Ress lounged on a thick tree branch in her garden, casually munching on a shiny red apple. Her other hand flipped through a well-worn book, the epitome of relaxation. The sound of hurried footsteps crashing through the undergrowth broke her peace.
"Ress!" Jax's voice echoed through the garden, followed by a loud thud.
"Ow!" Fren groaned. "Why is the ground so uneven?"
"It's called nature, Fren," Arem muttered, hauling him up by the arm. "Get used to it."
Jax ignored them, stopping beneath Ress's tree. "Hey! We've got a situation!"
Without looking up from her book, Ress took another bite of her apple. "Oh, how was the trip?"
Jax blinked, momentarily thrown off by her nonchalance. "What?"
"The trip," Ress said, finally glancing down at them. "Fighting monsters, dodging death, amateur heroics—you know, your usual."
Jax frowned, folding his arms. "This isn't a joke, Ress. Someone poured a weird red liquid on a Razorback Stalker, and it evolved into a super-beast."
"Yeah," Arem added, "and the guy who did it got taken out before we could get answers. Clean job—no trace left."
Ress tilted her head, taking another bite of her apple. "Huh. Sounds like a fun day."
"Fun?" Fren sputtered, his frustration bubbling over. "I nearly got eaten alive!"
"You didn't, though," Ress said, gesturing to him with the half-eaten apple. "Which means you're fine. Congrats."
"Barely," Fren muttered under his breath.
"So, what'd you do with the Razorback?" Ress asked, her tone light.
"Bruce and I handled it," Jax said smugly, patting his weapon. "No big deal."
"It was a big deal," Fren countered. "The thing was huge!"
"Relax, rookie," Ress said with a chuckle. "It's dead now, right?"
"Yes," Arem said, crossing her arms, "but what about the liquid? Whoever used it clearly had a bigger plan."
Ress hopped down from the tree, landing gracefully in front of them. She polished off the last of her apple and tossed the core over her shoulder. "And I'm sure that plan will become our problem sooner or later. For now, I wouldn't lose sleep over it."
"You can't be serious," Fren said, his voice rising. "Aren't you supposed to do something about this?"
Ress leaned in close to him, her green eyes twinkling with amusement. "I am doing something."
"You are?" Fren asked, confused.
"Yes," Ress said, lightly poking his chest. "I'm telling you to go practice. You'll need it if things get messy again."
To be continue...