-"Excluding the three before us, I can confirm fifteen humans visually. Armour seems to be plates of basic metal, and their weapons are mostly swords, a few maces and shields."

I focused on the men in front of me, watching for any sign of hostile intent or movement as Eve started analysing them in great detail.

-"Maces are the highest threat to us, though I suspect a sword thrust at a joint or between the bone ridges might give them enough leverage to penetrate if they had enough force behind it. The shields are large enough to obstruct our vision, but as a defence, I believe we should be able to pierce or crush them easily."

Dividing responsibility between combat and analysis was a habit Eve, and I had picked up when we had to fight against multiple opponents.

Well, it had become so after I had lost track of the lightening Rakorn and as a result, was separated from my left shoulder and arm.

I could fight and respond to immediate threats, but I became so engrossed in the actual combat that my surroundings became a blur.

-"Two more out to each side, trying to circle us by using the hills as cover while there are three or four in the direction that they came. Probably to keep a path of retreat open so if the shit hits the fan, they can run for it."

Without consciously intending to, I released a rumbling growl which caused the three in front of me, the fox woman, a green armoured man and a leather-clad woman, back a few steps.

Having grown up on Earth during the console revolution and played my fair share of games, I knew what the armoured soldiers were meant to be and the potential threat they represented.

-"Threat level?"

-"As long as three or more of them aren't mages, or they don't have any special abilities we don't know about, none. Their weapons are pretty much ineffective."

-"Wouldn't that be the same for me? I only have my claws and teeth?"

The image of a water snake smiling in an evil, creepy way entered my mind.

-"Don't forget the blades from out elbows or the spikes. Anyway, armour of that level won't be an issue. Even at this distance, if I have to compare it to something, I would say it was slightly inferior to the hide of a Rakorn which doesn't even give us indigestion."

Trusting in Eve's assessment, a small part of me wondered at the mentality or age of the humans.

I knew everyone had some silly fantasy of what they wanted to become, but I just couldn't see the benefit of becoming a physical superhuman.

It felt so~ lacking, especially after the changes to my body and the fact that I had witnessed magic, or at least what had categorised as such. I didn't understand what the Rakorn, who could seemingly bend the elements to their will, were doing or how but it impressed me greatly.

Deep down, I regretted not even thinking about the possibility when I first arrived.

I knew that I was already making assumptions, the worst being that I was ignoring the possibility that they could have multiple traits other than enhanced strength, speed and reflexes that would elevate them into a league of their own, but my instincts dismissed it quickly.

It had never been wrong before, and I wasn't about to start doubting it now.

The first soldier hit the figurative line in the sand I had set up. The point that once crossed, I had decided I would act.

I felt my pupils constrict as my muscles coiled. It was a weird, bizarre sensation but I had gotten used to it over the weeks or was it months?, that I had been here.

"Stop" bellowed the little fox-woman as she finally noticed what the soldiers behind her were doing. "I told you that if you were to come, you were not to do anything that could antagonise our guest."

The soldiers didn't falter in the slightest as they kept spreading out, never taking their eyes off me.

"I would advise you listen to your leader. That includes the four pathetically trying to use the hills as cover to our sides. I have somewhat of a short fuse and am the type that eliminates all threats, no matter how insignificant, with extreme prejudice."

I watched the soldiers hesitate, some even slightly shaking as they grasped their weapons at their sides in a vice-like grip.

"By extreme prejudice, I mean ripping them limb from limb and devouring their flesh. In fact, keep going. I haven't tried human before."

-"Really? You want them to think that you would eat them given half the chance?" hissed Eve, who I could imagine shaking her head. -"Moving swiftly on, I suggest we tone down the mental power a bit. That woman in the brown leather is bleeding from the nose and looks dazed."

The fox-woman didn't notice her comrade's distress as she turned and glared at the seven-foot-tall man, with 001 on the right side of his chest. "Tell your men to stand down Lieutenant. First, you insist on being here, even though I told you it would make negotiations more difficult and now your men are not even pretending to listen to me."

The small, thin woman, who looked incredibly fragile poked her finger into the man's armour with each of her words. "Do. You. Understand. Me?"

-"Cute~" grinned Eve. -"I like her."

I wasn't entirely paying attention as I scanned the hills and focused on my other senses, searching for a threat. -"Distraction?"

-"I don't think so. The fox appears to be telling the truth but, something is off. This sort of behaviour isn't how I would approach an enemy let alone a potential ally. It seems so~ amateurish."

-"I agree, while the ones in the little fox's vision have stopped, the others have started moving again. Coup?"

-"Don't think so." Eve sighed. -"But I don't like how they are looking down on us. I mean, how dare a lamb glare at a wolf."

I couldn't help but release a small chuckle at Eve's words. -"Steady on the Xianxia speech."

-"Fine~ Anyway, It's clear that the fox-woman has some level of authority or else they would just get rid of her. They could be preparing for a worst-case scenario, that we decide to munch on them, but now we have called attention to their actions, it's more like they are trying to provoke us or they would have stopped."

-"I told you it was a good idea to make them come to us. I wonder what we might have walked into if they had time to prepare."

Though it sounded like I was gloating, I didn't feel any joy from my thoughts. Instead, I could feel my stomach lurch as I realised that things were taking a turn for the worst and for once, I didn't think I was the cause.

-"I don't think this is an act; the other woman seems conflicted about what to do. Also, her eyes keep going unfocused as if she can see something in front of her. Might be a skill or something? We need to be careful."

-"It could be a power play? It would make more sense if they were trying to intimidate us before negotiations and discredit the fox, especially if that group she was with last time was influential."

I felt uneasy. Though only a couple of seconds had passed since the fox woman's words, the more Eve and I thought about it, the more certain I was that this little meeting was going to end in bloodshed.

-"Defuse, fight or flight?"

One one hand, I knew I could take them all on without risk, on the other, I knew that if I did, that would be the end of any peaceful human interactions.

-"Fight."

Eve's responded without hesitation, and I could hear her hiss in irritation. The behaviour of the humans had offended her significantly, and while I thought I knew the reason, I wasn't entirely sure.

-"It's not like we can't interact with other species or that all humans will turn against us. If they do, well, poor them."