The forest night was eerily quiet, the only sounds the soft rustle of leaves and the almost inaudible thud of Nik bodies hitting the ground. Wren moved like a phantom, her claws slicing through the darkness with a precision that was both beautiful and terrifying. One by one, the shadowy creatures fell, their forms dissolving into nothing. She wasn't just fighting; she was playing, a deadly game of cat and mouse where she was always the cat.
Yenna watched in awe, her own pain forgotten for a moment. Wren's ferocity was a stark contrast to the creatures' own, and it was clear who the real monster was in this clearing. The Niks, who were supposed to be the hunters, were now nothing more than prey.
Realizing their mistake, the remaining creatures turned their attention to the real threat—or so they thought. They charged at Vell, who was still unconscious and completely vulnerable. The moment Wren saw this, the playful look in her eyes vanished, replaced by a cold, protective fury. In a flash, she was on them, a blur of silver and black that tore through their ranks, leaving a trail of dead Niks in her wake.
"Prrrrr."
A low growl rumbled from her chest, a primal warning that was so chilling even Yenna felt it. The remaining Niks froze, their shadowy forms trembling.
'I knew it, she's dangerous. Just what type of tamer is he?' Yenna thought, her respect for the little weasel growing by the second.
The Niks, sensing something truly terrifying, turned and tried to run, but Wren wasn't done with them yet. She crouched low, her body coiled tight like a spring, her claws digging into the dirt. They were fast, but she was faster.
"prr…"
She leaped, moving so quickly that Yenna couldn't even follow her with her eyes. All she could see were bodies dropping left and right, their shadowy forms dissolving into dust. In less than ten seconds, it was over. Wren slid back into view, stopping right in front of Vell as if she had never left. Yenna caught a glimpse of massive, glowing claws made of pure mana disappearing as Wren's own claws returned to their normal size.
"What the hell were those? They looked…" Yenna shook her head, trying to make sense of what she had just seen. 'I should probably try being friendly with her, or I might be the next thing she rips apart.'
As Wren's glowing runes dimmed, Yenna started to crawl toward her, a gentle but slightly awkward smile on her face. "Uh… h-hey, thank you for saving—" she began, but Wren took a step back, her golden eyes fixed on her with a defensive gaze that said, 'Stay away from my master.'
"Yep, that was stupid. I should mind my own business," Yenna muttered, crawling back to her spot by the tree. She watched as Wren gave her one last look before snuggling up next to Vell, her fierce protector mode replaced by that of a loyal, sleeping pet.
---
Morning came, the first rays of sunlight filtering through the trees. Vell finally started to wake up, his body still sore but no longer on the verge of collapse. He pushed himself to a sitting position and scanned the clearing. He saw the piles of dark stones next to him, but Yenna was nowhere in sight.
"Did she run?" he thought, getting up and picking up one of the strange, dark cores. "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, who was still sleeping soundly. He could tell her mana was low. "Did we get attacked by monsters?"
He started walking around, feeling the sting of his muscles and his still-cracked cores. Each step was a struggle, but he needed to know what had happened. Not far from their camp, he saw Yenna returning, her arms full of strange-looking fruits.
When she saw him up and moving, an awkward silence fell between them. She didn't know what to say.
"Oh, hey. So you stayed," he said, his voice rough. It felt like he was about to cough up blood.
"…I am so sorry! I'm a terrible person!" She suddenly bowed, dropping the fruits she had gathered. She was so genuine in her apology that he was taken aback.
"What the fuck are you talking about?"
"Huh?" She slowly looked up at him, a confused expression on her face. 'Am I tripping, or did his personality just change drastically?'
She quickly composed herself, putting on a brave smile. "I couldn't leave after what you've done for me."
He shook his head and picked up one of the fruits from the ground, 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."
[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,' he thought back, his eyes on her forced smile and trembling hands. 'It's obvious she's on edge. She probably heard from that Section Chief that her friends weren't really her friends, but she still doesn't know if it's true or not. Telling her everything now would just break her. It's for the best. And besides, I don't feel like talking too much. I'm hurt, after all.'
[So you're just saying you're lazy.]
'I will scrap you.'
He walked up to her and put a hand on her shoulder, a simple gesture of comfort. He didn't say anything, just locked eyes with her for a moment, then turned and walked away.
'…Was I supposed to understand what that stare meant?' she wondered, picking up the rest of the fruits and following him back to the camp. "Oh, by the way, those cores—where did they come from?"
"Ah, those," he said with a casual shrug. "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's still sleeping.' She felt a pang of guilt. "I'm sorry. I wanted to help, but my body was too weak to move. Even right now, it's taking all I have just to keep standing."
He looked at her smile, then his gaze shifted to her legs. They were shaking. He stared at them for a few seconds, then took some of the fruits from her arms and walked away.
"So… how was she? Her hunting skills?"
Her body tensed at the question. "She… she was amazing. Efficient with her speed, and she showed no mercy to her enemies… and it scares me."
Her answer annoyed him. It reminded him of someone else, someone who saw power as something to be feared instead of wielded.
'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," he said, changing the subject. "What can you tell me about them?"
But before she could even answer, he fell to his knees, a violent cough racking his body as he spat up a large amount of blood.