I sat on a fallen rock, trying to look casual despite being completely naked and covered in goblin blood. The blue-glowing gauntlet girl, Elara, stood ten feet away with her back rigid enough to use as a ruler.
The cat girl, Kiona, lounged against a nearby pillar like she was at a beach resort instead of a monster-infested ruin. Her emerald eyes wandered freely over my body with zero shame. A predatory smirk played at her lips.
The silence had stretched long enough. Time to break the ice. I flashed them my most charming smile. "So... come here often?"
Elara's face tightened like I'd suggested we sacrifice a baby. "This is a restricted Hunter-only zone. You are trespassing."
Kiona, however, pushed off her pillar with a smooth motion. "Only when I'm looking for a good time." She took a single step closer. Her twin tails swished behind her with obvious interest.
I glanced between them, sizing them up. The elf girl, Elara, was high-strung enough to snap in a strong breeze. Everything about her screamed by-the-book. From her perfectly trimmed bob of silver-white hair to her impeccably maintained uniform. Those glowing gauntlets were a problem, but she was predictable. Cute, in an uptight librarian sort of way.
The cat girl, though. She was a different story. My eyes slid to Kiona, noting how she watched me.
Something about that look triggered a memory. Sasha. The fiery redhead with the same dangerous glint in her eyes. Images flashed through my mind. Tangled sheets, breathless laughter, the thrilling danger in her smile. Followed immediately by the spider-web crack in my windshield and the word "ASSHOLE" keyed into the driver's side door of my car.
A firecracker. The kind of woman who gives you the best night of your life and then sets your apartment on fire on her way out.
Still, she was a really good fuck.
That last thought was a mistake. My body, having its own ideas about appropriate timing, responded with immediate enthusiasm to the memory.
Elara's eyes, which had been so carefully trained on my face, dropped for a split second. They widened to comical proportions. She made a choked, scandalized sound somewhere between a gasp and a squeak. Her face turned a shade of crimson that clashed spectacularly with her white hair.
I sighed. "Relax, princess. I wasn't thinking about you."
The scandalized blush on her face morphed instantly into pure, indignant fury. I'd meant to reassure her. I'd also just implied she wasn't attractive enough to inspire such a reaction. She opened and closed her mouth several times, unable to form a coherent sentence.
『Smooth. Very smooth.』Arcan's voice dripped with sarcasm.
Kiona burst into laughter. A rich, musical sound that bounced off the ancient stone walls. "Oh my gods, your face, Ela-chi! You look like you swallowed a lemon!"
"I—you—he—" Elara sputtered. Those blue runes on her gauntlets flared brighter.
"Focus, princess," I said, trying not to smirk and failing miserably.
"You will address me as Hunter Vaelen," she finally managed, her voice dropping to a frigid temperature.
"I would, but I'm a little distracted by the fact that I'm NAKED in a CAVE," I shot back.
"N-not that it matters," came the squeaky voice through what I now realized was some kind of magical earpiece, "but regulation protocol states we should provide basic humanitarian aid to civilians found in Gates, including clothing and medical attention if needed."
"Thank you, unseen squeaky girl," I said to the air.
"Her name is Rin," Kiona supplied helpfully. "She's our tech specialist. Smartest little raccoon you'll ever meet."
"I'm not little! I'm compact!" the voice protested.
Kiona's playful expression suddenly sharpened. Her ears flattened slightly. She stepped forward, breaking the charged atmosphere. "Alright, playtime's over, hot stuff. Let's start from the beginning. What's the last thing you remember? Why were you naked in a sealed ruin?"
I needed a lie, and I needed it now. My mind raced through options.
Some local custom? A coming-of-age trial? No. These women were professional "Hunters."
Amnesia? The classic. A cliché for a reason.
I let the arrogant smirk fall from my face. I looked down at my hands, at my grandfather's silver ring.
"I... I don't know," I said quietly.
『Oh, we're going with the amnesia angle?』
It's called strategy, you digital pain in my ass.
I looked up, meeting Kiona's eyes directly. "The only thing I'm sure of... is my name. Rome. I woke up on the floor back there. Cold. In the dark. And... like this." I gestured vaguely at my naked body.
Kiona's eyes narrowed slightly. Her tail stilled.
"And yet you somehow knew how to kill goblins," Elara said flatly.
I touched the back of my neck, as if searching for a memory. "I... just reacted. Instinct, I guess? Fight or flight? I didn't want to die, so I fought."
"And apparently you've been fighting for a while," Kiona observed, gesturing to the blood and grime coating my body. "We followed a trail of essence fragments leading straight to you. That's a lot of killing for someone who just 'woke up.'"
"I was trying to find a way out," I said. "Every time I thought I found an exit, there were more of those... things."
"Goblins," Elara supplied, her voice still cold but her eyes slightly less hostile.
"Whatever they are," I said. "Look, I don't know how I got here or why I'm naked. I just want some clothes, some food and maybe a shower. Is that too much to ask?"
Elara and Kiona exchanged a look that spoke volumes. I couldn't read their silent communication, but I could tell they were debating what to do with me.
"C-Captain Zahara says to bring him in," Rin's voice came through their earpieces. "She wants to meet him."
Kiona's face lit up with a grin. "Ohhh, this is gonna be good."
Elara pinched the bridge of her nose. Pure exasperation. "Understood. We'll escort the... civilian back to base."
"Does this mean I get pants?" I asked hopefully.
"Eventually," Kiona purred, her grin widening.
Elara shrugged off her formal azure coat and tossed it to me with obvious reluctance. "Tie this around your waist. It's better than nothing."
