Death Knights are what most consider undead that are fully sentient and sapient. Their form, strength, level, personality, and death mana type can vary wildly between them. In general, however, Death Knights are high leveled undead that their master wanted to give sapience. The price, however, is incredibly steep. The most successful creation of a Death Knight in history was Malo Scaleslayer’s dragon zombie. In spite of the massive intelligence he was attempting to recreate, he was only forced into a coma for a week and mental fatigue for a few months. 

Most, however, are not Malo. To raise a human zombie up to sapience, most would fall into a coma for a month or more, perhaps even going many years with intense mental fatigue. That, however, does not take into account Traits such as [Mental Recovery] or [Mental Fatigue Resistance] which drastically reduce the pain that creating a Death Knight entails.

-Excerpt from ‘Follow the Tides,’ By Nathan Aster

 

*=====*

 

The seven undead stood, confused, as their mistress entered the cabin and sat next to a living orc, using the highest level undead among them as a pillow. As they looked around with their newfound intellect, being careful not to leave the skiff, blood pulled itself together in the middle of the skiff. Aerolat’s condensed form switched into one that was much like an orc, floating above the deck. It snapped it’s fingers quietly, grabbing their attention, “This is great…” it said in a male voice, “I can finally speak coherently. Alright, you seven, you all should get a Trait to let you speak first, that’ll make things easier on us and our mistress; I was watching her make you and man, your vocal cords are bent all out of shape.”

The seven pyraustas glanced at each other and shrugged, picking the Trait with varying degrees of reluctance. Their throats began to spasm, flesh knitting itself together in their necks with sickening tearing sounds for a dozen minutes. Soon enough, their flesh stilled and they felt their throats, slightly more bulky from the new folds of flesh sitting in their throats. “Ah… I want to rest…” a zombie said, stretching her two pairs of arms above her head. 

Another sneered, “You are able to speak for the first time and the first thing you say is that you are tired?” he asked, “What a waste.”

“Urgh… says the guy who spent his first words complaining about her’s,” another remarked.

“Stuff it, you two,” the fourth said, slapping them both on the back of their heads, “Aerolat has something else to say.”

Aerolat’s blood-based body nodded in her direction, “Thanks. Anyway, you heard the mistress, we are to choose our Traits as we please. So, I’ll answer any questions you guys have,” he offered, opening his own Status Page and opening his list of available Traits.

The second one sneered again, “What makes you so much more intelligent than us?” he asked pointedly. 

“Age,” one of them replied. They turned and looked at one of their number, already slowly flexing his hands slowly as he looked at the discarded weapons.

The arrogant zombie sneered, “Oh yes, his good hour of existence before the rest of us, then.”

The fourth zombie slapped him on the head again, “Stop it,” she said, turning back to the rest of them, “First, though, I think we should choose names for ourselves. It’d be kind of weird to not have any, despite being sapient and all.”

They all nodded, the second being the most enthusiastic, “Good! Then you all will call me Pride!” he declared with triumph.

They stared at him for a moment, seeing the triumphant look in his eyes, while Aerolat smiled a gash across his face, “A bit on the nose there,” he said, “Though, the mistress did say something about the ‘Seven Deadly Sins.’ Whatever that is.”

The first raised her hand, leaving her spike-arms dangling by her sides, “Well, she did list something about each of us, right? The mistress said I like to sleep, so… I’m Idle, I guess?” 

Aerolat nodded, “Alright, so we have Idle, Pride… who’s next?”

“Fury,” the third said, a scowl permanently occupying his face.

“Idle, Pride, Fury…”

The fourth one raised her hand, “Desire!”

Aerolat raised a liquid brow, “Why that?” he asked.

“Because I want a lot of things!” she giggled, “I want to be able to talk to the living like normal. I want to be able to be with them. I want to even love them!”

“Fair enough, then. So we have Idle, Pride, Fury, Desire… and…” he trailed off, looking at the fifth zombie, who had begun staring at discarded weapons, “I’m looking at you…” he did not react, “Fine. Avarice. Next?”

“Crave,” one who had not spoken said, “I really want to taste something…” They looked at him oddly as he looked up in thought, “Hey, one of you wants to sleep despite being undead and another wants to make love to the living. What’s eating some good food against that?”

Aerolat shrugged, “I’m starting to see what the mistress was talking about when she says ‘deadly,’” he muttered, “Alright, you’re last. What’s your name?”

