This wasn’t my first time leaving the boundaries of the town since I’d moved to Addersbrook. We’d come out a few times to look for herbs or gather mushrooms for the local [Alchemist]. It was just one of many monotonous jobs new Adventurers took for money or to build relations with people important to going somewhere with craft. Hiring Adventurers was safer than going to get the ingredients yourself, and cheaper than buying it from [Merchants] coming into town if what you needed could be found locally.

It was a better job than killing Bogworms, at least.

Every step we took away from the town added to a building feeling in my chest. I could feel my blood pumping through my body, faster and faster. We weren’t even in a fight yet, but the adrenaline was already beginning to move through me. We’d left on expeditions before, but this was unsanctioned and unplanned. It felt more… exciting, more significant. I liked to think the rolling fire in my chest was from anticipation, not fear. We were going through the forest in the dead of night, just the three of us, without a guide or chaperone.

Everyone in town knew the dangers of the wilderness. While animals were a threat any [Hunter] could take down, monsters were different. They were oftentimes hostile to civilised folk, and posed dangers that animals couldn’t hope to match. The further one strayed from the walls and roads of civilisation, the thicker the population of wild monsters became.

The excitement I felt was tempered by a bittersweet feeling of worry.

It felt amazing to leave the confines of the town walls like this. There was something truly liberating about exploring the forest with nobody else around but my allies. The only safety we had was in the trust we had for abilities and each other. It was a feeling that left me feeling light and energetic, tempered only by the worries and doubts that swam in the depths of my mind. Occasionally, those worries would stop being nebulous feelings, bubbling to the surface as an intrusive thought.

What if I got seriously injured out here?

What if I got hurt or trapped, unable to make it back to town?

What if I got lost out here, and had no way to find my way back?

Was that a good thing, or a bad thing? Even if it was dangerous, was it worth it for the sake of my growth?

The thought of having to survive in the wilderness with nothing but my wits and the items I had on me felt simultaneously amazing and terrifying. I couldn’t pin down my exact feelings, nor make sense of the clues my shaking body was giving me.

I didn’t want to turn back, but part of me didn’t want to go forward either. I was caught between two opposing desires, and a mess of other feelings churning around in my gut. Torn with indecision, I did what came naturally and followed the captain, even if I couldn’t be sure it was the right thing to do. I didn’t know what I really wanted from this, or whether I even wanted to go along with this idea and go-

“-any further without enough firepower, right? So, does it?”

I blinked, looking up from the sprawling roots lining the forest floor. Sigura had been saying something to me, and I’d been lost in thought.

“What did you say? I didn’t catch that.”

She rolled her eyes, standing with her back to a tree as she waited for me to catch up a little.

“You shouldn’t be zoning out here, Yur. You’ll get us hurt. Your gauntlet. Does it have enough firepower that we can rely on it?”

“It will only work at close range, but it can sear skin on contact,” I said, nodding decisively. That was if we fought something susceptible to it. If we came face to face with something like a Salamander, heat wouldn’t affect it at all.

“What’s your Classification, Yuri? I feel foolish for not asking already,” Dairen said, turning with a smile.

“Anvil,” Sigura and I said at once. I closed my mouth, deciding to let her explain. “I’m a Sword, and she’s an Anvil. You and I will stay at the front and cover for Yuri to let her distract whatever shows up with her grappling hook.” Sigura finished, shooting me a glance.

“I’ve always found Anvils fascinating,” Dairen said, coming to a stop. “Do you know anything of your specialty yet?”

“No. I’m a [Tinkerer], but I don’t know my specialisation, or even if I have one yet,” I answered.

“Shame,” Dairen answered, his ever present smile lingering on his face. It was a smile I hadn’t seen drop from his face since I’d met him. If my smile was unnerving to Humans, perhaps this was natural for them? To me, this was what an eerie smile looked like.

“What kind of magic do you use, Dairen?” I asked. Sword only meant he was a close range Caster. Beyond that, I knew nothing. I didn’t want to risk doing something that interfered with his magic in the middle of combat.

“Force Magic, but it works more like Enhancement,” he informed me.

