Examining the clear skies and the gentle hills the road moved over and around, Axel took a deep breath and sighed happily.

"I should have left the city sooner," he said aloud to himself. "This is great! Perfect weather, easy road, nice green hills; I could get used to this. Why would anyone want to spend all their time in the city? It's so crowded and loud! Not to mention the smells! I don't know if things are so bad because I have better senses or what, but that city stinks! I couldn't tell at first since it was the first place I'd been to, but this confirms it and is so much better!"

As he spoke to himself, Axel moved briskly down the packed dirt road searching for the third farmhouse on the east side of the mostly south-moving road. Sighting it over another hill, he moved just a little faster until he was standing next to the gate in the fence that encircled the property and spun westward to continue on his way to the Trout's Head Mines. He didn't notice the Orc man and Human woman that watched him go as they exchanged looks and then shrugged before returning to their chores. Deciding to examine his stat sheet as he walked, Axel called it forth and studied it closely.

Axel

Beastkin (Wolf)

HP: 100% SP: 100% MP 100%

Tamer

Inventory:

Padded Clothes(equipped)

Skinning Knife

Leather Collar

Wooden Tag (2)

Currency:n/a

Perks:

Wild Senses: Increased effectiveness of your senses

Skills:

Examine: Study a target to determine race, name, or danger level

Innate Tracking: Track trails and scents through terrain. Difficulty scales with terrain, area, and weather

"Wild Senses sounds cool, but it seems like it might be a double-edged sword," Axel told himself. "Innate Tracking seems like the kind of thing that would need more testing and practice. Thankfully, Examine seems straightforward enough. Wonder if it's an instant thing or something that needs me to say it out loud?"

As he walked and talked with himself, Axel began to hear the sound of moving water. Moving faster, he nearly fell into the river that seemed to appear from nothing.

Sighing and shaking his head at his now wet foot and the uncomfortably cold cloth on his bronze skin, Axel looked up and down the river for a sign of where to go next before seeing the sheer cliff wall further south.

"That just screams 'Mine over here' doesn't it?" Axel muttered to himself. "Hope my sandal dries between here and there."

Following the river further south, Axel approached the cliff face that rose high above him into the air. Looking to either side, he wondered where the entrance to the mine might be. The only place that looked like it might be an entrance of any sort was the crack in the cliff wall that allowed the river to flow unfettered into the darkness.

"No fucking way," Axel muttered to himself. "I am not drowning myself for free drinks just because a pretty Elf asked me to."

As he spoke, Axel turned his face skyward in exasperation and, after a deep breath or two with his eyes closed, saw a jutting ledge nearly fifteen feet above his head.

"I'm going to have to climb the damn cliff, aren't I?" he asked himself.

After a long moment of study, he began to make out perfectly rounded holes and a series of jutting rocks and deep cracks that would offer an easy ascent of the cliff to the ledge that stuck out nearly three feet.

"I'm going to have to climb the damn cliff," Axel nodded to himself. "Guess there's no time like the present."

Carefully and with a grip that he worried would shatter the suddenly fragile-seeming rock, Axel began to ascend the cliffside. It wasn't until he was nearly halfway there that he realized the clawed parts of his fingers and toes allowed him to dig into smaller cracks and rocks more easily, making the climb a much safer affair given his lack of equipment.

Exhausted, arms trembling from exertion, and breathing heavily from the more intense workout than he expected, Axel pulled himself onto the ledge and rested on his back, arms outstretched to either side as he tried to recover.

"That sucked," he breathed to himself unhappily. "I am so not getting paid enough for this fetch and escort quest."

Finally, the Wolf-man pushed himself to his feet and turned his eyes toward the cliff face he hadn't been able to see around the ledge he now found himself on. A cave, squared and supported with wooden beams, lead deeper into the rocky earth.

"If this isn't a mine, I'm killing a developer," Axel swore as he approached the opening in the rockwall and entered the unnatural cave.

You have entered the Trout's Head Mine!

"That's promising," he sighed to himself. "Now, I just need to find some sort of light before I move deeper. Oh look! An unlit torch!"

Gripping the torch firmly in his hand, Axel gave it a few test swings and nodded to himself.

"At least I'll have a club to beat on those Ore Eaters with," he muttered to himself as he looked hopefully around the entrance for some sort of flint and steel, or, even better, an already lit fire with a red-headed Dwarf beside it.

Not seeing either thing, Axel shrugged to himself and moved further into the darkened depths of the mine in search of Wulf Stouthammer. As he moved, Axel tried to strain his ears for any sounds that might lead him toward the Dwarf.

