"You are here aren't you?"
Freezing in place as his breath caught in his throat, his heart skipping several beats in quick succession, Ren snapped open his eyes to look at the Skeletal Tiger that was right next to him.
"Cast some pity on this blind tiger and tell me where you are won't you? I promise I won't kill you"
Ren felt an incredible amount of fear in his heart as the Tiger let out a deep throaty growl, his thoughts racing at the concept of his nightmare... not exactly being a figment of his imagination
"Of course you can just not come out and force me to find you, but if that's the case, I don't know what I'll do to you... Do you want to find out what I can do?"
Scraping its claws against the ground and gouging out deep trenches in the ground, Ren felt his breath hitch as the fear in his heart nearly compelled him to answer the tiger.
Nearly being the key word.
Hurriedly catching himself before he could, Ren held tightly onto the wooden dove in his shirt as his heart beat at speeds that Ren never felt before.
'Why? How? Wasn't it just a nightmare?'
Feeling the smooth edges of the bird wings even underneath his shirt which had seen many better days, Ren stared hard at the No eyed tiger with wide eyes as it slowly slunk forwards.
*Shwhoosh.
Flinching as a pair of jaws suddenly closed upon the skeletal tiger, erasing its footsteps, Ren watched with wide eyes as Ren noticed something he hadn't before.
'It can glow!?'
With a soft nearly imperceptible glow coating its white furred and blue striped body, the No eyed tiger without a physical body could glow dimly in the dark.
And since Ren previously saw the Tiger when there were a number of still intact light sources, it was no wonder why he hadn't noticed that it could glow.
And another thing Ren belatedly noticed. 'It isn't even looking my way.'
Head turned to the dead end he previously was at, the rough blue glow soon swallowed the tiger as the tiger in it's ghostly form slowly stepped forwards without the distinct clatter of its claw bones.
"I warned you didn't I? That I would find you if you didn't answer"
Feeling an immense amount of relief mixed in with tension, the Tiger moved.
Growling darkly, the skeletal form instantly returned forming depressions in the ground as claws crashed into the dead end, letting out a loud whine that shrieked in Ren's ears.
Flinching and nearly making a sound as that horrible keening sound filled the air and shook his mind, the Tiger paused in it's raised claw movements before the ghostly head returned.
"Ah it's this place... I wondered why that smell wasfamiliar." Frowning now as the mouth fully closed around the skull, the Tiger growled darkly as its tail swished in the darkness like fireflies above the water.
"I swear. Once I get my hands on that bastard that trapped me in here" The Tiger growled "I'll tear them limb from limb before eating all of their friends and family right in front of them as they slowly bleed out to death"
With a voice that was both deep and dark, the Tiger looked around as well as it could without any of its three eyes. "If you can hear me, I swear on my Title as Totem God of the Barbarians I'll kill you."
Leaving behind that incredibly detailed threat while leaving behind nothing more than a glowing blue trail of light, Ren stared at the bloodied ground where it stepped and the pitch black wall where it struck in thought.
'What... was that?'
Putting the matter of the ghostly skeleton murderer into the back of his mind and taking something back out from the back of the same mind, Ren slowly stepped over the bloody puddles and to the black wall.
This black wall was... something.
Despite obvious signs of the Tigers strength being able to tear through the walls of the cave with relative ease.
The black wall besides releasing a horrible keen that shook the mind didn't budge an inch despite the direct strike.
It was honestly impressive and terrifying
But if the Tiger's words were to believed, this wall wasn't only built to withstand the Tiger's claws.
It was built to trap it here in the cave.
And since Ren was trapped in that cave with the Tiger, he wasn't exactly happy on how his life turned out.
But besides that matter, Ren recalled what the no eyed tiger had just said.
'And he said that this place smelled familiar.'
Looking around at the bloodied ground, Ren instinctively looked down to see the metal spear head he had forgotten about earlier and thought.
Then he remembered
The rapidly collapsing caves around them. The bloody Heiress entering the hole for a favor. The broken spear supporting the stones being removed. The Eye stabbing that occurred soon after.
The final memory of his body being flung around by a rampaging tiger instantly flashed through his mind like an explosion as Ren hurriedly placed a hand around his mouth.
'Urk.'
The urge to vomit slowly grew as he stepped back, his eyes darting around in horror.
