A profound hush settled over the mountain valley. The last embers of starlight flickered faintly before succumbing to the encroaching darkness. An air of anticipation hung heavy, punctuated only by the occasional hoot of an owl echoing through the stillness. A thin fog clung stubbornly to the valley floor, swirling around the base of towering pines like spectral wisps. In the distance, the faint outline of a meandering river lay obscured, a silver ribbon swallowed by the pre-dawn gloom. The first hint of change, however, was already stirring. A faint blush began to creep across the eastern horizon, ever so slowly pushing back the darkness. It was a promise of the new day to come.

“Safe travels!” Mom, Dad, Grandpa, and their friends waved on the edge of the cliff overlooking the road out of Wyrm’s Rest.

I waved back at my family and friends as I set off in the direction of the rising sun on the [Cloud Carpet]. It was my first time leaving home without at least one of my parents or my grandfather, and I may have been a bit scared, but I was even more excited.

This is it, I’ve heard the stories about the beginning of Mom and Dad’s adventures since I was a kid, but this is the start of my grand journey. I wonder what kind of crazy stuff I’ll encounter in the next few months?

I shook my head.

I have to focus. My first goal is to make it to Cliffhaven safely. It’s kind of a pain that Wyrm’s Rest is so far from everything, even if it does make a bit of sense. The stories Megara told me about the idiots who came to make trouble when I was a baby… it’d happen way more if it weren’t up in the mountains.

The first day of travel was uneventful. I kept the [Cloud Carpet] close to the mostly sheer mountainside and was able to find a camping spot near the peak of one of the shorter mountains.

“Without this carpet,” I patted the surprisingly comfortable blue and white rug rolled up next to me, “it would have taken me at least a week to make it this far, if not longer.” I leaned back on it and looked up at the star-filled evening sky. “Look at me, first time camping alone and I’m already talking to myself.”

After making a quick soup for dinner and eating, I settled in to trance for a few hours, but was having some serious trouble getting into the right frame of mind to do so. Something felt… off, and I couldn’t shake it.

This hasn’t happened since I was a kid. What the hell is going on with me? Is it because I’m lonely?

As I lay there against the [Cloud Carpet] I let my mind wander back to when I met Dominus.

Despite her name, I can see her as a maternal figure. I guess she gave birth to the rest of the gods, so that makes sense.

I started to slip into my trance, but just before I did I thought I felt the presence of Dominus behind me, putting her hands on my shoulders like my Mom used to. “Silly Chosen, of course I’m here to see you at the beginning of your journey. Rest well, I hope you like my gift tomorrow.” Her voice was like warm silk, soothing yet ephemeral.

My eyes widened, but something told me not to look for her. Instead, I sighed and let myself drift into my trance.

***

When I woke up the next day, I felt better than ever. It was like I’d gotten a week’s worth of sleep and the world glittered in my vision. After eating breakfast, I decided to test out [Air Step] instead of using the [Cloud Carpet]. With [Photosynthesis] working in the background, I figured the Mana drain wouldn’t be too bad. I was right, but it was more than that.

[Air Step] was amazing. Not only did it give me steps made out of air to land on as I ran, they gave me a bit of bounce and soon I was bounding through the mountains like some kind of sky goat. When I checked my Mana twenty minutes in, I found that it was topped off still, [Photosynthesis] plus my natural regeneration meant I could use [Air Step] all day and still not drain any of my Mana.

“Yeah!” I whooped as I sprang from platform to platform. “This is the life!”

As I started reconsidering the supposed three day trip to Cliffhaven on a [Flying Carpet] I was sideswiped by a red blur.

It sent me crashing into the mountainside and I scrabbled at the rock frantically before finally catching myself a few feet above a sheer cliff face. I spun around and pushed off before creating another platform in the air to stand on. My head was on a swivel as I looked for whatever had hit me.