Dairen extended his arm as a hot pink mist drifted from his skin, swirling and coalescing around his hand. A ghostly outline formed over his digits and palm, taking a shape that was different to his true hand. Slender, more feminine than his own.

Both his hand and the projection that hung millimeters off the skin touched a passing tree. The projected hand dug into the bark as though carving through butter. The splinters harmlessly slid off the projection, falling down to the forest floor. It didn’t even look like he’d struggled to push his hand through the tree.

“It’s a specialised forcefield?” I asked.

He nodded, wiggling his fingers in my direction. The ghostly projection followed the motion.

“I have some mild [Telekinesis] too, but these hands are my specialty.”

I wanted to ask why the hands weren’t like his own. Magic molded itself to one’s identity, so the feminine appearance must have meant something to him. I’d learned not to ask about this type of stuff from past encounters. Real adventurers didn’t pry into each other’s pasts, especially when their magic was involved.

“Have you ever tried to use magic like this, Yuri?”

I looked up at Dairen again, feeling my cheeks redden as I realised I’d been staring at his hands.

“Ah… no, I haven’t.”

“She’s tried to learn Enhancement though,” Sigura commented, a grin forming on her face. “She did it so much she ended up getting Soulburn. Her arms got all red and tender, like a bad case of heatstroke. The scales started flaking off.”

I shivered at the memory, reflexively reaching up to rub at my shoulders. I took a deep breath, one that flushed the feelings away. No scales were flaking off my shoulders, even after I’d touched them. There was no tender skin or lasting proof of my impatience. I knew I wasn’t suffering from Soulburn anymore, but the memories of it lingered like an ugly scar. After I’d done it, my arms had been sensititive for days. Restraining the urge to rub them for relief had been a nightmare. Even lying down on my bed had been an agonising experience.

“She doesn’t practice it anymore though,” Sigura reaffirmed, reaching her tail into one of her pouches. “Not since she started practicing the Mental Magic stuff. Right, Yur?”

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak with the ball of hot emotions stuck in my chest. I wouldn’t speak, not until I had a [Silent Heart].

I had my Mental Magic. It was magic that was better for civilian or investigative work than it was for an adventurer, but other types of magic hadn’t worked for me. This was what I’d developed, and now I had to make the most of what I had, or work twice as hard to make something half as useful. Enhancement Magic would have been better, had I found an application more in line with myself.

Now it was my turn to notice Dairen was staring at me. His eyes were locked on my face. My eyes. It felt like he was studying me.

“Is there something wrong?” I asked after a moment’s pause, waiting until the rest of the embarrassment had been flushed away.

“You can do something else, can’t you? Was that Emotion Magic?”

Emotion…? I was surprised he noticed. The three of us got moving again as Sigura led the pack. We took our time now, climbing over a thick root that was nearly as high as our waists. The sound of crickets and owls drifted in from around us, permeating the forest ambience, and I could tell we were getting farther from the walls. Farther from Addersbrook.

“No, it’s not,” Sigura answered for me. “It’s some freaky Varani Racial Skill. Let’s her think clearly, she says.”

“Really?” Dairen asked, his voice taking on a lilt of curiosity. “I’ve never heard of the Varani having such a Skill.”

I didn’t know if I wanted to answer. I felt a wriggling in my stomach at the thought of what I wanted to say.

“…True Varani don’t show them as easily. Emotions, I mean. I’m a Halfblood, so I feel the way a Human does more than others of my kind. I have to focus to keep those emotions at bay when they become a problem.”

There was a cracking sound above me. I whipped around, my weapons facing upwards as Sigura raised her hackles and flashed her claws. I saw an owl fly away from the tree.

“False alarm,” Dairen said. He didn’t look like he’d been worried at all.

“[Danger Sense]?” Sigura asked.

Dairen shook his head, leading the way into the underbrush once again. I didn’t put the dagger away.

“No. I’m just not a very jumpy person.”

A new sound swam into my awareness as I heard the gentle flowing of the river nearby. The sound was deceptively calm, and we all knew it. Everyone, adventurer and civilian alike, knew that going too close to the water was asking to be attacked. Hearing a monster approach on land was one thing, but spotting one leaping out of the water wasn’t as easy. They were harder to spot in the water. If one of us were dragged in, there would be little the others could do to help them.