Glancing around at the bloodied ground which covered not only the floor but the walls and ceiling as well, Ren's eyes grew dazed and blurred as he swayed on his feet. 'That's all me...'
'Wasn't it just a nightmare?' Placing a hand on the surface of the black wall for some support, Ren flinched when the blue screen reappeared once more as his body shook with cold sweat.
But unlike last time where he instinctively curled up into a ball at the sight of the screen, Ren was able to fully appreciate how completely useless this was by not waving it off.
It was a welcome replacement to trying not to lose his meal.
Opening his eyes to read the blue record, scrambled words entered his vision
[██av█ Si███ng Abys█ █nch█r: Eyeless Tiger]
'And it's just as scrambled as before, but Abyss... Anchor? And something about an eyeless tiger?'
Ren instinctively glanced over his shoulder at the place the Tiger once was, the weirdly visible footsteps now long gone and replaced by a blue glow.
'It's referring to that tiger right?' Ren gulped down the acidic bile welling up in his throat.
'And there's this... Abyss... Anchor thing.' Forcefully moving past the recently recalled memories of his death, he remembered what the tiger had just said.
'It said that this place trapped it... so is the Abyss Anchor a cage? But then what are those words before it?'
Tapping his finger against the black wall, when he removed his hand the record disappeared with a blink and he returned to reality.
"...Fuck I think I'm going to be sick."
Having tried to get rid of the thoughts regarding him getting spread across the ceiling, walls and floor of this particular section of the cave, it failed spectacularly as Ren knelt on the ground.
Attempting to not vomit out whatever little was in his stomachs as tears left the corners of his eyes, when he opened his eyes again. A blue glow filled his surroundings.
A blue glow...
A blue glow!?
Snapping his head to the side, Ren felt his breath catch as the face of a Tiger directly in front of him smiled eerily, all three of its empty eye sockets seemingly boring into Ren.
Instantly freezing in place, several dozens of thoughts instantly flitted through his mind 'How did it even get this close!? I couldn't even hear it!'
The Tiger slowly circled the bloody room despite Ren's chaotic doubts, its head on a constant swivel as Ren suddenly noticed the reason.
'There's no weight in its steps.'
Despite seemingly stepping on the ground, the No eyed tiger never once touched the ground.
Or if it did, Ren couldn't see it.
Ren blinked as briefly forgot about the fact that his bloody remains were currently everywhere. 'Wait, since when could I see where the Tiger stepped?'
A claw that slammed into a wall opposite while causing concerning rumbles all across the cave snapped Ren out of his confused thoughts.
"You are a quiet one."
Looking around as incredibly concerning rumbles fell down from the ceiling, Ren felt his heartbeat spike as the Tiger pointed its head his way.
"I found you~" Cheekily grinning, the wide grinning smile morphed into a series of teeth that scraped against the walls as Ren dropped down and rolled. "Gah!"
Grimacing as its teeth scraped against the black wall which soon unleashed that horrible keening sound again, Ren clutched his rapidly beating heart.
Now sounding like the rhythmic beat of drums always played in the Towns festival of the sea god, Ren felt as if the Tiger was watching his every movement despite it having no eyes.
Feeling a chill run down his spine as a claw flew over his head and clawed at nothing but air, the Tiger stumbled as Ren seized the moment to bolt.
Swiftly but quietly placing his back against the wall, his one eye locked onto the Tiger which was rubbing its jaw in a human like manner.
"Aw... Scared of little old me? I don't bite."
'That is a fucking lie.' Resisting the urge to bark back as he swiftly slinked away, Ren felt his heart leap into his throat as the Tiger's head snapped his way, its bony claws instantly arcing towards his position.
Smashing into the ground and gouging out several lines in the stone, Ren hurriedly rolled to the side throwing up dust and pebbles much to the protest of his right leg.
Grunting quietly with pain. It seemed as if he wasn't quiet enough as the Tiger snapped its head towards him.
Instantly changing course from where they were at to the side where Ren was, in the blink of an eye, Ren felt his body fly.
"Gotcha." Smiling a nearly human like grin on that Tiger face as it felt a resistance briefly press against its body before disappearing soon after. Ren saw white flashes as all the air was forced out of his lungs.
*BAM Crack!
Slamming into the nearby wall with a crack of stone and bone, Ren let out a sharp gasp as the Tiger without a single eye on its head somehow navigated to his way.
