I was able to reach the forest across the dirt road before the Eater appeared in the open field. But I wasn’t about to delude myself into thinking I was safe. Those monsters were notoriously good at finding their prey. Maybe it would just follow the tracks left behind, or it was something to do with smell, or Energy. Hell, maybe because of the System and the SP, it would be even easier for it to locate me.

Glancing back for a moment, I saw it. The tentacles of that monster rushing out, moving in a roiling mass of appendages and metal. Was it even metal? I had no idea, but it glistened in the light. The pale white glow from its core was evident, even if the sun was still out. I knew that the monster was coming, I truly did, but there was still a small part of me who hoped, prayed, that knowledge to be wrong. That piece of me died the moment the monster moved. It wasn’t looking around, searching for something. No, the Eater was making a B Line in my direction. It already knew where I was. It didn’t matter that the trees were between us, or that the rain hid most of my smell and noise. The predator already had found its quarry.

A loud thunder echoed through the mountains, the cold water hitting my skin made the memory of the attack resurface. Just like before, I was running through the forest, rain coming down, my heart pounding in my chest and a nightmarish monster following me.

Would things end up in the same way? Would all the effort only result in the Eater impaling my stomach? There is no integration to save me this time. But I don’t want to die. I want to see Pops again. Is he even alive? What’s the point of it all?

STOP THAT, CASSANDRA! Run first, crisis later.

I rubbed my eyes, getting rid of the water on them. It mostly came from the rain, but a tiny amount was the beginning of a tear. I could cry later. Things were different now. For one, the sun was out and I could see where I was going. I also had the System and all the skills that came with it. Not to mention the attributes. Before, being caught by an Eater was just a matter of time, I had little to no hopes of outrunning that thing. Now that wasn’t the case. I was faster, much faster than ever before.

Trying to look back again, there was nothing to be seen but various trees. This part of the forest wasn’t as dense as the one on the mountain, but it was still enough to make it impossible to see past it.

A loud crashing sound reverberated, at the same time, the ground shook ever so slightly. I lived in this area for long enough to understand what happened. A tree just fell. Another crash, followed by the tremor. That meant a second tree, and it was getting closer. Sure, that helps, if the Eater is lashing out and attacking the forest, I can get more time. But more time for what? Where am I going? I need a plan. Emerging from the trees near another dirt road, I quickly crossed it and vanished in the forest on the other side. I made a sharp turn to the right, hoping that could make the monster lose my tracks.

‘Sys. {Mind of Possibility} now!’

[Skill {Mind of Possibility} does not have enough Energy to be activated.]

Worth a shot. Maybe I should head to a river? Eaters are bad with water. No, that won’t work. There is no river nearby. Not one that would be large enough to help. They struggle to go over water. They don’t melt when it touches them. Is there a cave, or some place small nearby to hide? Not that I know of.

Then what? What the fuck do I do?

I heard a strange noise, metallic, but also… funny? It was almost as if something was bouncing. I never heard that sound before, but that was the only way to explain it. Another loud crash, this time weaker, so it wasn’t one of the massive trees toppling over. But it also sounded closer.

Was there a way for me to escape? Maybe, but it was a gamble with low odds. I had no idea how to make an Eater forget about me. So fighting? I really didn’t want to. All that shit talk about killing it, was just that. Talk. It’s one thing to say you can beat a bear while fighting bare handed. Another thing to actually do that.

Another odd, bouncy sound echoed. Glancing up, I saw a shape moving down, falling through the tree line. It was still far away, but getting closer. More noise, this time a loud crash followed by a tremor. Another tree had toppled.

Fuck, I was about to fight a bear bare handed, wasn’t I?

Well, not bare handed. The staff was firmly in my hand. Ok, if I’m doing this, how can I stack the odds against the Eater? Traps? No time. Location then. I need a place that is wide enough to use the staff without worrying about trees blocking me, but that still has enough random bullshit on the ground to make {Formless Steps of Prey} shine. If the skill followed how the deer moved, it would work better in places with a lot of obstacles. When in an open area, the deer focused on speed, but when surrounded by trees, rocks, and such, it would use that to evade my attacks.

To my left, the forest became a bit more sparse, and there were a few large trunks on the ground, one large rock, capable of hiding my entire body and a few smaller ones spread around that would be between reaching my shins and my knees.

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

The sound of something bouncing rang once more. Looking to the right, I was able to see the Eater barreling through the air after it jumped. It flew above the trees before coming down to the ground. This time, it landed in my view. Still far away, on the edge of the dirt road to the right. Without wasting any more time, I moved to the clearing, finding a spot that I thought it would be good for the fight. Seeing there was still a bit of time before the Eater arrived, I quickly untied my bag and the waterskin from my waist and tossed it by the large rock. I needed focus, and those things dangling could distract me.

Just as the sack landed on the ground, the Eater emerged through the forest. Its tentacles rushed out from behind the trees, the maw filled with jagged teeth came in to view, breaking through a tin layer of mist that had just been formed. No, it wasn’t mist, but steam. As the rain hit the creature, it evaporated due to the intense heat it emanated. From the center of its mouth, a larger stream of steam shot out, illuminated by the pale light coming from within. The massive legs pushed forward, each limb ending in a thin spike.

