Kael, Amelia, and Ethan instantly formed a defensive triangle, their backs pressed together as magical energy crackled around them. Following the mysterious voice's abrupt silence, the ruins fell into an eerie quiet.
"Impossible we misheard - that voice came from here!" Kael cautioned through gritted teeth, staff poised for combat. His companions nodded grimly, their own survival instincts honed through countless wilderness trials.
Thump-thump.
Soil erupted nearby as a furry head breached the ground. "Hehe! Sharp-eared humans!" squealed the emerging creature.
What surfaced defied expectations - not some horrific monstrosity, but a being resembling an overgrown arctic hare. Snow-white fur glowed in the fading light, its pillowy frame complete with quivering whiskers and unnervingly humanoid expressions. Earthly teenagers would've fought to cuddle this living plush toy.
"Cute... but lethal?" Kael muttered despite himself.
"Mmm! That meat-smell! Ten years imprisoned here, never scenting such ambrosia!" The creature's throat vibrated with starved growls, pink tongue lapping at imagined flavors.
Ethan lowered his blade marginally. "What manner of beast are you?"
Puffing out its chest, the fluffball declared: "We are mighty Snowbear Beasts!" Its ear twitches synchronized with drool drips toward Kael's abandoned roast. Ancient ruin natives, Kael realized. Living maps.
"Little friend," Kael coaxed, sweetness coating his words, "we're explorers needing local... guidance?"
The creature bounded joyfully, snowball-like form leaving craters in the soil. "Child's play! You stand in the Western Reaches..." Its滔滔不绝 began, revealing an intimacy with every crevice of this alien world.
The trio's eyes simultaneously brightened, their exchanged glances sparking with restrained excitement. This Snowbear Beast might truly be their breakthrough.
"And how vast is this realm?" Kael pressed.
The creature's oversized eyes rolled playfully. "Ohhh, enormous! Divided into zones - most barren of magical beasts. But the underground palace..." It trailed off abruptly, gaze magnetized to the abandoned roast. "Classified intel! Can't tell! Unless..."
"Feast away," Kael offered generously.
"Gwahaha! Bless your generosity!" The fluffball became a white blur, shooting forward with jaw unhinged alarmingly. Skewers vanished into its maw. "Ambrosia! Ten years scavenging berries, finally proper sustenance!" It licked paws obsessively despite cleared plates.
Kael fought amusement. Were all ancient ruin beasts this unnervingly human-like in intellect?
"Your turn," he prompted.
"Outsiders, yes? The underground palace holds your ancestors' leavings. Treasures!" It somersaulted gleefully.
"Mapping it?" Kael produced blank parchment from spatial ring.
"Pah! Follow me!" The creature bounded ahead.
Ethan's whisper cut through optimism: "Convenient guide appears? Suspicious."
Nods all around. Yet options proved scarce. Combat aura and arcane energy coursed through their veins - ready to strike or flee at first betrayal.
The fluffy guide hopped ahead while the trio maintained cautious distance, their formation tight enough to track but far enough to react.
"Speed up, slowpokes! Ancient ruins wait for no human!" it chirped irritably, clearly aware of their distrust.
"We manage," Ethan retorted dryly.
After several minutes of this wary procession, the creature halted abruptly. Its cotton-ball form began expanding grotesquely - from knee-high fluffball to a meter-tall monstrosity with metallic fangs.
"Boring meatbags!" Its voice dropped three octaves into a guttural snarl. "Brothers! Seize the cook!"
Ground ruptured around them as over a dozen Snowbear Beasts erupted from subterranean tunnels. Their once-cute faces now contorted into predatory grins, forming an inescapable ring around the humans.
"Bloody hellspawn!" Ethan cursed, blades materializing in both hands.
The trap snapped shut.
"Exactly! We're beasts! The GREATEST BEASTS!" The Snowbear Beasts swarmed forward, their ballooning bodies grotesquely distorting as war chants echoed: "GREATEST BEASTS!"
"Dragon-Elephant Fist!" Ethan blurred into motion, fist slamming into a creature's torso with tectonic force. The struck beast deflated like a punctured bladder, crystalline fluid spraying from its jagged wound.
"Tier 6 strength each!" Ethan warned, analyzing the glowing ichor.
Kael grimaced. A dozen Tier 6 predators could overwhelm even Tier 7 warriors - though not this trio. Amelia and Ethan transcended ordinary Tier 7 capabilities, let alone Kael's current prowess.
The pack surged again, fangs glinting. "Web Bind!" Kael's staff conjured arcane filaments, immobilizing their retreat. "Keep one conscious!"
Amelia's daggers became silver whirlwinds, Ethan's fists pulverizing flanks. Kael layered a Slow Spell, enabling Ethan to grapple the last thrashing beast. Within moments, thirteen Snowbear Beasts lay subdued - one whimpering captive held aloft by Ethan's iron grip.