Regrets

Somewhere in Manila...

Following a hastily enacted evacuation plan, Jackal switched vehicles and routes multiple times, circling Manila repeatedly before finally reaching another World Serpent safehouse.

World Serpent, an organization predating humanity's discovery of fire, had existed throughout civilization, a shadow cast by the light of human progress, omnipresent and inescapable. This legacy fueled Jackal's arrogance.

Click, click, click...

Jackal strode confidently into the new base, her white high-heeled boots clicking against the floor. Despite her haughty demeanor, the dust on her clothes and the Anubis mask hiding her face betrayed her recent ordeal.

"Master, you have returned." The waiting humanoid machine, unfazed by such trivialities, reported simply, "Mission accomplished." Then, like a true machine, it stood motionless, awaiting further instructions.

"Meow!" Stan, the cat, rubbed against Jackal's leg, happy to see her safe.

"Get away, you useless beast!" Jackal kicked it away, venting her pent-up frustration.

"Meow..." Stan whimpered, confused and hurt, retreating to a safe distance. The humanoid machine remained impassive.

"Humanoid E311, excellent work." Kicking Stan had improved Jackal's mood. She praised the efficient machine, then noticed a missing piece of armor on its arm, revealing a bandaged wound.

The sight rekindled her anger. Unable to find a suitable outlet, she glared at the only living thing nearby. "Worthless creature, get out!" She stormed towards Stan, kicking it out the door.

Abandoned again? Stan scrambled up, pawing at the door like a stray, its claws scraping against the wood. Though capable of ripping the door open, it dared not, fearing further punishment. It meowed pathetically. Master, I'm useful! Don't leave me!

"Shut up, you're annoying!" Jackal yanked the door open, glaring down at her creation. She'd meant to kick it again, but the sight of the tiny cat, paw outstretched hesitantly, amused her. 

You're my ultimate weapon, capable of defeating S-rank Valkyries, and yet you act so pathetic? She'd granted this stray immense power, claws that could tear through anything.

Yet those claws remain at my feet, obeying my every command. A sense of accomplishment washed over her, eclipsing the humiliation inflicted by Schicksal and Lin Wei.

But asking for forgiveness was beneath her. She turned to get Stan some food, then remembered this wasn't her old base. Annoyed, she bent down and patted Stan's head stiffly. "Stay outside. I'm busy. I'll call you if I need you."

She went back inside, leaving Stan outside. Letting it in immediately would make her outburst seem like petty anger. She couldn't lose face, even if no one was watching.

Meow...? Stan tilted its head, confused. But at least it wasn't abandoned. Content with this small mercy, it didn't push its luck. What should I do? Will staying here anger her again?

"Master, Stan did nothing wrong. You shouldn't treat it like that." Inside, the humanoid machine spoke up in Stan's defense. During the escape, Stan had carried it, shielding it from the explosion and falling debris. They'd both simply followed Jackal's orders.

"Hmph, mind your own business." Jackal scoffed. "How are the data files?" Bases and safehouses were expendable, but World Serpent's research was a valuable asset.

The humanoid machine pointed to its head.

"Good. Give them to me." Jackal removed her mask, hesitated, then covered her lower face again, revealing only her piercing golden eyes. She leaned down and issued the command: "Verify identity. Retrieve data."

The machine shuddered, its optical sensors glowing faintly as it scanned her eyes. "Identity confirmed... authorization granted... executing command... retrieving data..."

"Good." Jackal connected a cable from the computer to the machine's neural port, downloading the data. She meticulously checked for viruses before uploading it to World Serpent's servers. Personal grudges were secondary to the organization's interests.

"What's this?" She found a separate file in the machine's memory.

"Combat logs from the Valkyrie intrusion." The machine explained while uploading. "It contains data on your secondary target, previously undocumented. I classified it as 'experimental data.'"

"Excellent work, E311!" Jackal was genuinely pleased. Ironically, she'd lacked any concrete data on Yuno, relying solely on her understanding of MANTIS warrior technology – a field she'd significantly advanced for World Serpent. Capturing Yuno, a naturally occurring MANTIS warrior, would be a breakthrough! This combat data was a goldmine!

She eagerly reviewed the footage. "Barging in like that... how rude..." Jackal commented on the gray-haired girl, then paused, frowning. "Is this... a forced collapse? No... something's different!"

She paused the video, studying it carefully. "Interesting... it's like grafting a vine onto a human! How grotesque!" World Serpent's records of forced collapses always involved human-to-Honkai Beast transformations, either partial or complete. Yuno remained human in appearance, but her combat style relied entirely on the vines erupting from her body.

"Fusion? This looks more like... parasitism." Jackal mused excitedly. "Or perhaps... symbiosis?" Unlike traditional MANTIS warriors using Honkai genes, Yuno was merged with a whole Honkai Beast. "Excellent! This is perfect!" The possibilities of this new research subject thrilled her.

And if I could get my hands on Lin Wei as well... The thought of him made her stomach churn. She envisioned dissecting him, studying the structure of his infuriating mouth.

Why not?

"I won't leave empty-handed!" Jackal's eyes gleamed with a gambler's desperation. "Lin Wei, and that Yuno... I'll get you both!"

"Master, remaining in this city increases our risk."

"Shut up, I know!" Jackal sneered confidently. "Let them come! Once they step into my trap, they're finished!" She clenched her fists, imagining her triumph.

Stan, fearing Jackal's wrath, left the base and wandered aimlessly. Meow... It had no destination, no purpose, simply following its instincts. Other stray cats fled at its approach. It knew it couldn't go back.

"Hey there, little guy! We meet again!" A familiar voice startled it. It looked up to see the familiar blonde, blue-eyed girl crouching nearby, poking it gently with a stick. "What's wrong? You look down. Someone bothering you again?"

Stan stared at Durandal, bewildered. What is she doing here? It looked around, realizing it had returned to the plaza. How did I get here?

"Did you come looking for me?" Durandal scooped it up, examining its head and paws, until Stan kicked her hand as she tried to separate its hind legs. Okay, that's enough.

"Good, no injuries." Durandal chuckled, setting it down. She stroked its fur, admiring the mark on its forehead that resembled a Stigmata. "You're just in time, little guy. I won't be here much longer."

Meow? Stan looked at her, puzzled.

"Such a smart kitty!" Durandal nuzzled it. "I have a new assignment. I won't have time to visit anymore."

Meow... Stan's ears drooped. It felt a pang of regret, though it didn't understand why.