A couple of days have passed since then. I had gone over to Aaron’s for my new chainmail armor and Eve for the bait. The sack of bait was heavy, but had no special characteristics. When I had asked what was in it, all Eve had told me was not to ask. The chainmail fit perfectly, and it was easy to tell that it was the work of good craftsman. It was light, the bindings were firm and steady. There was nothing more to keep an eye out for when looking for chainmail.

The four of us were a strange group. Rachel wore a long green hooded cloak and had a bow strung over her back. Celeste wore her usual white robes and carried a staff on her back. Leon stood out the most among us four, his much taller figure stood erect compared to us. Meanwhile, I wore simple, light clothing so I could remain fast on my feet. Other adventures wish us luck as we left, but it was clear by their initial reaction that we weren’t exactly an ordinary group.

The griffin was a creature that resembles a bird and a cat. It was as nimble as a cat, but had the aerial advantages of a bird. Their sense of smell was unparalleled, their attacks are heavy due to the sheer size of the creature as well as its sharp talons and beak which are prone to cause bleeding. In terms of dangerous, it was one of the more dangerous wild creatures that one could encounter. Griffins are observed to be very aggressive and territorial, choosing to settle down in places of high elevation where it would be harder for opposition to reach them.

“How high up are we going up the mountain?” moaned Celeste.

“Pretty high, last sighting of the griffin showed that its nest should be somewhere high up, probably on the ledge of the mountain.” Leon responded before I could.

Rachel seemed pretty calm, she showed no sign of weariness nor did she complain even though we had been walking for a couple hours.

“It’s very likely we’ll have to camp out, so keep that in mind.” I added.

“Yes, yes yes.” grunted Celeste, moping about. Her somewhat laidback attitude was the complete opposite from my stiff and usually serious demeanor.

We reached the base of the mountain, the path up wasn’t that steep which meant that we could keep pushing forward. We decided that we would settle down the base, as it would be safest down there. Leon and I were told to set up camp while Rachel and Celeste go scouted for food.

I pulled the tent up, Leon had carrying the camp tools for us on the way here. He put the stands up, making two medium sized camp. The inside was spacious enough, Celeste and Rachel would fit into one camp if they tried while Leon would easily fit into the camp himself. I didn’t plan to sleep inside a tent with him.

By the time we had finished setting up camp, I was already sweating a lot and took off my shirt before it got completely drenched in sweat. I hung up on a tree in the sun so that it would dry up somewhat. Leon kept his clothes on, making me wonder how he could stand the heat. I climbed up a large tree nearby in order to get a better scope of the land. I almost fell, but thankfully caught grabbed a branch before I did. On top, I could see a dense, ordinary forest. If there was anything out there that might be dangerous, I wouldn’t be able to see it like this. I focused my mana, creating a crow and sending it into the sky. I closed my eyes, seeing through it instead. I saw wolves and other smaller animals in the distance. Nothing that would pose a problem so far. I might have spotted a goblin in the very far distance, but I wasn’t able to discern for sure.

I called the crow back, and as it came back I noticed Rachel and Celeste at the nearby river. They were catching fish, probably for upcoming meals. I decided not to bother them but to continue scouting. I sent the crow in the direction of the mountain this time. I sent it out around the steeper cliffs, hoping to find a cave or any sort of trail. Nothing interesting came up, which was concerning. Fighting at high altitudes would be disadvantageous for us.

Eventually, I climbed back down and headed back to camp. So far so good, nothing good had happened but things could be worse. I made my way through the shrubs and thicket, bugs occasionally getting in my way. Rachel and Celeste weren’t back yet, leaving me and Leon back at camp. He was sitting down in the shade and had his eyes closed, as if sleeping. I made as little sound as possible, slipping past him and made my way towards the general direction where I saw Rachel and Celeste. As I went, I heard the sound of a strong stream nearby, I assumed that I was going in the right direction. I saw an opening up ahead, but the light was too bright. I covered my eyes, walking ahead but tripped on something. It was probably the rock, but I never bothered checking. I fell face flat into the water, and I heard laughter from the side. I grabbed something, probably a rock. It was slippery, and once again I fell while trying to get up. By now the laughter was borderline absurd. I looked up, Celeste was hovering above me, and laughing without hesitation. Meanwhile, Rachel was behind her and hid her mouth with her hand. I presumed she was laughing at me as well.

