Night was falling in the forest. Baghric and Jason had made a campfire and were sitting around it. Baghric had with him his tent that he had taken down and stored… somewhere. Jason had only left to pee and came back to find the entire tent setup and the trees around it cleared out.

“How?” Jason pointedly looked toward the tent. Baghric looked at the tent as well then back at Jason.

“Well I set it up meself that’s how.” Baghric grunted then went back to staring at the fire.

“Well ya but where did you keep it on the walk and how did you set it up so quickly? Also while I’m asking questions how can you understand me and how can I understand you?” Jason settled down opposite the dwarf reaching his hands out to the warmth.

“I kept it in me necklace, laddie. As for how we can talk well that would be one of my skills. It’s tier four of persuasion and it allows me to learn any language as long as I hear it. I have to use three days worth of my mana including regeneration, but it’s very useful. Especially for me.” Baghric just kept staring into the fire. Then a rumbling sounded out. Jason jerked his head left and right looking for the monster that would inevitably be arriving.

“Ah well me lad it looks like me stomach wants something. I guess I’ll be back in a bit.” Jason stood there watching the dwarf as he meandered away. That rumbling that sounded like Mt. Vesuvius erupting was him? What the hell does his stomach need.

Alright so he used a skill? That requires three days of mana. So… what? He just doesn’t have any mana for three days. That sounds like an extremely high price to pay for a skill. Though it does let him learn an entire language immediately as long as he hears it. Ah… hears it. He can’t do that for written languages. That’s probably a separate skill which also has a monstrous mana requirement.

Also keeps it in his necklace what the hell? Jason sat back down. I guess it’s like a storage pendant or something. Spatial magic again it seems like. Well I’m just glad he’s going out to get us food. I was afraid to ask him in case he tried to make me go and get some food. Jason shivered. I don’t think I could kill anything right now. Although now that I think about it we haven’t seen any animals today. Wonder why.

As Jason was sitting there listening to the fire he heard another noise. It was twigs breaking. Without turning Jason called out into the night.

“Baghric you’re back so soon? What did you find to eat? Also I have more questions and clarifications so if we could talk a bit after eating that’d be great. Like if the mana requirement says three days or if that’s just how long it’ll take you to get the required mana and…” Jason kept going on and on with his questions as he listened to the steps getting nearer.

It was a bit late when Jason noticed that those steps were a lot quieter than the normally obnoxious dwarf. Jason spun around and squealed loudly when he saw what was in front of him. It was a wolf. A wolf whose head met his own at equal height.

Yet the wolf was on all fours and Jason was standing straight up. The wolf had a thick grey pelt and large golden eyes that seemed to stare straight into Jason’s soul. It’s canines were large and sharp, glinting quietly in the light of the fire. All Jason could do was stand there quivering.

“Uh… hey doggy. Good doggy.” Jason managed to squeak out. The wolf stared at him. Then leaned back slightly and before Jason could even move the wolf leapt. Quicker than Jason’s fear addled mind could follow, the wolf moved its jaws opened and maw gaping. Jason could see his own death looming closer and closer, but then all of the sudden the wolf crashed into the ground in front of Jason.

Then Jason saw that behind the wolf was the person he wanted to see the most. Baghric.

“BAGHRIC I LOVE YOU!! Don’t ever leave me here alone again. Ok Baghric. OK?!” Jason was hysterically clinging onto Baghric’s leg as if he was an abandoned lover.

“Ye make a good bait kid. I also noticed that ye didn't even try to put up a fight. Do ya know how?” Baghric peered down at Jason who was still clinging to his leg. Jason gulped, not at all enjoying the look in Baghric’s eyes. Baghric reached down and hoisted Jason by his neck like he was a baby cat. “Yer gon learn some unarmed fighting boyo.” He then went to the side of the wolf and punched it three more times.

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“Right now though we are gon eat some of this cowardly wolf who was trying to play dead.” Baghric proceeded to produce a knife out of thin air and start gutting the wolf. Definitely a storage pendant of some type. “What’re ye doing just standing there? Come and ‘elp me move the skin and guts. We can maybe make ye some better clothes than the rags yer wearing.” Baghric motioned first to the skin he was peeling off and then to Jason himself as to highlight the rags he was wearing.

“Hey Baghric I know it’s rude to ask about builds and such, but can you tell me a little bit of yours,” Jason asked as he was carrying and dumping the guts into a pile some ten meters to the side. Him and Baghric had already taken care of the giant pelt and they had taken the claws as well. Frankly Jason was not happy that he had to work for another hour before he could even consider eating the animal but he was also happy that they wouldn’t need to use him as bait again for at least another two days.

