It had to be said, the quality of this batch of pets was truly excellent.
Hastur had only looked at the third one before he already began to feel tempted.
It was a little white kitten, its fur as pure as snow, without a single speck of other color. Its eyes were a deep jade-green, like a pair of watery emeralds. Long smooth fur flowed along its back, and its small face was irresistibly charming. Even its movements were full of grace.
Only one thing dissatisfied Hastur a bit, this Persian cat looked somewhat lazy. It just curled up in the corner of the cage, eyes half-closed, showing no interest at all in what was happening outside.
The longer he looked, the more it reminded him of Fors , that same "salted fish" laziness.
Hastur thought, The cat I raise needs to be a little more active. If it's too lazy, I'll end up being the one who's constantly busy instead.
And that snow-white fur... definitely not ideal for going out to gather information. If it got covered in mud, cleaning it would be an absolute chore.
So Hastur passed over the white kitten and continued observing the others.
After looking at two or three more, he saw a very plump orange tabby. It was lying there quietly, staring at Hastur with a pair of not-so-bright eyes, chin raised slightly, as if saying: I am the noble here, you're just a commoner.
"Tsk." If he actually raised this one, it might be even lazier than Fors.
Hastur skipped it as well, picking through left and right, until finally, he found one he rather liked.
It was a small black kitten, its fur sleek and glossy, rippling like black silk when it moved. Its eyes weren't the usual amber, but a mysterious deep blue.
Its size also suited him, about the span of two palms.
After observing for a while, Hastur decided it looked like a smart and graceful type.
Not as lazy as the previous two, just a little timid.
He noted down this little black kitten and finished checking the rest.
After looking through them all, he still found the black kitten to be the best. So he had the cage opened and gently scooped the kitten into his palm.
Soft and light, the kitten curled up into a small ball, timidly poking out its tiny pink tongue to lick his finger under its chin.
"Not bad at all," Hastur murmured with satisfaction.
He carried the kitten in his hands and walked toward Glaint, who was picking out hounds.
"Hastur, have you decided?"
"Mm. What do you think?"
Hastur held out the kitten. Before Glaint could take a good look, the little black cat meowed softly and curled into a tiny ball again.
Glaint chuckled after watching for a bit. "Pretty clever. Has good spirit too, a fine cat."
"Then it's settled."
About half an hour later, Glaint had also picked out a fine hunting dog and a golden retriever.
Hastur guessed Glaint probably saw that golden retriever as a replacement for Susie.
When the choosing was done, they moved on to payment, Glaint handled the bargaining while Hastur stood by silently.
In the end, they paid only 500 gold pounds: 400 for the hunting dog, 100 for the golden retriever, and the black kitten was given for free, as a friendly gesture to Hastur, the "new friend" of the day.
If that hound hadn't been a pup still lacking training, the price would've been several times higher.
Bull explained that the dog had excellent lineage, with proper training, it could be worth two or three thousand gold pounds easily.
Since this batch of animals came from the black market, the prices were already lower than usual. Add to that Glaint's relationship with the baron, and 400 gold pounds was indeed a bargain.
Hastur had no objections, compared to the hounds Count Hall had purchased, this was practically a giveaway.
....
Back home, Hastur instructed Butler Neil to hire a maid specifically to care for the little black kitten.
He had considered raising it himself, but worried he might not know enough, what to feed it, what to avoid, what precautions to take.
There was a lot to learn about such things.
With plenty of spare rooms on the second floor, Hastur set up a dedicated pet room next door for the kitten to live in.
Gently stroking its tiny head, Hastur murmured, "You should have a name."
"If it were by my old habits, I'd probably call you something like Little Black Charcoal or Little Black Ball."
"Meow?" The kitten lifted its tiny head, clearly not fond of those names.
"Don't worry. I'll give you a more elegant name, something worthy of the Beyonder you're destined to become. It'll also help you blend in when you move about outside."
