In fact I should probably summon him soon and introduce him to Kechara. I don't want her to freak out if he appears suddenly, and he needs to know she is an ally that needs to be protected. So I try to explain to her as simply as I can what's about to happen and she seems to understand.

'Summon Bones!'

When Bones suddenly appears Kechara jumps a little bit but other than that she seems okay. Bones looks around and when he sees Kechara he starts to go for his sword.

"Bones, no! She is a friend."

Bones says "Master?"

"There is nothing here to fight. I just wanted you to meet her so if I do summon you in a fight you will know she is an ally."

Bones looks disappointed when he hears that there isn't anything to fight. He kneels down and holds out his empty hand towards Kechara, she approaches and sniffs at him before trying to bite his gauntlet. Since the gauntlet is enchanted she doesn't have any luck chewing on it but it is still amusing to watch.

Once Bones frees his hand I toss him a bone to chew on, and Kechara just turns to look at me. Her eyes seem impossibly huge and she looks as if she is about to cry. I can't possibly resist that look and so I pull out another bone and give it to her.

She wraps herself around the bone and starts chewing away at the end, both of them look happy. It is almost enough to make me want to try chewing on a bone, almost. Even though I am not a human anymore it seems there are still things I won't do.

Once he has finished his bone I dismiss Bones and pick up Kechara to put her to bed. She refuses to let go of the bone so she ends up chewing on it in her nest, she seems to really like the bone. Before I climb into my hammock I sit down to meditate and use up my sacred power working on my core.

Core Upgrade Progress: 27%

At this rate I should rank up again in just a few days, which is faster than I remember it taking last time. Then again last time I really had no idea what I was doing and just fumbled my way through it. This time I am using the more advanced method I figured out for working on my core which is probably why it is going faster.

Either way it seems like my estimate of a month may have been a little high. Which is fine by me, the sooner I can continue up the mountain the better. From what I have seen looking out of the cave I am only about a third of the way up the mountain.

The path so far has been following a spiral around the mountain so I could probably climb the cliff above the cave and pick it up again. Since I plan to take Kechara with me and I have no idea how good she is at climbing I should probably stick to the path. At the rate I was moving before I figure it should take me two to three days to reach the summit of the mountain.

Maybe a bit longer since Kechara probably can't move as fast as I do yet, I think tomorrow I should take her outside. If I am going to take her with me I should start at least getting to know what she is capable of. Besides, with the amount she is eating if she doesn't start getting some exercise she might get fat.

With that thought in mind I climb into my hammock and get ready to go to sleep. In less than thirty seconds Kechara jumps onto my chest and curls up and goes to sleep. As usual I wake up before her and meditate to use up the sacred power I regained while sleeping.

Core Upgrade Progress: 41%

After we finish breakfast I take Kechara outside to do a little exploring and get some exercise. It feels good to get outside and stretch my legs after staying in the cave for the past two days. The sky is covered by dark grey clouds that look almost close enough to touch.

The wind is cold and carries the scent of snow, I guess up here winter is already starting. I need to finish everything and get off the mountain before winter hits down there, I'm worried about Lizzy. Since she is a lizard she probably won't do well in the cold, she may even need to hibernate or something.

From the cave mouth I turn right and start exploring the portion of the mountain that is between the upper and lower path. As I move I make sure to keep a close eye on Kechara, who is running around exploring every nook and cranny she notices. She is obviously curious about everything out here since it is all new to her.

For the most part I let her explore, only occasionally calling for her to catch up to me. I don't want her to get too far away just in case there are other predators on this mountain. The guardian may have hunted them all down, or she might have left them alone as a food source.

There probably won't be anything too close to the cave considering how aggressive she was but it is better to be safe than sorry. The further we get from the cave the rougher the terrain gets, I have to slow down so that Kechara can keep up. She may have problems with the terrain but no matter how hard it is she doesn't give up or complain.

Just as I am about to turn around and head back I come across a break in the terrain. The rocks end and a small meadow opens up in front of us, there are even a few flowers showing between patches of snow. Kechara charges into the meadow and heads straight to the closest patch of flowers.

While keeping an eye out for trouble I smile and watch as Kechara goes around smelling each and every flower. I stand guard for the next hour and just let her play in the meadow to her heart's content. The entire time I simply enjoy watching her and how much fun she is having.