Dammit Dan!

  Ross was confused at the scene before him. Danny's scent lead here. He was sure of it. On a second and third quick sniff reviled that Dan's scent was coming from the egg. That left the question of who was this person and what had she done to Danny? Ross wanted to ask “Who the hell are you, and were is my friend?” but what came out instead was “This is impossible.” as it dawned on him just who she looked like. This woman was the spitting image of a younger Cathrin. Ross just stared mouth agape. A minute later, Karber arrived with a prisoner in tow. “There you are. Did you find your friend?” The dragon asked. He seemed confused by the atmosphere in the room, and his words brought Ross back from his confusion. When he turned to face Karber, he saw the dragon look at Ross, to what remained of the corps, and then at the shell-shocked woman hugging the egg. Karber secured the chain to his belt, and walked over to the woman. After gaining a read of the situation, he knelt down in front of her, and in a gentle voice asked her name. She did not respond right away. “Grisre.” As if noticing for the first time she had company, she thrust one hand forward and with a single hand gesture, shot a bolt of force from each of her fingertips. They each hit the dragon in the chest, but bounced off harmlessly into several directions. Grisre's eyes began to tear up, and she began crying out repeatedly. “NO! NO! NO! NO! I will not be a slave again, and I will die before letting you take my friend.” Karber sat next to her and put an arm around her. Ross was at a loss for words both figuratively and literally. He moved closer to get a better look at the egg. The egg was the size of a house cat and had a base color of neon purple with amorphous swirls of blue. “I'M a knight of the king.” Karber said. “Who is your friend, beast tamer.”

  The words beast tamer caught Ross' and Grisre's attention. Did that mean she could speak the beast tongue? That was shortly answered when Karber spoke to Grisre in beast speak repeating the question. Her answer surprised him more than her ability to understand beast. She replied with no more fight. “My most cherished friend, Dan. He changed into this after saving me.” Ross was astonished yet again. He hadn't lost Danny again; the egg was Danny. “Just what is going on?” He thought to himself. Another thing that blew his mind was the fact that Danny seemed to be at the center of all this carnage. He saw this as an opportunity to inject himself into the conversation. He was not sure why Karber spoke to her in beast speak, but at least he knew she could understand him. “Danny is my cherished friend too.” The woman known as Grisre looked at him as though she was seeing him for the first time. Her eyes glowed menacingly, but she did not attack. Ross was left wondering, what had this woman gone through?

  Karber interjected seeing possible hostility. “I know he is your friend, but wait outside, and let me talk to her.” Karber mouthed with a serious look. Ross had never seen the dragon so tense before, and the way Grisre was holding Danny was like a mother protecting her young. In his mind, if she was protecting his friend and brother like that, then he could at least wait outside the door. Furthermore, he knew he could trust Karber. As disgusting and irritating as he could be at times, the Dragon had helped him. Even if the full reasoning wasn't completely known. So, Ross complied, and gave them their space. Sure, they had been apart, but what was a little while longer in the grand scheme of things. It’s not like there was a choice in the matter.

  Ross didn't know what they were talking about nor did he have any intentions of eavesdropping. So, he just waited lamenting on how he had been so worried about his friend. It really was funny when you thought about it. Both him and Danny had fought tooth and nail for this reunion, and now that they were finally reunited, they couldn't so much as say hi, or I missed you man. Ross's tail twitched in agitation. For crying out loud. How did a simple reconnaissance mission turn into this massive shit show of dragons and fantasy? “Danny is going to be pissed when he finds out I lied to him.” Ross mumbled. After all, he did not really get out of the military. Despite humanity being united, there were factions, which was why a cover up was needed to investigate the mysterious asteroid that ultimately led to their current situation. His mission was to buy a mining ship, perform some surveys, do some mining and or survey an asteroid as part of a cover, then jump out to that mysterious rock out in the ort cloud and check it out, and investigate for possible advanced technology or intelligent life. Regardless what it was, the Unified Colony Federation wanted to know if it posed a danger to the survival of the human race. They even agreed to his crew who were sworn in due to their backgrounds and knowledge base. Danny was approved, as he was already part of the program, but then they ran into pirates. For fucks sake. If it wasn't for that, they wouldn't be in this mess, but would it though? On the bright side, he'd always like fantasy VR games, so it wasn't complete horse shit, and it wasn't like he had any attachments back home. After all, that was where his greatest failure happened as well as one of Ross's greatest losses, not to mention an insane hermit that could use magic and could turn people into other things.

