I got myself up to a steady rhythm, trotting through the woods. I tried to mostly stick to clearer areas of ground rather than constantly wading through undergrowth, as I could move faster and it was less tiring. I’d use {Pulse Sense} every so often to see if it was safe to proceed out in the open, but I tried to limit it to once every twenty minutes. Since it consumed 10 mana and my current maximum was 150, that would give me five hours of relatively safe travel, not counting the slow natural mana regeneration, which should give some extra charges in that time.

  I tested a mushroom at one point to see if that also restored mana, but it only seemed to help health. I hoped I could eventually find a way to recharge my mana quicker, as moving safely would be so much easier if I could just have pulse sense active all the time. Not to mention, I wanted to save some mana for my Crippling Bite in case I needed it.

  I was thinking, if I did end up in a bad situation where something much stronger and faster than me was on my tail, then my best chance might be to Crippling Bite one of its legs to hopefully slow it down enough for me to flee.

  After three hours of walking and ten minutes since my last Pulse Sense, I was seriously doubting my sense of direction and wondered if my idea of making it back to my den by tomorrow was just wishful thinking. It was hard to say if I was even succeeding in traveling in a straight line or not.

  Then, thinking about what I knew of dogs from my last life, an embarrassing thought crossed my mind. Making a pee trail as I went along would probably work to avoid covering the same ground twice… but…

  No, I didn’t want to do that. There are a few human dignities I could not get over and did not plan on abandoning in my new life as a Hell Hound!

  I took a moment to smell the air, and suddenly realized how thirsty I was. I could smell something quite refreshing on the breeze… and come to think of it, until now there hasn’t been much of a breeze in the forest in the first place. Since it is low in the vale with such thick tree coverage, no proper wind made it down to the forest floor.

  I stuck my head out of the undergrowth and looked around, sniffing again and licking my dry chops.

  I went ahead and used another {Pulse Sense}, wary of any possible tricks considering this is such a strange world, but I didn’t spot anything that would be alarming.

  So, I happily continued towards the refreshing smell, running through the soft breeze.

  I soon saw something blue through the thickets and realized where the smell was coming from, and that I had, in fact, been traveling in the wrong direction this entire time.

  It was the lake that sat in the middle of the vale!

  That bird had dropped me into the trees somewhere between the lake and my den, so that meant all my effort today was for nothing! In fact, I backtracked!

  I let out a frustrated whine as my pace slowed.

  No, I knew that this might happen. When I started walking today, I had no idea if I was heading in the right direction or not. It was impossible to tell in this damn forest. Any direction I looked in would usually just look the same. The only thing I could really use for landmarks are the occasional patches of mushrooms I would come across.

  I licked my chops.

  And, it is also true that I was feeling quite thirsty. Not only that, this lake could serve as a proper landmark to help me figure this forest out. So, I suppose there were a couple of positives I shouldn’t write off because of my frustration.

  Looking around quickly with the last of my Pulse Sense, I continued straight away to the lake.

  As I got closer, it just got bigger and bigger, and I realized that the breeze I had felt gave an odd quality to the air. It was like this lake was just buzzing with energy.

  As I broke out of the thickets and onto a clear embankment, my puppy mouth fell open at the sight in front of me.

  Clearly, I had not understood the size of the vale from where I’d used to see it from outside of my den. This lake was huge! Swimming straight across it would be simply impossible. I couldn’t see the other side, but that was partly thanks to the soft mist that hung over its surface.

  I then noticed a shape somewhere in the middle, and as I focused on it, I realized that it was probably a large island. I didn’t remember seeing such an island from above, but perhaps it was thanks to the motes of green ball things that seemed to rise from it and dissipate into the sky.

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  My tail wagged softly despite myself. Nothing like this existed in my last life on Earth. Something about this lake was very magical, and I wondered just what it was.

  [Achievement! Heart of the Vale]

  You have discovered the Fey’s Reach Lake at the center of the Cragpeak Vale. Few who arrive here will leave unchanged by its presence.

  +5 Attunement

  +5 Sense

  My ears folded back as I read the last part. Unchanged by its presence? What could that possibly—

  [Evolution Hint Acquired!]

  You have stood where the world breathes magic, and its rhythm has touched your own heartbeat.

  I blinked at the message. A new evolution hint!? I quickly flicked it away with my eyes and instantly pulled up the evolution tab. Right under Whisperfang Juvenile, a new path was open.

  Rare - Arcane Nightstalker

  Path hinted, further details currently unknown.

