There are next to no records of Elodach the Initiate, but my personal investigations have led me to numerous diaries and journals written by him over his lifetime. Most of them deal with his narcissism and entitlement, while one describes the disastrous missionary expedition that cemented his destiny. It explains in meticulous detail how he met his master, the methods used to create the UnFae and his extensive search for Crazy Iven. The last volume, it so happened, was about someone Elodach knew only as Strongarm.

His description of the encounter matched unusually well with the account I received from Duchess Olivia, which is atypical for someone so delusional and self-serving as Elodach. He neither downplayed his achievements to soothe his ego nor exaggerated them like most other people Bartfort met, which tells me he must have made an impression.

Tellingly, everything Elodach ever wrote down after this point was about the constant night terrors that flashed back to this incident. Bartfort traumatised him on such an intrinsic level that he spent every waking moment afterward fearing that he was behind every corner, which I find ironic coming from a self-styled Master of Nightmares.

Interestingly, Bartfort didn't return the sentiment. Despite his far more horrific injuries he regarded Elodach with annoyance at best and disdain at worst. At most he found Elodach's regeneration from a severed head worrying, but everyone involved seemed to agree that this was due more to the Elixir he drank than any special qualities on his part. There was a theory floating around for a while that his faith-based magic had something to do with it, but it has since been debunked.

Unfortunately, not even the prodigious healing powers of the Duchess Alchimaira could save Bartfort's life. Drastic measures were required. Insane, untested, and hilarious measures. Trust me, there is a good reason why Leon refused to talk about this.

What did she do? Think back: the entire point of this treatise is to link Leon Fou Bartfort to Huan Strongarm. It has already been established that Strongarm was lifted from his ability, so where did the name Huan come from?

Look up what it means in Faelish. Go ahead. I'll wait.

Huan Strongarm: A Bartfort Folktale, by Lufas Maphaahl

Leon cringed as his eyes opened, whimpering as the light tore into his retinas. Holy shit! He could see!

"Take your time," he heard Olivia say. "You were very badly hurt. Close your eyes and take a deep breath. Try to relax."

Leon took her advice and inhaled through his mouth, instantly regretting it. His tongue felt huge and thick, and somehow it felt like even more of his cheeks were missing than before he passed out. Or died. Whichever. His teeth were cold and his mouth was dry, while his ears twitched at the sound of running water.

"Uh… Mr Leon? Could you maybe breathe through your nose?" He could hear a few people murmuring in the background, presumably the idiots and guards.

He followed her advice, and even though he immediately sneezed it felt much better. He found himself twitching the tip of his nose, which somehow felt both wet and dry at the same time. He was laying on smooth stone, which felt pleasantly cool through his woolly clothes. He could smell something that reminded him of the roots that Olivia had hidden behind, which meant he was probably in her hideaway.

"So I'm guessing you saved my life," he croaked. "Or brought me back from the dead. Either way, thank you."

"You're… uh… welcome. Can you see? You were blind for a while."

Leon blinked through the bright light, allowing the hideout to slowly blur into view. The roots of the great tree wound down from the ceiling to frame the room like a painting, which was decorated from top to bottom in handcrafted ornaments made from nature's bounty. A wooden wind chime hung from the ceiling, and dolls made from bulbs with hats made from leaves sat on the roots as if they were shelves.

The room was dominated by an enormous fountain, resembling a huge stone eggshell that had been cracked in two: the top half had been lifted up by the roots, revealing a second stone covered in cracks. From here came a constant stream of glowing blue water, gathering in the lower egg shell to form a bowl of rippling sapphire light. There was a natural platform of stone beside it, but the steps leading down were overgrown with brambles and ivy.

Conspicuously, a large portion of the wall had simply fallen away; the room was flooded with sunshine from the massive hole, which opened out on the side of a cliff. The fantastic view was framed by leafy branches attached to the great tree, the yellow light extending over miles of green forest and farmland that fell away at the edge of the landmass.

The idiots, the guards, the Head Takers and the Warhorse were standing on the stairs leading up to the exit, and all of them were staring at him as if he had grown a second head.

"What?" Leon demanded. "Why are you staring at me like that?"

"Hello," He finally noticed Olivia, whose clothing had caused her to blend in with the Earth walls. "It's nice to meet you. I realise we haven't actually met face to face."

She was wearing a plain brown dress with brown wrappings around her wrists and ankles. She was barefoot, and had black feathers pinned to her sleeves and the hem of her dress. She was also fairly pretty, with pale blue eyes flecked with green and blondish-brown hair. It was much longer than her ingame model, falling past her shoulders in a shaggy waterfall. She had a braid at her left temple decorated with beads and feathers, and was smiling nervously.

"It's nice to meet you," she said again. "I… You may feel a little… uh…"

"Olivia," Leon interrupted. "Did you pull some weird fairy shit on me?"

She cringed hard. "No!" she blurted, then thought about it for a second. "…Yes. Sorry."

Leon closed his eyes and exhaled loudly through his nose. He remained sitting on the ground, propping himself up by his hands. "What did you do?"

Olivia was trying very, very hard not to meet his eyes. "First of all, you should know that there was no other way to save you. It was this or let you die, and… you know… I made the call. I made the call!"