The last one, still fixated on Mori’s soul, snapped back to the conversation, “Huh?”

“Name. What is it?” Aerolat asked.

“Um… what are we doing to figure out our names?” she asked.

He shrugged, “Something about what your most defining flaw or desire is. I dunno, the mistress said something about it and we’re just going along with it.”

She widened her eyes, “O-Oh… Then, I guess I’m a bit J-Jealous of the mistress… she has that really interesting soul, and I want to know what it’s like to have one like that…” she said shyly.

“Hmm…” Aerolat hummed, “While I don’t think being jealous of the mistress is a good idea, I’ll just say your name is Jealous. Alright, so we have Idle, Pride, Fury, Desire, Avarice, Crave, and Jealous. What a merry band we have here…” he said. They tilted their heads as he spoke, “Bah, whatever. Now that that’s over with, do any of you have any questions?” They all stood still, either out of apathy, pride, in Pride’s case, or disinterest, “Good. I’m going to be picking my Traits, so I won’t be available,” he said, disappearing from their sight, “All of you pick your own Traits though!” With Aerolat gone, the pyraustas stole glances at each other and dispersed into their own corners of the Kharon. 

 

*=====*

 

Idle climbed the mast and found a spot to rest at it’s top. It was a bucket, likely used to look out over the desert, but it was large enough to fit her malformed body. After a bit of settling in, she opened her Status Page and looked through it.

[Name: Idle

Species: Death Knight

Variant: Lesser Pyrausta

Level: 3(5%)

Traits:

Physical: (Articulate Vocal Cords), (Free Slot)*2

Spiritual: (Free Slot)*3

Granted Traits: (Advanced Sapience [Psychic])]

She knew she was the highest leveled pyrausta on the skiff, but she reviewed her other messages from the system to see what she could do in the future.

[You have successfully completed a day of guarding your mistress. Experience has been awarded.]

[You have successfully protected your mistress against a high level foe. Experience has been awarded.]

[...]

[You and your allies have defeated Ceclia Violta, a level 38 Half-Scale Lizardman non-lethally. A great amount of experience has been awarded.]

[You have reached level 1]

[You have reached level 2]

[You have reached level 3]

That was it. She had completed her job. She had not stayed in front to intercept the enemy. She did not try to flank the enemy. She simply stayed by her mistress’ side and protected her. The moment when the enemy was about to attack her mistress, she was ready to sacrifice her body to protect her. That was what she needed to figure out: what she should pick to ensure her mistress’ survival. It was a simple idea, but Idle knew how many threats lurked around every corner and could try their hand at taking her mistress’ life. With that in mind, she scoured her available Traits. There, she found one physical Trait and one spiritual Trait that suited her needs.

[Strengthened Skin: Increases the toughness of your skin or scales. May be upgraded by using another Trait slot.]

[Enhanced Sense: You are able to extend your vigil on the world around you. Allows you to sense things around you much more easily. May be upgraded by using another Trait slot.]

They were basic, far from the flashy choices her siblings would likely make, but she almost felt like the choices were made for her. She picked them immediately. Instantly, her body and soul went through its changes. Her scales hardened, not condensing, but shifting in such minute ways that she knew it was unimaginable. Then, she felt her soul shift. It was nowhere near the monumental change her mistress had wrought, but it echoed such a change. Before she knew it, the changes had finished and she was sitting in the crows nest feeling the changes. Sounds were sharper. Movement was sharper. She could see everything around her in a small radius, even without line of sight. It was as if a whole new world had opened up to her. Her long, reptilian face lifted into a grin, “Good… Now, time to rest,” she said, leaning back and staring up at the starry sky, confident that she would be able to use her Traits to do less work for the same effect.

 

*=====*

 

Pride walked away from his siblings, his snout held high. He had already gotten a good look at his Status Page earlier and had learned what gave him such a large amount of experience. It was his attempts to battle the intruder as she rushed the mistress that had earned him such a large amount of experience. Unfortunately, it was the only thing he could check before his siblings disturbed his thoughts. 

Now, however, he was free to spend his mental power on more important, more useful things than what his siblings named themselves. With a short glance, he looked at his Status Page once more.

