The clearing went absolutely silent.
Alex stared at him, mouth opening and closing without sound.
[HE WANTS TO JOIN YOUR PARTY. LIKE AN RPG. THIS IS—THIS IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING. HOST, YOUR DREAM OF BECOMING A POWERHOUSE WITH POWERFUL COMPANIONS IS COMING TRUE. ]
" Shut Up. " Alex cursed inside his head.
"I—" Alex started. "You—what?"
"I know it's unconventional," Granite continued. "A former chief following a pregnant bearer and his mates on a divine artifact hunt. But..."
He smiled slightly, the expression transforming his weathered face. "I've spent hundred years being responsible for hundreds of lives. I've never had the freedom to just... travel. To pursue something for reasons other than duty."
He gestured to the Leadership Trial Stone.
"You gave us this. You gave us Pebble. You gave us a future we didn't have before. Let me help you complete your quest. Let me contribute to something beyond this mountain."