  Ross was in deep thought when Karber's foot nudge pulled him out of his thoughts. Grisre, the woman who was holding on to Danny for dear life bowed to Ross and apologized. “Your friend has explained everything. I did not know you were acquainted with Danny.” “What the fuck does she mean by acquaintance?” Ross thought in agitation. He'd known that man far longer than she had. Karber must have been listening in on his thoughts, because he interjected to preserve what he believed was progress. “Until recently, she was a slave. Your friend saved her.” Ross's anger waned after hearing that, but Danny was family to him, and he would not allow someone to demote that to acquaintance but he understood this was unproductive, and he knew she could understand beast speak, so instead of instigating the situation, he progressed the conversation in the only productive direction he could, seeing as how he was a damn cat and all. Well, that and this also made Ross feel awkward on so many levels. “Were actually more like family, but more importantly, why is Danny an egg?” Grisre just furrowed her brow in thought. After a minuet she spoke again. Karber just watched the pair with interest like he knew the answer, but wanted to see if she knew. “Well... I'M not really sure. I am only an apprentice beast tamer by experience only.” That was when Karber chimed in. “Your friend is evolving,” His eyes glowed, as he stared at the egg. “And he is evolving into something unusual.” The dragon said cryptically. The three just looked at each other’s, then Karber yanked on the chain that was attached to his waist. “Come with me if you want out of here. Ross, I've held up my part.” Ross couldn't disagree. Karber had indeed held up his end. He said he would escort him and he had.

  The two fallowed the dragon out of the blood-soaked facility, where the dragon bid the two goodbyes, but Grisre could not help but ask. “How long will the evolution take?” “She would be mad if I told you that, but what I can say, is that if you bring the egg to a place with huge concentrations of mana, then it should decrease your friend's evolution time.” The dragon held up one finger like a teacher about to say something that their students should absolutely know. “Make sure you have lots of meat on hand. He will be ravenous when he emerges. Oh! One more thing. I never caught that demon master, so watch your backs.” Karber turned again, and this time it was Ross that spoke up. “Fly safe.” Grisre looked confused by the cats’ words, but Ross knew and instantly regretted it, because Karber gave that shit eating grin that Ross come to know as trouble. He could feel his stomach sink. Now, the city had calmed down since they had been in the sewers. No doubt, the guards had realized that the flying calamity above their city was an illusion, and stood down. That was about to change. “There is a difference between getting caught and being seen.” Was all the dragon said before he shifted into his dragon form, and took off into the skies flying away from the two. Grisre just stared dumbfounded while Ross just cringed as the warning bells began to ring.

  Karber left Coran in a state of emergency, thanks to the mysterious abilities afforded to him, but unlike his jokes and high jinks, this was a priority, so size control was needed. As a multidimensional being, the dragon wasn't completely beholden to some of this dimension's laws of physics. Karber knew he was in hot water though, so why not make the most of it anyway? Not only that, but he was of a proud species of higher dragon who needed to spread his wings from time to time or his body would forget how to, and there was no one on Craylon who could truly forbid it no matter how much they tried. He frowned. There was King Arista. While it was true that she couldn't stop him from flying over cities, she was favored by his lady, and she could sever his tie to this planet. It was his anchor to this dimension. That was why he followed orders, even if he skirted them from time to time. This caused Karber's scaly lips to pull back into a smile that would cause even the most fearsome apex predators on Craylon to shit themselves. His prisoner, a recently freed slave of the Zoo started to rouse from their unconscious state only to see the colossal beings toothy filled smile and passed out. That caused Karber to laugh which came out as a series of intermittent growls.

