Arthur’s earlier quick math had been quite wrong.

  There were exactly eight aliens fighting the small horde of demons. A bit embarrassing—how the hell had he mistaken a Fiend for a violet-skinned humanoid?—but he shoved that thought aside and focused on the more important things.

  Like their clothing, weapons, and the way they fought.

  To no surprise, the first two were nothing special. Tight leather armor reinforced with bits of metal for clothing, and swords, daggers, or bows for weapons. Pretty much what Arthur had expected after passing so many primitive ruins in his journey. This world was still in its medieval age, or at least its local equivalent.

  Now the way they fought, though?

  Arthur definitely couldn’t have replicated any of it back when he was a human. Hell, he doubted even top Earth athletes could manage half of what these beings were doing.

  For one, they were wicked fast and dexterous. The Fiends could do nothing as the aliens ran circles around them, drawing blood with each flick of their blades. They jumped, flipped, and twisted in ways that would have broken Arthur’s old body. Yet, for them, it looked effortless and fun, judging by the laughter of one of them.

  Of course, speed wasn’t their only advantage. They also wielded magic, albeit in small, controlled doses.

  A blast of fire here. A crack of lightning there. A spike of earth to nick a Hound in the side. A small shield of water to block a Fiend’s charge.

  Those were minor things. Nothing too flashy. Yet for Arthur, it was the first time he was seeing magic used by anyone other than demons. And no, he didn’t count his skills or Warrior Matrix. That wasn’t magic but something else—more.

  There was a reason the System classified Mana as an inferior, low-tier energy.

  Either way, the aliens were quite impressive. In the time it took Athena to reach them, they had already slain half of the horde. The rest never stood a chance once his bird companion opened her beak.

  Shouts in an unfamiliar language rang out the moment the first Fiend fell to Athena’s machine gun. Arthur focused on them, hoping his Listener skill could catch on quickly. He also inspected the aliens again, forcing the System to activate.

  [Narian - The dominant and only sapient species of planet Taran. Quick, agile, and blessed with a connection to Mana. Most often, this blessing manifests as enhanced physical capabilities. The state of their shadowy hair reflects their current health and condition.]

  Narian, Arthur tested the word. Glad to finally have something to call you people. And your hair… interesting.

  With nothing else to gain from the description, he dismissed it and returned his attention to the voices below Athena. She, just like him, couldn’t understand a thing, so she simply continued diving and gunning down any demon that still moved.

  What a one-track mind his murder drone had.

  Adorable.

  A minute later, if even that, only corpses and the eight Narians remained on the battlefield. Athena wanted to land and feast on one of the corpses, but a firm nudge from him stopped her.

  Just because these natives were fighting against Hell’s forces, it didn’t mean they were friendly. Then again, with the threat gone, they still hadn’t attacked Athena. For now, over half of them were simply staring at her in a mix of wariness and awe, while a few were checking on the corpses.

  Come on, talk more, Arthur thought, ninety percent of his attention fixed on the Narians while the remaining ten worked to keep his vessel safely outside their hearing range.

  There would be no official introductions until he understood their language. Though given how quiet over half of the group was, it might take a while. The only one doing any real talking was the Narian who had been laughing during the fighting.

  She—clearly a she—stood out from the rest. Soft, heart-shaped face. Skin a shade darker than any other. And finally, the shadowy hair that almost reached her tail.

  Even now, after slaughtering all the demons, she was practically bouncing on her feet as her eyes followed Athena’s every move. Thankfully, she had already sheathed her daggers. Not that the friendly action made Arthur any less wary—the wide grin on her face was scary in more ways than one.

  Still, he needed the group to finally do something other than stare at Athena like a bunch of creeps. Well, not the girl. She was still bouncing and babbling like a kid on a sugar rush. Thanks to her, he had already picked up a few words.

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  “Bloodwing” and “the Father” were the most common ones.

  He could work with that.

  All right, Athena. If you want, you can feast on the corpse farthest from them, he said over the link. But if anybody tries to approach you…

  Arthur trailed off, knowing well she understood what he meant. A chirp confirmed it, and their shared sight shifted as she dove toward her chosen corpse. Unfortunately, if he wanted to keep learning the language, he had to stick around and watch her dismantle the poor, already-dead Fiend.

