Beast-Tamer: Limitless Evolution
Chapter 95: Outing VII

Chapter 95: Outing VII

Outing VII

(A/N: I didn’t want this mini-arc to be so long (´_ゝ`))

After thoroughly basking in the misery of the unfortunate souls that dared challenge the overwhelming might of the Bloodbath, the Staff member finally let them off.

Ellie, Kurt, Sam, and Irene looked half dead.

Ellie was as pale as a sheet Kurt was sweating buckets, Sam looked like she was a few seconds away from vomiting everything in her stomach and then her stomach, and Irene looked like she’d pass out at any given moment.

Their beasts weren’t much better either. Well, Sugil was mostly fine, she just hung around Ellie’s neck a bit limply.

As for Blackie, Inagi, and Clyde, well.

Everyone watched as Blackie hurled into a nearby bush and Inagi lay on his back, his eyes unfocused. Clyde’s ears were hanging limply over his eyes, his tail tucked between his legs.

Needless to say, both the tamers and beasts had gone through it. So that begged the question.

What about Osho and Gale?

"That was fun," Osho said casually, but the way he kept subtly bouncing from one foot to another, the brightness in his eyes, and the inability to stay still for a few seconds belied his excitement.

"So, that’s what the hyperactivity in ADHD looks like, huh?" Kurt managed to tease before groaning.

"Still no proof of that," Osho said before taking a breath. It’s been a while since he’d felt such child-like excitement.

As for Gale, well, the bird seemed to have found the ride beyond thrilling, which made sense. The thrill he must get from being able to fly freely was hard to put in words, so for something to make him feel as though he was moving incredibly fast certainly touched parts of the bird’s brain which couldn’t be touched ordinarily.

However, Gale perhaps got a bit too excited as he’d pretty much turn into a small feathery ball of energy and wanted nothing more than to fly at his maximum speed around the place.

Seeing as that would be bad for more than a few reasons, Osho put him into the beast space for a bit to cool off.

"How... are you fine?" Sam managed as she had to sit down.

"The training I did was pretty intense, so I’m pretty resistant to this type of stuff. Also humming makes it physically impossible to puke, so do that." He explained while pointing out, and Sam wasted no time in obeying, eager not to let her body eject the contents in her stomach.

As she did that, Ellie spoke, still a bit pale.

"So... I guess you’re gonna get on the pendulum, huh?" Osho smiled.

"Yup." The girl sighed.

"You seem determined so, we won’t stop you." She sighed again before handing him a bunch of tickets.

"Just, don’t say we didn’t warn you. Go ahead, we’ll be here... resting." Osho chuckled and gave Ellie a quick kiss on the lips before trotting off happily.

"... I haven’t seen him this expressive since we met," Kurt said with a shake of his head. Sam just continued humming, and she indeed started to look a bit better as it seemed like she wouldn’t puke at any moment anymore, while Irene just sat against a lamppost with her eyes closed.

Ellie nodded and turned back to Osho who was now some ways away from them. His target the ride that was devoid of all life.

If Ellie was being perfectly honest, a small part of her, one she wasn’t very proud of, wanted Osho to feel a bit of suffering on the ride.

It was a bit frustrating that all of them were out there, barely retaining mobility after going on the Bloodbath, yet he was still so serene and calm, excited even.

It didn’t make sense, and she knew it didn’t. Even more so when you take into account the training he did, but hey, emotions rarely made any sense.

As Osho approached the ride, he felt his excitement grow. Up close, he could see the full scope of the ride.

In terms of size, it wasn’t that much different from your typical pendulum. Its appearance was still a bit unique, though.

Unlike the usual A-frame structures most pendulum rides had, this one was supported by a rotating gyroscopic frame, three intersecting metallic rings that slowly turned and hummed and Mana gently pulsed within them. Suspended at the core of this mechanical sphere was a thick, reinforced arm, jointed like an insect’s leg and glowing faintly along etched mana channels. The actual passenger platform sat at the end of this arm. A spherical pod that, from what Osho could see, were it filled to the brim, some people would be sitting facing the sky, some facing the floor, some angled, and some at the sides. He could also sense a faint mana barrier that pulsed around the thing, which made sense because he couldn’t see any harnesses.

The platform was free-hanging, but it wasn’t still. Even while idle, it swayed gently in multiple directions, responding to the slight shifts in mana flow within the ride’s containment field. Yes, containment field. This thing, from what he could tell, had an entire formation at its base that encompassed the entire ride. Every now and then, the arm would twitch or rotate slightly, and the rings would reorient themselves, revealing just how complex its motion system truly was.

