That afternoon, with Master Sheffield buried in guild affairs, Houshao'nao was ordered to wait in the mercenary hall. But he couldn't sit still—he begged leave, led the donkey to the town well, and began scrubbing it with icy water.
"Boss, what're you doing? Why bathe me out of nowhere?" the donkey mumbled, chewing grass.
"Who do you think you are? Do I look like your servant? This is an order from my *bread and butter*. I can't bring a filthy donkey into the Master's estate," Houshao'nao snapped, not looking up.
The donkey understood, eyes twinkling. "In that case, Boss, would you scratch my backside? It itches when it's damp. Please?"
Watching the donkey lounge lazily, Houshao'nao seethed but obliged with a perfunctory scratch. The donkey groaned in pleasure, wriggling. "Lower, lower! There—faster, Boss!"
Enraged, Houshao'nao cursed: *Damn beast, think I'm your groom?* He flicked the donkey's groin sharply.
"OW! Fucker—you trying to geld me? You—" The donkey screeched, then cowered under Houshao'nao's smirk. "Sorry, Boss! Mercy—"
Before it could grovel further, a young woman in a mage's robe rounded the corner. Both Houshao'nao and the donkey froze, their hostile glares melting into awestruck stares.
"Beauty…" Houshao'nao breathed.
"Beauty, indeed… Wait—a chance!" The donkey, still a dragon at heart, recovered first. Seeing Houshao'nao gape, it plotted revenge.
As the woman approached the guild, Houshao'nao's daze broke abruptly—two hind hooves flew at his chest. He couldn't dodge, taking the blow full-force.
"YOU STUPID DONKEY! Ambushing me? I'll geld you for real!" Houshao'nao snarled, scrambling up and chasing the creature around the well.
Their shouts and the sight of man and donkey circling the well drew the woman's attention. Her angelic face flushed first with shy confusion at Houshao'nao's curses, then paled with fury. Without a word, she conjured two blazing fireballs and hurled them.
The pair sensed the heat, glancing back to see the woman's wrath. Without a word, they bolted for the street corner, fireballs hot on their heels.
"HELP! MURDER!" Houshao'nao wailed as flames singed his robes.
"Run? Not so fast. I'll roast you both," the woman hissed, giving chase.
Townfolk emerged, staring at the spectacle: a disheveled man and singed donkey fleeing a furious beauty. No one dared intervene—they simply gawked from a distance.
"Somebody help! We'll burn to death!" Houshao'nao screamed, but silence answered. Desperate, he and the donkey fled toward the town's edge, trailing smoke.
"Ugh… You ran fast, cowards. Next time, I'll aim for your tails," the woman panted, slowing as exhaustion hit.
"Miss Anna, what did that fool do to provoke you?" a bystander dared ask.
Anna stiffened, her cheeks flushing—whether from exertion or embarrassment, no one knew. Her gaze sharpened, silencing the man with a single glare. He shrank away, and the crowd dispersed quickly, avoiding her eyes as if she were a ghost.
"Hmm. Let's see who dares meddle now," Anna huffed, storming into the guild.
Meanwhile, Houshao'nao and the donkey collapsed outside town, gasping for breath.
"Christ, that was close. Lucky we ran. You okay?" Houshao'nao panted, heart racing.
The donkey blinked, trying to inspect its rear. "Boss, check my ass—smells like roast meat."
"Roast meat? I don't—" Houshao'nao rounded the donkey, then froze. "Your fur's gone! She burned your ass bald!"
"WHAT? My beautiful scales—er, fur! I'll eat her alive—" The donkey roared, spinning to charge back to town.
"Stop! She's a mage, you idiot! We're no match for her fireballs," Houshao'nao yelled, grabbing its reins.
"Just let it go? I've never taken such an insult—"
"Look at you—half your fur's gone, and me?" Houshao'nao pointed to his singed hair and absent eyebrows. "We're a pair of losers. What can we do?"
The donkey's rage faded as it took in Houshao'nao's soot-streaked face. "Heh… Your hair's a mess. Eyebrows too. Haha!"
Houshao'nao's face twitched, eyes flaring with fury—then deflating into sadness. He sighed, wiping ash from his cheeks, and turned toward town.
"Where are you going? Back to that witch? I'm with you—we'll make her pay!" The donkey trotted after him, hooves clattering.
Houshao'nao glanced back, mocking. "Pay? We'd be ashes. Let it go."
"You… This isn't you, Gris—"
"Gris?" Houshao'nao stopped, voice hollow. "I'm Houshao'nao now. A lowly mercenary, soon a lackey. That name's dead to me."
The donkey fell silent, studying its hooves. *If I were still a dragon, I'd raze this town… but now…*
Watching Houshao'nao's retreating back, the donkey hesitated. *Choose again: freedom or this cursed bond?* It bit a twig, threw it—landed horizontal.
"Dammit, fate mocks me. Wait up, Houshao'nao! I'm coming!" It neighed, galloping after him.
The clatter of hooves reached Houshao'nao. He turned, seeing the donkey puffing toward him, and something in his chest stirred—a flicker of warmth in his frozen heart.
"Slow down, you'll wear yourself out," Houshao'nao said, voice softer than he intended.
The donkey grinned, panting. "I choose you, Boss. You're my only friend now. Alone, I'm just a cursed donkey. Together… we're a team."
"Friend?" Houshao'nao repeated, stunned.
"Friend," the donkey confirmed, nodding firmly.