“Should we wait here?” Dairen asked. “You can make light, can’t you?”

I began to charge up the rune on my gauntlet before realising he was talking to Sigura.

“We don’t need it,” she replied, sneaking a peek around the bough of a tree. “We can see more than most monsters can, right? Making a light in the middle of the forest is just asking to be found and eaten. Bad idea.”

We sat among the hedges, watching the forest around us. None of us had abilities that would help conceal us, but hiding among leaves was oftentimes enough. We stayed low to the ground and remained still. Vigilant.

I saw ripples in the water while we waited. I knew enough about the forest to know that any visible motion in the water could be a sign of danger. The ripples could be from mere fish, or it could be a Kelpie or Manbell Angler lying in wait for prey, much like we were. I’d heard both used trickery to attract prey, luring them towards the water.

Kelpies could transform into horses or drenched, shivering beggars, while Manbells attracted people with heads that seemed to float downstream, their faces contorted in fear and pain, as though they were a terrified person on the verge of drowning.

Both of them were predators that lured in their prey with bait.

That was the thought that made me realise what we were doing wrong.

“Shouldn’t we look for bait?” I asked, looking towards my allies.

“We don’t need any damn bait,” Sigura snapped back. “We’re at a river, aren’t we? Animals and monsters have to go to the river to drink all the time. This is as good as any dead rabbit or mouse we could have caught ourselves.”

She said that, but as the minutes dragged on, I only became more and more uneasy. I didn’t know how much time had passed, but we only had an hour before Ragi and Nuts called for a search party. I knew I had a tendency to get lost in thought, and I hadn’t been keeping track of time. Could we really afford to sit around and do nothing?

Dairen seemed content to wait here in the bushes too. He looked at home here, crouched down with leaves over his head and arms, an easy smile on his face. There wasn’t a trace of tension on his face. He reminded me of the head [Hunter’s] son, from town. They were nothing alike in appearance, but they acted much the same way. Even if that son didn’t have pink eyes or magical hands.

Maybe it was a good idea to wait here. A blessing in disguise. Even if we found nothing, it would be better than going too deep into the forest. If we went too far from Addersbrook and got hurt, we wouldn’t be found in time. Staying here for a while might not yield any results, but maybe that was for the best. If we saw nothing to fight, there was a chance nothing would find us either. This was a dangerous idea anyway. We could be attacked by-

“HELP! SOMEONE, HELP!”

The piercing shriek of a young man’s voice slashed through the sound of crickets and flowing water. I brought my knees closer together, shivering. I’d almost wet myself from the fright. I looked to my allies, and they looked back at me. Sigura’s expression was grim.

“What are the chances it’s real?” I whispered.

“Not high,” Dairen replied. “Could be a monster mimicking a voice, or a [Bandit] trying to lure people out.”

“Does it even matter if it’s an actual call for help?” Sigura quipped, chancing another look from behind our cover. The two of us turned to look at her. “If it’s a person, then we help them and get some rep. If it’s a monster or some [Bandits] laying a trap, then that’s what we’re looking for anyway, right? It’s practically calling out to us for a fight.”

“I… don’t like the idea of walking into a trap,” I murmured, my eyes falling down towards the moss and roots on the forest floor.

“Me neither,” Dairen chimed in. I was silently glad for the support.

“You know I wouldn’t lose a fight, Yur. Even if it’s an ambush, we’ll win if we’re ready for it,” Sigura said, already rising to her feet, blades in hand.

The me of yesterday would have agreed.

Sigura was as strong as any monster I’d known with both her blades and her magic. She had multiple ways of attacking something at the same time, and was more agile than any of us. But after seeing that monster in the square today, the thoughts of a single threat needing a whole trained adventuring team to beat had sobered me. The fact that I’d been able to do so little to help was fresh in my head. That had been in the middle of a populated town, too. In the untamed wilderness, there could be an even bigger threat lying in wait.

Dairen was rising to his feet too. Although my legs felt heavy, I managed to stand. Taking a deep breath, I made sure all of the straps on my gear were firmly secured. The last thing I wanted was to be disarmed, or for the jangling of metal to attract something more than we could deal with.

