The sound of scattered footsteps approached from nearby, as though something was rapidly closing in. Hearing this, Rulu and Kallen immediately tensed up. They stopped in their tracks and focused their attention on the surroundings. Suddenly, they realized that at some point, the area around them had become dotted with ten to twenty pairs of glowing green eyes. A pack of creatures resembling jackals materialized around Kallen and Rulu, encircling them completely.
"This is bad — we're under attack by Strange beasts, and it's an entire pack," Rulu said urgently. He quickly moved to a large tree nearby, summoned a fireball, and prepared to fend off the pack's assault. Kallen's expression tightened as well. She stepped in front of Rulu, gripping her spear firmly, ready to fight at any moment.
The largest beast — a jackal-like creature — let out a low growl and came charging at Rulu and Kallen at full speed, striking first. Kallen quickly thrust her spear at the jackal, but the beast leapt nimbly to the side, evading her attack. Rulu directed a fireball into the jackal, igniting its fur. The jackal let out a wail and fled backward in a panic.
As the first jackal launched its attack, more of the jackal-like beasts lunged at Rulu and Kallen, pressing the assault. Using the large tree as cover, the two fought back with everything they had. Kallen stood in front of Rulu, engaging the jackals in close combat with her spear, while Rulu, shielded by both Kallen and the tree, continuously summoned fireballs and hurled them at the pack.
There were nearly twenty of the jackal-like beasts in all. They charged at Kallen and Rulu in relentless waves, launching attack after attack. With Kallen on defense and Rulu on offense, the two fought bravely against the pack. During the battle, Kallen was bitten and clawed multiple times, though fortunately her body's recovery ability was remarkably strong — even when wounded, she healed quickly. The fighting was harrowing and intense, yet the pack failed to inflict any meaningful damage on Kallen and Rulu. Several of the jackals, on the other hand, ended up sustaining considerable injuries of their own.
Having attacked for a long time without result, the pack began to sense that Rulu and Kallen were not easy prey. They ceased their charges and remained at a distance, ringing the two with their glowing green eyes — surrounding them, but no longer pressing in.
"Damn beasts — why won't they just leave," Kallen spat angrily. After the fierce fight, both she and Rulu were thoroughly exhausted. Rulu had already been wounded earlier, and now he had burned through an enormous amount of energy fighting the pack. He felt completely drained. He leaned back against the tree, breathing hard.
"It… it looks like they're planning to pin us here and wear us down," Rulu said between gasps.
"Then we find a way to break through," Kallen said. "If we stay here much longer, even if these beasts don't kill us, exhaustion will."
Rulu hesitated. "But my body is still very weak right now. I'm not sure I have it in me to break through."
"Then what do we do — just stay here and keep grinding it out with these things?"
"I'm afraid that's all we can do," Rulu said. "And even if we managed to break out, we'd likely run into other Strange beasts deeper in the forest. Things could get even worse."
Kallen grew deeply frustrated. In a reproachful tone, she said, "This is all your fault, Rulu — you just had to come out here and gather intelligence. Now look what you've gotten us into."
Rulu rubbed his forehead, his expression visibly awkward. "Yes… this is indeed my responsibility. If things come to the worst, Kallen, you should escape on your own."
"Ugh, forget it." Kallen sighed and shook her head. "You're my boss — what can I do? Let's just stay put. Maybe the Suzaku Guard Captain will notice we haven't come back and send someone to look for us. That would save us."
After that, Rulu and Kallen climbed up into the large tree, resting quietly among its branches. During this time, the jackal pack launched several more attacks, but each was driven back by Rulu and Kallen. The beasts couldn't overpower them, yet they showed no intention of letting them go either, continuing to linger beneath the tree and refusing to leave. The standoff dragged on.
A rustling sound came from the nearby thicket, and a round, peculiar object rolled out from between the bushes, moving toward the tree where Rulu and Kallen were perched. Several of the jackal-like beasts nearby noticed it and walked toward it, trying to figure out what it was.
Then, suddenly, one of the beasts let out a shriek of terror. It spun around and bolted without looking back. One by one, the other jackals followed, each releasing cries of fright before fleeing into the distance. In less than half a minute, the entire pack had vanished without a trace — not a single one remained.
"Huh? Where did they all go? They just disappeared," Kallen said, puzzled. She was sure that less than a minute ago, a sea of glowing green eyes had been visible below the tree — yet now there was nothing.
"How strange — why did they all run off? Could they be pretending to leave on purpose, trying to lure us down from the tree?" Rulu murmured to himself, trying to work out the pack's intentions.
"Hey, you two — what are you doing up in that tree?" A clear, bright female voice rang out from below. Rulu and Kallen were both startled, and they quickly looked down.
"C.C. — when did you get here?!" Rulu called down to the base of the tree in astonishment. A young woman with long hair had appeared beneath them at some point — and that woman was none other than C.C., who had split off from Rulu and Kallen earlier.
C.C. tilted her face upward, looking at Rulu and Kallen in the tree with calm composure. "I just arrived," she said. "What happened to you two? You look like a mess — your clothes are all torn up."
Rulu glanced around, puzzled. "But weren't there a bunch of jackal-like beasts around here? When you came, didn't they attack you?"
"Oh, you mean those things?" C.C. grinned, a self-satisfied smile spreading across her face. "I scared them all off."
"Scared them off? How did you do that?" Rulu was even more confused.
"Come down first. I'll tell you once you're down."
"All right."
Rulu and Kallen dropped down from the tree and landed on the ground. The round object silently drifted toward them, approaching from behind and hovering in the air just at their backs.
"Okay, we're down," Rulu said. "C.C., tell us — where did you go just now, and how did you drive those beasts away?"
A mischievous smile played across C.C.'s face. "You two, turn around," she said. "Take a look behind you, and you'll understand."
"Behind us?"
Rulu and Kallen turned around at once — and came face to face with a human face. A pale woman's face. A woman's disembodied head, floating in midair before them.
The woman's long black hair hung loose around her. Her head hovered like a balloon suspended in the air. Her features were delicate, her appearance suggesting she was around thirty years of age. Atop her head sat a gleaming, golden crown-like object. And at that moment, the crown-adorned woman turned her dark eyes upon them, gazing at Rulu and Kallen with a look of open curiosity.