"Alright, look, I'm taking the rest of this stuff. But the Pet Egg is yours. Consider it a gift."
"Stone, I can't. That's too much."
FreshwindElara was even more stubborn than he was, and she wasn't budging.
"Let's just go turn in the quest," Marcus said, deciding to ignore her protest. He'd already shoved the egg into her hands, and he wasn't about to take it back. He started for the cave exit.
"Stone, no. Seriously." Seeing he wasn't listening, FreshwindElara darted in front of him, set the egg carefully on the ground, and made her position clear before turning to leave. "If you won't take it back, then it can just sit there."
"Suit yourself," Marcus said, not even glancing at the egg as he stepped around her.
He'd only made it a few paces when FreshwindElara blocked his path again. Seeing his absolute refusal to even acknowledge the valuable item she'd left behind, a wave of frustration hit her.
"Stone, you…!" she shouted, but after his name, the words caught in her throat. A single, silent tear traced a path down her cheek.
"Elara? What's wrong?" The sight of her crying sent a jolt of panic through him. What had he done? Had he messed up somehow?
"Hey, don't cry…"
"Elara, please…"
He was quick to apologize, his voice softening. He didn't think he'd done anything wrong, but making a woman cry felt like a capital offense, no matter the reason.
"I'm sorry, okay? I was wrong. Just please stop crying."
"You're such an idiot, Stonehaven!" she managed, her voice thick with emotion. "I'm a Cleric. I level with my guild. What am I supposed to do with a top-tier battle pet? And you just had to force it on me. You complete moron."
"Elara, I…" So, she was thinking of him. The realization left him speechless.
"You fool," she continued, the tears still flowing but now mixed with exasperation. "With a pet like that, you could be so much stronger. Don't you get it?"
Her soft sobs did something to him; twisting his heart up in a way that was both unbearably sweet and utterly frustrating. "Elara, don't cry. Look, I already have a pet. See?"
He quickly summoned the Darkfire Phoenix. The creature materialized in a shimmer of heat, its plumage flowing with red, black, and gold.
"See? This is my pet."
"Oh! What is that? It's… stunning, Stone. It's gorgeous."
She wasn't wrong. After its evolution, the Phoenix was a sight to behold; more slender, its feathers fuller, with a black-gold sheen running through the crimson. It radiated an ineffable elegance and pride. Marcus often thought the legendary beauty of a phoenix couldn't possibly be more than this.
Seeing the Darkfire Phoenix had successfully stopped her tears, Marcus finally relaxed. A beautiful woman's tears were his kryptonite.
"Beautiful, right? This is the Darkfire Phoenix. Her name is Phoenix Chick. Go on, you can pet her. Phoenix Chick, be nice for the lady."
"Mhm, she's incredible," FreshwindElara murmured, her innate love for beautiful things taking over as she gently stroked the Phoenix's feathers.
"Wait… the Darkfire Phoenix? Stone, you're not joking, are you? The number one pet on the leaderboard is a Darkfire Phoenix. Is this… is this the one?"
"What, you doubting my girl's credentials?" Marcus feigned annoyance, though he was smiling. The tense atmosphere between them had finally broken.
"No! It's just… I never thought I'd actually see it. I'm just in shock. Stone, you're amazing."
'Phew.'
Even if it wasn't intentional flattery, her simple, awestruck words sent his ego swelling.
"Alright then, Elara. Now that you've seen my pet, you're not going to turn down the Nine-Winged Dark Gold Bat King egg, are you?"
He walked over, picked up the egg she had left on the ground, and pressed it back into her hands. He was silently grateful for the game's five-minute drop protection; otherwise, this high-level egg; which could have hatched a Level 10 Bat King but was now a Level 8 Three-Winged variant, would have been long gone.
"Okay," she said softly, finally accepting it. "I've actually wanted a pet for ages, but my guild hasn't been able to find one for me yet. Thank you, Stonehaven."
'She's wanted a pet this whole time and was still refusing it?' Marcus kept the thought to himself; saying it out loud seemed like a very bad idea.
"Stone, I'm going to hatch it now."
"Do it! Let's see what we've got."
A flash of black light shimmered, and a bat the size of a house cat appeared before them. It was delicate and oddly adorable, like a winged squirrel, but its three pairs of strong, golden wings spanned nearly a meter when they unfurled, giving it a surprisingly majestic air.
"See? That's the potential of a Level 10 pet base. You can just tell," Marcus noted.
"It's so cute!" FreshwindElara said at the exact same time, their points of appreciation clearly worlds apart.
"Haha…"
They looked at each other and shared a knowing smile.
"Ding! Congratulations! The Intimacy Level between player Stonehaven and FreshwindElara has increased to 95. When grouped, their team Attack and Defense are increased by 10%. Reward: 50 Reputation, 1,000 Gold Coins."
'Huh, so the game tracks intimacy?' Marcus, with his thick skin, didn't think much of it. FreshwindElara, however, immediately looked down, a captivating blush rising on her cheeks.
'So beautiful,' Marcus found himself thinking, captivated by her shy, delicate expression. He couldn't help but stare.
"Stone, we should go. The quest," FreshwindElara prompted, keenly aware of his gaze. She turned away to hide her face, trying to calm her pounding heart.
"Right. Yeah."
He quickly snapped out of it, taking the lead and shielding her slightly as they moved toward the cave exit.
"Hey, Elara, your Three-Winged Dark Gold Bat King just hit number four on the Pet Leaderboard."
"Really? That high? Let me see!"
The top five spots were notoriously stable, while everything below shifted constantly. High-level pets were clearly rare. FreshwindElara's new bat sat firmly in fourth place, right behind the third-ranked Savage Gold Wolf. It was a formidable pet, but the fact that the Savage Gold Wolf and the Two-Winged Tiger were also Level 8 yet ranked higher meant they were nothing to scoff at either.
Chatting and laughing, Marcus and FreshwindElara made their way out of the Bat Cave. The Dark Bats they passed didn't even require Marcus to lift a finger; he was almost speechless at the sheer power of their two pets.
The Three-Winged Dark Gold Bat King was the undisputed overlord of the cave. Even at Level 1, the aggressive Level 28 Dark Bats would scatter at the sight of it, not a single one daring to approach.
Marcus's Darkfire Phoenix was even more of a show-off. Seeing a swarm of bats, it would open its beak and unleash a Sea of Darkfire, reducing the monsters to ashes with pitiful shrieks. They offered no resistance whatsoever.
"Your Phoenix is insane, Stone," FreshwindElara commented, happily scooping up a few decent Blue-grade equipment drops for her mates. She was already excited to show off tomorrow.
Watching the Sea of Darkfire cleanse the cavern, Marcus felt a twinge of envy. As powerful as he was, he was still a single-target fighter. It was nothing like the visceral satisfaction of that area-of-effect annihilation. He truly envied the Sorcerers' screen-wide attacks.
With their two powerhouse pets leading the way, the journey through the Bat Cave was a breeze. In no time, Marcus and FreshwindElara emerged from the cavern and made their way back to the Stone Elder resting against the massive tree.