The Piper's eyes widened, his agony now mingled with confusion and something close to fear.
The Bearowl, silent until now, suddenly gave a low, tremoring growl that reverberated through the bones of the street. Its breath came out in hot, ragged huffs, misting the air before it in great plumes of steaming condensation. It shifted on its limbs with an unnatural grace for a creature so massive, each motion accompanied by the groan of strained iron and the clicking of machinery embedded into its harness. Then it crouched.
The air changed.
With a burst that cracked the stones under its hind legs, the Bearowl surged forward. Its talons tore gouges in the stone street, sending shrapnel flying as it lunged. Each bound covered dozens of meters in an instant, and from its open maw came a screech, a shrill, soul-rending thing that twisted through the air like a physical blade.
Ludwig's eyes narrowed.
[Limit Breaker]