I found it, but not before it was less than ten feet in front of me, barreling at me like a white furry comet. [Essence Reading] triggered as I dropped to my platform and let the beast fly over my prone form. I still caught a claw along my cheek, which stung like a bastard, but it wasn’t enough to stop me from checking the thing’s [Status].

[Raiju - Unique - Rank S Monster

Elements: Lightning sub wind

Attitude: Playful/Excited

Description: Raiju is a Gale Hound who evolved during a lightning storm twenty years ago. Ever since, she’s roamed the mountains looking for someone to play with. It’s said that if anyone can evade her for ten minutes straight, she’ll be loyal to them for life.]

“You want to play?” I grinned as the blood on my cheek dribbled past the already healed cut. “Alright, let’s play!” I started a System timer in the corner of my vision.

The first five minutes of our game of tag were amazing. Despite her speed, Raiju never tried to hurt me, instead she just tried to catch up to me as I sprang from platform to rock face and back. Once five minutes passed? She got serious. Her eyes lit up with the telltale blue glow of lightning and her speed increased threefold. I’m not ashamed to admit I triggered [Haste] when I saw what she was doing and I was immediately glad I had as she hurtled toward me with her paws extended to slam into me.

[Haste] was a greedy [Skill]. It drank Mana, and the more you gave it the faster you went. In the first minute of having it active, I drained thirty percent of my Mana. I knew I had to change something, or Raiju might accidentally hurt me with how much fun she was having.

I can’t beat her with raw speed, she’s just too fast and her maneuverability is way better than mine as well. I don’t want to hurt her, but I’m running out of options for ways to avoid her without hurting her. Wait a second, that gives me an idea…

The next time Raiju got within five feet of me, I triggered [Arlo’s Animated Buckler] and she bounced off before she could slam me into the mountainside. When I saw her paw at her muzzle, I felt bad… until she turned to me and glared. That’s when it got bad.

She sprang back and lowered her front down and wiggled her butt behind her, tail wagging as she floated there with a storm cloud brewing behind her. She barked and a bolt of lightning sprang from the thunderhead, only to be blocked by my animated shield half a second before it would have slammed into my face.

It seems things have escalated. I really don’t want to get blasted with lightning, so maybe I should see if I can get us back to the game we were playing before things got really dangerous.

I held up my hands. “Got it, no shields.” I retracted [Arlo’s Animated Buckler] with a twist of the wrist. “Sorry, I didn’t know the rules we were playing by.”

The snow white canine stared at me with a cocked head before sitting back on her haunches. Behind her, the thunderhead slowly dissipated. The moment it did, her tongue lolled out of her mouth as she sprang toward me once more.

Eight minutes gone, two to go. With my Mana regen and the bit of downtime we’ve had, I think I can do this with just [Haste] now. I’ve got one more trick, but it’s not something I want to do to anyone, let alone a dog who just wants to play.

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

The game resumed and Raiju gave me a run for my money. At one point, she chased me into a cave full of [Inferno Bats], but a single bark from her was enough to send them back into hiding as I screamed out the other end of the tunnel-esque cave. As we danced, I caught a glimpse of her face and it looked like she was having an absolute blast. I may have never had a pet before, but I grew up visiting Reginald and Monica with their monster menagerie back in Wyrm’s Rest. I knew what a happy beast looked like and she was over the moon.

The game passed into its final minute and, instead of increasing her pace, Raiju slowed down. Unwilling to be tricked, I kept [Haste] at the same level, and that nearly got me caught. She came at me languidly and I jerked away, only to find her behind me with her snout out to tag me. I managed to avoid her by dropping the platform I was standing on and falling down to a flat spot on the mountain in a roll. I glanced at my timer as she approached, 9:55. We both knew this was the final round of the game and I was ready.

I lowered my stance and dismissed [Air Step]. I had other plans.

Raiju flicked her ears once and her whole body turned into lightning before zipping toward my chest ten times faster than ever before. It was only that last training match with Dad the day before that saved me.

