There was a long beat of silence as everyone stared at the tiny green dragon whelp until Alim signed towards Jin, and Clover immediately reacted, pointing towards him. "Hey now! What is he saying?!" They turned back to Jin and asked, "He's admiring how gorgeous and sparkly my scales are, right?"

Jin smirked and translated, "He said that you look adorable but a lot smaller than he thought you'd be compared to the dragon we murdered to get the Aspect that unlocked you."

Clover's little jaw dropped open, showing off sharp, pearly teeth as they looked between Jin and Alim and asked aghast, "You murdered a Dragon?"

"An Onyx Dragon Whelp, to be exact."

"Oh," Clover replied, relaxing their posture as they moved toward Jin. "Well, they're not nearly as powerful as Jade Dragons like I am. We are the best Dragon, really." Then they scurried up Jin's body in a slither of scales before perching on her shoulder like a parrot with a tail that was equal in length to the rest of their body and wrapped around the back of Jin's neck for balance. "Now, minion, where do you keep the good snacks?"

She rolled her eyes and replied, "My name's Jin—"

"Oh, I know. It was in the contract I agreed to, but minion fits so much better and really sets the tone of our relationship, don't you agree? Good, I knew you would. Now back to those snacks."

Jin let out a huff that was half annoyance and half exhaustion already. "Liraz has the snacks at the moment. Do you even need to eat as a summon?"

"I'm going to require a better definition of 'need' before answering that," Clover replied, stretching their sinewy body out toward Karam, who was curiously watching the little creature. "You wouldn't happen to be the snack-bearer Liraz, would you, my lovely mountain?"

Kar snorted a laugh and shook his head. "No. I'm Karam, but I'm pleased to meet you… um… Monarch Clover? Are you more of a King or Queen?"

The little dragon gave the biggest and brightest smile at Kar before leaping over onto his shoulder instead and saying, "Depends on the day and my mood, really. I can shift my gender back and forth to whatever I feel like. You, however, will now be known as my newest Knight of Sugary Warmth, Sir Karam. Has anyone told you that you smell like the best kind of bakery? It makes me hungry for cookies. Do you have those in this world? Can I have one?"

Jin ran a hand over her face, trying to keep up with the critter she was somehow eternally stuck with, and silently signed to Alim, "Can I choose to trade in my Familiar for a less manic-pixie version?"

He raised an eyebrow in response and asked, "I'm guessing by the question that it's capable of talking?"

"A lot," Jin replied with a grimace.

A wry smile slowly spread across Alim's face. "You know they say a summoned Familiar is a reflection of what a Summoner is most in need of, right?"

"I do not need a toddler who ate too much sugar and developed a monarch-complex."

His smile grew even wider at that description. "So you're saying I should be grateful that my ascension didn't grant me hearing?"

Jin snorted a laugh and shook her head in exasperation. "Perhaps Clover is more your good luck charm than mine."

"Perhaps they're good luck for all of us. We could definitely use some," he replied.

"Hey, hey, hey! No secret messages! You must translate minion! Is that one the Snack-bearer Liraz?" Clover called over to them, pointing toward Alim with a single tiny claw.

"Liraz is over there playing with her new Terror Mimic," Hadia answered, moving closer to get a better look at the Dragon. "I've got to admit it is super rare for a Familiar to be able to talk at Crystal Caste. I think the majority don't get it until Emerald."

"Well, that just goes to prove how amazing I am," Clover replied smugly. "You can give me more praises now, and fetch the snacks!"

Hadia raised an eyebrow and glanced toward Jin as she asked, "Can I kill it and get you a new one?"

"Ooo, feisty," Clover interjected before Jin could reply. "I like that. Tell me, is that your murder face or your flirting face? Wait, don't tell me. I'm here for both."

Jin glanced back towards the alcove where she did her shopping and asked, "Do you think they sell Familiar muzzles?"

Clover's head snapped towards her in shock as they placed a hand on their chest in mock injury. "You wound me, minion. You would dare to stifle my lovely voice that I have gifted this world with? You know I had to add that specifically to our Familiar-Summoner contract, right? You should be thanking me for being so thoughtful." They gestured toward the Terror Mimic that was happily yipping at Liraz for more pats and asked, "Would you rather I hiss and bark at you like a dumb animal?"

Jin's mouth opened to respond, but she paused as she had to think through that particular answer. Instead of giving a direct answer, she asked, "What do you mean by adding that to our contract? I didn't sign or even read any contract."

"Of course you didn't," Clover replied with a shake of that tiny reptilian head. "Gods, that contract wasn't kidding about you being a clueless Wayfarer." They paused to look Jin up and down before adding, "It could have warned me about the lack of fashion sense, though. Yellow boots, silver pants, red chest plate, with green eyes and black hair? You're like three colors shy of a walking rainbow disaster."

"Hey, how about instead of making fun of my beggar-outfit that's purely for the stats, you explain more about whatever contract apparently gave you information about me?"

