The Mercenaries of Mayhem had successfully brought a literal dragon into their home.
And now, they were dealing with the consequences.
The moment they got back, Anna marched straight to the library without saying a word.
Bob scratched his head. "Uh… what's she doing?"
Jim shrugged. "Claiming territory, I guess."
Marcus nodded. "Makes sense. She did say she likes quiet."
Bam peeked inside. "Yep. She's already unpacking books."
Indeed, Anna had already lined up stacks of books, adjusting the shelves, and making herself comfortable.
The group exchanged glances.
Bob grinned. "Well, I guess we'll leave her to it."
And so they didn't.
Despite saying they would leave her alone, the group… did not.
Bob kept stopping by to see if she needed a "reading partner."
Jim practiced punches outside the library, constantly shaking the walls.
Marcus tested a new crossbow modification, which exploded near the door.
Bam tried to ask her about dragon magic, which led to a long, one-sided conversation.
And finally, Derek's training session got so loud that the entire library shook.
Anna snapped.
The doors slammed open, and she stormed out, eyes glowing slightly red.
"Enough!" she roared.
The group froze.
Anna crossed her arms, glaring. "I asked for one thing. Silence. But you loud idiots won't stop disturbing me!"
Jim scratched his head. "In our defense, we always make noise."
Anna's eye twitched. "Then make a rule. I don't care how—just keep it quiet near the library."
Bob nodded quickly. "Yes! Absolutely! New rule! No noise near the library!"
Jim groaned. "You're really gonna turn part of the mansion into a silent zone?"
Bob clapped his hands. "Yep! It's official! Anyone who makes noise near the library gets punished!"
Marcus blinked. "Punished how?"
Bob turned to Anna. "You decide."
Anna grinned. "Excellent."
She held up a hand—fire crackled at her fingertips.
The group immediately agreed to the rule.
From that day on, the mansion developed a strange balance:
The Silent Zone (a.k.a. the library and surrounding halls) was completely off-limits for noise.
Outside the Silent Zone? Absolute chaos, as usual.
Jim sighed. "It's weird having part of the house so quiet."
Bob nodded. "Yeah, but I like being alive."
Marcus shrugged. "At least we won't get fireballed."
Bam tilted his head. "For now."
At first, Anna seemed annoyed by them—she rolled her eyes at their antics, sighed loudly whenever Jim started a bar fight, and glared at Bob whenever he tried to drag her into a scheme.
But over time…
She stopped complaining as much.
Stopped threatening them every five minutes.
And even…
Started smirking at their ridiculousness.
Anna had, somehow, gotten used to them.
Jim stretched. "Well, she hasn't burned us alive yet, so I guess she's really one of us now."
Bob grinned. "Welcome to the team, Anna."
Anna scoffed, flipping a page in her book. "I'm not part of your nonsense."
A loud crash echoed from the other side of the mansion.
Jim sighed. "Sounds like Marcus just broke something again."
Anna rolled her eyes. "…Unbelievable."
And with that, life continued as chaotically as ever.