People often didn't bother with pets. 'Pets' was a catchall term for household animals that didn't do labor or produce a commodity. Those people chose to keep in their homes, as opposed to those who entered homes without permission. Most people lived paycheck to paycheck on meager living standards and keeping and feeding an animal just for companionship or novelty was out of their budgets. The rich and powerful? They could have anything they wanted, even fancy animals that didn't contribute to the household budget.

The city had a small share of strays. Dogs and cats and other animals that just lived inside the walls. But they often vanished from the streets, only to reappear as some slum dweller's stew. Or worse. Cats, dogs, and even mice could earn Experience and level up. Surely, they had low rarity and wouldn't ever rise to the magical prowess of, let's say, the pup in my pet carrier. But they could very well become strong enough to attack people.

It usually went like that. Someone finds a leveled-up rat in their house and tries to kill the rat. The rat, following its instincts, tries to run away and then receives an attack that does nothing. The animal attacks the person and succeeds in killing them. Emboldened, its behavior changes and it starts to attack more people and level up, becoming stronger.

Some theorize that such a leveling animal sees the city just as a delver sees a Dungeon. And then the city has a serial killer beast that needs to be put down before it levels too much. When such an event takes place, people give the strays the lynching treatment.

Because of that, people knew what a pet carrier was. A cage that could contain a dangerous creature. I got more than my fair share of stares and fear as people moved away to the other side of the street. In one case, they collided with a speeding bicycle, causing a minor traffic jam.

But I reached my destination without anyone challenging me for the possession of the pet carrier. Some Guards approached but I just needed to flash my Guild badge and they ushered me along.

Finally, I reached the place. The sign read "Melgart's Fantastic Beasts."

I went inside. A young lad, around thirteen to fourteen years old came to greet me. "Welcome to Melgart's Fantastic Beasts, sir. How may I help you?"

"I need someone to tell me how to care for this little guy here. He's rather lethargic. The other pups in his litter were very energetic at this age."

The kid leaned and looked inside. "Is it a wolf? Warg? If it's a Warg puppy, he's very young."

"Are you Melgart?" I asked to deflect the kid's question.

"That would be me," a strong voice came from the side.

I looked. It was a tall man in his forties, wearing a pristine white lab coat.

"I'm George, pleased to meet you, sir."

Melgart nodded. His eyes drifted down to the pet carrier. "So, what do we have in there?"

"A rather lethargic lupine pup. It's not a wolf."

"An infant monster, then. Would you mind if I examined him?"

"First, what are your rates? Is there somewhere more private we can talk?"

"Sure, follow me to my office."

The kid raised his hand in the universal give me money gesture.

"Timmy…" Melgart warned.

I gave Timmy two coppers. Melgart frowned briefly but said nothing. Timmy dashed away and vanished deeper inside the building. I followed Melgart to his office.

He told me his rates, which were expensive but reasonable.

"Is the monster stolen?" He asked straight away before I could comment or agree to his rates.

I sighed as I shook my head. "No. I collected it from its den after killing the mother and the rest of the litter. I just don't want trouble."

"Where did you find the critter? Was it close to town or a faraway place?"

"Close to town but since the monsters were already breeding and not common around here, I would guess they migrated here."

"Are you an Adventurer?"

I showed him my Guild badge. "I work for the Guild."

Melgart dismissed some of his suspicions as he relaxed his shoulders.

Then, I upped the ante.

"How much would you charge to go on retainer and swear secrecy?"

"I assume the critter is one of high rarity then. Okay. We can go to the temple and sign a contract. My rate goes up by a factor of fifty, plus three gold coins as a sign-in bonus."

"I want a hundred years of secrecy for that rate," I said after wincing at the price.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

"Deal. Let me wrap up things around here, give Timmy some instructions, and we can go. Just a handful of minutes."

I waited in the clinic lobby. Melgart appeared on time and we went to Temple Row.

*

*

"There's a hero with insight and speed!" The source of the shout stood in front of the temple, a priest wearing a blocky and colorful metal armor sand. "Fighting for justice with power so supreme!"

It was a hymn about their Golem God. I dropped a silver on the box by the entrance and dipped my head in respect. Melgart did the same. The donation caught the attention of a priest who was on the watch for exactly that.

"He is the one, the only, the man from the matrix!" The priest said. "How may He help you today, gentleman?"

"We want to sign a contract," I said. "I wish to retain Melgart's services and secrecy."

"And have you, Melgart, agreed to these terms? Did you discuss it already?"

"Yes," Melgart said.

"Is either of you under any kind of compulsion or coercion to enter this contract?"

"No," we said in unison.

The priest of the System God would know if any of us lied at this point. It was one of the few or the only ways, to tell the truth absolutely and without fault. This was the reason some scholars said the System could identify stuff.

"Follow me to one of the private rooms."

*

*

The three of us sat in a small room. "You may now talk about the secret terms of your contract. I must tell you that nothing of what is revealed here may be disclosed to third parties. It won't be unwittingly revealed in any case, to mind reading magic or any other means. Willingly disclosure will earn the offending party an Oathbreaker achievement that reduces all Experience awards to zero, impossibility to enter future agreements, and sets a minus eighty percent penalty to all Attribute efficiencies. I am also bound to the same conditions."