Clover dramatically rolled their eyes before hopping over to Hadia's shoulder and sniffing around her as if searching for something while they answered. "Every Familiar gets a contract to read over first before accepting it, while we wait in Limina. It's basically a subconscious creation on your part, combined with the very fabric of realities informing us of what we might be getting ourselves into. For me, it warned me about you being an ignorant Crystal Caste Wayfarer from a non-magical world tossed into some kind of death game and dealing with some…" They paused again to level narrowed eyes at Jin, but they softened a moment later as they said, "Recent traumas."

They seemed to finish searching Hadia for whatever they were looking for before sprinting across the floor and starting a similar search of Alim as they moved up his body. "My only stipulation for starting all the way back at Crystal Caste instead of my epic Ruby self was that I was not going back to baby-speech. You can check my capabilities with that Talent of yours, by the way. Now that we're bonded, I can feel all of your abilities, and the hiding part of [Poker Face] won't affect me."

Jin was actually impressed by how still Alim stayed as he was basically mauled by a manic squirrel that she just realized was likely scavenging for hidden snacks. With another huff of annoyance, Jin retorted, "You'll need to stay still for more than two seconds for me to touch you and read your stats. Think you can do that, O Magnificent One?"

Clover finally froze on Alim's shoulder with a big grin and nodded vigorously. "Yes, my quick-learning minion. Gaze upon my regal beauty and be in awe!"

With a shake of her head, Jin took a few steps forward and touched the tiny dragon while focusing on her [Poker Face] Talent until a hologram appeared that only Jin could see.

Name: Clover

Species: Jade Dragon (Familiar)

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Magical creatures that are attuned to Corrosion, Wind, and Void magic.

Caste: Crystal

Can speak and slightly shift their form at will.

Can cast the breath attack [Acid Cloud] against nearby enemies.

Attacks dealt by the claws or teeth inflict additional Corrosion damage and can affect incorporeal entities.

Can access dimensional spaces bound to their summoner.

Acid Cloud (elemental, corrosion): A wide-area attack that inflicts enemies with [Chemical Burn] and [Vulnerable]. Chemical Burn (bane, elemental, corrosion): Inflicts ongoing Corrosion damage. Vulnerable (bane, elemental, stacking): All Elemental resistances are slightly reduced.

When merged within the summoner:

The summoner's hair matches the Familiar, and they gain [Draconic Insight], able to sense the attunements, strengths, and weaknesses of a target within their aura.

"Huh," Jin said after reading through it all. "I wasn't exactly picturing Corrosion gas, but I guess it makes sense after the acid spit the Onyx Dragon had."

"Inferior," Clover said, raising their nose higher into the air. "Gas form is much more deadly and doesn't care about pesky things like dodging."

"Lightning could have been cool, though," Jin pointed out. "I used to always want a Blue Dragon for a companion when I played D&D because they could breathe lightning."

Clover looked at her like they had been slapped before growling and launching into a conniption. "Blue dragons are arrogant assholes who would probably collateral their summoners with their wonky lightning bolts that can't hit worth shit before ever actually striking the target enemy! And you can tell Zain I said that! He acts like such hot shit when he's the same age and Caste as me! And everyone just eats it up because 'ooo! Sparkly lightning!' When I could take out an entire army in a single cloud!"

The tiny Dragon's body was heaving by the end of the rant, and Jin couldn't help the sadistic streak that shot through her as she grinned and asked, "So… Any chance I could get Zain next time I do that Familiar Summoning ritual?"

Another jaw-drop from Clover caused Jin to actually laugh at the reaction. With narrowed eyes, Clover threatened, "You know… I'm going to find out if that box-doggo craps on the floor and you'll wake up one day to find poo in our hoard."

"Wait, 'our'?"

"Oh, didn't you comprehend that line in my stats? Well, maybe you should expand your reading capabilities before you decide to let me feel under-appreciated, minion," Clover replied with a huff. "Now, think about how you shall repent your blasphemy and make amends to your new ruler," they added, then launched off Alim's shoulder to fly over to land atop Liraz's hat.

Jin stared in simple speechlessness as Liraz pulled a small fruit of some kind out of her palm and lifted it up for Clover to sniff. Turning back to Alim, unsure what to even tell him or ask next, he signed first, "They seemed upset? I think? It is really hard for me to get a read on them, and I have no chance of reading those tiny lizard lips."

"I may have been a little mean," Jin admitted. Then she shrugged and added, "Though, it felt like they deserved it just a bit, too. I'm honestly not sure we're going to survive if they keep talking that much when monsters are probably going to be roaming around. Is the first day on the second floor going to be as bad as the first floor?"

Alim's smile dropped as he nodded. "It can be. The numbers slowly build over time when not cleared out, so it'll be dangerous until we can find our base again. If we even have one. Usually, teams are much more prepared before pushing to the next floor." He paused before shifting nervously and adding, "I know I was the one who suggested pushing forward to stay ahead of the others, but I'll admit it's going to be very dangerous."

"More dangerous than waiting on the first floor with the Fighters after killing one of their members?"

He grimaced and shook his head. "No. They were already hunting us. They would have waited at the entrance to the second floor and probably killed us on sight."

