Genzo picked out a clear and flat spot near the edge of the forest, where the ground around us sloped heavily upward and downward. He asked Grick to help with gathering small branches, and soon we had a fire.

  I kept some distance from it, as the heat still disturbed my wounds. But I had a feeling after a good night's rest and the healing bonus of Pack Bound coming from Grick and Lily, I’d be feeling much better in the morning. Besides, even without potions or mushrooms, healing worked differently in this world, and wounds healed far faster than on Earth.

  Genzo only disappeared briefly one last time, coming back with two boar-looking things hanging over each of his shoulders. They were likely a lower evolution of the Felsnare Grazers. They were not as bulky and lacked the weird fleshy feeler-mustaches from around their snouts, but otherwise, there was a clear similarity.

  He tossed one on the ground between me and Lily, then set to work skinning the other before using a larger branch as a spit and angling it over the fire for himself.

  Lily was happily gnawing on her bone and did not seem interested in the meat quite yet. I, likewise, wasn’t quite ready for food. I would eat before going to sleep, but I was more interested in what Genzo might have to say for now. Grick was sitting atop a nearby rock that made a perfect seat for him, licking his lips as he watched the first sizzles and pops of the cooking meat.

  Once Genzo was done securing the spit, he folded his legs under himself and produced his pipe as he gave Lily and I an assessing look. Lily was more focused on her bone, but I stared right back at him, urging him to speak.

  “You wish to be reunited with your pack. Ribbit,” he began.

  I nodded my head once. Of course, he knew the answer, but I was glad for the acknowledgement. He took another moment to blow out a puff of smoke, letting the gravity of what he might say sink in before he began.

  “Understand, this will be an undertaking that I imagine will take you far and wide across this world. As for the people who started all of this, they are known as the Bloody Peaks Tribe…” He drew his sword one-handed, then extended it towards an empty spot of open ground and drew a small X.

  “If this spot in the dirt is where we currently are, and the center of the vale is here…” He poked the dirt a few inches away. “Then, the Bloody Peaks are all the way over here.” He extended his sword all the way behind himself and tapped. “It is likely you could find at least one of your packmates there, ribbit. However, you would be a fool to head there right now, as you are. The hunting party you had just killed were not the strongest of the tribe. Ribbit. They were no weaklings, at least not most of them, but they are not like those you may face in the dozens if you are to go directly to the heart of their tribe.”

  My ears folded down. The finality of his words hitting hard.

  “As for the others. I could only guess where they might be… But the Scorched Steeps Tribe is an ally and trading partner to the Bloody Peaks. Ribbit. They would be over there, just by the small one’s feet.”

  Grick’s ears perked, and his gaze shot away from the cooking meat as he was acknowledged.

  “I’ll give the same warning. To go directly into the heart of their tribe at your current level and evolution would be a guaranteed failure. Do not get ideas of sneaking through with stealth. One misstep, and you will be far outnumbered, if not simply outmatched. Ribbit. Even in the most optimistic of plans, extracting your packmates from either of their tribes would be nearly impossible, and if by an unlikely miracle you were to succeed, you would simply be hunted and recaptured soon after.”

  He took a drag from his pipe as he let that sink in.

  My gaze lowered to the ground between my paws. I had no idea how I imagined things going, but he was only saying what I supposed I should have already known. Still, it was stealing my hopes of having everyone back together in short time.

  His next words crushed me even further…

  “Another likely location would be the fighting pits… but don’t bother even dreaming of a day when you might save one from there. If any of your pack were sent to the pits… then I’m afraid you must consider them already dead and beyond saving…”

  My paws dug into the ground. I felt tears misting my eyes. While I appreciated the information, the way he was explaining things offered me no hope to cling to. I couldn’t help a low growl forming in my throat. The sound drew Lily’s attention away from her bone, and she whined with worry as she saw how upset I’d become.

  “I wish not to break your resolve, young warrior. But comfortable lies will do you no good. Ribbit.”

  My growl rumbled a little louder, my entire body tensing. “What the hell am I supposed to do, then!?”

