Chapter 394: Feline In The Wild
Although the feline woman didn’t emit a powerful presence, it was still important to note how far she had been able to launch her arrow. Even if she didn’t possess large reserves of spiritual energy, living in the wild had clearly caused her to gain some lean muscles.
The crew exchanged silent nods before carefully treading forward, being extra careful to avoid being spotted a second time. The woman didn’t seem to rush, so neither did they.
Once they met face to face, Michael observed the woman better.
She was 160 centimeters tall, with cheerful hazel eyes and violet-brown hair and fur that radiated a surprising amount of fluffiness. Two shabby rags clung to her striking figure, one around her hips and another draped over one shoulder, covering her chest area while leaving her belly button exposed.
Most notable, however, was her realm. Given that the felines hadn’t had a lot of time to explore the real world after escaping their confinement, they had barely taken the first steps in their cultivation journey. Even with their natural talent, progress was slow... And yet this woman had already reached the Early Master realm!
Having traveled with Michael and his crew, Ruby, currently of the Early Grandmaster realm, was undoubtedly the strongest feline in existence... but the newcomer was a strong contender for the second spot.
"Nice to meet you all! You can call me Nyla!" The feline woman greeted them cheerfully. "Did you perhaps get lost—"
Nyla’s words trailed off, her heart starting to race with unease.
Only now, after seeing Michael’s crew up close, she spotted several initially missed details. Somehow she was the weakest out of every single one of them, but even more alarming, with the exception of Ruby, they didn’t bear the usual feline traits!
’Did I mess up?’ Nyla gulped in worry. ’I only helped them because I thought they were like me... could they be among the bad ones?’
Shifting her gaze to Ruby, Nyla whispered.
"Are you... in need of help?" Her hold on the arrow tightened faintly, ready to retaliate.
She had thought that Ruby had been captured by the cultists and had been subjected to gods know what. Even if she was the strongest feline Nyla had ever seen, Ruby still paled in comparison to the tall man among their ranks that radiated the aura of a Lord.
In Nyla’s mind her only option was to run in the opposite direction from the others, unwilling to lead this fearsome squad to their place of residence.
Fortunately Ruby was able to spot the reason for Nyla’s unease.
"No need to worry. They will not harm us!" Ruby reassured, her tail instinctively wrapping around Michael’s leg, unwilling to let go.
Given that felines treated their tails with utmost care, akin to treasured possessions, much like cats, the gesture served as a way to both signal that she trusted them completely and subtly mark Michael as her own.
’Don’t get any ideas about him.’ Was Ruby’s unspoken message. ’He is mine, and I am not sharing with you!’
Nyla cleared her throat bashfully, visibly embarrassed. Truthfully, since Ruby hadn’t spent much time among her own kind, she couldn’t have possibly known the kind of meaning her usual innocent motion carried, leading to misinterpretation.
"F—Forgive me for the misunderstanding!" Nyla panicked, shielding her eyes with her palms, though her fingers were spread apart, allowing her to peek. "T—There is no need to do this out in the open! If you are so eager, a private room will be arranged for you at a later date. You have my word!"
Ruby tilted her head in confusion. She couldn’t fathom why Nyla had reacted in such an intense way. At least since her message went through, she retracted her tail from Michael’s leg, allowing the woman to breathe more freely.
"May I ask, if you aren’t with those bad guys, who are you and what are you doing here?" Nyla’s gaze fell on Michael, naturally deeming him the leader of the group.
Careful not to overwhelm her, Michael gave her a short rundown of events, also introducing the rest of the crew in the process.
Nyla was rendered speechless. To her, the idea that unaltered humans were willing to go so far just to assist her kind was inspiring and an eye-opener.
’So there are humans like this too. Maybe living in harmony is indeed possible. And to think that I doubted them, even for a second...’ She felt slight guilt about her earlier suspicion, yet it was a natural reaction. One didn’t survive in the hollow valley by being gullible.
Sadly, Nyla had met her share of humans who had wished her harm. On the upside, that made her appreciate Michael’s sincerity. There was no doubt he hadn’t uttered a single lie.
"In that case, it will be most beneficial to lead you to our camp." Nyla suggested with a bright grin. "I have strayed too far anyway. It’s time to go back."
The crew agreed instantly. The idea of finding a safe place in the hollow hellscape sounded ideal. Not to mention, the more felines they encountered, the more answers they would get.
"Great, follow me!" Nyla stored her arrow in her quiver before taking a step forward, only to dissolve into the shadows.
"Immaculate stealth technique." Michael murmured, giving the praise when it was due. Even with his heightened senses, spotting her would have been a hassle had she wanted to remain concealed.
Although her ability to remain hidden was truly masterful, her speed wasn’t that immaculate. Cyberfang was easily able to keep up without the need of Amelia’s electricity, overcharging it.
They tread over rocky terrain before entering a thick forest. It seemed to be a domain of jungle-like vegetation, including trees, bushes, and vines that, like the shimmering flowers they had encountered before, contained spiritual energy that would be released in short bursts when cut or stomped.
Eventually Nyla came out of the shadows. Her tail swayed playfully, showing her palpable excitement.
It was rare to encounter others besides the camp, much less powerful, unaltered humans that wanted to help them.
"We are here!" She declared, practically hopping the rest of the way.