Minutes later, the others stormed into the hollow with energy shields raised, prepared for a battle to the death.
Instead, they found me sitting cross-legged, feeding Pazuzu chunks of dried fruit from my trail rations like I was babysitting a demonic griffon.
Heim's jaw dropped. "You're...feeding it?"
Jiuge squinted. "Why is it wagging its tail?"
Agnos looked between us. "Wait...did you tame it?"
I managed a shaky, triumphant smile—half defiant, half delirious. "Well… turns out being a virgin finally saved my life. Who knew?"
Pazuzu let out a low, satisfied rumble that vibrated through the cavern walls, the sound both primal and oddly… pleased. It circled around me like a living fortress of shadow and scale, coiling protectively as if I were a rare treasure instead of accidental bait.
