The Dragonkin stood woozily in place, on death's door. It took all the strength he could muster not to collapse, despite breaking one of his legs from the fall. Ceaseless leaking from six bloody punctures dyed his entire body an oily crimson. However, nary a whimper or sign of strain escaped from his proud and stoic frame.

Quintin approved of and even admired the giant warrior's willpower. As a hot-blooded man himself, the heroic demeanor was deserving of such recognition.

As he squared up with the ten-foot-tall Dragonkin, the bloodied demihuman spoke, "Human, do you dare accept a one-for-one punchout against me?"

Quintin slowly nodded in consideration. He took stock of his barely upright opponent. None of the wounds were fake; he saw how the Dragonkin wound up in that state. Even if there were a [Skill] that made an enemy appear weaker, the fact remained that punching was among his best qualities.

However, he firmly remembered how these Dragonkin treated their captives. Nothing was honorable about degrading the lives of the defeated down to mere 'playtoys'. Their years of groveling under Cramie's domineering boot warped their sensibilities so severely, that they now took perverse pleasure in the maltreatment of others.

He smiled and started a song and dance punching warmup. The giant watched on, content to observe his form with indifference. Seeing the creature waiting patiently, Quintin activated [Lotus Step] with a roguish grin. He crossed the distance between them in a split second.

Shock swam in the Dragonkin's eyes as he registered the surprise punch. Blood spattered out of his leaky mouth as he asked,

"Why?"

"You seek honor from me, but did you ever once consider the dignity of those beneath you?" Quintin said while pulling his hand free of the fresh, fist-sized wound he created.

With one final breath, the golden prince collapsed once again; this time for good. The rest of the camp's defenders fell shortly thereafter, and none survived. That was all thanks to Hedon and his motley crew. They had done a passable job tying up the remainder in combat.

Afterward, he sat down on a tree stump to take a necessary breather. The focus of his attention manifested a slight blue coloration from the [Opaline Core].

[Quest Chain]:

[Along Came Some Bandits]: [√]

[Under a Serpent Canopy]:

—Rank: Rare

—Zone: Nagelroot Hills

—Action: Elimination

[√]1. Defeat the [Dragonkin] controllers.

—oCount: 5/5 [√]

[√]2.Eliminate: collared monsters and beasts.

—oCount: 5/5 camps [√]

3. Optional: rescue Laszlo's comrades.

—oCount: 5/15

4. ????

Rewards: EXP. & [????] item

If so desired, the [Quest] could be completed right here and now. In that scenario, potential rewards and expansions to the [Quest Chain] would all but disappear. He planned to explore the campsite anyways, so it was never a real consideration. However, he could do so, and that remained the salient point.

Quintin calmly evaluated the nearby Hedon, whose lidless gaze gave off gloomy energy. In no way did he want the creature around. However, he knew the sane answer between that and an uncontrollable, flying abomination given free rein to mess with others. The option to kill and be done with him also existed, but the guilt he felt about the whole situation meant that he no longer held onto the same enmity as before.

"You and I have been through a lot; isn't that right, Hedon?" His sight grew dreary in recollection,

"It could even be said that we know each other better than many people ever do another."

Hedon shied away reflexively, somewhat perturbed by the admission. "Truth, Hedon know. Choice; no choice. Not back; guard. Hedon must with."

When Hedon said 'choice' he pointed at Quintin. And when he said 'no choice' the finger went back at himself.

Quintin slowly nodded in understanding. And spoke only after composing his words, "So long as you heed all of my commands, you can come with on a trial basis. If you swear to do so, you can come along. But remember, if there's even one foot out of place, I will no longer have any compunctions about killing you. This is non-negotiable."

One piece of jerky and a lengthy decision-making process later, "Hedon does swear. Will heed command. Won't trouble make."

Alongside the pledge of loyalty, a soft blue notification came with new details.

[Familiar] pact slot unlocked!

[Hedon, the Headbearer] Lv. 50

—Corrupted Lifeform

—Goblin Shaman

—Class: Necromancer

—Head Specialist

Former goblin raid leader from the depths of Sozzelrift.

He was ousted by the goblin war leader for nefarious reasons.

With a handful of loyal subordinates,

he dreamed of rising up once again.

The rest is history.

*Many-headed

*Condition: Accomplished, Sad, Religious, Crazy, Joyous, Angry,

Contemptuous, Silly, Cantankerous, Bored, Ponderous, Lethargic, Dizzy, Hurt, Scared, Timid, Lonely, Motherly, Goofy, Inquisitive, Drooling

*Master-Servant Rating: 90% to Quintin, 10% to Hedon

Unable to suppress the feeling of incredulity, a half-chewed strip of jerky flew in the air from his spit take. Through a bout of coughing his words came tumbling out, "This is my life now."

Vissitri became visible and patted Quintin on the back. [There, there. Is that the goblin from Sozzelrift you told me so much about? Si-Si.]

Back to normal, he wiped the corner of his mouth in a conditioned manner. "Yup. That's Hedon. Hedon, this is Vissitri. He's my familiar now—familiars? Don't know what that even means to be honest."

[Si-Si-Si. It means he will follow the commands you issue, much like a pet or bonded knight protector. You know, stuff along those lines. What master-servant rating did the system come up with?]

He glanced back at the [Familiar] description. "It says ninety percent for me and ten percent for Hedon. Does that mean he's controllable now? The last thing I need is people associating me with this little chaotic thing, doing god knows what."

[That is amongst the most one-sided arrangements. From now on, unless you put his life in obvious jeopardy, Hedon will have no choice but to follow your commands. Si-Si-Si.]