Paul petted the two large Tainted animals. They were as tall as him, but their bodies were almost three meters long. Still, they appeared harmless once their purr resounded in the area.
"They like to play a lot," Paul said as a faint laugh escaped his mouth whenever the animals tried to lick his face. "You can see them as large dogs if you want."
Khan's eyes fell on the creature's claws. Their nails were razor-sharp knives as long as his hands. He couldn't see a dog anywhere in those dangerous animals.
"Come here and let them know your scent," Paul ordered.
"Do I have to?" Khan asked without moving his eyes from the sharp claws.
"You must unless you want to walk to the city," Paul laughed. "They are our rides."
Khan blinked before scratching the side of his head and taking a few timid steps forward. The two animals noticed his movements and stopped playing with Paul to inspect him. They appeared curious about the new boy, and their noses trembled as they tried to catch a hint of his scent.
"We call them Ugu," Paul explained while continuing to pet the two animals. "They are quite docile. They only need to memorize you."
"Aren't they Tainted animals?" Khan asked while taking a few steps forward and stretching his hand toward the nearest Ugu.
"Animals have evolved differently here," Paul replied. "Technically, they are Tainted creatures, but they didn't mutate through the Nak's mana. The energy in Nitis has made all the animal species here gain strange features."
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The explanation made sense in Khan's mind. It was the same as Istrone's vegetation. Those planets didn't need the First Impact to gain mana. Their flora and fauna had developed with that energy.
The first Ugu continued to sniff the air until it reached Khan's hand. The second creature soon joined its companion in the inspection while Khan remained alert.
"I think you can try to pet them now," Paul suggested when he reached the two animals. "You don't need to be soft. They are quite resilient."
Khan nodded before slowly moving his hand past their noses to reach the furry forehead of the first Ugu. His fingers almost touched the creature, but it suddenly lowered its head and started growling toward him.
The second Ugu quickly imitated its companion. Khan found himself in front of two huge animals that appeared ready to jump at him.
"Calm down!" Paul shouted while grabbing the fur behind the second Ugu's head, but his order didn't stop the first creature from leaping toward Khan.
The huge shape of the creature tried to slam on Khan, but the latter had been ready to fight since he sensed the two animals. His figure disappeared when the Ugu pierced him. Khan reappeared on the side of the beast with his knee raised to his chest, but he didn't launch any attack.
"How should I act?" Khan asked, and Paul couldn't help but remain surprised in front of the coldness of his actions.
The Ugu had tried to kill Khan, but he had dodged the attack easily without responding to that offensive. He remained ready to deliver a powerful blow, but he managed to withhold his technique and wait for Paul's orders.
"Don't hurt it," Paul quickly ordered. "I'll call someone. Can I leave you on your own for a minute?"
"No problem," Khan replied while lowering his leg and jumping on his side when the Ugu waved its long claws at him.
Paul continued to pull the second Ugu's fur while wrestling with his pockets. A phone eventually came out of his trousers, and he didn't hesitate to tap on its screen a few times before nearing the device to his ear.
"Yes? Miss Liiza?" Paul shouted while continuing to pull the animal from its fur. "There is a problem with the Ugu. Yes! [Thank you very much]!"
Khan continued to dodge the first Ugu's assault. Its movements appeared slow in his eyes. The dummy in the ninth level of the training program was far faster, so the animal never managed to touch him.
Paul stored his phone and opened his mouth to say something, but the words remained stuck in his throat when he saw how easily Khan was dealing with the Ugu. The boy didn't show any expression while dodging the relentless assault. He almost appeared bored about the whole process.
'Five times,' Khan counted in his mind. 'Six, seven, eight. These creatures are quite clumsy.'
Khan kept track of his chances to deliver techniques toward the animal during its assault. The Ugu was quite fast for its size, but its attacks were too straightforward to endanger Khan.
The quick movements of the Lightning-demon style would have allowed Khan to deliver many direct blows during the openings showed by the Ugu. He was only keeping track of his chances during a defensive approach even. Everything would be different if he decided to gain the upper hand.
Khan had to remain in that situation for entire minutes, and Paul showed a complicated expression at that scene. Part of him felt guilty about that outcome, but that emotion couldn't suppress the surging respect growing inside of his mind.
Paul had seen the recruits that the Global Army allowed to join the training camp on Nitis. He had been one of them even. They were all geniuses or special talents.
The background couldn't affect the Global Army's selection since the situation on Nitis was still unclear. Only the best of the best could go there and help reinforce the relationship between the two species.
Still, Khan appeared above that level. His moves were almost perfect, but his calm mindset was the most outstanding aspect of his character.
Khan wasn't using the mental barrier. Lieutenant Dyester had forced him to relearn how to fight without it in the past two weeks, and his training had worked perfectly.
