Kuljack had made us a shortcut to the surface. It was a round chimney large enough to allow our mistress to fly out. He hadn’t been around recently since he was severing his connection with the dungeon—something he never bothered to explain how he did in the first place.

But that wasn’t my concern. I dug my claws into the walls and pushed off, jumping to the other side. Then I did the same to bounce off to the other side. Bouncing from side to side, I worked my way up the hollowed out shaft faster than I would’ve if I had just tried to climb it. Although, the configuration of my six legs made climbing much harder than when I had my arms and stinger arms.

As I reached the top, the voice returned. “Good girl.”

Don’t get me in trouble, Orange. I’m happy. Let me stay that way.

The shaft opened into a massive, empty, dilapidated warehouse. Mistress’s true body would’ve fit with plenty of room to stretch her wings. Whatever it was used for wasn’t important anymore. It served my mistress now.

I padded my way to the entrance. I flicked my tail out in front of me, extending it so that it opened the lock, pushed aside the metal beam baring it shut, and lifted the latch to allow me to leave.

Sunlight beamed through the opening. It was dead silent. Stepping into the street was like walking into a graveyard. Most of the buildings were damaged, with half being heavily damaged or leveled. Corpses and debris filled the stone roads stained red from all the dried blood. Shattered golem pieces mingled with the bodies.

Much to the surprise of everyone, they had been deactivated before Mistress’s coup. That was my doing. The Gary on this floor controlled all the golems. When I destroyed that interface, they were all deactivated.

Why did I destroy him again? Orange and I were doing something, but I just can’t remember. But I helped my mistress without even knowing. Even though it was because I was being a bad girl. In the end, Mistress was happy, and that’s all that matters. But I can’t help but think what we were doing was important.

As I trotted through the streets, the piles of bodies grew thinner. A gentle breeze washed over my fur and carried with it the smell of rot settling in the bodies. It would take forever to get that smell out completely. Hopefully Mistress and I leave for the next floor before then.

The colosseum was as silent as the streets. All the blood painting its entrances were long since dried, and it was even in five different colors. Inside was some of the worst of the destruction. Nothing recognizable remained of the stands. The battlefield in the center was full of more rubble than not.

Above all, the debris was the sphinx. His eyes locked on me with his wings outstretched. His claws dug into the stone beneath them. I could hear the rocks slowly being ground to dust under the pressure of his tense muscles.

“You failed,” the sphinx said as he dug his claws deeper into the rock beneath him. “You failed and dared show your face to me? I should have you flayed. There’s a collar around you, wasting my effort to have you free.”

I gave him a slight nod. He’s all talk. If he really wanted me dead, he would’ve just attacked. “Yes, I failed to overthrow my mistress. But now, I’m okay with serving her. And since you haven’t tried to rip me apart, you’re beginning to understand the situation.”

The sphinx lowered himself into a more pounce ready stance. “Why don’t you explain why that interloper is disrupting the established order? Her ‘orders’ impede my duty to sort the worthy from the chaff and fodder.”

I started predicting every angle the sphinx could attack me from and then planned my dodge and counterattack. “This floor belongs to my mistress, Elveil. It would be in everyone’s best interest if they accepted that. Unless they’re looking to die—something I don’t recommend. The Nexus is a bit of a jerk.”

The sphinx flinched. “You willingly speak of the master of this pocket of the universe so candidly? How did you get to know them so familiarly?”

“I’ve met them a couple of times now.” My mana is too low for a fight. Besides, I need to say what my mistress wanted. “To not get distracted, I’ve been sent here to tell you that we’ll begin the fights again. Will that make you happy?”

The sphinx’s tail lashed. “Will they be fair fights? Rigged contests will not be right.”

I nodded. He’s being reasonable. That’s good. “Mistress wants to remove those who aren’t completely devoted to her. But I’m sure they’ll be as fair as possible.”

The unabashed aggression radiating from the sphinx eased to a step below murderous. “If you swear that things will return to normal, your mistress is allowed to conduct her business. No more killing in the streets. A price will be paid for the mess.”

I raised an eyebrow. “That wasn’t very good rhyming.”

He rolled his eyes. “You try it sometime. Sometimes you have to accept that no rhyme is fine.”

I hummed. “Nah. It’s too inconvenient to use processing power on that. So things are settled then? As long as we give you fair fights to watch, you’ll corporate?”

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

The air around the sphinx distorted before folding in on itself. He appeared behind me. It wasn’t something I planned for specifically, but I still bolted forward and fired off a couple of shadow projectiles, just like my mistress taught me. Tiny beams of light shot from the sphinx’s eyes to destroy them.

A crooked smile grew on his face. “If not, there will be more consequences. My noninvolvement can be ended for disruptive circumstances. Elveil is pushing my limits.”

Light magic—the counter magic type to mine. Mistress never said to fight the sphinx. But it seems he just wants to scare me. I need to warn her about what he’s capable of. We don’t need to attempt what Tasha did. There’s nothing to gain for it. We need the sphinx to get to the next floor.

My first step was to leave. I was out of the colosseum in two bounds—less than one tenth of a second. Now that I was more accustomed to moving on six legs, my speed was ludicrous. It wasn’t teleporting at the speed of light, but that’s cheating.

Getting back to the warehouse was a blur, but there was someone standing in the doorway.

