I hated not knowing Bella’s fate. We were about to enter another lair and I was distracted.

“Focus, Belov,” Al snapped. “We can find out about Bella as soon as we get out of there. For now, just focus on getting out alive.

I nodded. I looked at my team plus three teachers. Coach Liv, Professor Beau, and Professor Barducci. Behind the teachers was the familiar black mist that made up the entrance to a lair. All around it was an unnatural jungle that looked completely out of place in the middle of a corn field. Coach Liv cleared his throat and started, “This is the Hunter’s Run. The beasts we need to hunt each day are random. It will be up to us to track these beasts and kill them. Or it would be in a normal difficulty Lair. At Heroic . . . well, as we know, it tends to be significantly more difficult and dangerous.”

Coach paused to look over at us. “You all know your roles. You know what’s expected of you. Let’s go.” There didn’t need to be any other words. Coach entered the portal first and as usual, I walked through in step with Alphonse.

Welcome to the Hunter’s Run. . . Heroic Presences detected . . . difficulty rating increased. Hunt the hunter before your prey is hunted. Beware the bloodlust of the hunter, should you fail, the jungle will come for you. Five hunts await you. Good Luck!

According to Coach Liv, this lair had always been about hunting a prey type beast. Tracking it down and killing it before time ran out on the day. Now, it sounded like we had to hunt a beast that was hunting our target. It was turned into a competition. Worse, it also sounded like if we failed, the hunter would get stronger and more dangerous if we didn’t get it before it got the prey.

My boots hit wet ground as I came out of the portal and I was hit with humidity and damp in the air like a wet towel. I thought I saw a flash of movement in front of me, but lost it as the last of the students and teachers came through the portal behind me.

The jungle was bright and green, with trees that towered above and exotic plants and flowers I couldn’t name. The vegetation was alive with the scents of plants but it was quiet. No insects, no birds, no wildlife of any kind. It was erie.

“Scouts, no time to hesitate, start searching for a trail ” Coach Liv ordered.

I closed my eyes and breathed in deeply. The scent of lotuses and herbs, some crushed by my passing, some unfolding as the sun warmed them, rushed into my nose. The earthy smells of moss and wet leaves was thick, but the air lingered with the musky odour of the creatures that had passed by earlier. I could almost taste it on my tongue, sweet with a hint of nutmeg and caramel. A tingling in my veins reminded me of the warmth of a summer afternoon, streaks of pink and yellow intermingling through my Synesthesia.

“I’ve got their scents,” I said, starting off in a run, following the pink and yellow scents into the thick jungle.

I heard Coach Liv behind me give the first order, “Follow at a safe distance.”

As I ran, I kept an ear out for movement, filtering out my team as best I could, I focused on the trail ahead of me. The jungle was hard to maneuver through, the thick bushes and vines grew up around me, blocking my way and catching on my clothes. I knew trying to go faster could have ended in injury, but I still pushed myself. I didn’t want the beasts to get too far ahead of us.

My nostrils twitched as I trailed the two scents, weaving and winding through the underbrush and around the ancient oak trees. The pink trail meandered ever upwards, while the yellow hung closer to the ground. I sighed heavily, unsure of which scent was carrying the prey. As much as I wished it were the pink, I knew too well not to get my hopes up.

I stopped next to the tree and waited for my team to catch up.

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Reaching me first, Coach Liv asked softly, “What’s wrong?”

“One of the trails went up into the trees,” I answered.

Coach frowned and studied the tree. He rubbed his hands along the bark and paused to peer closer. “Claws. Sharp ones at that. Probably dealing with an ambush predator then. Okay, keep after the trail on the ground. We won’t be far behind you.”

I nodded and followed the faint yellow scent trail that lingered in the air, occasionally stopping to listen for any noise coming from above. The animal's trail was easy to follow but tricky to keep up with as it weaved between the trees. After what felt like an eternity of chasing, I heard the sound of rushing water and realised it was coming from a river.

