Chapter 48: Chapter 48: A Dead End?

Lobo lowers his head. [I know that the Viscount was around my former mistress…]

Aha. Now we’re getting somewhere.

[BUT I never saw inside her mind and I never heard anything about poaching beasts. Including you. I didn’t even know you, really. All I knew was that you were my rival.]

My tail droops. I feel deflated.

Demos growls. [We go through all this and–]

“It was right,” Gussie squawks in response. “Lobo is free. FREE LOBO!”

The humans and elves at the table turn to stare at her, with approving smiles. “That’s it exactly, Gussie,” Lamant says. “We needed to free Lobo.” With a side-eye at his daughters, he says, “Although we have one or two problems with the method.”

“FATHER. It was the right thing,” Vedette argues. “But we’re still sorry.”

“Lamant, we can address this later,” Minette says gently. “For now, it’s enough that our girls acted selflessly, even if they used questionable judgment. Lobo is free, and the House of Lammermoor has been saved.”

[And that is why it was right.] Lightning glares at Demos. [It was never just about finding out what you wanted to know.]

Demos lowers his head and returns to his food. [I didn’t say it was. Say, this feast is something else. Like what we had the night of the ball, only better.]

I’m disappointed, too, that Lobo doesn’t know any more. But my quest never specifically mentioned finding out the truth from Lobo. So, freeing Lobo was just something that we needed to do. I’m happy that we achieved that. And Minette gets a new beast, who needs someone to bond with. Lobo is a pain, but he’s decent.

[It is good.] I eat as well, savoring my meal.

So we didn’t learn the truth about the ex-Lady and her poacher husband. There’s time for that. I do want to level up. I want to hit Level 3 and get Telepathy. This is frustrating, because I was stuck between Levels 2 and 3 in the game when I played as a human. How irritating and humiliating that I couldn’t speed things up while IN the game.

How did I overcome that hurdle? How did I finally level up? I used cheats and walkthroughs, I remember, but those won’t help me here.

Hold on. The cheats and walkthroughs didn’t do me a lot of good as a human player, either. Some of them were inaccurate because either the designers updated the game or the fans had the absolute wrong information.

So, how did I level up to get Telepathy? How? I’m trying to remember. I don’t think I played out a scenario with Lord and Lady Lammermoor. It may have been a different one.

Oh.

I remember.

Something about rescuing another beast using my powers. But not only my powers. I was given a character choice in the game. It was about more than using my powers, just as these missions are. I could have chosen not to help Lobo. I could have chosen to not be nice to him at the Beast Ball, and that path would have stayed locked forever.

System, is helping Lobo going to lead to my goal?

[As you point out, it is not about your goal. Your choice to help Lobo is the correct choice. It does unlock a path you would not have explored otherwise. Much as you talking to me does.]

Huh?

[If you only viewed me as the System, purely information and directives, and not as a guide, you would not gain my advice and my insight.]

Oh, that makes sense. But helping Lobo gives me experience points.

[That is true, and they are important. But they are not everything. Helping Lobo is. Especially after he hurt you.]

But I will level up?

[Patience. Patience. You will not learn to be a tiger overnight. It will take time.]

But I’m already a tiger! Is this one of those silly Zen sayings?

Lobo hits me with his paw.

[Hey!]

Lobo bares his teeth, his breath smelling of dinner. [You’re frowning at me.}

[Sorry, I was just listening to our tamers talking about the kidnapping plot…]

That seems to antagonize him. [And that is why you are frowning at me?]

[I wasn’t frowning at you!]

His reaction is a little hypersensitive. [I don’t know anything about kidnapping beasts! Are you accusing me?]

His eyes are angry white-hot, and I back off. [No one is accusing you of anything. You’re innocent. You had nothing to do with kidnapping beasts.]

[Are you sure about that?] Lobo is acting prickly again. [After all, everyone makes out that you are so innocent, and Demos is, and Gussie is. Gussie’s tamer didn’t even know what she was up to. Why? Your humans didn’t force you to join them in breaking the rules, did they?]