Sigura led the way as we climbed out from behind our cover. We maintained a healthy distance from the river, keeping ourselves hidden behind trees as we steadily advanced. I threw a glance behind me every few steps, both to make sure Dairen was still there, and to ensure there wasn’t anything behind him. He couldn’t see as well as we could, so I couldn’t trust him to keep watch on his end.

For that matter, Sigura wasn’t looking around much either. I idly wondered if he was relying on a different sense to navigate the forest. Did he have an enhanced sense of smell or hearing? His comment from earlier rang through my head. Was it possible his [Telekinesis] gave some sort of tactile response? Perhaps it was something he could use to-

Sigura suddenly stopped. My heart froze with fright at the thought of bumping into her and causing noise. I came to a stop, as did Dairen behind me.

Ahead of us was a cluster of trees, all lumped together. Curved tree trunks emerged from a spherical chunk of bark. The base of the ‘chunk’ rose off the ground, suspended by thick, winding roots. The formation looked unnatural, as though it was something formed from magic. I hadn’t ever seen trees merged together like this before. It was something I could imagine a [Druid] doing, or a Spirit of the forest, like a Dryad or Spriggan.

Sigura seemed similarly confused. Then, she pointed upwards. My eyes followed her outstretched finger. She was pointing up at a bird with a bloated stomach. It’s beak was bigger than the rest of it’s head, curling downwards near the tip like a fang. Though my [Darkvision] only saw the world in black and white, I knew its body would be covered in bright plumage.

Its chest inflated, the beak opening wide.

“HELP! SOMEONE, HELP!”

Even in the darkness, I could see Sigura’s toothy smile.

“Talebird,” I noted, my voice a whisper.

“More than that,” Sigura said back. “Direwolf cubs under the tree.”

I squinted, spotting the telltale tufts of fur and the glint of claws hiding beneath the roots. I counted four of them in total. They were crouched low to the ground, all huddled together. I’d mistaken them for a large clump of grass.

“The parents should be here,” I said aloud, not to anyone in particular. I swung my eyes around the clearing, but saw nothing.

“They’re probably just coming back from a hunt, Yur. It’s late evening, they’ll be bringing something back for the cubs to eat. They’ll be all tired out from hunting, too! This is a perfect chance!” she said, beaming, her eyes hungry.

“Aren’t Direwolves nocturnal?” I asked.

“Some are,” Dairen answered. “I don’t know what they’re like around here, but they’re diurnal further south.”

“Okay,” I nodded, watching the cubs. They weren’t playing, but they didn’t look tired either. They were just lying in the grass, looking forward. I didn’t know much about Direwolves, but the behavior struck me as odd.

“Shouldn’t the cubs be more active? They’re very still for Direwolf young.”

“How long are you going to keep at this, Yuri?” Sigura asked, shooting me a stony look.

I stayed quiet after that, settling in to our new vantage point. The cubs occasionally sniffed at one another, which was the only sign I got that they were even alive at all. The only sound that ever broke the forest ambience was the Talebird, intermittently screaming for help in a young man’s voice.

The cubs didn’t seem to react to the sound.

Were they used to the Talebird’s call? It would make sense if the Talebird had been using the Direwolves for a while, but for such little response even without a chaperone watching them stuck out as strange. They reminded me more of trained dogs than a wild Direwolf’s cubs. Was this learned behavior? Some way to act as bait?

I didn’t know what to make of the scene. Anxiety clumped together, forming a hard, uncomfortable knot in my stomach. An hour had to have passed by now, hadn’t it? My legs were starting to get sore from the crouching. I wanted nothing more than to leave, now. I was gripped by the realisation that I had no idea what was going on. The Talebird being here was normal, but the stillness of the cubs was unnerving. They were wild animals, not pets. Why were they doing nothing but-

Sigura stood. My eyes widened, and I looked at her. Did she want to move to a new position? I reached out to her, but she stepped forward. My chest suddenly pounded as I realised what she was doing.

