The battlefield groaned.

  Somewhere in the blackened distance, a beast fell with a final, rattling cry. The sound echoed like a war drum slowing to silence. Then... nothing.

  Just smoke. Just ash. Just the distant crackle of still-burning roots.

  Alistair lay on his side, staring at his blood-smeared hands, his breath a wheezing rasp.

  [HP: 3 / 190]

  Status: Critical

  Everything ached. His ribs felt broken. His shoulder was numb. And his legs weren’t responding with anything more helpful than please stop.

  His vision pulsed red with every heartbeat. He knew what came next. One scratch, one stumble, one twitch from anything...

  He fumbled for his belt and yanked free the only hope he had left.

  [Ring of Minor Healing – Activated]

  +30 HP

  [HP: 33 / 190]

  [Status: Stabilized]

  A flicker of warmth spread through his limbs. Just enough to keep his blood inside his body. Just enough to stop dying.

  He exhaled hard and rolled onto his back.

  Above him, the sky had cracked open in molten streaks. The ground looked like a corpse that hadn’t stopped twitching. Fissures still belched smoke. Roots burned red. The trees were... gone. Just gone.

  And Buddy?

  Buddy was still fighting.

  Alistair turned his head to watch, vision swimming.

  The hellhound tore into the final beast, body slick with blood, its own and not. Wounds lined its flanks, some deep, some fresh, others still burning from acidic strikes. But it fought like fury incarnate, claws raking, jaws flashing with that infernal bite.

  Blazefang lit the field again. Fire cascaded across black scales.

  The monster shrieked and fell.

  Buddy snarled once more, staggering to one side, then dropped to its haunches, panting. Thick, ember-laced breath spilled from its mouth. Its tongue lolled out, dark and jagged.

  Alistair pushed himself up, groaning.

  The beast didn’t move.

  Didn’t growl.

  Didn’t kill anything.

  He limped forward, every step an argument between pain and pride. When he reached Buddy’s side, he collapsed into a kneel.

  "You're alive," he rasped. "You're..."

  [Cleansing – Final Wave Complete]

  All active beasts in your area have been culled, fled, or returned to the wild.

  [Arena Status Update]

  Remaining Champions: 205 / 489

  Alistair blinked. "Huh."

  He reached a hand out and placed it gently on Buddy’s flank.

  “Good job,” he said softly. “You’re a flaming war machine and I think you killed a dragon-bear or something in there.”

  The hellhound’s breath wheezed out, one side of its face soaked in soot and gore. Its glowing eyes flicked to him. Not angry. Not even wary.

  Just watching.

  Alistair smiled.

  “Come here, big guy. Lay down.”

  [Verbal Command: Comply]

  [Hellhound – Obeying]

  The beast grunted and slumped beside him, limbs folding under its enormous weight. Heat blasted outward from its body in pulses, not violent now, just steady. Like an overworked furnace trying to cool.

  Alistair leaned against it carefully, arms crossed over his chest.

  His HP ticked upward. Slowly.

  His stamina crawled back, second by second.

  They sat in silence, one master, one monster. Two half-dead things catching their breath together in the crater of what used to be a forest.

  “I don’t care how many people you’ve incinerated,” Alistair murmured. “You’re adorable.”

  The hellhound snorted, embers drifting from its nostrils.

  Alistair’s grin widened.

  The wind shifted.

  It wasn’t natural. It didn’t rustle leaves or stir ash, it just… changed. Like the rules of the world took a breath and held it.

  Alistair’s smile faded.

  Even Buddy stilled.

  Then the sky ripped open.

  Not literally. But it felt that way. The air shimmered with divine heat, and shadows bent where they shouldn’t. Light twisted into too many colors.

  And then came the gods.

  They didn't descend so much as arrive, towering illusions of gold and smoke and hunger. One stepped down, feet touching scorched earth like it was silk. Another hovered just above, wings of fractured crystal spread wide. A third came as a shadow with a thousand glinting eyes.

  Their presence pressed against Alistair’s skin like wet stone.

  His knees locked. His lungs tightened.

  Even Buddy, his infernal, battle-scarred, walking bonfire of a hellhound froze. The growl cut off in his throat. Muscles tense, ears flat, body low.

  Alistair felt it too. His bones groaned, like they remembered being made from someone else's clay.

  A ripple in the air marked the arrival of someone… louder.

  "Well well WELL..." The Herald’s voice cracked the silence like thunder wrapped in champagne. “Would you LOOK at our little champion go!”

  Alistair looked up with a pained wince. “Gods, not now.”

  The Herald was standing atop a hovering disk of gold and marble, arms thrown wide, wings vibrating with caffeinated energy. Three sets of golden eyes spun wildly in his head.

