After the commoners had their spectacle, everyone who was someone in the City went to the castle ballroom to celebrate surviving a calamity. The calamity in question was also invited. Alice wasn't in her usual cheerful and meddlesome mood and offending her could, dunno, make her drop a mountain on the city.

Despite Hector's best efforts, Kara rode on a different carriage. I still had no idea what Alice did to her but the city's newest Guard Captain didn't want to get closer to the Guild Master than she needed. And Alice wasn't going to leave my side until the next morning when she would rejoin her friends in the search for more Wolfertingers. I hoped they found one, only to remove the "unique" tag from Sleepy.

I was never called a social butterfly. Despite the generous gift of fifty Charisma points from the System, it would only make me one-half more sociable than baseline me.

We queued to enter the ballroom. It was in its own building, an annex to the castle. I knew it couldn't be called a palace because it wasn't a national sovereign's residence and its main purpose was still military. Yet, it did have a palatial feel.

The Knights at the entrance to the annex stopped us. "No weapons beyond this point."

Alice sighed and opened the flap to her satchel. "Hand me yours, I will keep them safe."

I did. One by one, my weapons vanished inside the spatial bag. Then, finally, Scout's Oath. The curse wouldn't affect Alice because she intended to give it back to me. Or maybe she was immune to it. A question for another day.

Alice, Sleepy (in the enchanted carrier), and I entered the venue.

The ballroom was rather empty as some blue-blooded guests intended to arrive fashionably late and some wouldn't dream of letting the world see them in the same clothes they wore to a mass execution.

Kara was already there, harried by nobles and well-to-do people who formed a ring around her, reminding me of a dog fighting ring I once saw in the less well-to-do parts of the city. The excitement of the crowd was the same.

I had to go and thank her. Now that I knew more about her side of the story, she was the heroine this time. I just bounced here and there, my most important achievement was to find wagon tracks and follow them for two days. I feared that even calling that important was pushing it. If I hadn't gone after the smugglers, Lilliane Fade would have delivered Sleepy to my doorstep.

Of course, I had no idea she would get involved or that she would be willing to come to town. It was all my self-loathing and fears speaking up.

I glanced down at the cage dangling from my left hand. Sleepy was quiet, enjoying the enchanted environment. Bloody hells, why couldn't I bond with him? What fault had the System found within me to not even offer the prompt?

It was useless to think about that here and my distress drew the attention of some people. Or maybe they were looking at Alice and I mistook it.

Some of them waved at the elf-sized demolition crew. Totally Alice. I might be invisible to these people. While a few people in the known were aware of what really happened, like a certain army Major who was staring daggers at me, most thought nothing of the teenager who arrived with the Guild Master.

I went on my own to find some food. Some Waiters approached with alcoholic drinks but went the other way, missing me. I remembered they often had a Perk to tell the thing the customer wanted the most and the least.

The finger food was excellent. Small bites one could chew fast to keep the conversation rolling but not so small as to not even put a dent in one's hunger. I even slipped some meat strips to Sleepy.

One hour later, Hector found me. He was one of those who went to change clothes.

"George!" The lordling waved. I perceived a slight tug on his shoulder as if some pin had popped out of it and pushed against the fabric. It was a clear yet subtle sign it wasn't fully healed or that it had left sequelae.

"Hector, thanks for the help."

"Think nothing of it. It was my father's corrupted subordinates who caused it in the first place. I'm just glad the Guild Master won't need to decide if she should follow through on her threats."

I couldn't say she wouldn't. Angry Alice was like a natural disaster, unpredictable.

"It ended well, after all."

He moved into a position where he could see Kara. "Indeed. We could say we got a bonus. The new Captain's Class evolution was well worth it."

They used to say that each level of rarity was worth, to a society, ten to a hundred people of the lower rarity. The statistics were muddled because not every person within an important geographical position followed normal Class distribution. Our City, because of the Dungeon and other reasons, attracted way more Adventurers, pushing both rarity and levels up.

Some ladies waved at Hector. He straightened his jacket. "Duty calls, I'm afraid. Do drop by the castle whenever you have the chance, George."

"Sure," I replied mechanically.

I was left alone, with a Legendary critter for company. It was tempting to take Sleepy out of the carrier and use him as emotional support but I could tell the moment Sleepy got out, people would flock to see the novelty.

I roamed the ballroom, feeling like an outsider. My place wasn't here, it was in the wilderness. My wanderlust spiked, an urge to get out of here and go scouting for threats.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

I searched for the people I knew.

