She’d finally fallen asleep.

It was my fault, really. I shouldn’t have told her that there were… dangers, around us.

But she had asked.

And I had promised.

The sky was slowly brightening, thanks to the larger sun rising… but it was rising slowly.

Our fire had died down, becoming nothing more than a soft ember, but it was still enough to keep the thing from approaching.

I was watching it closely… since all the other beasts had long since run away.

Another dangerous one had approached, a little before she fell asleep. It had walked up close enough that even Mint had heard its talons scrape the ground.

Luckily it hadn’t attacked. It weighed its chances against me, and found it not worth it.

Honestly I had expected it to do the opposite. I had even planned on how I was going to kill it, and then deal with the beast that was still staring at me.

Such a thing was normally the problem for those traveling the Rift.

They could survive the attack of one beast. But two? Three?

Even the army of powers had struggled during such moments.

The soft snoring of Mintmorency was all I heard, and I liked how deeply she slumbered.

Maybe she’d sleep through what I was going to have to do.

Its single eye still glared at me. Its pupil contracted, focused. I’d not seen it blink once since it appeared.

A part of me was thankful that most of these beasts were… just that. Simple beasts.

Their inability to plan, or think beyond their instincts, was one of the few reasons I never needed to really worry over them.

No matter how strong, or deadly, a creature was… if it always acted the same… Always attacked the same way. And always died easily with the same methods… what was there to fear?

Our kind wasn’t any better, though.

Nor the humans.

I always used similar methods to kill them, too, after all.

The fire made one last crackle, and I knew it was done. In a few moments the last bit of flame would die away, and it’d begin to cool.

Taking those last few moments, I once again looked around to make sure there was nothing more nearby.

I scanned the horizon. The sky. The trees. The rocks.

The shadows.

The blades of grass.

Finally my eyes rested on the sleeping power. She was curled up next to the packs, wrapped in a large leather blanket. Most of her head was covered, but one of her horns was peeking out from the top.

She looked a little too comfortable, honestly. For someone who had been so terrified, so worried, she had fallen into a rather deep and comfortable slumber.

Though she may have simply thought that the creature had left, since I hadn’t mentioned it as the night dragged on.

“Oh well,” I whispered, looking back to the lanky creature.

Nearly as thin as the tree it was standing next to, it stood on four spindly legs. Each of those legs came to a very sharp, and angled point… which I knew from both witnessing, and experience, that they could slice deeply.

The beast had no mouth. Its round body, muscular and thick, was an odd sight when compared to its legs… but this creature was more magical than not.

It didn’t eat.

It didn’t sleep.

It didn’t even breath.

It just hunted.

The large eye in the center of its round body watched me, as I slowly walked away from the fire. From the tiny encampment we had formed.

I was glad it focused on me as I left Mintmorency behind. It had originally been staring at her, not me.

Which was odd.

She wasn’t a threat.

Yet I was more than a threat.

But it hadn’t looked at me until I moved intentionally.

For a few moments I had been worried.

What if she was weird? Or something was off about her?

What if she had been targeted, without reason, by the creatures here in the Rift?

After all she was a power who had grown up in a foreign land.

An oddity, who didn’t act… normally.

It wouldn’t have surprised me too much, if the Rift had decided it wanted her dead.

But that hadn’t happened.

Once I had put myself in-between Mintmorency, and the creature, it had quickly focused on me. Forgetting her.

And none of the other creatures had noticed her. They had all focused on me.

It was a relief, honestly.

After all when the Rift wanted something dead, not even I could guarantee their survival.

Slowly walking, I kept an eye on the creature. To make sure it didn’t change its focus away from me.

There was a good chance that Mintmorency would wake, once it charged at me.

If she sat up quickly, in shock and worry, it might just change its target mid-charge.

And although I’d still be able to protect her, it would make the battle take longer.

I’d not be able to quickly kill it, easily.

Which was a danger all in itself.

Passing a tree, I made sure to give it a once over. Nothing was on it. Not even those little flying bugs that pretended to be leaves, sometimes.

“Alright,” I said, reaching a safe enough distance from Mintmorency.

The creature had shifted. Slowly, awkwardly, lifting its legs to turn. To keep its eye on me.

It was now angled where even if Mintmorency sat up, abruptly, it shouldn’t be able to see her do so.

She was out of its line of sight.

