Chapter Five
The moment Stern stepped out of the dungeon, Pawly was beside him and new knowledge flooded his mind. Blinking a few times, he looked down at his friend.
“Survived? That’s good,” the captain said. “Was wondering how you’d do alone. Not many go in by themselves, even in the first few.”
“I had help,” Stern said as he flexed his fingers through a different pattern.
Pawly let out a surprised squeak and everyone looked toward her. She was larger— taller, broader, and more muscular now. Her paws were correspondingly larger, as well, and when she stretched, her claws dug easily into the earth.
All of the guards looked impressed as they eyed the much-larger cat.
“Damn, that perk was worth it,” Stern chuckled. “Don’t think you can sleep on me in that form.”
Pawly looked up at him, offended, and huffed.
“What? You’re nearly double what you used to be, or more if we’re talking weight.”
Pawly growled slightly and showed him teeth.
“Oops,” Stern whispered. “Hang on. I’m sorry, okay? But you have more muscle and muscle is heavier. Mom always said so. You aren’t fat, not at all. If anything, you’re sexier all around.”
Pawly stopped growling and sat down, preening.
“Uh, what?” The captain was looking at them with uncertainty.
“Sorry,” Stern said. “Hang on.” His fingers flexed and Pawly shrank back down to her smaller size. He exhaled a sigh of relief. “So that works.”
Pawly blinked, looking at herself before letting out a yowl of disappointment.
“Hey, now, if it comes to a fight, I’ll put you back, but you’ll scare everyone if I leave you like that. We already have enough trouble here because of me. I mean, you look like the killing machine we all know you to be when you’re bigger.”
Pawly glanced toward the guards, then to him, before huffing and standing up.
“We’ll be going, sir. Have a good… day,” Stern paused, making sure it wasn’t evening.
“Yeah. You, too,” the captain said a little hesitantly. “Just a question… it’s a perk, right?”
Pawly hissed at the captain, and the man took a step back, remembering her larger form.
“She’s a perk, yes,” Stern said, bending down to pet Pawly. “He didn’t mean it like that. He’s been okay. Give him a break. If I had only met you as the impressive beast you just were, I’d be leery of you, too.”
Pawly purred and pushed into his hand.
“Most summons aren’t… domesticated,” the captain said a little lamely.
“You mean that they’re monsters,” Stern said. “I know, but most people get them after being in a dungeon. I’ve had her my whole life. Come on, Pawly, I promised you some fish and cream.”
Pawly meowed happily, walking off.
Standing up, he followed her. “Good day.”
~*~*~
Walking back through town, Stern looked down at Pawly. “I need to stop by the Walkers’ hall and register. Did you want to stay with me or not?”
Pawly glanced back at him before slowing. After a moment, she sat and waved a paw in the air.
“Promise to call you back for dinner,” Stern said. “Go home. I’ll see you soon.”
Just as Pawly faded away, a child let out a small scream, having seen only her eyes and teeth. As the child frantically yanked on his mother’s arm and tried to explain what he saw, Stern started walking, not wanting to be there.
Reaching the Dungeon Walkers’ guildhall, Stern took a moment to touch the badge he’d pinned to his leathers. After taking a deep breath, he stepped inside. The noise in the room was loud, with dozens of conversations in progress. It brought back a memory of his father speaking to his mother. At least this world only has one language. If each race had its own, plus regional languages, it’d be as bad as Earth.
Walkers were a diverse group, and while some groups stuck to their own kind, most found that diversity gave them an edge. The same group he’d spotted yesterday was at a table just inside the door. The angelic woman’s eyebrow went up as she eyed him. Her curiosity got the rest of her table to look his way.
“Blighted?” the dwarf asked bluntly.
“No, I was born this way,” Stern replied, but his tone was edged.
“Leave him be, Gustav. He’s a pup— one mark only,” the elven woman said. “Excuse him. His manners are atrocious.”
“Bah!” Gustav snorted. “Sorry, pup, but you know what you look like.”
“I’m all too aware,” Stern said stiffly. “Been dealing with it my whole life. I didn’t mean to interrupt your conversation.”
“It’s fine,” the man with triangular teeth said. “Pups need guidance. Come to register?”
“Of course,” Stern replied, backing off on his angry tone.
“Just you?” the dark-skinned woman with the white wings asked. “Where are the others you went with?”
Stern just looked at her and she nodded slowly. “Ah. That explains the sharp reply.”
Stern shrugged, taking in their gear and badges. “Iron, two marks,” Stern said. “Twenty dungeons cleared. I’m surprised you’re here.”
“Just finished a delivery,” Gustav said. “Not everything is dungeons.”
