Zorian hopped down from one grass-covered rock to the next, optimistic but quiet as his fellow packmates barked with joy as they explored the surroundings. Unlike Jason and Lindon who tackled this new place with excitement he preferred to stay back and away from the others, observing the titanic trees and cloudy skies with wary eyes. He’d had three tasks in life until now: eat, poop, and sleep. The silver furred corgi liked to get all of them done before breakfast, and then during and after breakfast too. If he had time, which he usually did, he would also eat dinner and sleep some more.

Recently the person in charge of making sure he could do his tasks everyday was a large person draped in blue with kind eyes. The man had a pale face and sandy fur atop his head, though with naked skin everywhere else. Zorian felt sorry for the human. It must be cold for him. He could hear the man calling out to him and looked back to see him shivering in damp clothes, the heat of the sun not yet warm enough to clean his outer fur of water. A swirl of emotions filled his heart, not all his own, as the man came into view. Zorian sensed happiness, and confusion, but above all there was caution. It was an emotion he could understand, as he felt it often.

What was his name again? Nathan, yes.

That name was a new concept for him. He’d heard the word spoken so many times by the man that denied him food and sneered down at him. Azzie, he believed the man’s name was. He’d only realised names existed in the last few moments, but the concept was starting to make more and more sense to him as the seconds passed. It wasn't the only concept he was beginning to understand. After the strange words appeared to him when they were inside the dark place a change had been set in motion.

[Nathan Park has initiated a companion pact. Would you like to make Nathan your companion? Y/N.]

Zorian had barked at the sudden visitor taking up his vision, but he could sense it was offering him something. As though responding to his thoughts the blue box disappeared and was replaced by a series of barks each conveying a different emotion. Zorian had tensed, but then listened intently. The barks were offering him something. Maybe food. Or sleep. The language wasn’t sophisticated enough for the barks to be clear in their meaning, but they promised him more than he had before. After taking a single look at Rei prancing around in victory his jealousy overcame him and he barked in agreement.

A single bark of confirmation reverberated through his mind and Zorian was swept up in a rush of energy that made him bark with joy. Nathan’s emotions were the first thing to arrive, led by his care and love for Zorian and the others. Next, memories and concepts swept into him through the connection. Words in a language he’d heard spoken but never understood started to implant themselves into his mind and he could vaguely understand them, even if it would take time to memorize them. Even the blue boxes in front of him were no longer totally incomprehensible.

[You have accepted your first companion pact with Nathan Park: Human. Rank: Iron. Congratulations!]

[You have gained access to Nathan’s quirk: Intelligence I.]

[Intelligence I (stat quirk): Provides the benefits of the stat slot: Intelligence. Category: Potency. Rank: Iron-ranked. Effect: Your ability to grasp complex patterns and means of communication will increase and your ability to acquire and apply knowledge and complex skills increases. Equip Intelligence I? Y/N. Available quirk slots: 4.]

[Celestial mission detected: Conquer Gerasha, destroy the native System, and prepare for the celestial’s descent. Difficulty: Legendary. Reward: The Earth will be restored, and you will be returned to your native world.]

[Counter mission proposal: Defend Gerasha against the Celestial-touched. Difficulty: Legendary. Reward: One legendary item, potion, or skill of choice. Accept? Y/N.]

The blue boxes meant nothing to Zorian, but after the rush the first had given him he barked instinctively at them, sorting them out one by one. The final blue box pushed itself in front of him and he looked at it with wide eyes. Then he let out a single bark and the box disappeared, replaced with a new one.

[You have accepted the mission: Defend Gerasha against the Celestial-touched. Difficulty: Legendary. Thank you little one, we look forward to cooperating with you in the future.]

Now Zorian was viewing the world through different silver eyes compared to before. The trees weren’t brighter, and his need to eat hadn’t disappeared, but he was thinking thoughts that hadn’t been there before. A tree wasn’t just for marking. It could also be used for shelter. The smells of nature didn’t just tell him where water and predators were. They could also be enjoyed for the pleasant scent of flowers that wafted into his nostrils. He was even beginning to understand the sounds that were coming out of Nathan’s mouth. He stared at the six others around him. Each one had barked in joy, and he could see changes in every single one of them, even if they hadn’t noticed.

