This Is Who I Am!!

"Why the hell did I accept this task?! How can I search for water when I don't even know this planet!" Jinx grumbled, her gaze sweeping across the dense trees.

'And I was given such a fool!' she hissed inwardly, glancing over her shoulder at Vince.

"Did you find anything?" Vince asked, walking towards her, his sheathed broadsword held casually in one hand.

"See anything?!" Jinx spun around, a deep frown etched on her face, utterly irritated.

"This is your planet! And you can't even help me with a common water source! What can you do then?! And you called yourself a member of the bear clan!" she yelled, her voice echoing slightly in the forest.

"Actually... I haven't been this far out," Vince admitted, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

"But don't worry, I am a warrior, I will protect you!" he declared, puffing out his chest.

"Warrior?" Jinx scoffed.

"You are just a Master rank, stage 2... While I am stage 4, who will protect who here?" She shook her head in exasperation and stalked away.

"But still! I can help!" Vince yelled, quickly falling in behind her.

GRRAAAAA!!!

The two stopped dead in their tracks, staring as a black humanoid werewolf leaped down from a tree, landing directly in front of them with a heavy thud.

"Hey... I thought only your race can take this form?" Jinx whispered, her eyes wide.

"You are right... This here is a rogue, meaning, he made a mistake when cultivating and fell into the demonic path..."

"So he lost control of himself and will permanently remain a mindless beast?" Jinx interjected, completing his sentence.

"Well... Yes, how do you know that?" Vince turned to her in confusion.

"Someone taught me everything about your race... Those who fully Mastered their transformation can stay completely Human, not unless they want to, or in heat; mating season," she added matter-of-factly.

"...."

Vince stared at her, completely dumbfounded, unsure how to respond.

"Ok then! You said you will protect me, so fight it... This is just a Master rank stage 1 rogue werewolf... So it won't be difficult," she said, gesturing towards the creature.

"Me?" Vince looked at her in shock.

"What? Are you backing out?" Jinx raised an eyebrow, a challenge in her gaze.

Seeing her beautiful face, he nodded, drawing his sword with a flourish.

'Who would have thought a Xenon will be this beautiful,' he thought inwardly, walking towards the werewolf.

GRAAAAAA!!!!

The werewolf shot forward, appearing before Vince in seconds.

"...what?!"

Vince was stunned.

"...."

Jinx was dumbfounded.

Vince quickly raised his sword to block the incoming attack.

BAM!!!!

The sheer force of the blow threw him backward. He landed on his feet just behind Jinx and looked up at the werewolf.

"Something isn't right, this guy shouldn't be that strong," he muttered.

"Hate to admit it, but you are right." Jinx pulled out an elite-class dagger, its blade glinting ominously.

"I am not helping you... I just want this to end faster so I can continue my mission!" she hissed, lunging forward.

Vince rolled his eyes and followed behind her.

RGAAAAAAA!!!!

The werewolf let out a deafening roar, unleashing a powerful sonic wave that smashed into the two, sending them both hurtling backward.

BAM!!!

Vince smashed onto the ground, while Jinx landed on top of him.

"You fools! I just wanted to rest before continuing, and you disturbed me!" the werewolf spat out, its voice surprisingly clear and articulate.

"This?!"

"...It speaks?!!"

Jinx and Vince were flabbergasted, quickly scrambling to their feet.

"Rogues shouldn't be able to speak, which means this werewolf isn't yet fallen in the demonic path," Vince said, a dawning realization in his voice.

"Are you just figuring that out?!!" Jinx yelled at him, then turned her attention back to the werewolf.

"Who are you?!" she demanded.

"Who I am isn't important... What is important is that none of you will leave here alive!" The werewolf's claws elongated, and its eyes turned a terrifying blood-red.

"Get ready!" Jinx muttered, activating all her celestial energy, a faint glow emanating from her body.

"If only Commander Star had given us the elite-class armors," Vince grumbled, getting ready to defend himself.

SWHOOSH!!

The werewolf paused abruptly, raising its head to the trees and inhaling deeply. Without hesitation, it dropped to all fours and shot into the forest, running away with incredible speed.

".....?!"

"What?"

The two were utterly confused, staring at the spot where the werewolf had just stood.

"It seems I am late."

"....?!"

Jinx and Vince spun around, seeing Sunny walking towards them, holding Ellen's hand.

"You? Wait, were you following us?!" Jinx yelled, pointing a finger directly at him.

'Jeez! Shouldn't she be happy we are safe? And she is pointing a finger at the King! Isn't she scared?' Vince thought in horror, his mind racing.

Hearing his thoughts, Ellen opened her mouth. "Friend, you are speaking to the king, you should know that, right?"

".....?!"

Jinx lowered her gaze to Ellen, then to Sunny.

"Little Dragon, are you siding with him?" she asked in genuine shock.

"Yes, Father saved you... At least you should show your appreciation."

"...?!"

Jinx was dumbfounded into silence.

"My King." Vince stepped forward, quickly changing the subject.

"That Werewolf?"

"That isn't a rogue," Sunny said, his gaze fixed on the path the creature had taken. "That was Xanor," he revealed.

"Wait, I knew that voice sounded familiar...!" Vince muttered, a flicker of recognition in his eyes.

"Who is Xanor?" Ellen asked, looking up at Sunny curiously.

"Xanor is a traitor of our nation. He planned to kill your mother, and even take over the throne... He was defeated, so he ran away," Sunny explained to her simply.

"Then why haven't you hunted him down?" Ellen asked again, a hint of indignation in her voice.

"That will be boring, I want to see his next plan for revenge." He turned to Jinx. "Any progress with your mission?" he asked, a subtle smirk playing on his lips.

"Any... Any progress!!!?" Jinx screamed at him, beginning to pace back and forth agitatedly.

"You send me to search for a water source in an unknown planet... If only you have an idea how big this planet is, you won't send me to search!"

"I also sent Vince," Sunny said with a smile, clearly enjoying her breakdown.

'She only started 7 hours ago,' he thought to himself.

"Him?!!! Him?!! He is just a buffoon!" Jinx spat out, and Vince felt as if an arrow had struck his chest.

"That is rude, friend," Ellen pointed out gently.

"Rude? Ok then, I am rude... This is who I am... And second, I am not doing this again!!" She yelled, turning her back to them.

Sunny looked at Ellen, and with a shared understanding, he nodded slightly.

"We followed you here because Ellen detected a water source in this direction... Which means, you have been doing a good job from the start," Sunny said with a reassuring smile.

"...?!"

Jinx froze, her anger momentarily forgotten.