Closing its mouth which swallowed its skeletal body and allowed it to glow blue, Ren gasped for air like a fish out of water all the while the No Eyed tiger lazily sauntered his way
It was overwhelming.
Desperately using his shaky arms to get him away from the tiger even if it felt like he was trying to breath underwater, the Tiger stopped right in front of him.
Ivory white skull revealing itself as its mouth opened, three pitch black eye sockets seemingly like pits of darkness stared into his soul.
"Now tell me little morsel, who areyou?"
Grasped with fear at the sight of those endless pits of darkness, Ren silently gasped as the silence stretched on.
"Hmm..." Humming as if dissatisfied about how long the silence stretched, the No Eyed Tiger's voice continued through the painful white shocks that filled his vision with spots.
"Answer when spoken to morsel."
Bony claw slapping at Ren's side, as an example of equal force makes equal reaction, Ren felt his insides twist and tumble all over themselves as he rolled away.
"Kak!"
Blood splattering out of his mouth, the Tiger lazily sauntered over as another claw formed of bone struck him on his head
"Answer me."
Ren coughed out blood as his head whipped against the cave floor.
"Morsel."
The sound of bone cracking filled the cave as claws tapped against the ground
"Speak up."
Skin split as the bloodied splotches on the ground grew larger and larger.
"I can't hear you"
Already struggling from the pain, this final strike sent him into a wall from which he couldn't even move from.
"Hmm... Useless morsel, not even on the level to be a proper meal" Snorting with a mixture of disdain and amusement, the No eyed Tiger drew out all of its claws as Ren tried to choke himself on his own blood.
"Trying to kill yourself now are we? Since I'm nothing if not merciful... let me help you"
Desperately shaking his head as bloody tears poured out of his eyes, the Tiger's jaws opened and closed
"Ugh!! Ugh! Agh!"
Grunting in immense pain as he felt his arm disappear with a single bite, the Tiger grunted and swallowed his arm.
"I missed the killing blow... But thanks for telling me where your head is."
Letting out a strangled scream as the teeth bore into his neck, blood gurgled in his mouth before the Tiger tore at it, the light soon leaving Ren's eyes.
Ren died painfully.
Beaten by the Tiger to the point of wanting to choke on his own blood, Ren was inevitably slain by the Tiger tearing at his throat right after it snacked on his hand.
That was his second death.
And it should've been his last as the green chaotic swirling world forced itself into his vision again, this time chaotic enough to instantly make Ren dizzy.
It however. Wasn't chaotic enough to make Ren forget what had just happened.
Snapping open his one remaining eye as he positively snapped off of the ground, Ren clutched his neck as tears began to silently pour down his face.
He was alive.
Again.
And this time Ren couldn't delude himself with the thought that this was just a dream.
Ren clutched at the dove as his breaths spiraled out chaotically, his eyes darting everywhere with anxiety as his mind attempted to focus on literally anything but his vivid death.
It was difficult and to vivid to ignore, even with the help of what should've been a heirloom from his family.
Opening his eye to the sight of a pair of ghastly green eyes staring right at him, Ren's eyes rolled to the back of his head.
This was an Unending Nightmare wasn't it?
---
Meeting of Nature transcription: 508 - 2
Continued
GrandM: Now begins the continuation of the 508th convergence of nature. Second topic, the appearance of those that can turn the Natural Unnatural.
WM: Do you mean those Barbarians that have started the Unnatural Turnings in the Europatan Principality?
GrandM: Yes, the very ones who had been poking up around the border lands as of late.
SuM: Why are we even discussing this? We can just burn all those problems away just like the Dead tide that had appeared in the shared border with the Chapan Dynasty
AM: If you did the bare minimum research you Airheaded Fireball then you would know that not only do they have Unnatural Magic of theirs that Turned beasts into aberrations, they have Totem Gods which have each have a unique magics that belied common sense making them incredibly difficult to kill.
SuM: What did you just call me?
AM: I said all of that and you only heard Airheaded Fireball? Seems that you have talent in listening.
SuM: You damn rock licker!
SpM: AM stop provoking SuM!
AM: Maybe when SuM stops Hiking up the prices of the Firestones they're selling to meet me I'll stop.
SuM: Who said I wanted to meet you!?
AM: Stop refusing to meet anyone I send by saying you want to speak to an equal, we both know that it's just me you want.
SuM: You!
*SuM and AM fight briefly before GrandM stopped them.
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