would be battling on the thirtieth floor of a tower somewhere. Is that why you’re here? Maple Tower?”

  “No,” said Aurin. “We came to take your brother up on his offer to visit your ranch. We’ve been travelling across the country for the past week and wanted somewhere less…urban.”

  “You mean quiet?” asked Elodie with raised eyebrow.

  “Yes, pretty much.”

  “I’m going back to the ranch now if you want to follow along?”

  “Alright,” said Luna, brimming with enthusiasm.

  Aurin walked inside and paid the bill before the duo and their Minakai followed Elodie through the quiet town. They headed north-east to where the cobblestones turned back to a dirt road and walked alongside a large fence that enclosed a field of Minakai. There were many different species from the Petalcub family to the Gorun line, but it had a different feeling to Kyle’s ranch back in Hazelton.

  Unlike back home, there were fewer Minakai standing guard around the perimeter. Perhaps it was due to there being less people in Maplewood or perhaps it was due to no villainous groups that liked causing trouble nearby, but it made Aurin feel a little paranoid that there would be a mass escape.

  “Evan!” called Elodie as the five walked under a wooden archway marking ‘Maple Ranch’.

  “What?” replied Evan from a large shed to the side of the small house up ahead.

  “We have very special guests today.”

  There was a shuffling and the blonde-haired Evan stuck his head out from the door. “Who is it?”

  “Third time meeting me and you still don’t recognise me?” laughed Aurin.

  “Nah, never heard of you,” said Evan with a chuckle, walking over and shaking Aurin’s hand. “You’ve been busy since we last spoke, eh? Got yourself to the top of the big leagues. No wonder you wiped the floor with me.”

  “I’m a man of raw talent.”

  Luna giggled. “Don’t forget who saved you when you were ejected from your first ever tower run.”

  “That was two and a half years ago!”

  “Hang on,” said Elodie, putting her hand on her hip and furrowing her brow. “You’ve been a tamer for two and a half years? How old are you, Aurin?”

  “I’ve been a tamer for three, and I’m seventeen.”

  Elodie was stunned and her jaw dropped. “You meant to tell me that the tamer who gave the National Champion so much trouble has only been a tamer for three years? You’re only a couple of years younger than we are!”

  Aurin smiled smugly. “As I said, I’ve got raw talent.” Luna rolled her eyes at this.

  “Seeing as we’ve got two big shots strutting around our ranch,” said Evan slyly. “How about a double battle between us and you?”

  “I’m in,” said Aurin excitedly. He was glad to have someone who wanted to battle him and didn’t simply back down because of what he had accomplished on the national stage.

  “Me too,” said Luna. “And we’ve already got our Minakai here, fed, and ready.”

  Desparee slumped over and bawled while Rabbafat slapped her stomach, ready to throw her weight around.

  “Use our special ones?” asked Elodie quietly, winking at her brother.

  “You betcha,” he replied. “They don’t know what hit them. Come on.”

  Evan led Aurin, Luna, and their Minakai to a small clearing nearby and they stood at opposite ends. Neither of the tamers were wearing gloves, so Elodie had to run inside to fetch two summoning stones; one for Evan and one for herself.

  “Ready?” called Aurin.

  “Ready,” replied the twin ranchers.

  “Fight!”

  Desparee and Rabbafat stepped forward, while Evan and Elodie summoned their Minakai. In a flash of blue and a flash of orange light appeared two dragons; one smug and blue with a large fin-like spike jutting out from the back of its head, and another sneering and brown with thicker arms and three spikes erupting from its forehead. The two mighty dragons, Guilgon and Grakadon roared furiously as they leapt into the air, beat their wings and darted straight for their opponents.

  here.

  Patreon where you can get twenty advance chapters, putting you ten weeks ahead.

  Discord today and start discussing Minakai.

  Aurin's Team:

  Luna's Team: