The pair sat in the shade of a tree for a long time, not speaking.

Hallvar was watching the porters in-between cleaning off grime and blood from their equipment, trying to take care of their belongings in a very messy world.

The beastmaster discovered quickly that while the acidic spit did not damage them, it certainly left an itchy rash and stained their clothing and armor. Ikraam noted quietly that for others with less endurance, the damage was more evident – large, inflamed patches of skin, even bleeding.

It seemed Hallvar's attributes affected more subtle things than the hero realized.

The porters moved deliberately. Each massive oxen was paired with two humans and several canines. While one human stripped each carcass of extraneous material – slicing off legs, wings, and head – the other loaded the body into a cart.

They were big birds, so although the meat was probably gamey, there were plenty of beasts in service of humans to consume it all.

Was every [ territory ] like this, or was Amnasín special? Did it have the local monopoly over bahārim?

The size difference between the Tawha wolves and the domestic dogs was impressive. Tawha wolves were easily twice the size of the dogs, who were already livestock guardian breeds, if Hallvar had to guess.

The canines were watchdogs, keeping an eye on the horizon for larger beasts as they picked their favorite bahārim leg to chew on. It was amusing that dogs were dogs, no matter what world.

"Have you thought about which beast to tame?" Ikraam queried as Hallvar watched the canines mill about.

It was a fair question, one which would bring more pressure the longer the hero waited to choose a companion.

The answer was complicated, however. Hallvar wanted to choose wisely, but they also had to consider their… situation. Ikraam might understand, and they were trustworthy, if Viktor's choice in training was to be weighed against the average adventurer.

"You said you have a special subclass, right?"

The rogue didn't answer; the lack of denial spoke volumes.

"It must have rules," the beastmaster mused aloud, glancing furtively at Ikraam, who betrayed no answers.

Hallvar snorted, the idea of Viktor coming to mind. Of course, the guildmaster collected secret subclass adventurers. They were like decorative magical weapons or something fantastic like that.

"Anyways," Hallvar continued, waving a taloned hand. "I don't need to know details. I guess my point is that you have secrets."

They didn't need to see Ikraam's expression to know that it was mildly judgmental. Hallvar barreled on.

"I have a secret or two, and they sort of… change how I interact with the beastmaster class."

They pointed at the nearest canine, using the tip of their talon to outline the shape of the beast, as if drawing.

"I could go a standard route. Choose a beast that's known to be a good companion. Reliable, trainable. But… I might not need to have my own beasts."

Hallvar flexed their fingers, showing off the talons and hand-wing markings in hopes that Ikraam was as clever as they seemed.

"Except, I don't really know how things will… change." Hallvar cringed internally, wobbling between the words change and shift in the world's stupidest and most accidental shapeshifter wordplay. "So it may be stupid for me to wait, or it could be extremely beneficial."

The rogue kept up with the conversation, easily supplying a coded insight. "It would be a waste of time to train for a weapon that you will not be able to use."

"Yeah," the hero agreed. "I know how to use this axe now, for instance, as it's the most useful weapon to me as I am. But later it may become defunct? I don't want to buy the prettiest, gilded axe only to retire it in a few months."

They sighed, gesturing out at the canines again.

"It becomes more complicated when it's another creature's life, too. Do I want to tie a beast to me that will spend most of its time in the stables?"

This was literally the ethical dilemma of realistic Pokémon, Hallvar realized, and it made them laugh.

"You've given this more consideration than most beastmasters would," Ikraam stated dryly.

The sentiment confused Hallvar until they remembered that beastmaster was more or less an agricultural class, a keeper of beasts, not a friend of them. It was like saying that every single pet owner in their old world had purchased the pet after careful consideration and planning.

No, some people just bought goldfish on a whim. Or a puppy.

Some beastmasters tamed beasts as it pleased them.

"Would you like to know why I asked?"

Hallvar furrowed their brows, having presumed that the canines were the obvious culprit.

The rogue gestured with their chin and lips toward the distance. "We need to greet Guillaume, or else ze will feel ignored by the hero when ze learns of you on a later date."

