The boss room door was massive. But to Chen and Mei, it was just an annoying wooden plank. With a loud thud, the door shattered.
Inside sat a giant Ogre. Before the beast could even stand up, Chen leaped first.
"It's mine! That necklace is mine!"
Chen's claws ripped deep into the Ogre's thigh. The beast screamed and swung its club, but Chen had already circled behind it. Her movements were much sharper than usual. The power of a reward is truly something else.
But Mei wasn't backing down. She crawled along the floor like a shadow, passing right between the Ogre's legs. Then, she scaled its arm, aiming for the eyes.
"Sister, you're too slow! This is mine!"
Mei's claws shredded the Ogre's face. The Ogre, disoriented, swung its fists into thin air. I just stood at the entrance and watched. There was no room for me to intervene. The two beasts were desperate to land the killing blow, even pushing each other out of the way.
Finally, the Ogre fell to its knees. Just as Chen was about to tear into its throat, Mei spun in mid-air and drove a dagger straight into its heart.
"It's over!"
Mei grinned and climbed on top of the Ogre's corpse. Chen stopped, huffing in frustration.
"I did all the work! Mei, you're so annoying!"
"Doesn't matter, I got the last hit. Li-An, did you see? I won."
Mei ran toward me, her tail wagging. She hung onto my neck and pointed at the necklace in my pocket. Her body was soaked in sweat and monster blood. My thin t-shirt clung to her wet skin, making it almost transparent.
I cleared my throat and pulled out the necklace. Chen stood to the side, pouting and kicking the floor.
"A promise is a promise."
I fastened the red-gemmed choker around Mei's neck. With a click, the necklace locked. At that moment, Mei's body gave a small shiver. Her pupils turned red, and she licked the back of my hand.
"Ah... Li-An... this feels so strange. My body is getting so hot."
It seemed the necklace's mana was already stimulating Mei's senses. Her breathing became heavy. Chen, watching from the side, swallowed hard.
"I... I want one too. Li-An, isn't there another one?"
"There was only one chest. Let's go home. You want to stay here all night?"
I led the two women out of the gate. It was already dark outside. The neon signs of Xinghai lit our way. Mei kept rubbing her body against my arm while fiddling with the necklace, and Chen glared at her with pure jealousy.
On the subway back home, people's stares were stinging. A man covered in blood, a girl wearing a choker and barely any clothes, and a growling wolf-girl.
"Li-An, tonight... you're only looking at me, right?"
Mei whispered in my ear. Chen gripped my other arm tightly and answered.
"In your dreams, Mei. The necklace is the necklace, but the night should be fair."
My head was already starting to ache. I just hoped the ceiling of our apartment wouldn't collapse tonight.