As she entered the cave, a system notification suddenly popped up in front of her.
[Hidden Mission Completed: Old Scores Settled]
[Reward: 100 Coins and System Shop unlocked]
While Serena was happy to see the notification and wanted to dive more into it, there were other matters to attend to. She needed to pack up for the long trip to the Forest City, find some food for Kiro and her and take a bath.
She was really grimy and smelled and while it wasn't her first time being in such a state, thanks to all the battles and exploration missions she had been on before, Serena hated being dirty.
It reminded her too much of her days living as a street urchin in the Leshin Empire before she entered the military academy. And she hated those memories more than anything, her days rarely filled with joy.
Especially after her little brother, Kai, died from that blood mutation disease.
Serena shook her head at the growing memories. She didn't want to think about those dark days. Right now, her focus was on adapting to this new world and figuring out a plan that would protect her and Kiro.
Once that was done, she could work on a way to get enough coins to go back for revenge.
"Sister, is something the matter?" Kiro asked, noticing that his sister had stopped in her tracks. "You've been acting strange since that fall…"
He's quite observant for a kid. Serena thought to herself as she glanced down at him. She then smiled and said, "No, everything's fine. Let's pack up and head to those tiger beastmens' camp. Maybe wash up at the river first…"
"Are we really going to Forest City?" Kiro questioned, fidgeting with his necklace, now tied around his neck.
"Yeah." Serena nodded her head. "It's much better than staying here. We'll be safer there."
Well, that's what Serena hoped for. Forest City wasn't mentioned much in the story, being a smaller city with a fierce leader. Much about how things ran there was kept a secret from outsiders.
A part of her did worry about that fact, but it was a risk she had to take. Right now, she was too weak to care for Kiro while they wandered the wild forest area.
There was no knowing what kind of beastmen lived there, not to mention the risk of mutant monsters, wild beasts and other dangerous things. If they weren't careful, they could easily get killed out there.
At least with the city, she knew they kept to the beast laws regarding females and staying there would give them some kind of protection against mutant monsters. Until Serena was ready to take them on herself.
But one step at a time. It was too early for her to be making such plans.
Kiro nodded his head in understanding, his gray spotted cat ears flickering. Soon, the siblings set out to pack up their things, making quick work with there being very little to take with them.
Most of their things had been washed away, so they were mostly just taking some valuables - a few animal furs, crystals and other sentimental knickknacks.
There was barely any food around, only a few fruits, which Serena split with Kiro and called it an early dinner. It was too late to hunt with night falling soon. They could eat again when they were on the road.
Once they were done, items all in a woven basket Serena had found, they two headed to the river for a much needed bath.
***
Serena sat in the small stream females used for bathing, enjoying the feeling of being clean once more. She wasn't as clean as she wanted to be since there was no soap, so she made do with some slit to scrub off the dirt.
Underneath all that mud and grime was flawless cream colored skin. Her body was quite delicate, and while she looked similar to what she looked like in the past, her body was also very different at the same time.
Her new body lacked muscles and the scars Serena had from fighting, her hands free from callouses and soft to touch. It felt weird to say the least. She was used to having rough hands and a body covered with battle scars.
Guess I'll have to start training this body from scratch. Serena mused to herself as she gazed down at her hand. I hate this feeling of being weak… I'll need to figure out how to shift too. Claws will be an advantage here.
Gaining power was important. It was the only way she could protect herself. Otherwise, she'd just be another pawn like before. Serena shut her golden eyes at that thought before opening them again a minute later.
She would not trust anyone, but herself in this life. Even if it meant becoming the villain, she didn't care. Serena was used to being a cold, heartless person. It was what kept her safe for so long.
Until she let her guard down and was betrayed by the very person she allowed in.
Serena clenched her fist at the thought, almost drawing blood with how hard she was gripping her hand. Once she got those coins and fulfilled the original owner's wishes, she would leave this place and destroy Mark with her own hands.
"Sister! Are you done yet?" Kiro suddenly called out, appearing by the bank of the stream, a hand over his eyes.
He had gone to another spot to wash up, wanting to do it himself. Serena was a bit worried about doing that, but let him go. It wouldn't be too good to pamper Kiro too much. Besides, he cleaned up well.
"Give me a second." Serena chuckled, getting out of the cool water.
Droplets of water dripped down her curvy body as she stepped onto the bank of the stream. She grabbed a nearby animal fur to use as a towel, patting herself dry before quickly putting on a halter top and skirt made from animal furs.
It wasn't the best thing, but it would have to do. She didn't have much skills or time to make clothing. As long as it was clean, she was happy.
"Alright I'm done." Serena patted Kiro's soft silver hair once she was done putting on some leather boots.
Kiro's hair was the same color as her waist length hair, a trait they had gotten from their father, a snow leopard. Meanwhile, they got their golden eyes from their mother, a leopard.
The tribe was a mix of leopards, snow leopards, panthers and mountain cats - groups too small to form their own clans like the tigers and lions. So, they lived as one tribe instead and mixing between species was normal.
Only cities were the other places where different beastmen mixed. Otherwise, most clans formed villages and lived together, rarely mixing with others.
"Are we going to the tiger beastmen camp now?" Kiro asked curiously as Serena picked up the woven basket of goods.
She nodded her head and held out a hand, "Yeah, so stick close to me okay."