I took care to approach from downwind. The smell of blood and a bit of carrion told me I was close to the monster's den. My heart was throbbing in my ears. As a moth to the flame, I was drawn to the unknown, eager to unravel the mystery of this unique creature. I stopped to hear. Leaves rustling, the cadence of the monster steps, I was close. But instead of being ambushed by it, I was the one ready to strike. I saw movement and a flash of gray fur between leaves. The creature was prowling around the den's entrance.

I studied the ground in front of me and picked the spots to step over. Every branch, every bramble and bush were known and would not snag on my gear. Then I moved into position.

The den was a small cave on the side of a cliff. Bones and discarded skin littered the ground in front of it. I couldn't see the creature. A cursory examination of my surroundings and the space behind me told me I wasn't walking into an ambush. At least I hoped. So, I exercised a hunter's greatest virtue. Patience.

It meant I would hike back to the city without sunlight. Normally, the light reflected by the planetary ring illuminated the night for hours, sometimes onto midnight. But this time of the year, with the Suns on the other hemisphere, night brought darkness with Yolanthe's sinister blessings. On one hand, we could see the stars of our marvelous galaxy, but on the other hand, we couldn't see the ground.

The creature came out of its den. It had a wolf's head with deer antlers adorning its crown. If that antler worked like a deer's, it would shed in a few months, during late winter. But with monsters, you couldn't be sure. I aimed and drew my bow. If it had a wolf's physiology, the heart should...

I let the arrow fly and nocked the next. Puncture wounds on the fur could easily be fixed by any competent tanner or taxidermist. I was more concerned with securing the kill. The first arrow struck right under the front shoulder, then the next in the neck. The monster growled, gurgled, and leaped forward, spreading huge wings in the process. Its hindquarters were pure white like an albino rabbit but easily three times the size in each direction. It had long feathers for a tail, a sign that it might be able to fly. The gliding leap carried the monster ten meters forward in a flash, causing my third arrow to miss. It must've used magic to jump that fast.

It was something I expected. Those fast shots quickly lost accuracy. The monster was bleeding profusely. I re-centered my aim as I drew and nocked another arrow. Fire. It struck the monster in its hindquarters.

I saw it happen in slow motion but in reality, the monster's reaction took less than a second. The antlers began to glow and crackle. Sparks run up between branches, gathering at the tips. I felt the hairs in my arms and chest rise. Before I could think about ducking out of the way, a lightning bolt flying through the space between us and slamming into my chest. At the last moment, I... hoped I was fast enough to react. But it was lightning, and lightning was fucking fast. The attack sheared through my HP threshold, dropping my pool by a third instantaneously. And then it fucked me up.

I fell on the ground twitching, my muscles locking up and spasming. The monster took its sweet time to come my way. I heard a thump. And then the System.

> For killing level 21 Wolfertinger Bitch, you gained 2,240 Experience points.

> you gained a level. You are now level 10.

> You gained the Beast Bond Perk. You can bond with tame and friendly beasts. Up to 1+sqrt([Endurance+Charisma+Clarity]/200) such bonds may exist at the same time.

The notifications floated in front of me in their blue boxes until I acknowledged and dismissed them. Bloody hell. That monster was of Legendary rarity. I got way over my head, again. I rolled on the ground, waiting for the pain to lessen and to regain control of my muscles. When said control came, it was already dark. I quickly drank a healing potion and then waited again for its effect.

The Perk was one my grandfather had. My Class was a variant of Scout that had access to Soul-related magic later on. Most mundane Classes didn't even unlock the Clarity attribute and the MP resource. This distinction was what made my Class Rare.

Then, I sat up and scanned my surroundings. Nothing. The thunderclap was loud but it seemed it failed to attract anything dangerous. Standing up, I checked my gear. The boiled leather cuirass was ruined. I cut the straps with a knife and tossed it out. My chest was sizzled. I made a mental note to buy spare sets of gambeson. Angry burn marks spread from the point of impact all over my torso and up my shoulders. It was going to leave a scar. The healing potion would've fixed the marks if it could.

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I retrieved the arrows that were still usable and checked the dead Wolfertinger. It was heavier than a wolf, being the size of the biggest mastiffs I saw in the city. I briefly tapped the tip of an antler. it was sharp and hard but it wasn't charged with lightning.

But I bet these antlers would fetch a very good price to the right buyer. I also knew I would get a scolding from Alice.

I didn't have the light or the time to skin the monster. Carrying her back to town with me was going to be hard. I didn't have the time or the light to skin the creature, either. I was tempted to harvest the antlers and leave the carcass behind but one thing kept me from doing that. The Wolfertinger was a majestic and exotic creature. It would be worth a fortune as a taxidermy exhibit. Way more than these antlers would net as alchemical ingredients.

