UNMEI: Pantheon’s Game

Dune passed by merchants selling fruits that shimmered slightly in the light, kids chasing each other with leaf like wings on their backs, and half beast villagers with tails or ears laughing and chatting with each other. 

Even a man meditating by a pond had a snake lazily wrapped around his shoulders, unmoving like it was asleep.

Everything was peaceful." 

"…What exactly am I supposed to do here?" 

Dune mumbled to himself, lightly kicking a small rock as it tumbled down a nearby slope. 

"I, hm?"

His words were cut off.

Before he could react, something slammed into him from the side. He hit the ground with a sharp grunt, air knocked from his lungs. 

Blinking, his vision adjusted just in time to see a wild pair of green eyes staring down at him.

A girl.

She sat on top of him, legs firmly planted to keep him down, claws glinting inches away from his throat. 

Her hair was black with a green tint, tied messily behind her back, and her eyes were sharp and wild, glowed with an unnatural green light. Her grin spread wide, revealing jagged teeth, her tongue flicking out with a snake-like hiss. 

Her body was lean, well-trained, dressed in tight combat clothes: a cropped top showing faint scars and abs, dark pants clinging to her legs, her arms bare and coiled with muscle.

"Human!" she grinned. "You've been captured! Surrender immediately!"

Dune blinked. "…Huh?"

"I'm Mindya!" she declared proudly. "And I'm gonna kill every human and drain them dry!"

Dune's eyes narrowed. "What the hell are you talking about?"

He activated NebaStep. With a small blast of force, he knocked her off and pushed himself to his feet.

Mindya tumbled, landed in a crouch, and grinned wider. "Ouch! Nice technique, human person! But my skin's like stone! You won't beat me!"

Dune brushed off his cloak and turned away. "Weirdo… Always me. Why do I keep running into people like this?"

He sighed and started walking away. "I don't have time for this."

"Hey! Come back!" she shouted and lunged again.

Dune spun, using Nebastep and dodging. 

"Damn it. She's fast…"

"How are you moving like that? Jumping like a rabbit! 

Nebastep!

"Whoa, again? this is fun!"

But before she could lunge again, a hand shot out from behind her and caught her by the neck.

Dune's eyes widened.

The attacker was a tall man with sharp brown eyes and a composed face and a thin bears. His long, tied back hair swayed with his cloak as he lifted Mindya effortlessly into the air, gripping her neck like he was picking up a wild animal.

She thrashed, but only for a second. The moment her eyes met his, she froze.

Then, without hesitation, he slammed her down into the dirt and pressed his foot to her head.

"I hope it wasn't bothering you," the man said with a light smile, not even glancing at her as she lay coughing beneath him.

"…it?" Dune asked, a bit thrown off.

The man chuckled. "Yeah, I know. Hard to believe." He gave her a light kick. "I'm Rudy. This animal here is Mindya. A real pain."

"I'm not an animal!" she growled.

Without even turning, Rudy kicked her again, this time in the stomach. She gasped, curling up.

"Do not speak unless I give you permission."

Something twisted in Dune's chest.

There was laughter nearby. Two villagers passing by grinned as they watched Mindya squirm.

"What's your name?" Rudy asked Dune, as if nothing unusual had just happened.

"…Dune," he said, eyes locked on the girl on the ground.

"Nice to meet you, Dune. Hope you're enjoying Varrinor."

"Yeah," Dune said quietly. "It's… nice."

As they spoke, someone walking by tossed a crumpled fruit peel at Mindya on the ground. It landed beside her, and before Dune could react, she dove at it.

Mindya grabbed the half-eaten fruit and began devouring it, licking the peel, chewing the skin. She didn't care who was watching. The crowd around them laughed, some even jeering.

Dune stared, stunned.

"What… the hell is this?"

Rudy didn't even look down. "Disgusting, right?" he muttered. "Filthy animal."

More villagers passed. One tossed a crust of bread. Mindya snatched it with both hands like a starving animal, shoving it into her mouth.

"Look at her eating it from dirt!" Someone laughed. 

Dune stepped forward instinctively. "Hey. What are you doing? Don't you have any sha—"

Before he could finish, Mindya hissed and shoved him back, curling her body around the scraps.

"Go away! Bastard human! This is mine!"

Dune stumbled back a step, more confused than angry.

The laughter around them didn't stop.

Rudy clicked his tongue. "How dare you."

He walked over and grabbed her by the throat again, lifting her off the ground like she weighed nothing.

She kicked weakly, gasping, but made no attempt to fight him.

"This'll teach you a lesson," Rudy muttered.

Dune stepped in quickly, calm but firm.

"That's enough. I'm fine."

Rudy didn't look at him. "She needs to learn."

"I said that's enough." Dune placed a hand on Rudy's shoulder.