"Okay."

"And I assumed… I just assumed that compared to… you know… compared to dying…"

"You're being evasive."

"I am being evasive, yes."

In the background, Corkus leaned over to whisper in Judeau's ear. "What are they saying?"

"I think Leon's trying to figure out how badly she fucked him up."

"Yikes," he winced. "Glad I'm not a part of that conversation."

Everyone flinched when Leon turned to glare at them. "Why?" he demanded. "What do you mean by that?"

"Lord Leon?" Earis flinched at Leon's gaze. "We don't… We can't understand you, at the minute."

"Mr Leon!" He turned back to the messy-haired protagonist, noticing distractedly that the smells in the room were extremely powerful. He could smell the wood, and the leaves, and the flowers, and the stone, and the earth, and the babbling water, and each individual person in the room. Presumably, the magic fairy bullshit in the room was making it stronger. "Can you go like this for me, please?"

Olivia raised her hand and waggled her fingers, unknowingly quoting Leon's favourite Disney movie. His stomach turning with a sense of sick Deja Vu, Leon did as she asked.

"Beans," he rasped.

Leon had no fingers, and his palm had been replaced by black footbeans. Four black claws had replaced his fingers, while a fifth had replaced his thumb. The back of his hand - his paw - was covered in shaggy black fur, which went up his arm to his shoulder. He could see now why he had instinctively taken his current posture, his hind feet framing his left forepaw. Leon looked over his shoulder, and saw a long tail slowly swishing across the stone floor.

He went cross-eyed, and sure enough there was a long black snout sticking out of his face.

"What the fuck?" he whispered, his voice rising into a hysterical scream. "WHAT THE FUCK?"

"Mr Leon, you need to calm-"

"Why am I a furry?" Leon demanded. "Am I some kind of beast man now? Am I one of those discount love slaves? Except I lean more towards beast than man?"

Olivia averted her eyes guiltily. "You could say that," she hedged. "In fact you could say that you lean so heavily towards being a beast that… well…"

Leon dashed for the fountain, adapting with surprising ease to being a quadruped; his body uncoiled like a spring as he leapt through the air, suddenly enough that a few people panicked and flinched away. His claws scrabbled at the fountain's edge, and there was a brief struggle for balance before he could see his reflection in the pool.

A wolf out of a fairytale looked back at him. Its huge body was covered in thick black fur, its eyes the same charcoal black as his own. It had pert ears on top of its head - flicking anxiously as he watched - and large, frightening teeth, which were exposed when he experimentally pulled back his lip.

"I'm a dog," he croaked. "W-why? Why am I a dog?"

"Really you're more of a wolf."

"Wolves are dogs!"

With a yelp he lost his balance, crashing on his back with his paws in the air. Everyone tried to help him, but he was so big that only Guts and Pippin had a hope of trying. When Leon rose to his feet (feeling like an idiot on four legs) he came up Olivia's elbow and Guts' hip. He made an annoyed, rumbling noise in his chest, which they took as a signal to give him some space.

"Alright," said Leon, taking a deep, unsettlingly human breath. "I'm okay. And I think I'm entitled to an explanation."

"Okie dokie!" Olivia seemed a lot more chipper now that the bandage had been ripped off. She absentmindedly played with the beads in her hair, causing him to mentally compare her to a hippie. "Have you ever heard of transformation magic?"

"No. But I can guess what it does based on the name."

"Great!" she beamed. "You were in bad shape before. You were blind and mostly deaf, your arm was crippled and your legs were gone, so there was really no way to heal your injuries… or for you to live, honestly."

"Ah," nodded Leon. "So it's like an Animorph sort of dealio."

This seemed to throw her for a loop. Earis instantly recognised the look on her face; even if no one got his references, Leon still made them when they became relevant. "Excuse me?"

"When someone transforms into an animal their wounds all heal, right? They're not just turning into an animal, they're turning into an intact animal."

"Yes!" Olivia beamed with delight. "How did you know that?"

"Read it in a book once." He absentmindedly scratched at his neck with his hind leg, but stopped when he realised he was flashing his balls to the whole room. "So when are you turning me back?"

The fairy's smile froze. "Uh…"

"Olivia." Leon's ears stood pert atop his head, and his tail began to swish agitatedly. "Tell me you know how to turn me back."

"Okay," she swallowed. "I know how to turn you back."

"Thank you. Now tell me the truth."

"I have no idea. You're stuck like this."

"Dammit!" he suddenly realised that no one else was saying anything. "Wait, am I… speaking dog? Can they not understand me?"

"No, but don't worry!" Olivia puffed out her chest proudly. "I'm a fairy! I speak animal better than I speak People Person!"

Leon's vision swam. The initial shock of his situation had worn off, and he had started to hyperventilate. "Is he okay?" someone asked. "He looks like he's going to pass out!"

He was too busy freaking out to notice, but this was a voice he had never heard before.

"Why?" he demanded. "Why can't you turn me back? How is it any different from turning someone into a dog?"

"I was going for a wolf-"

"I'm clearly a dog!"