  The capital city of Karber lay on the horizon. It was this continent's seat of power. It was a prosperous city that spanned a radius of fifteen miles full of shops, houses, and sapient life to inhabit them. Unlike other cities and towns, this one had a massive castle in the center of it surrounded by an inner ring with a built-in landing pad big enough for Karber to land and shift into a more manageable size. His flight back was quite enjoyable though his thoughts had cycled back to Ross from time to time. He had actually enjoyed traveling with a creature whose bravery and ferocity could only be matched by that of a dragon. Though, Ross's race had confused Karber. How could you be a beast and be human at the same time? He was not the first amalgamated creature he had ever come across. Truth be told Ross was the second creature of that nature, that he had met in his 800 years of life. Perhaps that was a mystery his lady could help shed light on some other time. For now, Karber had duties to attend to, and no doubt receive a reaming so brutal that he might have a new butt hole to fart out of, but... completely worth it. He smiled at the relatively fresh memories. When Karber landed outside the inner gate, he placed the prisoner on the ground where the poor man was helped to his feet and lead inside to be interrogated, and hopefully given to him as food afterwords. Though, given the former slave's circumstances that was unlikely.

  After shifting back into his human form, Karber held up his pass and ordered his way passed the remaining guards regardless their orders regarding Karber, heading straight for the palace. Walking through the inner city, he closed his eyes, and let the warm rays of sunlight against his quasi-human face. Opening his golden eyes, Karber continued his leisurely walk. Shops were open and busy with costumers, buying and selling goods both mundane and enchanted. However, none of these shops really had anything of value for him. Karber's wondering thoughts lingered momentarily on Grisre who he had discovered to be a Beast Tamer, and why had she protected that egg so fiercely? Walking past an ally, the dragon pondered this, and finally came to the conclusion that a master Beast Tamer would be needed to answer that question. Before Karber knew it, he was standing at the castle gate deep in thought, and was brought out of it when the castle guard began shouting in his face. “I SAID IDENTIFY YOUR SELF.” He could not believe it. Sgt. Wells had castle gate duty today. “My sense of time must be off.” Karber mumbled as he picked the screaming guard up, and with a strength of 450, tossed the guard into the moat like a child with a small pebble. Sgt. Barnett laughed. “Good to see you, Karber.” the other Sargent said laughing. The other guard who was now swimming over to a lowered ladder opened his mouth to scream defiance and words of reproach, but was promptly ignored. Unlike Sargent Wells, Sgt. Barnett was a friend. “Good to see you to.” The two clasped wrists. “Got urgent news regarding the Zoo and a Demon Master.” By this time Sgt. Wells made it back to the two, and began shouting once more, but this time it was Barnett that pushed wells into the moat. Karber looked over and admired his friend’s handy work. “You're improving. I give that a purple opal.” He said smiling. “Ever since Wells made Sgt, he's been on a power trip, so us other Sargent's have been practicing.” Karber chuckled. This time, Wells got the hint and took his time. “OH yeah! Our majesty wishes to speak with you about urgent matters. Have you been flying over cities again?” The Dragon just gave a knowing grin. “Their reaction was worth every bit of trouble I'm in.”