I skidded to a stop, claws scraping against the ground, as I caught sight of the figure blocking the warehouse door. My heart twisted in the same way it had the first time Elveil sank her claws into my mind.

It wasn’t Mistress standing there, but Bark. No, not him. It’s just someone who looks like him.

The shaylip looked rough—like he probably should be dead. A shallow cut ran along his jaw, the edges crusted with dried blood. His eyes carried an unhinged gleam, a mix of joy and violence. His hand gripped the hilt of his sword so tightly that his knuckles shone white beneath the skin. The other three arms hung at his sides limply as they each dripped blood.

“Thought I wouldn’t find you?” he rasped, his voice like a blade scraping stone.

He’s mistaken me for someone else. His mind is gone.

My six legs shifted beneath me, instinctively crouching into a stance I could spring from. The shadow mana still hummed through my fur.

Mistress’s voice returned. “Kill him.”

“You thought you’d get the upper hand on old Naftis.” He lifted the sword in his hand over his head. “I’m not gonna die first. Bleed for me!”

No. Don’t feel that. Mistress will be angry. She didn’t tell me to kill him. That’s Orange who told me to do it.

“I can’t do that,” I whispered, stepping back.

“You can’t?” Naftis mimicked, taking a step closer. “You can’t? Then I’ll make you!”

I jumped out of his reach. As I did, I spun and swatted his head with a tail. He went flying into a wall and died with a crunch of his bones. He was worth only 15,102 shards and no stats.

That was self defense. Mistress won’t get angry with me.

“Good girl.”

I bristled at the words. I liked hearing those words, but they were from Orange. It was like I was being manipulated all over again. Leave me alone! Don’t make things complicated. I wish you would disappear forever.

A gust of wind stirred the debris in the street, carrying with it the heavy stench of blood. I turned my head and padded closer to the door of the warehouse, claws lightly clicking against the cracked stone.

The figure climbed over some rubble as I drew near, enough for me to see the glint of golden armor under the shadow of the building. It was a shark beastman. Up until I met the man, I had only seen beastmen of mammals and birds, never any aquatic animals.

He was large, covered in gold plate armor that was obviously magical. There were no weapons on him since I knew he loved killing with his bare hands.

“Shouldn’t you be running along, pet?” His voice dripped with disdain. But there was something deeper in it—something I didn’t like. “The dogs usually don’t last long when I’m around.”

I raised my chin, holding back the growl that bubbled in my throat. “Who let you out of your cage, Tavor?” I replied, trying to keep my voice steady, though my six legs itched to bolt.

Tavor isn’t someone to be taken lightly. He has a reputation for making people disappear, always at Mistress’s order, but he always lived for the kill. I never liked him.

He grinned, the gleam of his teeth stark against his dark skin. “Mistress wanted me to check on her little toy.” He stepped into the street. His eyes narrowing as they traced my altered form, lingering just long enough to make me feel a surge of cold creeping along my spine before nodding to the dead shaylip. “Looks like she’s been busy.”

I let out a slow breath, my mind searching for an opening—any way to get past him without incident. He was in my way. He was always in my way.

“Just doing what I was told,” I said evenly, stepping to the side. “I delivered her message to the sphinx. It’s done.”

His smile faded, replaced by a calculating stare. “And?”

“And he’ll play nice as long as Mistress does what he wants. No more killing in the streets.” I took another step, ears flicking as I watched for any sudden movements. “I’m sure she’ll be thrilled with the outcome.”

Tavor chuckled, low and dangerous. “No killing in the streets. How sweet. But what makes you think that’s what she wants?”

I didn’t. But who is he to even think that he knows what Mistress is going to do? The sphinx is just a piece on the board, and Elveil will use him as she sees fit. But I have no intention of getting caught up in whatever game Tavor is playing. I need to get back inside—to report, and more importantly, to figure out what the in-the-world Orange is planning.

“Mistress will decide that,” I said, already moving past him.

But he wasn’t done. His hand shot out, gripping one of my tails.

I froze, muscles coiling tight. “Let. Go.”

Tavor yanked hard enough to force me back toward him. “You think just because you wag your tail and do what she says, you’re safe?” His grip tightened, claws digging in, sending a wave of sharp pain through my tail. “You’re still just a pet. No matter what you do, you’ll always be her little toy. When the day comes she no longer wants you, I’ll be the first to line up to remove you. I’m craving a good challenge.”

For a moment, the rage bubbled to the surface. I could feel it—the heat spreading through my veins, the raw desire to lash out and tear into him, to show him exactly what Mistress’s pet was capable of.

But then, just as quickly, the familiar voice echoed in my head. “Good girl. Kill him.”

The fury drained out of me, leaving only bitter resignation in its place. Orange wants me to be angry and attack him? I felt my body relax under Tavor’s grip, my mind easing back into its leash. He’s someone who serves Mistress. He’s someone who I can’t attack. And if Orange wants me to attack him, then I definitely won’t.

Tavor’s grip loosened as he felt the shift, and his eyes gleamed with satisfaction. “That’s right,” he murmured, releasing me with a condescending pat on the head. “Go on. Run along to your master. Be a good little pet—while you still can.”

I didn’t wait for him to finish. With a flick of my tail, I slipped past him into the warehouse, my body moving on autopilot. There was something nagging at the back of my mind.

Why did his words feel like they left a deeper wound than his claws ever could? I want to be her pet, right? Right?