A sound ripped open the trees, sharp as broken glass. Raw noise bounced between palms. It hung there - alive, waiting.
Fear froze my veins. Cold shot through me.
One wingbeat - that's all it took. The Phthiren moved fast, slamming air so hard that bits of earth and leaf leapt sideways. Noise hit first - not loud, but deep, thudding into my torso like something alive. My bones hummed without asking.
Up it shot from the dirt, then - just for an instant - my vision sharpened like glass. Everything stood still.
A shape out of sleepless dread crawled into view. Shiny plates, black-green like oil on water, wrapped tight around its twisted frame. Each limb stretched forward on hooked claws, bent like broken hooks meant for tearing metal. Up close, the skull chilled most - bug-like, wrong, studded with eyes that multiplied my fear in endless flickers. Jaws snapped slow and wet, oozing thick fluid down the sides. The air turned heavy with it.
Down it came, aimed right at my face, moving so fast it made my breath catch.
Move!
Something moved without thinking first. Just reflex. Old practice kicking in, deep down, long before thoughts arrived.
Out came Reverblade, sliding free in a single smooth pull - its heft known to me, fitting right, just how it always has - and then flying off through the air, sent hard by my hand.
A flash of silver sliced the light-dappled air as the blade twisted forward, finding wood with a heavy THUNK deep in the trunk thirty paces off. It stopped dead, trembling slightly, caught where sunbeams fractured around leaves.
Faster than a breath, the Phthiren bridged the gap between them.
Out of nowhere, wind shrieked past, slicing the silence like something alive. It lunged, fingers spread wide, hungry. A low tap-tap came from its jaws, ready to snap shut. Its gaze hit me hard - thousands of tiny lenses fixed, calculating every move I made.
There it stood.
Down to three feet. Then two. Just one now -
Teleport.
The world twisted.
A twist in everything, just for an instant - like something yanking me down a tight tunnel too fast to breathe, my gut rising, my eyes struggling to hold shape.
Breath caught in my throat as I reached the tree, pulse slamming under skin like a drumbeat too loud to ignore - each thump screamed escape. Chest tight, bones humming, air sharp in lungs; that wild beat insisted something primal had taken hold.
Shaking took hold of my fingers. Water turned up inside my knees.
One breath away from gone. Right here. Almost didn't make it
A sudden stop left the Phthiren crouched where my feet had touched moments earlier. Claws ripped through soil, carving grooves like twisted roots. The crash hurled clumps of dirt into the air, green scraps tumbling alongside.
That thing turned its head my way without delay - unnaturally quick, rigid, almost like machinery aiming at something.
Again, those compound eyes locked onto me.
Speed feels unreal. Too much, really.
Something sharp inside me stayed calm, weighing options, searching for an exit without panic. That thought didn't shout - it just waited.
Fangs that kill. This one moves faster than most, reacts without delay. A creature apart, built for hunting. Speed defines its edge - deadly precision follows close behind.
Level 3 is where I stand. Every contest feels beyond reach.
Fight like this one? Not mine to take. Losing feels certain right now.
That battery never got another chance to fill up.
Out came Reverblade, ripped from the wood. Spun on my heel. Off I went through the trees.
Out of nowhere, my legs drove forward, charged by a rush that burned through every vein. Not stopping mattered most - each step fueled by a force louder than fear. The ground blurred beneath me, muscles shrieking, demanding more speed, more strength, just to keep going.
Running made everything smear - trees smudged into streaks of mossy dark, limbs slicing air near my cheek, each footfall snagging on knotted arms that reached up like they knew I'd pass.
A cold shiver ran down my spine when the scratching started - sharp claws dragging across dirt, a noise like metal dragged over rock. Then came the thump of wings, quick and angry, cutting the air just behind. The thing was moving fast, closing in without pause.
Thump-thump. Thump-thump.
Wings flapping stirred air against my skin - each rush nudging me ahead, marking its nearness. A steady pulse of motion pressed from behind, not loud but clear in its presence. That rhythm stayed with every shift, never fading, just there like breath. Air moved in waves, one after another, carrying weight despite being unseen. Close now - the sound, the force - all tracing the space between us without words.
Closer than needed. Every time, just a hair away.