They helped me up, at least I didn’t get my shirt wet since I wasn’t wearing it. Drenched in water, I helped them catch more fish before we sat down by the rocks, taking a breather.

“Hey Magnus.” Celeste suddenly declared.

“What?”

“You use magic?”

“A little bit.”

“Hm…”

“Why?”

“You just seem like the type to learn magic, you use a lot of different tools while fighting. But I’ve never seen you cast a pyromancy or a sorcery even once.”

“I’m not very good at magic.”

“Really? Show me.”

“How?”

“Make a fireball.”

I put my hand up, trying to gather mana. I only used pyromancy to create small shocks or cinders, making a large fireball was more taxing. It took me a moment before a small fire emerged from my palm, and an even longer moment before it turned into a normal sized once. Not very skillful if you ask me.

“Hmm…” she made a sound as she observed.

“Not very impressive, is it?”

“Hold on.”

She took out a fish and stuck a stick through it. She then proceeded to roast the fish over the fireball I had just made. I just stared at her as if she was some lunatic. She returned the gesture with a dumb smile.

* * *

Night had come, and now we resided under the cover of the black sky. A cosmos of bright stars aligned the skies that were clear tonight. We had set up a campfire that light up our surroundings, the four of us had talked for a long while, but now as midnight struck, it had gotten uncomfortably silent. I sat atop one of the trees, directly underneath the gentle moon, resting. The tent wasn’t big enough for both me and Leon, so I had chosen to sleep outside. On the upside, I liked to sleep beneath the nice cool air anyways. But while they had gone to sleep, I also set up circles in the surrounding area like before. Nothing would be getting past the perimeter without me noticing.

“Magnus?” I heard a voice from below me. I opened my eyes and climbed to the edge of a branch, looking down. It was Rachel. I climbed down, stepping lightly so that I wouldn’t make any sound. It was unnecessary, but I suppose it had become a habit. I dropped myself down, landing with a heavy thud. I turned around to face her.

“What’re you doing up so late?” I asked.

“Couldn’t sleep,” she stretched her arms, casting a tall shadow on the ground. “This is perfect, can we talk?”

“Yeah, sure.”

“Follow me.”

She turned away, walking into the black forest. I walked quickly towards her so that I wouldn’t lose her in the darkness.

“What’s so important you had to drag me out here at this time?” I grumbled.

She continued walking, ignoring me until we reached the stream that we had been at earlier. The wide river flowed softly as she sat down on the riverside. She put her feet into the water.

I sat down next to her, still unsure of what she called me here for.

“It’s nice here…” she yawned as she took off her shoes, dipping her feet in the stream.

“I guess so.”

“You seem troubled,” her feet swam across the water, creating small ripples on the surface of the pool.

“You could put it that way…” I looked up at the sky. The moons in the sky looked down at me, one glowing a pale white while the other shone in a soft red.

Everything was so silent and peaceful. Critters chirped in the bushes, it was all so calm. The sound as the wind passed through my ears, the smell of fragrant flowers as they bloomed under the moonlit skies, and the feel of the warm rocky ground as I placed my hand on it. The soft night wind wrapped around us like blankets, and I saw Rachel shiver from the cold. I took a long breath, the cold air entering my lungs. If only this moment could last forever. Rachel and I always met under the same circumstances. In the dead of night, alone. No one to interrupt our moment of solitude, no one to walk into our conversations or actions. Yet were neither bound by the strings of love or marriage. Although we have been seeing each other everyday for the past few days, it felt like we were two lines that were only meant to see each other once. Every second that passed was another moment until the day where we say goodbye, before the strings of fate and duty pull us away.

This is when tangents meet.

The peaceful night moved on, providing us the solitude that I had always wanted. Only that I was not alone, but rather had someone by my side. A strange fate for one such as me.

“Have you ever killed someone?” Rachel suddenly asked me. She wrapped her arms around her legs.

I was quite surprised by her asking such a question. It took me a moment before I could answer her.

“Of course,” I said it like it meant nothing.

“What did you feel?”

I picked up a flat stone by the sore, throwing it across the river. It skipped several times before it got carried away by the river. The scars on my hands almost seemed to glow under the moonlight, as if burning into my skin.

“Nothing,” I replied. “A greater crime than the act itself.”

She turned towards me. The look on her face seemed… sad. Rachel had always carried a cold and lonely demeanor with her. It always felt like she wanted to be a background character. Everyone else would take turns diving deeper into each other’s lives, but she would be at the side, and would pass her turn. Then one day, it would be as if she faded from existence, like a spectre.