Sure enough, there was a figure approaching. Two, if you counted the very large beast trailing behind the other adventurer.

As the pair stood, Hallvar was too distracted by the beast to notice Ikraam hailing their guildmate.

It was massive. Not rhinoceros massive, but still incredibly large for what it was. Hallvar wasn't quite sure how to classify it, but the thing looked like a pangolin was merged with a reptilian.

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

A bit lizard-like, plated with armor and intermittent spines, with a long flitting tongue and uncomfortably sharp looking teeth.

Hallvar raised a hand to brush at their stomach, remembering the stupid newt thing that chomped them. Those pencil-point teeth were similar to this beast's maw.

"Guillaume," the rogue greeted the guildmate with a polite nod. "Were you successful in your hunt?"

The adventurer veered hir path toward Hallvar and Ikraam, looking over both to assess their disheveled state before replying.

"Very successful. The hide should fetch me a fair price, yet the ksekey horns are the prize." Guillaume held up a pair of spiral horns, black and striated, like those of rams.

Ze regarded Hallvar for longer than was probably necessary, though that may have been Hallvar's own anxiety acting up.

They were shorter than Hallvar but still formidable, wearing armor that seemed to radiate its own aura. The leather seemed sturdier, the decorative elements had this… intensity.

A gloved hand was presented to the hero. "Guillaume, adventurer's guild beasthunter. You are either a new adventurer or a traveler. I don't believe we've met, certainly not in Ikraam's party."

Mhm, dots were connecting.

"Hallvar." They took the outstretched hand carefully, as the talons were sharp-tipped. "Undeclared beastmaster, I suppose."

"And hero of Amnasín." Ikraam added on the accolades, even if Hallvar was trying to avoid them.

"Oh?" There was a touch of surprise in Guillaume's voice. Not impolite, but present. "It's an honor to meet you, then, ser. I did not expect to cross paths with a hero in the [ territory ], much less a beastmaster."

Something about the hunter set Hallvar on edge, even if ze was polite and friendly.

But, like….? Guillaume's smile met hir eyes. There was no body language to indicate that the hunter felt anything but earnest about this interaction. Hir presence was… off-putting to Hallvar for no obvious reason.

Pipkin rejoined her beastmaster, landing on Hallvar's pauldron in an uncharacteristic silence. Her feathers were puffed up in a display of tiny threat, watching Guillaume and hir beast carefully.

"Likewise," Hallvar replied with forced amicability, trying to maintain their emotional equilibrium. They gestured toward the pangolin-lizard. "I haven't seen that beast yet – what is it?"

Guillaume seemed pleased by this line of questioning. "The gronfaine. An excellent beast for combat, if one requires a beast to block attacks and damage."

The gronfaine was sniffing the remains of the culling, standing still even though it was clear the beast wanted to investigate. It looked between Guillaume and the scattered bahārim heads, apprehensive.

Ze laughed, paying little attention to the subtle whims of the beast. "If you're thinking of adding this beast to your party, Ikraam can confirm that the gronfaine is not an easily found beast, appearing only in the northern Qhai Republic and the rocky plains of Staareaux."

"Oh, I wasn't--" Hallvar quickly added, wondering if there were unspoken rules about beastmaster companion poaching. "I don't want to copy you."

Was... this actually like Pokémon? If Hallvar chose the same armored elephant and electric rat as another person, would that cause drama?

"No, of course you would not." Guillaume was understanding and patient; this was a new beastmaster, after all. "I was merely remarking on the rarity of the beast's appearance."

Hallvar let out a rather pathetic, "Oh."

Thankfully, Ikraam was better equipped with social graces. "Are you staying in Claylake Post tonight?"

Guillaume returned the beast horns to a hook with straps mounted on the gronfaine's back, voice raising as ze called back to Ikraam.

"No, once more. I will return to the capital and recoup. I will be hunting a kjerrborn that has lingered here for a few months. Today, I do not have the weapons for it."

Hallvar kept their gaze trained on the gronfaine, surveying the beast with as much passive disinterest as they could muster.