Rudy paused for a moment, there was silence. Then he smiled again, thin and cold, and let her drop.

Mindya collapsed, coughing violently. Her hands scrambled for the bread she'd dropped. Without looking at anyone, she grabbed it and darted off between the buildings like a feral cat.

"She's always like that," Rudy said, brushing off his hands. "A weirdo."

The crowd slowly dispersed, still murmuring and laughing. Dune didn't move. He watched the direction she'd run. Something about this wasn't right.

Rudy grinned, brushing off the moment as if nothing had happened. "Forget about her. She's always been like that. Lucky the village even lets her stay here."

Dune glanced at him, brow slightly raised. "Why?"

"You're new here, right? I heard from Arech you came with Cadogan." Rudy exhaled, rubbing his neck. "Long story short, her parents tried to assassinate the higher-ups of the village eleven years ago. Almost succeeded too. If it wasn't for Arech… they might've pulled it off. He killed them both on the spot."

Dune's eyes narrowed slightly. "But he let their daughter live?"

"Yep," Rudy shrugged. "We were all against it, but for some reason, Arech let her stay. She was six at the time."

"She wasn't even part of assassination attempt though." Dune muttered under his breath, barely audible.

Rudy made annoyed face. "Doesn't matter. Blood stains run deep. She's filthy, like them."

Dune didn't argue.

He never liked arguing. People clung to their beliefs like armor, truth didn't matter when opinions made them feel safe. He learned that a long time ago. Arguing was like throwing rocks at a wall hoping it would bleed.

So he just nodded. "I guess." 

As they kept walking through the village paths, three more figures emerged from a nearby path, young men, loud and confident, each carrying a different kind of weapon strapped to their backs.

"Hey Rudy," one of them called, tall and lanky with narrow yellow eyes and sandy-colored hair, "who's that skinny twig over there?"

Rudy grinned and clapped a hand on Dune's shoulder. "Haha, meet Dune. He's the outsider I was telling you about."

Dune turned slightly to face them, offering a calm nod as the three approached.

The lanky one jabbed a thumb at himself. "Name's Kren."

The second one, broader with a shaved head and a jagged scar over his nose, gave a crooked grin. "I'm Ralt." 

The last, shorter but wiry, had bright silver hair and a smirk that never seemed to leave his face. "Billo." 

They circled around Dune, sizing him up like he was a weird animal at a zoo.

"So… outsider," Kren started, folding his arms, "you ever been in a real fight? Like life or death stuff?"

"Doubt it," Ralt said with a scoff. "He doesn't have the look. Probably soft hands too."

Billo leaned in mock-seriously. "You ever killed anything bigger than a bug? No offense, but you don't really look like a man yet."

"Are you sure about this Rudy?" 

Rudy laughed as Dune raised an eyebrow. 

"Be nice, boys. Dune's with Cadogan, remember?"

Kren rolled his eyes. "So what? Doesn't mean he's seen anything real. Bet he's never even passed out from blood loss!"

"Or gotten his ribs broken in a fight."

"Or pissed his pants from getting hunted."

The three burst out laughing, nudging each other.

Dune just smiled faintly. It wasn't even annoying, it was actually kind of funny. How quickly people built stories in their heads about someone they didn't know. How easy it was to judge from surface level nonsense. These guys had no clue about outside world, yet spoke a lot about it.

But he didn't say any of that. He just nodded along quietly, as if agreeing with them.

"Anyway," Billo said, fishing something from his side bag, "check this out."

He unrolled a sheet of paper and held it out. "Rudy, are you ready?"

Kren leaned in. "That bounty's crazy!"

Ralt whistled. "Three hundred golden Neba coins. For catching a Heavy Golden Bull core."

Rudy's eyes widened. "That's a hunt straight from Arech!"

"Yep," Billo grinned. "He shared it this morning."

Dune stepped closer and looked over the paper. The drawing was crude, but the reward was real. Rudy turned to him with a wide smile. "What do you think, Dune? You in? We'll split it five ways."

Kren elbowed him. "Or, how about this? First one to bring it down takes everything. No splits."

Ralt raised his hand. "I like that better. Let's make it a challenge."

Rudy grinned even wider. "What do you say, Outie?"

Dune blinked. "Outie?"

They all laughed.

"Outsider," Kren said. "You're not in until you survive your first beast hunt."

Dune looked at the poster one more time.

Three hundred golden Neba coins. That was a lot of money. And Dune… had always liked money.

"…Alright," he said simply.

Rudy clapped him on the back with a hearty laugh. "That's the spirit! Let's go then, hope you don't die, Outie!"

The group burst into laughter again as they turned and made their way toward the forest edge. Dune followed quietly, eyes scanning the trees ahead.

He wasn't worried. Not even a little.