  Karber entered the throne room were a King Arista sat on her throne. Her catlike ears poked through the top of her crown twitching at every noise big or small. Arista wore a conservative green dress that most men would agree complimented her form greatly. She stared at Karber with emerald eyes not betraying a hint of anger. As a matter of fact, they exuded a twinkle of amusement. Oh, this was not good. Karber new this look all too well. This was the look a woman gave when they had, had enough, and was about to teach you a lesson. He couldn't help but wonder if it really was worth it. “Did you have a nice flight back?” She asked sweetly. “I... had no issues.” He cringed as the words left his lips. King Arista frowned at his response. “Aaand hear it comes.” He thought. “You keep pissing off the nobility. Yes, Lord Becket is disgusting, but I need him to fall in line. I cannot do that if you keep provoking him. What do you have to say, Karber of the high dragons?” So that is why his empress was upset. High Lord crybaby was still mad about his chair. Well Karber saw no reason to mince words. She too was a Divine beast, so he was pretty sure she would understand. “I, Karber of the proud high dragons would like to give my condolences to High Lord Becket's chair for now the owner matches his things.” Karber finished his mocking apology and with a disarming smile. What the dragon saw, was King Arista crack a smile and stifle a laugh. It was brief but there. Mastering her emotions, she said. “I expect a good explanation. You didn't just put his city on high alert; you did it to two. Also, Lord Becket demands your cat.” “About that your majesty, that is why I put two cities in a state of emergency.” She stood crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow at his response as if to say go on this had better be good. The dragon took that as his queue to continue. “That cat, his lordliness wants so kill is a divine beast much like yourself which is the main reason for throwing those cities into chaos. This...” Karber was unable to finish as an expression of shock and panic flickered across her face before she leapt to her feet and crossed the distance placing a hand over his beautiful mouth to shut him up. “Not here!” She hissed “Anyone could be scrying this conversation.” Arista took Karber by the hand, and lead him to a warded room. Once they were situated, she said. “Tell me everything about your mission, and of the two Divine beasts you discovered.”

  Coran was in complete chaos. Grisre was beginning to panic. That was not a good thing given that she was carrying the egg that was his friend. The last thing that was needed was for her to fire off that spell of hers at the city's guards. It may not have harmed Karber, but that was because Karber was a dragon, and as hard as it was for Ross to believe it, he was also a noble knight. These guards were neither of those things. If Grisre killed one of them, then they were likely to kill her and take the egg as some sort of trophy, and Ross could not have that. Thankfully, Karber's flight path took all their unwanted attention away from them and into the opposite direction. That did not mean they would not run into any unwanted company. Sure, no one would suspect a cat, but Grisre was a human who was wearing slave garb, and carrying something that looked to Ross's opinion, very valuable. That wasn't to mention, that neither of them knew what this places stance on slavery was. If there was any. Something that Ross would never be part of. He had to get control of the situation.

  With a single claw, Ross gave Grisre a light scratch which got her attention. Hurting this young woman pained Ross considering that she looked just like the woman who was once married to Danny. The very woman he had failed, but they needed to get out of here, and figure out their next move. Grisre looked down to see what attacked her only to see Ross looking her in the eyes with sheer determination. In beast speak, Ross said. “We need to get out of here while we still can.” She nodded. “You lead, and I'll follow.” was all she said. The two were not far from the city gates. As to which gate, or if this was the only one didn't really matter so long as they escaped. If not the city, then at the very least find a place to lie low. Ross looked from side to side hoping to find an alleyway to dive into.

  Sure, enough there was one. It was out of the way, and would give them time to think things through. Maybe even find a better way. At the moment, all they really knew was that they had no money and that without Grisre, there was no way for him to could carry Danny. “Let's take cover in that ally.” Ross said facing their new hiding spot. Good thing to, because no sooner had they dove into the ally, a group of soldiers could be heard approaching the ally at double time. Thankfully none of them stopped or looked into the ally. “What do we do now?” Grisre asked in hushed tones. “We lay low.” He said looking around. “Were not wanted, so why are we hiding?” She asked. Thinking back to the gate, and how it was locked tight, Ross answered. “This city is in a state of emergency. No one goes in or out, and no doubt looking for survivors. You are in slave garb. If slavery is a thing, they might think you are a run away.” Ross finally spotted what he was looking for, but Grisre was not idle during their conversation, and was already heading over to a line of clothes hanging outside a window.