  “A champion! A lunatic! A man who thought, ‘Hey, this Cleansing could really use one more hellhound!’”

  Murmurs rolled across the assembled gods like shifting stormclouds.

  The Herald leaned forward conspiratorially, cupping his mouth with all six fingers.

  “AND HE GOT ONE.”

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  A few divine beings tilted their heads curiously, regarding Alistair like a talking insect that had accidentally invented fire. One bent down, inspecting Buddy.

  Alistair didn’t move.

  Buddy didn’t breathe.

  The hellhound stayed absolutely still, muscles tight, tongue frozen mid-loll. He looked… confused. Like he wanted to explode into violence but forgot how.

  Alpha predator turned puppy in the presence of gods.

  Alistair swallowed hard, then whispered, “Same, honestly.”

  The Herald’s tone shifted instantly to business, still wild, still giddy, but sharper now.

  “Alright, you divine degenerates, listen up! Our charming disaster of a contestant has an open slot for a minor blessing! Who’s feeling generous? Let’s make a deal!”

  Murmurs rippled through the pantheon.

  Then a voice.

  It didn’t speak.

  It hit.

  A deep, rumbling growl that scraped across Alistair’s mind and knocked his thoughts loose. His head snapped back. The taste of ash flooded his mouth. Something primal and ancient looked at him through that voice and understood him.

  Then a flash of golden light flared, and a shimmering barrier snapped into place around him.

  The pressure vanished.

  The Herald dusted his hands dramatically. “Whoopsie! Can’t have our investment liquefied this early in the season. Anyone else?”

  Two more gods stepped forward, less monsters, more bored nobles with too much mana and not enough tact.

  One offered a blessing of never stubbing his toe again.

  The other promised a +5% resistance to mild sunburn.

  Alistair blinked.

  “Are you guys serious?”

  The Herald pointed at them with both hands. “That’s PATHETIC. We’ve got The Bloodied Gambler in the house!”

  A cheer rose from a few of the watching deities.

  Alistair tilted his head. “That’s my nickname?”

  The Herald didn’t even glance his way. “You EARNED it, sugarfangs. Now let’s get back to the show, anyone going to OUTBID old tooth-and-talon over here?”

  Silence.

  Then the voice again, softer now but still dragging nails through his spine.

  A new blessing.

  [Blessing of the Wild-Kin – Minor]

  Beasts and monster-class creatures are more likely to see you as kin. Slightly reduces aggression from unaffiliated magical beasts.

  [Note: This may have… unpredictable side effects.]

  The Herald clapped once.

  “Sold! To the lovely carnivore in the back! Our favorite bloodsucker just got one step closer to becoming the world’s weirdest zookeeper!”

  A wreath of molten gold flickered into being above Alistair’s head, settled briefly, then vanished.

  [Minor Blessing Acquired – Wild-Kin Recognition]

  Monsters may now treat you as one of their own. Proceed with caution. And snacks.

  The gods began to fade.

  One by one, their divine auras thinned, rising like smoke and vanishing into the warped sky.

  The Herald paused mid-hover.

  Three eyes locked on Alistair.

  He winked.

  “Don’t die, sweetheart. You’re good for ratings.”

  Then he looked at Buddy, cocked his head, and said with a grin: “Someone needs a chew toy.”

  Then he vanished too.

  The silence had just started to feel peaceful when Alistair heard the crunch of boots on burnt soil.

  He sat up slowly, still leaning against the smoldering side of Buddy, who was panting quietly like a hellish warhorse taking a break from mauling fate.

  Then...

  "ALISTAIR?!"

  Kael’s voice cracked across the clearing like a whip of panic, fear, and deep-seated trauma.

  Alistair stood, brushing ash from his coat. “Over here!”

  “Over... OH GODS WHAT IS THAT!”

  The words exploded out of Kael as he skidded into view, bow half-raised.

  Behind him, Brimma and Thessaly trotted up, breathless, eyes scanning the charred devastation.

  Brimma’s eyes widened. “What… what did you...”

  Buddy stood up.

  The infernal hound stretched languidly, cracking joints like splitting firewood. Smoke curled off its back in lazy spirals. Then it turned its head and locked eyes on Kael.

  A growl rolled out of its chest like a boiling cauldron of doom.

  Kael stopped moving.

  So did the blood in his face.

  “Alistair,” he said, voice dangerously high-pitched, “what the fuck is that?!”

  “Down, Buddy!” Alistair barked. “Do not eat the elf!”

  [Verbal Command – Compliance Successful]

  The hellhound’s growl stopped… but its eyes didn’t move.

  Brimma raised her staff. “You brought a hellhound.”

  “I did,” Alistair said proudly.

