"But you can call me 'Your Savior' for now, since it looks like you lot are in a bit of trouble.”

Everyone still concious just stared at him speechless.

Kyris swished his tail, the stone barb clinking softly against the ground. “I’ve gotta say, not the warmest welcome for someone who’s been stuck in here for... well, who knows how long. But no worries - I’m here now. So, what’s the plan?”

He winked. A wink.

This... critter was who we owed our lives too. If it hadn't been for him we'd be mush beneath the golem's feet right now. Beginner-friendly my ass. I could do very well without the adventurer's life if this was what it took. What was I thinking!? Wait. No.

I turned around and made my towards a still-shaking Tavrin. I locked eyes with him. Then I jumped up, turning around mid-air to swipe across his face with my tail.

"What the hell were you thinking!? I shouted as I landed.

"I- I don't know! I panicked, alright? I was scared!" He said, clutching his fists.

"Oh I'll show you scary." I took a step forward.

"Fantastic! That's the fighting spirit I like to see! Kyris said, hopping and landing onto Tavrin's head. He barely fit on top of it. "But I think we have bigger problem's right now, no?"

His barbed tail pointed toward an unconcious Zilra with Rheka sitting next to her.

“Right.” I said, glaring at Tavrin one last time before turning my attention back to the bigger mess. “I agree, we’ve got more pressing issues.”

Kyris gave a little hop off Tavrin’s head, landing gracefully next to Zilra’s limp form. “No offense, but your friend there looks like she’s had a rough day.”

I walked over to Rheka looking like she was about to burst into tears. “How’s she doing?”

“I don’t know.” Rheka mumbled. “She’s breathing, but...”

“Great, so she's not dead. That’s a start.” I rubbed my head with a claw. “But we need to get out of here before another one of those rock monstrosities shows up.”

Kyris’s tail flicked, and he cocked his head. “Leaving, huh? Good plan. And how exactly were you thinking of dragging unconscious people through a crumbling temple?”

I shot him a look. “I don’t know, maybe the magic creature who just saved our asses has a better idea?”

Kyris flashed a grin, revealing sharp little teeth. “You’re in luck! That’s my specialty.”

With a shake, his body started to glow, shifting and growing. His small, chimera-like form expanded into something bulkier, rocks and dirt pulling from the ground and fusing to his body. In seconds, he was towering over us in the form of a stone beast, looking like a cross between a bear and a mountain. His barbed tail now resembled a jagged whip of stone, and his paws were the size of boulders.

He gave a low rumble. “Climb on.”

Rheka blinked at him with a faint smile. “Wait, you can just... do that?”

“Obviously.” I said, nudging Rheka to get on. “Let’s go, before the rest of this temple decides to collapse on us.”

We scrambled onto Kyris’ back, the three of us hoisting a still semi-unconcious Zilra on as we did. Tavrin still looked like he’d seen a ghost. I was furious. Sure, I was scared shitless too, but what idiot puts his religious ideals above the life of his... companions.

What a moron.

That fight had once again been ways too close for my liking. How was I always this much of a reckless idiot? Going out to explore a temple with children? Am I retarded?

I sighed.

And now we had a talking rock chimera giving us a ride.

Kyris started moving, surprisingly smoothly for a creature made of rock. The whole temple seemed to groan and creak around us as he carefully stepped over the rubble. It was a bit tragic that all we had found in here was this guy's egg. I had imagined the explorer's life to be a bit more bountiful.

The way out wasn't as far as I had dreaded, but still, I was on edge.

As we made our way through the crumbling corridors and past the broken statues, I glanced down at Kyris. “So, what exactly are you? And how did you end up in here?”

Kyris didn’t look back, just kept walking, but I could see his ear twitch in thought. “I suppose I'm what you folks call a Forpal.”

“Oh, suppose, huh?” I replied. “Because Forpals normally hatch from mysterious glowing eggs in deathtrap temples?”

Kyris let out a chuckle. “Hey, Forpals come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, right? As for me, well... I’ve been in there for a while. A long while. Honestly, I lost track after the first couple centuries.”

Centuries? “Wait, you were stuck in there for centuries?”

