Jak woke to sunlight streaming through the gap in the wooden shutters.
His neck ached from sleeping on the floor. For a moment, he forgot why he was there instead of sharing the mattress with Mira.
Then he saw Shade curled up on the windowsill, and everything from yesterday came rushing back.
He was bonded. Actually bonded. Again.
But different this time.
Mira was still asleep, her breathing slightly easier than it had been the night before. Jak stood carefully, trying not to wake her, and splashed water on his face from the clay basin in the corner.
Shade opened one amber eye. Watching him.
"We need to register at the guild," Jak said quietly. Not entirely sure why he was talking to the beast. "Get re-certified. Then we can start looking for work."
Shade's ear twitched.
Jak left a note for Mira on the small wooden table, along with the last of their bread and dried meat. Then he headed out, Shade following close behind.
The guild halls were located in the merchant quarter. Forty-minute walk from the slums if you knew the shortcuts through the back alleys. Jak had walked past them before, always from a distance, watching adventurers come and go.
Warriors. Mages. Rogues. All the standard classes.
Beast tamers were different. Rare. Most people went their whole lives without meeting one.
Jak had been one for six months with his tracking hound. Bottom-tier. F-rank contracts that paid barely enough to survive.
Now he was one again. With a shadow fox.
The thought still felt unreal.
The main hall was larger than he'd expected. High vaulted ceilings supported by stone pillars carved with images of legendary beasts. Dozens of people moving between various stations.
Warriors in armor. Mages in robes. Rogues in leather. All classes represented.
At the far end of the hall, a massive wooden board displayed posted contracts written on parchment and pinned with iron tacks. Jak couldn't read most of them from this distance, but he could see adventurers gathering around it, discussing options.
"Re-certification?" A voice asked.
Jak turned to find a clerk standing behind a nearby desk. Same bored expression as always.
"Yes," Jak said, approaching. "My beast died. I bonded a replacement. Need to re-test."
"Name and previous rank."
"Jak. F-rank."
The clerk made a note on parchment with a quill. "Show me your mark."
Jak held out his right hand. The crescent moon brand from his first bond was still there. But now there was a second mark overlapping it. Darker. Different shape.
The clerk's eyes widened slightly. "That's not normal."
"Emergency bond. Field conditions."
"What kind of beast?"
Shade sat at Jak's feet. Still as a statue.
The clerk stared. "Shadow fox?"
"Yes."
"Wait here."
He disappeared through a door behind the desk. Left Jak standing awkwardly in the middle of the hall.
Other adventurers glanced his way. Their gazes lingering on Shade before moving on.
Jak's stomach tightened. This was the attention he'd been worried about.
The clerk returned with an older man. Gray-haired. Sharp-eyed. Blue robes that marked him as someone important within the guild hierarchy.
"You're the tamer who bonded a shadow fox?" The older man studied Jak with an intensity that made him want to step back.
"I am."
"My name is Corvin. Guild Master." He circled Jak slowly, then crouched to examine Shade more closely. The fox didn't react. "Shadow foxes are void beasts. They don't bond with humans. Ever."
"This one did."
"So I see." Corvin stood, brushing dust from his robes. "Your previous beast was a tracking hound. F-rank. Pest control contracts."
"Yes."
"And now you have a shadow fox. Which means you need proper evaluation." Corvin gestured to the clerk. "Schedule him for combat trials. Full assessment. We need to know what rank he actually is now."
"Today?" Jak asked.
"Today. Beast bonds change everything. Especially rare bonds." Corvin's expression was unreadable. "Wait in the training yard. Testing begins in one hour."
♢♢♢♢
The training yard was behind the main hall. Large open space surrounded by stone walls. Training dummies. Practice weapons. And in the center, a large iron cage.
Inside the cage was a wyvern.
Not full-grown. Maybe juvenile. But still dangerous. Scales. Claws. Teeth designed to kill.
"Standard combat trial," Corvin said. He was standing outside the cage with three other guild officials. All taking notes. "You and your beast against a captured threat. We evaluate speed, power, tactics, teamwork. Your rank is determined by performance."
