Thanks to Zack's sudden disappearance, I'm left with no directions and no way to tell where I am. I guess that's what divers spend five years learning. I try to keep my ears open, but the blood pounding in them keeps me from focusing.

I stumble through the forest. Everything looks the same, and the lack of plant life keeps me on edge. There is nowhere to hide. With no other option, I head deeper into the forest, putting a notch into every other tree. At the very least, I'll know the way out. As I walk, I keep an eye on the trees, hoping to see Zack up there, but I have yet to spot him.

Maybe if I took those five years at the academy, I'd know how to find tracks or notice imperfections in the forest, but I've lived in the city for two years, and before that, I was spoiled and pampered. I have zero wilderness survival skills.

I sigh as I notch another tree. What the hell am I even looking for? Almost immediately, I hear another scream as someone cries for help. They're not too far from here. If I run, I might be able to get to them. But why do I care? I've never been one to go out of my way to help people. But what if they're facing a Kob?

I grit my teeth. This is a big risk. Not only do I know nothing about this place, but I could be marching to my death. Or at least going to lose a limb.

"Dammit," I mutter, slamming a notch into a tree. I can't pass this up. Let's just hope this is what I'm after. I take off toward the screams. They get closer as I dash between trees, notching them as I go. As I get within eyeshot, the screams cut off. I freeze, my breath coming in gasps. I shouldn't be this winded. Is it the adrenaline or the fear?

I grip the sword in my hands as I walk carefully. Sweat drenches my entire body even though the temperature is somewhat cool.

"Help." A voice whispers from behind a tree to my right. I peek behind it and almost puke. A body sits against the tree, its arms shredded up to the elbows. His jaw barely hangs on; only a few lines of muscle keep it on his face. His knees are slashed, but only deep enough for him to be unable to run. Blood covers everything, and one of his eyes was slashed open. He gurgles blood as he breathes. I recognize him. It's the guy from the restaurant. I think his name was Everet.

"Kill me." He begs. I doubt he even knows I'm here. Even if I didn't like him, this is a sad way to go. With a breath, I slam my sword into his head. I inspect the wounds on his body. Something clawed him to this state. It was playing with him. Looking at his injuries, each one was done slowly and over time. I look up and locate his trail of blood. In the blood puddles, I can see the shape of a foot. It's bare, and it's definitely not human, even though it has five toes.

I stand. My fear and adrenaline are gone, replaced by an oh-so-familiar calm. The kind of calm I learned to wield when my life is on the line. This creature isn't far. I flit my eyes around the trees and strain my ears. There. I flick my gaze to the right of the dead body. A small thump. Just barely audible. With a deep and exaggerated sigh, I go back to inspecting the blood trial. It won't attack unless I'm not looking at it.

Sure enough, as soon as my gaze goes to the blood, a loud thump echoes off the tree where Everet sits. I snap my head in that direction and bring my sword up. A white wall slams into my arm, causing me to stumble back, but I'm stable immediately. In front of me, a small white creature crouches. It's about the size of a child. It has a reptilian-shaped face with completely white eyes, and its body is small and wiry, with a small potbelly. Black fur covers most of its forearm and forelegs, while a small rag covers its crotch even though It doesn't have any reproductive organs.

It snarls, and its mouth opens, revealing two sets of sharp teeth. This must be a Kob. I take a step back. I glance at the claws on its fingers. They aren't very long but look extremely sharp.

Zack lands beside me with a huff, "I see you found one. Sucks to be that guy, though." He walks up to the Kob and glares at it. The creature yelps and scurries behind a nearby tree. I'm trying to find the right emotion for Zack's sudden interruption of my life-or-death situation, but emotions are failing me right now.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

He taps the body's head with the butt of his spear, "But you know the saying, stupid does as stupid is."

"It's stupid is a stupid does," I say flatly.

He rolls his eyes, "Whateeeever, Mr grammar police. My POINT" He shoves his spear into the dead man's body with an audible squelch. I wince. Even I don't desecrate a corpse. "You don't take on something you can't beat. At least not alone and without information."

