Zephyr id sprawled out motionlessly in a steel cage, like a rug made of monster hide, a small pink toig out of his mouth. Dreary blue eyes shifted to the simple hook tch that secured the gate of his tial prison.

  The average monster wouldn’t know where to begin unraveling such a meism, but the e wasn’t your typical monster—he was a majestic Divi. But unlog his cage wasn’t the challenge. His true crisis dwelled in the fact that he couldn’t move a single muscle.

  After squaring off against the cephalopod monster, all of his energy was draihe pup was so weak that even the simple task of using his o hoist the hook from the tch was an impossible mission.

  All of a sudden, from atop the enclosure that resembled a birdcage, a familiar purr could be heard. A dark creature could be seen fortably perched atop the cage, a dark aura radiating from its body like smoke from burning charcoal.

  Zephyr’s expressioled into a poker face as pierg olive-green eyes and an obviously smog grin stood out amongst the bck vas of its mysterious form. Its long tail was coiled around a vial taining a blue liquid, putting it teasingly on dispy.

  The pup’s eyes popped open at the sight of the mueeded mana potion, then narrowed in annoyance when he sidered the reality of not only showg weakness in front of the newer, but also being in his debt.

  Zephyr struggled with this inner flict, but only for a moment. Appeasing his ego wasn’t his top priority at this moment in time, but living up to his master’s expectations and adequately pying his role in the current predit.

  Following a sigh, the e softened his gaze—a signal of appreciation and perhaps a truce. Midnight’s grin widened in response, his pearly white teeth in stark trast to his jet-b. With undisguised delight, the Djinn inched closer and maneuvered his tail between the bars of the cage.

  juring the dregs of his strength, Zephyr locked his jaws around the cork of the vial. While Midnight held the tainer in pce, he yahe cork free and proceeded to p up the bright blue liquid that spilled out onto the floor.

  Within moments, the pup could feel a surge of rejuvenating energy flooding his body. His oy mana core was quickly replenished, which rekihe strength in his limbs. When he pushed to all fours, his tiny body firm and energized, oic eyes narrowed in itment, he betedly noted Midnight perched arrogantly on his back.

  Then his expression became sour.

  ***

  A small bonfire suffused the subterranean chamber with a soothing warmth. The hired meraries sat around it, their carefully pced kebabs stuffed with monstron aables. While their hearty meal was being roasted, they ughed merrily while sharing wild tales and delicious wine.

  For them, however, the most entig recreational activity was undoubtedly tered around a metal device resembling a smoking pipe. Inside, a familiar crystal sat led, releasing silvery blue smoke that curled into the air.

  One man’s eyes rolled back as he took a deep puff, aatic expression slowly twisting his face as he held the smoke inside his lungs.

  For meraries like him, a slice of this euphoria was all the payment he o take on assigs. No job was too simple, dangerous, or ridiculous once he could acquire his share of pixie crystals.

  As a delicious wave of mana surged through his brain, stimuting his ransmitters to flood his mind with relentless pleasure, reward, and an overwhelming sense of te, the man leaned against the cave wall. To him, it felt as soft and inviting as a plush mattress beh his back.

  From his shadow cast on the ground, Midnight nontly slinked out as if crawling from within a hole. The man observed the curious creature with a passive gaze, too intoxicated to care.

  But when the mysterious felily offered him a pair of seeds and a bead, the man quickly accepted the gifts, desperate to asd to a higher pne of euphoria.

  In the brief moment it took to ihe items in his hand and gnce back at the feli had vanished. Hoping that one of his more sober and capable rades could decipher the items and prepare them for an eveer high, he quickly hahem off to someone else.

  “Whasdaah?” Slurred one of the men as he gawked at the items in hand.

  “Tha’ heck’s… this shit?” Murmured another.

  “…A seed?” ented a third man. “Do we just… grind it into the pipe or what?”

  “We’re running low on dust,” grumbled the fourth man. “So you… maggots better figure it out… quick!”

  A momehey figured it out—but the gifts didn’t bring the dopamine rush the meraries were hoping for. Instead, the Lightning Bead electrocuted them, lighting them up like a Christmas tree.

  While they were still steaming and twitg from the paralysis debuff, the Bramble Seeds unraveled, their thorned vines coiling around the men like vicious serpents.

