In a large cave, there lay a bear with a layer of frost covering every inch of its body. Vur was standing by its head in his human form, the bear’s lower jaw as tall as him. Behind him, Ashley was sitting on Sir Selddup’s back, the white dog still sporting an extra pair of legs it kept tucked against its waist. The Light Lord glanced down at her pet. “Is this a culinary thing? Bear popsicles?”

Sir Selddup tilted his head. He wasn’t quite sure what Vur was doing. “Weren’t you hungry?” the dog asked. “Why are you freezing it?”

“To keep it fresh,” Vur said and climbed up the bear’s body to get a better look around. After a bit, he slid down the bear’s back, landing on the ground with a thump. “I’m going to bring this one back as dinner for Tafel.”

“Just to make it clear,” Diamant said, the brown runes on Vur’s arm flashing twice. “That means I don’t have to be responsible for dinner anymore, right?”

“You have to make sure this meat,” Vur said, placing his hand on the frozen bear, “gets to Tafel.”

“How considerate,” Sir Selddup said, “a truly commendable member of my very own Gluttonous Gourmets club.” The white dog’s extra pair of scaled legs stepped on the ground, and Sir Selddup raised his front legs off the ground, rubbing his two front paws together. “Such a great guy like yourself won’t make me carry that bear on my back, right?”

Vur’s gaze shifted from the horse-sized dog to the house-sized bear. Vur tilted his head to the side. “Can you carry this?”

“If I say yes, will you make me carry it?” Sir Selddup asked, his face filled with hesitation.

“No,” Vur said and patted the runes on his forearm. A sigh came out of them, and an earthen hand rose out of the ground, lifting the frozen bear. On the back of the earthen hand where it made contact with the ground, there were dozens of earthen legs jutting out of it like little hairs.

The white dog exhaled. “Yes,” Sir Selddup said. “I’m absolutely strong enough to carry that bear. Seriously, who do you think I am? I’m the president of the Gluttonous Gourmet club. To be a high-class gourmet, you have to be strong enough to subdue and eat everything in the world.”

Vur squinted at the white dog. “Do you eat dragons?”

Sir Selddup shut his furry mouth and gulped, chills traveling down his spine. He couldn’t possibly tell a dragon it was every gourmet’s dream to eat a dragon or phoenix or both, right? “I haven’t eaten a dragon,” Sir Selddup said, “but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t curious about how they’d taste.” The fluffy dog gulped when he saw no change in Vur’s expression. Sir Selddup rubbed his front paws together. “Are you … offended?”

Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

“Offended by what?” Vur asked and tilted his head.

“Well, you’re a dragon, and I want to know what one tastes like,” Sir Selddup said. “You might think I want to butcher you and turn you into an exquisite meal.” From atop the dog’s back, Ashley squeezed her thighs together, applying pressure onto Sir Selddup’s waist. “Actually, you know what, I’m going to stop talking now.”

Vur patted the dog’s head. “Don’t worry,” he said. “I want to know what you taste like too.”

Sir Selddup’s mouth fell open. “Now I’m worried about two things,” he said and lowered his front legs down, folding his scaled ones back against his sides.

“Looks like you’ll have to sniff out a lot of bears if you don’t want to be eaten tonight,” Ashley said and patted her dog’s back. “Then again, legs can be regrown quite easily, so even if you don’t find any bears, you’ll be fine.”

Vur climbed onto the dejected dog’s back, and Sir Selddup walked out of the cave, taking a look at the frozen bear being transported after him. It sounded like a crowd of humans was following behind him because of all the footsteps ringing out.

“Hold on, Vur!” Stella said and flew out of Vur’s chest.

Vur reached down and grabbed a handful of Sir Selddup’s fur. He gave it a gentle tug, and the dog harrumphed as it came to a halt. Vur blinked at the fairy queen, and she flew towards the frozen bear.

“What’s this?” Stella asked and touched a green crystal growing out of the bear’s head, in between its eyes. “Why does it”—she sniffed the air a few times—“smell so … rich?” A furrow appeared on the fairy queen’s brow, and she grabbed the crystal, bracing herself to pry it off. She failed.

Vur patted Sir Selddup, and the dog walked over to the frozen bear, climbing up the earthen hand supporting it. “That’s a nutrient,” Sir Selddup said, eyeing the green crystal Stella was hugging in her attempt to retrieve it. “You use them to grow the seeds you were supposed to be given for the advancement exam. Since you abolished the advancement exams, I’m not sure what happened to the seed distribution center.”

Stella took a step back and narrowed her eyes at the so-called nutrient. “They’re good for growing plants?” the fairy queen asked. “Vur, you should try putting the nutrient here.” She flew towards Vur and placed her hand on his chest where her birthflower was located. “I think something good will happen.”

Vur raised an eyebrow before grabbed the nutrient with his thumb and forefinger. With a cracking sound, he pulled it off the bear’s head. Half of the crystal had frozen shards of blood and flesh on it, and Vur popped the nutrient into his mouth, causing Stella’s eyes to widen. “Hey, I said here,” she said and patted Vur’s chest. “What are you doing eating it? Is it as tasty as I think it is?”

Vur held out his palm and spat out a completely clean—save for his saliva—green crystal. “It doesn’t taste like anything,” he said and pressed the crystal against his chest. It dissolved into a green liquid which was quickly absorbed by his skin.

Stella shivered, and veins rose to the surface of her exposed skin. “Wow, what is this?” she asked and licked her lips. “I feel so powerful! Vur, let’s hunt all the bears!”