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  It would seem she was thinking the same thing. Instead of grabbing the blue dress however, she instead grabbed a pair of trousers and a button-up shirt. They were not fancy, but that only worked in their favor. Grisre began taking off her not so modest slave garb. Ross just turned around. He was no barbarian, and would remain a proper gentleman no matter what form he had taken. “Well, that's one problem taken care of.” She said in a hushed tone. “But I do not think we really need to hide. If there looking for survivors or injured, why not let them find what their looking for?” Understanding dawned on Ross. If they thought they were victims, then they would be helped, not the reverse. “OK... what do you have in mind?” Ross understood the gist of it, but could it really be this easy? He would soon find out. Looking around the area where the clothes were found, he saw Grisre padding her clothes down with water, then without notice picked Ross up by the scuff of his neck and dunked him. He coughed and thought about scratching the woman with his claws, but thought better of it. “It is like Karber said. Better to be seen then caught.” She then tipped the barrel over, and carried him to the mouth of the ally where she set the cat down, and sat down next to him placing the egg in her lap. “Now I just need you to act like you are guarding me. Oh! Injure my arm.” Ross just didn't know how to process that, but reluctantly did as she asked. Luckily, he was able to dial back the power in his steel claws, and managed to not sever Grisre's arm. She tore off strips from her slave rags and bound her wounds. “Remember I am a beast tamer, and you are my beast. Act as though you are protecting me and I will do the rest.” Ross gave a worrying glance at the egg. “We Tamers will sacrifice our lives to defend eggs such as these. Do not worry.” She said reassuringly “That's easy for you to say.” Though he had to admit, this was better than waiting it out. Dammit Dan. This is your fault.

  As planned, they were spotted by a group of soldiers. Grisre wrapped herself around the egg in a protective manner, but in a way that made her wound the main focus of their attention. Ross played his part well as he bristled and began spitting and hissing placing himself between the patrol and Grisre. He even charged his claws for an even more enhanced effect. She had to admit, this was going well so far, but this was the beginning and there was still time for things to go wrong. Plus, she had not lied when she said Beast tamers would die to protect an egg. It was a motherly instinct that was shared by all tamers that was magnified by the magic of the world. “Captain, I have an injured civilian.” As he tried to approach, Ross took a swipe at him with glowing claws discharging into the flagstone. “Hold back private. Miss, are you alright? Do you need medical attention?” Grisre nodded saying “Me and my beast were passing through, when we were attacked by a man who had claws for hands.” She said with tears flowing out. It wasn't all that hard considering she had damn near lost her arm. “Order your beast passive Miss, so we can treat your wounds and get you to safety.” Grisre had suckered them in, now she just hoped they were truly as selfless as they seemed. She would know soon enough. Anyone who knew what she was holding would kill her here and just to take what she was holding, and if it came to that, there was no doubt Ross would kill. Grisre was sure she would try given that her and Danny were bonded, even if it was botched.

  Grisre ordered Ross to stand down. He complied, but she could tell he was watching these men with the eyes of a hawk. The captain approached pulling out a bandage covered in a red substance. “Remove your bandage and hold out your arm.” She did so, but not before noticing the captains’ eyes widening in shock at the egg. “You are a beast tamer!” He exclaimed. Part of Grisre wanted to kill the man for looking at the precocious life in her lap, but resisted. “Careful Cap. They are suicidal when it comes to those things.” His soldier warned “I know that private. Now shut your rathole and do your duty.” The captain gave a reassuring smile, and with very little fear, took her arm and wrapped it with gentle fingers. With his work complete, the soldier said. “I am glad we found you when we did. That injury of yours was quite serious.” Grisre looked at the bandage, and she could feel her arm mending itself back together. She flexed her fingers and placed them protectively on the egg. “Can you stand?” The captain asked holding out a hand. She nodded, but carefully took it anyway. “I'll see you safely to an inn. I'll also see that you have room and board for tonight.” The group escorted them to an inn where he gave the protestant innkeeper a silver which seemed to shut him up, and left. She was given a key which Grisre hesitantly took and went to her room. If anything, the captain and his men were kind, but She would not trust him fully. “Well, that worked out.”

