33 Don’t Wake Up The Grumpy Wolf
Callum placed the attribute points he had reserved into Intelligence; he needed more mana in order to take advantage of his new abilities. He didn't need his new Intelligence to know that he had lost his bed to his new friend.
The Dire Wolf was asleep, curled up in the middle of his bed of leaves and a couple of deer hides. He contemplated what name to give the massive beast, it needed to be something that captured the wolf's essence.
He idly watched the dying fire, while he considered and discarded various names. He finally decided on one that resonated within him as soon as he recalled the name; the improved Intelligence attribute helped dredge it from the deep recesses of his brain.
He spoke to the slumbering beast, "Legend tells of a name whose true origin has been shrouded by the mists of time. I used to listen to tales of a giant Dire Wolf who ran alone, packless, for he was strong and fierce."
Callum paused as he stirred the darkening embers before resuming his one sided conversation.
"He punished the unwitting who trespassed on his lands, just like you punished the goblins that one night. But the wolf was fair and helped those in need, just like you helped me, before I even realized I needed help."
"Amarok. Your name will be Amarok," Callum pulled up Amarok's status page
'Note, you have been awarded an additional level in Animal Bond for acquiring a Companion without using any spells or class abilities. Deepen the bond with your Companion in order to receive additional rewards.
Amarok | Lvl 12 Dire Wolf (XP: 5%)
HP:(500/500) Stamina:(400/400)
ST:37(+13) | Con:50(+14) | Dex:44(+8) | Int:35(+11) | Will:34(+10) | Cha:19(+7) | Luck:16(+4)
Animal Companion Bond (Callum Murray & Amarok) | Bond Tier: (II)
- (Bonded individuals receive 20% of their bondmate's attributes)
- (Bonded individuals know the location and status of their bondmate)
- (Mental Connection [Basic Level]: Bondmates get a sense of their partner's thoughts)
<<Tireless>> (Passive Ability)
Dire Wolves will outlast any living creature, only the undead can compete with Dire Wolves.
- (+20% Stamina regeneration)
- (Tireless stacks with normal regeneration)
- (Tireless isn't affected by combat state)
<<Keen Senses>> (Passive Ability)
Dire Wolves are natural predators; a single whiff of a scent is all they need. Gain the following bonuses.
- (Gain knowledge of enemy or prey leaders)
- (+25% to Perception skill)
- (+15 Skill Bonus to Perception)
"That damn wolf was smarter than me until just now!" Callum cried out in surprise.
Amarok's body twitched in response, and a deep growl permeated the cave.
'Ok, maybe I'm still not all that smart,' Callum thought to himself. '"Don't wake up the grumpy wolf" should be my new mantra.'
Callum continued reading through Amarok's status page; he raised his eyebrows in surprise when he read about the attribute sharing. That seemed like a very powerful skill, especially since it'd become more powerful as their stats grew.
He softly whistled as he finished counting up all the bonus attribute points Amarok was getting from him, 67! He pulled up his own status and counted 33 extra attribute points he was getting from Amarok.
'Huh, 100 total bonus attribute points . . . seems like this was fated somehow?' Callum quickly dismissed the thought as ridiculous.
Callum Murray | Lvl 23 Human Druimborn Warrior (XP: 17%)
HP:(680/680) Stamina:(544/544) Mana:(550/550)
ST:65(+5) | Con:68(+7) | Dex:41(+7) | Int:55(+5) | Will:51(+5) | Cha:33(+2) | Luck:18(+2)
Callum settled in as comfortably as he could before slowly drifting off to sleep. His last conscious thought was making himself a note to make the makeshift bed much larger, he preferred it over the rocky floor.
_________
Callum and Amarok shared a quick meal before heading off into the wilderness. Originally, Callum expected the two of them to try running through the dungeon. But Amarok felt otherwise, he felt compelled to patrol his territory.
Through their shared bond, Callum could tell that Amarok felt a premonition regarding the far end of the valley. He was all too happy to take a break from his daily runs into the dungeon to follow Amarok's lead.
