Once again, Liam crossed through the city gate, earning a curious gaze from a guard that recognized him from a few minutes prior. Still, the guy didn’t stop him. It made Liam wonder why they even stood there. From there, he returned to the edge of the woods and looked around.

“What am I even doing?” Liam asked himself. “Scath, you can hear me, right?”

His shadow quivered.

“Think you could find a Beastkin woman with white hair and red eyes?”

Again, his shadow quivered, but then it darted between the shadows within the forest until he could not see it anymore. Perhaps Scath could do all the work while he waited.

Sitting against the trunk of the nearest tree, Liam muttered, “If we don’t find her soon, then I’m going back to the house to sleep…”

* * * * *

“He’s probably out here, isn’t he?” Nora asked herself while sitting on a branch at the top of a tall tree. “Would I even see him from here?”

Swinging her legs back and forth, she scanned over the forest using a perception enhancing skill. Although she saw plenty of movement, none of it belonged to a human, or rather, whatever Liam was now.

“Why did I even come out here, anyway? He was just a little later than when he said to meet… maybe he did leave me behind? Maybe I was too annoying and he decided it wasn’t worth it or something… ugh… Hmm?”

Noticing a strange movement in the shadows, she trained her gaze on it. At first, she struggled to find it, but eventually noticed a shadow moving on its own, darting from place to place while avoiding the moonlight as much as possible.

“Shadow magic? That’s rather… unusual… Is it searching for something?”

For a while, she watched it zip all over the place at incredible speed.

“I doubt I could keep up with that even with my agility traits… Wait… is it coming this way?”

To her dismay, the shadow eventually stopped at the foot of her makeshift watchtower. Her eyes widened as a beast’s head emerged from the shadow as though surfacing from the ocean. It stepped out onto the grass and stared directly at her. She stopped swinging her legs.

“Is that a Greater Woolf?! Oh, gods of the forest help me…” Nora prayed as her face paled.

The beast sat down and patted the ground with its forepaw. However, Nora simply stared at it hoping it would leave. Realizing the fact, it tilted its head and snorted before diving back into the shadows and darting back the way it came from initially. A sigh of relief slipped from her lips once it left her sights. Afterward, she leaned against the bark of the tree and wondered if she should just head back to town and wait for Liam there.

A few minutes later, since she failed to muster strength in her legs to climb down, she saw the giant Woolf approach once more, though not from the shadows. In reaction, her body froze and the fur along her spine and tail stood on end. The fact that her tail usually stayed tucked within her shirt only made it feel worse.

Then, she noticed a person walking beside the beast, perhaps some sort of tamer or something? She blinked.

“Liam? The hell is he doing next to that thing?”

When Liam arrived at the tree, he looked up and locked eyes with her. “The hell are you doing here? I told you to meet me at the house.”

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“Uh… you were late. Nevermind that, what’s with the Woolf?”

“Long story, but he’ll be traveling with us, I guess.”

Mixed emotions swam through Nora’s mind. On one hand, she felt relieved that Liam still intended to help her with a cure, but on the other… why a Woolf of all things? Taking a deep breath, she wrapped her hands around the trunk and clambered down. When she reached the ground, she made sure to keep Liam between herself and the enormous beast.

“The new pants are certainly different, but that jacket looks almost the same,” Liam said. “Well, any change leftover?”

“Oh, right, clothes…” Nora muttered. “Not so much change. I bought a mask that will cover my eyes while we’re in town.”

“I gave you five gold. How much did all that cost?”

“Uh… not that much…” Nora muttered, sending wary glances toward the Woolf every few seconds. “I may have also bought a bed and had it delivered.”

Raising his brow, Liam asked, “You did all that in a couple hours?”

Nora nodded but continued to glance worriedly at the beast.

Noticing, Liam looked back and forth between the two and asked, “Got a problem with him?”

“I wouldn’t say problem…”

“Seems you’re not comfortable with him,” Liam said. “His name’s Scath. You’re going to have to get used to him if you want to stay near me.”

“I can… do that… probably.”

“Mhm. Well, that’s out of the way. I’ll forgive you for making me go out of my way to find you since you completed one of my goals for me,” Liam said as he started walking toward the city. At the same time, the beast melted into shadows and merged with Liam’s.

The action startled Nora, but now that the huge creature was out of sight, she visibly relaxed and asked, “How did you end up with a Woolf companion?”

“Woolf?” Liam asked. “He’s not a Woolf. He’s a Direwolf.”

“Direwolf?”

Rubbing his chin, Liam muttered, “It seems there’s a disconnect between common knowledge and truth, and it’s not the first I’ve come across such a thing since coming here, not that it matters much.”

“So people call them one thing when they are called another?”

“Basically.”

* * * * *

When they arrived at the house, Nora asked, “What about showing you my hideout?”

With an annoyed expression, Liam answered, “We can do that any night.”

“It would be better to get it out of the way sooner and bring my stash here with that magic thing you used the other day.”

Sighing, Liam put the key back in his pocket and said, “Can’t deny the getting it out of the way part, but you’re carrying most of it.”

Liam began walking toward the center of town, but Nora grabbed his shoulder and said, “It’s best to travel along the rooftops at night so we’re less likely to be seen.”

In response, Liam raised a brow.

“You’re a thief, too, aren’t you?” Nora asked.

“So, we’re using stealth. Fine. Lead the way.”

Nodding, Nora effortlessly hopped onto the nearest two story roof. Figuring he could do the same due to his increased status, Liam put all his strength into his legs and jumped. It was a beautiful leap. Too bad he overshot the roof by a good margin. Nora’s eyes widened as Liam tumbled through the air and landed in the alley on the other side. The impact of his body thumping against the ground caused her to wince. Looking over the edge, she saw him sprawled on the ground. Luckily, it looked like he did not sustain much damage, though he bit his lip and groaned as he sat up.

“You okay?” Nora asked just loud enough for him to hear her.

Before answering, Liam checked his status. His HP took a small hit, but not much. “I’m fine,” he answered while rising to his feet. He shook his head before glaring at the building. He tried jumping again but with less power. This time, he undershot the jump and barely grasped the roof tiles. From there, he pulled himself up. As soon as he got onto the roof, he clicked his tongue.

Out of curiosity, Nora asked, “How much did you actually level up over the past few days?”

“I was level four when we met, I think,” Liam answered.

“Then how much strength did you have?”

“Not sure, fifteen or so. Maybe a bit more.”

“And now?”

“Sixty-something.”

“Then what about your agility and dexterity?”

“Both around thirty-something.”

“That’s just ridiculous… it’s no wonder that just happened.”

“Would have realized it today if those Direwolves hadn’t shown up,” Liam muttered. “Let’s go. Sooner I can go to sleep, the better.”