The Beast That Chose Poorly
They left Azure Cliff City quickly.
Unfortunately, they were followed.
A massive golden lion with silver horns blocked the mountain path ahead.
On its back sat a grinning man with braided hair and an oversized hammer strapped across his shoulders.
"Name's Borin!" he shouted cheerfully. "My beast sensed something interesting!"
The lion sniffed, then it whimpered. Then it lay down.
Borin blinked, "Traitor."
Sam waved awkwardly. "Hello."
Borin narrowed his eyes.
"You're weird."
"Common feedback."
The lion rolled onto its back submissively.
Borin stared, "What did you do?"
"Nothing."
The lion peeked at Sam cautiously. Sam scratched behind its ear, the the beast purred like a housecat.
Lyra laughed outright.
Darius tried not to as Borin slid off his mount.
"Alright. That settles it. I'm joining you."
Sam stared, "That's not how decisions work."
Borin grinned widely.
"You made my apex spirit beast act like a kitten. I need to see what happens next."
The lion nodded enthusiastically.
Sam just looked at the sky and almost face palmed, "Why."
The sky did not answer.
Thus, Borin and his traitorous lion joined the growing disaster.