Thankfully, as the mine continued deeper, it maintained a straight shot with a slight downward slope before splitting into three more directions at a four way crossroads, if Axel's hand was to be believed as he ran it across the walls.

Coming to the fifth opening, Axel retraced his steps back to the one he'd come from and, using his skinning knife, carved a crude arrow in the direction of the exit.

"Hopefully when I come back here, I'll have some sort of light," he muttered to himself, barely noticing the echo that carried his voice slightly.

Nodding to himself at the handiwork he couldn't see and telling himself it was perfect, Axel knelt down and listened carefully in the hopes that it would allow him to more accurately pick a direction to find the Dwarf in. After a moment of listening, a quiet clatter that sounded like claws scraping across stone sounded behind him and Axel immediately threw himself to the side as something flew past him and landed with a sharp, echoing yelp as it impacted the corner of the crossroads behind him.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

Deciding to take a risk, Axel rolled to his feet quickly and charged the beast that had attacked him blindly. More by luck than skill, he managed to find the creature and threw his arms around its throat in a crude choke-hold that allowed him to feel the wiry fur and hard rock-like protrusions in its skin.

"Fighting a damn Rockwolf in the dark," he grunted to himself as the creature rose to its feet and began to shake itself back and forth in an attempt to dislodge itself from Axel. "I've had better plans!"

Grappling with the beast, Axel tightened his grip desperately, knowing that if the creature managed to shake him off, it wouldn't be long before it moved in for the kill on the stunned, weak Beastkin that had wandered into its territory. With a snarl, the Rockwolf attempted to swipe at Axel with its forelegs and more by luck than skill on Axel's part missed him completely, striking the mine's wall and sending sparks flaring outward at the impact.

"Not today, Fido," Axel growled primally at the Rockwolf as he tightened his grip further. "You're mine and I ain't losing!"

Growling and snapping at the young man, the Rockwolf redoubled its efforts and began to slam Axel heavily into the rocky wall. Gritting his teeth in pain as he felt his bones nearly snap at the beast's efforts, Axel leaned forward desperately and bit into the Rockwolf's ear with a snarl that built in his chest and vibrated through his throat.

Returning his snarl with one of its own, the Rockwolf swiped again with its claws and slammed ineffectually into the mine wall as it attempted to dislodge Axel from its neck. Feeling the beast weakening, Axel redoubled his grip and squeezed mightily as a yelp sounded from the Rockwolf.

"Don't like that, do you?" Axel asked, tasting blood from the Rockwolf's ear as he spoke. "Be a good doggie and LAY DOWN!"

Shouting the last words, Axel heaved the Rockwolf around and threw it bodily into the mine's wall. Gasping for air at his struggle with the beast, Axel looked toward where it had impacted the wall and moved toward it as it began to whimper pitifully at him. Just before he arrived at the beast, a shuffling sound came from behind him and the Rockwolf growled.

"If that's one of your friends, I'm killing them before I finish you off," Axel promised the Rockwolf just before he felt the rush of air beside him as the wolf pounced on the newcomer with more hatred than it had shown toward Axel the entire time.

Jerking his head to follow the creature's passage in the dark, Axel heard the two creatures impact one another and saw sparks begin to fly as the Rockwolf clawed and bit at the creature that Axel couldn't see in the pitch black, made worse by the sparks of light that illuminated nothing. Deciding to aid the wounded Rockwolf against the new monster that it seemed to hate passionately, Axel bent down and scrabbled on the mine floor for his dropped torch or a large rock to use as a weapon. Feeling a bit of rough wood on one of his passes, he pulled the torch to himself and hefted it before approaching the two fighting monsters.

"Step back, mutt," he called to the Rockwolf, hoping it understood him, before swinging with all his strength at the monster.

With a heavy thud that nearly shook the unlit torch from his arms, Axel confirmed one thing about the new fighter in the dark, two really. It wasn't a Rockwolf and it wasn't a Dwarf. In his mind that left only one possibility, an Ore Eater. Pulling back his improvised club twice more, Axel swung it heavily into the possible Ore Eater, hoping that he was hitting something vital as he did so.

As he raised his arms for a fourth swing, the monster shunted itself into him in a crude tackle that sent him stumbling back as he tried to regain his footing. Before the creature could follow him and finish its job, the Rockwolf pounced into melee once more and, snapping and snarling, drove the Ore Eater away from Axel.

Hefting his torch again Axel moved toward what he expected to be the side of the creature.

"Flip it!" he called to his temporary ally, hoping the beast was smart enough to understand him as he jabbed his torch under the Ore Eater and heaved in an attempt to raise and flip the creature onto its back.