“Did you know that you speak in your sleep?” she randomly blurted it out.

“I didn’t, actually.” I was strangely perplexed.

“I can hear you through the walls, late at night.”

“What do I say in my sleep?”

“Everytime, you sound like you’re in pain… you sound so tired and furious. It’s quiet sometimes, but I could hear it through the walls. Murmurs and whispers, but I hear you asking to stop the pain. I hear you begging to pull the nails out of your bones, to let you die. I could hear you shifting in your sleep, sometimes you sound like you’re in agony but never at peace. But every once in a while, you call out to someone, and I’ve never heard you sound more in pain than when you call out for her… who’s Kasumi?”

Like ripples through the water, the name echoed through my head, and pain seared through my skull like an arrow.

“Someone I used to know…” I whispered.

“I see.”

“What’re you trying to do?” I asked. I wasn’t sure what she called me out here for. But I knew she was trying something, and I didn’t like it. She kept digging through my memories, memories I wanted buried permanently.

“I’m trying to help.”

“Your mistake was that you assumed that I needed help. I’m fine.”

“Can you truly say that?” she sounded sincere.

“Why do you think I need help in the first place?” I hissed.

“Because ever since the day I met you, I’ve seen what you truly are inside. When I first met you, you were evil. Then you were gentle, like a cloud. These eyes have shown me what you are underneath… and I can tell you that before any monster kills you, you’ll be the one to ruin yourself.”

She was close. My senses had sharpened. I could hear her heartbeat, as well as every breath she took. I gazed into her eyes, the same beautiful emerald green. It was then that I understood what she was trying to do - she was trying to save me from myself. But I knew that I was a spiteful, hateful person. People don’t change. I wouldn’t change.

I pushed her away, disappearing from sight, leaving her alone. The sound of the river slowly dwindled as I got further away, the two moons in the sky staring down upon me like eyes.

The next day I didn’t see her in the early morning. As I climbed down, Celeste and Leon had prepared for exploration.

“Hey, what’s happening?” I asked as I slid down the tree.

“We’re gonna be looking for tracks now. Rachel said she would go ahead.” Leon chucked a longsword over his back. It was covered in some kind of cloth, but I could feel mana radiating from it.

“I see, I suppose I’ll find her somewhere in the forest then.” I went in the tent to see if there was anything to take.

“No, actually. She said that you should go with Celeste, strangely enough.”

“I see.”

“Magnus?”

I looked out of the tent as he called me. I looked at him, he stood with a straight back and looked very serious.

“Rachel can be difficult… but please understand.” Leon seemed happy and sad at the same time. He was generally very direct about his feelings, but it felt like he was playing around the edges on this one. “She’s like a sister to me. She obviously cares about you, and me and Celeste just can’t figure out why. She’s always put the interest of others ahead of hers… so could you please keep an eye on her?”

I looked down at the ground, unsure of how to respond. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to say yes, but rather I didn’t believe I was capable of taking care of anyone.

“I’ll see to it,” I lied as I went over to Celeste to begin our morning task.

“Lover’s quarrel?” Celeste asked me as we hiked uphill.

“What?” I asked, out of breath.

“Rachel was avoiding you this morning”

“Seriously?” I groaned. “Can we just focus on the task at hand?”

“I’d like to know what you were doing with my best friend yesterday night. You and her alone.” she smiled widely.

“My god.” I turned around, continuing to go uphill.

We had gone pretty far up, and the air was getting tighter up here, but I felt like we could press on just a little bit further. We were rewarded with our first clue. It was pretty high up, but were scratches and golden-brown feathers. The griffin probably rested here occasionally before heading up higher. There area was somewhat spacious, but not suitable for fighting. To be safe we would have to lure it further down, but in order to do that we would have to draw it out around here first.

“Ok, looks as if we got something.” I said, observing the scratches.

“Any ideas on how we can lure it down?”

“The bait can be used to draw it out here, but we’ll probably have to use ourselves as bait to get it further down.”

“That sounds like it’ll be dangerous.”

“Not everyone has to be present for this, it can just be me and Leon. You and Rachel could probably set up an ambush down below.”

“That sounds much more feasible.”

“We should scout out the area down below before we settle on anything.”

“You’re right.”

