Chapter 67: Chapter 67: Wolf Meets GoUT

Sara had overslept way too much. It was barely an hour until sunrise when she finally woke up, and she cursed herself a little.

I even went to bed earlier than usual. Ugh... I have stuff to do today as well.

She needed to go deliver a message at the Hunting Post that she wanted to do another bandit raid the next day. The original plan had been to tell them the day before, but with everything that happened she had completely forgotten to bring it up. At least she was still giving them more warning than last time.

No matter her own issues, it was more fun for Gloria that way. Speaking of, she should go catch up with her. Apologise for not checking in for several days, give her a bit of food, and have a chat. She hoped Gloria wasn't feeling slighted because Sara had forgotten to visit for a couple of days.

Has it been three days? Or more? I am reasonably certain I stopped by three days ago. It was two days ago I did the trade, and I forgot to go after levelling up Mirielle. I hope it hasn't been longer than three days. Even if I'm busy, I should try to keep in contact with my friends.

The road crew would probably enter bear territory that day, so she should keep an eye on that. It was likely their last day, and it was possible the Adventurers would finally have to really earn their keep.

At the very least she needed to ask Kathleen to stick close, and ask the ravens if they could spare some extra helpers. They seemed to have fun with bear hunting last time. It was a shame she didn't have any healers on hand except herself, but the Adventurers probably had one or two, at least.

After speaking to the mobs she headed for the Hunting Post. While she always waited until like an hour past sunrise to bother the people there, it was nice that there always seemed to be someone present and awake, should she ever need something even in the middle of the night.

The Druid on watch that day was not someone she had seen before, but it was nice to see that the elves seemed more comfortable with her now. She was still a wolf larger than any one of them, but even if they hadn't been present for the Trial event, they had surely heard of it. So she didn't have to deal with any nervous quaking that day.

Every little bit was progress.

A quick glance at her skill list didn't reveal anything that was really worth focusing on at the moment. She was likely to get a bunch of attack skill levels during the next bandit raid, so there was no rush to do anything that day.

The only things that stood out as both unlikely to level in combat, and yet possible for her to work on were Erase Presence, and Pursuit. She never finished levelling the latter, but she hadn't found any use for it yet either. The only things that ran away from her were mobs that were too small to be worth hunting. The deer always fought to the bitter end, and she expected the same of the bears. Maybe she'd have to chase down some Residents or Wanderers that were trying to get away at some point, but that might be it.

Still, it was something she could level on the way to Gloria without losing much time. Erase Presence would have to wait.

About halfway there, with two Pursuit levels gained, she was interrupted.

"The funny Sara!" said a loud caw from above.

Sara stopped, and looked up. "Yes?" she replied. While they usually had something to tell her when they called out, sometimes they just wanted to be chatty, or ask her what she was doing. She didn't bother even acknowledging whatever way they addressed her any longer.

"People are here! Here to see you!" The raven sounded cheerful, but they often did.

"Mirielle?" Sara asked.

"No! No Mirielle, no!" She had taught them Mirielle's name, and the ravens liked it, for some reason. "Four people. Two we have seen before. One once, one twice. Two we have not. Never seen. Not all elves. Outsiders. Likely Adventurers."

That gave Sara pause. It was the first time Adventurers had come asking to see her. She had advertised herself a bit the day before, since she hadn't been sure how much the word of them accepting requests had already spread. Since she'd had a big audience she hadn't been able to help herself.

Maybe it was because she had asked for feedback. It was possible the raiders had come to tell her what they thought. She wasn't sure if they needed four people for that, but she couldn't blame them for being curious, and maybe wanting to see for themselves.

Well, she wasn't going to find out by guessing.

"Are they at the glade?" she asked.

"Yes! We told them. To go. To wait. Yes," the raven replied.

"Alright, I'll go see them." Sara felt bad for making Gloria wait even longer, but she'd head right over there after hearing what these 'likely Adventurers' wanted.