Thoughts sprinted ahead, scrambling to grasp the challenge. Each idea collided with doubt. A way forward felt impossible. Still, pieces slowly clicked into place.
Time to leave this place behind.
Should it grab hold of me, there'd be no coming back.
Yet right then, a truth settled in - escaping on foot wouldn't work. Speed didn't matter; that creature outpaced everything. In time, it always closed the gap.
Phthiren.
A whisper rang through my thoughts, heavy as a verdict.
Something more than a beast stood there.
Something about it didn't feel quite like the others. A quiet difference hung around its movements, subtle but clear.
Out of all the creatures in OmniWars, special ones stood apart. Rules that applied elsewhere? Not here. These weren't typical NPCs on set paths, looping tasks until players took them down for rewards.
Killing monsters took them higher, same as us, even if it meant cutting down fellow players too.
They hunted.
Fueled by each life taken, their power climbed. Strength built after every fall they caused.
Now they move like you do. How things shift when patterns repeat.
They learned.
They showed no mercy at all.
Much like a storm, special monsters struck without warning. Whatever stood near them became a target, no matter what it was. Anything not one of them could be hunted down. Other creatures? Fair game. Non-player characters fell just as fast. People playing the game were even more likely to get hit - they offered richer rewards when defeated.
Survival meant doing what was necessary. Growth followed only after that.
And Phthiren?
Fangs glinted, capable of tearing steel as if it were cloth.
A single bite turned deadly.
Faster than a blink, the bite triggers decay in your Lifeline Points - steady, silent, sure - with no pause until you exit OmniWars or breathe your last.
When Season 2 arrived, spawning stopped. Reality bled into the game. A bite from Phthiren changed folks - fast. They became hollow, driven by sickness, lashing out at anything near. Nothing left but to stop them for good.
Yet back then, during Season 1, a single bite could still kill.
When my Lifeline Points reach nothing, that is it.
One life. That is all you get. If it ends, there it stays.
Breathing stops. That's how it ends.
Fear stabbed deep into my ribs at that moment. Then everything tightened.
Here we go. One death was enough. Another won't happen. Not this way.
Out came Reverblade once more, aimed at a heavy limb two dozen steps forward, just off to the right.
A flash of steel - then I was gone. Space twisted around me the instant metal hit air.
The world twisted -
Breath heavy, I appeared on the limb, hunched low without warning. Branch trembling beneath me as air fought its way into my lungs.
Beneath my feet, a sudden shift - the Phthiren pivoting on instinct, steps flowing into new angles like water meeting stone. Still those lit-up eyes held fast, locked onto mine with a calm that chilled more than any scream could.
Stopping does not mean surrendering.
Far from it. Unique creatures never quit. Chasing meant staying on track till only one stood alive.
Down I tumbled off the limb, landed hard, rolled fast. Onward through dirt and leaves I pushed without pause.
Breathing turned sharp, each gasp like a blade cutting through my chest. Legs heavy, refusing to move faster, yet forward I went anyway. Stopping wasn't real, even when pain shouted louder than sense.
Stopping means death.
The blade flew once more, this time toward a stone blanketed in green moss up ahead.
Teleport.
Everything spun sideways. There I stood next to the rock, dazed, breath uneven - my skull throbbing after too many jumps. A sharp chill ran down my neck as the air cracked behind me.
What happens if I try it once more - will I collapse then?
That was new. Pushing my teleportation that far had never happened until now.
Again.
The knife flew through air, landing near a rotting tree trunk.
Teleport.
A sour twist gripped the air. My gut heaved without warning.
Again.
Teleport.
Again.
Teleport.
Yet each time I jumped through space, they matched my pace without fail.
It was relentless.
Tireless.
Each time I showed up in a fresh place, it had started shifting course moments before. Before I even settled, it was measuring the slope, narrowing distance without pause. The moment my presence registered, realignment began - silent, precise, inevitable.
Facing this every day takes a toll. There is only so much I can carry.
The meter kept falling, inch by inch. With every jump, magic slipped away. Running hard sapped strength bit by bit.
What about the Phthiren? Not a trace of tiredness showed.
Something else has to happen now. The sequence must shift. Rhythm breaks here.