I triggered [Mana Slide] half a second before she would have made contact and, this time, I kept my head down. I slid to a stop less than six inches from the cliff’s edge, sucking wind. A pair of timers went off in unison and Raiju and I locked eyes. I could tell she was overcome with emotion when she sat down with violently twitching ears instead of rushing toward me.

I stood back up and brushed off my leather pants with a laugh. “That was a lot of fun, Raiju. Thanks for playing with me.” A wave of exhaustion hit me like a wave and I teetered back toward the cliff’s edge.

In a flash, Raiju was behind me, pushing me back onto solid ground. She growled. “Silly manling, almost fell off the mountain.”

I’ll admit it, I fell on my butt with wide eyes. “You can talk!?” I spluttered.

She let out a short howl that sounded suspiciously like laughter before looking back at me. “Of course I can, manling. The System blesses those monsters who show it respect.”

“I did not know that. I’m surprised Reginald and Monica never told me that.” I shook my head. “Also, my name is Arthur, or Artie if you’d prefer. It’s nice to meet you, Raiju.”

She sat and stared at me for a minute and I took that time to get a better look at her.

Raiju was a majestic creature, a living embodiment of the storm itself. She stood about four feet tall at the shoulder and her fur wasn’t simply white, but the color of freshly fallen snow, untainted and luminous. Each powerful muscle rippled beneath its gleaming surface, hinting at immense strength and agility. Her eyes, though? They were something special. Twin orbs of crackling electric blue, they seem to hold the energy of a thousand thunderstorms within them.

“When do we eat next, Master?” She looked at me with a cocked head. “It has been three hours since I last ate, for the record.”

“Why are you asking me? Also, why are you calling me Master? I’m not your–” I trailed off when her tail swept between her legs. “What’s wrong?”

“You don’t want me, do you?” She whimpered and turned her head away before standing up and shaking out her fur. “It’s OK, I’m used to being alone.”

“Hold on!” I reached out for her on instinct and she stopped in her tracks. “I didn’t say I didn’t want you and you also didn’t answer my questions.”

Her eyes narrowed. “You finished my bonding ritual, that makes you my master. Hence, I asked you when food was going to happen and called you Master.” She said it with such a matter of fact tone that I found it hard to refute her statement.

“Was that what the game of tag was? A bonding ritual?”

She paced around before lying down between me and the cliff’s edge, which was probably for the best because I was down to the dregs of my Mana. [Mana Slide] was useful, but it used a chunk of Mana and I was already almost out when I used it. Mana Exhaustion always made me dizzy, which is why I almost fell over the cliff.

“Master–”

I cut her off. “I’d really rather you call me Artie or Arthur if you want to stand on ceremony for some reason. No one calls me Arthur if they know me personally.”

She groaned. “Artie, do you know much about S-Ranked monsters?” She leaned on my name, but it made me smile.

“Not much beyond the ones my mom and dad told me about their travels. Why?”

She shimmied a bit closer to me before responding. “Every Unique S-Ranked monster is just that, unique. We’re all different, but we have two things in common. We can all speak and we all have a [Quest] from the System to complete.”

“I’ve heard about [Quests] before, but aren’t they insanely rare? Even my parents and their party only ever got two in the entire time they adventured together.” I checked the time and noticed it was time for lunch, so I pulled out my camping bag from my spatial ring and started rummaging for my pot and [Campfire Stone] inside.

“That’s correct, but all Unique S-Ranked monsters do indeed receive a [Quest] when we gain sapience.”

With a grunt of satisfaction, I pulled the pot from my camping bag and set it down on the [Campfire Stone] before producing a pound of beef from my spatial ring and dropped it in the bottom of the pot.

“That’s amazing.” I seasoned the beef liberally before pulling out some potatoes and dicing them up in the air with [Dual Chop]. As they landed in the bottom of the pot, I poured in some red wine before throwing a lid on it. Raiju licked her chops, but didn’t make a move toward the pot.

