Topaz's morning had been heck. She had been woken up by a notification that her pet had slain a Phyllopteryx, then two more, then a trio of Phyllopteryx hatchlings. Two more levelups had even joined in quick succession, raising her hopes. After each kill however, said hopes were dashed by more dire notifications.

[Your pet has been afflicted by poison (I)] came the first, rising up through the roman numerals. II, III, IV, but in place of poisoning (V) came the most heart-wrenching notification yet.

[Mist, Barrongcuda has died.] Said the System with cold cruelty. The whole ordeal had taken only a minute or two, but the day worth of shared growth was down the drain. and most likely down some scavenger's gullet. She had depopulated the shallows just training the monster, trying to distract herself with anything she could. Hunting was disappointingly easy, monsters on the island granting her only a single level more and no joy.

With the island much quieter, her only real option being her built-in map. It overlayed her vision, capable of changing in size and opacity at a whim, and displayed much information about the world.

Much of it seemed to be arranged into hexagons, sporting a side length of about two miles. Topaz first tested zooming in close, seeing more detail rise the second her eyes could process it. A bird's eye view of the island filled her vision, individual trees, boulders, and openings defined. She even saw her firepit, but not herself, giving her an even deeper feeling of emptiness.

Wanting to avoid thinking about that, Topaz adjusted her zoom outwards. Her perception shifted from her island to it's hexagon, defined by subtle lines on the map. Then further out- to her hex and the surrounding six, then one in every direction, then two, the first new bit of land coming into view after another doubling, to a coast seven or eight hexes away.

The next doubling slightly overshot, as from this coast it would be a four-hex walk to the port town of Gaham. While Topaz had no qualms about walking that distance, even more so after the slight increase in vitality, she knew swimming even more than one hex would be troublesome.

"Let alone the predators..." Topaz whispered, train of thought shifted by a pink flash against the azure surface of the water. She stared in confusion at the unusually vivid worm, it's back sporting a middle ground between wings and fins.

Not recognizing it, Topaz pointed a mind bridge. Her mind magic had been trained little by little from a perpetual bridge with mist, even more so with every bit of information passed along the connection.

"Good morning, creature." Topaz let her unusually sad words spill, still dwelling on the loss of an old ally while trying to find a new one. "I'm Topaz, are you hungry?"

The creature spoke with unusual clarity. "Of course I am! Land creatures taste so much better."

That was enough to give topaz pause. Just how did this little being hunt on land?

The winged serpent must have noticed and identified Topaz's confused expression. "I'm Valerie, Phyllopteryx. Is something wrong?"

For Topaz, that was an unintentional twist of the knife. The hunter had never seen that species name before, until shortly before her pet died.

"Did..." Topaz asked, grasping at straws "Did your family have names?"

The serpent named Valerie shook her head. "Not that I saw. I was reborn here as-"

The information in the mental bridge reversed direction as Topaz cut her off.

"You're the newcomer, aren't you!" She realized. "I heard Mathias insult you on the way down."

Valerie nodded, sad expression crossing her feline eyes "Life's been a struggle. Hunting for every meal, competing with my siblings, and then having some big blue bastard eat most of us like party snacks" The Phyllopteryx Hatchling spat.

Topaz seemed to shrink back, so Valerie altered her trajectory. "How did you get here, and do you know how to get to land?"

"I started here, a day and a half ago" Topaz admitted.

"I've been trying to find and raise a good... beast companion ever since, and didn't know there would be anyone sentient so close to me." The word Pet seemed wrong to use on another contestant.

"Keep everything above-board and I can be one. What are the terms of your... beast companionship?"

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"I think I can show you." Topaz started, raising her finger to manipulate the azure window in her vision, beginning to speak with uncertianty. "This might hurt a bit..."

[Large data transmission incoming. Accept? Warning: High chance of psyshic damage]

[Yes] / [No]

After a hesitant tap of [Yes], The mind bridge flexed and strained close to breaking under it's connection of mana. Data poured across it, causing a pained writhe from the squiggle dragon. "Why did you-" She started, before a new window appeared.

[Pet Mastery]

[A humanoid with the [Beast Lore] Skill can form an agreement with a willing Monster, turning it into a Pet. The Pet feels a compulsion to follow the master's orders and defend them from harm, though may break this agreement if base needs such as food, shelter, and sleep are mistreated or neglected. Both the Pet and the master share incoming EXP at a rate the master decides, and the master gains control over the Pet's Skill point allocation and evolution. Further Skills may enhance the synergy between Pet and master, such as [Pet (stat) boost], [Mind Magic], and [Mount]]

"Did that work" Asked Topaz, trying to read the dizzy expression on Valerie's snout.

