While he and Filthy walked back toward the others, Geth thought about what Albus and Kane had told him.

Kane and the Sub-Boss had gone through something called a Lifeforce Contract. It was one of the things that had made the Beast Race so powerful.

A strong Beast with a powerful soul could give a part of itself to one of its underlings. The more life force offered, the greater the stipulations on the contract.

In some extreme cases, Beasts could pass on most of their accumulated knowledge when their life was coming to an end.

They couldn't share their power this way, but the Beast that received the knowledge could use it to surpass their predecessor.

The 'Nobles' in their domain were those who had years of knowledge passed down from their ancestors. The Beasts used this method until their inevitable fall to the Demons.

This was the type of contract that Kane had received. If he didn't meet the terms of the agreement, then he would die.

In exchange, he learned multiple Skills and even went through an Evolution. Kane hadn't leveled or gained experience, but he had essentially gained the inheritance of a Tier 5 Beast.

'I thought that Direwolves were a Tier 4 race?'

'Bosses and Sub-Bosses evolve because their blood is mixed with a creature of a higher Tier. Typically, a Sub-Boss will be one Tier higher than their origin creatures, while a Boss will be two Tiers higher.

If the other Sub-Bosses are caught in the same circumstance, they will likely be willing to pass on their inheritance to your other Tames. No Beast wants to die and their lineage be wiped out.'

Geth wasn't sure how to feel about this. He was all for benefits, but seeing these creatures act more like Humans than animals made him think of them in a different light.

They even had more empathy than most of the other Humans he knew. Seeing them in such a precarious state brought out feelings that he didn't understand.

'Why does it bother me so much? Sure, they're in pain. They're being tortured... but that's no reason for me to feel like this.'

In his mind, it should be no different from putting down an animal that some asshole hit on the road and left it to die in misery. They could have at least had the decency to finish the job and not let them suffer.

But it wasn't that simple. Somewhere deep down, it was like he could feel their pain.

Geth wasn't sure what it meant, but he knew that he wanted to kill the bastard who'd done it. He would have done so even without Kane's promise.

"Filthy, did either of the Direwolves in the other two caverns seem like they would work well with you?

"

Filthy thought for a minute before shaking his head.

"There was a massive two-headed wolf in the first tunnel. I believe that its main Attribute would be Strength from the way it acted.

The Direwolf in the center tunnel was just a tad taller than a Human. It looked like it may have been built for speed.

A Direwolf with Defensive properties would be better suited for me. I don't need a Tame with abilities that I already possess.

"

Geth nodded.

He was right. Every build had its weakness, but having a Tame that could fill those gaps would make them much harder to deal with.

"And you're sure it doesn't have anything to do with Felix?

"

"Positive. Whatever did it looked like a Human but smelled like a wolf.

Kane received an image of the assailant as well. It isn't anyone that we know.

"

Filthy looked at him with his brow raised.

"So... We are dealing with a magical werewolf that's just as smart as you and Blaze..? Fun.

"

"Ha...

"

Geth scratched the back of his head. He had the same thoughts.

Not only was this Beast intelligent enough to create the chains that stole the wolves' life forces, but he was also powerful enough to subdue multiple Sub-Bosses.

"There's a slim chance we'll weaken it by breaking all of the chains. It shouldn't be able to move at the moment... I can't say the same for once the last chain breaks.

"

He couldn't say that they hadn't gained anything out of it.

Not only could their Beast Tames all potentially receive an inheritance, but Geth was also pretty sure the wolves were only frenzied enough to drive themselves into his trap due to their anger at the creature.

It was a terrible situation, but a win either way. They wouldn't have to risk their lives until the Boss, and they could get out of here sooner than expected.

It didn't take long to run into the others, waiting a short distance from the tunnel entrances. Geth felt his Strength and Defense increase slightly when they came into view.

Zolis was standing ahead of the rest, pacing back and forth with her hands behind her head.

Swole was leaning back against the wall, twiddling his thumbs.

The rest of the party was in a heated discussion about something that Geth couldn't quite make out. Laughter filled the hallway.

The scene was a stark contrast to the tunnels he and Filthy had just left behind. The aura around Filthy began to calm when he saw the others still having a good time.

It was a shame they would have to ruin it.

Zolis ran up to the pair, excitement evident in her eyes. Geth could tell that she was ready for a fight.

"So what have we got?! Giant wolves? Another army? Something Undead?

"

The others rushed over and crowded around the pair. Even Swole made his way over from his resting place.

Geth really didn't understand the action, he could likely whisper from more than ten yards away and everyone hear it.

"Spill it!

"

"I hope it isn't something too big...

"

"Quit being a wuss!

"

"What kind of beasts are we facing today?

"

"Well....

"