The downhill trek was much faster than doing uphill. The path was clear, but still it wouldn’t be fast enough in order to lure the griffin down. We would be completely shredded before we even made it halfway down. Underneath, the area was quite clear. It connected directly to the forest.

“This is good.” I commented.

“What is?”

“In the case that things turn for the worst, we can run into the forest. In there, it’ll be much harder for the griffin to chase us down.”

“Good point, anything else to note?”

“We need a faster way to get down.”

“I thought the same.”

“It needs to be fast and safe.”

“I have an even better idea.”

“Oh? Enlighten me.”

“I'll tell you later.” she gave off a childish smile.

“One day, you’re gonna get me killed.”

“But not today.” she winked.

The two of us slid our way back to base, carefully going downhill. It wasn’t that hard of a climb, but going downhill required nearly as much caution as going uphill. A fall would be disastrous. Celeste nearly tripped once, but I managed to grab her hand from behind before she did.

“Thanks for that.” she scratched the back of her hand, as if nothing had happened.

“Never mind.”

“What?”

“You’re going to get yourself killed before you get me killed.” I grinned at her as she slapped my back with her staff.

Back at the camp, we sat down, catching our breath. The difference in the tension of the air from above and below became even more apparent.

“I'm gonna take a break.” Celeste said, crashing into her tent. I couldn’t exactly blame her. As a mage, she was probably less used to physical activity.

I spent my free time reading, there really wasn’t much else to do.

“Magnus?” Celeste called from inside the camp.

“Yea?” I flipped a page.

“Why can’t you use magic?”

“Well, I can.”

“I don’t mean that.”

“Then what exactly are you referring to?”

“The fact that you’re able to learn so many different types of magic but unable to use any of them proficiently, as you say yourself.”

“Is there something wrong with that?”

“Well, nothing particularly. Not everyone is great at magic. Typically though, a person has a strong affinity towards one or two types in particular, having no affinity is extremely rare.”

“I guess I’m just unlucky then.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“Why not?”

The conversation we were having was cut short with Rachel and Leon’s return. Rachel and I had eye contact once, but only once. We sat down together, but didn't say anything to each other. Leon greeted me and Celeste as he loosened his armor and thus we continued the conversation, albeit in a different direction.

“What did you guys find?” Celeste began, turning to Leon.

“Tracks, brown feathers and scrapes.” Leon began. “We’re pretty sure the griffin is on the other side of the mountain now.”

“That’s strange.” I interrupted.

“What is?” Rachel jumped in as well.

“We found tracks and feathers on our end as well.”

We sat down to discuss our findings. Our only conclusion was that the entirety of the mountain was the griffin’s territory, but we decided on the path that me and Celeste had taken because it was less steep and easier to traverse. From there, we thought of several contingencies and ideas that would help us in order to take down the griffin. By the time we were done, night had fallen and we ate. Afterwards, the two girls headed off to bathe in the river, warning us not to peek. We shrugged them off as me and Leon were left in a somewhat awkward position. Thankfully, Leon wasn’t too much of a talker and proceeded to sharpen his sword. This time he brought two as well, and one gleamed like it was made of steel while the other gleamed of silver. I sat down opposite of him, minding my own business. I went back to my book, enjoying the sincere calmness. Time passed as I immersed myself in the writing. It was every bit of a read as I had expected. I closed it as the girls returned, their hair still soaked. Night came soon and we continued as always, the usual small talk and the ridiculous stories, but this time Rachel wouldn’t talk to me, nor did I try to talk to her.

The rest of the day passed, and I found myself unable to read. For some reason, I felt like thinking, just for a little bit. Where do I go next? What should be my goal for now? Yet within all these questions there was one that I absolutely couldn’t answer no matter what. Where did I see myself in the future?

I sighed, pressing the back of my hand against my forehand. Promises to keep, dreams to fulfill. It felt heavy trying to keep track of so many things at once. My thoughts were disturbed when I heard footsteps and the shuffling of leaves below me. A head popped up as Rachel grabbed onto branches, getting closer to me. I just looked at her, slightly surprised she had gotten so close without me noticing. I sat upwards as she approached in her nightgown, trying not to get tangled with the leaves. I put my hand out, offering to help her up. She reluctantly accepted as she got up and sat down next to me. Her . Then we sat. How awkward.

She put her legs together and wrapped her hands around it. I laid back down, looking up at the sky. Yup, still awkward.