"He won't stop barking," Guts remarked. "I think he's pissed."

"This wasn't completely… you know… on purpose?" Olivia cringed as she said it. "I just, you know, j-j-just thought I'd give it a try." She began to cower as Leon stared her down. "Look, I'd heard about the fact that injuries were nontransferable and decided it was the only way to save your life! And it worked, okay, it worked! And I don't even know why, I just wanted it to happen and it did! So… So…"

She wilted, her large eyes welling up with tears.

"Sorry."

Leon closed his eyes. He reminded himself that she had saved his life. He reminded himself that the only reason Olivia needed to do this at all was because he had thrown himself into danger. He reminded himself that he had done this because she was going to save everyone he loved from a gruesome death. He reminded himself that Colin and Nicks and his parents (and his sisters) would live because of her.

"Thank you."

Olivia froze, blinking in confusion. "Pardon."

Leon poked his nose at his companions. "Do you see that guy with green hair?"

She looked at Jilk nervously. "Yes?"

"Before we came here, I gave him a music box for safekeeping. When I go home I'm going to give it to my mother as a gift, and she's going to be absolutely thrilled. And the only reason I'll live to do it is because of you."

He bowed his head deeply, surprising everyone in the room.

"Thank you for saving my life."

For a moment she couldn't speak. He could tell from the look on her face that she was about to cry. "That's okay," she rasped, her eyes shimmering as she gave him a wobbly smile. "Thank you for… for…"

Leon tried to force his jaws into a smile, but stopped when it made her flinch. "It's fine," he said instead. He felt a desperate need to change the subject, glancing at the remaining humans for inspiration. "So if none of them understand me then what do I sound like? Am I just barking at you or what?"

Olivia translated the question back to them. "Sometimes," said Guts. "But mostly you sound like an annoying, mouthy Husky."

Leon was actually quite pleased to hear this: he had liked Huskies ever since his previous life, and was pleasantly surprised to learn that they still existed.

"How long was I unconscious?"

Olivia glanced out the cave's natural window. "I'm not sure, but the sun is setting if that helps."

Leon cringed, which translated surprisingly well onto his new face. "Damn. Jules' parents are not going to be happy with me. They're going to be pretty worried… or at least Mylene will."

"Wait, so we're just going back?" Casca clarified, after Olivia was done translating. "Without turning you back?"

"Exactly," nodded Leon, because he honestly couldn't see another option. "Also, while I'm at it: guys, this is Olivia, Jarl's adopted daughter. Olivia, these are my crew."

The protagonist smiled and curtseyed with surprising grace.

"I am Oliviadarinellavanda," she said politely. Leon did a massive double take in the background. She gestured at the various handmade dolls. "And this is Miss Griembald, Finkle and Hinkle, the turnip-ghosts and Plapparapp. My father calls me Olivia, so you can too!"

"That's your full name?" Leon demanded. "Seriously?"

"That's your full name?" Guts demanded. "Seriously?"

"What he said!"

"What's wrong with Oliviadarinellavanda?" she frowned. Guts snorted, which got him a glare and a punch in the arm from Casca.

"They make fun of my first name too," she admitted. Olivia gave her a curious look.

"Why? What's your first name?"

Casca shifted self-consciously. "Deionarra." Olivia gasped dramatically.

"But that's a wonderful name!"

"Really?"

"I think we're getting sidetracked here," Earis remarked. "That window is a massive structural weak point. We should bring her back with us and place her under protection."

Olivia looked like she had just been invited to Christmas for the first time ever. "Do you want to show me your world?" she asked eagerly. "Which must be full of humans?"

Earis paused at the odd phrasing. "Uh… Yes?"

"With roofs made from wooden shingles?"

"Exactly," agreed Leon blithely. "Trust me, we have so many roofs. Roofs for days." He had actually been quite worried about that window. This was probably their best option. "We can go right now."

"Oh, that's marvellous!" Olivia gushed. All of a sudden, her face fell. "But… No, I can't leave here. I must stay near the Fairy Gate."

Julius looked up at the egg shaped water feature, the look of childlike wonder returning to his face. "Is this the Fairy Gate? Does it lead to your world?"

"Not anymore. It has been sealed." Olivia looked confused as everyone sighed in relief, not understanding their wariness towards the UnFae threat.

Leon cocked his head, instilling in everyone present a primal urge to pet him. "Did you come from the Faelands?"

He could tell from her face that this was a sore spot. "Yes," she mumbled bitterly. "And hopefully I'll never go back there."

"Sorry," said Leon immediately, which the humans heard as an apologetic whine. "So why can't you just come with us?" Olivia's shoulders hunched miserably.

"If I leave here I get sick. The only thing that keeps me alive in this world is the magic of the Fairy Gate."

Leon blinked. At no point in the game had this come up. "Why? How? Is this… Is this why you live out here instead of with Jarl?"

"It is my well," she explained. "Without its water my soul dries up. Like a plant."

"Unlucky," Corkus remarked. "No matter. If we just go back and report this then they can send people to guard-"

"Well nuts to that!" Leon interrupted. "If you need the water to live then just bring the water along with you! Guys!" Obviously, he got no response. "Guys? Guys… Help me out here."