  Ross jumped onto the bed. “For now, but we still have no money.” Grisre furrowed her brows in thought. After a few seconds of thought, she replied. “Maybe not. I was Francis's personal slave. So, I know a lot of his secrets including where his stashes are kept.” Grisre shivered as she spoke the word secrets. “If we can get one of his stashes, then it would give us some money for food and lodging... maybe even for travel should we choose that route.” Ross said hopefully. She could not help but wonder what his goals were or if they would align with hers. Many times, Grisre had dreamed of breaking free of Francis, and be her own woman. True, her hopes had died long ago, but she was free now, and now that she could go anywhere, she needed to learn more about Beast Taming if their bond was to be severed, and if she was being completely honest with herself, she enjoyed the company. “Yes, I agree, but you need to know something about me and Danny.” She could see that Ross was giving her his undivided attention. “I... before I knew your friend was once human, I tried to bond him, but that has caused some” She let slip a small pause seeing Ross's agitation. “Complications.”

  Ross Had his claws out. “What do you mean complications?” He hissed. With a sad look Grisre said. “Where linked with an imperfect bond. Which means, if either of us were to die, it could cause insanity or death.” She waited for his next response. Yes, he was furious, but between Karber and the sewer, he just did not have the energy. Ross exhaled letting his exhaustion show. “So, what do we do? I mean were stuck with each other’s until Dan evolves and that bond is severed. So how do we deal with this?” While holding Danny's egg she sat next to Ross. “I need a master Tamer to safely sever our bond, and I know where one might be, but we are going to need a boat.” Ross sighed, and jumped over to a chair. “First, just tell me where each stash is, and I will try to retrieve it, though it could be difficult. You know this world better than I do, so worry about our next step.” He let that hang in the air for a bit, letting her know that it was too dangerous for her to go as long as she had that egg. She harrumphed, but she told him.

  It was late at night when Ross woke. He nudged Grisre awake, meowing at her. She woke swatting him away. “Is it that time already?” She wined. “Yes! Now open the window, so I can get out.” Still holding the egg, she did so, and Ross was on his way, but not before seeing what looked to be a shadow jump into her shadow. It was quick, but it could have been a trick of the light. Just to be sure Ross stayed on the window sill charging mana into his claws just in case. Sure, enough there it was again. As Grisre got onto the bed a shadow like creature popped out of her shadow and slithered onto the bed. Panic began to rage through him like a raging river. He pressed his paw against the window ready to discharge his steal claws when Grisre reached out to pet the creature, and it rubbed against her hand. Wow... false alarm if there ever was one. On the bright side, that was one very good reason to not worry. It also made sense too. Grisre was a Beast Tamer, and if she wasn't attacking it, then it must be friendly. With his heart at ease, Ross made his way to the place where him and Grisre exited the hidden underground facility. He passed several armed patrols. It seemed the city was no longer on high alert given their relaxed demeanor. There were also no other people out and about. That must mean a curfew was still in place. Well, good thing he was a cat. With little fear he plunged into the darkness of that accursed place. The stench of released bowels and death assaulted his senses. “Back to this hellish nightmare.” Ross thought. It reminded him of the horror that initially greeted him and Karber when they first found the place.