Her gaze shifted upwards, her pale figure being illuminated by the moon. We spend so much time at night together, yet not a single one was spent intimate nor special. It was as if we were both doing our best to keep a certain distance from the other, out of fear or out of respect.

No words were exchanged, nor was any attempt made from either of us to fill in the silence. At least not yet.

“What do you want?” I blurted. I wasn’t angry or anything.

“Just wondering how you were doing.”

“I can take care of myself.”

“I see.”

The same moons that stared down upon me yesterday looked down at me today as well.

“What do you see in me?” I suddenly asked, breaking the silence.

“What do you mean?”

“Celeste and Leon tell me that you treat me differently. You don’t treat me like you do other people. There’s a strange kindness about you that’s directed towards me. I know that sounds completely narcissistic but-”

“You aren’t being narcissistic,” she interrupted me before I could finish. “I treat you differently, because I see a bit of myself in you. I tried to kill you, because I thought I saw a beast, an evil lurking in your soul.”

Her voice got softer, quieter.

“Only for me to realize that I was looking at one man’s hate for the entire world… hate that I would understand more than anyone else. You see Magnus… I think I know what you’re trying to do. You’re trying to find solitude for yourself so that no one will have to sacrifice anything for me, and you won’t be hurt because you have no-one to lose. But I can promise you right now… that path is very long and very lonely. Whatever you’re trying to do… it’ll ruin you in the end.”

I let every word and every sentence sink into me. It didn’t feel like a lecture or a monologue, it felt like she genuinely cared and was concerned. The chirping of the birds and grasshoppers softly flew across the skies. The leaves rustled as Rachel and I shifted, trying to fall asleep.

The night air was cold, but surprisingly it felt quite warm.

* * *

Celeste climbed up the steps with me, scaling the side of the cliff. We were heading towards the spot we found yesterday, hoping that using the bait there would lure the griffin out. I dragged a large cloak that we had made using Leon’s cloak and re-weaving it into something more durable for our plan. As we climbed, Celeste decided that this would be the appropriate time to ask questions.

“So… Magnus?”

“Yes?”

“What were you and Rachel up to last night?”

“We slept together.”

“I knew you didn’t have it in- wait what.”

I continued on the climb, leaving her clueless.”

“Magnus! What did you just say?”

“You heard me.”

“Hold on a second.”

“No.”

“Did you two actually-”

“No.”

“So you didn’t-”

“Yes.”

I turned around, she had a pretty annoyed look on her face.

“You’d better tell me what you two were doing together last night.”

“Nope.”

“Magnus and Rachel, sitting on the tree-”

“I swear again, you’ll be the death of me.”

“I will be if you don't’ tell me what happened last night.”

“Guess I’ll die.”

I extended a helping hand. She grabbed my arm and we were now prepared to execute our plan. Leon and Rachel weren’t with us, they were responsible for a different aspect of the plan. We waited a moment, carefully looking at our surroundings.

“You sure this is going to work?” Celeste shouted, her voice sounded distorted in the thick air.

“Only one way to find out.” I took out the sack of griffin bait.

The bag was still somewhat wet, but dried up over the past few days. Hopefully that didn’t take away from its utility. I went all the way to the center of the area, opening the bag. Immediately I was hit with the stench of what seemed to be rotting meat. It was extremely strong and I had to back off from the bag. Eve was right, I really didn’t want to know what it was made out of.

Ten or so minutes passed, Celeste and I prepared ourselves. She had prepared her casts, and would be prepared to use her spells on the go. I had taken the time to prepare the cloak, using it like a carpet. We both stood on it on the edge of the cliff, waiting.

A terrible screech cut across the air as a brown figure dove down from the skies above. Its massive wings cut across the air and landed in front of us with a crash. A massive brown feathered griffin roared, demanding attention from both Celeste and me. It began to stomp towards us, crushing the Earth that it trampled on.

“Go!” she shouted.

I dragged the cloak off the side of the cliff, and we began to slide down. I tried my best to use alteration magic in order to mend the cloak as it tore apart, but it took a lot less effort than I expected. The cloak was more durable than I thought. As we slid down, I turned around to see how Celeste was doing. Behind me, she had been continuously shooting out a column of flame, leaving behind a trail of destruction. The griffin wouldn't chase us by diving through the fire as it wouldn’t know where we were. I couldn’t see though the flames either, so we weren’t even sure if it was following us. I saw a large shadow below us and I looked up. The griffin had decided to go above us so that it would meet us when we landed. Smart. We had prepared for that as well.