She went in a direct line, with as much speed as possible. Even using Cat Form for the extra boost. It wasn't just that she wanted to get it over with quickly, but she felt a little excited too.

* * *

Sara entered the glade in wolf form, and saw four women waiting close to the statue.

[ Le Hoot - Owlkin Speaker (Druid Lvl 27) HP: 157/157 ]
[ Laloti - Gnome Tracker (Scout Lvl 27) HP: 141/141 ]
[ Grace Jansen - Elf Acolyte (Priest Lvl 28) HP: 146/146 ]
[ Sa Lamba - Catkin Stage Actress (Dancer Lvl 30) HP: 192/192 ]

With names like that she was willing to bet they were Wanderers. The elf had both first name, and last name, but she had become familiar enough with elf names that she was pretty certain this one wasn't a Resident. She hadn't seen the Dancer class before, but since she was level 30, it was possible it was an upgraded one. Especially since her HP was noticeably higher than the others in a way just a couple of levels probably didn't explain, and she didn't look like a tanky type.

They had already been alert, so she suspected that at least one of them had sensed her coming. Though once they actually saw her they started whispering. Sara could hear every word, of course.

"It's here," the catkin whispered.

"She," the owlkin rapidly whispered back. "It's rude to refer to someone as 'it' if you're having a conversation."

"Does she even want to talk to us?" the gnome asked.

"She can probably hear every word we're saying, you know," the elf pointed out, though she was also whispering.

Sara decided to not comment.

"Greetings," she said to the Druid. "I was told you wished to see me."

"Uh, yes! Hi!" It was hard to tell if this Le Hoot was nervous, excited, or a bit of both. "We, um... we want to talk."

Something about the Druid looked familiar to Sara, but she couldn't think from where. It wasn't like she had seen a lot of owlkin, so maybe it would come back to her.

"Should I use Tree Form, so everyone can join in?" she asked. "You're the only one I can talk to verbally."

"Oh. Uh..." Le Hoot turned to the others. "She wonders if she should use Tree Form, and communicate in writing."

"Yes," the elf, Grace said without hesitation.

"It would be nice to take part, so yes please," Laloti said.

Sa Lamba hesitated for a couple of seconds, before she also said: "Yes."

Sara shifted her shape. When she thought back on it, it was strange how accustomed to this she had become in just over a week, considering how weird it had felt at the start.

"Whoa, it looks much bigger up close," Laloti said.

Sara giggled inwardly. It was true she was a pretty big tree. "Do you all understand elven? Or should I use a different language?" she asked Le Hoot as she took out her board, and chalk.

"Eh? Elven is fine," the Druid answered.

"Whoa..." Grace exclaimed as Sara was writing her first message.

"Greetings. I am the Guardian Beast. Am I correct in assuming you are all Wanderers?"

Everyone but the owlkin looked surprised for a moment.

"Yes," Le Hoot replied. "We are members of the Guild of Unusual Taxonomy. My name is Le Hoot, and I'm one of the guild masters."

"Um... I'm Laloti," the gnome, and she was blushing a little for some reason. "I'm a Tracker, but otherwise no one special..."

"I'm Grace," the elf said with much more confidence. "I mainly do research."

"Sa Lamba," the catkin said with a casual salute. "I help out where I can. I like animals."

Sara pondered what she should write. She decided to ask: "What does the Guild of Unusual Taxonomy do?"

"We look for, and research rare, and unusual mobs," Grace answered before anyone else could. "We hope to be able to gain information on all of them."

"Yeah, we travel all over the world to fulfil our goal!" Le Hoot said proudly.

Sara was already writing her next question: "So you are here to research me?"

"Uh... y- n- nyo... yeees... kinda..." Le Hoot suddenly looked so awkward that it made Sara chuckle, even if no one could hear it. "I'm sorry... it's just... I really wanted to talk to you. I mean, a mob you can talk to is the most unusual thing!"

"But Druids can talk to all mobs," Sara wrote.

"Um... um..."

