The days passed by relatively quickly for Remy. Since he didn’t have to work and had a housekeeper for the daily chores, he could spend most of the day in the capsule. To keep himself healthy, he never played for more than seven hours straight, and made sure to get plenty of exercise when he wasn’t in the capsule. Sleep wasn’t a problem either, since the capsule simulated deep sleep for the body, and one could sleep in-game as well.
As a result, most of his day was spent immersed in the world of Legacy. It had been close to a month inside the game, since he first started playing, and the game had already gone out to the general public. Millions upon millions of people had started playing the game. Unsurprisingly, he hadn’t seen any of them.
Since he was isolated in the forest, he only had monsters and beasts for company. For a normal person this would be a harsh and difficult life. Fortunately, Remy wasn’t a normal person. He wasn’t bound by the trappings of humanity, so he could revel in being an animal.
He slept, hunted, and ate. That was the basic pattern of his life. He didn’t have to worry about money or social responsibilities; all he needed to do was satisfy his basic needs of food, sleep and shelter. He supposed that mating would also qualify as a basic need, but he preferred to take care of that need with a human being, and not another cat.
He had never felt like this before, being free of responsibility and pressure. He rather enjoyed being a cat, if only to experience this pleasure. Then of course, there was the thrill of the hunt, of stalking one’s prey and ambushing them, bearing down on them until he was close enough to snap his jaws around their neck and crush them to death.
This relentless cycle of hunting, eating and sleeping had the added benefit of making him a deadly killer. He had an agility and grace that he had never had before, and all that practice made it easy for him to leap from branch to branch and race through the dense forest. He grew strong and leveled up quickly. He was already at level twenty-two, and his skills had risen in level too.
In addition, his stats had grown as well through all that exertion. He no longer had to struggle with rabbits, and could hunt foxes and wolves with ease, and he even took on a lone goblin, though its meat tasted a bit gamy and bitter.
However, even though he had grown so strong, he still wasn’t the king of the forest. That title belonged to a mutated wild boar that was five metres long and one and a half metres tall. Its large, muscular body was covered with thick, coarse black fur.
Whatever that psycho rabbit drank, it seemed the boar drank a lot more of it. The rabbit’s mutation only gave it some sharp teeth and a bit more power, but the boar experienced some more drastic changes. Unlike others of its species, it had four tusks on its face, and its tail had a long, spiked protrusion. If that wasn’t bad enough, unlike the cloven hooves of normal boars, his were shaped like sharp claws.
At level forty-three, it was the strongest creature in the forest, and something that no one in their right mind would challenge. That’s why it was a little inconvenient that it stood not five metres away and had its beady little eyes fixed on Remy.
“Oh you have got to be kidding me, what is with the animals in this forest,” Remy yelled as he frantically tried to escape the boar. Unlike the rabbit that was about the same size as mini-Remy, the boar was much faster and much stronger.
Fortunately, not all hope was lost. While the boar was faster and stronger, in a race through a dense forest, Remy had the advantage. He was light-footed and agile enough to weave through the trees and move quickly. The boar couldn’t do the same, as it was built to move in straight lines. For this reason, it had to take time to move around the trees and not get held up because of its large stature.
As one would imagine, it slowed the monster down considerably. This let Remy put some distance between them. He ran furiously, bounding over logs and rocks, kicking up dirt wherever his paws landed. He didn’t have a goal or location in mind, the only plan he had was to run as fast and as far away as he could.
It was actually quite ironic and humorous once he gave it some thought. The only reason he attracted the creature’s attention was because he wanted to get a look at the monster. Sure he sensed the might of the creature and his instincts told him to run, but he was oh so arrogant, and thought that he could stay out of sight. In the end, curiosity almost did kill the cat.
After running until his stamina was nearly depleted, he was relieved to note that he couldn’t hear the boar charging through the brush. He had just narrowly escaped death. Still, there was the chance that it would still follow after him, so he kept on walking.
He was in a part of the forest that he hadn’t been in before. In the past few weeks he hadn’t strayed too far from his shelter. Like any other animal, he stayed within the bounds of his territory. In the place where he was currently in, the trees weren’t nearly as dense, and there weren’t as many animals either.
He wondered what would cause this, when he heard a faint noise. He crept ever closer to the noise, until it was loud and clear, and he could see its source. It wasn’t monsters or beasts, but humans. Remy was stunned. Only a stone’s throw from where he had spawned was a human settlement that looked rather large.
It wasn’t a big city, but it was still a good-sized village, with many of its residents as farmers, and the rest supporting them. There didn’t seem to be an army or many warriors, but he figured that the farmers knew how to handle themselves, being so close to the forest.
One thing was for sure, there wouldn’t be any players there. It may not have been tiny, but it was still way too small to be a starting city. That was for the best. He wouldn’t have to worry about any brash adventure trying to skin him for his fur.
