The night was calm, but the air was heavy with the stench of death. Wren moved like a phantom, her claws slicing through the darkness, each strike a precise blow to the Niks. They fell one by one, her ferocity a stark contrast to their own. She didn't give them any chance; her movements also showed that she was not taking this seriously, simply playing.
Yenna watched in awe, her body unable to move, but her eyes locked on Wren's motions as she tried her best to keep up.
The Niks, on the other hand, were being picked off like flies. They were supposed to be seen as a threat, but right now, they were nothing more than prey, and Wren was the hunter.
Realizing their mistake, they turned to Vell, who was still unconscious. They wasted no time in charging at him, and as soon as Wren saw this, the look in her eyes changed. In a split second, she killed the ones approaching her master.
"Prrrrr."
Her growl stopped the rest, a primal warning so chilling that even Yenna could feel it.
'I knew it, she is dangerous. Just what type of tamer is he?'
Yenna stepped forward, positioning herself in front of Vell. "You'll have to go through me first," she said, her voice barely a whisper.
She dropped into a low crouch, her body coiled tight like a spring. Claws splayed, brushing the ground as if testing the terrain. The Niks, sensing something ominous, backed off and began to run away in fear.
Wren simply watched; her posture screamed of restraint, like a cat just moments before the pounce. They were fast at running away, but she was faster.
"prr..."
She leaped at an insane speed, moving so quickly that she was not visible to Yenna. All Yenna could see were bodies dropping left and right. In just ten seconds, it was all over, and Wren slid into view in front of Vell. Yenna sharply looked back and caught a glimpse of what looked like massive claws made of mana disappearing.
"What the hell were those? They looked... I should try being friendly with her, or I might die."
As her runes stopped glowing, Yenna approached, her hand slowly reaching out while her face displayed a gentle but slightly awkward smile.
"Uh... h-hey, thank you for saving—" she began, but Wren's step back and defensive gaze told her all she needed to know.
"Yep, that was stupid. I should mind my own business."
She crawled away, regretting her decision as her body rested against the tree, getting lost in thought. Wren gave her one last look before snuggling beside her master and going to sleep.
---
Morning came, and Vell finally began waking up. His body was still sore, but he pushed himself to sit up. Scanning around, he noticed all the cores next to him and Yenna nowhere in sight.
"Did she run?" he thought, getting up and picking up a core for a closer look.
"What the hell is this?"
[That's a core. Think of it like a monster's heart. This is interesting, though. Why is such a rare core here? And not just one, but so many?]
"Hmm, just what happened while I was out?" He looked at Wren and could tell she was lost in thought because her mana was low. "Did we get attacked by monsters?"
He continued walking around, feeling the sting of his muscles and cracked core. Each step was a struggle, but he needed to know what happened.
Not far ahead, he saw Yenna returning with some fruits in hand. When she saw him, the awkwardness instantly began; she did not know what to say.
"Oh, hey, so you stayed." His voice was rough, and it felt like he was about to cough up blood.
"...I am so sorry, I am a terrible person!"
She bowed, even dropping the fruits to show how genuine her words were, but Vell just watched her with an annoyed expression.
"What the fuck are you talking about?"
"Huh?" she thought, slowly looking at him. She noticed that something was off. "Am I tripping, or did his personality change drastically?"
These thoughts were not important to her right now. She smiled and kept up the happy vibes.
"I couldn't leave after what you've done for me."
He shook his head and picked up a fruit, taking a large bite. "I didn't do it for you."
".....That may be the case, but I'm still grateful."
"Sure, I still owe you for letting me stay at your house anyway."
"Oh, is that it? Hahaha, you don't have to worry about that."
[Master, why are you lying to her? Wouldn't it be better if she knew what her friends actually think of her?]
"Look at her, it's obvious she's on edge. She heard from that lady that her friends were not friends after all, but she still doesn't know if it's true or not. That's for the best right now, and I don't feel like talking too much; I am hurt, after all."
[So you're saying you're just lazy.]
"I will scrap you."
He walked up to her and put a hand on her shoulder, a gesture of comfort. No words came out of his mouth; they simply locked eyes, and then he began walking away.
'.....Was I supposed to understand what his stare meant?'
She picked up the fruits and followed behind him. "Oh, those cores—where did they come from?"
"Ah, those, let's just say they came from prey."
"Oh, you killed that many monsters? Impressive."
"No, Wren was the hunter."
"...What!"
'That explains her low mana levels and why she is probably sleeping.'
"I am sorry, I wanted to help, but my body was too weak to move. Even right now, it's taking all I have to keep standing."
He looked at her smile, then his gaze shifted to her legs, noticing they were shaking. After a few seconds of staring, he took some fruits from her and walked away.
"So...how was she, her hunting skills?"
Her body slightly froze up at the question. "She...was amazing. She is efficient with her speed and shows no mercy to her enemies....and it scares me."
This answer annoyed him; it reminded him of someone just like her. 'So she is one of those....naive. Tsk.'
"Is that so? Well, don't worry, she won't hurt you, I think."
"....."
"So, about the cores, what can you tell me?"
Before she could even answer, Vell fell to his knees and coughed up a large amount of blood.