Chapter 27: The First Bond

Was it... laughing?

I frowned, rubbing my temple.

"Yeah, you’re welcome," I muttered before turning on my heel and walking away from it, or at least, that had been the plan.

The damn thing followed me.

At first, I pretended not to notice, keeping my pace steady and my eyes fixed ahead, but no matter how many turns I took or how many times I glanced over my shoulder with an increasingly annoyed glare, the stubborn little gremlin was always there, happily trailing after me as though we’d suddenly become best friends.

I eventually came to a stop, and, just as expected, it stopped too.

When I started walking again, it immediately fell in behind me without the slightest hesitation.

Letting out an exasperated sigh, I suddenly spun around, hoping to catch it off guard.

Instead, I was met with a grin.

The little menace was actually grinning at me, its tiny paws still clutching the half-eaten carcass as if this whole situation was the funniest thing it had ever seen.

I groaned and ran a hand through my hair.

"Seriously?"

The lemur merely chittered back, its eyes sparkling with unmistakable mischief.

And that was how I found myself wandering through the village with a smirking little beast padding along at my heels, drawing the occasional curious glance from passing goblins.

I barely paid them any attention, my thoughts still lingering on the strange lemur, until I rounded a corner and walked straight into someone.

I staggered back, blinking in surprise.

[Zephra - Level 11 - Forest Troll]

Standing before me was a tall, lean female goblin whose very presence demanded attention.

She was tall, with a lean, curvy figure that immediately caught my eye.

Smooth gray skin stretched over her body, while blue tribal markings wrapped around her arms and disappeared beneath the simple leather clothes she wore. Her long white hair fell freely down her back, soft and silky, glowing under the flickering torchlight.

She was... striking.

Far more eye-catching than Talia.

Her sharp, amber gold eyes studied me, not with suspicion or hostility, but with something else entirely.

There was a flicker of curiosity in them, mixed with quiet amusement, and if I was being honest, I was staring just as much as she was.

She looked young, yet the way she carried herself spoke of someone who had survived more than a few battles.

Resting comfortably on her shoulder was another lemur, smaller than the one clinging to my heel, its soft gray and brown fur blending almost perfectly with the surrounding forest.

It coiled its striped tail around her neck like a living scarf, its glowing eyes flicking back and forth between my unwanted companion and me.

She tilted her head, a knowing smirk tugging at her lips.

"Looks like you’ve been chosen."

I frowned, blinking in confusion. "Chosen?"

The word immediately rubbed me the wrong way. For some reason, I didn’t fancy it very much.

She simply nodded toward the lemur still trailing after me, looking completely at ease with its presence.

"Lemurs don’t follow just anyone. They choose their own masters, and once they bond with someone, that decision is permanent. After that, they can assist in combat in all sorts of ways, which is why some of us train them as companions."

I glanced down and found the little lemur grinning up at me as though it had been waiting for my reaction all along. Beside us, the female goblin folded her arms and let out a quiet chuckle.

"If you want to make it official," she said, "you have to feed it your blood."

I blinked, then stared at her.

"I’m sorry... what now?"

She simply shrugged, looking completely unfazed by what sounded like the most insane suggestion I’d heard all day.

"It seals the bond. Otherwise, he might leave if he finds someone stronger."

My eyes slowly drifted back to the lemur.

"Oh, so you’d leave me for someone cooler, huh?"

The little bastard didn’t even bother pretending to be loyal. It only grinned wider, exposing a row of tiny, razor-sharp fangs.

Little traitor.

Still... having a partner didn’t sound too bad, and if I was being honest, I didn’t mind its company either.

It was either tame it or eat it, and today, I just wasn’t feeling that heartless. So... fine.

Rolling my eyes, I raised a hand and nicked my thumb with a claw until a tiny bead of blood welled up.

The lemur didn’t hesitate. Its warm tongue flicked out, lapping up the crimson drop, and the instant it made contact, something yanked at my chest, as though an invisible thread had suddenly snapped into place.

A chill ran through my veins as a glowing message flashed across my vision.

Ding!

[You are now bonded to creature: Dire Lemur]

[Lemur can now mimic a portion of your abilities and, over time, will take on traits you possess.]

My eyes widened.

"Oh... that’s interesting."

So the little guy would eventually be able to use some of my abilities.

That was a lot more useful than I’d expected.

I turned to look at the lemur, which was still staring back at me with those bright, curious eyes, completely unaware of just how lucky it had gotten.

"You’ve hit the jackpot, little one."

Zephra let out a soft chuckle. "He’ll be a useful ally."

Before I could respond, another notification materialized before me.

[Since your Lemur is nameless, you can now give it a name]

"Name...?"

I muttered under my breath, scratching my cheek as I stared at the little creature in front of me.

The lemure, now officially mine, tilted its head, its glowing eyes fixed on me with an expectant look.

Its tail swished back and forth before lightly tapping against my boot, almost as if it already knew what I was thinking and was impatiently waiting to hear its new name.

I let out a quiet sigh.

Fine. If this little guy was going to be sticking around, then he needed a name worthy of a champion. Something strong. Something legendary. A name inspired by the most powerful fantasy creatures ever written.

A grin spread across my face.

"Your name is...