He weighed his options. He could either stay with the relative peace and safety of the forest, or he could venture into the unknown. While a part of him wanted to stay behind and live the simple life, a much greater part urged him to see something new. The fact that there may or may not be a monstrous boar after him helped him make up his mind.
He silently transformed back into the size of a housecat, and walked towards the settlements. He had practiced the transformation to that point where he didn’t need to call out the skill’s name. It made things much more convenient.
While a big black panther would alarm people, a small housecat was something that no one would pay attention to. Under the safety of a harmless guise, Remy poked around the village. Although the buildings and clothing were quite simple and unadorned, the people were strong and seemed happy with their lot in life.
It was a tight-knit village, where everyone seemed to know everyone. It was a peaceful place that likely didn’t know much crime or violence. Remy wandered around the village looking at the different people, and found that while it didn’t look well-defended, there was still a sword or bow in every house. These people could take care of themselves, and would band together tightly against outsiders.
He was about to stop looking around and find some shelter, when it happened. He was caught by the bane of cats everywhere; a little girl.
“Kitty!” A girl picked him up before his instincts could kick in, and held him tight. She wrapped her short arms around him and hugged him tightly. Very, very tightly.
“Girl, are you trying to kill me or something?! Oh god, my insides…they’re going to be my outsides!”
To the girl, his words were little more than meows and hisses, but it seemed the message got across.
“Are you okay kitty? Did I hurt you?” She pouted at him and asked with the innocence that only a child possessed. Most people would have looked at her big blue eyes, her chubby, rosy cheeks and her black curls and forgiven her for anything. However, they probably hadn’t nearly been squeezed to death by her tiny little hands. “I’m sorry kitty; I’ll make it all better.”
She started scratching his fur, trying to appease him. If Remy had proper facial muscles, he would have scowled at her. “You think everything’s going to be okay if you just scratch me under…” His voice trailed off as she rubbed the underside of his chin. “Okay so maybe you aren’t so bad…” By the time she rubbed the top of his head, he was purring with delight.
Her voice broke him out of his reverie. “My name is Annabeth. I’ll call you…Daisy!” She beamed happily at his new name.
While she was joyfully chanting his new name, Remy thought about how his new instincts let him down. All she had to do was rub his fur, and he was reduced to a purring idiot. He would have to be vigilant and overcome these ghastly desires of his. But first, “one more time, just get this spot behind my ears.”
Carrying him in her small arms, Annabeth walked down the streets to the farm that she called home. There were large fields of oats and beans, with smaller patches of tomatoes and other vegetables. There were two men in the fields, little more than teenagers. From their look and the easy waves they gave Annabeth, Remy guessed that they were her brothers.
She took him down the small dirt path that led to their house. It was a good-sized house, with plenty of space for a large family. It seemed quite old as well, but still well-taken care of. It must have been passed down through the generations of farmers that lived there.
The first thing that Annabeth did was march right into the kitchen and present Remy to her mother. “Look, look, mommy. I found a cat. Can we keep her?”
Her mother was a grown-up version of Annabeth, possessing all the same features. She was likely in her mid-thirties, with her long curly black hair pulled back into a ponytail. She was stunning beautiful, but she didn’t have the frail beauty of a model, but the hard, lean edge of someone who worked all their life.
“Annabeth, you can’t just bring a cat in from the streets. You don’t even know if he belongs to anybody.” She had the sort of frown that only mothers could make to their children.
“But mommy, she was all alone and didn’t have a collar, and I’ve never seen her before,” Annabeth whined plaintively. “Besides, you said I could have a cat or a dog, and I want her.”
“Annabeth-” The mother cut herself off when a man, about the same age as her walked into the kitchen. He was ruggedly good-looking, with a short beard and strong muscles. His skin was tanned, and his brown hair had streaks of blond from hours spent under the sun. He gave the mother a quick kiss before turning to Annabeth.
“Sweetheart, what seems to be the problem?”
“Daddy, mommy won’t let me keep the cat, even though she said I could have a pet. I’ll take care of her, I promise.”
“Here, let me have a look.” He reached out and lifted Remy up into the air and looked him over carefully. As if satisfied by what he saw, he nodded once. “First off Annabeth, your cat is a male. Now he seems to be in good shape, but he doesn’t look housebroken.”
“Dear, we can’t take the cat in. We don’t know if it’s violent or if he belongs to someone else.”
“Well, he let her carry him around this long and hasn’t bitten or scratched her yet, so I don’t think he should be a problem, and I haven’t heard anything about a black cat going missing. I’ll ask around at the town meeting just to be sure. Besides, he can help get rid of the vermin, and should be able to take care of himself for the most part.”
