The forest was quite long. So many rows of black trees had dotted the Udwi’s vision, but eventually they must give way. The creatures that inhabited this plot of land were on alert like always, but it was rather easy to simply sneak by them. While he could simply go through and fight them, avoiding them was so much easier and a better option. After all, fighting every single second of the day was grating and a pain in his ass.

Battles were fine once in a while. Having them every single minute, every single moment of life was grating. Thus, he was grateful for the opportunity to avoid fighting and having peace, especially after dealing with that Samurai. He had to truly thank the spirits for helping him deal with that situation and get out without any problems.

That was even more reason for him to move on. If he had stayed then he would’ve had to try to deal with that freak even more. That was something he needed to avoid at all costs. Dealing with these monsters was enough, he certainly did not want to deal with having to explain and tend to this broken thing he left behind.

He kept on moving a bit faster. The quicker he moved out of this forest the better at this point. That was until he found himself stopping in front of a trail.

One that was made of dirt and scattered stones. Wooden stick fences were constructed on each side to convey rails that would make sure people wouldn’t stray off the path, with a sign written in some sort of language that the Udwi wasn’t able to read. He had come on the perpendicular, which had two different ways to go through.

One on the left and one on the right. Both of them were equally worn down and seemed to have no indication of which way to go. That was a dilemma that he truly found himself in.

Which side was the correct way? The tower was no longer visible at this time which meant that this was a decision made by gut instinct. Left, right, or say screw the rules and keep on going forward like he had originally planned.

This was a conundrum the Udwi was torn in. Though, there was one thing all of them had in common: they all led away from that Samurai. Which meant that no matter which path he took, he’d still get away from that freak. The only downside would be the time wasted trying to get to the tower. It would be annoying to have to backtrack and end up losing all that time and energy wandering off to some random location when he should have been more careful to keep track of things.

Though, why was he so worried about time? True, he’d have to take a while to get back into position, but he didn’t have a deadline to deal with. He could take his time with this whole situation. In fact, he could probably take some time and set up shop in this forest for a little while to create the ranged weapons and shield he wanted. And besides, if that Samurai was still trying to stalk him, he didn’t have to worry because of the size of this place. He’d be… He’d…

An epiphany struck the Udwi.

Wait a second. That Samurai. Didn’t it mention having to face weaklings, cowards, and children? I can see the weaklings referring to the beasts that inhabit these lands, but cowards? Children? Not only that, but someone told that thing about the monster. Meaning that there are others here.

That meant he wasn’t alone here. However, that didn’t tell him anything. That could mean the original inhabitants of these lands or people from his world. It could be spirits to anything. That alone didn’t mean much.

But the implication was there. The fact that there were people who were able to travel around. That meant there were possibly others trying to reach the tower to kill the Usurper themselves. Possibly they realized as well that they could take the throne and secure the power for themselves.

Damn. He’d let his guard down the whole time. What else had he missed? What other realizations was he missing that he was failing to–

Something whistled in the air. The Udwi ducked his head quickly out of pure instinct, before hearing something collide with the tree in front of him. His eyes widened as he stared at the giant spike that was embedded in the tree trunk, shaking and quivering before coming to a halt.

It was clear that it wasn’t manufactured by other humans. Especially since there were several wings that sprouted out the other end of this spike, flapping uselessly and with flesh bits scattered across the surface.

His blood ran cold. His whole body shook as he realized how he had almost died. The fact that something had been tailing him this entire time and he only realized thanks to a failed attack meant he was in the most dire situations.

But what could have launched that attack? Nothing should have been tailing him. That Samurai didn’t seem to have the potential to shoot these kinds of projectiles, not while it had a bow in its armaments. That meant that this had to be another monster, a special kind like the one he took down earlier.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

He turned around out and turned to where the shot came from out of pure panic. Nothing was there, only shadows and more foliage. He stayed there for a good while. He waited with bated breath for something to come.

But nothing. There was not a single thing that came out of the darkness to confront him, no reason came to be so concerned. Nothing that came face to face with him except his own overgrowing paranoia.