"What she means," Laloti cut in, seeming to have regained her confidence. "Is that a mob that everyone can talk to is highly unusual. Please excuse her, she's been looking forward to this for a while."

"But after the raid we were kinda worried you wouldn't want to talk to any Adventurers," Sa Lamba continued. "Until we saw your event... your speech yesterday. So we decided to finally come see you today."

"Is mob considered a rude word to you?" Grace suddenly asked.

"No. Mob is just what I am," Sara wrote. "It would be strange to consider it a slur. Do people use it as such?"

"Uh... no, I guess not," Grace said.

"So you have wanted to talk to me for a while? Why?" Sara wrote. She could understand if they had gotten curious after the day before, or if they had learned of the alliance beforehand.

"Um, well, you see! We, well Laloti and I, first met you back in Merwyn Forest, but we didn't know you could talk back then." Le Hoot started rambling. "Then we happened to spot you up in the Eron Hills, and figured you were on your way here, so we decided to also come here, and then we heard you had started talking to the elves, and I've never heard of that before, so I just... I just... I had to!"

Sara would have blinked if the treant form was capable of it. How did they know she had been in Merwyn Forest? Then it came to her where she had seen the owlkin before. That party of Adventurers she had ambushed in the forest because she had recognised the elf mage that was with them.

"Again, please excuse her," Laloti said. "She has this weird theory that there's a mob that can grow stronger, even though it doesn't make much sense."

Sara was surprised at how much they had figured out, and she wasn't sure if she should admit it, or deny it.

"Well..." Sa Lamba spoke up. "It is true that we saw a wolf that looked similar to you up by Lake Karasol, but... was that really you?"

"If the theory is correct," Grace added. "Then it would make sense for the mob to have to travel to stronger areas if it wants to keep growing."

"Yes, exactly!" Le Hoot said eagerly.

Hang on, they saw me at Lake Karasol? Would that be during the day when I had to run, or at night when I bathed? When she thought about it she had gotten the feeling at the time that someone was watching her, but had brushed it off as just her imagination.

"I have no idea what you are talking about," Sara wrote, and felt a little bad when she could see the Druid visibly deflate.

Sa Lamba patted Le Hoot on the back. "Hey, whether or not it's true, it's a bit much to expect her to admit it, right? Everyone has their secrets," she said.

"B-but you haven't always been the boss here, right?" Le Hoot asked.

Hm... I suppose I can throw them a bone. "Correct. I was chosen by the world about a week ago, and was upgraded to become this zone's boss." Sara mixed the truth with terms she had learned from the other mobs, and a bit of omission. None of it was false, but it wasn't the telling the whole story.

"The world? Uh... but why were you chosen?" Le Hoot asked.

"I'm not sure," Sara wrote. That wasn't completely true, but this was something she couldn't tell the truth on. Revealing what she knew about the system was too much to admit. "Even before this I was different from the other mobs, and the wolves here have wanted a boss for a long time. So when they looked to me for leadership, I got a message from the world that I had been chosen, and I was upgraded to fit the role." She had almost written 'since the beginning', but that would have been a slip-up and a half. Or... would it?

"Huh..."

"And then you sought an alliance with the elves? Why?" Grace asked.

"In all honesty: because they asked," Sara wrote. It was actually the other way around, that they brought up the alliance before she became the boss, but such details were less important. "I've never had anyone try to speak to me before. Everyone has just attacked me on sight. So I was intrigued, and wanted to see what it could lead to."

"Well, most people wouldn't think mobs can speak," Laloti said. "At least not wolves."

"But she doesn't really speak either," Sa Lamba commented. "She writes. Okay... I guess that's just semantics... sorry, carry on."

"I have an idea," Sara wrote. For how I can shake things up a little, she thought to herself. "Interacting with the elves has given me insight into how Residents and mobs have different viewpoints on things, and the world at large, but I don't know how the Wanderers see things. Your guild is about knowledge, right? Would you be willing to exchange information?"

""Yes!"" Le Hoot and Grace said practically as one.