  “However, there is somewhere else I would like you to go.” Genzo’s sword made a soft whistle as he flicked it in Lily’s direction, the point aimed at the ground in front of her. She looked at where he pointed, ears perking slightly as if she expected another treat to be sitting there. “There, by your sister’s left paw. That is where you will find my people, and the Emperor of the Verdant Empire, whom I serve. Ribbit. I wish not to mislead you in my desires. It is not purely out of compassion or some noble sense of justice for your pack that I’ve taken an interest in you and now direct you there. You see, my people are at war. Ribbit. Not a simple territory dispute or skirmish, but the kind that will see one side or the other eliminated in time.”

  I looked up from the ground, ears folding back as I watched him. He kept his steady gaze on me as smoke spilled from between his froggy lips. He let the silence stretch as the fire cracked and popped between us.

  “You want to become strong enough to save your packmates. Strong enough that no one can take them from you again. Ribbit. I can offer you a road toward that. The Emperor will have a place for you where you will not be hunted like animals.” He leaned forward ever so slightly, just enough for the flickering flames to dance along his round chin. “But in this world, a war is a place where one's strength can grow immensely in a short time. If you find a place amongst our armies, you will quickly learn the truth of this.”

  I let a growl rise into a sharp bark. If I could speak, I would have said, “So that’s it! You want to use us too? You want me to be your weapon!?”

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  He didn’t flinch from the obvious accusation. He simply leaned back and took another drag from his pipe, his eyes never leaving me.

  “The choice is yours, young warrior. Join us, and you will be trained, you will fight, you will kill, and you will grow strong. When the time comes, you’ll be ready to face the tribes who have stolen your family. And with the Verdant Empire as your ally, you will have greater resources to achieve this. But… our alliance only comes through mutual benefit.”

  My gaze wavered, drifting away from him and towards Lily.

  I supposed it made sense, that I shouldn’t expect help just out of charity. But a war? Should I really be bringing my sister into such a thing? And how much could I trust this place Genzo was directing us towards? I felt as though I could trust Genzo himself, and he was very straight with his intentions. But still…

  Genzo followed my gaze to Lily and nodded once, as if he’d anticipated the concern.

  “Neither of you will be placed into a fight that you are not ready for. My people do not throw children or unready hands into the meat grinder. Ribbit. Those who march do so when they are prepared and willing to fight for our cause.”

  I returned my gaze to Genzo, my expression showing I was at least willing to hear him out.

  “Travel back through the caves, then along the mountain side until you find a river.” He drew in the dirt with his sword as he explained. “You will eventually see an abandoned church along the riverside, at which point you should cross it and take a long way through a forested area, like this…” He arced the path of his blade wide. “Then you will loop back to the river, which will lead you the rest of the way to the Verdant Empire. You must do this, because here…” He circled the sword on the opposite side of the wide loop. “Here are the Umarii lands. They are a black-skinned people with purple eyes and horns, and they are strong in magic. You must avoid the Umarii at all costs, for they would be interested in capturing you specifically.”

  I tilted my head, questioning. “Why me?”

  “Because of your origins. Because you are not from here. The Umarii are aware that transmigrators exist and are interested in gathering them. It is best that you stay off their radar, for if they identify what you are, they will never stop coming for you. Ribbit.”

  I nodded slowly, then drug my paw through the dirt to make a sloppy question mark. I wanted him to explain further why my being from another world would make them interested in me.

  Genzo took a moment to think it over, taking another drag from his pipe. “Do you recall that I said I was on a legendary quest? It involves traveling to all the magic lakes in the world, like the one here in the vale. Ribbit. You see, it appears that the system only grants such quests to us transmigrators.”

  I turned my head, ears perking up. Genzo nodded as if agreeing with the understanding that came over my expressions.

  “The reward for my quest, should I succeed, is that a God-tier evolution Path would be open to me. Ribbit. To have a single warrior who has reached god-tier could easily make the difference in a war. But to have many such warriors fighting under them would mean the Umarii would have the power to conquer the world.

  MY gaze dropped down to Genzo’s crudely drawn map. Why should I trust the so-called Verdant Empire over these Umarii people?

  He seemed to have read my gaze as he answered, “The difference between us is that the Empire will not try to control you. You will be free to come and go as you please, as it has been for me. The Emperor is wise, and understands that his rule is strongest through earned loyalty. Ribbit. The Umarii, however, would sooner wish to see you dead than outside of their control. So if you can trust me, and go forth as I have suggested, I believe you could be a great ally to our cause, and we to yours.”