Ahead, light cut through the thick trees. Sunbeams fell like ribbons across an open patch I hadn't expected. The forest parted just enough for daylight to reach the ground.
An idea sparked.
I activated Stonewall Guard.
A shiver ran up my spine, not like vanishing between places. This felt denser. Slower. As if something below was reaching back, tugging at my bones. The air thickened, full of whispers I couldn't name.
Built itself up fast - a huge barrier of stone, eight feet high, three deep, appearing right where empty earth had been moments before. The thing on the other side vanished behind it.
Running kept going even when I thought it would end.
The wall gave me a few moments. Those seconds mattered. I ran farther away. My legs hurt but moved faster. Every step took effort.
A sound like breaking sky hit the rocks behind me - something heavy, something loud. Stone grunted under sharp edges dragging across its surface. The thing's mouth snapped fast, again and again, unable to catch what it wanted. Noise came out wrong, strained, full of rage.
True. It gave me something like five, ten seconds
Yet almost at once, another noise reached my ears.
Scratch by scratch. Each tap echoes close. Tiny hooks grip where rock won't give.
Not now. Nope, upward it goes -
A shadow broke across the skyline - there it was, the Phthiren hoisting itself over the edge. For a heartbeat, its shape cut sharp against the clouds. Then gone, slipping downward like something that knows exactly where teeth meet flesh.
It happened just like that. Sure thing.
Farther into the trees I went, hurling Reverblade once more, each step dull, automatic. The rhythm of motion took over, leaving little room for thought.
Go ahead, toss it. Jump to another spot. Move fast now. Again - do the whole thing once more.
Breath quick, thoughts bouncing off walls inside my head, searching - always searching - for an edge. A crack in the armor. Any opening at all. Could almost feel it, just out of reach.
This time, going straight at it won't work. My level stands at three - yours is five.
Right now, everything feels out of reach. Strength, speed, accuracy - none match up. Experience hasn't caught up yet.
Facing someone stronger on all fronts. That much is clear now.
Sometimes running feels like the only option left. Moving away might just clear my head.
But how?
Footsteps sank into damp earth. Ahead, the creature slipped through vines like smoke. I breathed in sharp gulps, legs heavy behind.
Think. Think!
Again I went with that move - hurl the blade, vanish, sprint, do it once more.
Yet the air felt different now.
The Phthiren was learning.
Something began to sense where I was heading before I moved. It studied how I acted, piece by piece. My steps became familiar, almost expected. Wherever I turned, it already knew.
Out of the corner came the blade's path, aiming not at me but ahead - where I'd soon stand.
From nowhere, it began narrowing my paths, driving me out of clearings into thick brush where moving fast became impossible.
Something pushed me along, like a shadow at my back.
Oh no. This isn't merely quick. Smarter too.
Off to the left I darted, tossed the blade sideways after - counting on confusion. Then came the move meant to trick.
Teleport.
Yet the Phthiren had shifted balance before I even moved, correcting its step as if knowing what came next.
A sudden swipe came my way -
Time stretched like taffy. Everything moved through thick air.
Out of the corner of my eye, a flash - those claws arcing toward me, sharp like polished steel. One by one, they caught the light, each stretching just past the tip of my index digit.
I moved fast, just missed it -
Faster things slipped away before me.
A sharp grip seized me, slicing down my ribs.
A sharp burst lit up my side - blinding, fierce, as though fire had been pulled along my skin.
A sharp breath escaped me as I staggered back, fingers tightening on the cut without thinking.
Fingers slick with warmth, the wetness spread into fabric. Blood soaked the cloth pressed against skin.
Footsteps. Loud ones. Echoing down the hall. Closer now. Door still closed. Hand on knob. Waiting
A flicker at the edge of my sight caught nothing more than a glance. Pain drowned everything else - thoughts, air, even time seemed stuck.
Fingers trembling, I hurled the blade once more - then vanished, sight blurred by wet streaks. Tears pulled focus, each blink like fog on glass.
Footsteps echoed like distant thunder. Could the ground even hold still?
Forget it. Be alert. Lose consciousness, lose your life.
Another swipe.
Something shifted in the wind, long before my eyes caught sight - cold quiet crept through the trees, hinting at what moved closer. Air thinned without warning. A hush followed, steady as breath held too long.