The dwarf’s abrasive nature made Stern bristle, but he did his best to ignore it. “I’m aware. There are still dangerous beasts in the wilds, rare herbs that need to be retrieved, and other tasks. Those other jobs are actually the majority of a Walker’s work.”
The angelic woman nodded. “Indeed. The registrar is in the corner,” she pointed. “Hopefully, she can get you an interview or two with other new crews.”
“Goddess willing,” Stern said, bowing his head to her. “Please, excuse me.”
“Pup!” Gustav called after him a second later.
Stern squashed his first reply, instead turning to face the dwarf. “Yeah?”
“Good luck. If you make it to copper and we meet again, I’ll be buying the drinks to hear about your runs.”
Stern blinked for a few seconds and smiled. “Deal. Safe runs and good loot to you.”
“Safe runs,” all four replied.
Stern’s mood was dropping again by the time he crossed the room. The overall atmosphere was good in the hall, but the few people who paid attention to him caused his mood to sour. A matronly woman sat in the corner of the room, behind a counter, and was watching him with curiosity.
“How might I help you?”
“My name is Stern. I need to register.”
“By yourself?” she asked.
“All by myself,” Stern replied calmly, thankful that she was being cordial.
“Obviously not blighted, which is curious. It’s not unheard of, but exceedingly rare,” the woman smiled. “One of your perks is going to be unusual.”
Stern snorted. “That’s the nice way of saying it.”
She nodded and pulled out a tablet. It appeared to draw the light into itself, not reflecting it the way other things did. Setting the tablet on the desk, she motioned toward it. “Dominant hand, please.”
Stern put his left hand on the tablet and inhaled sharply. His whole body felt like it contracted to a singular point before expanding back to normal.
“You handled that better than most,” she said. “Remove your hand.”
Taking his hand back, he shook it as it tingled.
The woman looked down at the tablet and nodded. “Hmm, interesting. That must be hard to deal with.”
“That’s an understatement,” Stern said, knowing she was seeing all of his perks.
“With the way you look, it must have been a nightmare,” she replied. “Considering what is obviously your newest perk, you’re a summoner from birth. Are they helpful in combat?”
“She is, and with Improved Companion, that will increase.”
“I see. Would you be willing to display your friend?”
Stern looked at the crow
ded room, his eyes darting to the scarred war hound near them. “Right here might be a bad idea.”
“Undoubtedly,” the woman replied. “Please wait a moment.” Closing her eyes, she appeared to be speaking to someone, but Stern couldn’t hear her. She blinked and pointed to the stairs a dozen feet away. “She will take you to a private room so you may help us understand your perks better.”
Stern looked to where the matron pointed and nodded. At the base of the stairs, a dwarf stood. “Thank you, ma’am,” he told the older woman.
“Once you finish, she will help you with trying to find your way. Good luck.”
Nodding, Stern headed for the dwarven woman, who was watching him with wide eyes. She didn’t wait for him, starting up the stairs while he was still on his way over. The second floor had a lot of closed doors and the dwarven woman stopped in front of one of them. Seeing him come up the stairs, she opened it and stepped inside.
Stern sighed as he entered the room and closed the door behind him. His quick glance told him it was an office. The dwarf was settling in behind a desk and motioning him to the chair across from her.
“Sit and show me, please.”
Taking the offered seat, Stern raised his hand over the desk and summoned Pawly. Pawly looked to him, then at the dwarf, before sighing and flopping onto her side.
“Unusual,” the woman said, staring at Pawly. “A cat?”
“Yes. My father called her a Maine Coon. She’s named Pawly.”
“Pawly,” the woman said, looking at her paws before smiling. “Fitting.”
Pawly meowed and wiggled a little closer to her.
“Mind her belly. It’s a trap,” Stern warned her.
“Aren’t most cat’s bellies?”
“All of the ones I’ve known, but people still try with her.”
“Your other perk was to improve her. Ah, where are my manners? I’m Regina.”
“Sure. Pawly, get off the desk, please.”
Pawly sighed, as she wasn’t being petted and there was obviously a lack of fish.
“After we finish here. They needed to see you first,” Stern said, understanding her disappointment.
Pawly jumped down off the desk and sat beside him, giving him a meow.
Fingers flexing, he activated his new perk, and Pawly went from a large house cat to a small hunting cat. Four-feet long before her tail was added, she still had the thick Maine Coon fur, making her look extremely unique.
“Goodness,” Regina said, sitting forward. “Now she’s a notable asset in a dungeon.”
“Was before, too. She killed a little over half the monsters in the run.”
