Your puppy!

The warm tongue left slobber all over your face as you fell onto your bottom, giggling like a young girl. The excited pup’s tail was wagging a league a minute! After a few more minutes of cuddling and squeezing him, you pulled him back to get a good look at him. His fur was a light brown and tan color with thin black lines stripped across his back, while he was not exactly a pup he was not fully grown either. His eyes were a bright blue and his headcover was made from polished moonstone, set with a small faintly glowing Welkynd Stone. You had missed the little bastard and had assumed that he was gone, just like everyone else. He must have been scared spawning so far from his home, you vaguely recall he had been sent to a nearby manor that specialized in animal training. Maybe a place you could go soon?

Fenris
Level 2 Lesser Star Wolf
[Monster, Wolf, Explicit]
Experience to level up – 110
Attributes
STR 11 DEX 14+1 END 11 PER 14 WIS 14
Skills
Athleticism 15, Awareness 10, Brawl 10, Dodge 15, Resistance 5, Stealth 15, Survival 15
Feats
Natural Weapons: You are in possession of a set of natural weapons. You are immune to Disarm attacks, however Crippling effects have a chance to disarm you instead
Hunter's Instinct: Gain a constant, passive increase to your Dexterity based on how many creatures you have killed since your last ****

Seems like the feisty little guy managed to kill something on his way here! You wonder but dismiss it as irrelevant. “Rowan, this here is Fenris! He is, or at least was going to be, my guardian! My parents bought him for me for my upcoming trials to become a priestess, but the Sundering happened before any of that happened. Now it seems that unless I can recover some artifacts, relics, or information, I am not certain how to do that anymore…” Fenris leaned over to sniff Rowan’s proffered hand before licking it which caused Rowan to giggle and rub his head. You realized that while you had only ever seen the basic version of your companions character sheet, you had not seen the full thing. You wonder if now that you are in a party that you can.

Rowan Shadowdancer
Level 2 Shadow Rogue
[Elf, Trap, Explicit]
Attributes
STR 19, DEX 29, END 15, PER 28, WIS 19, INT 20, CHA 19, APP 24
Skills
Athleticism 15, Dagger 10, Dodge 20, Dual Weapons 10, Lockpicking 20, Rapier 10
Crafting Skills
Poisons 10, Traps 10
Feats
Inquisitor
One with Shadows: Due to your heritage, you can stealth more easily when in shadows or at night
Sneak Attack: All hits are automatic critical hits when you are stealthed and the target is unaware of you location
Thieves’ Cant: You understand the linguistics, codes, and symbols employed by the unsavory denizens of the underworld

Well, that certainly was not bad. A little bare bone but you understand that heroes tend to gain attributes, skills, and feats at a faster rate than would seem possible. You still remember the day a level 80 hero visited your temple, the air seemed to darken around him while he talked to the abbot. He did not attack anyone that day thankfully, but he was rather angry and broke the gate completely off its hinges, sending it tumbling down the mountainside with just a simple shove. With a shudder you repressed that memory, focusing instead on Fenris wandering around and marking everything. “Oh, Stars above, help me with these men…” Rowan snorted, following you as you showed him around the grounds and then the interior of the temple.

“Wow Maeva, I have never seen anything like this before! Are you sure that this… this… Is approved by the gods?” With a huff you shot him a look that shut him up, going over to the three massive limestone blocks you hit one with your fist to show Rowan the dismal pop-up. “Hmm, well having tools would certainly help! I can make you and I some pickaxes… I think anyways!” He set off, leaving you to contemplate what sort of creature could possibly be hiding within the holy Sanctum. Checking on Fenris, you start to train him while Rowan was off collecting the materials needed.

The sky brightened noticeably by the time Rowan arrived out of breath with two pickaxes and two regular axes. “Have fun?” He rolled his eyes, clothing covered in mud so he must have slipped and fallen in the mud. You might have forgotten to warn him the nearby jungles rains sometimes drifted over to the mountain. He dropped one of each of the tools at your feet before going over to the fountain to get some of the mud off. Throwing a stick as far as you could so Fenris could be distracted for the moment, you headed inside and up to the blocks. You swung your pick and-

Skill level, -55%. Stone Pickaxe, +10%. Strength Penalty, -20%. Harvest speed: 0.42% Total Progress: 1.27/250

It was progress, even if it did not feel like it. At least with the pick axe your arms do not feel as strained, hopefully meaning you would be able to work at it longer each session. You managed to get the progress to fifteen by the time Rowan came to join you, and forty when Fenris dropped the slobbery stick at your feet to join the limestone chunks that popped off the block every ten progress. You felt giddy as with a final hit the large block disappeared though it tapered off when you were greeted with the sight of yet another large, and untouched, block. Completely expected but somehow still infuriating. Rowan moved the chunks off to the side while you knelt at the altar to pray, feeling the Star’s Blessing fade away as the sun appeared at the horizon. Giving Fenris one of the venison, you helped Rowan build a campfire after you found out that heroes could build them anywhere, cooking two venison when it is completed.

“This was a productive day! Rowan, I am glad to have met you, even if the meeting itself was not under ideal circumstances. Fenris, you are still my adorable pup!” Rowan blushed and looked away, Fenris glared but melted under some pets. Rowan thankfully spawned with a sleeping roll, so you took off your robes again to use as your bed, stuffing some of the leather underneath to soften the hard stone floor. Rowan was naturally on the other side of the altar to protect your modesty. A quick prayer to the Stars and you were asleep.