"I think so..." she nodded. "Pet mastery, lots of text after?"

"That's the one! I do *not* feel good about any of the mind control nonsense, but anything we can do to get a leg up on the other Contestants is good with me."

"What's your cheat skill?" Valerie asked after a minute of thought. "Mathias was passing out some pretty overpowered stuff"

"I think I got the worst one..." Topaz sighed. "Mapping. I know this island like the back of my hand, but it's not making me any stronger."

Her voice seemed to brighten.

"But I know where the nearest land is! I've got some Pet-helping skills already, and they're yours to use- on the grounds you evolve into something that can carry me to land."

"You know, I always wanted to get larger" Valerie jokingly mused. "Deal!"

A blue box that both beings could see emerged.

[Pet contract] it read.

[Create Master and Pet bond between Topaz, Ranger and Valerie, Phyllopteryx Hatchling?]

[Pet] / [Master]

[Yes] / [Yes]

[No] / [No]

Looking towards the box, then towards eachother

Both beings tapped yes.

"Are you okay if I Appraise you? To use gaming terms, it'll be easier to see what kind of build you're running."

Valerie felt any suspicions quelled by their bond. "Sure, go ahead" she offered.

Topaz looked over the results of the appraisal, counting under her breath, eyes flicking between the screen and the serpent.

"You've got a higher level cap than my old pet did at tier I, way more skill points than any monster should have, a rare-looking mutation, and *Two* fundamental skills already? Incredible!" Exclaimed Topaz, tone turning downwards from it's rise. "But... we really need to evolve you soon. For all your advantages, your stats have a lot of room for growth."

"You can bolster my numbers with those skills of yours, riiight?" Valerie nudged.

"Maybe. These Skills are elusive of how much they add and how much they multiply, but every little bit helps"

"I saw an island a few miles that way while I was looking for actual civilization. Island creatures tend to be under little pressure, so that might have some monsters to fight. Be warned, my last pet took a long time to go from 9 to 10"

"Sounds good! I'll bring back lots of Experience and some food"

Valerie took off at an angle, wings splashing in her unique locomotion. Watching the spray vanish, a refreshed Topaz looked at her Skill list again. She calculated, flagged, scrolled, and calculated again; passing the hour of Valerie's travel with optimization. [Pet EXP boost] was an obvious first pick to keep her new ally growing quickly, ideally able to level up to ten before depleting the new island. [Mana bridge] was a second, letting Topaz cast spells over the mind bridge- albiet at a higher cost, and amounts of power vastly limited by her level of mind magic. With a flicker of guilt, she speculated that any amount of healing would have turned the tide in mist's fight.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a third skill, near the bottom of her learning pool. [Mana efficiency. Slightly reduce the costs of all magic]

She selected it with haste. The mental strain from the bridge lessened slightly but notably, allowing the two more ready communication- and less exorbitant costs of healing.

As if on cue, the first of the kill notifications rolled in. And the next, and the next. A level notification chimed soon after, Phyllopteryx Hatchling so close yet so far to her cap.

As the day wore on, Topaz's Skills clearly taken to the gym. Their synergy began to grow like strands of a spiderweb, mana doing slightly more with slightly less in a slightly easier job. Several of them reached their cap of fifth level over the course of the day, awaiting upgrades like eager students in a lunchline. However their cost was prohibitive- Topaz only had one Skill Point, advancing a Skill any further each needed two.

"One of you's evolving when I get to tenth level, I promise" Topaz whispered.

[Your pet has slain: Coast bear. Valerie, Phyllopteryx Hatchling reached level 10. Evolution Available.]

"Awesome! Get to somewhere safe so we can figure out your evolution."

The two of them discussed over the mind bridge for a few minutes, weighing advantages and disadvantages. Valerie found a place in the shallows, hard for a big predator to reach but easy to move out of should a more aquatic form arise. As soon as everything was in order, and Valerie began her evolution, Topaz saw a large shadow of a pirate ship cross the evening sky. It stopped near the island, small shapes descending from ropes, rowing towards the island, sailinb back, back up with something, and the pirate ship swimming away again.

Topaz felt the mental connection stretch, reaching the end of it's overtaxed range and snapping.

[Pet has left Pet Mastery's effective range. Stat boost reduced]

Putting two and two together, a single word bubbled up to the surface of Topaz's mind

"Shit"