“Greetings, Demon.”

[Evolved Centinel - Lvl. 141]

An undulating, red-shelled creature stopped before me. It had dozens of legs— maybe even up to a hundred— and separate, segmented bodies that were uniformly spread throughout its long form. It was the familiar shape of a Centinel, except with a few minute differences.

The first difference was that its body seemed to twist into the shape of a Human as it reached its head. It even looked feminine— at least, more like a Human female than a Human male. Its.. or rather, her spindly legs turned to a pair of red arms that were folded across her chest she cast her gaze over me.

And in regards to her gaze, she had the face of a Centinel with a few Human features such as an oval-shaped head and a mouth covering the typical exposed mandibles of a Centinel. She still had a pair of antennae poking out of her head, with a set of beady black eyes that seemed to reflect nothing but darkness in the hollow, carved-out pupils.

Her form was almost familiar. She looked eerily similar to the [Evolved Centinel] I’d clashed with twice now. Wait, was she him? No— she couldn’t be. For one thing, she was a she and he was a he!

But was it possible that he could’ve become a she? That was possible, right? I mean, I could transform into a Human and an Elf and a Cyclops, shouldn’t it be possible to become a he if you were a she or a she if you were a he? There had to be some Skill out there that could let you do that.

Or maybe a potion.

Either way, I couldn’t let my guard down. I tensed, raising my claws. The [Evolved Centinel] slithered forward with just her undulating body, walking around me with deliberate steps. Her head and Human-like body stayed in place.

“So, you are the one the [Will O’ Wisp] risked his life to save.”

My eyes narrowed as the glowing flame flitted in front of the [Evolved Centinel].

“Ally.”

That was all he said. She gave him an inquiring look.

“And aren’t Demons sworn enemies of Spirits?”

“No.”

“Intriguing. That is not what I was led to believe.”

The [Evolved Centinel] shook her head in a surprisingly Human gesture.. or, mortal gesture? I’d seen other mortals shake their heads before to convey the same meaning. But I wasn’t sure if all mortals did it. I certainly didn’t remember the intelligent monsters of the Rainforest of Monsters shaking their heads for a particular reason.

She turned to me, and I raised a flaming claw.

“Stay back! I’m warning you!”

The [Gallias Tortoise] stepped forward, speaking hurriedly.

“I assure you, she is not like the other Centinels—”

But I spoke over him.

“Look, I don’t know how you became a she from a he. Or if you were originally a she and became a he? Or if you’re a she who became a he who pretends to be a she so that the others here won’t know that you’re a he..”

I trailed off as everyone paused to stare at me. I cocked my head.

“Um, what was I saying again?”

“We don’t know.”

The [Gallias Tortoise] let out a sigh-like squeak. I furrowed my brows as I tried to work out my logic, but the [Evolved Centinel] stepped forward.

“I mean you no harm, Demon.”

I blinked as she approached me with both her arms raised.

“I may look similar to some of my brethren— I am sure you have encountered them here in the Bloodied Gulf— but I assure you, I am different. We are merely kin, nothing more.”

Different? So, she looked the same to the other [Evolved Centinel] I’d fought. Although, she did reassure me that she wasn’t here to fight. And to be fair, she was a higher level than him. Also, the monsters gathered here didn’t look like they were afraid of her. Which meant—

“Oh, so you’re just a Sage Centinel?”

It finally clicked.

“Why didn't you just say that, then?”

I pointed at her, and she just stared at me. Slowly, she worked her jaw.

“I.. I have been trying to tell you that, yes.”

“Well, you could’ve told me that faster. I mean— just saying that you’re a Sage Centinel would’ve cleared that up!”

“T-that’s..”

She trailed off as I crossed my arms.

“You are right, Demon. I apologize. I was simply too eager to introduce myself, I must have forgotten my.. manners.”

“You’ve got that right!”

I nodded with alacrity. She finally understood what I was trying to say. Good! Seriously, imagine if we ended up fighting because she caused a misunderstanding?

She spoke quite eloquently for a Centinel, surprisingly enough. Compared to the other Sage Centinel I’d seen, she was a hundred times more eloquent. She did still have the clicks that marked the end of every sentence which the other Sage Centinel had.

“I must introduce myself. I am called Centina, and I am the protector of this haven.”

Her upper body lowered in a bow-like gesture— it was awkward, nothing like how noble Humans did it, but I could tell she was trying to emulate them. I waggled my brows.

“Centina? That’s your name?”

“Hm, perhaps it can be referred to as a name. It is simply what I have been referred to by others.”

Her mouth spread wide as she tried to smile. It was kind of a creepy gesture, coming from a Centinel. Definitely not reassuring like it was meant to be.

“And who called you that? Actually, why are you even protecting this haven? Aren’t you a Centinel or something?”

“But not all Centinels are alike, you see.”

Centina scuttled around me, ushering me forward.

“Follow me.”

I glanced over at Willy and Kron. Both of them seemed to have ambled off and were now doing their own thing. The squeaky voice of the [Gallias Tortoise] came from behind me

“Go on. Trust Centina. She is good.”

I raised a brow. The [Evolved Centinel] was almost threateningly wrapped around behind me. She gently brushed by me to edge me forward, but I raised a hand.

“Wait!”

She abruptly paused. The [Gallias Tortoise] looked over at me worriedly. I stood my ground, bringing a hand up as I cast a sharp gaze around the room.