  Ross had deduced some of what caused all the suffering and death in this place, and the animal part of him demanded he proceed with maximum caution. Bodies could still be seen here and there half-eaten, and in some cases... missing entirely. All things considered though, the place was deserted. Now! If Grisre's directions were correct, he just had to get to the room where he and Karber found Grisre holding Danny. If not for the room’s enchantments, he would have never guessed that the room had furniture. Ross made it down the hall and to the stairway going up when he heard a noise coming from the room above. Building mana into his claws, he crept up the stairs as silent as the midnight moons. When he reached the top of the stairs, he saw a cloaked figure poking around the room as though they were looking for something, but never holding things for long or taking them. In Ross's experience, the only time a person ignored possessions was if they were investigating or looking for something specific. He didn't know Ross was there, so if a fight ensued, Ross would have surprise on his side, but just to be on the safe side he decided a little more cover would be good. He slunk over to a darker patch of shadow. Right then something he had come to know as his notifications began blinking in the corner of his vision, but for now he just ignored it. Placing his attention back onto the cloaked man in the room, Ross noticed that he began taking notes. Now it made sense. This man was assessing damages and making a report. For whom they worked for was unclear, then his behavior changed. Instead of poking around and taking notes, the cloaked man walked over to the black blood-soaked rug were a mostly eaten body was, and flipped the body off with little effort.

  With the rug tossed into the corner, three safes could be seen poking out of the floor right were Grisre said they would be. Of course, all three safes weren't visible at first. It was only after the cloaked man tapped the surrounding floor in a specific pattern that they appeared. He began to open them up pulling out their contents. When he went to pluck out the contents of the 3rd safe, a loud clang and the sound of voices could be heard from the hall. The cloaked man grabbed what he could, and took off through a passage way behind a tapestry. “Well fuck.” With little time left, Ross rushed over to the safe, and with a held breath looked in. He let out a sigh of relief. He didn't know what was considered a lot, but inside the safe was a pouch the size of his head tied off at the top. Grabbing the pouch with his mouth, Ross wiggled under the disheveled carpet. Just in time too, because three armored men wearing Coran city tabords walked into the room. “I cannot believe this place exists.” Said guard one. “Well, whatever this place was, something fucked up happened here...” Guard two was cut short by guard three who pointed at the safes, and spoke. “The important thing here, is that we found the remnants of an illegal operation... probably the Zoo.” The other two disagreed, but guard three hit them with cold facts. “We killed a handful of beasts not native to the sewers, then we find dead slaves half or mostly eaten, and we find three magic and pilfered safes. It's the Zoo. Now are you going to call it in our argue.” One of them pulled out a crystal with an image of a regal looking person with long hair and defined features appeared and reported their findings. They scoured the room one more time, and left. Ross waited several minutes until their voices died away, and wiggled out of his hiding spot returning to the inn with a small portion of the stash, and thankful to not have been caught. Getting killed was not on his nightly agenda. Ross just hoped there would be enough.

  Grisre waited by the window for Ross to return. She could feel her bonds being severed one by one as something or someone was killing her precious beasts. Unlike Danny's Alpha bond, she could compel the beast she was bonded to. It did have conditions. Similar to Alpha bonding, the more time you spent with the creature the more likely you were to succeed with the taming spell vs out rite brute forcing it. In addition, other factors came into play such as how well you treat it, and its disposition towards you. Unlike Danny's Alpha bonding, she had control of a beast or monsters will... assuming one was able to evolve the Beast Tamer class into the monster tamer class, but Grisre was only an apprentice beast tamer with a long way to go. When the lightning fox named prim warned of intruders, she looked through its eyes and saw that soldiers had found the place where Ross had gone. Grisre, through her beast bonds sent them to stall the intruders, and buy him time. She considered sending the Shadow Stelt, but much like herself, it refused to leave the egg. This was a special case much like Danny, but unlike Danny it had accepted the bonding with little resistance, and broke it with that much effort. Thankfully it identified her as part of the pack, so it remained loyal. Nervously waiting, Grisre did the only thing she could and waited for Ross by the window hoping the price paid was worth it. She loved those beasts, and before Danny, they were all she had to keep her sane.

