Fusing these creatures... would be suicide.
His mind raced. ’If I fuse even one without loyalty, without docility, it could be like handing a weapon to an enemy." He looked at the sheep again, watching as they moved with organized instinct, bodies packed tightly, horns ready.
’They’re powerful already. Fusing them now would just create monsters." His voice dropped. "Monsters that could wipe out everything I’ve built.’
Vi folded her arms. "You’re right to be cautious. These aren’t livestock. Not yet. They’re wild. Intelligent in their own way. Territorial. If you fuse even one without taming it, it’ll become a beast no different from the wolves."
Kaelor sighed. "We’ll need something else then. A tamer. A herder. Someone who understands animals."
"Or," Vi added with a knowing glance, "a way to make them follow willingly. Not out of fear but trust."
"I see." Kaelor replied.
A couple of hours later, Kaelor returned to the hills, now formally named Bighorn Field, accompanied by two farmers. Hound had gone ahead to the town and returned with them.
The plan was simple, yet bold: fuse some of the largest Bighorn rams with the farmers. If it worked, there was a high chance they could influence or even control the entire flock.
Standing beneath the soft glow of the late afternoon sun, Kaelor faced the two men. One was an aging father with graying hair and calloused hands; the other, his son, still lanky from youth but already hardened by fieldwork.
"What are your names?" Kaelor asked, his voice steady but calm.
"I am Kan, my Lord. This is my son, Lan," the older man answered with a respectful bow of the head. "I once had a small flock, fifteen years ago, before my wife passed. Shepherding has always been my heart."
Kaelor studied him, noting the quiet resolve in the man’s eyes and the way Lan stood proudly by his side. "You know that once I use my gift on you... you’ll become like the Guardsmen. But there’s no guarantee you’ll gain the same strength."
"I don’t seek strength," Kan replied, his voice unwavering. "I have no love for battle. I only want to shepherd again. And if, in doing so, I serve the town... then I gladly offer myself."
Kaelor nodded, impressed. Then he turned to Vi. "Do it."
Vi stepped forward, the crystal pendant around her neck glowing faintly. With graceful, practiced fingers, she began weaving her hand signs.
A soft hum resonated in the air as four of the largest rams, massive beasts with curled horns and thick coats, suddenly rose from the flock.
Confused bleats rippled through the field. The other sheep stared up, disoriented, as the chosen rams floated away from their ranks. When the rams landed before Kaelor, two Dreadclaws moved quickly, gripping the animals by their necks and ending them swiftly.
"System," Kaelor said aloud, "fuse these four rams with Kan and Lan."
Blue fire erupted around both pairs, father and ram, son and ram. The flames danced with unnatural life, merging the essence of shepherd and ram. Sparks shimmered through the grass as the fusion reached its crescendo. Everyone squinted, shielding their eyes from the blinding glow.
Just then, Vi spotted something.
A lamb had wandered into the clearing, its eyes wide in wonder and fear. It opened its mouth, ready to cry out, but Vi reacted in an instant. With a snap of her fingers, a soft binding spell silenced its bleat. As the lamb floated midair, she realized. "It’s the same one," she whispered. "The same lamb from before."
And at that moment, the blue flames receded.
The fusion was complete.
Golden, curved horns sprouted from Kan and Lan’s heads, glinting under the sun like polished relics of some divine inheritance. Their hair turned pure white, thick and coarse like the wool of the Bighorn rams. Their feet cracked through the grass with heavy thuds, transformed into black, stone-crushing hooves that pulsed with quiet might.
[You have successfully created Bighorn Shepherds. Strong half-man, half-Bighorn beings, naturally blessed with the innate talent to lead and control Bighorn herds. The larger their golden horns, the greater their control.]
Kaelor’s gaze lingered on Kan. The father’s horns were broader, more curved, and glowed faintly, twice the size of his son’s. That alone said enough about who was in command.
Without a single command from Kaelor, the two newly-born shepherds stepped forward, descending calmly into the field. Kan made a low, rhythmic clicking sound with his tongue. It was almost like a whisper to the wind.
Dozens of Bighorns turned their heads. Then hundreds.
No panic. No stampede.
Instead, a gentle shift, like grass responding to a breeze. Lambs began trotting forward curiously. Kan crouched, his large hands surprisingly gentle as he ran his fingers over their soft heads. A few ewes came next. Then rams, thick-necked and horned, flanked them protectively. In a matter of moments, Kan and Lan were completely surrounded.
The entire herd had drawn near. It wasn’t fear. It wasn’t force. It was reverence. Submission to something they instinctively trusted.
Vi gasped, her eyes wide. "It worked... It really worked."
Kaelor said nothing, his chest rising slowly as he watched the scene unfold. The two shepherds moved deeper into the flock, and the sheep followed like loyal disciples.
He hadn’t just gained two beastkin of a different breed. He had gained dominion over a powerful, roaming herd, livestock that could now be bred, raised, and tamed for trade.
His eyes twinkled lightly as another thought rooted itself into his mind.
What if he fused these Bighorns together?"
A dangerous thought. Fusing direwolves had created soldiers. What would fusing beasts built for endurance and raw strength produce?
The possibilities stirred his heart, but he knew... he had to be cautious. One mistake, and the herd would become a stampeding army of destruction. Still, the seed had been planted.
And Kaelor Dravion never let good seeds go to waste.