"Great. I will ask that you please show some consideration towards how much of this information you share with others, and in what way," Sara wrote. "I am trusting you with this, so please don't be careless."

"Yes." "Of course." "Sure." "I'll follow the guild master."

Sara wiped her board before continuing. "Okay, thank you. I will start with the first thing that struck me. Death. Residents view death very differently from mobs. They find it uncomfortable, and avoid it as much as possible. I think they lose something from it as well. For mobs it's just a fact of life. All we lose is a bit of time, which can be annoying, but it's not a big deal. With a few exceptions like myself, we don't really have a lot to do. I think that makes us more calm about it, and more willing to go with the flow when something happens."

"That makes sense when you think about it," Grace said. "Mobs get killed all the time, but they don't seem to get discouraged by it. Though it would be interesting if there are those who do... like a mob that hides itself away because it doesn't want to get killed."

That was almost what Sara had become before she had learned to accept it. She was also curious if there were others who did go that route. There were still times when she would really prefer to not be killed because it would be a nuisance, but she didn't have that sense of fear any longer.

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"Wanderers have it similar to Residents," Le Hoot said. "When we die our equipment gets damaged, we lose experience, and may even lose a level if we're close to the threshold. But we have the option to respawn immediately, while the Residents have to wait for their timer to run out. So I think most Wanderers also treat death pretty lightly as a result. It's annoying, but we can just get right back into it. Of course no one wants to die so much they keep losing more experience than they gain back."

"By experience you mean the thing that lets you grow stronger?" Sara wrote, even though she knew the answer. "Mobs never lose anything like that, so we don't get weaker. But we also don't grow stronger unless there are exceptional circumstances like mine, when the world names a mob, or there is a world change. Maybe there are more exceptions I don't know about. Most of the time the only experience we gain is the memory of what happened, so we can try to improve our tactics for next time."

"I see..." Le Hoot tapped her chin. "So mobs will likely get smarter with time, even if they don't gain levels, or skills. But in certain ways you are more like us than the Residents."

"And there is something I haven't felt I could tell the Residents, but maybe someone from another world can understand it," Sara wrote. She didn't really have a good way to segue into it. "Unlike Residents, mobs don't have history. We don't have culture. We don't have folklore, or stories. We don't have a society. We have the roles the world gave us, and the basic knowledge we were provided. So we are aware that we haven't always been here. We have no memories from before last winter. As far as we know, the world didn't exist before then, or at least we didn't exist in it."

The four girls were just staring at Sara's writing. She was well aware she had dropped quite the bombshell on them, and she felt very satisfied by their reactions.

"Wait. Wait wait wait." Sa Lamba was the first to speak. "Are you saying the mobs know this is a game?"

"The Residents act like they believe Moorhold has always been here, right?" Laloti asked the others.

"H-hang on," Le Hoot said. "They asked us to not talk directly about game things except with other pla- Wanderers."

"But she just said-"

"Sssshhh!" Grace cut everyone off.

It seemed like they weren't sure how to handle this.

"A game? Is that what you call it?" Sara wrote completely innocently.

"Uh... uh... o-of course we take this very seriously," Le Hoot said.

"I'm not sure if that's what she's asking," Laloti said.

"I'm not sure I can explain it in a way that makes sense to someone who doesn't know the outside- our world," Sa Lamba said. "But yeah, to us this a game that we log into to play..."

"I don't think we should be saying this..." Grace said in an exasperated tone.

"She knows the world hasn't been here long!" Sa Lamba protested. "And we know who made it!"

"You know who made the world?" Sara wrote. She was actually curious about this one, since she had never thought to ask Aina any details about the company.

Le Hoot sighed. "Yeah, we..." She sighed even deeper. "You just gave us a shock here, and... we promised to exchange information... ugh... you're not going to share this information either, right?"

"Of course not," Sara wrote quickly.

"Well... where to start?" Le Hoot asked, probably herself more than anyone. "To us this isn't just Moorhold, it's Moorhold Online. A game made by a company in our world called Virtue-World Entertainment, using top-level AI to help develop, and run it."

