“Sounds like a perfect training station for my Dragonling. The Dragonling is still a pretty low-level monster, so I doubt it’ll be able to spar just yet. Getting it a Magical Defense boost will be a good start.”

I held out my hands in preparation for summoning. After taking a deep breath and focusing on getting my chi moving through my channels, I turned my attention to my secondary sphere and drew upon the Dragonling strand. I filled the strand with the now converted mana. After how difficult my earlier teleportation had been, I was a little worried that this summoning would prove to be a struggle, but it was not.

There was a flash of light, then a portal opened, like a dark patch of mist in the air beside me. After a moment, the Dragonling tumbled out of it. The lights above, which I had only just now noticed, mimicked the sun. The artificial sun’s rays caused the creature’s pink scales to sparkle. It glanced about and then let out a high-pitched roar, its red tongue flicking out as it glared fiercely round.

“Oh, that’s so cute!” Astrid said as she stooped to the Dragonling’s eye-level. She held out her hand, and the creature leaped toward her, climbing up her arm before it climbed up and wound itself around her torso.

“I think it likes you,” I said as the Dragonling perched on the beastkin woman’s shoulder. It looked like some kind of giant scaly tropical parrot.

The Dragonling nuzzled Astrid’s face, then licked her cheek. The lycan giggled reaching up to swat the Dragonling’s tongue away from her face. “Hey,” she said, “that tickles! I normally kill monsters, not cuddle them.” She grabbed the creature around its body and placed it back on the ground, where it shook itself like a dog settling its ruffled coat.

“Can it fly?” she asked.

“Its wings look a little small,” I said, considering. “But maybe it has some kind of magical means of flying.”

As though to prove a point, the Dragonling took a running start before jumping a few feet into the air. The creature’s face scrunched up as it pumped its little wings, but it was only able to float for a second before it dropped back to the ground with a thud.

“Let’s see if we can’t help you to get a bit stronger, little guy,” I said as I scratched the creature beneath the chin and behind the ears. “Who knows, maybe you’ll evolve into some crazy strong dragon?”

“That’d be cool,” Astrid said. “Wouldn’t it, cutey?” she asked the Dragonling. In response, the creature’s thin lips pulled back into a grin that was almost as menacing as it was adorable.

I squatted low to the Dragonling so I could look into its emerald-green eyes.