I moved fast, just missed it
A sharp pain hit when it struck my shoulder, ripping cloth and flesh without slowing down.
A shriek tore out - harsh, animal-like, nothing like my voice at all.
It hit fast - sharp, total, shutting out all else.
Warm liquid ran down my skin, staining the handle of Reverblade. My fingers struggled to hold tight.
Down on one knee I dropped when my legs quit, breath jagged, everything twisting in circles. The ground seemed to tilt as air clawed its way into my lungs.
Fragments of me scatter like paper in a storm. Each piece pulled different directions at once. Nothing holds together anymore.
A sharp red glow pulsed across the screen, refusing to stop.
[WARNING: SEVERE INJURY]
[HEALTH: 45/100]
This won't last much longer.
Someday, my life will end.
Out of the shadows it came, this Phthiren creature moving careful, knowing I couldn't get away. The sound its jaws made - sharp little taps - almost seemed pleased.
Up I got, knees wobbling as if fresh-born, pulling together one more Stonewall Guard using whatever magic was left inside me.
A burst of stone rose up, splitting us apart - just enough time slipped by.
Yet the magic inside me had almost vanished. Breathing sharp, body weak - life slipping close to zero. Every muscle froze, drained of strength.
This is it.
Here comes the finish. That moment arrives like dust settling after a long wind.
Footsteps dragged, balance lost, each step marked by red drops on the ground.
A shape moved up the wall - Phthiren. Stone scraped under claw, sound rising near.
Falling apart is what's happening now.
Last time, death came quietly. This time, it arrives again - same way, same silence.
Everything - gone without a trace.
And then -
Thunder rumbled overhead.
A rumble began far off, moving overhead as if ancient beats were crossing the clouds.
My eyes lifted, fogged by hurt, trying to make sense of what just happened.
Clouds rolled in, heavy and low. Night began to settle without warning. Shadows stretched across the ground slowly.
A wall of cloud pushed forward, dense and slow at first, then sudden, as if time itself had been cranked ahead without warning.
Cold crept in slowly. Moisture thickened the atmosphere, making each breath feel dense, alive with static.
Then came drops from the sky.
Suddenly, tiny drops tapped the leaves, soft at first, almost lost beneath my racing pulse and the rush of sound filling my head.
Yet almost at once, rain poured hard.
Water poured hard, slamming earth in thick waves. My shirt clung tight, soaked through fast. Hair stuck to skin, glued by runoff. Each step sank slightly - ground turned chewy, unstable, like wet cardboard under boots.
Water stung my eyes when I opened them, each breath sharp in my chest, the mix of rain and blood thick on my tongue.
Wounds on fire, then rain - sudden chill cut through the heat. Blood met water, turning soft shades of rose. Each drop pulled the red further, trailing down in slow streams. Pink paths carved across skin, erased by the fall.
What -
That is when it caught my eye.
Flight ended for the Phthiren. Their wings hung still in the air.
Folded tight along its spine, the wide wings lay still. Once they sliced through sky on paper-thin strength, swift enough to scare. Now they cling, quiet, part of the shadow it stands inside.
Now grounded, it no longer takes to the skies.
Downpours came hard. Wings - fragile, nearly see-through - failed once soaked through.
When wet weather hits, flight becomes impossible.
A flicker lit up inside me, quiet yet steady, not much - but real.
Just because it seemed tame didn't stop it being risky.
A shape lunged forward - no wings, just raw motion. It closed the distance fast, too fast for something so large. Claws ripped through thick brush like paper. Mud leapt into the air with every step it took.
But now -
Fate shifted just now - my turn arrives.
Built on what was missing inside me.
Water.
Fingers locked around Reverblade, cold metal biting into skin. Rain traced paths along its edge, gathering where the steel dipped before spilling free. Pain shot through my shoulder, sharp and loud, but I held on anyway. Water dripped from the point, breaking into tiny drops below.
Then I turned on Aqua Severance.
Right away, things changed. Suddenly, everything shifted.
A shiver ran through me as the power stirred - nothing like what I'd done before. It moved on its own, breathing under my skin, wild and old. Then silence.