“Pretty much.” Kyris said, still sounding way too casual about the whole thing. “I don’t remember all the specifics, but it seems I was sealed away for... some reason. Doesn't matter, I'm here now.”

"That you are." I let out another long sigh.

Kyris chuckled. “You’re welcome, by the way.”

“Yes, yes, thanks for saving us.” I paused, looking at the walls of the temple as we passed through them. It was odd. I should have been more enthusiastic about this, right? Meeting another one of my kind. But just like when I'd met Gryps - Damarion's Forpal, I felt... nothing. Well, I hadn't exactly had a conversation with Gryps but still. Shouldn't I have been excited? Thrilled, curious even? Maybe it was the fact that I'd lived as a human before. I suppose technically I still was one. Maybe not.

The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

The reincarnation ended that. When I'd been reborn.

"Wait. If you're a Forpal, who's Forpal are you?"

Kyris gave me a slight side-eye. I couldn't see it, but I just knew that he was grinning. "Ah, that would be telling, wouldn’t it?"

I narrowed my eyes. “Spill it.”

Kyris just chuckled in response. Then it hit. Rheka and I turned around in unison. Both of us looking straight at a startled Tavrin.

“What? No, no way. I don't have a Forpal. Does ist even work like that?"

"Beats me." I said.

"Congratulations!" Rheka cheered, clapping her hands together like she'd just handed Tavrin a winning lottery ticket.

Tavrin, meanwhile, looked like someone had just told him he had to wrestle another golem. "No... this can't be right. It can't be me."

Kyris chuckled, his tail swishing along the ground behind us. "Afraid so, kid. Like it or not, you're stuck with me now. And trust me, you could do worse. I'm a catch."

I grinned, watching Tavrin try to process the news. "Yes, Tavrin. Think of it as an upgrade. Now you're not useless to the group anymore!"

I meant that, by the way. With all my heart.

Kyris tilted his head. "The good news is, you don’t actually have to use magic. I can handle that for you! That's kind of my thing. You focus on... whatever it is you do, and I’ll take care of the heavy lifting."

Tavrin still looked uneasy, staring down at his hands. "I don't know if I can even handle having a Forpal, much less one that casts for me."

"Well, you'll have to get used to this. With this guy around, we might just survive the next deathtrap we walk into." I said. Not that there'd ever be another one, but they didn't have to know that.

My mind kept drifting as we finally exited the temple. Kyris squeezed through the final narrow hallway, and just like that, we were out. The light of the setting sun hit us, warm and bright compared to the damp, dark temple. I took a deep breath of fresh air. Never thought I’d be so happy to see daylight again.

“We made it.” Rheka breathed out, relief all over her face.

Kyris nodded his stone head in a slow manner. "Exactly. It'll be a great partnership, promise."

Tavrin let out a long sigh, clearly overwhelmed but not entirely opposed to the idea. "Alright... I guess we'll see how this goes."

As we made our way toward the city gates, I couldn’t help but shake my head at the situation. Tavrin was probably one of the last people I would have chosen as a partner. But if Kyris was half as useful as he claimed, maybe this wouldn’t be a complete disaster. With how quick he'd dealt with that monster of a golem, he was the strongest weapon we had now. Who knows, he might prove to be a useful tool in the future.

The setting sun disappeared behind the singular wall that was Gipuzk. It was a fascinating sight every time. Despite our short stay so far, the city had begun to grow on me a bit. There was still plenty I wanted to do in there.

"You ever been here?" I flicked my tail up and down to signal to Kyris.

"Can't say that I have. Pretty sure I'd remember a place like this. Are we... at the Blue Palisade? Cause if we are, that name has not aged well."

...the 'Blue Palisade'? I couldn't recall ever having heard about or read that name.

"What's that?"

"It's a wall. Huge! Just like this one. Been keeping the 'Neyar out since... well, ever I'd say." Kyris chuckled.

This fellow was speaking in riddles. He really had been in there for centuries. Must be tough, actually. Everyone - everything he knew was gone. And despite that he was overly optimistic about his situation. He didn't even care. Just lived in the moment.