“Not really. Until we finish our [Quest] we can’t leave a certain radius of where we got said [Quest]. That’s why most dragons you’ll find are in their lairs so much of the time, they can’t leave for too long. I was bound to the Wyrmspire Mountains, so I had plenty of room to roam, but it was still a prison.” She laid her head down next to my leg with a sigh.

I felt for her, I really did. “That’s awful. I’m sorry you’ve been stuck here so long.” I hesitated a moment before reaching down to scratch the top of her head. She groaned happily, so I continued. “Do you mind telling me what yours was? Sorry if it was rude, but I’m really curious what could keep someone as majestic as you stuck here so long.”

She froze up for a moment before relaxing to my scratching again. “It was,” her voice took on a strangely familiar voice. “Roam the mountains until you find someone who can evade you in tag for ten minutes and then adventure with them for as long as you get along with them.” She shook her head and her voice went back to her usual alto. “You’re the first person to make it past the nine minute mark and you even beat me!” She growled happily. “That’s why I called you Master, but now that I know you don’t like it I won’t do it anymore.”

She shifted her head into my lap before whispering. “Please take me with you?” It came out so quiet and vulnerable that I was taken aback.

She’s lonely, just like me. I mean, I’ve been lonely for all of a day, but she’s been lonely for twenty years. I bet her pack moved on a long time ago, if they’re even alive anymore. You know what? Why not?

“Of course I will.” Golden light sprang from my hand where it lay on her head and a moment later a rune that looked like a stylized crown appeared on both her head and my palm. They faded a moment later, but not before I was able to catch their description.

[Bonding Mark - Rank S

Age: 5 seconds

Description: This mark denotes that Raiju and Arthur Bajbub Neilson are now bonded by the System. Most towns will now allow Raiju to enter as long as she is with her Bonded.]

“Yes. This is right.” Raiju nestled her head into my lap even harder. “Please wake me when food is ready, all that chasing was quite tiring.” A moment later she fell asleep, leaving me with her massive white head to work around as I prepped lunch.

As I waited for the beef and potatoes to cook, I took another look at her [Status] and was shocked to see I had access to much more information than before.

[Name: Raiju

Monster Type: Raiju (Evolved Gale Wolf) - Unique - Rank S

Bond: Arthur Bajbub Neilson - SSS Rank

Level: 24

HP: 700

Mana: 265

Stamina: 1400

Stats:

Might: 150

Agility: 550

Toughness: 300

Charm: 75

Wits: 45

Perception: 295

Divine: 75

Active Skills - Mastery - Description:

Active Skills:

Winds of Fury - 85% - Raiju creates a powerful gust of wind that pushes enemies back or knocks them prone.

Sparkling Charge - 33% - Raiju charges forward in a burst of wind, leaving a trail of electric sparks that damage enemies.

Lightning Strike - 89% - Raiju focuses electrical energy and launches a bolt of lightning at a target, dealing significant damage.

Storm’s Embrace - 64% - Raiju channels lightning around herself, creating a temporary shield that deflects attacks and damages enemies who touch it.

Thunderhead - 96% - Raiju summons a thunderhead cloud that sends out bolts of lightning on its own as long as she provides Mana.

Passive Skills:

Lightning Conductor - Raiju can channel the energy of incoming lightning attacks, taking no damage and potentially redirecting the energy towards a target.

Keen Senses (Smell and Hearing) - Raiju’s senses of smell and hearing are significantly better than the average Gale Wolf. Gale Wolves can hear prey more than five miles away and smell them at double that range.

Storm’s Presence - Raiju's presence inspires awe and fear. Enemies are weakened in her vicinity, while allies gain a minor boost to attack speed or movement speed.

Swift as the Wind - Raiju gains increased movement speed, allowing her to outpace most opponents. It also allows her to run on air.]

“Damn, I’m glad you just wanted to play chase.” I scratched her head with a chuckle. “S-Ranked monsters are something else.”