  Hint 1: You have stood where the world breathes magic, and its rhythm has touched your own heartbeat.

  Hint 2: Locked

  Requirements

  Stage 4 development

  Attribute Requirements: 70 attunement, ?? Sense

  Prerequisite Path: Veinseer Nightstalker

  Required Achievement: Heart of the Vale

  Required Achievement: Unknown

  My tail wagged.

  Arcane? That meant magic, right? Plus, it requires 70 attunement, so that had to mean it was some kind of magic-related Path!

  I felt giddy, imagining myself knocking those horned-squirrel monsters out of the trees with lightning bolts or something like that. They looked quite tasty, and they are in abundance, so having a way to attack them would be a huge upgrade!

  Then I looked at the locked hint, and my tail stopped its wagging. I really wish they gave me more to go on. How am I supposed to uncover these hints if they don’t even give me a… well, a hint.

  Yes, a hint of how to unlock the hint would be very appreciated here!

  I sighed, walking towards the water. I was quite thirsty and hoped that this water was okay to drink. It was an odd, almost glowing blue, and there were those green, dusty-looking things rising out of it.

  As I leaned down, tongue out, I paused at seeing my reflection. My eyes were a very dark brown, and as I looked closer, I saw it was almost like there was smoke rolling around in my pupils. I guess for a stealthy Path, it would make sense. If I had bright, glowing white eyes like Iris, that would certainly give me away in the darkness.

  I began to lower my tongue to the water when I heard a croaky voice. “Careful there, little one. Ribbit. The water is potent. Ribbit.”

  I instantly shot up and spun around.

  Someone just spoke! Like a human! Humans meant trouble!

  But, what I laid my eyes on was not quite a human. It looked like one at first, standing on two legs with a large circular straw hat covering half its face. A smoking pipe, peeked out, hanging from his lips. Then I noticed green webbed hands, one resting on—

  On the hilt of a sword!

  I leap backwards in a panic, doing a full circle.

  I had used Pulse Sense before coming out into the open! Why didn’t I notice him!?

  I ran and leapt for cover, finding myself behind a large branch, then used {Pulse Sense} again.

  There was nothing coming towards me… but…

  I peeked over the branch. I was looking right at him now, but my Pulse Sense wasn’t picking up his heartbeat.

  He just stood there, staring at the water. One webbed hand reached for the pipe as he removed it from his mouth and let out a long puff of smoke.

  I growled softly in his direction, not exactly meaning to, but it just came out of me.

  “I understand why you would be alarmed. Ribbit,” he said, his voice quite calm, but croaky. He turned his gaze towards me, and though I saw a giant white chin and a wide mouth under the hat, he didn’t reveal many other features. “Hm… only Level 8. You are wise to be cautious, but I wish you no harm. Ribbit.”

  What? How does he know my level? And why isn’t Pulse Sense detecting his heartbeat? Is he not actually alive? No, he seems way too solid to be some kind of spirit or something.

  I took in his appearance. He was obviously some kind of frog man, with long legs and a round, hunched body. He wore a loose red tunic tied with a sash, dark trousers tucked under leather shin guards, and black cloth bindings around his forearms. He was like some kind of traveling samurai frog or something.

  He removed his other hand from his sword and reached into a bag strapped over his shoulder. I hunkered down suspiciously as he pulled something out.

  It was a bone!

  “Would you like a treat? Ribbit.”

  My tail betrayed me with a little thump-thump against the ground, though my eyes never left him. I lowered myself even further, ears flat, unsure if I should bolt or… approach so I could take the bone.

  It was pale, smooth, and polished. No hints of old meat clinging to it, so it was like it had been carried a long time. I sniffed the air and could detect the wonderfully rich scent of marrow coming from it.

  “No need to be afraid, little one. Ribbit,” the frog-man chuckled through his pipe smoke. “I do not bait pups with poison. And this is a special bone. Ribbit. I have no use for it myself, but I suspect you might. Stronger jaws are built by chewing. Ribbit.”

  I tilted my head, curiosity fighting with caution. That sounded… useful. But why was he offering it to me?

  Still, I kept my hackles raised and let out a low growl that asked, “Who are you?”

  The brim of his hat lifted slightly, showing a full frog face complete with foggy eyes as he let out another slow puff of smoke. “I’m a student of the sword. Ribbit. I came to this vale to train so I might better serve the Emperor.” He dipped down in a slight bow. “You may call me Genzo. Ribbit.”

  His wide mouth curled slightly at the edges. “You have no name, but there is much more I see when I look at you, little pup. Ribbit.”

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