Far off, water curled around the blade, sliding down as if pulled by an old habit. From every direction, droplets lifted - called - not because they wanted but because something shifted. My thought shaped them. Air gave up moisture. Earth released what it held. The metal drank none of it, only guided. Rain followed not force, but quiet pull.
Writhing close to Reverblade, it moved as if breathing, its glow throbbing with force held just in check.
Frozen it became, yet not as ice knows how. Instead, a different shape took hold - brittle edges forming. A form with hunger. Dangerous to touch.
Something sharp moved through me - not just metal, but pressure shaped like steel. Water pressed tight, turned hard enough to slice clean, far past what any regular weapon ever achieved.
A shape leapt forward, each claw outstretched, jaws gaping like a pit - pure killing force. That was its nature.
And I swung.
SLASH.
A sudden slice - water acting as a blade - severed the limb up front, effortless. Paper would have offered just as much resistance.
A split second hung in place. In that stillness, everything became sharp. The arm tore free. Cracks raced across the hard shell. Then came the spill of thick green fluid - its life leaking out.
A sudden flop, then the beast's paw hit soft earth, fingers curled tight, each claw slick with muck. It quivered once, out of rhythm with the wind. Not far off, rain tapped the roots where it lay, untouched now by whatever pulse had driven it moments before.
One breath passed. Silence hung still.
A silence hung around the Phthiren as it looked down, fixed on the arm now lying apart from it. Something about the scene seemed unreal, maybe even impossible.
Then it screamed.
A scream tore through the air - not just noise but something sharp, heavy, pressing into my skin like ice against bone. It didn't fade; it dug in.
Knees hit the ground first. Hands reached - too late - for the ears, as if that could stop it. The noise tore through anyway, unstoppable.
Nails hammered through my ears, sharp and loud. A deep ache pulsed inside my skull. The world softened, edges smearing into gray. Noise cracked across everything, turning thoughts raw.
Stop it stop it stop it -
A splash of green gushed from its injury, flowing too fast to stop, drenching the wet earth below. One twisted claw gripped the torn limb-end, jaws snapping - maybe pain, maybe fury, hard to tell.
Up I got, legs wobbling beneath me, arms trembling as the blade lifted once more.
Still raining hard, water ran over my skin, washing through the blood, slipping into the dark fluid of the Phthiren. Not stopping once.
A single strike left. Only that clean blow needed now -
SCREECH.
Another shriek.
Yet it didn't come from Phthiren, who was hurt.
From behind me.
A rumble came through, lower than expected. Heavy. Full of presence. Not just noise but meaning pressing forward. Danger lived inside that tone.
A chill hit deep inside me.
No.
Slowly, I pivoted - each degree heavier than the last - a silent plea forming in my chest. Maybe, just maybe, reality would bend enough to prove me mistaken.
I wasn't.
A shape moved near the tree line, blurred by downpour and thick leaves - another Phthiren waiting just beyond sight.
Yet past the heavy rain, a change stood clear.
Bigger. Roughly one and a half times the dimensions of the earlier version.
Built tougher - muscle shape clear beneath the hard shell.
Broken marks cover its shell, each one a sign it lived through another fight.
A flicker flashed across my sight - sharp red letters, urgent shades, the alert confirming what I'd felt deep inside all along.
[MONSTER DETECTED]
[Name: Phthiren]
[Level: 10]
No.
No, no, no -
I can't -
This isn't -
Fragments of thought drifted apart, unable to connect. What remained was a broken sense of now, jolted by fear too sharp to name. The scene ahead refused to make sense, yet it kept moving.
A shape moved - Phthiren at power ten - and the trees drew back. Rain fell strange near it, as if space leaned away to make room.
Staring at me, its eyes shone with a sharp kind of awareness - nothing like the blank hunger seen before. This wasn't just chase and kill. It knew who I was. What I meant. The silence between us stretched, heavy with recognition.
Prey.
Points sit there, ready for you to pick up.
A whimper slipped out as the hurt Phthiren dodged behind a bigger one, fingers tight around what was left of its arm. Clicks - weak, broken - ticked into the air.
A cry splits the air, sharp. These are creatures that move together, always watching. Hunting is what they do when the group closes in
A loud noise snapped my mind back - to just breathing, just moving. One second blurred into the next without reason or plan. Then everything narrowed to staying upright, staying alert. Every movement followed a pulse deeper than thought.