Feeling what the Beastkin was attempting, the Ore Eater struggled to scratch at him with its stubby, clawed feet that were nowhere near him as it felt one side of its body being raised before it began to roll onto its back.

The Rockwolf, understanding what the Wolf-man was doing in its own way, pounced on the now exposed throat of the Ore Eater and ripped its throat out, sending blood spraying all over the enclosed tunnel of the mine. As Axel moved back and faced the now weakly struggling Ore Eater with his unlit torch held at the ready, the Rockwolf jumped back beside him and looked toward the dying monster vigilantly.

Together, man and beast studied the now dead creature that only one of them could see. Finally, seeing that the Ore Eater was dead, the Rockwolf nudged Axel's elbow pulling a startled yelp from the young man.

"Don't do that!" he scolded the beast that he'd been trying to kill a moment ago. "Your nose is wet and cold!"

Offering a self-assured chuff toward its unlikely ally, the Rockwolf moved past him and sniffed curiously at the Ore Eater's corpse.

As the Rockwolf sniffed at the monster that they'd killed together, Axel thought. After a long moment, he nodded to himself and spoke to the Rockwolf.

"Hey, Rockwolf," he said, "I was wondering if you were maybe open to the idea of teaming up with me. You'd get to leave this place, which seems nice enough sure, and you'd get to go exploring with me. What do you say? I'll watch your back and you'll watch mine."

Cocking its head toward the Wolf-man, the Rockwolf studied him as he spoke and made his offer to the creature. After a long minute that seemed to stretch further in the dark, it approached him and nudged him with head as it let out a short wuff sound in agreement.

"I'll take that as a 'yes,'" Axel said. "Thanks, I wasn't looking forward to having to do the rest of this alone in the dark. Oh yeah, Inkfingers told me I need to put this on you. To make things easier for us in the city."

Sniffing at the offered leather collar curiously, the Rockwolf let out a short groan and offered its throat to Axel so he could attach it and the wooden tag to it.

You have tamed an Ironclawed Rockwolf.

Tamed Creature has been added to your Menagerie.

Please select a name for your Tamed Creature to attain bonus from your Creature and gain access to your Creature's status.

"Don't suppose you have a name?" Axel asked his new partner. With another short chuff followed by a snort, the Rockwolf answered in a clear no.

"How does Sylvester sound?" Axel offered. "Named after one of the best actors ever, Sylvester Stallone. You like that?"

Offering another snort as though to say no, the Rockwolf swiped at its eyes, though Axel couldn't see that in the dark.

"Not Sylvester, then," Axel said, hearing the beast's message clearly. "Maybe something else? I'm not picking Rocky, that's just too cliche. What about the Russian guy from the fourth movie? What was his name? Drago? You like Drago instead?"

With a sharp yip, the Rockwolf licked one of Axel's cheeks as though to agree to accepting the name.

"Alright, Drago it is," Axel said with a nod toward the newly dubbed Drago.

You have named your Tamed Ironclawed Rockwolf 'Drago.' Confirm?

"Yes," Axel said clearly.

Drago; Tamed Ironclawed Rockwolf; has been added to your Menagerie. Obtain a stable to send him away and call him to you.

Tamer Perk gained: Menagerie Awareness: Maintain awareness of where the active Creatures of your Menagerie are. Active Creatures are those who travel with you. Up to five Creatures may be active at one time.

Tamer skill gained: Train: Work with your Tamed Creatures to teach them to work together seamlessly and obey your orders.

Tamer skill gained: Sic: Order your Tamed Creatures to focus on one target. Use a Creature's name to dedicate as few as one Creature to the attack. Increase Creature's obedience with skill Train to ensure Creature follows orders.

Tamer skill gained: Heel: Order your Tamed Creatures to follow closely at yours or another's side. Use a Creature's name to dedicate as few as one Creature to following. Increase Creature's obedience with skill Train to ensure Creature follows orders.

Tamer skill gained: Track: Order your Tamed Creatures to follow trails and scents to hunt prey and search for quarries. Use a Creature's name to dedicate as few as one Creature to tracking. Increase a Creature's obedience with skill Train to ensure Creature follows orders.

Creature Perk gained: Ironclawed Rockwolf: Earthsense: Attune yourself to the mana in the earth and detect vibrations, openings, and stones.

Bonus: Extra Creature Spell gained: Ironclawed Rockwolf: Manipulate Earth: Use your mana to manipulate the earth and shape it to your will. Allows shaping and manipulation of dirt, stone, and raw ore. All manipulations must be touching the ground or held by you to hold shape.

"That's a lot of stuff," Axel said as both of his new perks made themselves known and the underground came alive around him with information.