“Stay back, Rue. Watch closely, but don’t move from that spot.”

  As Edge spoke, he manifested an iceblade in his right hand, watching to make sure the curious pup didn’t approach the crystalline sword’s lethal chill. “Touching any version of Elemental Blade will kill you. Even standing too close can cause serious damage.”

  The golden fox met his gaze and nodded, signaling that he understood what his Companion was trying to tell him. Rue only knew a few dozen words, but the beast was learning to interpret Edge’s tone and the context of the situation to supplement his limited vocabulary.

  “When I use Double Slash, the blade will grow longer and move faster—especially if I pay extra mana to flare it.” He demonstrated with a horizontal Slash that left twin trails of mist in its wake before the blurred double faded out of existence.

  He took a quick look around to make sure nothing dangerous had wandered into the area, although the odds were slim while standing on the southern road just a few hundred feet from the gate. The coast was clear, so Edge continued his demonstration while explaining the mechanics of the skills in his collection.

  Trapper and Violet had judged the pup was ready to move on to more advanced types of training. In addition to learning how to obey commands and keep his head in battle, it was vital that Rue become intimately familiar with the dynamics of every power in Edge’s skillset. That way, he wouldn’t be surprised when they were used in a fight.

  While it was important to be careful due to the danger, the exercise wound up being considerably easier than it would have been with any other beast—even one with a Companion bond.

  The reason why was simple, if rather inexplicable. Since Rue could enter Edge’s core at will and had spent weeks interacting with the avatars inside, the fox already had a good grasp of how each power worked and was used to having them nearby.

  That being said, Edge had eighteen different skills—twenty if you counted his auxiliary slots—many which could be used in several distinct configurations. On top of that, he could combine his powers to create combos, and versatile skills like Repel Water and Manifest Chain could be used in countless ways.

  He hoped they would reach a point where Rue understood exactly what he was up to at any given moment without the need for explicit commands. Even then, Edge needed to be aware of the fox’s location, condition, and state of mind at all times.

  It wasn’t going to happen anytime soon, but one day, his Companion would be able to fight alongside him as an equal—armed with a variety of powerful magics and lethal attacks. This exercise was the first step in making that happen, and he needed to repeat the process several times a week for the foreseeable future.

  While he reviewed the dynamics of each of his powers, weapons, and consumables, Edge’s thoughts began to wander, wondering what the future held for the adorable golden beast.

  I hope he picks up some defensive skills first, and ideally something to heal himself like Regeneration. Edge was reaching a point where he could survive almost anything that didn’t kill him outright, and he was worried about Rue getting caught in the crossfire during a difficult fight.

  For now, he needs to keep hunting small game to cycle up. We can practice our teamwork fighting stage-one enemies once he evolves and has more attributes under his belt. In the meantime, Edge was teaching the fox to survive in the wild. The crew had gone hunting earlier that morning, and he’d let his Companion watch from his backpack as they brought their prey down.

  After they made it back to town, Rue met the guardian beasts Zen and Zero for some beast-to-beast training. The late stage-two creatures were surprisingly gentle, taking the fox through the settlement while issuing an endless series of grunts, growls, and barks.

  Edge had no idea what they were communicating, but Violet had assured him the visit was a valuable opportunity for the pup to learn how to navigate a town filled with people and a wide variety of beasts.

  On that note, he wondered what bad habits the little bugger was picking up from Chibime and the other avatars in his village, although there wasn’t much he could do about it other than trust his team and hope for the best.

  Either way, using the compressed time inside his core to squeeze in some extra training every day was a valuable asset. Rue would be ready to work with Trapper’s crew months faster than other trained beasts, and Edge was looking forward to finding out what he could do.

  He gave his lecture his full attention when he reached the final two skills on his list. “I need you to return to your den if you see me cast Vacuum Blast,” he explained. “Don’t wait to find out what happens. Shrapnel from the explosion could kill you from hundreds of feet away.”

  Edge asked one of the deputies guarding the gate to walk over and shield the pup with her body before firing a Blast at a clump of grass. Foliage went flying when the wind blade bit into the prairie and detonated with a boom that made Rue yip in surprise. He thanked the woman for her help and concluded his demonstration by letting out a pulse of Repel that shoved the fox back and firing a spray of water into the air.

  “Getting caught by Repel will send you flying, and its water can cut you or wash you away. Right now, your job is to grow up to be big and strong. If I get into a fight and you can’t teleport into your den, you need to run away and hide until it’s over. Even if you see me get hurt, be brave and don’t come out, no matter what. Thanks to our friend Rejuvenation, I can recover quickly. Try not to worry and stick to the plan, even if it looks bad at first.”

  Once their skill-familiarization session was over, Edge took Rue into the commercial district to practice mouse hunting. The fox had figured out the trick a few days earlier and become quite skilled at skulking for his dinner, although he had stolen food from a wagon instead on two separate occasions.

  Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

  Edge hadn’t seen any clues regarding the nature of the beast’s powers, but at the moment, sausage thief was at the top of his list.

  They ended today’s lesson with a round of signal training. Rue had already picked up most of the verbal commands and hand signs the crew used in the field, but his understanding of how they tied into the larger situation was spotty at best. The pup would stand still and be quiet if Edge flashed the right sign, but he didn’t understand that his Companion would only do so if danger had appeared.

  The fox was tired after so much activity followed by a heavy meal. Rue let out an exaggerated yawn and disappeared into his den to sleep it off. Edge grinned at the beast’s antics and moved on to the next item on his list.