  He grimaced inwardly.

  The sacrifices we make.

  At least it worked. Based on what he could hear and on the few glances Athena spared the group, they ignored her once she began feeding. That definitely confirmed a few things about his companion. Though it kinda surprised him just how easily they had accepted her presence.

  Did they all miss Athena using a goddamn machine gun in her throat to kill the demons? It had to be that, or Bloodwings were even more unique than he had already suspected.

  Shame the System doesn’t want to tell me anything about your original species.

  Either way, none of that mattered right now. His plan worked, and now he had a front-row seat to the group talking among themselves. Why they had decided that the middle of nowhere was a good place to rest, he had no idea. Sure, they stayed on the cleansed side of the area, but with Hell’s corruption so close, it couldn’t be safe anyway.

  Whatever. Don’t question your luck, Arthur. Just listen.

  And so he did.

  A minute. Two. Then five passed. The constant conversation fed him more and more words. He even caught the gist of it. They were debating where to go next, clearly surprised to stumble upon a cleansed zone. And then there was the girl, who kept watching Athena while rotating between the same three questions—ones no one seemed eager to answer.

  “Were they always so big?”

  “Should it eat that much? It will get fat.”

  “Can I pet it?”

  Arthur chortled the first time he understood the second question in full. Athena, on the other hand, was not amused. She squeaked indignantly and flapped her wings at the one who dared to call her fat.

  The girl in question only grinned and exclaimed, “Cute!”

  Arthur already liked her. Though afterward, he had to stop Athena from dropping a grenade on the ‘annoying’ Narian.

  Still worth it.

  Okay, real question now. What do I do? he wondered. How the hell do I approach them without making them run away or attack me?

  Joining up and helping during another fight against demons could work. The problem was that he couldn’t just wait around for more monsters to show up. Those Narians were too agile. If they decided to leave, there was a good chance he wouldn’t see them again. He might have a new engine, but it wasn’t that good.

  Decisions, decisions…

  Athena wasn’t much help here. Not without the ability to talk. So, Arthur’s only real option was to slowly approach the group while screaming “Friendly,” and hope for the best. And if they attacked him…

  Well, he just had to de-escalate before they somehow got past his armor.

  Yeah. This can work. Definitely.

  Athena cawed over their link, clearly amused.

  Yeah, yeah, laugh all you want, he grumbled. I don’t hear you coming up with any better ideas. Or maybe you do have something?

  Silence.

  See? We’re both stupid… Anyway, don’t attack them if they come after me. I will handle this.

  Her answering chirp didn’t fill him with much confidence. Not that he had any in the first place. The odds of his plan working sat at maybe five percent? Ten, if the Narians were deaf and didn’t hear him coming.

  Let’s do this.

  Arthur cut off his connection to Athena and reactivated Silent Observer. Now back above his vessel, he started the engine and rolled out of his cover. Another shift into a higher gear, and he was driving straight toward the Narians. Only a lone, tiny hillock hid him from their sight.

  He climbed it in second. What he saw from the top filled him with a bit of hope.

  All the Narians were back on their feet, weapons drawn. Nobody—not even the girl—said a word. They just stared at his vessel as it slowly rolled down the hillock.

  Good. No runners just yet.

  Focus now.

  With all the willpower he had, Arthur seized control of Voice Projection and forced a single word through it.

  “FRIENDLY!”

  His voice was still robotic and rough, but only an idiot wouldn’t understand what he had just said. Or someone deaf…

  The Narians were clearly neither, and while they didn’t really relax, they still didn’t flee. Hell, the girl even lowered her dagger, wide eyes watching him.

  “FRIENDLY!” he rumbled once more. Athena had also moved, leaving her feast and landing atop his turret. That earned him a few more lowered swords and even more shocked looks.

  The girl, however?

  She had seen enough.

  “Blessed Mother and Father!” she exclaimed. “That’s so freaking awesome! You see this, Garth? Birdy got a metal house on wheels!”

  Three things happened at once.

  First, the tall male Narian standing close to the girl sighed and faceplamed. He also muttered something under his breath.

  Second, Arthur’s mind froze for a moment, his engine almost stuttering out.

  And finally, third, Athena’s chirping laughter filled their link.

  …I am what now?

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