Backward steps came one at a time, each breath sharp. My heartbeat thundered - alive in my fingers, behind my eyes, even inside my jawbone.
Fighting two at once isn't something I can do.
Fighting just one right now feels impossible. My body won't hold up.
Bleeding won't stop. Health slipping fast. Mana nearly empty now.
Here we go. This moment marks my end.
They charged together.
It felt unnatural how well they worked together. One moment I could move freely, then their positioning shifted - suddenly every direction seemed blocked. Not by accident, but on purpose, each step timed just right. My path narrowed without warning, corners closing in like walls folding shut. Every opening vanished before I even noticed it was there.
A sudden throw of Reverblade came out of nowhere, more panic than plan. My aim was off, but getting away mattered most. Movement felt necessary, almost automatic.
Teleport.
The world twisted -
Faster than expected, the Level 10 Phthiren saw it coming.
There it stood, waiting - somehow knowing where I'd land before I even threw the blade. The moment I appeared, it felt planned, as if every motion had been measured ahead of time. My path, its position, all aligned without error.
A flash of movement - its claw arcing down, slicing wet wind, heading straight for my chest.
This is it.
A sharp turn came, my frame lurching sideways on fading power, certain it wouldn't matter, certain that the claw would hit anyway
It did.
A sharp slash tore down my ribs, then kept moving along my waist. Flesh peeled open like wet paper under the jagged edge.
Something about it made words useless. Not burning, not freezing, but both at once. A dull void clashed with sharp torment inside me. One moment nothing, next everything screamed.
A sudden burst of red - mine - swirled into the downpour, tinting the air rose-gray for just a breath. Then the sky pulled it under, gone like smoke.
Foot slipped, breath caught. Fingers pressed into the cut without thinking - though a quiet voice inside said it wouldn't help. Already broken. Way beyond fixing.
Down I went when my legs stopped working, landing hard on wet earth.
A warning glowed crimson right there, words blurring across my sight.
[WARNING: CRITICAL HEALTH]
[HEALTH REMAINING: 10/100]
Sure thing will come to an end. One day it just stops.
Fear grips me now. This might be the end.
Again.
Floating closer, the Phthirens moved in tight loops - each step measured, each turn planned. Their pace dragged like a held breath. Not rushing. Watching.
Finished was what they saw me as. Savoring came easy because they had time.
A tilt of the head came from the Level 10, its many eyes fixed on me, cold and unblinking. The sound of its jaw parts tapping together filled the silence - almost like it was pleased.
Funny how they played games at that moment.
Fingers shaking, I lifted the sword - its weight almost too much to manage. The metal wavered, tipped by unsteady hands that refused to stay still.
This is it.
This time around, death comes like that.
Falling to beasts in thick green heat, soaked by downpour, breath fading. Silence follows.
Every bit of willpower. The vows once whispered in quiet moments. That firm belief things would change now -
It didn't make a difference, any of that. What happened just sat there, unchanged.
And then -
ROAR.
Thunder cracked through the air like a whip snapping overhead.
Deep. Guttural. Primal.
Not a squeal, nor a cry, nor anything like bugs make. Out of the deep ground it came, born in wild places, thick with threat, heavy with rule.
A shiver ran through the Phthirens - movement halted. Ears pricked up, drawn by noise. All at once, faces turned the same way.
Footsteps heavy, the world spun sideways, thoughts slipping like sand through fingers, holding on by a thread.
There it was, right before my eyes.
A hulking figure stepped forward from among the trunks - towering, broad, thick through the shoulders, as if pulled straight from ancient fears. Its frame loomed, solid and heavy, moving slow but certain, carved from shadow and silence.
Thick, dark hair blanketed its frame - streaked brown and black, touched with red like dried rust. Water slid away because the coat stayed rough and clumped tight. Rain never soaked in.
Beneath its skin, muscles shifted like waves - thick, raw strength none of the Phthirens could match. The earth trembled under each stride, giving way to heavy marks carved into wet soil.
Built for destruction, those claws stretched long and hooked, sharp enough to rip rock apart. Light from the gray sky touched them, making their surfaces shine as dark and smooth as volcanic glass.
And its face...