Ze was hunting the kjerrborn? The bear-boar-badger with the child that Hallvar saw frequently in Amnasín?

They didn't have a right to outrage, but it would be a lie to say that they didn't find the kjerrborn pair a little sentimental. A symbol of the beauty and grace of the wild, or something poetic and meaningful like that.

Ikraam merely nodded and gave a polite blessing. "Safe travels ahead."

The hero nodded too, taking a cue from Ikraam.

They watched Guillaume leave without ceremony, urging the gronfaine along. As they returned to sitting under the tree, Hallvar wasn't sure if they had a thought to verbalize about the beasthunter.

Their mind was tied up in ecological ethics again – if the bahārim were somehow more valuable than the kjerrborn, and if Hallvar had a right to disregard the culling but be disquieted by the bear hunt?

After some time: "Hallvar?"

"Right," the beastmaster responded, as if it would be better to get this over with. "They- Ze is interesting, I guess? I knew beasthunter was a subclass but knowing is different than seeing."

"They provide the majority of rare beast materials for weapons, armor, and chemists."

Hallvar grumbled, rubbing the bridge of their nose. "It isn't…"

This was hard to explain.

"I get the logic of specialist hunters—" Big game hunters. "— but I have an internal suspicion of Guillaume. Ze hasn't done anything, I know. It's just a weird feeling."

Ikraam took their time to formulate a response. Their eventual query was careful and precise, what Hallvar had come to expect from the rogue.

"Am I correct in that you possess beast traits, beyond what is normal for the beastmaster class?"

The hero nodded again, watching the porters disappear back toward the post. The oxen-beasts lumbered along in a swaying rhythm, their silhouettes wavering in the distance.

With a satisfied hum of understanding, Ikraam relaxed against the tree.

"Stealth skills are rare," the rogue began explaining as Hallvar glanced over. "They affect two attributes: Awareness and Threat. We know of threat as an attribute that all beings possess, but only beasts can detect."

Wait, so…

"I am not a beastmaster; however, I suspect that a beasthunter would be overflowing with threat, no matter hir benevolence toward other humans."

The subclass acceptance notice did state that there would be physical changes that were irreversible. Hallvar just didn't realize that an extra sense would be part of that.

Or some unknown sensory organ. Gland. Whatever thing threat levels were determined by.

"Huh," the hero replied eloquently.

Well, that would explain why Hallvar felt so weirded out by Guillaume. Does that mean other people could set off the threat? Or did it have to do with potential for danger, not just pure strength?

They pondered before posing that exact line of questioning to Ikraam, who was curious about the potential as well.

While the guildmaster was out of practice, he was proven deadly and Hallvar spent time with him without feeling uneasy, or at least not uneasy in this same manner. The hero had been so nervous around the Queen that she couldn't be valued as a data point.

The pair went down a list of Hallvar's known contacts, trying to pick out who triggered this threat, if anyone.

The beastmaster could only name two individuals – Guillaume and Rubert. And Rubert's skeletons, but they agreed that was a necromancy, internalized abjection of death issue, not a threat response.

Ikraam concluded that threat, for Hallvar's determination, had to include intent to harm – in Guillaume's case, an intent to hunt beasts – and capacity to harm.

That made sense, but it didn't feel like a happy answer.

Did that mean Rubert wasn't a good person? It was hard to picture the weird librarian mage guy as anything but friendly. He did have a massive collection of taxidermized beasts, so that could be it. Did the system establish threat with number of skeletons owned as part of the calculations?

Perhaps the benevolence of time would allow Hallvar's anxious human mind to subside in favor of a beast sentiment of being unconcerned unless a threat was imminent.

They talked well into the afternoon, content to snack on foraged berries and the small provisions brought along. Apparently, Grim would not begin to worry until dinner passed and the sun was setting, as Ikraam often did tasks without the rest of the group.

Eventually, they walked back to the Post, making it there before the colors began shifting in the sky.

It was unexpected that Ikraam was such a good friend, but… it kind of wasn't. Stella, Viktor, Kiran, now Ikraam – maybe Hallvar's unique brand of helpful ignorance attracted people much, much smarter than them.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.