She stepped into the clearing, swinging both of her swords up. She held them on either side of her, facing to her left and right. The cubs were beginning to bark now, all at once. They yapped at Sigura as she approached, yet none of them tried to growl or scamper away. My head felt light. I was breathing deeply, but anxiety was rushing in to fill the gap my [Silent Heart] left after each exhale. I stood up, numbly following Dairen into the clearing, as though in a dream. The rune on my gauntlet flared to life, turning a deep crimson as I looked around.

We were exposed, open to attack on all sides. The trees and hedges of the forest looked more ominous than ever, as though any of them could be hiding a creature of the night, waiting for us to let our guard down for a single moment. The barking of the cubs was deafening to my ears. I felt the sudden urge to throw up as my breaths became deeper and deeper to compensate, trying to hold down the bile.

I heard a howl, somewhere past the treeline. A deep, bassy sound followed by a low growl as the Direwolf emerged, slinking out from behind the freakish cluster-tree. It was big, easily as tall as any of us and three times as wide. Its eyes were a deep crimson, a colour that stained the edges of its jaws. It snarled, standing protectively in front of the cubs. I raised my tools, feeling more unprepared and vulnerable than I ever had. Both my hook and gauntlet felt so small now.

Sigura didn’t seem worried. I didn’t know whether to see that as a good or bad sign. She and Dairen stepped forward, forming a defensive line, following the plan. The monster bared its hackles, each claw as long as my hand. Spectral hands superimposed themselves over Dairen’s, a pink light illuminating the grey world around it. Sigura extended a leg, conjuring red-orange light around her boot. The light swirled, coming together as a ball, burning brighter and brighter. I had always thought of the ability as being like a sun, but in this moment it seemed small. It reminded me more of Addersbrook’s street lamps. Its light barely touched the edge of the clearing, even if the grass beneath it regained its colour.

The monster’s jaws widened as it leapt.

I took several steps backwards, nearly tripping over a winding tree root in the process, even though I wasn’t the target of its attack. Sigura stepped to the side, deftly avoiding the monster’s jaws. With the motion, she kicked the ‘ball’ of light upwards. I felt a rush of hot air as the magic flared to life, the [Miniature Sun] beginning to orbit her. It wasn’t Fire Magic, she’d told me. It was a ball of [Hard Light] with heat layered on top. I didn’t see much of a difference, but she had told me it was easier for her to conjure than a [Fireball].

She swung, cleaving the monster’s side with her khopesh. She stepped back after striking, avoiding the swipe of a claw. Blood dripped from the beast, but the cut looked insignificant in comparison to the Direwolf’s mighty frame. The monster yelped in pain, reeling backwards as I watched Dairen dig his hands into its flesh, as though he were pushing his hands through a tub of yogurt. Flesh was scraped away by the handful as the beast howled. Instead of dodging away, Dairen stepped forward, hiding beneath the monster’s body. I knew the monster wouldn’t just try to flatten him with its weight, even if it could. The mind of a beast didn’t work that way.

The monster tried to back up and get a better swing at Dairen. Sigura didn’t give it the chance, bringing both blades up towards its neck. The swords connected, but didn’t cut deep enough for a fatal blow. The fact that she’d struck the neck at all gave me hope. I took a deep breath, stepping out into the clearing to join the fight.

The monster was focused on Sigura now, biting at her. She backed up and away from the first strike, keeping her distance from the beast, ready to tumble out of the way if it lunged at her. The second bite threatened to crush her between its jaws, but she deftly side-stepped the attack. The ball of light and heat swung in front of her, flying into the monster’s mouth.

The Direwolf stopped, turning to try and cough up the ball. I could see steam and smoke come from the inside of its mouth as it swung its head side to side, throwing the ball away. It panted, the skin of its mouth and tongue singed red. Her control over the ball got much lower if it entered the body of another creature. I’d asked her before if she could make the ball go down a monster’s throat to choke it, but she said she couldn’t, not unless she launched it directly. The natural aura of a living creature made it hard to control the ball once it was enveloped by their body and aera.

“HELP! SOMEONE HELP!” the Talebird crowed.

“Dairen, move!” I called out, my voice steadier than I felt.

