Aidan walked towards one of the guards and asked to be taken to the owner of the zoo. As they were escorted to a large building close to the zoo, Kharon looked with a melancholic expression at all the creatures in their cages. He clenched his hand into a fist as he tried remaining calm.
'This treatment of living creatures isn't acceptable. I knew Lunaris Haven had a few issues but I didn't expect the exploitation of arcane creatures to be one. This whole system is flawed and I plan on changing it. But to do that, I need power.'
As they reached the large building, the guard knocked on the door before waiting for a response. After he explained what was happening, the doors slowly swung open and they stepped into a luxurious room filled with expensive furniture and embalmed creatures.
Kharon could feel his blood boil as he stared at the dozens of preserved animal corpses.
'This is unacceptable. Using their bodies as mere decoration, I can't forgive whoever did this. I doubted they would use a human body as a decoration. So why do the same for innocent creatures? Do they not deserve even a shred of respect? I hope the beasts I will hunt wouldn't be used for this. There is a fundamental difference between taking a life out of necessity and taking a life for personal gratification—one is survival, the other is selfish destruction.'
Aidan gently took hold of Kharon's hand as he looked at him with a faint smile. They were led further into the building as they walked up several flights of stairs. Once they reached a large double door, the guard opened it as they stepped in before he left. Inside sitting on what seemed to be a throne was a bulky man with a few scars on his face. He was surrounded by rows of greenary and flowers. His brown hair matched the fur coat he was wearing. However his green eyes stood out as he stared at the pair.
"If it isn't the little Brighthart. Well what brings you here today? Are you interested in one of my zoo creatures? They are quite popular with the young nobles of today."
"I am interested in a duskwolf at your zoo. How much do you want for it?"
"Why do you want such a common creature? You could easily take one from its pack, seeing as you are quite the beast hunter. You wouldn't have to pay anything."
"I took a liking to it. So can I buy it or not?"
"You can; it's 500 Aethermarks. That's five gold marks."
Kharon suddenly said, "Isn't that too high considering the value of duskwolf carcasses? It should be around 100 Aethermarks."
The bulky man smirked as he said, "It's alive which is why the price is so high. It is also an infant so it will be a lot easier to train."
Kharon suddenly asked, "How do you know which one we are talking about?"
"I only have a single duskwolf in my zoo. They aren't very popular so I got rid of most of them. They barely move during the day and the zoo closes at night. I don't see the point of keeping it open for a nocturnal creature."
As Kharon was about to keep arguing, Aidan stopped him as he pulled out two golden coins with a symbol on them. He placed them on the table as the man picked them up before placing them in his pocket.
"The duskwolf is all yours. I will send the guard who escorted you here to retrieve it."
"Thank you."
They quickly walked out of the room as Kharon asked Aidan, "Who was that guy?"
"That was Goldwin Branton; the owner of Lunaris Haven Zoo and a high ranking noble. I met him several times when my family had a social event. He isn't well liked, but he is a very successful businessman."
"I see why he is a businessman. He is a wielder isn't he?"
"A tier 4 wielder. He has the path of nature. However I don't know how he managed to progress through that path. It's great for controlling arcane creatures and particular essence beasts. It also allows for enhanced plant growth as you saw in his office."
"Aidan, why did you take that deal even though it was completely unreasonable. You could have tried to bargain with him."
Aidan shook his head as he replied, "It would have been useless. He would have probably increased the price in the end. He isn't someone who should be taken lightly, he is a man of business after all. He sees opportunities in every situation to exploit others."
As they walked out of the building, they quickly returned to the zoo. Waiting for them was the guard who had acted as their escort. And in his arms was the young duskwolf. He quickly handed it to Aidan before returning to his post. As Aidan held the little cub in his arms, he began stroking it as he slowly handed it to Kharon.
"What will you name him?"
Kharon looked at the little wolf cub sleeping peacefully in his arms as he said, "Gale. I am going to name him Gale. But I don't think I will have him for long. He needs to be returned back to his kind."
Smiling at him, Aidan said, "Whatever you want. I think it's a good idea. But if you want a pet then I am sure we could get something. An essence beast could be a good choice, it can help with hunting and will grow in strength alongside you."
Looking back at Aidan, Kharon said, "Why don't you get a pet for yourself? You might get lonely."
"I don't think I can ever get lonely as long as you are around. But getting a pet does sound like a good idea. However we will both be out hunting and I wouldn't want the pet to get injuried."
"Why not get an older arcane creature or an essence beast?"
"They tend to be very costly, and the bond formed would be quite strange. I wouldn't want a pet to fear me if I got one. A mutual bond of love and trust is important to me. Maybe we could take turns watching over the pet if we got one."
"That doesn't sound like a good idea."
Kharon continued to stroke the dark fur of the sleeping cub as he and Aidan began to walk out of the zoo. Kharon was busy thinking about what he would do to find the cub an accepting pack as Aidan asked him something.
"Are you ready to have dinner? I know it's a bit early considering what happened, but we could go change and wait for Master Lodge and Dorn at the restaurant.
Kharon nodded as they walked through the street. They received strange looks as they walked by. Some looked at the cub warily while others looked at it with awe. Aidan hired a carriage and as they went through the streets, it began to rain.
'It has been quite a while since it rained. This is the third time I have seen rain in Lunaris Haven. I wonder if it signifies the end of something. I guess my departure truly is imminent.'
As Kharon thought of this, he continued to subconsciously pet the little cub in his arms. Once they arrived at their destination, they quickly ran towards the door as Aidan hurriedly drew the symbols before hastily opening it. After closing the door, Aidan dried his clothes off with a light burst of heat. As he did this, the heat also passed over Kharon who had been shielding the little cub from the rain.
Kharon gave the still sleeping cub to Aidan as he said, "I will have a quick shower before we head out."
He walked towards his room to get changed as he placed his bag on the ground and quickly changed as he got into the shower. After he returned to his room and changed into a suit. This one was a lot different than his last. It had several patterns which made it stand out. It also had little pieces of crystals embedded in several places. The suit was dark purple and fit Kharon to a tee.
'I still don't understand why Aidan insisted on it being custom made. Most suits tend to change size to fit the wearer.'
As he sighed, he took out the obsidian watch he had received from Aidan and put it on. He gelled his hair and combed it before spraying a fragrance which Aidan had bought for him despite his protests. As he walked out of the room with his bag he didn't give it a second look as he stood in front of Aidan room.
'He should have changed by now. I wonder what he is doing. Will we take Gale with us to the dinner? I hope pets are allowed.'
As he pondered this, the door to Aidan's room slowly opened as he walked out wearing a yellow suit which fit him perfectly. On his wrist was his golden watch which matched Kharon's and sitting awake in his left arm was Gale.