Chapter 41: A Chat With Her (2)
Kestrel stared at the alpha who rose from the water, a bit surprised by this unexpected meeting.
Ren came up from the ocean floor, his hair wet and dripping. Water droplets followed his jawline, running down his neck.
On the ocean surface, only his head showed, his body hidden under the water. Through the water, Kestrel could faintly see the black markings on his body.
Strangely, Kestrel felt a strong sense of familiarity. It was as if she didn’t need to see, she already knew what was hidden under the water - a beautiful dark back, sleek shapes, and a smooth tail. It was a strange familiarity, like she had touched it herself. It was odd; each time she saw him, Kestrel felt both a sense of newness and comfort. Even though they never had a real conversation, they seemed to know each other well.
The last time they met was just two days ago, on the blimp in the sky. Kestrel heard Ren’s loud laughter as he jumped from the sky and cut off the monster’s head with one strike. A true warrior, whose laughter brought joy to others.
This time, he rose quietly from the ocean depths, not greeting her, just looking at her from far away.
Kestrel felt she was touching a strange emotion, something humans called "resentment". It was as if the guy was a mermaid princess abandoned by the prince and was about to cry at any time.
She must be mistaken, she decided. Her psychic incarnation had been a bit unresponsive lately, often giving her information she didn’t understand.
"Did you guys bother him just now?" Kestrel quietly asked her psychic incarnation.
"No"
"You gave the first order, to protect the seal."
"We followed the first order, didn’t even notice the big fish."
"Oh, it’s the big fish."
"Big fish, let me see."
"I really need to say hi."
"But the fish seems upset"
"It’s okay, he’ll feel better soon when I..."
As Kestrel’s psychic incarnation talked, their boat had already reached the shore. For them, if a fight was to happen, land was a better choice. The being in the water, strong and strangely watching from a distance, was a bit scary.
"Meeting a beta in the Polluted Zone is indeed rare," Jax, guarding the shore, smiled at the outpost alphas getting off the boat. "No need to be so tense. For the beta’s sake, we won’t do anything bad."
His smile was like the high society men at parties, a mask of politeness and charm, looking like a person willing to negotiate.
Birdie and the others were not impressed, each holding their weapons, very alert, because despite the smile on Jax’s face, his men spread out, taking strategic positions that blocked all escape routes. The safety on their pulse guns was off, the energy bars on the guns glowing with a dark light, ready to kill if needed.
"I won’t disrespect a beta." Jax leaned slightly closer, reaching his hand towards Kestrel. "All I ask, Miss beta, is for you to give me that box."
Kestrel wasn’t eager to comply, she pouted and held the worn wooden box that Muros had carefully retrieved. The box looked worthless, but a small crack allowed a tempting colorful glimmer from inside to be seen.
Birdie quickly thought through escape plans in his mind, however, none of them seemed possible.
Tegnell’s face turned a deep shade of red as he ground his teeth in frustration.
"Kestrel," Muros gently tugged on her sleeve.
They all felt a deep humiliation, yet they were powerless to fight back. They knew they didn’t stand a chance against this powerful enemy. In such a desperate situation, their lives were undoubtedly more important than the mission.
Kestrel glared at Jax, a mix of embarrassment and anger showing on her face. Finally, as if she had no other choice, she threw the box towards Jax, resentment in every move.
Her throw wasn’t strong, and in her anger, the box hit the ground. The colorful gemstones, those priceless energy stones, rolled onto the golden sand. Even the sand couldn’t hide their captivating brightness.
The shabby wooden box bounced a few times on the beach before coming to a stop, showing its empty inside.
Jax shrugged, signaling he understood a beta’s anger, and chose not to hold it against Kestrel.
He opened his backpack and picked up each energy stone, making sure none were left behind. The broken wooden box was of no interest to him. A psychic incarnation swam by at that moment, removing the minor thought of grabbing the box from his mind.
"How did I do? Did I seem human enough?" Kestrel asked her psychic incarnations in her mind.
They shared their thoughts:
"You did well, very human, exactly like a human showing anger."
"Not quite, you should grind your teeth harder, puff out your cheeks."
"Frown, you need to frown."
"It’s too hard, how many muscles do you need to control?"
"Look at Birdie. Copy her facial expressions."
"Who cares? As long as the plan works."
Jax packed the energy stones, dusted his hands, and turned to leave. It seemed like he really meant to keep his word – to leave after getting what he wanted.
At the moment when everyone’s tension slightly eased, Jax, behind the backs of Birdie and the rest, sneered and signaled a thumbs-down gesture.
It was well known to be a signal for complete elimination. However, before his thumb could fully rotate downwards, his wrist was grabbed by a hand still wet from seawater.
"Ren!" Jax hissed, "What are you doing?"
"Let them go," Ren said calmly.
"Here we go again," Jax thought, annoyed. "He always does this, acts unexpectedly. He does whatever he wants, without any respect for me as the team leader."
Jax struggled to break free from Ren’s grip, but the hand enclosing his wrist was as steadfast as an iron clamp. Regardless of how forcefully he wrestled, the grip remained unyielding.
His face changed from pale to flushed. The shallow façade of hypocrisy he had been maintaining was long forgotten. Meanwhile, Ren maintained his hold on his wrist, a confident smile on his face as he replied, "I said, let them go. Captain."
Ren had just risen from the sea, water still dripping from him. He was barefoot, clutching a towel around his waist, and had effortlessly overpowered Jax with one hand.
Jax recognized this aspect of Ren - no matter how well-behaved he seemed ordinarily, once he had made a decision about something, there was seldom room for negotiation. Jax knew he couldn’t defeat Ren in a confrontation here, nor could he even free his wrist from Ren’s grip.
Jax knew he couldn’t afford such a loss of face. Gritting his teeth, he gestured his team to pull back, leading them away while repeatedly contemplating plans to get rid of Ren in his mind.
Ren strolled at the back of the group. He didn’t spare a glance for those left behind on the beach.
As he walked barefoot on the sand, he stepped on a wooden box partially buried in the sand. He paused for a moment before a tiny tendril slithered out from the shadows, curling around his bare ankle. The tip of the tendril delicately brushed against his skin, causing Ren to halt.
With some reluctance, he recognized that he had been yearning for this - awaiting that individual to give him a sign, a silent acknowledgment. The slightest attention could lift his spirits.
It was then he also realized, what Kestrel truly desired was this wooden box.
Ren gently nudged the box further into the soft sand pile with his foot, concealing it for her.
Without another pause nor a backward glance, he lifted his sand-coated foot and followed his comrades.
The slender tendril slipped off his ankle, disappearing into the sand, clutching the small wooden box.