Dairen backed off from beneath the monster, swinging a hand for its leg in the process, taking a fistful of flesh with it. The monster bit for Dairen, ripping his sleeve as the teeth narrowly missed. The attack had been too close for comfort, but he seemed unfazed, his expression focused and intense. I aimed my grappling hook as the prongs were armed. Gears turned within as the wire extended, shooting the hook across the clearing with a loud burst of air. The tool hit its mark, claw and wire wrapping around the Direwolf’s wounded leg. The prongs didn’t even get around the entirety of the thick limb, but that much was enough.

I knew I couldn’t hold the monster in place by myself. I wasn’t nearly strong enough to do something like that. I backed up, letting the metal cord extend as it leapt for Sigura again. The bite didn’t connect, but it struck her with its head after the jaws closed, knocking her backwards as she swung for its ear, barely missing in the process.

I began to run around one of the trees at the edge of the clearing. I kept the metal cord up against the bark, making my way around it once, twice, three times. I put one foot up against the tree for leverage, pulling the handle on the grappling hook back. The wire slowly began to retract and tighten as the monster fought Sigura. It rushed her again, biting over and over in a wild frenzy, blood pouring from several cuts. It didn’t look any more exhausted or tired than it had when we’d first encountered it. The Direwolf just seemed angrier.

The cord tightened around the tree, cracking the bark beneath it from the strain. A rock struck its flank, and I saw Dairen behind it, holding another stone. The Direwolf, not realising what had happened, turned too quickly. In its haste, the cord wrapped around the monster’s front legs. The wire didn’t completely encircle its limbs, but it was enough to slow it down. Sigura kicked up another one of those heat infused [Hard Light] balls, summoning it above her outstretched foot before launching it into the air to hover behind her.

She slashed again, digging deeper into its sides with both blades, creating twin slits of crimson up along its body. She pulled free as the monster howled, turning to meet her. The cord slowed it down, restricting its movement as they wound tighter around the limbs, curling into knots. The creature lowered its head, biting at the wire. The fangs would leave dents, but they couldn’t pierce through dense steel. At least, I hoped they couldn’t.

With both hands, Dairen swung for the injured leg. My jaw dropped as the hands severed both flesh and bone. The thin strips of flesh connecting the leg in the middle weren’t enough to support its weight. The creature fell, and I felt relief shoot through my body. It roared, but none of us were close enough for it to snap at. I held my position, not wanting to unwrap the wire binding its legs together.

Dairen and Sigura met in front of the downed wolf, its cubs yapping louder than ever. She was clutching her side, having left one sword buried in the dirt behind her. She’d been struck there after the wolf had headbutt her, and it seemed like it hurt worse than it looked.

“Bastard,” Sigura spat. “Fuck, we were so close to a clean kill too.”

She picked the sword back up, standing just out of reach of the monster’s gnashing maw. It tried to push forward along the ground, but the wire held firm. She slashed at its cheeks after a bite, cutting deep into the monster’s face. Even from here, I could see Sigura’s arms shaking.

“You can use that ball, can’t you?” Dairen asked, not taking his eyes away from the beast.

“I could,” Sigura admitted, cutting into its face again with both swords.

“If you can kill it faster, you should,” Dairen chided. “We’ve been out here a long time. We should take what we got and go.”

“Don’t rush me!” Sigura snapped, raising her voice. “I’ve waited so fucking long to fight a real monster and not a goddamn worm or oversized rat. I want to be happy doing this one fucking thing.”

She stepped closer, watching it gnash furiously, biting at the air in front of her.

“HELP! SOMEONE, HELP!”

“Stupid fucking mutt,” she muttered, barely audible over the yapping of the cubs. She raised her khopesh above her head, the blade facing forward. She stood patiently as the monster thrashed, waiting for her time to strike.

I didn’t want to be here any longer. The adrenaline and satisfaction of beating this thing was quickly fading. I didn’t know how we were going to get the body back to town, or even if we could, but we’d need to figure that out first. Worst case scenario, we’d be stuck trying to drag it back and the Talebird attracts another monster while we’re doing it.

Before I realised what was happening, Sigura’s blade arced down, stabbing deep into the monster’s eye. The Direwolf howled with pain, thrashing with force. The blade was pulled from her grip, but Sigura didn’t try to stop it, either. She left it embedded in the monster’s eye. I heard a deep groaning sound, one that seemed to reverberate through my arms. It took me a few seconds to realise it wasn’t from the monster.