He’s got me there. [No. In fact, some of it was our idea. Quite a lot of it. We worked together with Hans, Kaline, and Vedette. And Lightning helped us.]

Right now, Lobo and I appear to be privately talking somehow, maybe because Demos, Lightning, and Gussie are talking to Einswine, who hasn’t said much.

Lobo sniffed. [I thought so. It was foolish. Thank you. Still, it was foolish.]

[You’re welcome. I owed you for rescuing me.]

[But I hurt you…]

Lobo seems obsessed with that point, and I can understand why.

[That wasn’t your fault. Yes, beasts can make their tamers do things. They can nudge them. Especially with Telepathy. They can talk to their tamers. And beasts can act on their own. But tamers have a LOT of influence.]

Lobo chews on that for a minute.

[I might have wanted to hurt you in the moment.]

Understanding, I admit something shocking. [And if it weren’t for the rules, I would have fought back. I didn’t want to get kicked out of the Beast Ball. And I probably would have been.]

Lobo woofs, his eyes shimmering, yellow spotlights. [But you wanted to fight me. I smelled it.]

I dip my head, acknowledging the truth being spoken. [Especially when you said you better not find me alone. I don’t like people starting fights when I’m trying to enjoy a party.]

Lobo lets out a soft melancholy howl. [I wanted to enjoy the party too…]

I sense common ground here. [The food was good. So was the Beast Dance.]

[I didn’t like the music that time. It was hard to dance to.] He lifts his head, proud. [I like it when the music is better. It just sounded jarring to me.]

[Interesting. I didn’t notice. Maybe it was also making you crazy?]

He howls softly. [Did it show? When I danced?]

I think back. [No. You were smooth. I mean, you have four feet, and you never missed a step.]

At that moment, I feel a warm wave of affection from Kaline. A glance at the table reveals that she is observing Lobo and me getting along.

Re-focusing on Lobo, I catch him observing me knowingly. [What?]

[Ah, to have a new and strong bond.] He sighs wistfully. [You would kill for your tamer, if she asked. It feels as if she is coiled around your heart.]

I feel sympathy for him. What he describes, that closeness, must have been that way for him once with ex-Lady Lammermoor. That’s how the bond with Kaline feels.

[Are you ready to bond with Minette and come live with us?]

Lobo’s tail waves in the air, a thick, gray, furry banner. [I cannot wait for that to happen! When can it happen? I want to feel every last trace of that…that…female disappear.]

Stuffed full of dinner, Lightning trots over. [What is all the seriousness over here?]

Lobo sounds optimistic for the first time. [Looking forward to my future. Even though I’ll be leaving here. But we’ll see each other, of course! ESPECIALLY if the Young Master and the Riddlehoeven Young Miss become closer friends.]

Demos can’t resist poking at him. [The Young Miss that you looked down on? That Young Miss?]

Sighing through his nose, Lobo doesn’t deny it. [I caught the darkness from my former mistress. I was savage. It wasn’t right. I am sorry.]

Demos growls, not entirely convinced. [Apology accepted. But I will be watching you.]

Now I get to be the kohai. [Demos, he’s suffered enough. He’s going to be part of our house.]

Gussie flutters around us. [Oh, let’s all be friends. Blaze is right. There’s been too much anger and pecking at each other.]

With glares and growls and grunts, Demos and Lobo eventually declare a truce.

[You’ll be one of us, after all.] Demos keeps a civil tongue in his head. [And I’m sure you’ll do honor to us all.]

[Unfortunately, the humans are just sitting around talking and eating still!] I scamper over to Minette and tug at her dress with my teeth.

She notices me. “What is it, Blaze?”

Demos lopes over and bumps Vedette with his nose, then seems to communicate with her so she can pass the message on to Minette. This is why I really want Telepathy!

“Lobo wants you to bond with him, Mother,” Vedette announces to Minette. “Let’s do it now!”

Minette looks at Lord Lammermoor. “Fine idea. What do you think?”

Oh, please say yes!

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