Divine Enmity (Catnipz)

IV. A confusing first encounter.

"I've only told her what we are!"

"As if that's not revealing enough," Miyeon denied. "Haerin, you just need to know that certain things that seem like fiction are actually real."

"You mean the gods?"

Miyeon nodded. "Exactly."

"They exist? But how...?"

"Just wait a bit, and you'll know everything, I promise."

"Okay."

Yuqi gave up, wanting to tell her too. "Well, at least that's clear. We are hunters. We have missions and not much else; we fight creatures like werewolves."

"And by any chance, have you seen a huge metal bull?" Haerin asked.

She said it as a joke, but Miyeon and Yuqi exchanged nervous glances.

"How do you know about the Colchis bull?"

"That's its name?"

"Yes, but have you seen it?"

"Oh, I have. It's been chasing me for a week."

Yuqi seemed extremely confused. "A week?"

"Yes, what's wrong?"

"It seems like you're more important than we thought," Miyeon said. "It's nothing, Haerin, it's just that a Colchis bull is one of the strongest monsters."

"And powerful," Yuqi added.

Miyeon nodded. "Now there's no doubt that you have to go to this camp."

Haerin was about to speak, but Yuqi interrupted her. "No more questions."

She clicked her tongue and gave up.

"That bull was our mission in this area," Miyeon explained. "Its owner released it out of boredom, and we had to bring it down."

Haerin sighed with relief. That beast wouldn't be chasing her anymore. Luck was on her side for encountering the hunters.

"We had to go to the camp to deliver the bronze pieces of the bull," Yuqi continued. "Just when we found you, we were getting ready to leave, but we had the werewolf problem."

"Well, you saved me," Haerin thanked them. "I didn't think I could keep running from the bull, let alone the other beast."

"Don't worry," Miyeon smiled.

"How did you survive a Colchis bull anyway?" Yuqi asked. "Not to offend you, but considering you know nothing about this world, let alone fighting, I'm surprised you're alive."

Haerin blushed, embarrassed by giving that impression.

"Well... I'm surprised too," she laughed. "I managed to dodge it several times, it almost killed me."

"Almost?"

Haerin shrugged. "It could have turned me into ashes, but it didn't, thankfully."

"Mm, must be a flaw in that bull."

Miyeon nodded. "Probably. That creature is made for killing."

They continued to advance through the field, but Haerin could see areas of swamps and waters ahead. They had already moved quite far from the city, and she didn't remember passing through that area, as there were hardly any traces of swamps or sea, only small rivers.

Soyeon's wolf ventured into a dense forest, almost getting lost in sight due to the thickness of the leaves and bushes. The cloudy sky also made it difficult to see the path clearly. Haerin could see that it was no longer early. She hadn't realized how late it was. To her, it felt like almost three days had passed due to the number of events she had experienced. But no, she had experienced all of that in less than a day.