The sound was coming from beneath me.

The Direwolf roared with all its might, and I felt the tree beneath me begin to uproot. I held firm, my heart practically stopping in my chest. The monster inched forward, the distance negligible. But against someone as close as Sigura, that was enough.

The jaws crunched down, the sound of breaking bone and tearing flesh the only thing drowning out her scream. The monster tugged, sending Sigura tumbling forward and onto her knees. I watched with horror as the orb behind her shot forward, melting part of the khopesh in the monster’s eye as it dug deeper into the Direwolf’s head. It released its grip on her arm to roar again while Dairen dragged her backwards away from it.

I couldn’t bring myself to look at her arm.

Dairen walked up as the Direwolf bit again. His arms came up, the spectral hands forming over his own. He was within the monster’s range, and I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. The jaws swung shut, the skin and teeth tearing as they tried to bite through the forcefields around his outstretched limbs. Dairen pushed his arms apart, splitting the lips of the monster as blood gushed from the gums, teeth falling to the forest floor. Sigura’s second blade fell out of the monster’s mouth as its howls grew quieter. It tried to bite at Dairen, but the strength was leaving its body, pooling underneath it in a lake of crimson. I was glad it didn’t have the strength to pull at the wire again.

The cubs continued to yap, not leaving the nest as the larger Direwolf lay dying in front of it. I was no expert on Direwolf cubs, but the feeling of unease dug deep into my mind once again. Shouldn’t they have run out to help their parent? Or try to attack the two that had gravely injured it? Why weren’t they doing anything?

“HELP! SOMEONE HELP!”

“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” Sigura winced. She was on her knees, one arm clutching the remains of the other. The blood around the limb suggested her arm was a wreck, but I didn’t want to look any more than I had already. Some things were better off unseen.

The Direwolf finally breathed its last, shuddering and twitching before going still. I waited a minute or two before undoing the straps around my wrist. I took the grappling hook off, letting it fall to the dirt. I’d have to unwrap the wire from around the monster’s claws manually to retract it all. I was half tempted to leave the gadget where it was. I wasn’t feeling up to this, especially now. I just wanted to go home.

I walked up to the pair, feeling breathless.

Then I saw nothing but white.

My eyes burned, causing me to close them reflexively. There had been a bright flash, a piercing whiteness that felt like needles had been jabbed into my eyes. I bent over, holding both hands over my eyes, waiting for the feeling to pass. I heard Sigura shout with alarm, a guttural scream of pain and rage.

The scream scared me more than anything else, in the moment.

The sound was followed by another, one much like rushing air. The sting in my eyes still pained me, but as I cracked them open, I could see. My vision was blurred, the world around me a sea of grey and white. The white began to move, and I rubbed at my eyes once again. Dairen began to cough, and I heard something heavy fall to the ground.

“HELP! SOMEONE HElllll…”

The voice of the Talebird trailed off, and something else fell to the forest floor with a dull thump. I opened my eyes, and still saw nothing but grey. The world continued to move as I realised what I was seeing. The clearing in the forest was filling with gas.

The yapping of the cubs fell silent. Sigura coughed violently, groaning with pain before she too fell on her side. Without thinking, my eyes found her arm. Through the white, I saw a pulpy mess of flesh and bone. Her arm was twisted the wrong way, a chunk of skin and muscle torn around the elbow, barely hanging on.

I looked away, not wanting to have to focus hard on it. I wanted to focus on something else. Anything else. My vision became unreliable. It felt like the trees around me were all moving, as though in some sort of macabre dance. The ground seemed to shake and stir beneath me, a motion that spread to my quivering legs. I fell to my knees, holding both hands out in front of me to steady myself. My palms met the grass, one damp with blood. I tried to breathe, but the gas had gotten thick. Suffocating. My limbs shook and gave out as I fell to the ground, collapsed in a messy heap.

Through the sea of grey, I saw them. Black shapes, glinting lights, and waving colours swaying through the mist. The search party…? I wasn’t sure. Anxiety welled up within me again, the feeling suddenly overpowering, even if it felt distant.

To clear my head, I took a long, deep breath.

Then, I closed my eyes.