"I haven't quite decided what it'll be yet... maybe I'll let you do a little 'choice ceremony' yourself , decide your own destiny."
Hastur's eyes lit up, that idea seemed perfect. It would solve his indecision nicely.
He'd been thinking hard about which Beyonder path this little cat should take. There were several well-suited ones, and it was hard to choose.
If the kitten chose for itself, then in the future, it would never blame him for forcing a destiny upon it.
"You were born without the right to choose, so I'll give you one chance to decide your own fate. Use it well."
He lightly flicked the kitten's forehead.
"Meow?" The little cat rolled onto its back, belly exposed, blue eyes blank, it didn't understand such complicated words at all.
...
The next day.
Butler Neil brought in a maid dedicated to caring for the black kitten.
Hastur came out of his study, went to the kitten's little room, and picked it up. Then he told the maid and others to leave.
Once alone, he closed the door and set the kitten down on the floor.
Around it, he placed six slips of paper in different directions. On each was written the name of an Beyonder starting sequence:
Sleepless, Spectator, Thief, Monster, Assassin, Hunter.
These were the paths Hastur had carefully selected as suitable for cats.
The Sleepless belonged to the Night pathway, very compatible with a black cat, fitting both its temperament and potential.
The Spectator didn't require direct combat, which suited a cat's nature to observe quietly, perfect for gathering intelligence.
The Thief, well, cats stealing food or bringing home trinkets were practically habitual offenders.
He had also considered the Apprentice pathway, since its later abilities were quite convenient, but then realized it was too difficult for a cat to act that role convincingly.
The Monster belonged to the Fate pathway. If the kitten chose that one, and luck was on its side, its future would be smooth and bright.
That was also Hastur's favorite choice, after all, the fact that this kitten had caught his eye at all was already a sign of fortune.
And with the "Snake of Mercury" in Backlund as backing, potion formulas wouldn't be something to worry about.
As for the last two, Assassin and Hunter, both were also quite suitable for cats. And, importantly, both had pathways that could eventually shift in personality and form.
Keeping a catgirl around someday, that thought was... amusing.
When all was ready, Hastur lightly tapped the kitten's head and smiled. "Go on, choose. This choice will decide your future."
"Meow?" The kitten crouched in the center, glancing around at the slips, then up at Hastur, giving a small questioning mew, as if asking him to choose instead.
"That won't do. This has to be your choice." Hastur stepped back a bit, crouched down, and waited patiently.
He had placed no paper in his direction, so his presence wouldn't affect the kitten's decision.
Even if the kitten came toward him, he would simply bring it back to the center and let it try again.
If it came to him three times in a row, he'd assign it the Fate pathway, his preferred one, since that too would mean destiny had chosen on its behalf.
The black kitten stayed in the center for a while, unmoving, only occasionally giving puzzled mews as it looked at Hastur from afar.
At least it didn't flop down and nap.
After a while, it finally stood, tottered toward Hastur, rubbed against his leg, and looked up with a soft "meow."
"You've wasted one chance." He picked it up, carried it back, and set it down again in the middle.
"Meow?" It rolled once on the floor, blue eyes staring directly at Hastur.
After a bit, it walked to his feet again.
"This is your last chance."
Once more, he placed it in the center.
This time, the kitten lay flat, tail twitching slightly, not moving for a long while.
Hastur waited patiently.
Then, a breeze drifted in from the window, one of the slips lifted into the air, fluttering as it spun.
The kitten's eyes followed it, and with a sudden leap, it pounced and pressed the paper down under its paw.
"How interesting." Hastur rose, walked over, and flipped the paper.
Assassin Pathway.
"So that's your choice. You'd better not complain about it later."
"Meow?" The kitten lay in his palm, flipping over lightly, staring at him with those deep blue eyes full of innocence.
Hastur looked back, smiling softly.
"From now on, your name will be, Ariella."