  I thought it over. Genzo was strong, and he didn’t have to tell me any of this. If he wanted to snatch me up and take me back to his emperor, he could have easily done so and never given me a chance to find my sister. He could have kept me in the dark about all this transmigrator and God-tier evolution stuff, while manipulating me into doing what he wanted. But he didn’t. He was straightforward about his desire to have me help in his war, and everything else he said I had no reason to doubt.

  “The choice is yours,” Genzo said as he tapped his pipe against a rock to clear some ash. “If you travel the path I have laid out for you, it will be some time before you reach the Verdant Empire. You’ll have time to think it over and decide. However, you’ll need one more thing from me if that is the path you choose to take.” He returned the pipe to his clothes and pulled out a purple ribbon. “Lift your paw. Ribbit.”

  I tilted my head, wondering what this was about now. But I got up, padded over to him, and lifted a single paw as requested. He wrapped the ribbon around my leg, and I narrowed my eyes at it. Then my ears perked as I watched it vanish. I sniffed at the spot it had been tied to and licked at it, but it didn’t seem to be there anymore.

  “This is a temporary marker that will let my people know that you have crossed my path. That way, upon arriving at their gates, they will not take you for a simple monster. Ribbit. On the other hand, if you choose not to go there, then the mark’s power will fade after a few weeks.”

  He then looked up and tapped his chin as he thought something over. “Ah, yes. There is one other thing I ought to warn you of. Ribbit.”

  I raised a brow.

  “You will not be granted an audience with the Emperor without High Regent Rin Zaoh’s approval and, subsequently, her presence… She is…” He looked down, long fingers stroking at his chin as if he were struggling with how to explain. “Devoted,” he settled on. “Utterly, unquestionably devoted. Ribbit.”

  O…kay?

  That wasn’t a bad thing, was it? It sounded like she had an important role under the emperor, so wouldn’t it be expected that she’d be pretty devoted?

  Genzo continued. “She is quick to draw her blade should any disrespect or disloyalty be shown towards the Emperor. But do not mistake her passion. She is… intense. But she is also steadfast, and she keeps her promises. Your first impression may be a sharp one, but try not to bare your teeth back. Ribbit. If you endure that much, you will find her a powerful ally—and one who does not abandon those who've earned her loyalty.”

  With those words, Genzo returned his attention to cooking his meat. I eventually joined Lily in eating the raw boar he provided for us, and before the night's end, he and Grick ate the cooked one together.

  When I was ready to sleep, I took a spot a little distance from the fire, and Lily carefully curled up beside me as I heard Genzo and Grick talk to each other. It was a pretty low-stakes conversation between the two of them, with Genzo politely asking Grick questions about his cave and his treasures.

  I thought about what Genzo had said about my potential to reach a god-tier path, and a thought hit me. My father was god-tier, wasn’t he? Does that mean it was possible he was a transmigrator as well?

  I closed my eyes and tried to summon memories of him. Had he ever acted… different? Had there been moments of odd intelligence, of awareness that didn’t fit an animal?

  It was hard to say. He’d been protective. Stern. Patient in a way I hadn’t understood at the time. But was that wisdom, or simply instinct?

  And if he had been from another world, like me… why had he never noticed something strange about me? About the way I thought or behaved?

  Maybe if he had noticed, he simply wouldn’t have cared, because I was his child either way.

  My eyes opened again, and I shifted slightly, careful not to wake Lily.

  I wished I could speak properly because I had at least a dozen follow-up questions to ask Genzo. Hopefully, I’d get a path soon that allowed me to speak. I mean, Genzo apparently started as a tadpole, and he was mostly humanoid now, so why couldn’t it be the same for me?

  Then again… I wasn’t sure if I wanted to be human again or not. It surely would have its conveniences, but I quite liked being a dog.

  In any case, the evolution I really had to think about was this God-tier one that might open up to me one day. Was it random? Was it earned? Would the system watch for something specific, waiting for a moment when it could place a path in front of me?

  I bet if I became a God-tier monster like my dad, then I would be able to save my family, and nobody would ever be able to keep them away from me again.

  With that reassuring thought, I let myself drift off and soon fell asleep.

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