We slid down and landed in a crash, I helped Celeste up so that she would be in position as well. Now that we were close to the griffin, I had to admit it was quite large. It spanned several meters in wing-spam and was clearly a very lean creature. Every movement it made was swift and heavy, every claw and talon on it gleamed like a dagger. It turned towards us, moving around us in a circular motion, like a lion would prowl around a pack of deer. It began to slow down, taking it steps lightly. A stealthy creature, when it wanted to it produced nearly no sound.

Celeste began to channel behind me as I heard chanting, and I took out my sword and dagger. So far so good. I stepped towards it, surprising it. It took a step back, observing its surroundings. I faced it, holding my stance and keeping its attention.

“Now!” I shouted.

A bolt of white light came piercing from the direction of the nearby trees, and smacked the griffin right in the face. Blood dripped out from one of its eyes, meaning that Rachel had landed a critical hit. Leon came charging out of the woods, using the opportunity to smash it in the face with his shield. The griffin tumbled back, shaking its head, stunned from the barrage of hits he had just received.

“Get out of the way!” Celeste shouted behind us. Leon and I jumped out of the path as a massive fireball came blazing, cutting across the air and blew up into the griffin. We heard screams as it hit, and as the smoke cleared we saw that it had used one of its wings in order to block the fireball. It didn’t take too much direct damage, but it might have lost usage of one of its wings.

Behind me, Celeste began channeling again. However this time, the spell felt far more powerful than before. She glowed a deep red, her eyes the color of a gleaming ruby.

I recognized the incantations. A difficult pyromancy that is used in open battlefields in order to attack targets that are in the air, often used defensively to repel attacks such as arrows or cannonballs. It creates small fireballs in the air that explodes in a chain reaction, destroying projectiles or sometimes killing. On the ground, it could be used to create a minefield that prevents opposing forces to pass through. In this case she was using it offensively in order to create an aerial barrier so the griffin couldn’t escape. I felt the heat radiating from behind me as I turned back to the griffin.

We had somewhat cornered it, but it was nowhere near dead. It leapt on Leon, using its massive body to push him back. His heels dug up the ground behind him as he held his position, but he was eventually pushed back. Rachel had taken up a bow and arrow, pelting it with arrows. Some landed, but most failed to pierce its skin and fell to the ground. Its hide was far too tough to penetrate with normal arrows apparently. She realized this, and took a step back. Her hands gleamed a white glow as it began to dissipate into the arrows, enchanting them with magic.

I wrapped around it, trying to maintain a good tempo and kept slashing its hind legs whenever I had the opportunity to. Leon was keeping it distracted as best as possible by being in its face, and slowing it down will make it easier for everyone which was my job. It sometimes turned to attempt to kick me or to try and fling me away with its wings, but I kept my guard up.

As long as we continued applying pressure, this griffin was as good as dead.

A cry pierced through the sky, as another golden brown figure crashed through the air, blowing up Celeste’s fireballs in the air and landed next to the brown griffin next to it.

It was another griffin, and it was even larger than the one we had been fighting up until now.

“Shit.” I said aloud.

It roared, spreading its wings and blowing dust into our general direction.

The brown one got up, licking its wounds and prepared its stance. It had taken some hefty damage, but not enough to incapacitate it.

The brown one charged into Leon but before I could head over to help him, the golden one charged at me and got between me and Leon. Celeste went over to help Leon while Rachel came behind me. We were completely overpowered now, there was no way that two people could take down a griffin.

The golden one gazed at us, observing carefully. Its larger size meant that it was older, more experienced. It wouldn’t charge into us like the brown one had. We had to be more careful.

It began to prowl towards us, taking soft and slow steps. The tempo changed as it flung its paws towards us in a swift motion, catching us off guard. I cut it with my sword, but it did nothing. It raised its other paw, sending it flying behind me. It was targeting Rachel. I dropped my sword as I used myself to tank the blow so that it wouldn’t hit Rachel.

“Get back!” I grunted. It was hard to talk and do this at the same time. I felt the bones in my arms being crushed at the sheer weight of the paw. I was too careless. It slammed me with the other paw, putting me off balance.

I landed flat on my back. The sounds of bones breaking echoed through my body, as I crashed into trees, a dust storm forming as trees toppled, and blood gathered in my mouth as crashed into the ground. The rusty taste of iron seeped through my tongue and I remembered shouting before I saw nothing but black.