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The mother gave a resigned sigh, as if this wasn’t new to her. “You’re going to spoil her rotten you know,” but she said it with a wry smile on her face. She turned to Annabeth and looked at her sternly. “If you really want to keep her, you have to make sure that he stays out of trouble, and you have to be sure to feed him too. Raising a pet is a lot of responsibility, are you sure you’re up to the task?”
Annabeth beamed with joy, “yes, yes, I promise! I’ll take good care of him, you’ll see.” She lifted her arms and took back Remy into her arms. She put him back down on the ground and smiled toothily at him. “How about it, do you want to be my friend?”
This was an interesting proposal. It was one that Remy doubted would ever be made to anyone else. On the one hand, he would be taken care of, and it would be a nice, quiet life for the time being. On the other hand, he would be restricted in where he could go, and pretty much trapped with them for the foreseeable future. Then again, if he wanted to leave, it wasn’t like there was anything stopping him. It would be a nice experience, and he had to admit that the kid was pretty adorable.
Having made up his decision, he nuzzled his cheek to her arm.
“Yay!” Annabeth laughed merrily and spun him around with joy. “You’re not a girl so I can’t name you Daisy, so I’ll name you, ummm…” her eyes lit up as she came up with a name. “Shadow!” As names go, it wasn’t very imaginative, but Remy didn’t really mind all that much.
“Now the first thing we need to do is get that cat a collar. Why don’t you head down to Marian’s store and buy one for him. I’ll work on building a place for him to sleep in.” The father then gave her a couple of coppers and scratched Remy behind the ears.
“Okay daddy.” Annabeth cheerfully pocketed the coppers and started walking out the door.
“The sun’s going to go down in a couple of hours, so make sure to come back before dinnertime,” the mother called out.
“I will.”
In most places it would be quite strange, and even dangerous to let children go out on their own, but it was different in this village. Annabeth looked to be about ten or eleven years old. She wasn’t grownup just yet, but she wasn’t exactly a child either. People tended to grow quickly in rural environments like this.
The farm she lived on was also right next to the heart of the village, so she wasn’t in danger from wild animals, and everyone knew everyone else in the village. There were several other children playing in the streets and in the grass. With all the adults around, she wasn’t going to get into any trouble.
Once Annabeth made it halfway down the dirt path that would lead to town, she stopped and put Remy on the ground. “I can’t carry you anymore, so you have to follow me, okay?” After carrying him from the middle of the village all the way back, she must have tired herself out. Remy might be the size of a housecat, but he wasn’t as light as a feather.
“Alright then,” Remy said to her. She couldn’t understand him, but Remy got the feeling that people would understand the tone of his voice from what he said. Free from her burden, Annabeth skipped along towards the store. Remy walked beside her, easily keeping pace.
The farm was right off the main road, so it only took a few minutes to get into the heart of the village. Annabeth led him past the other houses and stores, until they arrived at Marian’s Tailoring store. It was a good sized store, and appeared to be the only one in the village. There were clothes and fabrics everywhere. Leather, linens and cotton sheets hung on the walls, while simple shirts, dresses and underclothes were piled up on tables and counters.
Behind the small desk by the side of the door, was a small grey-haired old woman sewing a baby’s shirt. “Hi miss Marian.” Annabeth greeted her politely. It seemed that even she had some manners.
Marian looked up from her work and smiled at her. “Hello dear, who’s your new friend?”
Annabeth picked Remy up and thrust him near Marian’s face. “This is Shadow, he’s mine.”
“Meow,” Remy said, trying to sound like a cat. Unfortunately, what he said probably didn’t sound right, since Marian’s face looked concerned.
“Good heavens, what a strange sound for a cat to make. Are you sure he’s alright?”
Annabeth looked troubled as she turned Remy around to face her. “I don’t know, are you alright Shadow?”
“Just peachy,” Remy grumbled. “I just found out that to talk like a cat, I have to talk like a person. It’s really annoying, but you still don’t understand a word I’m saying.”
Annabeth may have picked up on his irritation, but she didn’t dwell on it. All that mattered was that her cat sounded normal again. “He sounds alright miss Marian. My dad says that Shadow needs a collar. Can I buy one from you?” She stuck her hand into her pocket and pulled out the coppers her father gave her.
“Of course dear, let me go find one for you.” She got out of her stool and went to the back of the store. After rummaging around a few boxes, she came back with a white leather collar. It was a simple collar, with a small medallion hanging off of it. Before she handed it to Annabeth, she laid it on the table and pulled out a sharp metal rod.
It was a basic engraving tool, and she used it to write down Shadow on the front and Property of Annabeth on the backside. She then plucked Remy out of Annabeth’s arms and fit the collar around his neck, making sure that it was secure, but loose enough that it didn’t bother him. “There we go. He looks rather dashing now, don’t you think?”