"Yeah, I mean..." Sa Lamba seemed to have calmed down a little. "It might not be the ultra-realistic world they promised, since it has a lot of very gamey things in it, but the Residents act just like people, so..."

"Yeah, to them it's the real world, and we gotta respect that," Laloti said. "They're more than just N- game characters. Anyone who's spent any time talking to them should understand that." She was clearly about to say NPCs, though they wouldn't know that Sara knew that.

"And then there's you, and the other mobs," Grace said. It seemed like she had given up on hiding things. "It's your world too, even if you're aware it's not... been around for long. I guess you're basically like newborns, except... I don't know. This kinda flips a lot of what I thought I knew about this place on its head."

"Hm... do you think there are more mobs out there like you?" Le Hoot asked. "Like in the sense that they're just waiting for someone to talk to them?"

"It's hard to say," Sara wrote. "I was talking about this with the Residents too, and I think most mobs just aren't aware that talking is even an option. We have our roles, and most of us think that's all there is to it. It takes some convincing for them to even consider there might be a different way. Like the wolf boss in Wutsch is a very friendly person, full of curiosity, who loves to spend time with others, but even she had never considered that Residents could count among those 'others' she could spend time with until I brought it up to her. And it still took a couple of days to bring her around on the idea. Mobs like me who would consider it right away could be very rare."

She wiped the board before she continued writing. For all Sara knew her very special circumstances might make her practically unique in that regard. Though there was one exception she should probably bring up.

"I see..." Le Hoot said softly, and looked deep in thought.

"I suppose with how this world was set up, that would make sense," Grace said.

"There is a notable exception in the corvids," Sara wrote. "They love talking. All of them. They love it so much. I think if they could talk to Residents and Wanderers they might never shut up. After they learned I could understand them, they've wanted to come along for everything. If you were to ask them if they wanted to do something with you, they'd probably say yes. They're very bored, you see. The more intelligent a mob is, the more likely they are to get bored with the state of the world. And those birds are way too clever for their own good. Or our good. Things don't really change much for us, and they are always looking for something interesting. So it's possible there are other mobs just looking for a proper conversation partner. I'm just not aware of any."

"The corvids? Oh right, the Night Ravens cooperate with you," Grace said. "I wanted to ask about that, but I guess you just answered."

"Dang, now I kinda want to become like... dances with birds!" Sa Lamba said. "Braving the wilds with a murder of crows! Except I can't talk to them..."

"Well, if we go out as a party, I can ask them if they want to come along," Le Hoot said with a giggle. "I'd just never really considered it... maybe someone has, but I haven't heard of any players that run around teaming up with a bunch of birds."

"Me neither," Laloti said. "The crows, ravens, and such are typically considered something to be avoided. If you leave them alone, they'll leave you alone, that kind of thing."

"But I like the idea that there might be more mobs who would want to talk to us," Le Hoot continued. "I think the Guild of Unusual Taxonomy just got a new goal added it our list."

Sara chuckled internally. "I have one tip for you, the same as I told the Residents," she wrote. "The best way to get mobs to at least hear you out in my experience is to suggest that doing things differently could be interesting. That you would be interesting to talk to. Or have interesting activities for them. Things like that. The vast majority of us don't really have a sense of morality, so appealing to whether something is good, or bad will have little impact. But something being more interesting will tempt at least some of them. You will probably still have to do some convincing. Show them how it will be interesting. Demonstrate. But hopefully it will be enough to at least get the conversation started."

"Ooo..." Le Hoot's eyes were sparkling. "That is very interesting. Uh... pardon the wording."

"Sounds like we might need to recruit more Druids," Grace said. "Honestly you've tempted me to class switch, but... I probably shouldn't... it'll set me back a lot at this point."

"And we kinda need your talents as a Priest," Sa Lamba said. "But if you want to make an alt, I'll help boost you."

"Thanks. I'll consider it." Grace smiled. "Don't know if I have the time, but... maybe next vacation."