Kara was still swamped with people who wanted to get in her good graces or just hear her story. Alice was engaged in fierce conversation with some nobles. And Hector was entertaining some young ladies.

I could still see his jacket shoulder pad rise whenever he moved his arm in a certain way. I forgot to ask but maybe it was for the best. If he was hiding the injury, asking could sour our relationship.

After being imprisoned, I placed a higher value on having friends in high places. I couldn't continue with only Alice as my safety net. With monsters like Lilliane Fade taking an interest in me…

I shivered. The infamy of the Time Witch lent her name the status of a Boogeyman. Boogey Woman. Witch. The kind mothers used to keep children in their best behavior. I couldn't even tell what was true from the tall tales.

I thought about leaving but the ballroom exit was a trap. A white marble staircase forty-eight steps tall led to the outside. Climbing it would let everyone know I was leaving early. Social anxiety made me dread about a reputation I didn't have.

To hell with it. I ran up the stairs. Yes, Alice had destroyed one-sixth of the Guild district but I was considered the Guild Savage. Let them.

Fuck.

Only when I was out of the ballroom did I remember I left Scout's Oath with Alice. Bloody Hell. No way I'm going back there to retrieve a weapon. Nor would I make Alice come outside.

*

*

Knights, Guardsmen, coachmen, and footmen waited outside. They seemed to have their own social gathering—one I ruined just by being nearby. One of the Guards shouted an alert, and everyone snapped back into work mode, the wineskins vanishing behind their backs.

"Milord, are you retiring for the night?" A knight asked.

I had to process what he said. "Yes, I am."

"A carriage for Guild Officer George!" He shouted.

One of the coachmen waved a hand. "Wait here, milord. I will fetch your carriage. Sorry about the wait, we weren't expecting such an early departure."

"Don't worry. I'd rather walk if it is all the same."

"Sorry to inform you, sir," the Knight said. "But the Lord gave orders to escort all guests back home. Criminal elements decided to take advantage of the momentary lack of Guard personnel and prey on the civilian population. The Lord's guests are not to be harmed."

Tired, I smiled and nodded to show empathy. "Can the carriage take me home?"

"Where do you live?" He asked. I explained, drawing a frown from the Knight. "All right, sir. We will send some knights to escort your carriage. The thing is, we have no Guard elements in the Guild district right now."

"I just want to go home."

"Certainly. The carriage will arrive any moment."

Not only the Guild District was without a Guard presence, but the streets around the Garrison crater were impassable for large vehicles. People on bicycles or on foot managed to pass bit wagons and carriages? Not so much.

When we got near Guild Street, I saw armed Adventurers patrolling the streets. They gave my carriage escort the stink eye but it didn't escalate further.

Soon, Sleepy and I were at home. I opened the back staircase and let William get indoors. Tonight, the three of us would camp in the living room.

I sat in front of the fireplace, leaning on William's thick wool coat, and petting a cuddling Sleepy nestled on my lap. Tityron wool was valuable because of its resilience and come Spring, William would get a nice shear. I should use the wool to make clothes for myself instead of selling it. Or maybe a blanket

*

* I woke up with Sleepy licking my nose. A soft knock came from the rooftop hatch. Only one person would knock there. When I rose to my feet, William woke and bleated he was hungry.

"Let me just open the hatch for my boss and I'll get you some food. No, you can't eat the rug."

I let Alice in. She wore the same gown she went to yesterday's party in.

"Good morning," I said.

She replied. I smelled alcohol on her. Alice scoffed and waved a hand.

"Oh, please. It's literally impossible to get drunk after two thousand points of Endurance."

She was at best tipsy. And as usual, full of bullshit.

I raised an eyebrow. "Didn't say anything."

"Fine. Here are your weapons and gear. I need to go back to the expedition. Gotta find what is pushing monsters from the deep wilderness our way."

I took my things, including Scout's Oath. Alice was out and up, up, and ahead as soon as I did.

"Good luck."

*

*

For the next four days, I remained in the city. My time was split between visits to Melgart's clinic, workouts, archery training, and teaching my pets tricks.

By then, Guard presence returned to the Guild district with Kara as the head of the new garrison. Recruitment posters were everywhere and it was surprisingly effective. Everybody wanted to work under the newly ascended one. People who got Class evolutions from the System.

Popular belief had it that by associating with them, the odds of getting one increased. While that might be true as an ascended one would often expose themselves to more risk and earn more rewards, it was not to be considered an easy meal ticket. It often led to death more than ascension.