"Oh right!" Olivia exclaimed. Leon suspected that she wasn't used to people who couldn't talk to animals. "He wants to ask you all something."

"You all have opposable thumbs and I don't, so I'm going to need one of you to donate and/or make something that we can use to store this magic water. I am open to suggestions."

Leon's tail thumped impatiently as he waited for Olivia to translate. "I have a canteen," offered Earis. "Would that work?"

"I think if we did that then we'd run the risk of someone drinking it," Olivia pointed out. "And Gatewater is horrifically deadly even to other fairies. Even dipping the tip of your finger into the water would cause the most monstrous-"

"Stop!" Leon interrupted. "I think I'd be happier not knowing the details. Any other ideas?"

"I have one!" Guts declared, then walked out without explaining himself. There was an awkward silence.

"Is he really not going to say-"

Jilk was interrupted as he walked back in, now holding a long, elaborate snail shell. It looked like the sort of thing a hermit crab might carry around but bigger, as the mana rich atmosphere meant that the snails - and for that matter every other form of wildlife - grew to a much larger size. It was big enough that it sat in Guts' large hand like a coffee mug, and its shiny surface reflected the twilight in a rainbow of hues.

"Where the hell did you get that?" Corkus blinked. Guts puffed out his chest, and they all imagined a proud grin behind his helmet.

"Outside. I saw a hedgehog eating it as we made camp earlier. Usually when I'm on duty I hear farmers and merchants complaining about how solid these things are after they, you know, stand on them and shit. Figured it could work."

"Sweet!" Leon barked, wagging his tail happily. "Now we just need to fill it up without killing ourselves!" Julius tried to pet him, quickly yanking his hand away as Leon snarled and snapped his jaws.

"I have an idea," offered Judeau, pointing at a small heap of leather straps that Olivia had dumped on the floor. Similar straps featured in the handicrafts littered about the hideaway, especially in the wooden wind chime. "Can I borrow one of those?"

"Those?" the fairy repeated, blinking mildly. "I was saving them so I could… I've already forgotten, so go ahead!"

Leon gave her a concerned look as Judeau took one of the straps, carefully tying it to the shell. "I think you've been down here too long."

"I get that a lot."

"There!" The strap was long enough that it could function as a necklace, the colourful shell hanging from it like a pendant. "Now I just need to fill it up!"

In an impressive display of acrobatics, Judeau ran up the side of the Fairy Gate and held a perfect split: with one foot against the cave wall and one against the fountain, he carefully scooped the shell into the water. He tried to catch as much of the magic water as he could; the substance was supernaturally thick and heavy, and each time he lifted it up the excess liquid poured off the shell as if it were being dragged. The process was so thorough that it left the shell completely dry within seconds.

When the shell was filled to his liking, Judeau looked around for a moment before grabbing an acorn off a shelf. He jammed it into the shell like a cork, sealing the liquid inside. "Perfect!" he grinned, holding up the necklace victoriously. He hopped down from his perch, proudly holding out his creation for all to see. "One container of Fairy Gate juice, as ordered!"

"Wow!" Olivia squealed giddily, holding the amulet into the light where she could marvel at it. She placed it around her neck and posed, causing Julius and Jilk to make awkward puberty faces. "How do I look?"

"Not bad," admitted Leon. "It goes well with your dress. Do you think you'll be able to come with us now?"

"Sure!" She ran past the guards and out the cave entrance; Leon trotted after her, finding himself in the small glade where they had made camp earlier in the day. Olivia was running excitedly back and forth, saying hello to every plant and animal she found. "I'm outside! I'm really outside!"

Leon's instinctive annoyance softened at her sincerity. "I'm happy for you."

Something in his tone made her stop, and when she looked at him there was an odd feeling of guilt in her eyes.

"Anyway, before we set off I have something to say." Leon waited for Olivia to translate what he was saying into humanese. "I'm not letting anyone know that I'm a dog. Period. When all this is over and I have opposable thumbs again, I'm going to pretend that none of this happened. That's why I'm going to need to come up with an alias so that nobody knows it's me."

"But you already have an alias," Jilk pointed out. "Strongarm."

"I don't have arms, Green!" Leon grumbled. "Why would I call myself Strongarm if I don't have any arms! Also… I think there are non-zero odds that I might have lost my Strongarm power."

"What?" blurted Earis. "When? How? Why?"

"At the end of my tussle with Elodach, it just sort of didn't work anymore and… because it was temporary? Maybe? Anyway, dog names. I am open to suggestions."

"That's easy," said Guts. "Fido."

"Rover," said Casca.

"Spike," said Pippin.

"Fluffy," said Corkus.

"Spot," said Judeau.

"Juste," said Julius.

"What about Leonidas?" Jilk looked confused as everyone turned to stare at him. "What?"

"All of these are bad!" Leon declared. "Olivia, what's the Faelish word for dog?"

She thought for a moment. "Huo means dog, Raca means wolf and Huan means Hound."

"Huan is fine. Let's go with that."

The guards began tidying up the meagre remains of their camp, and because Leon was a fucking dog he couldn't help. Instead he sat to one side as Olivia chatted up a woodpecker, feeling more and more useless with each passing second.

