Chapter 624: All secret mission squad needs a mole

We got startled by the shriek, and I had to calm Choco down so he did not throw us off his back. I decided to go down with Jade to investigate what happened and just as we touched the ground, Ignis fired up another fireball toward a boulder.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa--why are you attacking it suddenly, Ignis?"

"I'm not attacking it," Ignis scoffed. "I'm attacking the barrier."

Barrier? I blinked and stared at the boulder while stroking Choco's head to calm him. The boulder melted strangely, as if only the outer edge was made of stone and it was actually hollow inside. In the middle of the hollow boulder, something was crouching and shaking.

All I could see was a gray ball of fur, blurry from shaking too much out of fear. It wasn't even that big--probably as big as Jade in little bird form--so I didn't feel any threat from this...creature.

What was it, anyway?