After finishing yet another run on the Baby Kraken, Martin took Angel for a break and promised her plenty of her favorite food and snacks. She did not even complain that their fun had been cut short. She simply curled up inside her shell, leaving Martin to carry her all the way to Samu’s Restaurant.
Martin chuckled. "I do not think we can go to Samu’s Restaurant, at least not today."
He only had to rember the look on Samu’s face earlier. NukEncore’s appetite had already pushed the man close to his limit. Ao Tenshin had been no better, but she was both a baby and a beast of a prominent bloodline. Martin did not have the heart to scold her, even if he suspected Samu could tear into players and NPCs alike like a certain famous British chef from Martin’s world.
Martin picked up the shell and walked out of the dungeon.
He did not put Ao Tenshin back into her Pocket Dinsion, because he had a feeling she would not really "sleep" as well there as she would beside him in the ga world. It was only a hunch, but he trusted it.
Maybe I just do not want to let you go after having so much fun together.
With a quiet chuckle, he left the dungeon. Outside, he appeared at the Light Tree Hub. Usually, he would have been just another face in the crowd, but his victory over Thorn’Shield had reminded everyone that he was soone worth watching, and maybe even befriending.
A few friend requests were already waiting in Martin’s system mail, but he ignored them.
Just then, Kill Clause appeared at his side and smoothly guided him away from prying eyes. NukEncore followed with her hood up, which made Martin think that maybe he needed a hood too. Even so, it was impressive how Kill Clause could remain so completely herself under this many stares.
That’s a boss for you. I wonder what kind of company she runs.
Kill Clause said, "All actions have consequences. You either live with them or forge them into profit."
Martin nodded. "Yeah."
NukEncore stage-whispered loudly enough for both of them to hear, "That’s the Elder Sister for you."
Seriously now? How is this girl so much better at making friends than ? What’s her charm? I an, anyone would want to support Encore. She really knows how to draw attention. Maybe I should ask her for so tips?
Kill Clause already treated him almost like a younger brother. If he stepped wrong, he would only make things awkward. And asking either of them to spend ti alone with him would sound too much like a date.
He could not just take them out for a beer the way he would with his male friends. Raids, levels, and shared battles could only carry him so far. Martin needed a better idea.
Oh... wait, I actually do have one. I’ll do it after the expansion battle!
Just then, Martin spotted Crimson Halo and Chaosgraphy.
The two of them were not alone.
Chaosgraphy sat on the edge of the Light Tree Hub’s stone platform with one leg crossed over the other, calm as ever, as though she had chosen that spot knowing he would look her way first. From the side, her posture drew the eye too easily. Her skirt had ridden high over her crossed legs, and the soft fullness of her thighs stood out all the more against the pale stone beneath her.
She looked completely at ease there, with that sa cool, self-possessed air she always wore so naturally.
A white three-headed pup rested on her lap.
Martin’s gaze stopped there at once.
A faint curve touched Chaosgraphy’s lips. "You ca fast enough."
On her lap, which Martin considered the best lap in the whole party, sat a white dog with three heads. Its fur looked soft and clean, bright against Chaosgraphy’s dark outfit.
The pup was still small, but there was already sothing unusual about it, a hint that it would grow into sothing much stranger and more dangerous than its size suggested.
One head slept with its little muzzle tucked down in complete peace. Another had its tongue hanging out while it looked around with open curiosity. The last stared through half-lidded eyes with such dry boredom that Martin almost laughed.
"Na!" NukEncore reacted first, her voice loud with disbelief. "You got a pet too?!"
Chaosgraphy sneered. "Yeah, I did. Jealous? Of course you are. Look at this pup. Three heads. It has every bit as much potential as Angel does. Martin and I are both pet owners now."
Hearing that, NukEncore clenched her little fists and rose onto her tiptoes. Every word Chaosgraphy had said hit the mark, which only made her even more jealous. Angel was such a great and fun little beast, and now Chaos had an interesting dog too.
