Some people earn their place in a party through honor, trial, and respect.
Others? By accidentally summoning a squirrel army during a hazing ritual.
It began with a fire dance.
Not the traditional, ceremonial kind. No, this was Lina's idea. So it was more like:
"We light stuff on fire, yell a bit, and welcome Kaela to the group!"
"That's not a ritual. That's arson."
"Team arson, thank you very much!"
We'd returned to town after the Stampede Incident™ mostly in one piece. Kaela had reluctantly trailed along, muttering about "towns being too smelly" and "people being exhausting."
But she didn't leave. And that meant, according to Lina, it was time.
"Welcome Ritual!" she shouted, holding a marshmallow skewer like a staff. "By the flames of friendship, I now declare you—our boar-riding, forest-dwelling, emotion-suppressing—party member #4!"
Iris clapped exactly once. Politely.Kaela stared blankly. "...Is this a cult?"
"Nope!" I chirped. "It's way less organized."
Then, it happened.
We stood in a circle around the campfire. I held out a hand to Kaela.
She hesitated… then slowly, cautiously, placed hers in mine.
A faint glow pulsed at our fingertips.
New Party Member Added: Kaela – Beast Whisperer
System Sync Initiating…
New Skill: Partial Beast Taming Unlocked
I blinked.
Then, everything in the forest went quiet.
Kaela's eyes widened. "Wait. Something's wrong."
"Wrong?" I said nervously. "Did I break something again?"
"No. But…" She turned to the trees. "They're… coming."
"Who?" Lina asked.
And then… they arrived.
Squirrels.Dozens.No, hundreds.
Bushy-tailed, bright-eyed, twitchy little warriors. They poured from the trees like a wave of adorable terror, forming ranks around me. A few stood on their hind legs, chittering like tiny generals. One even wore a leaf like a cape.
"…Did you just charm a squirrel army?" Iris asked flatly.
"I… I think I did?"
A tiny ding echoed:
Beast Taming Trait TriggeredAffinity Match: Rodents – 99%
New Passive Unlocked: Critter Commander (Lv.1)
"Small woodland creatures will follow your orders. Whether you want them to or not."
Kaela looked at me like I'd personally offended nature.
"You idiot," she muttered. "That's not how taming is supposed to work."
"W-what do I do with them?!"
"Dismiss them?"
I turned to the chittering crowd. "Uh… stand down?"
They stood taller.
Lina was wheezing with laughter. "They love you. You're their tiny squirrel god!"
One of them offered me a nut.
I accepted it with the solemn dignity of someone deeply confused and terrified.
Eventually, Kaela managed to shoo them off with a beast command that involved growling, a warning pheromone, and what might have been a threatening tail flick. I'll never understand beast talk.
As the last squirrel retreated into the night, Kaela crossed her arms. "That's the dumbest magical side effect I've ever seen."
"But effective," I pointed out. "Right?"
Pause.
"…They did form military ranks. That was… weirdly impressive."
Lina elbowed me. "So does this mean we're now the Guild of the Squirrel Whisperer?"
"No!" I protested. "We are not changing the name again!"
Kaela grumbled. "Still don't like guilds."
"Too late," Lina said, slinging an arm around her. "You're stuck with us now. Once you've seen the welcome fire, there's no going back."
Kaela looked at the burnt marshmallow on her skewer.
"…You guys are insane."
I beamed. "Welcome to the party."
End of Chapter 22