ch -4 again for you

Chapter 4 again for you:

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Chapter 4: Bark, Bite, and Breakfast

Kael woke up face-down in a wheelbarrow full of hay.

"Morning, sunshine," Nyla said, sipping a steaming mug of tea while perched on a fence.

Kael groaned. "Did I pass out?"

"After summoning a forest god disguised as a very large dog? Yes."

Mossfang was curled beside the tavern like a mossy hill. Fanglet snoozed on top of him like a proud older sibling. Flap, ever elegant, had found a half-eaten apple and was gnawing it with all the dignity of a rabid hamster.

Kael sat up, hay stuck in his hair. "My army grows stronger. Soon, the world will kneel before our magnificence."

A duck walked by wearing a tiny knitted hat.

He blinked. "Eventually."

Nyla tossed him a chunk of bread. "Eat. You're gonna need energy."

"More necromancers?"

"Nope. Mayor signed us up for a 'village training exhibition.'"

Kael chewed slowly. "...What is that?"

"A glorified show-off festival for summoners and tamers. You know—'Come prove your pets won't eat our livestock.'"

He brightened. "Perfect! An excellent opportunity to flex my arcane muscle!"

> Quest Accepted: Impress the Village at the Exhibition. Optional Goal: Don't Accidentally Unleash a Cataclysm Beast.

The training field was a wide meadow dotted with practice dummies, target boards, and a suspicious number of goat pens. Villagers gathered on blankets, eating pies and gossiping.

Kael stood proudly beside his crew. Mossfang towered behind him. Fanglet barked at a squirrel. Flap wore a flower crown.

The announcer—a teenager with a wooden megaphone—called out: "Next up, Kael Varraz and the… Bat-Bark Brigade?"

"I did not choose that name," Kael hissed.

> Public Reputation: +2. New Nickname: Bat-Bark Brigade.

First was the obstacle course. Kael sent Fanglet and Flap through the course. Fanglet weaved through hoops like a muddy bullet. Flap got distracted by a butterfly and crash-landed in a pie.

Second was the strength test. Mossfang uprooted a tree stump and calmly sat on it.

Third, Kael attempted his "Spectacular Shadow Spiral Summoning."

It fizzled.

He blinked. "Flap, did you… eat the mana crystal again?"

Flap belched and coughed up a glowing pebble.

> Spell Failure. Audience Reaction: Amused.

Kids cheered. An old man clapped. Someone handed Kael a jam tart.

He bowed, despite himself. "Thank you. We'll be here all week. Possibly longer depending on housing ordinances."

Afterward, Kael flopped onto the grass, staring at the sky. Nyla sat beside him.

"You know," she said, "you're not half bad for a vampire with a bat addiction."

"I'm a quarter bad at best."

They laughed. Mossfang curled around them protectively. Fanglet chased geese in the distance.

> Beast Loyalty Improved: +10

New Title Unlocked: Local Favorite (Unpredictable Category)

Kael sighed, content. "Maybe world domination can wait a bit. I'm getting used to this whole 'not being hated' thing."

Flap dropped the pie-covered butterfly on his face.

Kael blinked. "...Then again, chaos is my natural state."