"Are you doing okay?"

"I'm fine," he snapped, then sighed and apologised. "Sorry, that was rude. I just… I don't feel right, if you know what I… what I…"

Leon slowly realised that he had no idea who he was talking to. He turned his head, and sitting beside him was an adult Head Taker. She - because the voice had been female and grandmotherly - was staring at him in stunned surprise. "Did you just reply to me?"

"I did, yes." Leon almost laughed from hysterical bewilderment. "It's, uh, nice to finally talk to you. I'm Leon. Or Huan. Or Strongarm. One of the two."

"You said three things."

"I did. Bleh. Can't talk today."

She chuckled, her enormous shoulders rippling with muscle. "It's nice to meet you too. My name is Creen."

"Momma!" The youthful voice came from the Head Taker's offspring, who looked like he had mostly recovered from his time as a hostage. "Guess what! I saw this weird thing and it was covered in spikes and it said it was called a hedgehog and it said that those things on the ceiling are called leaves and are you talking to Leon?"

The large wolfdog looked deeply apprehensive as the youngling danced giddily about his feet. "Damn, kid, slow down! If you talk any faster you're going to choke on your own head!"

The little Head Taker gasped with childlike wonder. "Really?"

"Really. Ask any doctor." Creen rolled her eyes in the background. "It's nice to finally pin a voice to the face. What's your name, kiddo?"

"I'm Keet," said the child brightly. He reminded Leon of Colin, easing his panic at the thought of spending the rest of his life as a dog. "Leon, can I-"

"Son!" Creen interrupted sternly. "It's 'may I'."

"Yes, Mom." His tail had sulkily stopped thumping. "Mr Leon sir, may I please fluff your fur?"

If he had lips, Leon would have smiled. "Sure. Go crazy."

Keet buried his face in Leon's thick black fur, and almost immediately his tail resumed wagging. "Leon, you're so fluffy! So fluffy!"

"Good to know."

"Alright guys, let's move out!" called Guts. They began trudging back to Holfort, Creen lumbering at his side as Keet clung happily to his back. A few of the guards tried talking to him but gave up when he continued to be a dog; the two idiots made a valiant effort to chat Olivia up, but she was far too interested in the Head Takers to pay them any mind.

"You okay there, lil dude?"

Leon huffed in amusement, still trying to ignore how natural it felt to walk on four legs. "Are you talking to me or… the… kid…"

The voice was lighthearted and male.

It was a carefree voice.

A himbo voice.

And Leon had heard it before.

He turned to look at the Warhorse, who had begun pleasantly strolling on his opposite side. "Didn't I meet you at the award ceremony?" he asked incredulously. "You won the Bronze prize. Caesar, right?"

"Yes!" For some reason, the Warhorse sounded as incredulous as Leon felt. "I can't believe you remember me!"

"Neither can I," admitted Leon. "Why are you a horse?"

"I dunno. Why are you a dog?"

"You know what I mean!"

The Warhorse snorted and rolled his eyes, but spilled the beans. "Magic item. I was undercover with Lord Korel, at least until you and the Prince came along."

Leon cringed apologetically. "Damn. Sorry, dude."

Caesar rolled his massive shoulders. "Man, don't even worry about it. I hated that guy. Everyone hated that guy."

By now the city gates were in sight, the group trudging tiredly across the home stretch. Ragneli approached them and tried to ask about Leon, almost tripping over his robes when the wolfdog growled at him crankily.

Almost the minute they stepped into the market, Olivia spotted someone familiar. "Dad!" She almost tackled Jarl to the ground, leaving him briefly befuddled before he swept her into an enormous bear hug.

"Livia!" he beamed. "What are you doing out of your cave?"

"An adventurer came to see me!" Olivia proclaimed proudly. "He says you know him already!"

She gestured grandly toward Leon, who just wagged his tail self-consciously. "Hey. How's it goin'?"

Jarl had to stare at him for a while until he got it. "Strongarm? Is that you?"

"We're calling him Huan, so nobody knows it's him," grinned Corkus, clearly delighting in his suffering. Leon made a mental note to bite him later.

"We also need to take your daughter to the palace," added Earis. "We had an encounter with the man who made those UnFae, and it may still be dangerous."

"Fine by me," said Jarl blithely. "So long as my little girl is safe, alive and happy, that's enough for me. All this means is that as soon as whoever that is gets brought in, the sooner she can have her first ever meal with me and my wife!"

This made Leon pause, and after Olivia had said goodbye he sidled up to her quietly. "One of these days you need to tell me how you met him."

"Definitely!"

In hindsight, Julius really should have predicted this would happen when Mylene was there to greet them. When they arrived at the palace she stormed towards them, eyes ablaze with maternal fury. "Julius! Why are you back so late?"

"It wasn't my fault!" he babbled, and for once he was telling the truth. "We were attacked by that guy who made those UnFae!"

"What?" Suddenly she was all concern and worry, fussing over him in search of injuries. "Are you hurt? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, but Leon lost his arm, his legs, his eyes and possibly his hearing. It was pretty brutal!"

