"Oi, Hazuki! Left—your left!" Ridan shouted from above, circling like a frantic drone.
"Ugh! I'm trying!!" Hazuki growled, lunging clumsily through tall grass.
Tiny footprints zipped across the dirt as two small Kruko—squirrel-sized lizard-rat hybrids with leafy tails—dashed around him in maddening zigzags.
"Don't kill it! This is a capture quest! You just need two alive, small Kruko!"
"Yeah?! Then you come down here and try catching these nimble little gremlins!" Hazuki snapped as he stumbled forward, nearly tripping over a rock.
One Kruko squeaked and darted between his legs. The other scurried up a boulder and stuck out its tongue mockingly.
"That one! Now! Jump!"
Hazuki leapt with full force—
WHIFF! The Kruko sidestepped with inhuman agility, flipping midair before vanishing into the bush.
"Damn it!!" Hazuki slammed his palm into the ground.
"They're too fast! Are they on caffeine or something!?"
"Heh~ I did say this was a tricky one." Ridan grinned smugly.