It didn’t just swing back and forth. It twisted. It rolled. It spun. And from the faint scorch marks and ground impact patterns around the ride, it was clear that it didn’t always behave gently.

Above the ride, carved into a slate of polished black stone, was its name, stylized in glowing script: Omnidirectional Pendulum.

And beneath it, in smaller, almost apologetic letters:

> "For thrill-seekers with excellent life insurance."

’Yup, seems safe enough.’ Osho shrugged and walked towards it.

Was what he was doing probably a bit reckless? Absolutely. Did he know this? Absolutely. Was he still looking forward to it? Absolutely.

When he reached the place where the queue was meant to be, he went through it because, well, there was no one there. No one except a single man sitting in a booth while reading a book, his legs propped up on the desk in front of him while listening to something with a pair of headphones.

Osho lingered before walking to the booth which was also where the controls for the ride resided.

"Hello there." Osho greeted, but the man didn’t answer him, his attention solely on the book in front of him.

Osho frowned before clearing his throat and infusing it with a bit of Mana.

"Excuse me, are you the ride operator?" This time, the man heard him as he glanced up. Upon closer inspection, Osho realized that the man was actually quite young. Perhaps in his mid-twenties.

"Oh, sorry, didn’t see you there. Yeah, I’m the ride operator. Do you need something?" The guy asked pretty nonchalantly, not the best attitude as a staff.

"Yeah. I wanted to ask if this ride could be activated with a single person inside." The guy blinked.

"Uh, yeah. But uh, this is the omnidirectional pendulum. The other rides are that way." He said with what Osho perceived to be genuine confusion, and he kinda understood why. From the picture Ellie and the others painted, it was clear this ride didn’t have a good reputation, so this guy probably couldn’t comprehend that someone wanted to ride it of their own free will.

"I know. This is the ride I want to ride." Osho said curtly and the man’s eyes widened, but before he could say anything else, Osho continued.

"Yes, I am aware of its reputation, and yes, I am aware of the risks that follow using it. No, no one coerced me into getting in the ride. I won’t say that it’s the smartest decision, but it’s something I want to do." The man clamped his mouth shut as every question he wanted to ask was answered in quick succession.

After a few seconds, he sighed.

"Alright, I just hope you’re sure of what you’re doing." He conceded, and also smiled, glad he wouldn’t have to spend the next few minutes trying to convince someone that he wanted to do what he said he wanted to do.

He took out the tickets to pay, but the guy stopped him.

"Nah, don’t worry about it. This ride generates less income than the Skycycle, heck, the higher-ups are debating just scrapping it entirely. They won’t mind one person using it, considering you’d be the first to use it in over a year." The revelation surprised Osho. He knew that it was bad, but not a single person using it in over a year... it was a miracle it hadn’t been scrapped yet.

The guy hopped off his chair and stepped out of the booth, which is when Osho noticed the little starfish on his neck, his beast.

"The name is John, by the way. Iconic, I know. Follow me, I’ll get you on it." He gestured with his hand and walked towards the ride, Osho following behind.

They reached the containment field and the guys stepped through without an issue. Osho followed through and his eyes widened slightly.

It seemed like the containment field didn’t just keep the ride in, but also the Mana, and this thing had a LOT of mana.

"The ride was created as a tribute to one of the old fighters in the Citadel’s early days and its pilot. They called him the Maverick. The plane he used was a prototype 9th-generation fighter, and was quite the creation as using it, he could dog-fight Expert rank beasts and come out on top. He ended up sacrificing himself in a battle against an Elite-ranked one, though, so this ride is as much a tribute as it is a ride for amusement. But it’s mostly been serving the purpose of the former. It’s meant to emulate the G-force as well as overall experience the pilot faced when using that prototype. Turns out that was too much for most people, though." Osho blinked before staring at the ride thoughtfully.

He was aware of 9th-generation fighter planes. The ones that eventually eliminated the Harbinger were all of that level, and he was aware there were 10th and even 11th-generation fighters in higher-level Citadels.

It was an interesting piece of history, no doubt, and he decided that he would read into it when he had the time.

"So, how do I get in?" Osho asked after a moment and John pointed at the gently swaying ride.

"Just get close and the sphere to the seats will open automatically. Your safety is guaranteed, just not your sanity." A grim warning, but Osho took it in stride.

Without wasting any more time, he stepped forward.