And now I could deal with it.

Standing still, I tried to calculate how long it’d take for it to reach me. Although its legs were… unnatural. And not suited for walking, or running, I knew how quickly it could cover ground.

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Even if it looked like it was falling, tripping and stumbling the entire way.

It was far enough that I couldn’t hear its knife like legs scraping the stone they walked on, but it was close enough that it’d only take a few heartbeats for it to reach me.

Not long at all.

I took a step towards it. The first time doing so, since it arrived.

The creature’s round body tilted. Jolted, as if slapped awake.

From here it only looked like its eye tilted a little, but I knew it couldn’t move its eye. It was as solid as the metal legs it walked with.

A heartbeat of calm covered the world, as I focused on that eye. The thing as wide as my head.

It gleamed in the morning sunlight, like a jewel.

The creature was taller than me. But the eyeball was more in the center of its body than anywhere else. Where a nose would be… or snout.

Just in line with where I’d throw a comfortable punch.

A perfect target.

I stepped towards it again. A little more abruptly. A little more heavily.

It responded just as quickly. Charging forward without a roar.

It had no mouth after all.

Rushing towards me, I stayed focused on the eyeball. I ignored the four wild limbs, flailing as it ran. There was no reason to its steps. No methodology. It looked unsure of itself. As if drunk.

The large body wobbled as it ran. Turning to and fro, thanks to the hectic limbs, but no matter how far it fell or how high it jumped… its eye never left me.

Focused on me as much as I was it.

Two heartbeats later, the beast was half way to me. It stumbled over some rocks, scattering them everywhere. Nearly falling to the ground, its right foreleg rolled a little too… unnaturally.

It had broken. Yet the beast didn’t even flinch.

Didn’t even notice.

Such a sight would have frightened others.

Especially powers.

The men who had spent years training for war. Participating in war, would have flinched. Would have questioned the creature before them.

I knew since I had seen it often.

They couldn’t comprehend a creature so blind by instinct. So driven, that even a broken limb didn’t faze it.

Men did that rarely. Powers did that occasionally.

Not beasts.

Even though the beast ignored the damage, the broken limb still caused the beast to limp. It slowed in its charge, not because of pain but because its already awkward running had become even worse.

What had been stumbling now became haphazard falling. The remaining three legs barely kept it upright, let alone on target.

I stepped to the left a few feet, to make sure it kept its eye on me. It had turned a little… although not intentionally.

Taking a breath, I firmed my footing. I knew how it’d attack. It’d simply run into me. Full bore. It planned to knock me over, then to attack with its legs. Piercing and slicing me, as I struggled to get back to my feet.

The beast fell. Misplacing a foot, a clump of grass flew up in the air as it landed harshly.

With its fall, I dared a moment to glance to Mintmorency. I looked away when I confirmed she still lay next to the packs.

Rolling, for a small moment the beast’s legs danced in the air. Similar to a giant spider, or insect, in motion. It was close enough I could attack, but I wasn’t willing to risk jumping into the fray of all those blades flying around.

Unlike the blades of the man who had attacked us in RiftCliff, these had no purpose. No aim. No target.

Dodging them was possible, but the risk was far too high.

So I waited.

It rolled over. Putting its legs back under its large body.

The large eye scraped rock, and I heard the sound of rock upon rock. Crunching and breaking, more than anything else.

With all four legs it wobbled as it tried to stand. It shot up quickly, once it knew it once again had a firm footing beneath it.

And it was right when it had risen to full height. Right when its eye turned, to look back at me… right when its right foreleg crumpled under the weight and pressure, nearly sending it back down to the ground, that I attacked.

I darted forward, charging it as quickly as it had originally done toward me.

A cracked eye focused on me. Its pupil shrinking as it saw my approach. A few steps to it, and I was even able to see my reflection within the glossy stone marble.

In the instant that it realized I was the one now attacking, it changed its stance. Where before it had been trying to stand, to run, it now simply became defensive.

Its back legs dug deeper into the ground, like spikes. Securing itself. It raised its broken limb upward, at an unnatural angle thanks to the breakage. To strike out once I got close enough. The other front leg, which was still fine and undamaged, also flew out. Shooting forward toward me with enough speed that it blurred. Even to my eyes.

Just as long, and twice as sharp as a spear, I ducked and dodged its strike. Before I was fully in the clear of the strike, the creature brought down its other limb.

