Then suddenly, a noise cracked in the atmosphere as the creature was walking away, partially putting its trust in Nova. The voice cracked from a thin line of pur from Lunaris, which the creature mistook for an act of aggression. And since Lunaris was actually from Beastaria, the creature felt more threatened by its presence than by Nova.

The creature lunged towards Lunaris, but the Harlequin Cat gnawed into Nova's back, hiding itself. Nova tried to calm the creature down, but the creature kept snarling, and its guttural screech was burning Nova's eardrums. But now Nova had adapted to its screeching, so decided not to cover his hands, and instead put them outwards, to let the creature smell it, and see that he wasn't a threat, and that Lunaris was also not a threat.

The creature kept snarling, but eventually, after a couple of seconds, it stopped. But that snarl had already attracted the nearby neighbors, the males. And the official name for the winged creature was GrimeFlayer, a vicious, very jealous, and overly protective creature.

Before the creature realized its mistake, the males approached the clearing. The female GrimeFlayer set up a new barrier just before they arrived and put herself in the barrier, just in case anything could go wrong. She didn't want her eggs to be in the crossfire, but she didn't necessarily have to worry, since the males were also careful not to harm any eggs.

A dozen male GrimeFlayer stood before Nova, all evolved C-rank creatures. They were vastly out of his league, but Nova wouldn't give in to his fear, so his face remained neutral, locking in all the fear he felt, all the miscommunication that had occurred; he had made sure not to let that get in the way, since things were looking like they were going to get ugly.

The males screeched at him, but he didn't cover his ears; he picked up Lunaris and covered its ears. The males stopped screeching, inspecting Nova, sniffing him, as he made no sounds, and looked neutrally at them.

Nova stood perfectly still, the weight of Lunaris trembling against his chest. The GrimeFlayers formed a semicircle around him, their wings stretching wide, glistening with an oily shimmer that refracted the dim light like fractured obsidian.

Each movement they made stirred the air with a low, thunderous vibration, their screeches lingering like echoes of a storm that refused to die. The female inside the barrier watched in silence, her slitted eyes glowing faintly, a warning flare of their territorial instinct

Nova's heart pounded, but his expression remained carved from stone. Every muscle in his body begged him to run, yet he knew one wrong step would mean instant death.

The GrimeFlayers were known for testing courage; they smelled fear like sharks scented blood. Nova had read that once, long ago, in a fragment of a forgotten field report. He doubted that report had ever been written by someone who had actually stood before a dozen of them.

He slowly lowered Lunaris to the ground. The Harlequin Cat's fur was bristling, its striped tail flicking with agitation, but it didn't hiss. Its eyes, though wide, never left the lead male, an older GrimeFlayer with scars like molten veins across its face.

The leader stepped forward. Its talons scraped against the ground, leaving deep grooves as it lowered its head and inhaled sharply through its beak.

Nova felt the pull of its breath, the suction of air around him, and for a fleeting second, he thought the creature was trying to absorb his scent, his intent.

He met its gaze. "I'm not your enemy," Nova said, his voice steady and composed.

The creature's pupils constricted. Then, an explosion of motion. The leader's wings snapped open, and the wind force slammed into Nova like a hammer. He stumbled back, barely keeping his footing.

The other males followed suit, screeching, their voices blending into a violent chorus that shook the clearing. The barrier around the female shimmered, distorting under the pressure.

Nova reached for his belt, fingers brushing over the metallic capsule clipped there, a flash bomb. He hesitated. Using it would escalate things, but doing nothing would get him killed. The leader lunged, talons wide.

Nova rolled aside. The strike hit where he'd stood, carving the earth. He pressed his hand against the ground, channeling a faint pulse of energy from his neural link, activating the residual field he'd installed in his gloves. A shimmer of azure light ran up his arms, and the kinetic dampener came online.

"Lunaris!" he exclaimed, the cat sprung into motion.

The cat darted into motion, zigzagging between the beasts, moving with almost supernatural grace. It hissed, a piercing note that disoriented the nearest GrimeFlayer, giving Nova just enough time to draw his shock baton. Electricity crackled down the shaft.

Another GrimeFlayer dove from above. Nova raised his arm and braced. The impact rattled his bones, but the dampener absorbed most of it.

He swung the baton upward, striking the creature's chin. The electricity surged; the beast howled, recoiling with a burst of sparks flickering across its scales.

The others froze. The air grew heavy with confusion and hostility. Nova knew that hesitation would not last. He moved first. With calculated precision, he dashed forward and drove the baton into the leader's foreleg.

It roared, wings thrashing, scattering dust and leaves. Two more males pounced; he ducked, rolled, came up in a crouch, and triggered the flash bomb.

Light erupted like a miniature sun. The world went white. The GrimeFlayers shrieked in pain, disoriented, their sensitive eyes overwhelmed. Nova used the moment to grab Lunaris and sprint toward the barrier.

The female inside flinched as he approached, wings twitching, unsure if she should attack or defend. Nova stopped a few meters away, lowering himself to his knees to appear nonthreatening.

He pointed toward the males still recovering, then toward the dense treeline beyond. "If you want to protect your eggs," he said, "call them off."

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