"It's been an enlightening conversation," Sara wrote. "But I should get going. I have some plans to attend to. One last thing. There will be a raid on the bandits in Wutsch tomorrow. I assume the elves are going to ask Adventurers to join this time too, so if you want to come along, make sure you're ready to sign up when they post the notice. Consider it a sign of my gratitude."

"Yes, thank you," Le Hoot said. "You've given us a lot to think about. I'm glad I was... that we were able to talk to you. I was hoping to find amazing things like this here in Moorhold."

"Uh, I have a last question," Sa Lamba said. "Can I pet you?"

"You can't ask that!" Grace hissed.

"I can, and I did," Sa Lamba said defiantly. "Didn't you see how fluffy she was as a wolf? Is there a fluffiness skill? Because dang..."

There was a fluffiness skill of sorts, since at least one of the max level bonuses Sara had unlocked had been about improving her fur. She considered writing no, but thought about it some more.

Would it be undignified if I agreed to this? Because like... I have to try it, right? I've been a furry animal for over a month, and I have somehow never considered getting petted. It probably feels good, right? I mean, so many animals seem to be so very into it, and even humans like headpats and stuff... yeah, I can't pass up this opportunity. I need to try it.

"I will allow it," she wrote, and put her board and chalk away before returning to wolf form.

"Yesssssss!" Sa Lamba said, and the catkin pounced immediately. "Oh god, you're so soft... I picked catkin because I figured they would be soft... but I'm not this soft... what's your secret?" She was ruffling the fur on Sara's side, and below her chin, and scritching behind the ears, and more.

Sara was feeling a lot of very pleasant feelings from this. Getting petted was amazing. She wanted to reply out of sheer gratitude. She just needed to double-check which skill did it. Le Hoot could translate for her.

"It's... Solid Coat max bonus..." Sara said in a euphoric daze. "Makes extra fluffy... maybe Insulation also helps..."

"Um..." Le Hoot looked confused. "She said it's the max level bonus of Solid Coat that makes her extra fluffy, and that maybe Insulation also helps."

"Solid Coat!" Sa Lamba lit up. "I unlocked that at some point, but since my style relies on not getting hit I didn't want to spend the skill points... uh... there it is! Don't see Insulation, but I'll look for a scroll. A passive... this is gonna take a while to level... but it's an investment for the future! Maybe I should get a boost scroll..."

"You'd buy a real money item just for extra fluffy fur?" Laloti asked.

"Absolutely! Feel it yourself!" Sa Lamba was done messing with her interface, and went back to messing with Sara's fur.

Laloti looked hesitant, but stepped forward. Sara had the forethought, or maybe just feeling of bliss to plop down on the ground, so the gnome could also reach easily.

"Oh... wow... yeah..." Laloti said. "Outside of certain cats, I've not felt anything this soft back home. Are you saying you'd let others pet you when you became extra fluffy, Sa Lamba?"

"... maybe," the catkin replied. "The Guardian Beast seems to be really enjoying it. She's like a big puppy!"

Laloti chuckled. "A very big puppy."

Le Hoot also stepped forward, and put her hand on Sara's fur coat. "Wow. It's amazing how well they've recreated the sense of touch..." she said quietly.

Grace was the final person to give in, and join the petting party.

Sara hadn't felt this sort of bliss since she her arrival here. Maybe not ever. Four people petting her at once. Being an animal had some perks.

* * *

After an unknown amount of time Sara finally parted ways with the girls from the Guild of Unusual Taxonomy, and made her way towards Wutsch for real, at full speed. While a lot of what they had said she honestly already knew, she had learned some interesting things, and spread some interesting information. She was curious to see what it might lead to.

There was one thing she hadn't gotten to ask about, though.

Mother? What's a boost scroll?

