89 I need a Healer (2/2)

The two of them talked for a little while, and Runir left, heading towards the guild. Hera checked on Leo, who was still with the frog in his arms.

”His breath seems to be more regular now,” the hunter said.

”That's good. Maybe he just needs some rest.”

Leo nodded and kept staring at the frog, stroking its back gently.

”If you don't mind me asking. How come you are so attached to it?”

Leo raised his head to look at Hera. The hunter's eyes seemed full of pain. He rubbed them with his arm.

”Yeah, I guess the situation reminded me of when I was little. I had this cat, and one day I ended up giving him food that made it sick. My parents were busy with some new exhibits and couldn't get home to him to the vet. I was 13 at the time, I had no money cab and there was no one that I could call, so I ran with the cat in my arms towards a vet. But I wasn't very sure how to get there. I ended up taking too long, and by the time I got there, my cat had to go to intensive care. The worst came later. He had an allergic reaction to the medicine, and that triggered a bunch of problems. Two months later, he died. I blame myself to this day. I guess that triggers some memories.”

Hera sat down beside the hunter and put her arms around him, ”You didn't mean that to happen. I'm sure you were just trying to make your cat happy.”

”Yeah, I didn't know cats couldn't eat chocolate. I thought it was just dogs,” the hunter said, touching his head with Hera's.

”It was a kid's mistake. A dumb kid mistake, but still just a kid's mistake. You can't blame yourself forever.”

”I won't, just until I die,” the hunter chuckled. Hera poked him with her elbow as a reply.

The two spent a couple of hours sitting beside the city gates. That attracted the stares of a few people passing by, not so much for the two sitting outside the walls but the small rain frog on the man's lap. The guards kept a close eye on the frog, worried about the monster waking up and rampaging near the gate.

After some time, the frog started to move once again. It woke up and stared at Leo for a moment. Then it nuzzled in his arms once again.

The hunter chuckled, ”Hey there, Tiger,” He turned to Hera, ”I guess I got my pet.”

”Really?” Hera asked, looking at the frog.

”Yeah, I just got a notification. I got the skill, and I could use it on him. It also came with a couple of other skills, I can see where he is on the map, and he can understand me better.”

Hera looked at the rain frog and activated her [Observe].

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Tiger (tamed)

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”Did you really name him Tiger?” Hera asked.

”Yeah, I was thinking about my old cat.”

”Still... Tiger?”

”I was a kid, ok?” Leo shrugged

”I'm fine with that. But you have to introduce him to Blue and Alex later.”

The hunter's eyes went wide, ”Oh no.”

The two of them walked toward the gate. Showing the tamed frog to the guards, they were allowed to pass. However, Leo had to stop by the guild to register Tiger as his pet. He also wanted to search around for a bed and some supplies for his new companion. Hera went to guild to finish registering the quest. Runir had already marked it as completed, and then she gathered the rest of the party.

Sometime later, the group met up for lunch. Leo introduced Tiger to the rest of the team. Alex wanted the beast to be far away from her. She wasn't comfortable near frogs yet. Bonnie kept badgering Leo with questions about how the skill worked and what the frog could do to help.

”Please tell me you didn't try to kiss him. You know that those are just fairy tales, right? The frog is not going to turn into a princess,” Blue teased.

”It's a he ok. He's male,” Leo replied.

”Ok, sorry. I just never took you for the damsel in distress type, hoping the prince come to your rescue,” Blue replied.

The group laughed and discussed their plans. According to the information they got for the Frog Valley, the dungeon itself could take around five hours to finish since it was a search based quest. And another four hours to travel to it. Thankfully, there was a small encampment near it to have a relatively safe place to rest. Leo also didn't want to go too far while he was still getting used to Tiger. He needed to train him before he was useful in actual combat.

They decided to hunt as a party of four for the next few days while Leo trained his pet. Bonnie also wanted to make some money, and if the rest of the week went well, she might have enough for the first payment she had to do. Hera also made it clear she wanted to be in the city by Friday to meet with Helena, and that the mage wanted to talk to Bonnie. Blue was also on the fence about joining the order but asked if she could speak to Helena to get some more information.

Before long, the week had ended with the group training in the morning, hunting frogs in the afternoon, and resting in the evening. Their speed also increased thanks to their level up and the sash Alex had. By Wednesday, Bonnie had gathered the 10 000 gold she needed. Every night they would gather in a bar or a diner to watch Becca interviewing the high ranking explorers. Wildborn was a muscular man with a long wild beard connected to his hair, but he had a bald spot on top of his head. The healer was very enthusiastic and exaggerated. Everything he did seemed over the top, but somehow it seemed natural to him. He demonstrated one of his abilities, roaring at a group that was injured from the hunt, healing their bruises almost instantly.

Toxic Rain was a weird person. She was like a caring grandmother, always asking if everyone was ok and if they needed something. She would even carry around some adhesive bandages with flower patterns and would give it to anyone who had small scrapes. Yet, her fighting style was to poison her enemies and stalk her prey until they died.

Iron Heart wasn't just shy. He had trouble speaking with other people and always wore full steel armor, including a helmet. The armor was a bit odd since it had to be made for someone skinny. During the interview, Becca asked why he agreed to the meeting, and the man revealed that he was a big fan of hers. He even asked for an autograph. It was a lovely moment, and the crowd watching on the diner cheered for the man. Hera could even see the people rooting for a new couple to be formed.

The interview with Azure Chain was cut short when a monster attacked the camp. Luckily no one was hurt, but they had to stop the interviews until more people arrived after that.

Friday morning, Hera was waiting for Helena in front of the doorway, excited to see her friend.

It was 11:15 when the mage arrived through the doorway, opening a big smile when she saw Hera waiting for her, ”Hello, sweetie.”