That would’ve been the case had it not been for this blatant attack. No, he was definitely being trailed, but this monster was smart. It knew how to hide and when to attack clearly, which meant he needed to–

This time he wasn’t able to avoid the attack. His side burst into light pain as something scratched his torso. He grit his teeth and refused to scream as he backed up a good bit, clutching his side and scowling as he inspected the damage.

There were no serious injuries, merely a single light scratch. He looked back at the projectile that was stuck in the tree with those useless wings beating.

That was until it went still and more flesh began to grow over it. The Udwi could only stare in horror as red meat and skin started to blossom out, transforming into a multitude of arms and legs. Then it started to grasp at the tree and attempted to dislodge itself out.

That was more than enough for today. He turned around and proceeded to run as fast as he could. He chose the option that resonated with him and went down the left path as fast as he could. The trees begin to shake and tremble and a miserable wail of fifteen children come from behind. He could hear something dash after him, moving with reckless abandon as the trees behind him proceeded to get knocked down to the ground.

He couldn’t help it. He turned around to see what was coming after him, only for eyes to bulge out in horror.

A giant mound of arms and legs with a gaping maw. That was the only way he could describe this thing in front of it. There was a spike jutting out that had blood on its end that seemed to pulsate from time to time, clearly the source of all of this madness.

Then he noticed it. A blur in the treetops. The thing went so fast that he couldn’t get any descriptive features for a reference, but he already knew that this was not optimal. More than ever, he needed to get out of this place here and now before he really was in great danger.

“Ma-ma-mamaaaaa!” The monstrosity behind him wailed with those multitude of voices as it kept on coming closer, breathing heavily with drool pouring out of its mouth, “Food! Food!”

What in the world? What on earth is that thing? Why did that spike spawn such a monstrosity and not the others?

The Udwi decided to not think on that train of thought anymore and called upon the spirits to guide him and help to strike this abomination down. This time, they were more than eager to oblige and they proceeded to go through with his wish. His legs obtained the power of the wind and he was able to boost himself to rush forward even faster than before. All of the knockback from that speed burst proceeded to gather up into a gigantic blast that struck the mound of legs and arms.

The monster proceeded to explode into a wild burst of flesh and bone scattered all across the forest, its guts and parts landing everywhere. The Udwi nodded at the sight and kept on going forward, intent on getting rid of his stalker once and for all.

Another spike came forward. This time, he was more than prepared and he was able to dodge the incoming projectile, before hissing and coming to a roll.

His side. That injury from earlier was more than debilitating right here and now. He needed to get some bandages to get this all healed up and dealt with. However, that could come once he had gotten out of here and taken care of the stalker–

Wait. Hold on a second. That monster the spirits had taken care of previously. He hadn’t seen it turn to dust.

He turned quickly around back to where that monster was launched. His eyes widened in horror as he saw that thing coming closer. Those child-like voices kept getting louder, begging and whining even as it continued to barrel through the trees.

How in the world did that thing survive being blasted apart? No, more than that: how the hell could one kill that thing? That meant that he was now faced to deal with an immortal enemy and the ranged enemy up in the treetop. Which meant that he was dealing with a group that were able to cover both ends and eventually trap him in a corner where he could be killed.

This was not the place to fight. He needed to get the terrain back in his favor, reposition himself to be in a state to defeat whatever came his way in a one on one battle. He had several options.

He could try to hide in the undergrowth but that would resolve the issue of this monster tracking him. Even if he could hide and sneak past the abomination, the archer up in the treetops was more than capable of attacking him without fail. He could try to go up into the trees and take on the ranged enemy before attempting moving on to the monster on the ground, but even that was flawed as that archer could merely hide in all the branches and leaves or jump away.

Thus the only option he had was to move out of here. Speed was the key here now, so the spirits were brought into play. With them guiding his path, the Udwi felt no fear as he rushed forward towards any random direction, aiming to get away from his pursuers. More spikes came sailing from the top to him but with the spirits at his side, none of them could reach them.

The rain of projectiles began to end. The monster’s roars began to become nothing more than whispers. Yet, he did not let his guard down.

He already suffered the consequences the first time. He would not allow such a thing to happen to him again. So he continued to run.

The trees began to peter out and the foliage started to become less thick. He could start to see the edge of the forest and called upon the spirits to rest. After all, every last bit of energy would be needed for this exact moment.

And with that, he exited the forest.