"What rank is the wyvern?" Jak asked.
"Low C-rank equivalent." Corvin's expression didn't change. "Your previous rank was F. If you can't handle C-rank threats, we'll adjust the trial accordingly."
Jak looked at Shade. Through the bond, calm. No fear.
"We're ready," Jak said.
They entered the cage. Gate closed behind them. Locked.
The wyvern noticed immediately. Head swiveling toward them. Eyes narrowing.
It lunged.
Fast. Faster than Jak expected. Claws aimed for his throat.
Shade moved faster.
The fox intercepted mid-air. Jaws closing on the wyvern's extended claw. Twisting. The wyvern screamed, pulled back.
Jak drew his short blade. Moved left. Trying to flank.
The wyvern's tail whipped toward him. He dodged. Barely. Felt the air displacement as it passed.
Shade attacked again. This time going for the legs. Claws raking across scales. Drawing blood.
The wyvern tried to fly. Wings beating. But the cage ceiling was too low. It crashed back down.
Jak saw the opening. Rushed in. Blade driving into the gap between scales at the wyvern's neck.
Deep. The wyvern thrashed. Blood spraying.
Shade's jaws found the throat. Tearing.
The wyvern went still.
Silence.
Jak stood in the cage, breathing hard. His heart hammering. Shade beside him, blood on its muzzle.
The fight had taken maybe two minutes.
Corvin was writing notes. Expression still unreadable.
The gate opened.
"Out," Corvin said.
Jak and Shade exited. The guild officials were talking quietly among themselves. Comparing notes.
"Mana output test next," Corvin said. "This way."
The mana test was simpler. Jak placed his hand on a crystal sphere. It glowed. Brightness indicated power level.
His glowed bright blue. Not the dim flicker he'd had with the tracking hound.
"Reaction assessment," Corvin said.
They moved to another area. Corvin threw objects at Jak. Small stones. Fast. Testing reflexes.
Jak caught most of them. Dodged the rest. Faster than he'd been six months ago. Faster than yesterday even.
Something about the bond had changed his baseline.
"Threat evaluation," Corvin said finally.
He released three dire wolves into an enclosed area. Told Jak to eliminate them.
Shade handled it. Efficient. Brutal. All three wolves dead in under a minute.
Corvin called the testing finished.
They returned to his office. Jak waited while the guild officials compiled results.
Finally, Corvin looked up.
"You're C-rank," he said.
Jak felt his stomach drop. "What?"
"All tests confirm. Combat capability, mana output, reaction speed, threat response. You're C-rank." Corvin set down his notes. "The jump from F to C is unprecedented. But shadow fox bonds are extremely rare. We have almost no comparison data. This is the first one I've seen in thirty years."
"I'm C-rank," Jak repeated. Trying to process.
"Low C-rank, to be specific. But yes." Corvin leaned forward. "This changes everything. C-rank adventurers have access to different contracts. Higher pay. More dangerous work. And for tamers specifically, more scrutiny."
"Scrutiny?"
"There are maybe a dozen active beast tamers in the entire kingdom. You're one of them now. People will notice. The guild will watch you." Corvin's expression hardened. "Don't make us regret certifying you."
"I won't."
"Good. Report to the contract board. C-rank section. You start work tomorrow." Corvin gestured to the door. "Dismissed."
Jak left the office. Shade at his side.
C-rank. F to C in one day.
The guild thought it was because of Shade. Because shadow fox bonds were rare and powerful.
They weren't wrong. But they weren't completely right either.
Something else had happened during the bond. Something deeper.
Jak could feel it in his body. The way he moved. The way he perceived the world.
He'd been rewritten. Fundamentally changed.
And he was still changing. Even now. Even hours after the bond.
The guild thought he was C-rank. Thought he'd plateau there like most adventurers did.
Jak didn't think so.
Through the bond, he felt Shade's certainty. They weren't done growing.
They'd barely started.