[Name: Pride

Species: Death Knight

Variant: Lesser Pyrausta

Level: 2(85%)

Traits:

Physical: (Articulate Vocal Cords), (Free Slot)

Spiritual: (Free Slot)*2

Granted Traits: (Advanced Sapience [Psychic])]

He knew he was not the strongest among them, but his pride as a creation of the mistress demanded him fight against the intruder with his own spike-arms. He did, however, find his weapons lacking. They were too… crude. It was hardly the fault of the mistress that the bone that made his body was inferior to the steel he clashed with, but it simply would not do going forward. But he was not worried; he knew exactly what he would use. Mana. From the moment the spell of the mistress had seeped into his veins, he was shown the power of mana. It had many applications, from burning holes into ignorant intruders to uplifting him and his siblings. 

With an eagerness that almost embarrassed him, he delved into the available Traits and pulled up three that would be of great use to him.

[Enhanced Manapaths: Your body is able to act as a conduit for faster mana travel, allowing spells to be cast faster when mana comes from your own body. May be upgraded using a Trait slot]

[Sole-mana Casting: You may now use complex mana manipulation. You may do more than slightly enhance your body and use casting magic. Requires additional Traits to allow for different casting.]

[Multi-sigil Casting: You may now use Sigil magic, the art of casting complex spells with infinite possibilities. You may use air or a material as a base for your Sigils, with differing benefits with each choice.]

That was it. It was the power he thought was rightfully his. He was intelligent enough to make the most of it. He was intelligent enough to use it for more than simply making things explode. He knew that he had a bit of catching up to do compared to his mistress. In spite of it, he knew that he would be able to make her proud. After a moment, he chose his Traits and felt the changes happen in his soul. It was as if he grew new, invisible arms that could grab mana, shape it, mold it to his will. A small, wispy flame rose from his hand and he grinned. He would show his siblings and his mistress what he was capable of.

 

*=====*

 

Fury sat down where the conversation ended, thinking. He was, as his name evinced, angry. He could remember the anger he felt when his mistress’ foe boarded the Kharon. Back then, not even an hour before, it was a dull throb. After gaining sapience, however, it had blossomed into a white hot rage that burned in his bony chest. It was almost painful, how angry he was. He was not just angry at the foe, but also at himself. He had failed, and he did not like that. 

He opened his status screen and took in every detail he could, looking for any edge.

[Name: Fury

Species: Death Knight

Variant: Lesser Pyrausta

Level: 2(59%)

Traits:

Physical: (Articulate Vocal Cords), (Free Slot)

Spiritual: (Free Slot)*2

Granted Traits: (Advanced Sapience [Psychic])]

[Death Knight: The final form of undead minion. Death Knights are the term used to refer to an undead that has gained or retained sapience despite not being a Lich. The main difference between a Lich and Death Knight is their soul, the former possessing their souls in a crystalized container in their ribcage and the latter having their soul coursing through their body in the form of death mana. Like all undead, they require occasional mana to sustain their soul.]

[Lesser Pyrausta: Named after the pyrausta, an insect-sized dragon with four legs and filmy wings from the mythology of Earth, they are in fact a deformed form of undead. Born from the bodies of lizardmen being molded into a specific shape by a Blood Slime, it is almost impossible for others to create a Pyrausta without the assistance of Mori Athanatos. Due to being little more than an altered lizardman zombie, and thus not unlocking the potential brought through the name Pyrausta, this creature has gained no benefits from its namesake. Like all undead, they require occasional mana to sustain their soul.]

Fury read like a man possessed and learned what was wrong: he was a lesser pyrausta, thus being nowhere near his best self. To be a pyrausta, he needed wings, four legs, and a dragon. He already had four legs; all he was missing was wings and being a dragon. There was a way to fix the problem, however: Traits. After a long while searching through his available Traits, he was only able to find one of the things he was looking for.

[Wing Muscle Structure: Alters the muscle structure on your back to allow for wings to be grown and controlled. May be upgraded by using another Trait slot.]

In place of something related to dragons, he found something else that interested him.

[Fire Breath (Source- Mana): Gives you the ability to breathe fire. May be upgraded by using another Trait slot.]

