The cavern smelled of iron and damp stone. Nyxar wiped the last streak of black blood from his chin, the stain dark against his already shadow-streaked cloak. Bug, still perched on his shoulder like a disgruntled jewel, gave a pointed buzz.
Bug: "I told you—less magic, more sitting quietly like a decorative gargoyle. But nooo, you had to 'know the limits.' And the limit is apparently coughing up half your insides."
Nyxar's only answer was another low cough, more shadowy fluid spattering the cave floor. He crouched, one hand braced on a knee, the other absently holding his hair back as Bug tried to pat his head and keep the long strands out of the mess. The image of the deadly summoner being mother-hen'd by a tiny insect was not lost on either of them.
The Troll Hunt
Hours later, when the dizziness finally dulled, distant echoes of steel and shouting carried through the rock. Nyxar and Bug crept toward a huge natural amphitheater.
Below, armored adventurers battled a cave troll the size of a house. Sparks flew as blades met stone-hard skin. Nyxar watched from the shadows, unreadable.
Bug (whispering): "Heroes. Ugh. They're so… heroic."
When the troll finally bolted deeper into the caverns, the adventurers cheered and limped away.
Nyxar's eyes followed the monster's retreat.
"Wait," he said simply.
The moment the armored strangers vanished, Nyxar and Bug slipped after the wounded giant.
Business as Usual… Almost
They found the troll in a half-collapsed chamber, chest heaving. Nyxar didn't hesitate.
Two Steel Bears thundered into existence, slamming their bulk onto the troll's limbs. The creature howled, bones cracking.
Nyxar vaulted forward, dagger driving straight into its eye. Before the troll could even spasm, a Prain Mantis blurred in, claws singing. One clean slice and the head rolled free.
The Grimarca shimmered open, black runes forming… and then nothing.
Nyxar frowned. "No entry?"
Bug tilted his head. "Maybe it's full?"
The book finally etched a single line: Only you may kill the creature for binding.
Nyxar: "I did kill it."
Book: …Not alone.
Bug buzzed in disbelief. "Wait—you're saying because the bears held it, it doesn't count?"
More runes: Always the rule. Always.
Bug: "Since when?!"
Book: Always.
Nyxar narrowed his eyes. "And you could have spoken this whole time?"
The book calmly inked: Always.
Bug twirled mid-air like an exasperated top. "I— you— ARGH."
The Bell Beast Arrives
A sudden gong reverberated through the cavern, low and pure, like a giant temple bell struck from the depths. The stone walls trembled.
Then the wall itself moved.
A mountain of slate-gray armor slid into view—five meters high at the hump, plated like living fortress walls. The Bell Beast.
Nyxar's breath hitched. "We run."
At once he summoned everything: the two Steel Bears, the two Mantises. They materialized in a line behind him, claws and muscle tensed. Even without true minds, the summons quivered—something primal warned them this was no ordinary foe.
The Bell Beast lumbered closer, each step chiming with that uncanny bell-tone.
Bug whispered, "We are so doomed."
…Wait, What?
Instead of charging, the creature slowed, enormous head tilting. With a rumbling sigh it pressed its plated snout beneath Nyxar's arm like an affectionate hound.
Nyxar froze, dagger half-raised.
"…What."
Bug's wings faltered mid-buzz. "Did… did it just cuddle you?"
The Grimarca popped open, words scrawling themselves in lazy strokes:
This creature seems to like you.
Bug darted in front of the text. "WHAT?? That's your explanation?!"
The two Steel Bears exchanged a slow look as if asking, Are we fighting? Are we hugging?
The Mantises tilted their heads in eerie unison, claws lowering a fraction.
Nyxar blinked down at the enormous armored face still nuzzling his ribs. "Why?"
The book wrote back: ¯\(ツ)/¯
Bug's eyes went wide. "You can do emoticons now?! Since when can you just— what even—"
The Grimarca obligingly repeated: ¯\(ツ)/¯ Always.
Bug clutched his tiny antennae like they might explode. "Always?! You've had that level of sass the whole time and you're only showing it now?!"
Nyxar, still stiff as a statue, tried again. "So I kill a troll—no entry. A gigantic bell-plated walking fortress shows up—and snuggles?"
¯\(ツ)/¯ glowed again, brighter this time, as though the book was smirking.
Uneasy Peace
The Bell Beast gave a gentle, musical bong and nudged Nyxar's hand upward until it rested on the cool armor of its head. Against his will, he scratched lightly. The creature hummed, a resonant note that vibrated through the cavern like distant thunder.
The two Steel Bears blinked in slow confusion. One of the Mantises awkwardly mimicked Nyxar's scratching motion against the floor.
Bug hovered above it all, utterly done.
Bug: "Great. We've gone from summoning undead horrors to running a cuddle club. Next thing you know you'll be knitting matching scarves for the murder squad."
Nyxar simply stared at the bell-plated giant leaning happily into his side, black eyes unreadable, while the Grimarca pulsed with a single, triumphant rune that looked suspiciously like… a smiley face.