Where’s my fire dragon?!
Kill Clause spoke warmly while still sounding entirely like herself. "Another beast has joined our team. As we learn more about this world and its creatures, Angel and your pet are bound to lead us toward interesting and profitable quests."
Martin chuckled. "Yeah. Is it a she or a he? What’s her na?"
"It’s a she. You still do not have another guy in the party, Martin," Chaosgraphy said with a genuine chuckle, earning a laugh from everyone except Martin.
He sighed. "I see."
Chaos continued, "I want you to na her."
"Eh? ? Really? Why?" Martin asked, confused.
Chaos only held the pup a little higher and kept her eyes on him, calm and expectant, as if she had decided this before he ever arrived.
"Na her," Chaos said, her voice so adorable it felt worlds away from her usual villainess air.
Martin looked at the three heads for another mont.
The sleepy one had opened its eyes by then. The curious one stared right at him. The bored one sohow looked ready to judge whatever ca out of his mouth.
"San Kumoe," he said at last.
The na hung in the air for a brief second.
NukEncore blinked. "That sounds weirdly cool."
Kill Clause’s gaze sharpened with quiet interest.
Crimson Halo smiled behind her fingers. "My. That was more elegant than I expected."
Chaosgraphy repeated it softly, tasting the sound for herself. "San Kumoe..."
The pup’s three heads barked almost together.
The curious one bounced first. The sleepy one yapped a beat late. Even the bored one gave a short bark that sohow sounded like approval.
A low, genuine chuckle slipped from Chaosgraphy.
The satisfaction on her face was slight, but it changed her all the sa. Her usual composure remained, though sothing warr slipped beneath it, visible in the softened line of her mouth and the languid pace of her fingers moving through Kumoe’s white fur.
The relaxed stroke of her hand only made her look more at ease on the stone platform, one leg crossed over the other, calm and self-possessed in a way that drew the eye too easily.
When she looked back at Martin, her gaze stayed on him just a little too long to feel accidental, carrying a subtle, dangerous kind of pleasure.
"So San Kumoe it is," she said. "We’ll call her Kumoe since it’s shorter, just like you call Ao Tenshin Angel."
"Haha, got it. Thanks for trusting with her na." Martin smiled back.
Chaos set her pet back on her lap. She scratched two of the heads and buried her little nose against the middle one.
The sight was almost unfairly adorable.
The curious head imdiately pushed into her hand for more. The sleepy one sagged against her leg as if it had already decided that was its rightful place. Even the bored one accepted the attention with the solemn patience of sothing pretending it was above affection while clearly enjoying every second of it.
NukEncore stared in open disbelief.
Her lips parted. Her eyes widened. Then she turned toward Martin as if he were sohow responsible for this injustice.
NukEncore’s jealousy shot through the roof. "Martin!"
"Yeah?"
"I’ll let you na my dragon!"
"Why are you so sure you’ll get a dragon?"
"Because I was born to wield flas!"
"Well, best of luck. I got a Dragon Turtle, so if you get sothing like a Dragon Phoenix, we’ll have sowhat matching pets," Martin said with a chuckle.
NukEncore could not picture a Dragon Phoenix at all, but she liked the sound of it.
"Mhm! I like the sound of that." She puffed out her ample chest, rested a hand over it, and smiled.
Chaos then added, "We no longer need my sister in the party."
Crimson Halo nearly choked on air. "Excuse , Alex?"
"This little pup is versatile. One head’s howl increases damage, another increases regeneration, and the last one doubles the effect," Chaos explained.
Crimson Halo wrapped the end of one drill curl around her finger. "My, then you need even more."
Martin burst out laughing.
Then the others smiled too.
Crimson Halo lifted her fingers to her lips, surprised to find herself smiling with them. Warmth spread softly through her chest. For once, being the center of their amusent did not feel awkward at all. It felt natural.
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