I rolled the designation the System gave the monster. Wolfertinger Bitch. I doubted it was the social connotation of the word. It could only mean...

Leaving my trophy on the ground, I crawled into the den. While the Wolfertinger was taller than a normal wolf (and smaller than a Warg), the fit through the den's mouth was tight. I could see that the antlers had dug into the rock and earth above the entrance, carving grooves from how many times the Wolfertinger Bitch had entered and left the den.

The room inside was taller than the entrance. The smell was horrible. In a corner, I saw a litter of Wolfertinger pups laying in a pile of rotting matted furs. The monsters were intelligent enough to not make noise while I was outside but now, they were wide awake and growling at me. They didn't have antlers. Just like deer, I thought they should grow the antlers during their first spring as adults.

The pups were really aggressive. They leaped and approached to bite and claw at me, wings spreading to give them more airtime. Monsters often had an instinct to attack other creatures and some were irrationally driven to do so. Scout's Oath flew to intercept the biggest and more aggressive pup. It batted the monster out of the air and down into the cavern floor. then a stab kept the next from reaching my thigh. The backswing knocked the third away and a kick flung the fourth back to where it came.

I didn't see a fifth. The pups recovered and came at me again, but this time they weren't staggered. I bashed the first one with all the strength I could muster, then danced as the bow staff (still strung) and my feet kept the Wolfertinger pups from avenging their mother. They each should have weighed two kilograms, with the eldest brother closer to three. While I could bash them away, their thick fur, wings, and monstrous constitution made them very durable and resistant to blunt force trauma.

The fight went on. I got a few scratches on my greaves and boots but so long I kept them from my exposed chest, I would be fine. At the fifth strike I felt the dampening effects of their HP vanish and the sixth blow to the eldest pup broke some bones. The Wolfertinger pup crashed on one side and snapped a wing from the impact. I focused on its siblings, dispatching them in exchange for a few minor wounds to my shins.

> For killing level 5 Wolfertinger Pup, you gained 98 Experience points.

> For killing level 2 Wolfertinger Pup, you gained 49 Experience points.

> For killing level 1 Wolfertinger Pup, you gained 39 Experience points.

> For killing level 0 Wolfertinger Pup, you gained 31 Experience points.

This was the pain every high-leveled individual suffered. Killing stuff above your level was dangerous but rewarding, but the Experience awards dropped vertiginously once the levels were below one's own. The Wolfertinger were a Legendary species and I needed to kill a hundred level zero pups to advance to level eleven.

Damn.

But they were Legendary creatures. I was sure the pup corpses would also be worth a fortune. I collected them and then turned on my lantern, to search the den for loot. I wasn't expecting anything but it would be foolish to go away without looking.

I went to the rotting furs and started to pull them away. On the fourth fur, Something rolled off of it and crashed against the ground, making a pained whine.

Whine?

I looked at the bundle of gray and white fur tangled in downy feathers and readied a knife. When the monster stared at me with fearful puppy eyes, I sheathed my weapon and approached.

It whined. I looked for signs of aggression but found none. This Wolfertinger pup was smaller than its level zero sibling and seemed to be malnourished. Perhaps its more aggressive siblings kept all the milk for themselves. Or maybe this monster had some disease or malformation and was excluded by the mother but not outright killed.

I pressed my hand over the pup's head. Then I lifted it by the scruff. The wings spread instinctively, an attempt to cushion its fall should I drop it. The feathers weren't grown enough to fly. I even doubted if the adult version could fly. This Wolfertinger pup weighted only fifteen hundred grams, give or take a hundred. It stared at me with pleading puppy eyes. I wasn't fooled. This monster had the same sharp claws and needle fangs of its dead siblings. Then I checked underneath. It was a boy.

But I couldn't find the courage to kill it. It was so weak and defenseless. I poked its muzzle with a finger, daring it to bite me. The pup whimpered again. I examined its body, pulling and pushing its six limbs. I didn't find anything broken or misshapen.

I rubbed its belly. The divide between the wolf and rabbit portions was a clear line. Then I cradled the Wolfertinger pup against my chest. The monster nuzzled the crook of my elbow and relaxed its body.

What should I do? The fact the System granted me a Perk that was so related to this encounter wasn't lost on me. Or that I felt drawn to come here.

I nudged the pup's head up and stared at his eyes. "Are we fated to meet, little pup?"

The monster didn't reply. A current of excitement raced in my mind. Could it be? Could this be an opportunity to have a Legendary pet? I had no idea. But the little guy was already growing on me. As a test, I tried to use the Perk but it didn't work. Re-reading the description, it needed to be tame and friendly. I had just murdered its whole family. No way it would be this easy.

Just as I thought about that, A pained howl sounded from the outside.