"Oh my god!" Mylene's voice became almost choked with horror. "Where is he?"

"He's… uh… over there."

She stared blankly at the huge dog, who wagged his tail in greeting. "S'up."

"I-I do- I-I-I don't even… Leon? Is that… are you actually a dog? Is that… I-I-Is that really you?"

"Sweetheart, I'll be whatever you want me to be."

"He said 'Sweetheart, I'll be whatever you want me to be'," translated Olivia. She gave Julius a curious look. "Is he your dad?"

"He most certainly is not!"

Mylene laughed incredulously. "You're a dog. W-Why? Why are you a dog?"

"Why ask me that question when you can't understand a word I say?" Leon cocked his head cutely, and the Queen melted like butter.

"Aw," she cooed, then suddenly remembered who she was talking to. She cleared her throat in an attempt to retain some dignity, but still couldn't resist. "Sit!"

Leon dutifully plopped himself onto the pavement, causing Keet to roll giggling from his back.

"Paw!"

"Here you go." Leon held out his large forefoot, which Mylene accepted with a massive grin.

"Speak!"

"Woof!"

"Good boy!" The Queen fluffed his fur, giggling like a teenager. "You are such a good boy!"

"Thank you Olivia!" Leon's tail wagged furiously as Mylene began to scratch behind his ears. "I'm naming my firstborn after you!"

"You sound just like a Husky! You're so cute!"

"Mom!" Julius had gone completely red, and most of the guards were laughing at them with varying degrees of discretion. "He's not a dog! He's Leon! You've met him already!"

"He doesn't want to be called that, remember?" Olivia interjected. "We're supposed to call him Huan so that nobody knows that it's him."

"Seriously?" Leon froze at the unmistakable voice. King Roland strolled through the palace gates, grinning the douchiest grin ever seen. "You know that Huan means Dog, right? Dog the dog. That's what you're calling yourself."

"Shut the hell up, Roland!" Leon snarled. The Queen staggered away from him as he accidentally bared his teeth, as did everyone else. Only Roland seemed unafraid. "That outfit makes you look fat!"

"What's wrong, pupper?" Roland taunted. "Want a belly rub? Want me to throw you a stick? I'd tell you to throw it yourself but you don't have any thumbs! Tell me, when did your last shreds of your self-respect disappear? Was it the first time you ate out of a bowl or the first time you used your tongue as toilet paper? Man, I am on fire today!"

"That's enough of that," Mylene interrupted, brushing the dog hair from her dress. She dragged Roland away by the ear, earning a gratifying squawk of surprise. "Boys, neither of you are allowed to leave the city until this man has been found."

"But Mom-"

"No buts. The Royal Guard can take it from here." She turned to Earis and the other guards, who fell to their knees in perfect unison. "I must thank you all for your service. You will all be rewarded before you return to your duties, but I will need a report first."

"Yes, Your Majesty," they said as one.

Mylene turned to him, and he saw in her eyes that she understood. "Thank you for bringing my son back safely," she said quietly. Leon nodded understandingly, and as the guards made to follow her Earis caught his eye.

"I'm sorry this happened to you," he said. "If you need me to… Lord Leon, if you ever want to send a message to your family-"

"Griffith," interrupted Guts. "Later." By now the bulk of the guards were nearly out of sight. Leon gestured with his snout for Earis to follow.

"Right," he said quietly. His gaze was downcast, as though ashamed. "Sorry."

Leon huffed as walked away, turning to the Warhorse. "You should get back to your unit."

"Are you sure?" Caesar looked about as concerned as a man was capable when wearing a horse's face. "If you need anything, I can…"

"It's fine. You should report to your unit." Leon saw in the Warhorse's eyes that he was unconvinced. "Seriously, I'll be fine. I have Olivia, I have the Head Takers, and I have…" Leon suddenly realised that he had totally lost track of Iven's freezing axe. "Where the hell is-"

Everyone - Leon, Caesar, Olivia, Julius, Jilk and the Head Takers - all screamed in fright as the axe fell out of the sky, embedding itself blade first in the ground and scaring the life out of them.

"Oh," coughed Leon, trying to pretend that hadn't terrified him. "Hey there. You good?"

The axe vibrated in the affirmative.

"Awesome. Are you okay to find Iven and let him know I'm back?"

The axe vibrated again, but seemed to be stuck in the ground.

"Oh yeah, right." Leon turned to Creen. "Do you mind…"

"Not at all." She grasped the axe's shaft with the tip of her prehensile tail, yanking it out of the pavement and flinging it into the air. Within moments it had spun out of sight.

"That thing wasn't really alive, was it?" Olivia asked nervously.

"I'm going after my mother!" Julius declared suddenly. "She can't just take this away! We have the right to hunt him down ourselves!"

"Where is this coming from?" Leon asked, but both idiots had already run off. He sighed and shook his head as he watched them go. "Morons."

"What do we do now?" asked Olivia uncertainly. "I know you brought me here for my protection, but…"

"Oh yeah," blinked Leon. "Damn, I totally forgot to tell them you were a fairy!"

"Should we go after them?"

"Nah, I'm sure it'll come up in the report. Let's just go chill, I need to sit down so bad I can taste it."