"Consumable items that increase experience gain for a certain time. There are three types, for either character experience, or skill experience.
The first boosts character experience gained though combat by 50% for either 1, or 2 hours. There is a special version that gives a 100% boost for 2 hours, but it's really hard to acquire.
The second is the same as the first, except for Trade classes doing actions that gain class experience. While anyone can get some use out of trade skills, those that choose a Gatherer, Crafter, or Merchant class with a specialisation can do a lot more with it, and gain access to extra skills, and recipes. It is possible to play the game without ever engaging in combat.
The third boosts all skill experience gained by 25% for 1, or 2 hours. Similarly there is a special version that boosts everything by 50% for 2 hours, but is equally hard to acquire.
These can all be found in-game as various rewards, or drops. New players from wave 2, and onwards start with a few to help them catch up to earlier waves, but the basic versions can also be bought in the real money store. They at least had the forethought to not offer the strongest ones as microtransactions so it wouldn't be completely pay to win.
However there is also a special boost scroll that you can only get via real money, or from a few special events, that boosts one skill to max level immediately. I understand the idea of wanting to give players a way to quickly catch up if they pick a crucial skill late, especially since there are so many skills, but it also makes it very blatant pay to win. They could at the very least be more generous about offering those ones for free as well."

While Aina didn't sigh, the pause made it seem like she very much wanted to.

"But those aren't my decisions to make. I can only offer suggestions."

I'm sorry to hear that, mother. I'd give you a hug if I could.

"I appreciate that, Sara."

* * *

On the other side Le Hoot, Grace, Laloti, and Sa Lamba were heading back to Komeron.

"Aaaahhh, I feel so refreshed," Sa Lamba said.

"I still can't believe you asked," Grace said. "But you're right that she's very soft."

"I wonder if there are other mobs that would like to be petted, or if I can ask the Guardian Beast again some other time..." Sa Lamba mused.

"Maybe there are hunters that will let you pet their companions," Laloti suggested.

"Hey..." Le Hoot spoke up. "I know she's the most unusual mob we've met, but..."

"Hm? But?"

"Don't you still think it's kinda weird that she knows what her skills are, and what their max level bonuses are?" Le Hoot asked. "Like... don't you need a menu to see that?"

"Uh..." Grace pondered it for a moment. "Residents can use Identify on themselves to see such things, I believe... could the Guardian Beast have Identify?"

"It wasn't on her skill list..." Le Hoot said. "Is she hiding skills? Can mobs do that?"

"I want to say 'not as far as we know', but how could we know?" Grace said with a wry smile. "I believe there are Residents that can see through such things, but I don't know if players have a way to counter-act stuff like... what's it called? Where you fake what your status looks like?"

"Conceal Status," Sa Lamba said. "There should be ways for players to see through it, but I'm not sure. Though honestly her whole personality was odd. She seemed more like a Resident to me, or on the same level at least, but with a different understanding of the world. Perhaps they gave her a more advanced type of AI or something. I also wonder how much she wasn't telling us."

"Huh?"

"It's just a hunch, but I got the feeling that she was leaving out a lot of things about what she was telling us... and there were several things she didn't question even though I thought she would, as if she already understood them..." She sighed. "But I guess I was the one who said that everyone's allowed to have secrets."

"Even though she denied it, I'm honestly more convinced of your theory now, Le Hoot," Laloti said. "She looks just like the wolf we saw at the lake, and that one was also behaving very strangely. I also noticed like... she said a week ago. She didn't become the boss until a week ago. But if the wolves had been wanting a boss for a long time, then I would guess that she wasn't here before a week ago, or she likely would have been upgraded sooner. Right?"

"Hm..." Grace stroked her chin. "You have a point. It's possible she was added in the patch, but it didn't sound like it... though even if we tried pressing her, she'd probably just keep denying it. So we can only theorise. No matter how likely it seems, we probably won't get confirmation from her."

"Mhm..." Le Hoot agreed. "Still, I'd like to go back and talk to her again at some point. If I can come up with something to actually talk about." She felt like she needed a decent excuse.

Sa Lamba patted her on the back. "I'll come along to support you," she said.

"And to ask to pet her more," Laloti said accusingly.

"And to ask to pet her more," Sa Lamba confirmed.