King Edefreud held his fingers to the bridge of his nose and sighed deeply, staring at the floating image of the dog in front of him. Nearby, with an apologetic grin, the Hero stood.

They were both in his private office, the one that Edefreud used when he didn't want to be bothered by people. It was comfortable, with a solid desk carved from a single piece of adawood and a lit fireplace next to it. With a variety of candles held in glass jars and a collection of different bugs, it gave the impression of a homey bedroom as opposed to the King's own room.

"Tell me again," Edefreud finally said, "how a dog is more powerful than you. And it threw the Herosword away?"

The Hero shrugged nervously, acting almost as if he were in detention. "Yeah... it looks like the whole Pantheon gave their blessings to Petey. His stats double every time he levels up, and he gets ten times the experience to boot. Well, all of his stats aside from Intelligence. I don't know why, but that one's only thirty-six."

Edefreud raised his head in surprise. "Thirty-six? That's it?" When the Hero nodded, Edefreud returned his attention to the evidently very interesting knot in the wooden floor. Finally, he asked, "And the Herosword?"

The Hero winced. "I think that was more an accident than anything. He was faster than I could even see at the point where I last met him, and he's probably even faster by now. I think he sees the Herosword as a particularly tough chew toy, actually."

Edefreud laughed. It wasn't an entirely sane laugh, but the Hero felt that a mildly unhinged laugh was almost appropriate for the situation at hand. "So there's a dog who can just casually beat our most powerful warrior wandering around Eruco, and we have no idea where it is."

The Hero nodded. "That pretty much sums it up, yeah. The good news is, I doubt Petey's ever going to wage war or anything - he doesn't have a bad bone in his body. All hugs and kisses when I met him."

Acknowledging the point, Edefreud asked, "That's all well and good, but I'm more worried about any of the other countries finding out about him. Can you imagine what would happen if they convinced him that another country was bad? Or perhaps informed him of the existence of dog pounds? I dread to consider the possibilities."

Shaking his head, the Hero responded, "I seriously doubt anything too bad would happen. He's legitimately one of the nicest creatures I've ever met, he just doesn't know how to control his own strength."

Edefreud sighed regretfully. "But with that much strength at his disposal, an inability to control it is more a detriment than a charming flaw or something along those lines. I will simply request that you ensure no negative influences make their way to Petey. I'm quite sure nothing can actually harm him, based on the progress you tell me he's made, but I'd like to have some fallbacks regardless."

The Hero nodded, turning to leave. "I'm on it, your Majesty. You can trust me on this one." He was gone before the king could say another word.

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Edefrued made his way to the table and sat down, leaning back in the chair. "What sort of things do you get up to, Petey?" He absently asked the empty room.

Naturally, it didn't respond.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Kendabard's capitol stood atop a cliff, a gray city with touches of dark blue struck along its walls. Sparse patches of lush moss stubbornly crawled up its sides, providing much-needed greenery to its sturdy walls. A multitude of colored flags flapped proudly from the parapets and towers of Pendleward, displaying the purple-on-black lion of the country's insignia. It stood for strength and candor and was enormously respected among the elite of every country in the world. Their military was remarkable, and their politics were decent, but it was their economic superiority that had kept them on the map for over two hundred years.

The castle of Pendleward was a tall one, with narrow spires and arched architecture, with a truly immense amount of work and money poured into it. As for the King's personal quarters, his own rooms were aptly called the Point of Solace. Placed in the highest tower of all, his every day's morning view was to see the country laid out before him. It served to remind him of the responsibility that his position held. Besides that, it was a rather nice view.

King Baochi Rhadeen stood in the Point of Solace, watching the landscape below him. The flat ground reaching out in every direction from the base of the Qorrin Cliff was covered in yellow and brown, miles and miles of corn and beans stretching forward. He took a deep breath and smelled the scent of ground coffee, spices and meats of the town square beneath him drifting up to meet his nose. Satisfied, he took an appreciative exhale and turned around.

He was a man with broad shoulders, and while there was muscle on his frame, it was difficult to see beyond the slight roundness of a man who enjoyed his ale a bit too much. He took great pride in his blond hair, however, and took care to brush the tangles out of its length every morning before his duties. At the moment, he wore a simple shirt and soft, cotton pants. He had an assortment of royal clothing for which to attend events and christen ships and whatnot, but there was a kind of joy to be found in simplicity.

"So," he began, looking at the dark figure hiding in the shadows of the room. "Tell me about this dog again."

The person nodded, standing straight. It was impossible to make out any features given her loose clothing, especially in the darkened area, but a pair of calm green eyes sat above the dark navy mask covering her mouth, nose, and neck. When she spoke, her voice was even. "Yes, your Majesty. The dog appeared in the middle of Kendell, near the capital. It caused a large explosion through unknown means and proceeded to disarm their Hero of the Herosword, and is presently in an unknown location. Our spies have revealed that its name is Petey, as well as the information that its stats already average in the millions at least."

Baochi nodded thoughtfully for the third time, still trying to wrap his head around the absurd power of this simple canine. "Has he displayed any hostility to anyone thus far?"

She shook her head. "Not yet, your Majesty, but dogs are unpredictable. Their moods sway as often as the tides, but with no warning to mark their changes. I am hesitant as to its true intentions."

He raised an eyebrow. "You sound as though you dislike dogs."

She fidgeted uncomfortably. "I myself prefer cats, milord. What is your course of action?"

He thought for a moment, thinking of his own dogs, a pair of long-furred mastiffs. "For now, find Petey. We haven't the slightest what it is he wants to do, and I'd rather not antagonize him unless there's no other option. With abilities such as his, it would be catastrophic to wage war on such a powerful individual without prior preparation."

She nodded, melting into the shadows. "As you command, so it is done." Her form vanished a few seconds later, and the darkness lifted.

King Baochi Rhadeen, the ruler of Kendabard, moved back to the wide window and stared once more over his country, hoping that Petey would not prove to be an enemy.