“That’s why I pick you! I too love napping.” Garrik grabbed the hind leg of the magical beast while channeling the fire element for strength and the earth element to increase his own weight.
The Byk missed his step and fell flat on his snout.
“Say what? No, you are making a mistake. I’m slow and lazy while Scourge’s pups play hard and rough.” He tried and failed to escape the child’s grip, his claws only digging through the ground without advancing of a single millimeter.
“It doesn’t matter. We can grow strong together.” Garrik pulled the Byk closer and lifted him as he weighed no more than a huge stuffed bear instead of hundreds of kilograms.
“Why waste time with me? Pick a Ry or a Shyf. They are all the rage now.”
“There’s nothing wrong in being different.” Garrik said while embracing the Byk. “You are unique like me, Fluffy.”
“Fluffy?” The Byk said in horror while his peers laughed their asses off at his expense.
“Yes, because your fur is so soft and warm.”
“That just means I’m alive! The steeds of Scourge’s pups are soft and warm as well but their names don’t sound like a fancy pillow. Please, if we really have to do this, at least let me live with a shred of honor. Give me a warrior’s name.” Fluffy struggled as hard as he could without biting or clawing, but nothing worked.
“What’s wrong with Fluffy?” Lith’s voice was friendly but his eyes fixed in the Byk’s were not. “You just got bested by a five years old child. You are lucky he hasn’t called you Wimpy.”
“Yes, boss.” Fluffy lowered his gaze in shame while the other three magical beasts rushed to their freedom before Garrik could change his mind.
“Don’t worry, those idiots don’t know what they are missing.” Abominus patted the Byk’s back with his paw. “You have just gotten yourself five free meals a day, a roof over your head, a fresh bed during summer, and a hot place during winter.”
“Really?” Fluffy’s stomach gurgled with joy.
Onyx took out a slab of well-seasoned prime meat from the dimensional ring on her tail and offered it to him in reply.
“This is delicious, I mean, we are going to be best friends!” The Byk gobbled the food, thanking the gods for their blessing.
“I love you too Fluffy!” Garrik let his new friend go to let him eat comfortably and conjured plenty of fresh water for him to drink. “Mom, can I go play with them?”
“Can he?” Ryla looked at Lith and Morok. “Garrik is very strong and he has never interacted with other people. Also, I’m worried that he might leave the geyser without even noticing.”
“Let me deal with it.” Lith crouched down to look the young Fomor in the eyes. “You can go, but only if you promise me to not use any of your bloodline abilities. Regular people can’t lift a Byk and even though the other kids all wear enchanted armor, if you hit them with all your strength, someone is going to get hurt.”
He took a pause to let his words sink in until Garrik nodded for Lith to continue.
“So never take out your wings and never activate your eyes unless it’s to protect yourself or the others, are we clear? Just to be safe, I’ve asked Orion to enchant your clothes so that the moment you exert a dangerous level of strength you should feel an itch.”
“So that’s why I felt weird while playing with Fluffy!”
“Yeah, and you weren’t supposed to ignore it. Come on, give it a try.” Lith offered Garrik his hand and the young Fomor squeezed it a few times until he learned to recognize the effects of the failsafe and loosen his grip as fast as he could.
Whenever Garrik made a mistake that would have resulted in a physical injury, his armor would expand like foam, forming a thick, soft layer that protected those at both ends of the blow.
“It might take a while to get used to it but practice makes perfect.” Lith said. “Also, always carry this with you.”
He put at the Fomor’s neck what looked like a glowing red bead.
“When it starts to buzz, it means you should turn around and get closer to the mansion. When it starts screaming, it means you are this close to giving your mother a heart attack.” There was no point in explaining the delicate balance of the life force to a kid.
Lith knew that if he made it about Garrik, with the carelessness and hubris typical of children he would ignore any warning in order to have fun.
“This thing perceives when Mom is in danger?” The young Fomor stared at the red bead with the right mix of awe and terror.
“Yes. So when you hear an ear-piercing sound, it means she needs your help.” Lith nodded, aware that while Garrik could disregard his safety, no child would willingly put his mother’s life in danger.
“Thank you. I wish you too were my big brother.” Garrik hugged Lith, looking at the bead and at Ryla several times before feeling confident enough to jump on Fluffy’s back and follow the other kids to the magical playfield.
“That was sly, manipulative, and a bit cruel.” Zoreth snarled. “You’ll make a great dad.”
“Indeed.” Jirni nodded. “It will teach him responsibility.”
“He’s just five years old, for the gods’ sake!” Orion said. “He should be only thinking about playing and having fun.”
“He should, if a single mistake wasn’t enough to ruin his life.” Ryla sighed. “Thank you for your kindness, Lord Verhen. You are letting us stay at your home and you also prepared everything we needed to have a normal life.”
She gave him a deep bow that sent her long hair touching the ground.
“It’s nothing. I just thought that the best way to learn how to live as a kid is by spending time with other kids.” Lith dismissed everything with a wave of his hand. “Orion helped me to make sure that nobody gets hurt in the process. I-”
“I’m sorry for being late!” Kamila arrived at a half-jog pace that was faster than a man running due to her enhanced body further boosted by the pregnancy. “I got stuck at work and- Good gods if she’s big!”
“My thoughts exactly.” Orion nodded, hoping that since Kamila had his same reaction for entirely different reasons, it would quell Jirni’s rage and spare him the doghouse. “Fomors are truly majestic.”
He looked down at his wife for a second, but she was unreadable as usual. Jirni’s smile always extended to her eyes unless she decided otherwise. She giggled like a maiden at Kamila’s words, but when her gaze met Orion’s, he could swear to read “nice try” in big red letters.
“Kami, it’s so good to see you!” Zoreth and Bytra rushed to her, hugging and kissing her like they hadn’t seen each other for months instead of hours. “Are you hungry? Are you tired? Do you need a chair to rest your feet?”
Zoreth gave Kamila a full check-up before letting her go to meet their guests.