I clenched my fists over the staff, pointing the metal pole at the monster. Once the creature saw me, if it could truly see, it stopped rushing. It moved slowly and methodically. Analyzing my movements. I never heard about Eaters acting like that. They would always charge and attack without a second thought. Yet, now it wasn’t acting like that unstoppable monster. It was acting as if it was a predator that had just met another. It… it saw me as a threat. Or at least, something far enough from a prey that warranted caution.

‘Sys, more charges to {Compression} and trigger {Formless Steps of Prey}.’

I felt the two points of Energy spreading around my body. Part of that just gathered in my chest while the rest moved to my legs, empowering them.

[{Compression} currently has 6 charges.]

My eyes refused to leave the monster in front of me. Placing one leg back, I got ready to respond to whatever was about to come. But there was one more thing I wanted to know. Without saying anything, I sent the command to the System, who quickly gave me an answer.

[Scavenger Eater - Tier 1]

Just as the name appeared in front of me, the Eater’s tentacles started to tremble. It lowered its body, the mouth coming into full view, and let out a guttural roar. It sounded artificial, like the kind of noise a ship would make when sinking. Metal bending and breaking because of the strain.

The monster lunged at me and I did the same, but instead of attacking, I tumbled under the creature. My staff grew as the monster covered the sky, slamming on its underside and sending it flying up into the air while keeping the momentum of its movement. But that wasn’t fast enough, just before the metal pole hit it, the tentacles of the creature lashed out, a couple tried to cut my wrist, but were blocked by the lion pelt vambrace. Another hit my biceps, trying to wrap around it, but was only able to leave a bruise behind.

Sniping around, I quickly rushed after it, jumping from side to side while keeping the staff on its bigger form to improve my reach. As long as my movement was fast enough, I would be able to hit it from the back. But that was a mistake. An Eater wasn’t like a regular animal. It didn’t have a back. Just as I jumped towards it, the monster, without changing its position, sent several tentacles towards me. They were far away, but the monster used its own version of {Compression} to make them bigger. About eight appendages were coiled together, forming a drill aimed at me.

Quickly pointing the staff down, I used that as a vaulting pole to jump over the incoming attack. I was able to escape that tentacle drill, but another appendage lashed out, grabbing my leg and slamming me on the ground. The staff escaped my hand, clattering among the rocks as I kicked the tentacle away. Normally, that kind of thing wouldn’t work, but thanks to the lion pelt greaves around my shins, it worked. Even if the leather armor was pulled by the tentacle, leaving me a bit more exposed.

The Eater didn’t wait for me to move. It rushed forward and tried to stab me with one of its legs before I could get to my feet. After barely being able to roll away, I kicked the massive spider like leg while pushing up with my arms.{Formless Steps of Prey} enhanced the strength in my feet, allowing me to get some distance between us.

Using that momentum, I jumped to the side, spinning in the air and getting closer to the staff once more, but the creature seemed to understand my intention. It sent out another tentacle drill aimed at where I should land. However, my skill did its work. With a quick kick against the side of a rock, I changed the trajectory of my jump, going above the drill attack and reaching my weapon.

Grabbing the staff, that was still much longer than usual, I tried to stab the Eater a couple of times, every strike missing. Changing the idea, I went for a couple of swings that slammed against the monster’s legs. It felt like I was attacking a rock, even sturdier than a tree. Annoyed by the strikes, the creature grabbed the staff, trying to pull me towards it. For a moment, we struggled in a tug of war. Somehow I could challenge the strength of an Eater. A brief moment of distraction was all it took for the monster to lash out. It sent another tentacle drill. A smaller one, but that moved considerably faster. I had to duck under it, and even then, the attack slashed my exposed back.

A bit of warm blood started to cover my body, most of the wound being instantly cauterized by the heat of the creature, while the drill slammed against the rock behind me, causing part of it to collapse onto the tentacle. The Eater struggled to pull its appendages back, seemingly stuck, and it was my time to take advantage of the situation. Rushing forward, I used a few of the rocks as steps to go up and then jumped on the tallest rock in the area to get even higher. While moving, the staff became smaller, just enough to hold with both hands.

Once I reached the apex of my climb, I jumped over the Eater and spun in the air a couple of times while on my side, thinking about the tail swipe of a dragon. At the end of the second spin, I held on the staff and {Compression} made it grow large enough to reach the monster. The attack aimed at the joint of its thinner leg. My eyes went wide as the strike connected, continued and hit the center of mass of the creature, pushing the monster back and breaking off my initial target.

I had just ripped out a leg from an Eater.

Bloodlust and anger filled my eyes. Those monsters killed my parents, they killed my village, they almost killed me, and they might even have killed Pops. But they could bleed.

With a roar I yelled, my voice carrying even beyond the sound of the rain, "You are dead, you fucker!"

I was going to kill that thing, even if it was the last thing I would do.