  Their stifled howls echoed through the dark chamber as Physical Damage, Bleed, and Poison debuffs took hold, triggering a far more unpleasant chemical rea in their brains. When the powerful vines finally withered and disied, the meraries colpsed to the floor, stiff and unscious.

  CLICK-CLICK-CLICK.

  Tiny paws padded through the ungraceful heap of men sprawled across the cold cavern floor, their faces twisted in frozen agony. Zephyr weaved effortlessly between them, his keen nose quickly log the key on one of the unsen.

  He grabbed it and promptly retreated, but not before Midnight slipped onto his back again, as if it were his rightful perch. Zephyr’s expression soured, but he begrudgingly carried on.

  ***

  GROWL~

  Ribbit rested a hand on his stomad winced in pain. “Did that person really mean what he said earlier,” he murmured dejectedly, “…about the sphere exploding, or the cage falling into the water?”

  “Please don’t get any stupid ideas,” Garrett murmured back wearily.

  “He didn’t seem like the type who would lie about something like that,” Brek added.

  Daisuke tilted his head back, the Eye of Verity following the collective flow of mana from each metallic bar of the cage that flowed into the sphere overhead. “Pretty sure there’s some kind of plex liween the cage and the sphere. If we try to force our way out, there’s a high possibility that something will definitely happen.”

  Brek frowned, noting the way his rival sed the length of the metal bars that surrouhem. It was obvious he was able to see something they couldn’t, which is why his words sounded more like fact rather than jecture.

  He’s always beey impressive, Brek thought to himself, but how could he have grown to this extent in such a short period of time? What the heck happeo him?

  As Daisuke studied the swirling cluster of mana surrounding the cage’s deadbolt, a familiar “arf” caught his attention. He approached the edge of the cell cautiously, peering down to find Zephyr below, tail wagging happily, the key clutched in his mouth.

  Atta boy, Daisuke smiled with relief.

  Suddenly, Ribbit mindlessly threw himself against the cage, gripping the metal bars so tightly his knuckles turned white. “Monstron!” he shouted, his nostrils fring as he stared at Zephyr, eyes wide and wild, like the pup was nothing more than a sb of meat waiting to be devoured.

  Everyone froze, their gazes snapping toward the metallic sphere overhead, brag for disaster—but nothing happened. Yet, airely different catastrophe was brewing.

  Zephyr shuddered as Ribbit’s ravenous stare bore into him. Instinct took over, and fmes began to stir in his maw. Panic spread like wildfire as everyone pleaded with the pup, but the e was beyond reason, ed by his defense meism.

  Just before the fmes could ighem like a dlewick, Daisuke swiftly unsummohe pup into his iory, extinguishing the fiery threat in an instant.

  “Huh?” Ribbit looked around with a puzzled expression. “Where did the meat go?”

  Without a word, Daisuke, Brek, and Garrett closed in on the simpleton from behind, their eyes bzing with i, a sinister energy pulsating from their raised fists.

  PUURSH-PUURSH-PUURSH!

  The resounding echo of punches reverberated through the cavern. In the instant, Ribbit was face down and twitg on the floor, three steaming bumps stacked ically on top of his head.

  “Moron,” Garrett mumbled.

  The key jingled softly as Midnight slipped out from Daisuke’s shadow, moving with ahereal grace. The Djinn cast a brief, indifferent g the others before extending the keys toward his master.

  “Thanks, buddy,” Daisuke said, taking the key from the feline’s raised tail. “You both did extremely well,” he added upon summoning Zephyr.

  The pup’s ears drooped, a repentant whimper esg him as he made eye tact with Daisuke. However, his expression soon hardened when he spotted Ribbit face down on the floor—the brat who had ogled him like an easy meal.

  Without hesitation, the fuming e trotted over, turned his back to the unscious boy, and lifted one leg into the air.

  “Zephyr, that’s overkill,” Daisuke sighed. “He’s already down for the t,” he added, gesturing to the still-steaming bumps on Ribbit’s head.

  The pup relutly lowered his leg, wearing a disgruntled scowl. But as he turo walk away, he noticed the boy sneaking a peek through one barely opened eye, cheg if the danger had passed. Zephyr’s growl turned into a wicked grin, fangs gleaming and cws flexing in a menag dispy.

  Ribbit paled.

  While they tumbled around in a chaotic cloud, remi of a se straight out of Tom & Jerry, Daisuke sighed, sifting through the keys on the . “We should probably get out of here before they set off one of the traps a us all killed.”

  Vaughn_RR_Seider