Taja let out a terrified scream, shielding her head with her hands. She slithered her lone tendril as fast as she could, darting further into her hideout.
When Ren finally battled his way out from the mass of puppet-like alphas, he just managed to see the last trace of Taja, as she vanished into the winding, maze-like tunnels that went deeper into the den and led to some temple. He knew chasing after her blindly was a bad move.
Brushing off the blood smeared on his face, Ren spat, clearly annoyed.
Kestrel, who had just returned and was out of the loop about the showdown, only picked up on the heavy, aggressive power in the air. Ren stood there, his eyes burning with a fierce look.
"What happened? Who were you fighting with?" she asked, looking at Ren. "You injured again?"
On her tendrils, she carried a bunch of different-sized bags. These were stuff she'd found, left behind by adventurers from various times, after exploring several layers above.