Beneath a thick ridge of bone, two shadowed eyes watched - sharp, always measuring, like something that waits before it moves. Power lived in its jaw, each tooth shaped to break flesh or splinter bone. Across its snout ran old wounds, stitched lines from fights long done.
A fighter stood here once.
Canopy Brute.
A dull ache spread while a message blinked into view, unnoticed at first amidst the mess of red soaking my sleeve.
[MONSTER DETECTED]
[Name: Canopy Brute]
[Level: 10]
Another one.
Another special monster.
Beside me, a lion watches. Then there is the tiger, close behind. A bear stands at my back. Each waits. Not one moves first.
That hurt Phthiren - ranked Level 5 - glanced once at the Canomy Brute, then chose fast.
Self-preservation.
It ran.
Off it dashed through the trees, one leg missing, vanishing where dark leaves met downpour, leaving behind those of its kind as if they meant nothing at all.
Yet Phthiren of Level 10 remained.
A harsh cry broke from it as wings stretched wide, defiance flashing even through the downpour. Size mattered now - each feather puffed to exaggerate form. Rain slicked its feathers but didn't dampen the act. The stance stayed firm, meant to intimidate. Shape shifted slightly, posture tense, built for warning.
Right away, the Canopy Brute reacted.
A deep growl tore through the air - sharper this time, fiercer, shaking my ribs like a drumbeat from inside. The noise clung to my spine, humming under the skin.
After that, conflict broke out between them.
Fangs flashed as one beast lunged, then the other answered with a snarl ripping through the air. Violence erupted - raw, unrelenting - as claws carved deep into flesh and bone gave way under crushing force. Neither held back; every strike carried weight of pure instinct. The ground shook beneath their clash, soaked in blood before either pulled away.
A blur of motion came from the Phthiren, one claw cutting toward the Brute's head. The strike landed fast, sharp, sudden.
Not once did the Brute attempt to move aside. Straight into the attack it charged, a claw raking its tough skin, slicing deep enough to bleed - yet nothing more than a small setback. Still forward it pushed, unshaken.
A sudden sweep came from its claw, broad and deep, driven by the full weight of its huge frame. That move struck out fast, wider than before, powered completely by its sheer size.
A sharp crack echoed as the hit struck the Phthiren's flank, hurling the bug-like being across the ground until it slammed into bark.
Leaves flew down when the trunk wobbled hard. Branches snapped loose as it shuddered.
Yet up the tree shot the Phthiren, back on its feet in a flash, scaling fast. Claws bit into rough bark without hesitation.
A shape dropped down suddenly, aimed at the Brute's shoulders, jaws open wide - not just grabbing, but striking deep. From high up it came, fast and low, teeth bared not in threat but intent on ending things.
Out of nowhere, the big creature twisted at a speed that made no sense given its size. Its two claws snapped shut around the Phthiren while still flying, locking onto the middle part of its body.
Down they went, tumbling in a heap, locked in struggle - claws meeting claw, fangs finding hard shell. Rolling came next, neither gaining hold, each twist feeding the clash. Grip tightened, limbs tangled, every move answered by resistance. The fight twisted sideways, earth kicking up under their thrash. Still gripping, still pushing, breath loud between snaps. No space between them, only force and friction shaping the fall.
Beneath each strike, the soil trembled - sludge heaved, plants ripped free, scars carved deep into the land.
Blood welled up where the Phthiren bit deep into the Brute's shoulder, tearing past fur and skin as rain washed streaks of crimson sideways. The downpour blurred edges but not the force behind those crushing jaws. Wet hair matted around the wound while iron-scent filled the air. Each pulse sent more red threading through puddles forming beneath them.
A howl tore from the beast, raw with fury and hurt - suddenly, a twist I never saw coming unfolded right there.
It bit back.
The grip of those strong jaws shut hard on the Phthiren's wing hinge. A sudden snap echoed through the air as pressure split the joint apart.
A terrible crunch echoed through the air.
A scream from the Phthiren climbed so high it turned my aching ears into pressure drums. That sound stretched past pain, close to breaking something inside. Sharp noise drilled through bone, relentless. My head throbbed in rhythm with each piercing note. It wasn't just loud - it felt invasive, tearing at focus. Like ice picks behind the eyes. The volume held steady, unbearable. Every second dragged longer than the last. Inside my skull, tension built without release. Then - stillness.
