Chapter 21 – The Cost of Victory
I looked over the system alert again.
"Subordinate," it read. But it felt more like subjugate to me. It didn't sit right. I'd fought Yuki to near death as well, but she'd still been able to become a tamed monster.
I couldn't really think straight. My body was still buzzing with adrenaline, every joint aching like I'd been put through a meat grinder. My ribs throbbed in time with my heartbeat. I didn't even know how I was still standing. But I knew if I collapsed now, it'd be over — for all of us. The girls were in no condition to keep going. Maybe Nyla could push herself, but the other two? No shot.
I forced myself forward until I was standing over the gorilla boss. He was barely upright, his fur soaked with blood — some of it his, some not. We'd unleashed hell on him, but it could've just as easily gone the other way. This wasn't some clean victory. It never was. I was always just barely getting by. That needed to change. Maybe with allies like him, it could.
But was he even an ally? Didn't seem like it.
A thought cut through the fog: Chosen. Shyara told me once that female monsters would be drawn to me, but males? They'd take my presence as a challenge. Is that what this was?
It made too much sense — the 1v1 offer, the constant posturing about taking my women. This damn skill. This curse.
A sharp pang of hurt flared across my connection with the girls.
It's not all bad, is it? Shyara's voice slid into my mind, warm but tentative.
I looked over them — battered bodies, hair matted with blood, fur clinging to sweat and snow. Wounds across skin and armor. They'd stood shoulder to shoulder with me in the fight. In every fight.
"No. It's not all bad. The best parts of it are right beside me," I said aloud. Some things just needed to be said.
Nyla's tails wagged despite the blood coating them. Yuki's usual frost softened, just a little. Shyara grinned wide enough to split her lip further, but she didn't care.
I turned back to the boss and the pulsing system prompt. Time to decide — powerful ally in the coming war… or another threat to put down.
"Raise your head," I ordered. My voice was steady.
It looked up, gold eyes still burning with defiance.
"What? You mad because you got your ass kicked? Of course you did, you dickhead. It was 2v1."
Exactly! It wasn't fair. You have no honor, it snarled into my head, thoughts pounding like drumbeats.
"Shut yo bitch ass up. You agreed to the terms. Now you're upset you lost? Miss me with that."
It huffed and turned away.
"Nah, look at me when I'm talking to you."
Its head jerked back toward me, the strain in its neck like it was fighting the motion.
"Look down."
It grunted but obeyed.
A slow smile crept onto my face. "Neat."
I told it to stand. It did, muttering snide remarks in my head the whole time. I ignored them.
The others gorillas hadn't scattered like the boss promised. They stood tense, shoulders bunched, ready to charge. Win or lose, it was always going to come to this.
Good. I hit "Yes" on the system prompt. The connection to the boss snapped tight. His thoughts went silent — not gone, just buried.
"Okay. Time to test the limits of this subordinate status." I pointed at the others. "Kill them."
The boss didn't hesitate. He roared and became a storm of muscle and blood, slamming into the closest gorilla and tearing its arm out of the socket before the scream could finish. He moved like lightning, faster than when we fought him, and far less restrained. Heads were torn from necks. Spines snapped under his grip. The snow churned into red slush beneath his feet.
The others fought back, hammering blows into him from all sides, breaking skin, splitting fur — but he didn't care. He kept going, a living wrecking ball of violence, until the survivors finally broke and scattered into the trees.
When it was over, he came back to me. Broken, breathing in ragged pulls, but standing.
"Fuck," Shyara muttered, brushing blood from her mouth.
"Are we keeping it?" Nyla asked, tails still wagging like she'd just found a new toy.
"I don't think we need any more violent strays," Yuki said coldly, eyes flicking to Nyla.
"You're right, but I have other plans for this one."
"Oh, that's awesome." Shyara gave an approving nod — no surprise, she'd already sifted through my thoughts.
"Please share. Not all of us know exactly what's in your head. Though I'd like to," Yuki said.
"I don't care what you're thinking, I just want to be with you," Nyla added.
"Yeah, I get it." I placated them with a hand wave. "He's probably too unpredictable for team fights, but if we breed him with Monster Mage, we might get something even more valuable."
"And afterwards?" Nyla asked.
"Discard him," I said flatly.
Yuki nodded in approval. Nyla looked conflicted but stayed quiet. Shyara just started whistling some old tune from my world, sending that she'd do whatever I wanted.
With the matter settled, we turned for home.
Today had been… a lot. But we'd gained a lot too. I knew now that if we needed to, we could function as a team. I'd learned my blade was sharp, and that my two strongest weapons wouldn't fail me when I needed them most.
We weren't ready for war yet. But we were a hell of a lot closer than when the day started. And I could live with that.