  Grisre watched with great intensity for Ross's return, and after three and a half hours of waiting, was rewarded with confusion as a subtle blur could be seen lurking in the shadows. Her amorphous shadow guardian, or egg guardian rose around it like a protective shell after sensing her apprehension. As soon as Grisre saw the blur, it disappeared back into the shadows. Grabbing for anything she could find to use as a makeshift weapon Grisre readied herself for a fight backing away from the window. That's when they heard it. A, TAP TAP TAP could be heard coming from the window. Raising her weapon into a defensive position, she cautiously crept over to the window. TAP, TAP, TAP As soon as Grisre was at the window, Ross came out of stealth right on the window sill causing Grisre to scream and fall backwards. The cat began to laugh through the pouch in its mouth which pissed her off. If it was not for the possibilities held in its mouth, Grisre would have left him outside to suffer. Begrudgingly she opened the window and let him back in. Ross, seeing the Shadow Stelt's form wrapped protectively around the egg, instead chose to jump onto the chair where he dropped the bag with an unsatisfying clink. Grisre closed the window, and dumped the bag onto the bed with a sigh. “It is better than nothing I suppose.” Seeing Ross's confusion she said. “We have ten silver Denary and one gold Denar. That means were broke.” Ross did a cat version of a scowl and spoke. “Then how much do we need for ship fair?” Grisre thought about the question before answering, because truth be told, the amount varied. “Truthfully... I only got to sit in on a few merchant deals, and only one of them was a ship captain. I remember him saying his rates varied, but for passengers he fluctuated between 25-30 Denary.” Ross's spirits fell. “We really are broke.” Ross said as Grisre just nodded before going back to sleep sad that her friends died. Taking her conversation queue, he did the same.

  KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK

  King knew that knock, so like always he said “Come in!”, and as usual Gerwulf strode into the stone and obsidian room, but this time, he was carrying safe bags with a scowl, and not with his usual scowl, but a look King had only ever seen once in Gerwulf's long years of service. It was a look of... fear, and uncertainty. “What do you have for me?” King demanded. He hesitated which was not a good thing. When Gerwulf hesitated like this, it meant he had news King did not want to hear, news that would have gotten most of his predecessors killed. More silence followed. Finally, he couldn't take it no more, and began screaming. “I SAID WHAT DO YOU HAVE FOR ME? SPEAK BEFORE I CUT OUT YOUR TONGUE.” He screamed so loud that it almost sent him into a coughing fit. Gerwulf's back straitened. He recognized anger, and a bit of fire along with the beast kin's old self return. “Good! Now maybe we can hurry this thing along.” King thought to himself. Despite his inner thoughts, and frustration at having to endure this incompetence, he also recognized Gerwulf's abilities, so he begrudgingly let Gerwulf collect himself. After a few seconds, he made his report, and ooooh how he wished he had not. “The arena in Coran city was attacked. I had one of my most trusted collects what was in the safes before any of Coran's patrols had a chance to discover the place.” King placed his fingers on the bridge of his nose and took a few breaths. He noticed Gerwulf relax a bit recognizing his forced patience. He motioned for his second to continue after letting some of his anger subside. “I had my guy check around. No one seems to know who attacked us, but they killed the doppelganger called Francis,” Gerwulf paused seeing the anger returning then motioned for the beast kin to continue, but only after starting his breathing techniques. “We lost our Beast Tamer. I think she might have been eaten.” Gerwulf quickly placed each safe bag on the desk, and backed away as a cutlass narrowly missed the hand that held one of the bags. Instead of following up the attack, he yelled for the beast kin's assistant who it would seem was never replaced. Instead, king’s newest servant came in, who then found their intestines spilling onto the floor. Gerwulf grimaced and even filched. How could he not. After all, that kind of news was fatal, and not even King's current second was immune to death... just resistant to it. In this case, the likelihood of death had increased for him since Gerwulf was responsible for the facility in question. King hurriedly dismissed Gerwulf before the coughing fit started.