That was it. If he could become a dragon yet, then he would emulate one. It may not make him a dragon in and of itself, but coming just that bit closer to being his best was well worth it. To him, his best was whatever the step after lesser pyrausta was. Without thinking further, he accepted his new Traits. As the pain throbbed in his throat, he wondered for a moment why fire breath was a spiritual Trait in the first place, despite it being a physical enhancement. He pushed the thought away as his choice was completed and he was able to test out his new Traits. [Wing Muscle Structure] was simple, but unusable at that moment, so he turned his attention to [Fire Breath]. With a thought, a stream of flame erupted from his throat without his body moving any muscle, lighting up the night. He was so enamored with the flame that he barely took notice of the guards looking at him as if he were a demon.

 

*=====*

 

Desire was stuck. She had no clue what to choose. The idea of an undead wanting to be with the living and make friends seemed absurd, even to her, but she knew it was what she wanted. Even after looking through her available Traits, she found nothing immediately useful for her goals. With a weary sigh, she looked at her Status Page once more.

[Name: Desire

Species: Death Knight

Variant: Lesser Pyrausta

Level: 2(51%)

Traits:

Physical: (Articulate Vocal Cords), (Free Slot)

Spiritual: (Free Slot)*2

Granted Traits: (Advanced Sapience [Psychic])]

She stared at the screen, as if it would relinquish to her the answers to her problems. When, predictably, nothing happened, she stared back to the sand behind the skiff, sulking. Suddenly, a stream of fire shot up from where she remembered Fury sitting. She darted to the side of the skiff only to see him enamored with the fire like a curious animal. She laughed a bit, but noticed something odd. She guessed that, in her previous life, she had chosen a hearing-based Trait because she felt like she was always able to hear things much more clearly than the others. Unfortunately, she had a suspicion that the Trait was being repressed by the system, mostly due to how it showed up as [Restore Enhanced Hearing] on her Trait list. 

Either way, she was able to hear much more clearly than her siblings, something that she realized was useless when she could not understand the guards on the dock. She then realized something: she could only understand her mistress, her friend, and the undead made by her mistress. It was a shocking revelation, but it helped explain a certain Trait choice in her available Traits.

[Universal Soul Language: You are able to speak to and understand any sentient being, no matter their intelligence. The effect also applies to writing (being able to subconsciously write in a given language if needed), except in very rare circumstances. (You must be able to fluently speak, read, and write one language to choose this Trait)]

While certain that she was both illiterate and unintelligible, she was thankful to see the Trait being offered. On top of that, she realized something else: the living were uncomfortable around the undead. With a little guesswork, she could understand why. They all had generally similar proportions, Traits aside, and they were stretched and pulled to fit the form of a pyrausta. With it in mind, she took special notice of a physical Trait.

[Physical Restoration: Restores your body to seem, at the very least living, without changing your body’s shape or Variant. May be upgraded by using another Trait slot.]

Seeing them talking to each other brought another Trait pick to mind, one that she did not see any use for earlier.

[Conversational Affinity: Gives a supernatural understanding of conversation and speech. May be upgraded by using another Trait slot.]

That was it. How would she be able to get closer to the living if she looked like a deformed monster and spoke just as well as one? That was the key. She chose the Traits and let the pain take hold of her body and soul. It was relatively quick, but the whispering in the back of her head, appearing with her choice of Trait, did not go away. It told her what to say to get into someone’s good graces. It told her what to say if she wanted to annoy someone. It told her what to say if she wanted to anger someone. She deactivated the Trait, feeling relief at being able to hear more than the whispers of knowledge. She knew that the Trait would be useful, but it would take some practice to get the most out of. At the very least, she would soon be able to use her Traits to get closer to the living.

 

*=====*

 

Avarice sighed as the last of the weapons left on the ground were taken away from the guards. He heard Crave sigh as well nearby as well. After a moment, he wondered why he was so fascinated by the discarded weapons. He knew that greed, or avarice as Aerolat called him, is usually only applicable to things like money or wealth. And yet, he only cared about the weapons. 

It took a while, but it soon dawned on him: he wanted to use the weapons. He remembered the way Fury’s spike-arms clashed with the raider’s sword. He remembered how the blade cracked the bone that made up his sibling’s arm. He wanted that power, to be able to use a weapon meant that the raider had an edge over the rest of them. That was something he did not like. Thinking as such, he pulled up his Status Page and looked through it.