"Neyar?" I repeated, feeling like a clueless idiot.

"Orcneyar." Kyris said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "You know, those grumpy, pigfaced people that used to terrorize us every once in a while? The ones that punch really hard. No? Really?"

I blinked. "Uh, no. Never heard of them."

Which was the truth - I really hadn't. And even if I had, it wasn't like our little chimera friend here was giving me any specifics.

Kyris glanced back at me, rocky ears twitching. "Huh. Well, guess they've been dealt with then. Good for you guys." He seemed unbothered that some ancient menace he'd once known was no longer relevant.

I exchanged a glance with Rheka, who just shrugged. Tavrin was still sitting quietly, probably still trying to process the whole "I am a Nekro now" situation.

The city gate came into view. Gipuzk now looming above us, casting a long shadow in the fading light. The temple had been a nightmare, and even though the city had its own fair share of problems, at least I didn’t have to worry about more golems stomping after us. Hopefully. You never know.

As we approached the gate, one of the guards gave us a curious look. Couldn't blame him, really. A group of beaten-up kids - plus a dragon, mind you - riding on the back of a walking, talking, stone chimera creature?

Not exactly your average Tuesday.

“State your business.” the guard said, trying to sound official but clearly confused as hell.

"Just heading back home." I said casually, flicking my tail.

The guard's eyes went over us again, landing on Zilra, still slumped and unconscious, blood smeared across her clothes. His brows shot up, and he stiffened immediately.

"Uh, is that... the princess?" His voice wavered between authority and sheer panic.

"Yep." I said, nodding, like this was the most normal thing in the world. "She had a bit of an... accident. But don't worry, she's fine. Mostly."

"Mostly!?" The guard stammered, taking a half-step forward. "What happened to her? I need to alert the city-"

"Whoa, whoa," I cut in quickly, waving a claw. "No need to go all dramatic on us. She’ll be fine. We’re taking her back to the palace now. Just let us through."

The guard hesitated, glancing between Zilra’s unconscious form and the rest of us. "I... I need to report this-"

"Yeah, you do that," Kyris said, chuckling. "After we get her back safely. Unless you'd rather be the one to explain why the princess bled out on your watch while you were standing around questioning us?"

The guard blanched. "Alright, alright. Go on through. But hurry! And I’m sending word ahead!"

"Good man." I said with a nod, and we passed through the gates, heading straight into the city with Zilra still limp on Kyris' back.

We made our way up the city, pulling the same charade at every gate we had to pass through. It might have not been the smartest idea to travel on a stone monster in public but honestly, what choice did we have? Zilra was half-dead, Rheka was busted and even my legs hurt like hell. The last thing I cared about was people's stares and causing a commotion. Fuck the people.

Arriving at the palace it was more of the same. Panicked guards and surprised faces. Rheka and Zilra were taken for medical examination, while Tavrin, Kyris and I made our way to our chamber. Obviously by now he had turned back into his usual form. If you could call it that.

"This is where you folks sleep? Neat." Kyris said, casually jumping onto the bed and sprawling out like he owned the place. "I knew you all were some sort of nobility. Only rich idiots would go on an adventure like that."

I couldn't help but snort at that. “Yes, well, welcome to the team, I guess. Lucky you got stuck with us.”

“Lucky, huh?” Kyris said with a grin, lounging even more comfortably. “If I wasn’t around, you’d be splat under that golem right now.”

He wasn’t wrong. But I wasn’t about to let him get too cocky. “Yes, yes, save the hero speech. You’re here now, and we’re stuck with you.”

Kyris winked, not the least bit offended. "Oh, you'll grow to love me."

I rolled my eyes but didn't respond. It was only a few minutes later when there was a knock at the door. I turned to see a guard standing in the doorway, his face serious.

The King has requested your presence in the conference room.” he said. “You two and the... creature.”

“Creature?” Kyris huffed. “I’m not some mangy beast, thank you very much.”

Ignoring him, I nodded at the guard. “Alright, we’re coming.”

Every time we'd been to that damn conference room had been more unpleasant than the last. And somehow I had the gut feeling...

...this time was going to be even worse."