My eyes went wide. Achievements were permanent. But I never heard of one that crippled the person that earned it. The priest continued.

"Before anyone says anything, I also have to ask. Do you want to leave before you learn any secrets? You will answer with yes or no."

"No," I said.

"No," Melgart said.

"Good. You may now discuss the terms of your agreement. Should you decide to enter it, the System will decide on a fair rate."

"What is the critter in the carrier," Melgart asked straight away.

"It is a male Wolfertinger, and its rarity is Legendary," I replied straight away.

I had a huge advantage. Whatever Class Melgart had, he would earn a lot of Experience from using it on the Wolfertinger pup.

Melgart gawked and gasped. "I never heard of it."

"Guild Master Alice didn't, either. She is researching to see if anyone else has."

"What do you need from me? What services would I provide?"

"Make sure it is healthy and growing as it should. Help me to develop a training regimen for it. I intend to bond with the pup one day and have it as my companion."

"Do you have a Class feature to bond with it?"

Feature was a catchall term encompassing Traits, Perks, Achievements, and Skills. Basically, everything that was not an Attribute.

"I do."

"Already? What are the requirements to bond?"

"The creature must be tame and friendly to me."

Melgart rubbed his chin. "It's not domination, then?"

"No. The feature is called 'Bond."

He closed his eyes. "Good. Good. I can work with that. Would you let me see the pup now?"

I took the carrier from the ground and placed it on the table. Under two sets of watchful eyes, I produced the pup. It opened one eye, looked at me, then went back to sleep.

"Fantastic. I am going to touch it and use one of my Perks, okay?" Melgart said.

"Go ahead."

With his eyes closed, Melgart placed his hand on the Wolfertinger pup. After some seconds, Melgart gave his diagnosis. "There's nothing wrong with him, physically. No wounds, disease, or parasites. He is a little malnourished but I can tell you've been feeding him properly. Its belly is full."

To drive the point home, the Wolfertinger pup farted. The priest and I retched with the stench but Melgart laughed.

"I agree to work with you and keep your secrets. At the rate we discussed."

The priest cleared his throat. "The System is fair. The three gold coins you agreed upon will cover initial expenses and fees. The contract is highly beneficial to you, Melgart. You already know that you will gain a few levels from it."

Melgart didn't like the System being nosy but I understood why. As one climbed in levels, opportunities to exercise one's Class and gain Experience were worth more than the services provided. In this case, the System was telling Melgart that working with the Wolfertinger pup was one such opportunity.

"I agree. You will bring the pup to my clinic twice a week. Once it is big enough to train, we will increase the frequency to three times."

"My work might demand I stay away from the city for long periods. If such an occasion comes up, I will try to warn you. In any case, if I skip a session, I will try to send a Runner. If I don't, it was because of an emergency or factors beyond my control. If you don't hear from me, you should ask at the Adventurer's Guild then."

"Agreed. Missed sessions should be replaced by increasing the frequency of the visits. I might have to travel too."

"That's fine."

Melgart turned to the priest. "I have one question for your God if He would indulge me."

"Ask away. I will know if he deigned to shower you with His wisdom only after that."

"Will the Exp awards dwindle over time?"

The priest closed his eyes and went still for several seconds. Melgart looked flustered. Then, an answer came. "You were promised several levels. The individual Experience awards will all add to that, regardless of their value. But if you manage to help these two bond, you will earn what your heart yearns."

Cryptic, but it seemed that Melgart understood it.

"I am ready to sign," Melgart said with an eagerness that surprised me.

"I am also ready," I said.

The priest waved his hand. "Then, I'd you want me to help set the fine details of the contract, with the help of the System, we shall find harmony!"

The fine print and legalese took two hours to draft. At least no paper was used. The contract was written on a System window. We would have our copies always with us.

I added all the information I had on the monster species to the contract, earning profuse thanks from Melgart.

Signing the contract was a matter of accepting it. And just like that, we were partners in raising the Wolfertinger pup. I also paid the three gold coins after a quick visit to the nearest bank branch.

*

*

We went back to Melgart's clinic. He used some enchanted devices to examine the Wolfertinger and then his individual parts.

"I can tell that this species has a hybrid build. It is not completely melee-focused and not entirely dependent on its magical abilities. The threshold multiplier of five is too low for the physically-focused juggernaut monsters. They usually have a multiplier of around nine. Each of its body parts is almost indistinguishable from the base animal. Its diet must include a lot of meat. I recommend using monster meat. For a Guild employee, it should be easy to source. The stronger and fresher the meat, the better."

It was good to know.

"Now, about the lethargy. Don't do anything. The little guy is a rescue. We should wait at least two weeks to see if it becomes more active. Let it rest as much as it wants, and give it plenty of food and water. No cow milk. I believe that the accident with your duvet happened because of the milk he drank at that farm. Bring it back here for another consultation in three days."