He nods to the Kob that hides behind a nearby tree, " I came down here to give you a nugget of wisdom. Those little fuckers are nasty. You give them time, and they'll put you in the grave. Do NOT draw out this fight." He salutes me with his spear and disappears after I blink. How does he do that? I could use that in my repertoire.

The small creature snarls as it cautiously steps from behind the tree. Zack said not to draw this out. I roll my shoulders back. No time like the present. I grip my sword with both hands and lunge at the monster. It shrieks and moves its arm in the way as the edge scrapes against bone. Black blood spills onto the blade. It wrenches free and jumps back a dozen feet, holding its wound. I can't give the thing any room to breathe.

I run, trying to keep up, but the creature is very quick, and its claws grip the trees well. By the time I get within striking distance, it has already lunged to the next. Even with its alarming dexterity, the gaping wound in its right arm seems to keep it from climbing. If I keep going after it, eventually, it'll have to drop and face me. That or it dies from blood loss.

We keep up this game of tag for several minutes until I notice a pattern. The Kob is running in circles. Is it waiting for something? I freeze. Oh shit. It's stalling for time. It's waiting for backup. I grit my teeth. If I don't end this now, I'm a dead man. The Kob seems to notice me not following, and it slams its left hand into a tree, turning to face me. The Kobs not even using its right arm anymore.

I take a deep breath and bring the sword to my ear like I'm throwing a spear. It's now or never. With a grunt, I step forward and throw the sword with all my might. I don't expect much, but I hear a thud and a screech. The sword pierced it right in the right shoulder. The monster grabs at the sword with its good hand frantically as I run up. I grab the hilt and twist. The Kob screams and kicks me in the gut, and I step back as a burning sensation envelops my stomach, bile filling my mouth. I fall to my knees. Fuck, that thing is strong.

I cough as saliva drips from my mouth, and my sword plops down in front of me, the blade chipped and covered in blood. I reach for it and miss the first time, my sight blurry. With the second attempt, I manage to grasp the hilt and look up just in time for a fist the size of my head coming toward me. By instinct, I bring the sword to my chest, hoping to block the fist. With an audible crack, the sword snaps cleanly in two, and I'm sent a dozen feet back, slamming into a tree.

"Ugh." My head pounds, and I can feel my left arm going numb. My gaze drifts up, and dread fills my body. The small creature I was fighting had completely changed. The once black fur is now blood red, and black veins cover its entire body. The reptilian head has a more pronounced snout, and teeth poke out from both lips. The claws in its hands are now six to eight inches long. The thing has to be nine feet tall. It roars and stumbles toward me. The wounds on its arm haven't healed, but the bleeding has stopped.

I shakily stand, bracing myself against the tree. With a grunt, the monster swipes at me, and all I can do is bring my arms up. Pain flares through my right forearm, and the feel of warm liquid follows. I brace myself for the next attack, but it never comes. I peek over my arms and see the Kob had taken several steps back and was swaying. It must be from the blood loss. I glance at my arm. The forearm guard is completely severed, but it seems to have protected me from the brunt of the blow.

I cough, and some blood trickles out of my mouth. I definitely have internal injuries. My breath comes in heaves as I struggle to maintain consciousness. There is no pain, probably because of the adrenaline, but my body still feels the effects. I look down at my destroyed sword. This is worthless. I toss it aside with a grunt and pull my backup off my back. At the very least, I won't go down without a fight.

I squeeze the handle as hard as I can and limp over to the beast. Just like me, it seems to be struggling to even stand. "This is it, you bastard." I drag the sword behind me and move to lift it when I hear a metallic scrap. I glance down at the sword as the metal strips holding it to the sheath slowly retreat into the scabbard. The blood that was running down my arm was being sucked into the blood core, leaving no trace that it even left my body. I lift the weapon, and the dark gray blade frees itself, the white lines giving it the look of shattered glass. The cut on my arm stops bleeding, and the wound scabs over. Not healed but plugged.

I bring the weapon level with my waist, tip pointed to the Kob. I won't waste this chance. It's now or never.