The speed of their travel across the valley was invigorating; his class movement buffs and his increased Dexterity meant his movement speed had increased dramatically. They flew across the wooded landscape.
The two companions tentatively explored their new mental connection while they traveled. They were curious about its effects and experimented with it; sometimes they split up to learn how their awareness of each other's position worked.
Eventually, as they neared the far end of the valley, Amarok sensed the presence of a wandering monster. They had finally located the disturbance and decided to observe it from a distance; they needed to attempt to identify it.
Callum winced when he made out their potential enemy.
Mountain Troll [M] (Lvl 25)
HP:(500/500)
He had heard enough stories about trolls in general to know that trolls were tough. He either needed to throw fire spells at it, or he needed to cut it up into tiny pieces, and then throw those pieces into a fire before it pieced itself together.
Callum had a tiny cantrip that would do next to nothing to the troll. Still, Callum was sure they could at least run away if they needed to; he could always summon a spirit if he really needed to.
The duo split up and approached the troll from two different angles; Callum wielded a Goblin Axe in one hand and his trusty hatchet in the other. His Axe Mastery skill would be put to the test against the tough troll.
He activated <<Spirit Armor>> for the first time. A pale blue translucent shroud completely enveloped Callum; it closely mirrored him, hovering just a hair's breadth over Callum and his gear.
The troll didn't wait for them to flank it, it charged towards Callum. He easily danced away; his increased attributes aided him in avoiding the attack of the slower troll. Amarok took advantage of the troll's preoccupation, and attacked the back of the troll's leg.
Amarok attack's didn't succeed in hamstringing the troll, but the attack did cause the furious troll to target Amarok next. This time, it was Amarok dancing away while Callum tried hobbling their larger opponent.
In this manner, the duo managed to confound the enraged troll. Whenever it focused on one individual, the other would harry it from behind. It was never able to land a counterblow, its nimbler opponents managed to dodge every blow.
Blood flowed freely onto the once pristine snow, the duo's attacks slowly added up. Only the troll's renowned regenerative properties kept it in the fight. Callum and Amarok's coordination, enhanced by their mental connection, kept the fight in their favor.
Their attacks supported their partner's own actions. A well timed lunge unbalanced the troll when it tried to attack Callum, and a well placed strike distracted the troll at a critical junction that allowed Amarok to lunge at the troll.
Eventually, their attacks crippled the troll. It collapsed to one knee, a sure signal of its imminent demise. Placed in an even more passive state, the troll was soon dismembered. This still did not kill the thing, its disjointed limbs slowly wriggled back together.
Callum gathered enough fuel for a fire, while <Dry> ensured the wood was dry enough to easily take the flame. Fire built, Callum tossed the numerous body parts into the flames. However, the torso was carefully placed at the edge of the fire.
He wanted the core inside the troll, and he could only extract it once it was well and truly dead.
An odious stench permeated the battlefield as the troll flesh burned. Amarok whined and quickly moved upwind of the flames that were releasing the odious smell.
'I know, buddy, I know. I don't like it much either, but we need the core,' he tried to send mentally, in an attempt to avoid taking in even more of the smell.
Amarok received the essence of the message, but not the specifics. Callum pulled his tunic over his nose and tried to breathe through his mouth. This was a vain attempt to avoid inhaling the stench. The stench was not so easily defeated.
Eventually, Callum's efforts were rewarded with the Mountain Troll's Beast Core. This one was in much better condition than the ones the goblins had relinquished.
'Beast Core (Common) (Durability: 14.27/100)'
Core acquired, the two wasted no time in putting a large distance between themselves and the troll. Callum headed towards a winding stream that cut across the valley floor.
<Clean> might do the job, but water still had a reassuring quality that he sought after witnessing the wriggling limbs. However, all such thoughts fled his brain once he caught sight of the ruined stone bridge that had once spanned the small creek.