[Name: Avarice

Species: Death Knight

Variant: Lesser Pyrausta

Level: 1(98%)

Traits:

Physical: (Articulate Vocal Cords)

Spiritual: (Free Slot)

Granted Traits: (Advanced Sapience [Psychic])]

He was weak. He knew that, but it still hurt a bit when it was shown to him in such a numerical manner. The fact that he was weaker than his siblings more often than not simply reaffirmed his determination to find a way to use weapons. It only took a short search to find what he was looking for, but something bothered him.

[Melee Weapon Affinity: Gives a supernatural understanding of melee weapons. May be upgraded by using another Trait slot.]

[Ranged Weapon Affinity: Gives a supernatural understanding of ranged weapons. May be upgraded by using another Trait slot.]

He liked all of the weapons he saw. Be they guns that tore through flesh or swords that cut through it, he found them all interesting. Therefore, he was torn. Thinking for a moment, he wondered where he would get the weapons. Obviously, he could scavenge a weapon from a battle, but if he did find something, would the mistress mind if he kept it? He knew that she was far from cold-hearted, but the thought that he could spend a Trait slot on something he could not use scared him away from the option until the mistress confirmed that he could keep his weapons. 

Thinking as such, he realized that he might want to try his hand at making weapons. Even if the mistress shattered the image he held of her and forbade him from using weapons, he would still be useful by making them for her to use or even sell. While imagining his work being sold hurt him a bit, he could also take pride in the idea of his weapons selling for a lot of money. With his mind set, he found the next Trait he wanted.

[Manufacturing Affinity: Gives a supernatural understanding of creating items. While not as strong as [Blacksmithing Affinity], [Gunsmithing Affinity, or [Mechanical Affinity], your understanding applies to the creation of all items. May be upgraded by using another Trait slot.]

That was it. He may not be as good at creating things as a dedicated smith, he would be able to create everything he wanted. With his mind made, he chose his Traits and felt his perspective of the world shift. It was not as if he was thrown to the ground, but it felt more like the world tilted ever so slightly. Tiny, almost insignificant whispers told him how things were made. How rope was braided. How swords were smithed. How guns were assembled. Like he expected it was vague at best, but it would be his guiding hand in creating new things.

 

*=====*

 

Crave followed Avarice’s example and sighed as the last of the corpses were taken away. He did not know why, but he wanted to have a taste. While they were most likely filthy, unwashed, and disgusting, he wanted to know what those words actually meant. What did something disgusting taste like? What did something not disgusting, maybe even good tasting, taste like?

It was a silly thing to think about, he knew. For all of his perceived shortcomings among his siblings, being simple-minded was one of the few that they misunderstood about him. He was not slow, nor was he stupid. He considered himself even a bit insightful on the rare occasion. He knew that Idle’s laziness stemmed from wanting to work in a smarter way rather than working harder, as it were. He knew that Pride was as such because he held himself to such high standards. He knew that Fury was angry at himself for his shortcomings. He knew that Desire wanted to be with the living because it was different from always being with the undead. He knew that Avarice wanted the weapons to use, but beyond that he was clueless. While he knew that Jealous was very quiet, shy even, so he had no clue what ran through her head. 

He wondered if food was the only thing he craved. He enjoyed remembering his siblings’ personalities. He enjoyed knowing more. He turned to his Status Page to get a glance at his level.

[Name: Crave

Species: Death Knight

Variant: Lesser Pyrausta

Level: 1(97%)

Traits:

Physical: (Articulate Vocal Cords)

Spiritual: (Free Slot)

Granted Traits: (Advanced Sapience [Psychic])]

As expected, he was the lowest level alongside Jealous and Avarice. It did not hurt him, however, because he did not find as much satisfaction in accumulating power as he did in accumulating knowledge. He wondered if there was something he could pick that would fit with his goals and personality, so took a cursory look at the available Traits. He found something that caught his eye in short order.

[Enhanced Memory: Increases your ability to remember things. May be upgraded by using another Trait slot.]

That was it. He wanted so much that he was literally named after gluttony, but he wanted to channel it into something useful. The thing that struck him about knowledge was that he could give it to someone else, but still have it for himself. It increased the amount of value, in his eyes, as he spread it. He liked the idea a lot, so chose the Trait. The change was not drastic, but immediate. The day of life he lived became clearer. The little details of memory became clearer, the things shunted to the background faded into focus. It all made him smile; he knew he would be able to spread knowledge, but he still had a long way to go.

