"Our party just got an upgrade."
The words hung in the air between me and the three figures standing frozen before Ryu's immense form. Raphtalia, Rifana, and Filo. Their faces were a mixture of awe, disbelief, and that slightly slack-jawed look people get when their reality fundamentally rearranges itself. Ryu, meanwhile, stood calmly behind me, a massive, scaled, formerly vengeful presence, accepting the affectionate tackle of a giant bird-woman who currently resembled a delighted human child discovering a very large puppy.
Filo, still chirping excitedly, had her arms wrapped around Ryu's foreleg. "Big bird! So big!" she squealed, looking up at his massive head with wide, sparkling eyes.
Ryu, to his credit, didn't stomp her. He nudged her gently with his snout, a rumble in his chest that might have been a chuckle, or maybe just digestive rumblings. Hard to tell with dragons.
Raphtalia was the first to find her voice beyond the initial stammer. "Master... is that... is that a dragon?" she asked, stating the obvious, her eyes wide.
"Yeah," I confirmed, stepping fully into the space between my old companions and my new one. "This is Ryu. He's going to be helping us out from now on."
Rifana seemed to snap out of her daze. "Helping us? A dragon? But... aren't they dangerous? And... and weren't we just fighting one... in Master's memories?" Her gaze flickered towards Ryu, then back to me, a flicker of apprehension in her eyes.
"This one's different," I stated, simplifying things drastically. No need to get into divine tasks, cursed series catalysts, or philosophical debates about vengeance and human cruelty just yet. "He... also dislikes some humans." An understatement, perhaps, but accurate. "And he's agreed to be our companion. He's incredibly strong, and he can help us get even stronger. And he flies."
Ryu let out another low rumble, a sound that somehow conveyed agreement without words.
Raphtalia looked at Ryu, then at Filo still hugging his leg, then back at me. Her expression shifted from apprehension to cautious curiosity. "He... he seems... gentle?"
"He has his moments," I said dryly, remembering the rain of fire and claws from the past few nights. "But he gave me his word. And a name."
Filo, meanwhile, had apparently moved on from hugging to attempting to race Ryu. "Big bird! Race? Master can watch!" She transformed into her massive Filolial form with a flash of light and took off across the field with a squawk of challenge.
Ryu watched her go for a moment, then let out a sigh that sounded remarkably human. He looked at me, then back at the rapidly disappearing white blur that was Filo. He didn't follow immediately.
Raphtalia and Rifana, seeing Filo's complete lack of fear, seemed to relax further. Their awe remained, but the apprehension faded. Rifana tentatively took a step closer to Ryu.
"He... he's really a dragon?" she asked, looking up at him with wide, wondering eyes.
Ryu lowered his head slightly, bringing his snout closer to her. He radiated power, yes, but also a strange, quiet sorrow that I was starting to recognize as his default state when not actively being provoked.
Raphtalia, gathering her courage, stepped forward too. She reached out a hand, hesitating for a moment, then gently placed it on Ryu's scaled hide. It was warm, solid, ancient.
Ryu didn't flinch. He just watched them, his glowing eyes observing the two young women, formerly small demi-human children, who were now bound to the human he'd agreed to follow.
This was the 'attractive' aspect, I supposed. Not physical beauty, but the formation of a genuinely bizarre, incredibly powerful, deeply unconventional family unit. Me, the hated Shield Hero. Two rapidly-aged demi-humans with slave crests. A giant bird-woman who thought dragons were for racing. And a massive, formerly vengeful dragon who agreed to be called Ryu.
"Alright," I said, breaking the moment. "He's going to be with us. He's strong. He can help with training, finding resources, maybe even transportation if we need to cover long distances quickly and subtlety isn't a concern." Which it almost never is anymore, I added internally. Subtlety died the night Myne accused me.
"Transportation?" Raphtalia's eyes widened. "Master... can he... can he fly?"
"Yeah," I confirmed, allowing myself a small smirk. "He flies."
Rifana gasped. "We can fly? With a dragon?" Her voice was filled with childish wonder, momentarily forgetting she looked like an adult woman.
"Maybe later," I said. Logistics first. "Right now, we need to figure out where a dragon... lives. This camp is too exposed for someone his size. And we need to train somewhere he can... stretch his wings. Without flattening a village."
Ryu seemed to understand, letting out another sigh. He looked around the open field with a critical eye, then towards the distant forests and mountains.
"We should move," I stated. "Find a more secluded place. Somewhere we can train effectively, maybe practice some larger-scale combat with Ryu, and keep a lower profile. Finding food for him is going to be a problem too. He probably doesn't live on Orange Balloons."
My brain was already whirring through the new set of challenges. Where do you hide a dragon? What does a dragon eat when you're on a budget? How do you explain the sudden appearance of a dragon companion if anyone does spot us? It was a glorious, frustrating, utterly ridiculous set of problems.
Filo returned then, having apparently completed her solo race. She transformed back into her humanoid form and ran towards Ryu, grabbing his leg again. "Big bird is slow! Filo is faster!" she declared proudly.
Ryu looked down at her, then back at me, a look in his glowing eyes that clearly said, You said companionship. You didn't mention the energetic bird-woman.
"Yeah," I said, rubbing my temples. "She's... unique. She races. She thinks everything is a bird."
My party was a collection of walking, talking paradoxes. Two rapidly aged demi-humans, a giant bird who thought she was a human (mostly), and a grieving dragon who was now my companion and somehow stuck with a nickname like 'Big Bird' courtesy of Filo.
"Alright," I clapped my hands together. "Let's pack up. Ryu, think you can help carry the gear?"
Ryu looked at his massive claws, then at our small piles of equipment. He let out a low rumble that I took as weary agreement. This was it. The start of the next phase. The Shield Hero, his rapidly growing, magically marked party, and their new dragon companion. On the move. To somewhere... less conspicuous. The Multiversal Pass could wait. The Cursed Series catalyst could wait. Right now, I needed to figure out how to pack a dragon.