"I won’t help you," Midnight muttered, her head lolling back as the food-induced lethargy started to kick in.

Liam turned to Elizabeth, who was watching him with an unreadable expression. He stepped close to her, the heat from his body still radiating in the small room. He reached out and playfully poked her side, right where her armour met her hip.

"Sorry, Elizabeth," he said, a deep, husky laugh vibrating in his chest, a sound so rare it made both girls freeze. "I guess we’ll have to put our ’stamina fun’ on hold. I need my sleep if I’m going to carry both of you through the catacombs tomorrow."

Elizabeth’s jaw dropped. Midnight’s eyes nearly popped out of her head.

"Stamina... fun?" Elizabeth squeaked, her face turning a shade of purple. "Liam! That is NOT!"

"Get some rest, Elizabeth," Liam said, already heading toward the bedroom without a second glance. "It’s a long walk tomorrow, and I expect you to be in peak condition."

As he walked into the bathroom, the two girls were left in the dim light of the kitchen, one tied to a couch, the other standing in a towel, both of them staring at the door with the exact same expression of baffled and frustrated longing.

The morning sun hadn’t even finished burning the mist off the cobblestones when Liam hauled Midnight off the couch. The dragon-girl was still bound, her sapphire hair a mess, looking like she’d spent the night wrestling with her own pride and losing.

"Walk," Liam rumbled, nudging her toward the door.

"I have a name, you barbarian," Midnight hissed, though her tail gave a traitorous little wag when she smelled the leftovers of the Omurice Liam had packed into a thermal container.

They met the rest of the crew at the Fountain of Olympius. Mirra was already there, leaning against the marble basin in a set of leather armour that left absolutely nothing to the imagination, her lion ears flicking with amusement. Next to her, Rogue was vibrating with his usual caffeinated energy, though he stopped dead when he saw Liam leading a bound dragon-kin like a prize heifer.

"Yo, Liam! Who’s the new girl? Did you start a collection?" Rogue grinned, reaching for a satchel. "I’m starving, bro. You got any of that ’comfort food’ you were talking about on the stream?"

Liam handed him a small container "Eat it fast, we’re moving in five."

Rogue didn’t need to be told twice. He shovelled a massive spoonful of the [Divine Serpent Omurice] into his mouth. His eyes glazed over. "Oh... oh god. This is it. This is the peak. This egg is so light, so fluffy... It’s like eating a cloud made of pure EXP." He swallowed, wiping his mouth. "Wait, where did you get an egg this big? I thought the only thing that dropped eggs like this was..."

"The Lake Serpent," Liam said flatly, "it was the Boss drop, maybe"

The colour drained from Rogue’s face. The spoon clattered to the stones. "The... the Silver Serpent Egg? The one I wanted to hatch? My baby dragon?!" Rogue collapsed to his knees, clutching his stomach as if he could undo the digestion process. "NOO! MY CHILD! I ATE MY OWN SON! AAAAAA!"

Mirra stepped over his weeping form, her green eyes scanning Liam’s new "recruit."

"And this is why we aren’t dating, Rogue. You have the emotional stability of a level-one slime." She turned to Liam, a predatory smirk playing on her lips. "A dragon, huh, Liam? Truly? You really are building a zoo."

"She’s an information asset," Liam replied, ignoring the "zoo" comment.

Elizabeth arrived shortly after, flanked by Noir and Berry. The moment the two beast women saw Midnight standing close to Liam and Elizabeth’s lingering, flushed look, the temperature in the square seemed to drop ten degrees.

"Another one?" Noir hissed, her Cheetah ears pinned flat. "Liam, we were away for two nights, and you’ve already captured a dragon?"

"She tried to rob me," Liam said, "and now she’s paying the debt."

They moved toward the Iron Hearth Guild Hall to finalise the raid permits. The hall was packed with players preparing for the Catacombs, but the crowd parted like the Red Sea when Liam walked in.

It wasn’t just his silver hair or his massive frame. It was the [Dragon-Slayer’s Aura]. It rolled off him in waves, a heavy, suffocating pressure that made all the women in the room tremble.

Midnight and the rest of the guilds were struggling. Their legs felt like lead, and their eyes kept drifting to the floor. Mirra and Rogue were fine, as long as Liam saw you as friendly, then you were ok, meaning the leadership part of the Iron Hearth guild was coping with it.

"Is the floor interesting?" Liam asked, looking at midnight as she stumbled for the third time. "You’ve been tripping since we left the fountain. You likely have an iron deficiency. I’ll make a spinach-heavy liver sauté tonight."

Midnight flushed scarlet, unable to explain that she wasn’t dizzy, she was just trying not to kneel before the sheer "Alpha" energy he was unknowingly putting out.

The atmosphere shifted from awkward to hostile as they reached the centre of the hall. Standing there, surrounded by a dozen elite guards, was Barbosa, the Leader of the Ruby Eyed Guild.

Barbosa’s eyes landed on Midnight. His face twisted into a sneer. "Well, well, if it isn’t our little Shadow walker, captured by a cook? How pathetic."

"Barbosa," Midnight whispered, her voice trembling. "Please... I was ambushed by the aura, it..."

[SYSTEM TOOLTIP: THE PROTECTOR’S BURDEN]

[Condition]: Midnight has joined the party (Permanent Status: Refugee).

[Status]: Noir and Berry are currently 90% Jealous, 10% Impressed.

[Hidden Buff]: Dragon-Slayer Aura +20% potency when protecting a party member.

[Liam’s Internal Logic]:

Barbosa’s form is sloppy. He leans too far onto his leading leg.

Midnight needs more protein if she’s going to carry those bindings all day.

I should buy more spinach. This ’iron deficiency’ seems to be an epidemic among beast-women.

[Goddess Hestia’s Note]: "THE HEROIC STAND! Liam, the ’Ruby Eyed’ fans are malting, but your personal follower count just doubled! We’re heading into the Catacombs with a cat, a lion, a cheetah, a tiger, and a dragon. If you don’t find a way to make them all ’cuddle’ for warmth in the lower levels, I’m revoking your cooking license!"