 

*=====*

 

Jealous shyly looked through the doorway to the dining room of the Kharon, staring at her mistress as she used Unio as a pillow. After a while of staring, she built up her nerves and walked in. Almost immediately, the orc sitting next to Mori noticed her and started speaking in some incomprehensible gibberish. Mori looked up lazily, holding her head, “Agreed. So, how did it go… Jealous? You actually took that comment and ran with it, huh?”

Jealous, seeing her mistress examine her status, looked down to the floor shyly, “I-I was wondering i-if you could t-tell me something,” she stuttered.

The mistress nodded, “Sure. I did kind of leave you guys to figure it out. So, how can I help?” she asked, raising her head a bit.

“W-Well… I was a b-bit jealous of your s-soul…” she said, “I was w-wondering how I could get one like that.”

Mori stared at her for a moment before giggling, “Is that what you’re jealous of, or is it something else?” she asked, stunning Jealous, “Damn, that’s just going to be confusing. I’m just going to call you Jel for brevity’s sake, alright?”

Jealous, shortened to Jel, nodded, “Y-Yeah, that’s f-fine.”

Mori nodded, standing up and walking over to pat her shoulder, “Are you alright? You’re pretty shy, aren’t you?”

Jel nervously nodded, “Y-Yeah… Aerolat said that b-being jealous of you is dangerous…” she said.

Mori’s eye-flames widened, “Wait, he’s sapient now too? Hold on a minute,” she said, focusing on something else, “I-Ah crap.” The orc in the corner spoke more gibberish to Mori, “I didn’t just make those seven sapient, I made eleven undead into death knights… You know what? That’s a tomorrow problem,” she said, the orc laughing uproariously, “So Aerolat said that it was dangerous to be jealous of me?” she asked. Jel nodded, “Well, that’s not the full picture. Being jealous is a drive to do something. Most of the time, jealousy drives someone to do bad things, but you’re concerned enough about it that you can turn that drive into something good. So, why are you jealous? Is it because my soul is just that cool? Or is it because you really like my power?” she asked.

Jel took a long, hard look at herself and debated with herself on the answer to the question. Obviously she loved her mistress, if nothing else because she was the reason why she was alive, but was it really her soul that she wanted? Or was it the power to do more? She took a good few minutes thinking before answering, “I want to be like you,” she said resolutely.

Mori’s eyes flickered in happiness, “That makes me happy, Jel. So, do you want to be a necromancer? Or a lich? Or a… something else?”

Jel took no time to respond, “Like you. I want to be like you!” she cried, “You treat us so well and-and I want to be like that!”

Mori’s eyes flickered again and she placed a hand on her head, “I appreciate that that’s the reason why,” she said, “Well, just remember that everyone else is their own person. No matter who they are, they have just as much right to live as you do. Be nice, really. Now that I think about it, what Trait are you going to pick?”

Jel looked down at her Status Page and took a quick look-over.

[Name: Jealous

Species: Death Knight

Variant: Lesser Pyrausta

Level: 1(99%)

Traits:

Physical: (Articulate Vocal Cords)

Spiritual: (Free Slot)

Granted Traits: (Advanced Sapience [Psychic])]

Afterwards, she quickly scanned her available Traits, finding one that would let her be more like her mistress right away, called [Sole-mana Casting]. It would let her take her first steps into becoming a necromancer like her mistress. 

Mori took a moment to look over Jel’s choice, looking at it for a long time before shrugging to herself, “Eh, that’s for later. Anyway, I’m going to rest a bit more —maybe I can get this headache to go away— you can do what you want, but just stay on the Kharon.” Jel nodded, leaving her mistress to relax, and emerged onto the deck of the skiff. Her siblings were all doing their own thing and she was not one to disturb them. She walked over to the front of the skiff, her four legs clacking on the deck, and sat down next to Pride. She slowly condensed the mana around her into her hand, playing around with it for a bit. 

Someone tapped her shoulder and she turned, seeing Pride staring at her, “You chose to become a mage as well?” he asked, a tint of curiosity shining through his usual prideful demeanor.

She shook her head, “Nope! I asked the mistress if I could be a necromancer and she said yes!” she said gleefully.

Pride shrugged, “Mage, necromancer, same thing. While I don’t want to admit it, working with someone else is more beneficial than working alone… so do you want to work together?” he asked.

She sat stunned for a moment, before nodding happily, “Mhm!”