“Yep,” Annabeth said enthusiastically, “it’s perfect. Her you go.” She stretched out her hand which held the coppers in it.
“This usually costs four coppers, but I think I can bring it down to two. Why don’t you take the rest and buy a treat for yourself.”
“Okay,” Annabeth said, grinning widely. “Bye miss Marian,”
“Goodbye dear.”
“Come on Shadow.” Remy jumped down from the desk and followed after Annabeth.
After leaving Marian’s store, they walked down the street to the general store. The outside was painted green, and had large windows to showcase all the different items. The general store was an important part of small villages like this one, since it contained all the odds and ends that people needed, as well as luxury goods and things from outside the village.
Annabeth pushed open the door, and Remy heard the chime of a bell as they walked through. Annabeth greeted the storekeeper on her way inside. “Hi Mr. Fallsworth.”
The storekeeper was a tall, spindly old man, with a fringe of thin white hair, and deep wrinkles that came from a life filled with laughter. He smiled at Annabeth, looking fondly upon her as a grandfather would for a granddaughter. “Hello Annabeth, I see your parents finally let you have a pet.”
“His name is Shadow. I just got him a new collar, see?” She lifted Remy up and placed him on top of the counter. “I wanted to us a treat.” She took out her remaining three coppers and placed them on the counter.
“Alright then, let’s see... For two coppers, how about some dried fish for Shadow, and a bit of candy for you?”
“Okay!”
Mr. Fallsworth took two jars out from below the counter and pulled out two small, dried fish and a chunk of toffee. Annabeth grabbed the fish and held it out for Remy to eat. Surprisingly, it was quite tasty. While she was chewing on her toffee, Annabeth slid over two of the coppers to Mr. Fallsworth, and pocketed the last one.
“Thank you Mr. Fallsworth,” she told him with toffee still in her mouth.
He chuckled and said, “you’re very welcome my dear.”
“C’mon Shadow, let’s go play.” She beckoned to Remy and took him out into the streets. They spent the next hour or so running around and exploring the village. There really wasn’t much for Remy to do except to follow Annabeth around and make sure that she didn’t get into trouble. When they did finish playing, the sun was hovering just over the horizon. Since she didn’t want to be late for dinner, Annabeth raced home with Remy in tow.
When they got inside the house and to the dining table, Annabeth’s father and her two brothers were already there helping to set the table. Her mother was still in the kitchen, finishing up her cooking. Annabeth walked up to the table and picked Remy up.
“Andrew, Matthew, meet Shadow.”
Andrew seemed to be the shorter sibling, with the same features of Annabeth and their mother. Matthew was the taller one, and had the same coloring and stocky physique of his father. Andrew laughed at her and teased her about Remy “A black cat? Don’t you know they’re bad luck?”
Annabeth scrunched up her brows and glared at him. “No they’re not, Shadow’s a good cat and he’s my friend.”
Matthew grinned and joined in with Andrew. “Andrew’s right, wherever a black cat goes, disaster always follows. That’s why only witches have them as pets, so maybe you’re a witch too.”
Annabeth stamped her foot and yelled angrily at them. “I’m not a witch. Daddy, tell them to stop being mean to me.”
The father intervened with a long-suffering sigh, as if he had gone through this a hundred times over. “Boys, stop teasing your sister, you’re almost adults now so you should start acting like it. And Annabeth, instead of getting riled up, you have to learn to ignore it. Now get Shadow something to eat and go wash up for dinner.”
Annabeth was still irritated, but listened to her father anyway. On her way out, she turned around and stuck her tongue out at her brothers. Of course she did it when her father’s back was turned. After using the well to wash her hands, she returned to set out some food for her cat.
The bowl she placed on the floor was rather quite small, and only had a small portion of meat. From the scent, it seemed to be rabbit. “Here you go Shadow, I wanted to give you more, but mommy said I can’t.”
Annabeth’s mother responded to her comment. “Annabeth, we can’t waste so much food on a cat, especially when he can provide for himself. He’s a strong young cat, and there are plenty of small animals in the field. Your job is to make sure that he at least has the bare minimum to eat. Now go sit down at the table.”
After the family finished their meal, everyone pitched in to clean up and finish the last of their chores. Then it was the time of day to kick back and relax. The father and two boys had spent most of the day in the fields, and the mother had to take care of the household. Annabeth was the only one that had free time during the day. At her age, she would certainly be learning valuable skills and helping out around the house, but she was still just a child.
Once everything was taken care of, the family all turned in for the night. In a farming community, it was pretty common to go to bed early, so as to wake up at dawn. Everyone was snug in their bed, except for Remy. He had played at being a housecat during the day. Now it was time to hunt.
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