He led her into the palace grounds, where the many Princes and Princesses continued to play with the Head Takers. One of the smaller creatures ran to greet them with a happy noise. "Keet, you have to get over here! They're giving away so much chocolate!"

"Whoohoo!" The little Head Taker ran away with a happy squeal, his mother lumbering after him. Leon gave his fairy companion a questioning glance.

"Want to go join them?"

She seemed almost startled by the idea. "No I… I think I'd rather watch, for now."

Leon asked no further, recognising the awkwardness of being alone among strangers. He led her to a wooden bench at the edge of the garden, where Olivia sat herself as Leon rested on the grass nearby. For a few moments there was silence.

Slowly, Leon's heartbeat sped up. He felt like there was something thick in his throat that prevented him from swallowing, and with each passing moment it became harder to breathe.

"Leon?" Olivia was no fool. She knew a panic attack when she saw one. "Leon, are you okay?"

"Earis wants to write my parents," he croaked. "He wants to tell them that I'm a dog."

She didn't immediately see what had set him off. "Yeah, I mean… they deserve to know."

"I'm a dog, Olivia!" Leon hissed. "How… How do you even tell someone that you're a dog? How do you even react when someone tells you that they're a dog? What if… What if they don't believe it's me? What if they don't want me anymore?"

"Mr Leon, you can't think like that. Your family isn't going to stop loving you just because you look different.

Olivia could almost see his pupils dilating as some new nightmare hit him. "Dogs age seven times faster than humans! Are my parents going to watch me die of old age?" His eyes welled up with tears, his canine chest heaving with repressed sobs. "The next time my little brother hugs me, am I not going to be able to hug him back?"

His rambling was cut off as Olivia threw her arms around him, kneeling at his side and burying her face in his fur. "Mr Leon," she whispered. "This whole time, you've only worried about how this affects your family and not yourself. The only way you could love them that much is if they raised you with just as much love in return. They won't care about this. Trust me, they only want you to be alright."

Leon took in a shuddering breath. "But… But what about…"

"And if you really can't hug him then I'm sure your brother will hug you enough for two." Olivia held him as he fought back the tears, his enormous body quivering in misery and panic. She felt her own eyes start to burn at the corners. "I'm so sorry."

It took a moment for Leon to collect himself enough to answer. "For what?"

"For doing this to you," she whispered. She buried her face in his shoulder and dried her tears on his fur. "This is all my fault."

"Of course it isn't," he said reassuringly. "You did this to save my life. You have no idea how grateful I am that you did this."

"But you wouldn't have gotten hurt if it weren't for me," she sobbed. "If… If I weren't here then that man wouldn't have…"

"Then he would have just hurt someone else in your place," said Leon firmly. "That's what people like him do. They hurt people. That's on him. I'm proud to have protected you. I'd never regret it. Ever."

"What if… What if I screw up again? What if I can't do that thing you said I need to do?" Olivia sobbed into his shoulder, and Leon cursed Elodach for revealing his secrets. "What if I mess it all up? What if I let you down? What if you saved me for nothing?"

For a few minutes, Leon just let her cry. "I'm really sorry you had to know about this. No one should have to be under all this pressure. But I promise you, I promise you that you're capable of this."

"But I can't-"

"And you're not alone," Leon insisted. "I've got your back." He could tell from how her arms tightened that she appreciated it. "Even if it's only so that I'm not licking my balls clean for nothing."

This earned him a hiccuping laugh; awkwardly, Leon placed his foreleg over her shoulder in a facsimile of a comforting embrace. When she was finished she leaned back, her swollen eyes underscored by a wobbly smile. "See?" she managed to say. "You can hug just fine!"

"Yeah, so long as they're short enough to reach," grumbled Leon. He glared at his paws vengefully. "Or sitting on the floor, I guess."

Olivia giggled, and it felt more natural this time. She made to pet him. "That pretty lady was right. You are a good boy."

Leon drew his head away before she could touch his ears. "Please don't do that."

"Leon!" Iven was approaching them from the opposite end of the garden along with an unfamiliar girl, the axe following loyally at his heel; it was balanced on the tip of its shaft, and was scraping across the grass and leaving a long trail as it moved. "So it's true? You were turned into a wolf?"

"I identify as a wolfdog, but yes." Leon nodded at the fairy as she rose to her feet. "Olivia, this is Iven. He's a buddy of mine. I'm fairly certain he can't understand me, so you're going to have to introduce yourself."

"Right, okay." Olivia rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand before rising to her feet and giving him her best smile. "Hi! You must be Iven. My name is Oliviadarinellavanda, and it's just wonderful to meet you!"

"Are you okay?" Iven asked nervously. "You look a little… you know…"

"Oh yeah, sorry." Olivia flushed, quickly wiping the tears from her cheeks. "I was having a moment."

The girl accompanying Iven pulled out a handkerchief, delicately dabbing at Olivia's eyes. "There's nothing wrong with that," she smiled tenderly. "We all need a good cry now and again."

The newcomer was a few years younger than Leon and Olivia, her face framed by long black hair. She was mildly buxom despite her small frame, with a sweet, friendly face. "Thank you," Olivia smiled bashfully. "Are you a friend of Leon's too?"

