<>(Zack)<>

Gold follows me to the baths, watching as I strip. I glance over at him.

"You need to get cleaned up," I say, and he tilts his head to the side in confusion. "You smell awful and clearly haven't bathed properly in a long time."

If ever.

He doesn't seem to quite understand what I'm saying, so I sigh, then start washing, telling him to do the same. He seems to struggle, so after I finish, I scrub him down. He does his best not to giggle when I wash his tail, which he swishes from side to side in his happiness, and when I wash his hair and ears, he leans into my hands, his tail swishing even more. Rinsing that thing off was a pain in the rear, because it kept moving and throwing soapy water everywhere.

Once Gold's cleaned up, we soak in the bath for awhile as I do my best to relax, my eyes closed. After around twenty minutes of silence, Gold's tension seems to fade a little as he starts moving in the water. I let him do it for a few minutes before I crack open an eye and see the dog-boy playing with the bubbles, a smile on his lips.

He's probably never been allowed to have fun before, and with me seeming to sleep, he's enjoying his new experience and having a little bit of fun, but doing his best to not be noisy.

Big S? Can you hear me?

Yes.

He's like a person, even if he's treated like a beast. How come his kind don't have access?

I'm not sure, actually.

What do you mean?

The first Beastborn were born without access to the System of Skills, Classes, Levels, and such, making them akin to people in reality. I could, theoretically, add it to all of them and set things so that they're connected, but with how much hatred they have for Adventurers… that could be problematic.

Gold doesn't seem to have an issue. He's scared, but I don't think he'd ever attack without provocation.

Maybe, maybe not.

Would you be willing to?

To grant him access?

Yes.

Big S sighs in my head. I'm about to ask him again when Gold gasps in surprise, his hands quickly moving to his mouth as he stares at me, seeing if he woke me.

"I was already awake," I say, staring at his information.

Gold Level 0 Health: 30 Mana: 20

You'll pay for this, Big S tells me. I'm not sure how… or when… but you're going to pay for that in some way. And you'll regret it, should he abuse it to turn against you.

Yes, I will. But you won't need to make me.

I know.

Thanks. Hey – can he understand it? I know most Beastborn can't read.

Yes. You don't need to know how to read to understand status windows. Those who can read see it as letters and numbers, as that's what makes sense to them. To him, he will simply know instinctively how things are.

I feel like it's a bit more complicated than that.

It is.

I open both eyes to find Gold staring at me, and he quickly averts his gaze, looking at the duck he made out of soap. He quickly pushes down on it, destroying his creation.

"Gold," I say. "You are not my slave. Do not call me 'Master', even in thoughts. This place we're in right now? It's your home now, too. I'm not going to beat you for misbehaving, okay? You can look me in the eyes. If I didn't think you were worth it, I wouldn't have made a deal with the System so you could be linked to it and gain Levels."

Gold gasps in shock when I say that.

"I'm tired and hungry," I tell him. "So I'm going to make dinner. Enjoy your bath."

He watches as I step out of the tub, following me out as I dry. Foolishly, I put the towel down as he climbs out, forgetting what dogs like to do.

Gold shakes his body upon exiting the tub, spraying water everywhere. That definitely came from his puppy heritage, and he realizes that he got me wet.

Whimpering, Gold drops his head down, his ears pressing flat against his head as his tail droops. He's trembling again, terrified of being hurt because of something he did on instinct.

"At least I hadn't gotten dressed yet," I say in a light tone, rubbing myself down with the towel again, then tossing one to Gold. "Here, use that. It'll help you dry off a bit faster."

Gold sniff the towel for a moment, then blushes before drying himself off. By the time he's done, I've changed into my nightclothes and pulled out a set of my older clothes.

"These should fit you," I tell Gold once he finishes drying off. "Put them on; I'm not going to have you running around naked, even if you aren't human."

Gold looks hesitant, but does as I say. He puts the tunic on backwards, so I have to help him fix that, and he doesn't pull on the boots. I guess he'd rather be barefoot. I never really knew dogs that liked having the doggy shoes on, so it might be from his puppy heritage.

I walk to the kitchen, and Gold follows, watching as I cook us a meal. He watches my movements intently, and judging by his reactions, he's somewhat satisfied. He knows how to cook, and he's silently judging my abilities.

As I prepare the food, my sadness returns as my anger continues to fade. Bryce should be here right now, watching me and cracking jokes.

It hasn't even been a day since I woke up, but it feels like it's been eternity. So much has happened since this morning. I miss Bryce a lot, and I know they say that time heals all wounds, but…

How long? How long will it take to stop feeling like this? It's yet to be a day, and it's awful.

"Yes, Gold," I look over at him, and he jumps. "I'm sad. I guess you could pick up on it, huh?"

He stares at me, and I smile a little.