"Then don't be sorry for giving us a fighting chance, Al," Jin retorted, glancing back toward Clover to see them devouring the fruit with gusto. A small smile tugged at the corner of her mouth as she signed to Alim, "I think Basima would have loved Clover."

He gave her a sad smile and merely nodded in understanding before asking, "So no muzzle?"

"Not yet," she reluctantly replied. Turning to Karam, she asked, "Hey, I remember Bas mentioning how you changed the color of her dress with that magic pen. Think you could make all of our gear black so we don't stand out if we're going to a biome without sunshine?"

"The Rainbow Tinter. Yeah. It might take some time, but here, while we're safe, would be the best time," Karam replied while nodding and walking over to Liraz, who still had all their supplies.

Jin was a little surprised when Karam was the one to reach into the Terror Mimic's mouth next, completely shocked that he would risk his only arm like that, but she was distracted when Hadia clapped a hand on her shoulder and said, "Ready to start killing monsters again?"

With a sigh, Jin offered a wan smile. "I'm starting to think that's going to be the rest of my life now, whether I'm ready or not."

"Probably. At least you're pretty good at it."

"Only when I've got the support of my friends," Jin retorted.

Karam came back at that moment with Liraz beside him as he said, "Speaking of friends, Miss Li says she's ready to do her new Coven ritual with all of us before we go to the next floor."

Jin raised a brow at her. "Coven? Like a cult or group of witches?"

Liraz tilted her head to the side in obvious confusion and shrugged, but tapped on her bracelet to bring up the details of her [Coven of the Slime Witch] Aura for Jin to read.

"So exactly like that," Jin replied with a chuckle. "Alright, what do you need us to do?"

After Liraz drew out another ritual circle with her wand, she placed them all in a circle, sitting lotus-style with their hands outstretched to interlock with one another. Boxey had vanished before Jin had realized it was even missing, but the very pointy teeth Liraz now had when she smiled were apparently the sign that the Familiar had merged into its summoner.

Recalling the text of her own ability, Jin glanced over as Clover landed on her shoulder and asked, "So you'll change my hair when we merge?"

"Yes, but I don't normally like being merged. Nobody but you will be able to hear me talk, and I can't eat delicious snacks while inside you."

"Can you taste what I taste?"

"Yes, but it's just not the same," Clover replied with a heavy sigh that spoke of much hardship they would never wish upon their worst enemy.

"Well, how about just for this ritual and the initial walk through the portal to the next floor, then we can reevaluate if it's safe enough for you to stay perched instead of merged?"

Clover looked at her for a long moment as if measuring the trustworthiness of her words before sighing and saying, "Fine, but I expect meat for my next meal." With that, the Familiar seemed to turn into green smoke before being absorbed straight into Jin's soul.

Pulling a lock of her silky hair forward to look at it, the black was now the same pale green jade color of Clover's scales and just as glossy.

Liraz moving around the circle had Jin refocusing and dropping her hair in favor of re-clasping hands with Hadia, only to let go again as Liraz dropped a small ball of slime on top of her head. Luckily, it didn't break and drench her, but it did jiggle a bit before Jin repositioned slightly so it felt more balanced, and she held hands again.

Jin watched as Liraz finished dolling out slimeballs then sat in her own spot in the circle with her own ball of slime balanced atop her hat. The circle started glowing brightly before engulfing all of them, and it felt like the slime melted to encase her entirely before soaking straight through her clothes and into her body, much like Clover merging.

The back of Jin's left hand suddenly felt like it was being branded with a hot iron before the pain faded along with the light. Sitting within the circle now in front of each of them was a small blue slime that Jin assumed was her new [Slime Companion], which seemed to match the blue little slime drop tattooed on the back of her left hand now.

Everyone stood then, helping each other reorient from the weird sensations and get used to the new little slime's hopping around to follow them. When Alim lifted his to sit on his shoulder, Jin decided that would be a lot easier and picked her own up to do the same.

"Oh, Abyss no!" Clover's voice filled the room in almost a shriek as they reappeared on Jin's other shoulder and practically hissed at the little slime. "This is MY new minion! I do not share!"

"Clover, it's fine. It's just—"

"No! Mine!" the tiny Dragon snapped, chomping their teeth toward the ball of slime. "If that slimy abomination gets to sit on your shoulder through the portal, then so do I!"

Jin let out an exasperated sigh and said, "Fine! Just quit screeching in my ear."

Hadia chuckled and asked while signing to the whole group, "Any last-minute things to buy, or are we all good to go to the next floor and find our new base?"

"I'll go first if it gets me out of this conversation," Jin said, quickly moving across the room towards the far archway opposite the one they had entered through, which was still glowing with a white light that would take them back to the first floor.

She paused at the threshold, remembering she was the one with the points to buy anything, but when nobody spoke up to suggest anything, she lifted her bracelet to the rune beside the arch. It reacted instantly, the portal appearing in a mirror of white light. Jin only paused for a moment to take a deep breath and was surprised when Clover whispered into her ear, "You've got this, Jin."

A small smile tugged at the corner of her mouth, and she walked through the portal.

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