"I am afraid not," the girl smiled. "I only know him through Iven. He sometimes has tea with me and my mother." She curtsied elegantly, with such unbelievable grace and poise that she could have only been a princess. "My name is Erica Rapha Holfort. It's nice to meet you."

Iven curiously looked him up and down as the girls began to talk. "Honestly, you look pretty cool. This could have been worse."

"I know. Can you imagine if I were a Cocker Spaniel? Or worse, a Chihuahua?" Iven and the Princess both began to stare at him. "What? What did I say?"

"D'aw!" Erica squealed. "You sound like a Husky! Like a giant black Husky!" She began petting Leon's neck and shoulders, which he grudgingly allowed.

"Can you please tell them my dog name?" he asked plaintively. "I really don't want anyone knowing anything about this unless it's absolutely necessary."

"Mr Iven, Mr Leon wants to be called Huan while he's stuck like this. He says he wants as few people as possible to know that it's him."

Erica cocked her head. "Huan? My, what a lovely name!"

Leon's tail began to lightly thump against the ground. "Thanks. You're okay, Princess."

Olivia froze in place as her smile faded. "Princess?" she squeaked. "You're a Princess?"

"It's in the name," explained Leon. Erica had plopped herself down beside him so she could cuddle into his fur, which he patiently allowed. "Rapha is a middle name for Royalty, or families that are super close like a Duke. Also her last name is Holfort, which is the Royal Family's surname, so…"

"I am SO sorry!" Olivia blurted, rapidly bowing in a panic. "I-I-I didn't mean to be rude or-or-or-"

"It's fine," smiled Erica. "I thought you were quite charming, actually."

Olivia blushed bright red. Credit to the Princess: the girl had game.

"Do you know a way to turn yourself back?" Iven asked curiously. Erica had released Leon's neck in order to sit beside Olivia on the bench, while the axe scraped up to him and hummed its concern. Leon flattened his ears against his head, and his tail instantly stopped wagging. Iven didn't need a translation to know the answer. "Surely there's something? You're the Knower of Secrets!"

This seemed to catch Erica's attention. "Excuse me? What do you mean by…"

"I mean he has knowledge of all secrets, and hidden places of the earth, and things concealed by deceit," said Iven absently. Erica's face went curiously blank, as though this had reminded her of something that she had very nearly forgotten. She gave the black wolfdog a strange look.

"Huan… are you-"

"Hey, guys!"

It was at this point that Julius and Jilk showed up, completely derailing her train of thought. They jogged through the garden - pausing occasionally to pet one of the Head Takers - with a strange man following behind them. He was a priest like Elodach, with the same robes, the same tattoos and the same bald head.

"Dare I ask?" Leon grumbled. "I'm assuming you guys got shot down?"

"I know what you're thinking!" Julius beamed, slightly talking over him. "How can someone this amazing be standing in front of me?"

"No one has ever thought that."

"Right you are, Leon! Or Huan! One of the two!" Leon closed his eyes in bitter, bitter frustration. "Behold, for I have found a means to make you human again!"

Leon leapt to his feet with a yip. "Jules, are you kidding me! Do you have, like, seizures where you're competent for like five minutes out of a year?"

"Hang on," frowned Olivia. "Weren't you trying to get in on the search for Elodach?"

Julius went blank for a moment. "Oh yeah," he said faintly. Erica giggled, finally catching his attention. "Erica? Should you be outside? How is your health? Do you feel okay? Should I get-"

"I'm fine," she interrupted, smiling fondly. "Aren't you going to introduce your friend?"

"Oh, right!" Julius gestured to the priest, who seemed oddly distracted. "This is Zefnat the Scholar, and he says that he's read about your condition in some obscure book or some such."

The name rang a bell. Yet again, Leon had encountered someone from an in-game sidequest. "Has he now," said Leon dryly. "You found him awfully quickly."

"He says good job," said Olivia, which got her some sarcastic looks.

"I don't think he said that," said Iven quietly.

"I am afraid that I must contradict you, Your Highness," the scholar interjected. "Please bear in mind I have not found a cure for his malady; rather, I merely know of a more portentous direction in which to point you. Furthermore, I have told you already that I require something in return. It would misrepresent me in a most dire way were you to introduce me as your saviour."

Yep. Definitely a sidequest. "Okay then," sighed Leon. "Let's hear it. What do you want in exchange?"

Zefnat almost certainly didn't understand him: nevertheless he drew himself up, looking every bit the Quest Giver.

"Have any of you ever heard of the Encyclopaedia of Heresies?"

Quest: The Encyclopaedia of Heresies

Summary: An early sidequest from Summoner, this is essentially a two part fetch quest. Naturally, Leon is going to find quite a few more obstacles in his way than Joseph. Zefnat was originally a smug jerk, but I'm thinking of portraying him differently. In the immortal words of Jim Carrey:

"A madman, Your Honour! A fool at the end of his pitiful rope!"

Olivia's hideaway is more or less the same as Nuri's from Chains of Satinav. For that matter so is her full name, except it has Olivia at the start instead of Nuri.