"I'm getting over it," I walk over to him. "But it's going to take me time to fully come to terms. My first friend ever died a few weeks ago, and I was unconscious since then, up until this morning. It's okay, though, because I'm going to get strong enough that I'm never losing another ally… starting with you. You're a housemate and a partner, okay? Not a slave, okay?"

Gold doesn't say anything, but I know he understands what I'm saying.

"Cool," I rub between his ears. "Let's get the table set."

Gold nods, helping me set the table and put out the food, then he sits on the ground and stares at it. Stares at the ground.

"What are you doing down there?" I ask as I sit. "You're a housemate and an ally. You can sit at the table, in a seat, and eat with me. Okay?"

Hesitantly, Gold gets up off the ground and sits at the table. He's unsure, and believes this might be a trap. By the time we finish eating, though, I can tell he's realized that I'm not like his master.

Gold insists on washing the dishes, doing it all without saying a word, so I allow him. As he does that, I chop some firewood, then get a fire going in the pit. Gold comes over to me and looks at the two sets of blankets curiously.

"I sleep down here," I tell him. "In front of the fire. If you want something a bit warmer… I guess we can go up to the room and use a Heat Pebble to keep it warm. Otherwise…"

I look at Bryce's blankets, and have to fight to not break down. He'd want Gold to use his blankets, since he's not around. I don't want anyone to use his blankets, though.

After a long, internal struggle, I gesture to Bryce's blankets.

"You can use those blankets," I tell him. "Either down here, or up in the room with a Heat Pebble that'll keep you warm better. Your choice."

Gold cocks his head to the side, then climbs onto the blankets, curling up on them. A moment later, he opens his eyes, frowning a little. He can smell Bryce on them, even though it's been several weeks. He wants to know if they were the teammate's who died.

"Yeah," I tell him. "They were Bryce's. He's not around anymore, though… he'd want you to use them, since he's not."

He would.

Gold wants to not use them, but I assure him it's okay, and he calms down, even if he's unsure. I wrap myself up into a cocoon, staring at the flames and feeling tears well up in my eyes.

When I finally drift off to sleep, I find myself in another dream.

The future me kneels in front of the Altar of Darkness, another figure kneeling beside him, the two of them lost in prayer. This other one looks around fourteen or fifteen, and has a slight build. The room is dark, so I can't make him out too well, as he's wearing dark clothes and has dark hair.

When they stand, though, I make out his features. He has a thick, busy wolf's tail, black in color, with a pair of black, triangular wolf's ears atop his head, his eyes a brilliant shade of blue.

"Come on," the future me says to the wolf Beastborn Dark Knight. "Let's meet up with the rest of the team."

The wolf Beastborn nods, his tail swishing as the two of them exit the chamber, the future me looking back into it for a moment, almost as if looking at me again, and the dream fades.

I open my eyes, staring into the coals in front of me.

He keeps doing that…

Do I… do I gain the ability to sense when I'm being dreamed? When I'm dreaming of myself? Is the future-me ending the visions himself?

There was another Beastborn there, too… it looks like he's in my party one day. So I end up with at least two of them, plus a healer. There can be up to five members of a party by the System's standards, even if more join up.

Are the last two human? Or are they also Beastborn?

Wiggling out of my cocoon, I realize that Gold's missing. Did he run away?

I exit the room and look around, finding Gold in the kitchen. He's sitting in front of the cooking pit cross-legged, his hands pressing into the ground right in front of his legs as he stares at it intently. He wants to make breakfast and have it ready for me, but couldn't find any food.

"I keep my food in my Inventory," I tell him, and he jumps, looking at me in fright. "It keeps longer that way, and I have a special Inventory that can hold a lot more."

He forms an 'O' with his mouth, and I snort.

"Do you want to make breakfast?" I ask him, and he thinks for a moment, then nods. "Alright, then."

I pull out some food, setting it on the counter, and he stares at it. I gesture for him to work, then do some exercises as he prepares breakfast. He makes a nice breakfast of pancakes, eggs, and sliced fruit, and it isn't half-bad.

"Good job, Gold," I say, and he beams at his plate of food.

We finish eating, then Gold takes care of the dishes, his tail wagging in his happiness. He's still unsure around me, but he's believing that I really do mean well for him. I think getting him linked into the System helped with that.

Oh, definitely, Big S says into my mind. He's already thanked me, like, forty times since he woke up for his masters meeting you.

Forty times?

Forty-eight.

That rounds to fifty.

I know.

You rounded the wrong way.

He just thanked me for you meeting him again.

Gold's definitely happy, if he's thanking Big S that much. I watch as he continues to wash the dishes, then dries them off. Once he finishes, I ask if he wants to learn how to fight, and he shakes his head, looking scared. After several attempts, I determine he doesn't want to learn to fight, no matter what.

Oh, well.

"Come on," I tell Gold. "Let's head to the market and get you some more comfortable clothes, alright?"

He doesn't like that idea. He's perfectly happy with the outfit he's wearing now. It fits him, but…

Whatever. We're still heading into the market.