Assimilate All Talents

With a wry smile, Sol took a step forward and shook his head. "No, we're not killing it. It'll be joining us."

"Okay." Amber put away her dagger, much to the Raijin's relief. It found the sudden shift ridiculous—the ominous feeling from her vanished without a trace.

"Awoo? Hyuun… (She accepted it so quickly? I thought I was going to die…)"

Sol held back the urge to laugh at the Raijin's incredulous expression. This was simply who Amber was. She rarely questioned his decisions, only occasionally voicing her opinions, so her immediate acceptance wasn't surprising. Still, he would take some time to explain the situation better. While she usually went along with whatever he said, he treated her as an equal in every decision. If she didn't want the Raijin to come along because it would slow them down, he would understand.

Slightly raising the stone platform back into the air, he got on and said, "I'll explain when we get back. Oh, and here—[Cleansing Mist]."

A white mist gathered and passed through Amber, washing away the blood that covered her. The mist, now mixed with the blood and some dirt, coalesced into a dirty red sphere that Sol buried in the ground.

Cleaned, Amber hopped onto the platform, and the Raijin followed suit—though it still kept some distance from her.

"Alright, let's go."

With a surge of mana, the stone platform launched into the air, continuing its path back to Initium.

...

Before they could get any rest, Sol, Amber, and the Raijin found themselves in Guildmaster William's office, recounting the events that had transpired.

William listened attentively, occasionally glancing at the Raijin, which lay sprawled across the floor, taking up a large portion of the room with its sizable frame. When Sol finished his explanation, William exhaled and folded his arms.

"So, you went and fought the A-Ranker on your own? You know you could have called for my assistance after taking care of the remaining Thunder Wolf Kings." His voice was calm, but it was clear he would have preferred to lend a hand rather than find out about this after the fact.

Sol nodded but stood firm in his reasoning. "Yeah, I could have. But if he realized all the Thunder Wolf Kings were dead, he might have escaped. If that happened, I wouldn't have felt safe leaving Initium—he could've returned later with a stronger army of beasts."

It also wasn't realistic to wait indefinitely for Varek to return, so Sol had chosen to strike when the enemy least expected it.

Before William could respond, a voice chirped from behind the Raijin.

"I still think you should've called for Dad's help," Annabel said, lifting herself over the Raijin's back with a bright grin. "But since you brought this adorable boy, I forgive you!"

"Boy?" Sol raised an eyebrow. "Is that what you were doing back there? I thought you were just petting it—I mean, him."
Experience tales at My Virtual Library Empire

"I was doing both! I was curious if he had a gender, so I took a look!"

Sol blinked. "...Alright."

He should have expected Annabel, lover of all things fluffy, to immediately fall in love with the Raijin. That's why he had warned the Raijin beforehand not to attack her and to let her do whatever she wanted—but he quickly realized the warning had been unnecessary.

The Raijin made a soft, contented rumble as Annabel affectionately scratched behind its ears. If it had been wary from Sol's warning before, that was completely gone now. It had melted under her touch, eyes half-lidded in bliss as it purred in a manner similar to a cat.

"Awoo… (Don't stop, right there…)"

Annabel giggled. "See? He loves it! You're such a good boy, aren't you?" She ruffled the Raijin's fur, and it responded by pressing its head into her hands, practically begging for more affection.

Sol sighed. "You're going to spoil him."

"Too late." Annabel smirked, leaning into the Raijin as if he were a giant pillow. "Besides, I don't see the problem. He's obviously perfect."

William, watching the exchange, pinched the bridge of his nose.

With a more serious expression, he turned to Sol. "So, what exactly do you plan to do with… him?"

Sol tilted his head slightly at the question. "Not much. Since he wants to stay with me, he'll come with us to the Sapphire Scales Alliance. But if he ever wants to leave, he can."

William's expression turned complicated. He hesitated for a moment before opening his mouth, but before he could voice his concerns, Annabel interrupted.

"I think we should give him a name!" she declared, sitting up excitedly.

The Raijin perked up immediately, wagging its tail as if it understood.

Amber, who had remained silent until now, looked at Annabel and then at the Raijin. "...A name?"

"Of course! We can't just keep calling him 'beast' or whatever. He needs a proper name!" Annabel reasoned, still petting the Raijin. "I mean, just look at him! How could you not want to name him?"

The Raijin let out an approving "Awuuu! (Everyone has one! I want one too!)" and continued purring as she rubbed his head.

Sol chuckled at her enthusiasm but turned his attention back to William. There was still something on the guildmaster's mind.

"...You were going to say something earlier," Sol prompted.

William ran a hand through his long, mane-like beard. He looked between the Raijin and Sol before standing up and saying, "Sol, come with me for a moment."

Sol tilted his head slightly but nodded and stood up after him. As the two were heading out, William added, "While we're gone, why don't you two think of a name for him?"

"Okay!" Annabel said before turning to Amber and throwing out name suggestions that had already been on her mind.

Amber didn't have any suggestions of her own, silently listening as Annabel rapidly fired off different names while the two men left the room.

Outside the office, William led Sol to a balcony, where he suddenly leaped into the air. Before gravity could pull him back down, wind gathered around him, keeping him aloft.

He looked down at Sol and asked, "You coming? Don't tell me you can't fly."

Sol leaped into the air as well, creating a stone platform from thin air that levitated upward. "Okay, but where are we going?"

"Somewhere quiet… As much as I love my little girl, she can be a bit much at times. Plus, this is something I don't want her to hear."

With William's rather serious tone, Sol frowned and followed him as they ascended hundreds of meters into the sky, reaching the clouds far above.