A shudder ran through the Brute, head snapping sideways - much like a hound tossing prey - and the wing ripped free.
Came apart at the seams. The lining tore open - fluid spattered, thick and green. A crack ran through the shell. Inside, everything spilled out sideways.
Fangs bared, the Phthiren slashed sideways, one jagged limb tearing across the Brute's cheekbone, then downward - ribs laid bare beneath gushing skin. A spurt of crimson sprayed the ground as muscle split under relentless pressure from twisted appendages.
Yet the Brute held on tight.
A sudden stillness came before motion. Its legs pressed down, tension building like a coiled spring. Then, without warning, the creature rose - lifting the Phthiren clear into the air.
Mid-flail, the bug-like creature hung above ground, legs churning, refusing to quit.
A heavy thud followed when the Brute drove it down hard. The ground trembled under the impact without warning. Dust rose slowly as if startled by the sudden violence.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
A thud here, then another - each one punched a hole in the wet ground, sharp cracks bouncing off the trees. The noise tore through the stillness, sudden, loud, like something breaking far away.
My eyes stayed locked on what was happening. A raw kind of force took over the scene. I hardly noticed my own breath. Looking elsewhere felt impossible.
Here's how these creatures stand apart.
This is how they operate.
What drives them is hunger. Power shapes their every move. Survival depends on how far they're willing to go.
Fingers of the Phthiren closed tight on the Brute's neck, pressure building slow. Breath started to rattle deep inside the brute's chest. Each second stretched longer than the last. The grip only tightened, refusing to let go.
A choked noise replaced the brute's bellow.
Then again, the huge claws rose, gripping the Phthiren's arms tight, yanking them close.
Something cracked. Skin ripped open. Bones slipped apart with a soggy pop.
A sudden silence followed the Phthiren's cry. It stopped mid-shout.
Still, I walked away before the final scene played out.
Spinning away, I sprinted off.
Or tried to.
Beneath each shaky footfall, warmth spread - blood tracing paths down skin that refused to stay upright. Darkness flickered at the edges of sight, pulsing like distant thunder. Step after uneven step dragged forward, balance long gone.
But I moved.
Step by step, moving forward. Each motion builds the next.
Move or die.
That's what you've got to work with. There aren't any others around.
From where I stood, the fight carried on loud - growls mixed with sharp cries, the snap of shell and skeleton, heavy hits pounding down so hard the ground trembled beneath them.
A root snagged my shoe, so I pitched ahead. My hands slammed into bark just in time.
Bark soaked up red streaks from my fingers. The tree held what I couldn't wipe away.
Get up.
Sometimes morning arrives before you're ready. Wakefulness pulls at your eyes like a tug on a sleeve.
Up I climbed, dragging air into my lungs, iron sharp on my tongue.
I'm alive.
I'm actually alive.
Funny thing is, I'm not supposed to feel this way - yet here I am.
For a second, my eyes went to the open field. There, the pair of creatures kept fighting, ripping into one another without mercy. The air filled with snarls, dust swirling around their tangled forms.
Suddenly, rain fell hard, clearing the mix of blood and strange fluid just moments after each new spill.
I said it then - rough sound scraping out of me, trembling, quiet as breath, yet carrying a weight I'd forgotten could exist.
Determination.
Resolve.
Purpose.
Footsteps fading, I tasted iron - my voice steady despite it. Rain washed down my chin, blurring red into gray. Not finished yet, though. One day soon, this story continues
Fingers closed hard on Reverblade, its shake betraying how little strength I had left. That steel felt alive, jittery, like it knew what was coming before I did.
A quiet vow I made along the way. What came next felt different somehow.
"Next time, I'll be stronger."
Off I went, one foot dragging through damp leaves, vanishing into green shadows. Behind me, the open space faded like a forgotten thought.
"And when I return..."
One more move. Inhale again.
"I'll destroy all of you."
Still falling, the rain wiped out the marks where I bled, hiding how I got away.
The fight kept going behind my back, one fierce creature against another, each refusing to step down.
Yet I had stepped away from that world.
I was alive.
Barely, but alive.
Still, it had to suffice.
For now.