  ***

  Most of his time was dedicated to cycling up, stealing skills, and training Puppet Town’s newly cored warriors. However, he couldn’t spend every waking moment hunting, sparring, and refining his technique, or the stress would grind him down and leave him raw, blunting his focus and fraying his nerves.

  To keep himself sane, Edge dedicated a few hours every day to unwinding with the important people in his life—boxing with Mel, fine dining with Sasha, and sharing a drink or two with the rest of Trapper’s crew, the peacekeepers, and his friends at the Forge and alchemists’ ward.

  He was also broadening his horizons by engaging in activities that increased his proficiency as a hunter while taking his mind off the impending battle with the kaiju.

  In addition to some weapon training with Able and Tessa and skill-development sessions with Sakura, he had studied harvesting valuable resources with Alice, practiced extracting monster parts with Lilly and Byron, and deepened his understanding of applied combat anatomy under Izzio’s expert tutelage.

  After wrapping up a final session on the best methods to target vital points and break down a carcass, the butcher declared that he had nothing left to teach Edge, although he was always welcome to stop by and lend a hand, chat about the craft, or enjoy a freshly grilled lunch.

  “You’ve come a long way since you brought that first mangled jobo into my shop. Your cuts are clean, you know how to separate various tissues, and you don’t poke nearly as many holes in their hides. That being said, you still have a long way to go in learning how to extract and preserve the leather, scales, feathers, and fur from the beasts you hunt. If you’re more than a few hours away from town, these valuable parts will degrade before you get the chance to bring your haul to an expert.

  “If you want to develop another key skill that all beast hunters should learn, you should take a few lessons from Talia the tanner. After everything you’ve done for Puppet Town, I’m sure she’d be happy to show you the ropes—especially if you mention that I would consider it a personal favor.”

  “Thanks, Izzio. I’ll stop by her shop today. Now that I’m bringing down an occasional stage-three beast, I would cry if I ruined its hide, considering how valuable they are for crafting. I’ll pop in every now and again to say hello, and the next time I go drinking at the Pioneer, I’ll make sure to invite you.”

  They shook hands and parted ways, leaving Edge to navigate the short stretch of road between Izzio’s Delicatessen and Talia’s Quality Leather Goods.

  In addition to being an expert tanner, Talia was the best skinner in town and had several skilled leatherworkers in her employ. Her storefront was significantly larger than Izzio’s, since she offered a wide variety of leather, fur, and more exotic materials, including a range of finished products.

  Edge stepped through the front door and spent a few minutes browsing the goods before walking up to the register. He spotted several materials he might want to use later and was curious to see what a professional skinner could do compared to his own novice efforts. He was deeply impressed by the quality of the wares on display, and when he was done looking around, he approached the apprentice who was minding the storefront.

  When he explained why he was there and mentioned Izzio had sent him, the woman walked into an adjoining workshop to find Talia. The senior crafter emerged a few minutes later, and they took the measure of each other before saying a word. Edge realized he hadn’t needed to introduce himself, which meant his reputation had preceded him.

  Talia’s body was in its early thirties, though he had the sense that she was several decades older. She had dark skin, light blue eyes, and hair the color of burnished copper. He suspected some cosmetic skills were involved in her appearance, but the details were none of his business.

  Eventually she nodded in approval at whatever she saw in his face and said, “I’m willing to teach you a few tricks, since you’ve gone above and beyond to keep Puppet Town standing.” She turned to leave and then looked over her shoulder. “What are you waiting for, boy? Daylight’s burning.”

  He grinned as he followed the craft master into her workshop, eager to begin his first lesson.

  The first thing he learned was Talia was brusque. She expected Edge to pay attention and remember what he’d been shown. She was willing to forgive a mistake if it wasn’t due to a lack of diligence, but never the same one twice.

  Although their personalities were a study in contrast, Edge learned just as much from Talia as he had from Izzio—maybe more since she held him to such a high standard and pointed out every error in excruciating detail.

  She explained that a skinner was always on the clock. “Every second that passes from the moment a carcass arrives is a precious resource,” she clarified. “Each hide needs to be removed as quickly as possible to preserve the material’s quality.” It was fine to chill the remains en route to buy time, but in most cases, freezing them would cause irreparable damage.

  Before Taila ever touched a blade, she came up with a plan to remove the largest pieces possible. She showed Edge where to cut without marring the leather and how to keep scales intact when peeling back skin. It was an eye-opening experience, although some of the tricks he’d learned about butchery came in handy with skinning too.

  Of course, removing the hide was only half the job.

  Once it was free from the beast’s flesh, the leather needed to be treated so it wouldn’t rot, dry out, mold, or suffer from a hundred other maladies. He was most interested in techniques he could use in the field, so that was what they focused on today.

  Over the next four hours, Talia imparted dozens of tricks that would help Edge remove the valuable hides and skins he collected while hunting, keeping them in prime condition to maximize his profits or craft gear for himself.

  While the tanner’s tongue was as sharp as her knife, he enjoyed her company and found the entire process fascinating. He had never made anything with his hands back in his old life, other than a few uninspired class projects in his AI-taught school.

  He found it viscerally satisfying to take something and change it into another form. One day, he might try his hand at learning a trade, as crafting gear from raw materials sounded interesting too. But that would have to wait until the current crisis had blown past, his conflict with Skill-Eater was resolved, and he had some time to consider his future.

  While she was ready to call it a day, Talia invited him to come back later for another lesson or two. Edge thanked the woman and left her shop with a smile on his face—thrilled to have increased his proficiency in an aspect of beast hunting he had neglected until now.