The War (Play to Live: Book #6) by D. Rus

Something told me they weren’t made for pumas.
    I upgraded the bracelets with magic stones while I was at it. The universe gave in and allowed the modification of the already distorted artifacts. But the law of conservation of energy still played its part; the bracelets’ stats now read "for felines only" as if to spite us.
    Tigress gladly accepted some gifts as well. But she chose them herself, digging through the shiny goodies with her enormous paw. She preferred whatever was more beautiful. My greedy pig giggled insidiously and happily slipped her huge useless diamonds and platinum items.
    Bagheera and I exchanged knowing glances and smiled. Women.
    As an extra treat, I used my Gilding ability to make Tigress’ claws look as though they were made of solid gold. Tigress held a paw to her muzzle, flexed her enormous glistening claws flirtatiously and purred with delight.
    Bagheera was growling and pacing impatiently, hinting that the master must have had enough of the high-maintenance pets for one day and that it was time to go.
    Tigress looked at me guiltily, and I sighed. "Leaving? What will I do without you? We’ve won a battle, but not a war. And we were up against only 30,000 warriors this time. Now picture this: about sixty miles from here is an army that’s four times stronger. And I’m running out of trump cards fast. I’m down to the six of trumps."
    I scratched the purring feline behind the ears as I complained of the difficulties of life. It soothed me. My uneasiness faded, and I finally felt the joy of victory to the fullest.
    Having these two mighty felines as my allies felt reassuring. Everything will be okay .
    The dozen basilisks sprawled out on the sand dune close to their mate who had turned himself to stone. They would clearly wait an eternity for him if they had to. This was great news for me; the monsters would keep an eye on the Lightsiders’ teleport zone.
    The remaining demons fraternized with the dwarves. Standing shoulder-to-shoulder in the exhausting battle had brought the different creatures closer together.
    The dwarves offered everyone Dwarven Extra Dry and Old Troll in demijohns wrapped in vines. Our guests from Inferno returned the favor and poured their new friends Volcanic Grog from smoking amphoras.
    NPC losses were terrifyingly high. Only a quarter survived. The composite battalion had turned into a heavily battered crowd. On the bright side, the survivors saw a significant increase in levels. Altogether the dwarves and demons had defeated 5-6K Lights. The profits were decent to say the least: XP points, religious and race achievements, upgraded abilities…
    The Lost City monsters dispersed in different directions within the Valley and were in no hurry to get back. I saw some of them digging holes and appropriating dens like they owned the place. They sniffed the air and looked dreamily at the majestic mountains and forests.
    I turned to Bagheera. "My friend, should you ever need my help, you know where to find me."
    Bagheera nodded majestically and Tigress gave a quiet sob.
    "Don’t lose heart, girl! We’ll see each other soon! Wanna leave me something to remember you by?"
    Tigress gave me a long, pensive look. With a glint of determination in her yellow eyes, she disappeared in a portal.
    I barely had time to raise a brow in surprise before she came back. She held a large cub in her mouth. It had cuddly spotted fur and wide, strong paws.
    Tigress set the cub on the ground and gave it a light push in my direction. Bagheera snapped at her, but she slapped him on the muzzle with her tail.
     
    Status alert! A free gift is offered to you. Do you accept?
    Remember that you are responsible for your pets. In the event of a familiar’s death, the owner is penalized with an XP deduction.
     
    I didn’t hesitate even for a moment. Genetic engineering was not my strength; I had no idea how a mountain lion and a sabre-toothed tiger could have had a snow leopard cub, but there was no way