Then Nathan’s shadow crossed over his, and he looked up and panted happily. The man was his greatest chance of survival, and his friend. He would follow him and guide him as best he could. And he had a feeling he knew exactly where Nathan wanted to go.

The big, tall stick and white tennis ball in the sky was their destination.

****

Nathan forced himself to take a deep breath as he climbed down the mountainside, loose rocks and crumbling dirt threatening to give way and send him plummeting head-first into a dive. The mountain wasn’t so steep that a single step would take him off the path, but in an alien world he didn’t want to risk a twisted ankle or broken foot. The dogs barked and yipped joyfully as they made their merry way across the rocks, but to his surprise none of them ran off or even away from his sight. Occasionally each one would look back to make sure he was still in eyesight, and if one went too far they’d come back a moment later with their head lowered sheepishly.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

It gave him time to think about his situation and calm his tense heart. High in the sky the stream of clouds was never-ending as they were sucked into the massive orb pierced by the spire. He got vertigo just looking at it. Even though he was already fit, each movement he made was swifter and he felt like he had boundless energy. It was all thanks to the quirks he’d been given.

[Stamina I: Your required food intake and energy required to do physical activities is reduced by a quarter.]

[Affinity (air): Your steps will be lighter, and you will move faster.]

Quirks were strange, to say the least, and if he was being honest with himself then they should be impossible. Nathan couldn’t figure out how The System had managed to give him more energy, or rather, made it so that he didn’t have to use as much. If it had changed his body then he couldn’t feel it, and yet the air itself was brushing against him and pushing him forward to make his movements easier. He got a headache just thinking about it.

Memory, the celestial emissary, had been floating in the air. Just like in that tv show. Several of the dogs also had elemental quirks. So, that meant magic was real, which was amazing in itself.

If he got a high-ranked air quirk, could he fly like Memory had?

“I’ve always wanted to kick my way through the sky like a kung fu master,” he said.

A confused bark responded to him, and he looked down to see Zorian staring up at him from his side. The little corgi had stuck by him since leaving the cavern and as he sneezed, he felt a wave of sympathy emanating from the dog. The sun was partially blocked by the orb of clouds, and it would take a while for his clothes to fully dry.

“Relax, relax, I’m too dumb to catch a cold,” he said.

Zorian tilted his head and wagged his tail, barking a quick response and dashing forward. Nathan shook his head and followed the corgi. It was soon clear that the mountainside wasn’t the only obstacle toward the spire as trees, foliage, and a large stream soon appeared in their path. The stream came from the mountain itself, flowing down from another entrance lower than the one he’d exited. Its existence meant that he had a fresh water supply which was a relief, but it also cut him off from half the mountain and forced him and the dogs to take a path to the left side, which was filled with forest. If Memory had been telling the truth and he was in another world, then for all he knew a bug bit could kill him instantly. Or there could be monsters lurking in the shadows of the branches they were about to enter.

Nathan stopped as the furthest dog, Jake, was about to enter the thickets and trees. Beyond that point lay deep foliage that his eyes couldn’t pierce. Even the light of the sun was mostly blocked out, but his shadow quirk allowed him to still see through the gaps in the branches as though the sun reached past them.

“Boys! Everyone gather around me!” His voice echoed across the mountainside.

Seven pairs of fluffy ears perked up in unison and the puppies made their way toward him. Jake and Jason had gone the furthest, and so were the last to arrive, but it was Lindon that most surprised him. The red-furred shiba inu usually disregarded all of his words unless he had food in his hands, but today the still slighty damp animal came right to him with a wagging tail.

“How am I going to do this?” Nathan hummed. “Uh, stay near me? Stay. Stayyyy.”