  “You rode a hellhound into the Cleansing.”

  “Yes.”

  “You told it not to eat Kael like that’s a normal sentence to say out loud.”

  “To be fair,” Alistair said, brushing soot from his chest, “I’ve said weirder things.”

  Kael pointed a shaking finger. “It looked at me like I was wrapped in cheese!”

  “I mean, you are kind of soft and stringy,” Alistair mused.

  Thessaly, who had been quiet until now, slowly approached from the side. “Is it safe?”

  Buddy tracked her with its eyes. Another low rumble.

  Alistair raised both hands. “Okay. New rule. Buddy nobody here is lunch. Not even a snack. Not even a nibble. Lay down.”

  [Verbal Command – Compliance Successful]

  The beast exhaled through its nose like a grumpy dragon and thudded to the ground, smoke hissing from its mouth. Its tongue lolled out. If you ignored the embers and fangs, it almost looked relaxed.

  Almost.

  Kael didn’t relax.

  “I am not sleeping near that thing.”

  Brimma scoffed. “You're not sleeping at all until someone explains what the abyss happened.”

  Alistair took a deep, theatrical breath.

  “Well,” he began, “after you all left me to die...”

  “We waited!” Kael snapped.

  “... I deactivated the magical shield keeping me safe, ran through a field of stampeding nightmares, set multiple things on fire, bled from nine separate places, and collared a hellhound alpha.”

  Silence.

  Brimma blinked. “Why?”

  Alistair gave her a look. “Because it was awesome?”

  “No,” she said flatly. “It was stupid. Wildly, extravagantly stupid.”

  “I did survive.”

  Kael looked from Alistair to Buddy and back. “You were almost killed by a rampaging forest. Your solution was to acquire something worse than the forest.”

  “Technically,” Alistair said, “I became something worse than the forest.”

  Buddy licked its fangs. Kael stepped back. “It’s smiling at me.”

  Thessaly crossed her arms. “You really think you can keep it under control?”

  “Yes,” Alistair said. “I named him Buddy.”

  “Oh great,” Brimma muttered, “he named it. That means it’s permanent.”

  “Of course it’s permanent!” Alistair said. “Look at him. He’s perfect. Murdery, but perfect.”

  Buddy let out a low wuff, smoke curling from its nostrils.

  Brimma glared at the beast, then glared at Alistair harder. “You realize if you lose control of it, I’m going to reduce it to scorched fur and regrets.”

  “If I lose control of it,” Alistair said with a straight face, “please do. Right after I’m dead.”

  Kael pinched the bridge of his nose. “I hate this place. I hate this team. I hate this dog.”

  Buddy sneezed, an explosion of steam and cinders.

  Kael yelled and scrambled behind Brimma.

  Alistair turned and rubbed Buddy’s ember-hot snout. “Ignore him. He’ll warm up to you. Or not. You’ll probably just scare him into behaving.”

  “Alistair,” Brimma said, exasperated, “what is wrong with you?”

  He grinned.

  “Too many things to count. But at least now I have a hellhound.”

  Kael was still glaring at the beast from behind Brimma when a soft chime cut through the tension.

  [Arena Announcement – Temporary Reprieve]

  The Cleansing has concluded.

  ? No battles or ambushes will occur within the next 6 hours.

  ? All active champions are advised to recover, regroup, and regret their choices.

  Kael squinted. “Regret their... wait, was that targeted?”

  Alistair exhaled deeply, finally slumping back down against Buddy’s side.

  “Six whole hours without someone trying to eat us,” he said. “Well, except for him.”

  Buddy growled contentedly. Or maybe threateningly. Honestly, with him, they were starting to sound the same.

  Brimma sighed. “We should set up camp.”

  “You want to set up camp next to that?” Kael asked, pointing a shaky finger at Buddy.

  “No,” Brimma muttered. “I want to set up camp far away from him. Unfortunately, my body says no more walking, and your fearless leader is cuddling the fire demon, so…”

  She stomped off to find somewhere flat to pitch a bedroll.

  Thessaly walked past Alistair, paused, and stared at Buddy.

  Then she looked at Alistair. “You're very strange.”

  He beamed. “You say the sweetest things.”

  She shook her head and followed Brimma.

  Kael stood alone for a second, looking at Buddy. Then at Alistair. Then at the six-hour timer in the corner of his vision.

  And then he quietly muttered, “I’m not closing my eyes even once.”

  He sat down, cross-legged, staring at the hellhound like it was a bomb with legs.

  The hellhound yawned, and the air shimmered.

  Alistair patted its side proudly.

  “Don’t worry, Kael,” he said. “If he eats you, I promise I’ll avenge you. Probably.”

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