*

*

"I know what is holding you back from bonding with Sleepy," Melgart said, to my despair. "But if I tell you, it will hinder System rewards. Just me telling you that I know already has. Knowing the kinks of your particular bond style is part of your Class. Let's go back to training. Sleepy is already trying to fly, we need to instill a solid recall and stay disciplined, otherwise your pet will go away."

"I know," I whined. It wasn't my bravest moment and a lot was going through my mind. Playing to my fear of losing Sleepy after the kidnapping was a dick move but I didn't call Melgart on that. "Let's go."

The upside was that training Sleepy wasn't much different than training a dog or a wolf. Thousands of people before us had tamed Wargs, Barghests, Hellhounds, and even Cerberi. So long we kept his chimeric body parts in mind and adapted the training to include them, it was fine.

Melgart had taken a falconry course for the next leg of Sleepy's training. The little guy was almost strong enough to hover but the takeoff was… complicated.

I had to grab him and toss the Wolfertinger up. Sleepy tried to walk on air instead of tucking his legs in. It messed up his precarious sense of balance and all the wing beats in the world only mitigated the crash.

My heart jumped as I heard his pained cry. I had deprived him of his family and now this.

Cradling the critter in my arms, I felt my eyes sting. Sleepy licked my face.

"He's fine!" Melgart shouted as he ran to where we were. "This beast is half fur anyway, I'm surprised it didn't bounce."

I glared at the Veterinarian. I owed Sleepy too much to treat it with such levity. But that was the moment it clicked. If I bonded with Sleepy, we would fight together. I knew Wolfertingers were a tough and tenacious bunch. Falls were frightening even for System-augmented people but…

I checked Sleepy's health, lightly pulling on each of his limbs. He didn't like it but didn't try to bite or even growl back. I let out a sigh of relief. Sleepy's HP had soaked all the damage from the fall. Wait. How much HP did he have? It was a question I had no way of answering. But a fall of this height…

"Do you think Sleepy has a feature to mitigate fall damage?" I asked Melgart.

"Aside from the natural double cushion of fur and fat along with his small size and the drag from the feathers?" My sarcastic partner replied. "This guy was made to fall and be fine. So long he doesn't land on, dunno, obsidian shards, or the spear roofs of Wivernbane, or lava."

As an aside, Wyvernbane was a town built on the migration path of the continent's biggest Wyvern flock. Anyone can guess why the city's roofs were made with spears instead of shingles. Twice a year, brave hunters went there from everywhere to hunt Wyverns and also feed them with their own bodies. Twice a year the city was also rebuilt.

I felt even more stupid. "Sleepy!" I called.

Sleepy barked and breathed through a lolling tongue, lively yellow eyes staring at me. It had not a single care in the world. I could tell it liked me. Hells, the Class unlock said I had befriended two beasts.

I felt pain. Of the emotional and spiritual kind. Did I think I wasn't worthy of having a Legendary bond companion? I closed my eyes. I followed the pain to its source. Yes, I wasn't worthy. I murdered both parents and all the litter, Sleepy's siblings. Guilt. But did Sleepy blame me for that? He howled back at his sire when we were hunting him but did he recognize who it was?

His mother and siblings didn't care for him. He was weak, starving. Sleepy's lethargy was due to malnourishment. And he was all too happy to eat his own father. Monsters cared not for the source of their food. Sleepy didn't care that I killed his parents and siblings. He might not even remember them.

I could test it. Hector has the Wolfertinger sire's head on display somewhere in the castle. No. That would be selfish of me. I had to trust. I had to believe. I had to let go of this guilt.

I hated myself for killing Sleepy's family because I hated Lilliane Fade for killing my father. And this combination of hate and guilt was the block keeping me from bonding.

But one fundamental difference sets both acts apart. My father loved me. Sleepy's family was killing him.

I killed his family in self-defense. Lilliane Fade killed my father in self-defense. In the deepest, darkest corner of my mind, I became Sleepy's Lilliane Fade.

But no. Lilliane Fade was so powerful she could have evaded the Adventurers. She made a choice to punish them with death. That makes her evil. I had no other choice after we were engaged in battle. I couldn't outrun lightning, magical or otherwise.

I was mistaken. I am not Lilliane Fade. The Wolfertinger Sire was not my father. I didn't slaughter Sleepy's family. I rescued him from abusive monsters!

I pulled my Perk, channeling my will. It was clear now. I had no doubts. No fears. Only love.

> Do you want to bond with Wolfertinger Pup?

Hell, yes