As one the pack heeded his words, forming the shape of an arrow around him as they moved into a protective formation. Nathan stared at them, his gaze narrowing as he glanced down at the third eye on his chest and at his status screen that The System had created for him. He wasn’t the only person that had been changed today. The dogs had been affected too, though he wasn’t sure if they understood him or just felt his emotions like he felt theirs.

With a wave of his hand and a grunt he directed the dogs forward and their tails wagged with excitement as they entered the forest as a group. The sun was at its highest point in the sky and as he stepped into the forest a blue box appeared in front of him, startling him and causing the dogs to freeze around him as they sensed his surprise. They shot him curious looks and he apologized to them as he read the new messages.

[Congratulations! You have survived your first day as a Celestial Streamer. Your daily sign-in count has gone up by 1. Survive a week to earn great prizes and survive a month to receive a guaranteed stat slot (random). Daily sign-in bonuses will be granted by the system or personal gifts can be granted by celestials instead, so be sure to check in to see if you’ve gotten anything good for the day.]

[A viewer has given you a sign in gift! This gift will be split evenly across your party.]

[You have received durandural (strength) x 8.]

[Viewer note: Great for growing animals and building strong and healthy bones.]

Nathan stopped and stared at the messages. He’d played a game with this kind of thing before but knowing that he was being rewarded just for surviving didn’t boost his confidence. It just meant that being in this world was all the more dangerous compared to Earth. Before he could make a move there was a flash of light and Jin barked as a plant pot appeared beside him, small and unassuming. It was the gift the system had talked about. His one viewer had actually given him something. Nathan gazed down at the eye on his chest and shivered as he saw it looking up at him.

“Uh thanks Mr Viewer. I think. Have I been here for twenty-four hours?”

[Daily-sign in will always occur at 12pm mid-day.]

“Oh hey, thanks System. I guess I can use it as a kind of clock.”

He squatted down and picked up the pot plant, almost throwing it in the air by accident as he scooped it up with ease. The item was so light that he could easily hold it in one hand, and only as wide as his palm. Within it he spotted eight purple grape-like fruits, and he eyed them warily. Food was good, and something he needed desperately. The journey to the spire wouldn’t be quick. He estimated that it would take half a day if they kept up their current pace, which meant he’d likely have to hurry or else they’d be caught outside in the dark. Either that, or he would have to find shelter for them before the night hit. He didn’t want to be out in the open when that happened.

Whether or not the fruit was safe to eat was another question. Memory had said that the celestials were what had brought him here in the first place and if those were the people giving him the fruits then he wasn’t sure he could trust them. He would have to figure out a way to test them later.

“Okay, okay, onwards my friends.”

Branches and plants smacked against Nathan’s side as he made his way through the cluttered forest. Unlike Earth there was no set path here. Nature had grown where it willed and without human intervention it was wild and unruly. The dogs had no problems manueavering through it, most of them too small for the branches to reach and too nimble for the plants to hurt. Nathan watched jealousy as the puppies danced around him pawing and sniffing at every new object they found. It was a long journey, and time passed quickly as he made his way deeper into the woods. The only sign that he was going the right way was the giant cloud orb in the sky. It grew steadily closer, and he wondered if they’d actually make it in time for nightfall.

A sharp wail pierced through his thoughts and Nathan’s head shot toward an open patch of forest where the sound had come from.

Low growls filled the air as Nathan and six of the puppies jumped back. The only exception was Jason. The brown boxweiler stepped forward confidently, his mouth parting to reveal large canines and a joyful smile. The source of the wail was easy to see because it illuminated the forest around it with an orange and yellow glow. It was half a meter in height with two large wings that spread out threateningly as Jason drew close to it. Red and black feathers covered every part of its body except for the three sharp black talons that rose from the dirt, each one oozing droplets of flames onto the ground that disappeared instantly, and the sharp orange beak at its front. Two glowing gold eyes stared widely at the surroundings as it spotted us, and it moved its head in every direction as though trying to get the best angle with which to view us.

It was a chicken. And it was on fire.