Every dodge gave new insights on the Ugu's movements to Khan. He learnt how to punish those straightforward attacks quickly, and he also improved his dodges accordingly.
A loud screech eventually resounded in the area and made the second Ugu tremble in fear. Even Khan's opponent stopped moving and hid its head into the ground.
Khan glanced at the animal one last time before turning in the direction of the screech. His eyes went toward the dark sky, but he struggled to find the source of that cry. However, the glow of the city in the distance eventually revealed a huge figure diving at high speed toward the ground.
The figure appeared faster than Khan during its dive. He couldn't help but jump backward when he saw it approaching his position. Then, a gale engulfed his body and threw debris and dust in his eyes, but he protected them with his arms.
A large animal unfolded in Khan's vision when he lowered his arms. A creature that resembled an eagle with dark-grey feathers showed its large wings toward the two Ugu before giving voice to a second screech.
The Ugu raised their heads before putting them back into the ground. Their bodies never stopped shaking, and yelps eventually resounded from their figures.
"It wasn't my intention to disturb you so early," Paul promptly announced while joining his hands in front of his chest and performing a short bow toward the eagle. "The Ugu have reacted poorly to the newcomer, but I ignore the reason behind their odd behavior."
Khan inspected the animal while showing evident confusion. He noticed that the creature had three eyes during his second examination, but he remained perplexed.
'Is he talking to the animal?' Khan wondered, but the huge eagle suddenly lowered its body and revealed a dark figure sitting on its back.
Khan couldn't help but remain dumbfounded. A female Niqols was sitting on the eagle. Her smooth dark-blue skin seemed to glow under the darkness of the scene, her white eyes released a faint radiance that illuminated her face, and her long white hair enhanced her slender figure when it fell on her shoulders and back.
The Niqols were practically humans. Khan struggled to find differences in their facial features and bodies. The aliens' skin, eyes, and hair had different shades, but they were overall identical to the men and women from Earth.
Those similarities made Khan unable to ignore the Niqols' striking beauty. The alien was wearing a white tank top and tight trousers that enhanced her curves. Her chest wasn't big, but it highlighted the harmony brought by her slender figure.
The words "compatible sexual organs" read on the network during his study of the alien species inevitably appeared in Khan's mind. The Niqols seemed only a few years older than him, and he couldn't help but feel attracted by her.
'I can add my dumb taste to the things that make me less human,' Khan cursed in his mind while controlling himself.
Martha's face appeared in his mind and helped him control his emotions. Khan didn't let anything appear on his face. He maintained a cold expression while joining his hands, performing a slight bow, and speaking a few alien words trained during the past two weeks. "[I'm honored to make your acquaintance]."
Both Paul and the Niqols raised their eyebrows in surprise when they heard Khan. The alien language featured short syllables and clear sounds, and Khan's pronunciation was only slightly off.
"You are guests on Nitis," The alien said in a perfect human accent. "The honor is mine."
"Miss Liiza, let me express how sorr-," Paul began to say, but the alien raised her hand to stop him.
Liiza jumped off the eagle and patted its neck before walking toward Khan. He could see that the alien was as tall as him at that point, and he didn't fail to notice that her beauty was even more striking up close.
The Niqols bent toward Khan, and he instinctively retracted his head. Yet, the young woman shot an admonishing glance toward him, which forced him to resume his previous position.
Liiza sniffed Khan's face before placing her slim fingers on his forehead. Her skin felt cold, but that feature didn't surprise him since he had read about it on the network. The Niqols' average body temperature was nine to ten degrees lower than humans, which suited the planet's coldness.
Liiza closed her eyes while keeping her face near Khan's forehead. He couldn't help but think about Cora's kiss at that point. Part of him felt that he should divert his gaze, but he ended up inspecting the Niqols' face anyway.
The young woman eventually opened her eyes. The azure irises met the glowing white ones, and they didn't separate even after Liiza pulled herself back.
Paul's eyes widened at that interaction, and he quickly stepped in to question Liiza about the recent event. "Do you know why the Ugu reacted like that?"
"Yes," Liiza revealed while diverting her eyes from Khan. "It's quite simple. He smells like a Nak, and the Ugu hate them."
Paul shot a confused glance toward Khan, and Liiza also turned toward him at that point. The Global Army didn't warn the soldier about Khan's Tainted status since it didn't think that the topic was relevant. However, it became clear that Khan had to explain himself now.
Khan sighed before unbuttoning the superior part of his uniform and revealing the azure scar on his chest. His left shoulder even featured a patch of redder skin due to the cauterization on Istrone, but Paul and Liiza didn't notice it since the azure mark caught the entirety of their attention.
****
Author's notes: I have the second shot of the vaccine tomorrow. I might slow down with the releases if I fall ill.
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