“I’m not going with you.”

Centina peered at me with curious eyes. Eyes that were almost threatening. The [Gallias Tortoise] tensed, opening his mouth.

“You—”

“I’m not going with you..”

I repeated myself. This time, I spread my arms wide and finished.

“Until I introduce myself.

“Oh.”

This time, the [Gallias Tortoise] really did sigh. It wasn’t a squeak. It was a full-on, exasperated sigh.

I beamed.

“I’m Salvos!”

—--

“Your name is Centina.”

“That is correct.”

I followed the [Evolved Centinel] as she led me down a side passageway, scratching a clawed hand on my chin.

“And the [Gallias Tortoise] is named Galt.”

“Indeed. He did not choose his name. Instead, it was given to him, like mine was given to me. After all, he is the only of his kind in this haven, and he is one of the oldest inhabitants.”

“I see— did anyone ever tell the guy who named you that they suck at coming up with names?”

Centina paused.

“...what do you mean by that?”

“I mean— no offense to you, of course— but whoever came up with your names is bad at doing it.”

“I..”

She stared at me for a moment before turning back around. I followed her as she rolled aside a large boulder, entering a secret room.

“We were not named by any single individual. And not everyone is blessed with names, as you have been. Galt was given his name by one of the [Merfolk] who’d been dragged down here with him. The [Merfolk] gave no name, other than to Galt. He did not even give us his own name.”

“Well, he’s bad at names. He should be more like me! I’m good at coming up with names! Like.. Willy and Kron!”

“You named the [Will O’ Wisp] and the [Krokodis]?”

Centina sounded amused. I grinned.

“Sure did! Wait— how did you know that was who I named?”

I gave her a blank stare. She made a clicking noise.

“Couldn’t possibly tell you how. Now, come on in.”

I entered the secret passageway as Centina rolled the boulder back behind us. The room was instantly shrouded in darkness. I couldn’t see anything, but [Passive - A Hunter’s Sense] didn’t flare up, so I knew it wasn’t dangerous here.

That didn’t mean I let my guard down. This was still the Bloodied Gulf.. right?

“Hey, um, you never told me why I’m supposed to be here.”

“Do not worry. Stand still.”

Her voice echoed in the shadows, and I realized she wasn’t standing next to me any longer. I felt a prickling sensation run up my arms— like that of an ant crawling its way to my fingers, itching for me to just reach out with my claws and flick it off my skin. But I didn’t move. Centina told me not to move. And I was going to listen to her.. for now.

“This is simply a standard procedure. I told you, I am the protector of this haven. If you harbor and ill intent towards us, I will expel you back to the ravines teeming with death.”

And with the click that accompanied her final word, the ground beneath me shone with an eerie golden glow. A ritual circle rose up like the reverse of a curtain, girdling around me as symbols formed in the air. It illuminated the rest of the room. I could see the fringes of books, piled up on a makeshift table. There were scribblings on the walls. Old, dried scribblings— some of them written in blood.

Was this some kind of study room? It looked like some old professor had lived here for decades, making a mess out of it doing his research.

The runic symbols hovering around me began to orbit me. They circled faster and faster as they pulsed with light. I saw Centina standing just before a bed, her hands held in the air as though she were casting this spell. No— she wasn’t casting it. She was simply activating the runes for it.

Suddenly, powerful magic poured out of the runes as they halted. The mana oozed with death magic. It was palpable— threatening to strangle and choke me where I stood. The symbols shone a blood-red as they flew in front of my face, like they were inspecting me.

I didn’t move. I didn’t say a word. Although, I prepared to teleport out of this magic circle if anything went wrong. But the light emitted from the symbols dimmed. It morphed from a crimson to a gentle azure, before falling back to the ground.

The magic circle vanished as the room was once again filled with darkness, and I heard Centina make an approving click.

“Good. You are not an enemy of this haven.”

“What was.. that?”

I asked, slightly disoriented. I raised a hand, creating a ball of flame to light up the room. I looked up, only to see Centina looming over me.

“That was a spell of Sense Malicious Intent. As the name implies, it would identify any kind of ill will you may harbor against myself or the haven. If you were dangerous, it would have killed you there and then.”

I looked down at my feet, seeing multi-colored bloodstains marking the ground.

“And I take it that it works?”

Centina just shrugged as she ushered me out of the secret room.

“It works well enough. Everyone who has passed the test has yet to betray this haven.”

“What’s the point of it, anyway?”

I gave her an inquiring gaze as she rolled the boulder over the entrance of the room. She replied, nonchalant.

“As I told you earlier, this is standard procedure. I would simply like to know if you pose a threat to us. We are but a group of survivors. Those who have willingly or unwillingly ended up at the bottom of the Bloodied Gulf.”

She wore almost a tired look on her face.

“Just like you, we are trapped. And we have no one to rely on but each other. We cannot have those who’d sabotage us join the haven. For even if our goal to escape sounds like a simple one, a single bad actor would ruin any chance of our survival entirely.”

I rubbed a hand on my chin as she finished. My brows snapped together, and I raised a hand.

“Wait, you guys are stuck here?”

I frowned as Centina nodded.

“Yes. We are but prisoners trapped in a world of rock, with the Centinels guarding us from our salvation.”

“I see.”

I scratched the side of my head as I struggled to put the right words together.

“But why? I mean.. I can leave anytime I want.”

She blinked.

“...what?”