Chapter 5

Kazal

The first scent that Kazal picked up after he regained his consciousness was a thick scent of blood. There was no sign of it in his sight, but the scent was lingering in the air, as if someone had spilled up a lot of blood nearby.

The dog merchant tried to make sense of the situation. For better or for worse, he no longer had to circulate Mana in his body for breathing, nor fumbling for a land to step on. However instead, Kazal felt like his line of sight was shorter than usual. No, not shorter than usual. It was actually very short, the shortest line of sight he had ever experienced, as if he was crouching down or something. It didn’t take long for him to realize what had happened to him when he looked down on himself, to see his hands turn into paws and he was walking on four legs.

Kazal froze.

“T-This is…” He monologued, while raising his right forelegs and scanned his paws in horror. He had transformed into a dog who walked on four legs. This kind of form was never an impossibility for Kazal, that is, if he were to live about several thousand years back in the age of his ancestors who didn’t evolve physically yet.

Despite the changes on his body, Kazal was calm. He scanned his entire body first before coming into any conclusion.

He currently possessed a physique similar to the kind of dogs in one of the earliest age of magic. That being said, his magic and the amount of Mana he felt circulating inside him was the same. It can’t be said with the amount of magic around him, though.

Kazal peeked into his surroundings. The air seems fresh apart from the smell of blood, but the crisp sensation gained from having Mana particles brush onto ones’ skin is scanty. This strange, unfamiliar place he was in didn’t have enough Mana particles in the air. And because he needed to at least have some Mana in the atmosphere for him to replenish his Mana reserve, this place is the worst place to be stranded in.

The dog merchant took a few sniffs of the air, before resuming to asses himself. But no matter how much he looked, Kazal would need a mirror for better inspection of what he has become of. He decided to put the matters regarding examining his physique and focused on investigating the new premise that he got thrown into without his consent.

The first object that Kazal saw was a huge cuboidal structure made of metal and is coloured in a dark shade of green. At least, that was what he was able to perceive judging from the majority of its paint. Other than that, the structure was stained with several different shades, all of them were darken by the ambience of the night time.

Apart from that, what is this putrid smell coming from the structure? As if someone just left a puke unwashed for several days.

Kazal retreated a few steps back from the metallic structure. Coincidentally after he did, he heard a sound of footsteps from a distance, followed by the sound of a heavy breathing, and several steps of different weight.

“Is there a group running nearby?” Was what he originally thought, but along with the sound of the primary footsteps, comes along that smell of blood which has been disturbing his nose for some time. The dog merchant angled his head to the exit of the alley way, where he could see a considerably bright light lighting up the exit. A figure appeared out of nowhere under the light and rushed into the lane Kazal was standing in, causing the dog merchant to flinch.

Kazal was preparing himself for a sneak attack if per chance the figure turned out to be someone who was after his head like when he was in space, when the figure stopped just a few meters away from him, and looked behind towards the exit. Kazal couldn’t make use of the darkness, but he could at least perceive the stature of the figure in front of him.

His physique is that of a wolf beastmen; a tall and toned body with the presence of a pair of ears above the head and a long, bushy tail at the back. Just by knowing that the presence in his sight bears a resemblance to one of the races in Hazaris was enough to be a source of relief. At the very least, he knew that the place he was currently in was almost the same as his original place. Maybe he was stranded in the part of his world where he hadn’t discovered yet? Though, the lack of Mana in the surroundings is a worthy cause of a wonder.

Kazal’s ears perked when he heard other footsteps getting near. Those footsteps didn’t seem to be that of this wolf beastmen’s comrades, as his breath rapidly became frantic, and his gestures depicted a sense of desperation in wanting to escape.

For an entire moment, Kazal found himself standing still, unable to offer an assist. He was wondering why that unknown person is being chased, and why he was injured. His guess was either that person is a criminally wanted person, or someone who was being pursued by a group of aggressors.

The figure swayed, snapping Kazal from his pondering, before the, falling flat onto the ground right in front of Kazal.

The dog merchant blinked his eyes in surprise.

***

Shawn

When Shawn opened his eyes, the first thing that greeted him was a scenery of a white coloured ceiling. If it’s white ceiling, he might be in a hospital of some sort. Yet he didn’t smell any scent of antiseptic lingering in the air. Rather, it was the familiar and warm smell, the smell of his own bedroom.

“Guh…” Shawn tried to drag his body up after blinking his eyes several times to fix his gaze. He was fortunate enough to end up in his house and not the hospital—as he might get exposed to more danger being outside than being in his own home—but how did he end up here? Shawn tried to arrange the pieces of scattered memories he had from last night.

“You’re awake?” A slightly thin, yet masculine voice reached his ears from the side. Shawn darted his gaze alarmingly towards the direction where the source of the voice came from, as it was his first time hearing that voice. His uncle, Uncle Hans, also has a voice leaning more towards the thin side, yet his voice is hoarse, and the voice he heard just now is soothing on the ear.

Shawn turned his head to see a dog sitting on its four legs as it gazed at him with its beady brown eyes. Hm? Was it a dog that had been talking with him all this time?

Shawn couldn’t help but breathe out a weak chuckle. He couldn’t laugh much due to the pain around his abdomen, yet the current situation was just too funny he just had to let out a laughter or two. Has he finally gone crazy from all the things that had been happening to him lately? That he could even assume that a dog can talk?

Suddenly the dog stood up and crawled closer to him. Shawn’s pathetic laughing immediately stopped when the dog nudged its head on his forehead and stared deep into his green eyes.

“Answer me if you’re awake.” The dog added. This time, Shawn was convinced that the dog was indeed the one who conversed with him and retracted far away from it, until his butt slip away from the futon bedding.

“You… You can talk…” Shawn could feel his injury throbbing from the sudden movements that he made. That being said, quenching his curiosity and confusion was more important than indulging in his pain. He had heard of a talking wolf before, but not a talking dog.

The dog stepped back and sat down on its butt. “Glad that you’re looking okay. Did you see any auditory hallucination in your view? Because you fell down pretty hard on your head. I just want to make sure.”

The only hallucination I’m having is seeing you being able to talk. Shawn monologued internally while he eyed the dog’s moving golden tail that brushed the tatami floor behind it. The dog is that of a Golden Retriever breed; a big breed of dogs with slightly thin nuzzles and lustrous golden coat. The dog in front of him has a coat that looks like it has been taken care of very well. Was the dog perhaps has an owner? If it does, then did the owner knew about it being able to talk?

“I…” Shawn began to construct his words carefully. He was raring to ask what the dog really is, but the air around it gives off an intense vibe, as if he was talking to a being of higher tier than him. Every words that came out of its mouth bears weight.

“I am good, I guess.” Shawn’s answer was short. The dog nodded its head in a subtle manner before looking at the entrance to his room.

“…It would be wise of you to not tell that uncle of yours about this.” Shawn was became alarmed instantly after the dog said that.

“What I’m about to tell you is something that you have never imagined in your life before.”