Chapter 201: Reshaped Soul

Since Michael was currently on his own, it meant the only one that he could rely on was Devil’s Tongue.

’What do you make of this?’ He asked, eyes locked on the woman before him.

’I don’t really have a lot of experience in these matters, but I can see the outline of a being’s soul.’ The soul weapon remarked.

’It’s hard to explain, but in simple terms, imagine a human soul as clay. Most people’s souls share the same basic shape. Hers, though, is like clay that’s been taken in someone’s hands and twisted. The form is changed, but the essence remains the same. I’d wager my life that she’s human.’

Michael had to agree; his very own spirit told him he was looking at a human. Yet how come she looked like some sort of mix between a human and a cat?

With a sigh he observed closer. The woman’s tail wasn’t just upright, it was puffed; her fluffy ears were flattened, and her eyes looked narrower than needles.

“She is frightened.” Michael concluded. Judging the woman’s actions as one would a cat’s, it was the only conclusion he could reach.

Taking a deep breath, he made Devil’s Tongue enter his soul. The woman had her vision set on the weapon, clearly feeling intimidated.

Moving slowly in an attempt not to scare her, he settled on the ground, putting his hands on his thighs.

’Was this how you were supposed to make a cat feel comfortable? Would it even work on this… woman? Cat woman? Cat person?’

“Can you understand me?” Michael spoke softly, observing for any sudden changes of behavior.

Thankfully she seemed to understand his tongue, though she didn’t respond back… However, she stopped retreating backwards as well.

“I am not sure how you got here, but I assure you, I mean no harm.” Michael continued, blinking slowly in her direction. He had no idea whether it actually helped, but he’d heard cats liked that sort of thing.

“…”

Gradually the fear on the woman’s face faded, curiosity taking its place.

Pat Pat Pat

Her four limbs echoed on the lab’s floor as she slowly drew close.

Stopping a few meters away from Michael, she waited for any sudden movements. After confirming that he was simply sitting still, she cautiously brought her face closer to his relaxed palm.

Sniff Sniff

Her nose twitched, taking a few gentle sniffs.

“!!!”

In response, her ears moved forward, her tail gradually relaxing and starting to sway from side to side.

Sniff Sniff

Making sure her assessment was correct, she sniffed him again. A moment later, her lips pursed.

“You… don’t smell like metal.”

’Since she’s speaking to me, I take it she’s starting to trust me. That’s a relief. Otherwise, getting her to explain where she came from would have been a hassle.’ Michael thought.

“Of course.” He smiled warmly. “After all, unlike these soulless robots, we are humans.”

Nearing cautiously, the woman’s eyes shifted to his ears.

“We are the same? But… you seem different.”

Unsure how to answer, Michael said the first thing that came to mind.

“Well, we can’t all be identical, right? There are certain quirks that may differentiate us, but we still remain human.”

Clearly she had something on her mind. However, before she could utter a sound, a third silhouette barged in on their conversation.

[Intruder detected. A subject of unknown origin spotted. Eliminate.]

HISS!

Leaping backwards, the woman arched her back, her tail puffing up.

“A metal thing!” She growled angrily.

Boom!

Yet before the catwoman could decide on how to act, Michael hurled Devil’s Tongue towards the android’s torso. With one blow he had practically neutralized the threat. Naturally he made sure to not destroy it completely, as this robot could prove to possess useful knowledge, considering that it had yet to blow itself up.

“You… you subdued the metal guy?” The catwoman muttered in both curiosity and concern.

“It’s only natural. It wasn’t human like us.”

Curiously, the woman approached Michael again. This time she was much bolder. Rather than stopping a few meters away, she closed the distance until they were less than an arm’s length apart.

“Can you do it again? Destroy many metal monsters like this guy?” Her tail swayed, gently wrapping itself around Michael’s arm.

Seeing him nod, her ears instantly pricked up.

“Will you help me? I need to go back and save my brothers and sisters! I fear they will not last long without food, and those metal things refuse to give us enough rations to survive!”

Michael frowned. ’So she isn’t the only one of her kind? From the way she is speaking, it appears that humans like her are being kept locked up somewhere.’

“I will try my best. Everything that is a threat to humanity has to be exterminated, and our kin protected.” He reassured her.

Slowly blinking, the woman’s blue eyes grew wider, as if taking in every detail.

Purrrr~

Suddenly starting to purr, she started to softly rub her face against his.

Michael was definitely surprised by the abrupt change, but he was careful not to move suddenly so as not to frighten her again.

“I managed to do it!” She proclaimed with pride. “At the beginning I didn’t know how many tunnels like these I had to cross, but finally I managed to find help!”

’So she has been traveling in search of help for quite a while. I guess that explains her desperation.’ Michael figured.

“Actually there are other people with me. They are also reliable and can fight against the robots like me.” He said, standing up.

“Really?” She exclaimed, her tail beginning to sway faster from side to side.

“Yeah, follow me.” Michael chuckled, seeing her enthusiasm.

“By the way, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Michael. May I ask what is yours?” He asked, uncertain if she even had one to begin with.

“Everybody calls me Ruby, so you can too!” She purred, leaning onto him.

’She is part cat. Aren’t they supposed to act cold-hearted and keep their distance?’ Michael wondered, noticing how close she had gotten.

The thought lasted only for a second, since he had bigger problems to worry about.

Namely, how did Ruby and the people she described come into existence in the first place?

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