“Hmph… sure laddie. I’m sponsoring yer entrance into te guild so ye might as well know some about me… here you go kiddo. Here’s some guts for ye.” Baghric dumped some intestines into Jason’s waiting arms.

Jason carried and dumped the guts down as Baghric started talking. “Well lad ye see I’m a cleric. A level 24 cleric to be exact. I’m going to specialize in animal healing so that’s why I was out here. Healing random animals and such and then I found ye. So congrats. Ye wouldn’t have lived past the night. Rampant mana was trying to force its way out yer body. Ah well actually that’s a lie. Ye woulda survived the night, but… yer body woulda needed days to recover and with yer fighting skills ye woulda died to the animals here in an hour. They woulda been all over ye like this ‘ere wolf if I wasn’t with ye.”

Baghric started chuckling to himself as he finished up the guts. “Now laddie we can actually carve off some meat and cook this thing. Mighty fine timing as well. The moon is high in the sky… I’d say it’s ‘alfway till morning.” Baghric looked through the canopy and into the sky. Then he started to carve off meat chunks and roast them above the fire.

“Why’re you specializing in animals? Do you want to heal pets for a living or something?”

“Nothing like that kiddo. It’s just me party is full of therianthropes. So if I specialize in animal healing I get a bonus with me next class upgrade. Then I’m more useful to te party. It’s also why I learned that persuasion skill. So I could talk to them in their native tongue.” Baghric continued to cook the meat over the fire slowly. “Hey laddie ye hungry?” Baghric eyed Jason as he said this.

Jason in his fervent desire for food didn’t notice the glint in Baghric’s eyes that spoke of curiosity and anticipation. “Ya I’m hungry Baghric, but you can eat first since you killed it.” Baghric smiled and walked over to the wolf. He reached in its chest and yanked out some organ. Jason couldn’t see it properly until Baghric thrust a bloody hand into his face.

“Laddie ye can eat first. The heart is the best part of the animal after all. Eaten best raw of course and frankly ye’ll need ta get used ta eating some strange things if yer gon go adventuring with yer own party.” Baghric still had a pleasant smile on his face. Jason looked nervously from the heart to Baghric and eventually under Baghric’s ever patient gaze took the heart.

The heart was not normal. It was big. Half the size of his head. It was glowing with a red energy. Similar to the torture fruits except different somehow. It felt more full of life… if that makes sense. No fucking way he wants me to eat this. Jason looked at Baghric. He wants me to fucking eat this. This asshole. Alright well it’s gonna taste like shit but I’ve had the fruits...I can do this.

Jason took a bite of the warm heart. Blood rushed into his mouth and down his throat into his stomach. He immediately felt more awake, more energetic. The heart tasted good. So… damn… good. Jason didn’t even realize what he was doing as he devoured the entire heart. Then he looked up at Baghric with desire in his eyes. His mouth bloody and hands stained red. Jason smiled. His teeth pearly white with lines of red running down them like rivers. He wanted more.

Then he didn’t. He was normal. Jason rubbed his hands on his rags to get the blood off and wiped his mouth on the rags as well.

“Well it looks like ye liked it laddie. I also believe I was right about ye. Seems me specialization in animals and therianthropes didn’t mean nothin.” Baghric sat back down satisfied and started cooking meat again. “Every day I’ll find ye some hearts and every day ye’ll eat them. I’ve already promised ye to keep ye alive until that luck stacking starts to show it’s worth. Te best way ta do that is through these hearts. I’m also gon be teaching ye unarmed combat and te language of Invetia. Ye need to talk after all.” Jason was thrown for a loop here. First off he had no clue as to what Baghric was referring to when he said he was right about him. Second… actually eating the hearts sounds fine so that’s ok. Third is that they had limited time.

“Baghric you said that we had a three days walk. We don’t have a lot of time to do any of that.” Jason was still honestly surprised he was so easy going about this. Learning a new language, eating wolf hearts, and even learning fighting. He found it odd that he was completely fine with doing all of these things at the behest of this gruff dwarf. It can only be good though. I’ll have to watch it if I’m too easy going about more strange and odd things, but with learning the language and fighting I can see why I need to do that. I would’ve been killed by that wolf if Baghric wasn’t there today. And Baghric isn’t always going to be there. I need to be able to buy and sell things and gather a party and communicating is important for that. As for the hearts… fuck it Imma be honest I want them. I want them badly.

“Oh laddie ever since I decided ye needed training I’ve decided to stay out ‘ere much longer.” Baghric gave a grin. Jason had a sinking feeling.

“How much longer?”

“Until ye have five skills up ta rank ten laddie.” Baghric was still grinning. “Best get some sleep. For we start early in te morning tomorrow.”