The jungle suddenly stopped at a rocky ledge overlooking a foaming white river far below. The yellow scent trail continued along the ledge and that's when I finally got a good look at what I was chasing. It was about my size, with short brown fur, four antlers, and six hoofed feet. Its eight black eyes peered over its shoulder at me as it hissed, then leaped forward with incredible speed.

I was about to call out to my team when I heard something else. It was a low growl, barely audible over the sound of water rushing below me. I heard footsteps, and then the gentle creek of a branch bending under weight. I looked up and squinted, catching a flash of light in the tree canopy. A chill ran down my spine as I realised something was watching me.

Suddenly, a creature sprang from the trees, diving straight for me with a deep growl. I tried to dive aside and avoid the beast, but it grabbed hold of my leg and bit down hard, dragging me over the rough rocks of the cliff. In pain, I kicked and punched wildly at the creature until I finally felt it loosen its grip enough for me to break free. I scrambled back away from it, my heart racing as I tried to get a good look at what had attacked me.

It was large and lean with a square head and large sharp teeth. It was four-legged and had dark, almost black fur that seemed to absorb the light. Its eyes shone with yellow-gold irises. I didn’t look at it for long before it growled at me and lunged for my bleeding leg.

I dug my heels into the soil, pushing off with all my might to try and escape the beast, but it lunged and held fast onto my leg with one of its huge, razor-sharp claws. I felt each nail dig deep into my flesh as I was dragged closer. With desperation, I threw my other leg out, blindly searching for a way to fight back. My foot only struck air but the beast’s claw found its target, slicing four more deep grooves into my leg. The Thick Hide skill that should have protected me from such an attack seemed to have no effect as the claws only dug in deeper.

I pulled a flechette from my bandolier and threw it at the beast, but the projectile just skittered off its skull with a shallow cut. Throwing two more had no better effect and I hastily tried forming a blade of energy to chop into it, but I realised that my vision was beginning to blur and that the blood pouring from my wounds was happening far too quickly for me to do anything else.

I thrashed, pushing and clawing at the monster with what weak effort I could muster, but it seemed unfazed. Its grip only tightened on me until I thought I would be crushed. But then, in an instant, the beast released me, sending me sprawling to the ground in shock. Was it just adjusting its grip? Did it get its hunk of meat and decide to feast on it? I vaguely heard a pained sound from the beast, but I knew it wasn’t from anything I had done. The only thing that mattered was that I was free. I pulled myself away from the beast with my hand and arms even as darkness continued encroaching on me. I was unwilling, or maybe unable, to use my mangled legs. I needed to escape, to get away. I needed distance so I could try to heal myself. I didn’t care about the beast’s pained sounds. I didn’t care about the shouting and yelling that sounded so far away. I just knew the beast wasn’t near me and I was going to die if I didn’t do something about it. In my pain-addled mind I saw the ledge and heard the river below. It was a way out. I crawled while I still had energy. Once my torso was at the edge it didn’t take more to just fall over the side.

The water was shockingly cold but I didn’t have the energy to fight against it. I let it pull me away. I don’t know how long I drifted in the water. I felt several impacts against rocks as I went. I vaguely remembered falling through the air as water pounded around me.

I didn’t remember coming out of the water. I didn’t remember if I crawled on shore or if I just drifted there. At some point, I just knew I was dying. It was a miracle I hadn’t died already, either from drowning or from blood loss. I didn’t have any healing magic and was too tired to try to patch myself up. Somewhere in my pain-addled mind, I knew instinctively what I needed to do. I activated a power that I had never attempted before - Torpor. Would it be enough to keep me alive? I had no way of knowing, but it was my only hope.

The skill spread a warm comforting feeling throughout my body, numbing the pain in my legs, and igniting a fire in my stomach. As I drifted off, I really hoped that beast was far behind me. I wasn’t left to wonder for long as sleep took hold and darkness engulfed me completely.