Even broken, it attacked with speed rarely seen. I just barely got under its strike, stepping right up next to its bulbous body.

Its right limb was still extended straight. Hovering a handbreadth over my left shoulder. The creatures left limb, thanks to its broken state, had crumpled in its extreme attack. I heard its sharp pointed tip impale the stone just behind me, and its dull and dead muscular limb had bumped lightly with my right shoulder and back.

Both of its attacks had missed.

Both of its remaining limbs, stuck in the ground. Supporting its large body.

And it had no mouth.

Nor hands or arms.

No jaw. No teeth. No pincers or stingers. No tail or spikes.

Just a very large eye which was bigger than my head… and completely exposed.

I aimed for a tiny crack in the center of the eye. From the earlier fall.

With all my momentum, I punched the eye dead center. It tried to pull back, but its mangled limbs couldn’t reposition themselves.

My fist connected cleanly. Crunching the hard gemstone eye, countless cracks spread forth from the impact. I felt the hard stone cut into my knuckles as the eye shattered, breaking.

My blow had ended the creature’s life.

There was no scream of pain. Or cry of anger. It had no such things.

But it did spasm.

And it did bleed.

Spurting forth from the eyeball, burning my skin, and stinging the cuts, was the familiar black gunk.

The stuff was hot. And heavy.

Pulling away, I ducked under the now stiff legs. Stepping backward, quickly, as the large creature collapsed.

I kept an eye on the way it fell, its own limbs going… soft, as they crumpled beneath it.

Taking a breath, I watched the black blood ooze from the eyeball. Bubbling and rolling down the shattered eye, onto the broken limb that rested just beneath its head.

There was no more movement. No twitching.

Just death.

Pieces of the eye crunched under my feet, as I took another step away. Looking down, I was somewhat surprised to find so many pieces so far away.

Surprised to find pieces beneath me, but not in my hand.

Turning my right hand over, to make sure there were no serious wounds, I went to plucking the pieces of eye out of my fist. There were only a few shards, thankfully, but one of them had dug deep in-between my second and third knuckles.

“Typical,” I chastised myself as I tugged the piece of eye free. It was nearly as long as my thumb, but thankfully finely pointed and not very thick.

Glaring at the still dead creature, I wished I had used my elbow instead. It would have been just as effective and just as doable… but my thick sleeves would have protected me from this.

Pulling the last piece out, I ran my fingers all over the cuts on my hand. Feeling for any more pieces lodged within.

My blood mixed with the black gunk still staining my hands, but I felt no more shards of the eye.

Anything else would come out naturally, as I healed. Or I’d be able to feel them later.

“Or I could get over my distaste of gloves,” I said to myself.

Shaking my aching right hand, I stepped away from the dead beast and headed back towards our little camp.

Mintmorency was still asleep. Still curled up, beneath her blanket.

Good.

As I headed back to her, I looked around us. The sun was still barely over the horizon, but the morning light was enough to make out everything around us.

There was nothing else. Not even birds.

So now that the only danger to her was dead…

Walking quietly over to the packs, I slowly sat down near her. To rest my back up against the pack she too rested against.

It didn’t move much, since I was careful, but also because it was heavy.

Studying my injured hand, I watched some of my blood drip down my palm. From the worst wound, between my knuckles. The one that large piece had been embedded.

I didn’t worry over it. I knew it’d stop bleeding, and begin to heal before Mintmorency woke up.

Then be closed completely, by the next morning.

Here in the Rift I didn’t need to worry over such small wounds.

But…

Wiping my palm on the ground next to me, I made sure to do it quietly.

The black smear left behind on the grassy rock, made me glance at the dead beast.

Its body wasn’t too close. Far enough away that Mintmorency would see it, but not know what it was.

Which was fine with me.

Better she really didn’t know.

Though the odds of her recognize it as a beast at all, from here… No. I couldn’t think like that. She somehow was observant, and was observant often.

Yet from here it just looked like a strange rock. Or plant. Especially since it wasn’t moving.

So that’s what she’d think it was…

At least until another creature showed up to eat it.

With a sigh, I relaxed. I’d not sleep, but I planned to let her do so.

Our next step in this journey was a little more… hectic, after all.

I needed her rested.

Even if I was going to have to kill the next few beasts that showed up.

Drawn by the smell of my blood.