Chapter 6

I give a big whining sigh and pick up a piece of broken furniture from the ground to work as an improvised club, I didn't want to kill anyone, and my claws looked like they could easily give grave injuries to someone if I wasn’t careful with them, and I had no idea how to fight so that someone would have probably been me.

I get out of the bedroom and try to listen for sounds, the whole “shrine” was pretty silent before but now I could hear sounds of people moving around, but, well, I still wasn’t very used to my new heightened senses; still, it was very obvious that multiple people were stalking around the place.

I have no idea what to do, only that I do not want to hide like a mouse, so I think that I could try to hide next to the entrance and clobber the 1st person to enter trough there or listen for the invaders to betray their position, in theory, the plan is sound, the floor was not damaged in a way that could give me up, so I start making my way to the entrance, one step at a time, listening for everything, hoping that my second day wouldn't also be my last.

I get to the entrance just in time to see someone more than twice my size in full metal armor walk inside.

I immediately turn around and hide behind a corner, not daring to even check if more people were coming in… I didn’t expect someone in full metal armor, I doubt a piece of wood or claws are gonna do anything against that, though to be honest, with all that armor he probably can’t match my speed, so as long as I don’t stand still I should be fine… running away wise that is.
My train of thought is interrupted by the sound of the intruders talking.
One voice sounded like a man in his late 40’s and said: <well, the place does indeed look like a storm of fire went through it, no signs of anyone coming to greet us, I think it’s safe.>

Another voice answered this time it was a young, no more than 20 years old: <Well Lionel, it would help to to be lucky for once, and not end neck-deep in angry demi-humans. Well let’s split up, You and Marina can check deeper in, I'll take the outer rooms.>

A female voice answered, around the same age as the young male: <Are you sure you wanna go alone, Evan? Splitting was the reason for the aforementioned “being neck-deep in Demi-humans”> sounding pretty judgemental.

Evan retorted: <well unless you want to go alone we need to check this place as quickly as possible before more people come, so we can choose, between be a little reckless and come out safely with treasure, or go careful and end up fighting on the way out.> The one named Marina just groaned.

They were here just for treasures! maybe dialogue was possible… searching the place didn't end him with anything that looked like it was worth something, so maybe they could help, but he needed something to barter, or a way to get them to talk with him.

I decided to try and go after the one called Evan… hoping he wasn't another fully armored person, I hid behind the closest room’s door and waited, straining my hearing as much as I could.

It didn’t take long before I could hear the steps of the person, they are getting closer and closer and I still don’t properly know how to approach the situation, and there is no time to think about it.
The door starts opening and I decide to go with a cunning approach, I take a few steps away from the door and grip the improvised weapon I have in my hand in agitation and put up my best, scared child impression, and moved a few more steps away from the door as it completely opened showing a Young man, dressed in leather armor, a long knife in hand, brown hair, Brown eyes, and a very short beard.

I start fake crying while looking at the knife and say: <please don’t kill me, I didn’t do anything. When I got here everything was already destroyed, and mom was gone> Thankfully I didn’t have to fake the panic in my voice.

I couldn’t understand if the human believed the half-truth but he stood at the door staring daggers at me, I expected him to lunge at me with his knife but instead, he relaxed a little and said: <Well, if you aren’t interested in fighting, then we could find another way, you show me around the house, me and my friends won’t attack you.>
Bingo, well, kind of, at least he didn’t attack me. Hopefully, he didn’t change idea in the future. 

I dropped the piece of wood I was holding as an improvised weapon and said, still half-faking to be scared: <I-I can show you around… But I don’t know where my mom kept her valuable stuff… T-The only valuable stuff I could discern were the clothes in her room… I was checking this library to see if something was in here… but then you guys came and I hid> thankfully the room I had chosen for the ambush was a library of sorts or a lounging room; the fact of the matter is that it has a few fully stocked bookshelves in it, with books all around the room, most of them burned.
Evan Sighs and I keep my eyes on him hoping that he wasn’t gonna go back on his words and he says: <Well, doing a once over won’t hurt, one of my friends can detect magic, you try anything funny though and I’ll make you into a scarf. Understood?>

I nod, though I am pretty sure that even in the state I am I could still dish out some serious damage on him before he could take me out.

I wasn't keen on the idea of testing to what extent my being not easily killable stretched, as even at best I probably would have gone back to being a feral fox.

I follow him and he takes me to meet the other two I heard before, and properly introduces me to them.

One is called Lionel, he is some kind of knight warrior and I cannot see anything behind his armor visor except his green eyes, he also has a two-handed hammer in his hand, his armor is unremarkable, except looking unwieldy and heavy it had no drawing or decoration to it.

The girl is called Marina, she is some kind of healer mage, with a white robe, a bit dirty from the travel and a staff, her hair is white, and she has blue eyes.
Somehow I can get the feeling of the magic swirling inside of her, and that makes me feel weird, I want it and it makes me hungry, maybe people with magic had more life force?

I give them a warm greeting and introduce myself as Ivo, trying to relax a little too since all 3 of them would most likely be able to take me out easily, and I didn’t want to seem like a threat.