A group of people emerged from the depths of the forest.
More than ten of them, men, women, and… someone who seemed to stand in between. All clad in black leather attire that blended too well with the shadows. Each of them held a weapon, swords, axes, hammers, and daggers that gleaming slightly under the sunlight that filtered through the trees.
From their faces, their crooked smiles, and the way they walked as if they owned the place… it was obvious.
These weren't the type of people who came to help.
They weren't nice. Not even close.
At the front of the group stood a woman with a powerful, muscular build. She had long, wavy black hair that cascaded down her back, wild and untamed like a beast. Her skin was a deep tan, kissed by the sun and hardened by battle. But it was her eyes that struck the most, piercing yellow, like those of a predator sizing up her prey. She wore a sports-bra-like top made from animal skin, exposing her toned abdomen, and long pants with the fierce image of a tiger's head stitched onto the left side of her waist.
A long scar ran down her cheek, giving her an even more intimidating presence.
She stepped forward confidently, tapping the curved dagger resting against the back of her neck with her right hand, while her left rested casually on her waist.
Her smirk was sharp.
"Looks like you've been having fun," she said, eyes darting to the fallen goblins. "Mind if we take the reward off your hands?"
"And why should we give it to you?" Maya shot back, glaring at the woman.
"Because… you'll die if you don't," the woman said with a sweet smile that didn't match the murder in her eyes.
Her crew immediately burst into laughter, each one grinning.
Are you kidding me? We just poured our blood, sweat, and probably a bit of my sanity into killing that monster. And now we've got to fight these group too?
I looked them over, scarred, armed, and oozing confidence. They didn't look like amateurs. Honestly, they looked tougher than the entire group of goblins we just defeated, especially that woman. She looked way more intimidating than the elite goblin.
At least the goblin didn't smirk while threatening to murder us.
And as I looked at them, I noticed two familiar faces among the group. One was shirtless, his body wrapped in bandages like a half-mummified street fighter, with a tree branch casually sticking out of his mouth. The other was a huge guy with the top half of his head covered in bandages, and a bandana slapped right on top.
Both of them were squinting at me and Bob, just like we were squinting at them. And judging by their expressions, they were probably thinking the same thing: Where have I seen these clowns before?
Then it hit me. And the moment it did, I dove behind Evelyn like she was a human shield. Bob followed suit without hesitation.
"Black…" I whispered.
"…Eagle!" Bob finished.
Evelyn turned to look over her shoulder, completely baffled. "Hey, what are you guys doing?"
"Ssshhh!" Bob and I hissed in unison, trying not to make any sudden movements, like that would somehow make us invisible.
"You!" Crow pointed his right index finger straight at us. "You're the ones who beat us last time, huh? You won't escape today!"
"I'm so lucky to meet you here!" Quail cracked his knuckles, and it sounded like a bowl of crispy rice cereal.
"I think you're mistaking us for someone else," Bob said, putting on his best innocent face.
"Y-yeah... we've never even been in this forest. First time here!" I added, lying through my teeth as both of us peeked from behind Evelyn's back, gripping her shoulders like she was a riot shield.
Evelyn, now very aware she was being used as cover, gave us a side-eye. "What are you guys doing back there?"
Then she casually stepped aside.
And just like that, both of us stumbled forward like cowards revealed during a surprise inspection.
"Don't lie to us! I know that fat body! You're the one who ambushed us last time!" Crow barked. I could see a vein bulging on his forehead. Yeah, he was definitely furious.
"Big Sis Phoenix, these are the guys who stole our treasure and ruined our big dinner plans!" Quail added, already gripping his mace with both hands like he was ready to start a demolition project. "Just let me and Crow handle them!"
But just as the two were about to charge, someone stepped in to stop them.
And that someone gave me an identity crisis.
They had long, shiny red hair. Like it just freshly rebonded. But beneath that beautiful hair was a square jawline, a trimmed beard, and the kind of black leather shirt you'd expect on a pro wrestler about to suplex someone through a table.
I blinked a few times. Was this… was this person in the middle of hair shampoo advertisement or WWE match?
Either way, this person looked like trouble. Fabulous, muscular, beardy trouble.
"Sis P-Cock! Don't hold us back! We have to finish them off. We haven't slept well since they beat us!" Crow shouted, his voice practically trembling with pent-up frustration.
"Yeah, Sis P-Cock! You must know how it feels, to be defeated and not get your revenge!" Quail added.
Wait… Sis?
Hold up. Did they just call that person "Sis"?
I glanced again at the walking contradiction in front of me. Long, glossy red hair. Gorgeous, honestly. But also, trimmed beard, biceps the size of my head, and a face that looked like it could chew through steel.
How did this crew just… accept that?
So even in this world, people have gender crises?
There were so many red flags waving at once.
This situation… was all kinds of confusing.
"I understand your feelings, my dears. However, we must follow Sis Phoenix's orders first," P-Cock said, their voice dripping with an obviously-forced feminine tone.
He… or she , I honestly didn't know which checkbox to tick at this point, gently pushed the two guys back, creating a path.
And through that path walked Phoenix, approaching us with slow, deliberate steps.
"So, you two are the ones who stole our treasure and kidnapped that new guy... uhh, what was his name again?" Phoenix asked, glancing back at P-Cock.
"It's Kiwi, sis... K-I-W-I. Kiwi," P-Cock whispered into her ear like he was giving her the answer to a spelling bee.
"I asked for his name, not for you to spell it like I'm some kind of idiot," Phoenix snapped, clearly irritated.
She then turned her sharp yellow gaze back to us and pointed her curved dagger.
"That Kiwi guy, where are you keeping him?"
"I thought he ran back to you?" I replied, trying my best to look genuinely confused.
"He escaped from the battle with us," Bob added, backing me up.
Phoenix stared deep into our eyes, as if trying to scan our faces for lies. Then, she let out a long sigh.
"So that brat ditched our group, huh."
SWOOOSSSHHH.
The sound alone made my spine stiffen. In one smooth motion, she slashed through five trees about a yard away like she was just trimming hedges. Clean. Precise. Terrifying.
Bob and I instinctively swallowed hard.
This woman... she's bad news.
Seriously bad news.