Ren swallowed hard.
Her panicked green eyes darted frantically back and forth like a spectator at a tennis match. On one side, Syris was glaring venomous daggers at the golden eagle beastman. On the other side, Altair was completely ignoring the Snake King's glare, his silver eyes still locked in genuine, innocent fascination upon Syris' exposed twin swords.
Ren's mouth opened, but no sound came out. Her mind had gone entirely blank. She couldn't form a single, coherent thought. She had an endless mountain of regrets at this exact moment, but the main one was approaching a highly territorial, depressed apex predator without a well-rehearsed, foolproof battle plan.
[System: Host, you really need to say something! Anything! The Snake King's mood is worsening by the literal millisecond!]
Prompted by the System's frantic warning, Ren clenched her eyes tightly shut, bracing herself for the inevitable explosion.