“Which you completed by yourself... or without other people, I should clarify,” Regina said, giving Pawly a smile.
Pawly preened and gave a happy chuff.
“Yes.”
“I see the bandage on your arm and the fading nicks on your face. Was that all the damage you took?”
“Pawly got clobbered by one of the rabbits,” Stern said. “I let her go, then brought her back.”
“She healed?”
“Always has.”
“Very useful… do you mind her being put into danger or dying?”
Stern stared at Regina. “I do, but pain is part of a run. Sending her to deliberately die would piss me off.”
“And upset her, as well, I’d imagine. However, I know some would try to use her for that specific purpose,” Regina said. “Those who can summon help normally use their summons in that way. Yours… well, she’s different. She’s a friend, not a monster.”
“Yes.”
“Hmm... we’ve had a handful of crews register today. I think you’ve met all of them, haven’t you?”
“Didn’t get along,” Stern said.
“Yes, I figured as much. Sadly, that leaves you in a bind. We’d normally recommend that you join a group that has completed the same dungeons, as you need to clear all three of a rank to go up and gain access to the next three.”
Stern nodded. “I’m aware. I was thinking of completing the first three without any help.”
Pawly growled.
“Without help, outside of her,” Stern amended.
“Difficult and foolish, but doable,” Regina sighed. “Even if you only join for a single run, I still suggest you go with others.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Stern replied, shrinking Pawly back to her normal size.
“Your perks have been registered and I will update the record. If you’re heading to Brightstone next, there are a few quests in that direction, if you’d like to earn some coin.”
“They’re posted?”
“Of course.”
“I’ll look into them tomorrow, then,” Stern said, standing up. “I promised someone fish and cream.”
Regina chuckled. “Keeping her happy is probably wise. Even more so now, I’d think.”
Pawly purred and jumped onto the desk, flopping onto her side.
Regina stroked Pawly’s fur. “Try to help him as much as you can, but push him to accept help, for both of your sakes.”
Pawly meowed and accepted the petting.
“I’ll see if people are looking to group up in the next city,” Stern said. “Come on, Pawly. Dinnertime.”
Pawly was off the desk and next to the door in an instant.
“Safe runs,” Regina said.
“Thank you,” Stern said as he opened the door.
Chapter Six
Checking his things over one more time, Stern finally opened the door to the room where he’d stayed for his last night in Darkstone. The inn wasn’t as good as the small suite he’d rented while attending the academy, but it served its purpose of giving him a place to sleep. He dropped the room key on the desk and kept on walking right out the door.
He’d made it a single square north when the scent of cooking food hit his nose and his stomach growled. Stern found the food vendor’s stall on the other side of the square and went toward it. There was a small line of people waiting, but they were being served quickly.
“How many?” the man asked, not looking up as he flipped a set of skewers on the grill.
“Three. Cost?” Stern replied.
“Two copper.”
Stern dropped the coins into the basket. “Done.”
“Alright,” the man grinned, pulling freshly cooked shrimp off the grill. “Here you…” His sentence trailed off as he stared at Stern.
“Not blighted,” Stern said stiffly, his hand out to accept the skewers.
With a small flinch, the man shoved the ends of the sticks into Stern’s hand. “Yeah, sure.”
Teeth grinding, Stern stalked away. Goddess, why? Why me? Couldn’t the dungeon have given me an option to change?
He made it a few streets away before stepping into an alley. Exhaling slowly, he let go of the anger he was feeling and his own. He shook his head and looked at his skewers— his appetite had dimmed, but was still there. Putting his food into his right hand, he flexed his fingers through the pattern to summon Pawly.
“Meow?” Pawly blinked, looking around.
“Good morning. Want to share some shrimp?”
A chuff and head bump on his shin was Pawly’s answer.
Stern smiled at his friend, then bit the first shrimp off the skewer, letting the back half fall. The tail end of the shrimp never hit the ground— Pawly had shifted to sit in front of him and, as it fell, grabbed it with her massive paws.
The two of them stayed there as they ate. Stern’s mood improved even with all the people eyeing him and Pawly when they passed by.
With their shrimp gone, Stern knelt down. “I forgot to give you something yesterday. Now seems like a good time.” With a smile, he pulled out the pink item he’d taken from the dungeon. “What do you think? Want a bow?”
Pawly sniffed at the cord, then turned around so her back was to him. She looked over her shoulder and gave him a meow. Smiling, Stern tied the pink cord around her neck. He purposely left it a little
loose, making sure that he tied the bow with an easy slip.
“Okay, it’s on, but it’ll come off easy so you don’t get stuck,” Stern said. “Can’t have you being restricted like that.”
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