I'll admit, if given an option, these two probably weren't the company I would have picked. Still, it is nice to have someone to talk to. Well, one person, anyways. It's clear that Slave really doesn't like me. She won't outright ignore me if I speak to her directly, but will give as brief a response as possible, usually while glaring at my angrily. Maybe that's just a cat thing? I know cats and dogs are supposed to be rivals or something, even if I never quite understood why.
Then there's the rat. She's smart, clearly a lot more experienced in regards to combat matters than me, and is happy to engage in idle conversation. It's the nature of that conversation that is the problem. It seems as though almost everything she says is filthy and makes me incredibly uncomfortable. I sometimes wonder if it's deliberate, as she seems to take pleasure in my awkward reactions.
Still, both knowing that someone has my back, and that I have someone to actively protect is a solid motivator, and despite the many quirks that the pair has, I feel like they're good creatures at heart. They both risked their lives in the fight against the AbyssalWood Alpha, with little to gain from it themselves. Okay, technically, I now owe Vile a favor, and I suspect it's a big one, but still, it's a small price to pay in exchange for helping me out of that seemingly impossible situation.
As for the AbyssalWood? It's surprisingly peaceful so far. The only really unusual thing about it is just how dark it is, even though it's the middle of the day. The heavy tree canopy overhead blocks most sunlight. and it only seems to grow thicker the deeper we travel. As for actual dangers, however, we haven't yet been attacked by so much as a slime or a forest critter. I have no idea why the wolf pack was so frightened of this place.
Naturally, in the meantime I also try out my new ability. It seems a bit disappointing, and less powerful than the Divine Strike. My whole body glows with white energy which fires out as a large ball towards whatever target I wish. I just tested it out against a tree, as we haven't had any fights since the alpha wolf battle. I hope the tree didn't mind. The advantage, of course, is that it is a ranged attack, naturally reaching much further than my divine strike. As my earlier fight against Vile had demonstrated, being able to strike from a distance rather than needing to get close can be incredibly helpful.
"When did you get that?" the rat asks as she looks to the burnt circle within the tree bark.
"It was after we won the wolf fight!" I say, "Well, not immediately after. I guess it was when we decided to travel together."
"Why did you get it then, though?" she asks, visibly confused. I can only tilt my head in response, not really understanding the question. "I learn new spells from magic tomes and scrolls. Warriors can learn new techniques through practice, and once in a while in the heat of battle. Why did you just get a new ability out of nowhere?"
"Oh, I reached rank four as a paladin!" I say, unable to hide my pride at that fact, even if I'm not exactly sure what a paladin rank entails. Okay, in truth, I'm not the least bit sure, but they seem to be good things, I guess?
Vile just sighs, apparently not so impressed and shakes her head. "How long have you been a paladin, again?"
I stop in my tracks, trying to do the mental math and failing miserably, instead just opting for a guess. "Um, I don't know... almost a week now?" I say. That sounds about right. I've slept multiple nights, but not too many yet. Both of my new allies stare at my, making me suddenly very uncomfortable. "Is that a problem?"
"Do paladins usually rank up so quickly?" Slave asks her mistress. The rat shakes her head.
"I don't know much about paladins, but I'd say 'no'. I've heard that they only go up to rank nine, and each step of the process usually takes years, and represents a significant level of personal and spiritual growth. They're a pretty typical class in that regard."
"Well, maybe it's quicker for dogs. They don't live as long as humans, and they're kind of paladin-like... naive, dumb, loyal and obedient to a fault." Slave says. I'm uncertain of whether I should be proud or offended by the comparison. It seems awfully strange for a willing slave to criticize the obedience of others.
"Maybe. But that doesn't explain how she became a paladin in the first place. There are only a few in the world at any given time, and no shortage of potential contenders."
"I guess I was just lucky!" I say happily. I, of course, have no clue about any of this, but I'm certainly not complaining. These powers have been incredibly helpful so far. Maybe that's why I ended up with them? Because I needed them in order to find my master? Perhaps I should give this more thought. No need to worry about it, but they are a precious and apparently very rare gift, but who were they given by? I remember when they had first awakened, hearing a soothing, feminine entity who gave my my first pet of the journey. Maybe it was her? I really should take some time to pray and thank her properly.
Neither Vile nor Slave seem particularly convinced by this explanation, but they are willing to let the subject drop for the moment, apparently having nothing more to contribute to it. Well, that matter, at least. As we continue, I can tell that there is something on the mind of the rat. I wonder if it's more paladin stuff, but I guess she knows better than to ask questions which I clearly lack the answers to.
"Earlier you said about a week. How come you don't know for sure? That's not all that long. Haven't you been counting the days?" The rat asks from her perch atop her black cat slave.
"Oh, I'm not very good at the whole counting and numbers thing. I figure they aren't all that important." I say, as I continue forward.
---- Warning! Significant threat detected! ----
I stop dead. The threat isn't some monster up ahead, but a tiny creature directly behind me, her tiny furless paws balled into fists, grinding her jaws, her scaly tail angrily flicking back and forth.
"Did you just say that numbers aren't important?" she growls.
I tense, slowly turning back to the rat who is engulfed in a dark cloud of her own fury. As for Slave, she is simply shaking her head in immense disappointment. Little did I know, I had just unwittingly committed one of the greatest sacrilages of this world. On one hand, it's nice to know that the rat has something that she believes in. Up to this point, I wasn't certain that was the case. On the other hand, my instincts warning of severe and imminent danger hadn't faded. It would be a huge exageration to say that what followed was a fate worse than death, but still, it wasn't one that I would have wished upon my worst enemy.