I caught it, feeling the thick, high-quality fabric. It was clearly some kind of uniform, with silver accents and an insignia I didn't recognize. "Thanks, princess. I'll try not to get blood on it."
"That coat represents generations of Hunter tradition and sacrifice," she snapped. "Show some respect."
I wrapped it around my waist, securing it tightly. It covered the essentials but left my chest and legs bare. "Better?"
"Marginally," she muttered.
『I can detect active essentia signatures in that coat,』Arcan observed. 『Some kind of locator or monitor.』
Good. Let them track me. I want to see where they take me.
"So, what now?" I asked aloud. "You're taking me to your leader?"
Kiona snickered. "Something like that. Captain Zahara is going to absolutely love you."
"She will not," Elara said firmly. "She will question him, determine his status, and then turn him over to the proper authorities."
"C'mon, Ela-chi, when was the last time we found a naked man with combat skills in a dungeon? This is the most exciting thing to happen to our squad since... well, ever!"
"That's a very low bar," Elara muttered.
"I feel so special," I deadpanned.
"You should," Kiona winked. "The Azure Sentinels don't usually do rescue missions for hot naked guys."
"Azure Sentinels," I repeated. "That's your squad name?"
Elara's posture straightened with pride. "Yes. We are—"
"The leftovers," Kiona interrupted with a casual wave. "The squad nobody wanted that got stuck with the name everybody respects. It's all very tragic and inspiring."
"KIONA!" Elara hissed.
"What? It's true." She shrugged. "We're the misfits trying to live up to the legacy of the greatest Hunter squad in history. No pressure or anything."
I looked between them with new interest. "And what do these 'Azure Sentinels' do exactly?"
"We protect the city from monsters like the ones you've been killing," Elara said simply. "We maintain the shield that keeps humanity safe."
"Very poetic," I said. "And what city would that be?"
They both looked at me like I'd grown a second head.
"Century City," Elara said slowly. "The Bastion. The last human stronghold after the Sundering."
I kept my face carefully neutral even as my mind raced. Last human stronghold? Sundering? What the hell kind of world had I landed in?
"Wow, you really don't remember anything, do you?" Kiona said, studying my face with renewed interest.
"Told you," I replied with a helpless shrug.
"So... these Gates you mentioned. They're like... portals? Where monsters come through?" I asked, intentionally keeping my tone uncertain.
"Rifts in reality," Elara explained, slipping into what I suspected was her lecturer voice. "Tears between our world and chaotic dimensions beyond. Monsters emerge from them, and the Hunter Corps exists to contain the threats and explore the dimensional spaces."
"And you think I came through one of these... rifts?"
"It's one possibility," she admitted. "Though your lack of essentia signature makes that unlikely."
"My lack of what now?"
"Essentia. The power that gives Hunters their abilities," Kiona said, raising her hand. A faint, iridescent pink mist formed around her fingers. "The thing that makes us special."
I stared at the mist, fascinated despite myself. "And I don't have that?"
"Not that we can detect," Elara said. "Which is another mystery. How did you kill so many monsters without essentia?"
I flexed my arm, showing off the well-defined muscle. "The old-fashioned way, I guess."
『Oh, you're enjoying this, aren't you?』
Maybe a little.
"We should get moving," Elara said abruptly. "The exit is this way."
I stood, adjusting the coat around my waist. "Lead on, princess."
Her eye twitched at the nickname, but she turned without comment and started walking.
Kiona fell into step beside me, close enough that her arm occasionally brushed mine. "So, Rome, huh? Interesting name."
"Is it?"
"Mmm. It was the name of a famous country Pre-Sundering." Her green eyes studied me with unnerving intensity.
I met her gaze steadily. "I wouldn't know."
She smiled, slow and knowing. "Of course not."
『She suspects something,』Arcan warned.
Yeah, no shit.
We walked in silence through the ancient corridors, following Elara's stiff back. I took the opportunity to observe my surroundings more carefully now that I wasn't actively running for my life or hunting goblins.
The ruins were enormous, stretching far beyond what I'd explored. The architecture was nothing like anything I'd seen before. Massive stone pillars carved with intricate symbols. High ceilings that disappeared into darkness. Walls that seemed to absorb sound.
"What is this place?" I asked.
"We don't know yet," Elara answered without turning. "That's part of what we came to investigate. The energy signature Rin detected wasn't consistent with a normal Gate."
"Could be a Temple," Kiona suggested. "Pre-Sundering religious site."
"Or military," Elara countered.
I listened to their theories, filing away every scrap of information. Whatever world I'd landed in, it was clearly post-apocalyptic in some way. This "Sundering" they kept mentioning had changed everything.
We approached what looked like an exit. A rough opening partially concealed by hanging vines. Natural daylight filtered through, causing me to squint after so long in the dimness.
"Last chance to change your mind," Kiona whispered to me with a mischievous grin. "We could ditch the princess and have our own adventure."
"Kiona!" Elara scolded. "He is a witness and possibly a victim. Not a potential date."
"Why not both?" Kiona winked at me.
I couldn't help but laugh. "Tempting, but I'm curious about this Captain of yours now."
"Your funeral," Kiona shrugged. "Just remember I offered you a more fun option when she's interrogating you."
I stepped through the opening into blinding sunlight, blinking rapidly as my eyes adjusted. A sea of green trees stretched out before me under a clear blue sky. The same forest I'd seen earlier.
"Welcome to the outside world, mysterious naked man," Kiona announced with a dramatic flourish.
Elara sighed heavily. "This is going to be a very long drive back to base."
I grinned. "At least the scenery's nice."
Both of them turned to look at me.
"I meant the trees," I said innocently.