I will show them—all who woefully looked down on me. Fennel’s squad, the green witch, the citizens of this screwed up city. They will know just how strong this foreign Feral really is.

I’m not sure when, but at some point I started running on all fours. It felt natural so who was I to change it. Not that I really thought about it when my prey stood before me, looking so squishy.

I think I heard some protests as my limbs pounded the ground, but they were washed out from the blood rushing through my ears as well as the chorus of warfare that stood between me and that so-called boss.

Jaren’s back up squad was currently locked in battle with a few monsters, mostly differing sizes of reptiles, only small pockets of the other forest creatures. No other signs of the morphed Ferals however. I weaved through the chaos with grace befitting one such as myself. None of the monsters had a chance at stopping me.

I could have helped some of Laurel’s warriors caught up in their own small battles, but I knew the best way to help them was sitting past this small portion of the battlefield. So I kept my eyes set on taking down that pale, oversized gecko.

It hadn’t moved from its spot at the front. Only its slowly swaying tail showed any movement. Silvery liquid pooled around its feet and dripped from its tail, but it never seeped into the ground as most liquids would. It was reminiscent of room temperature mercury, the liquid metal.

Its beady red eyes scanned around the battlefield, each fidgeting in opposite directions. I’ve no clue what the beast searched for, that is until a single one of its eyes met with my own.

The whole world stopped. The din of battle fell still, the dance of flames above halted. The soldiers and monsters both halted their war. Time had seemingly paused. I tried to look around, to see what had happened, but my vision was glued forward. All I could see was that red dot. A red dot that started to grow.

In an instant, an unbelievable pressure bore down on my whole being. A soul crushing despair took root, I could no longer even feel my own heart beat. Ice chilled my veins. Dread. Malice. Hate. Those simple words were all I could muster to describe what I saw in that growing red eye.

Then the rest of the monster moved, its whole body shifted, turning towards me. Its tongue rolled out of its mouth, deliberately passing over each of its spiny jagged teeth. With its full attention now, I heard one more word enter my mind, yet it was foreign, coming straight from the gecko’s mind.

Prey.

I felt a tingle on my shoulder. A Preflex, a sensation I’d come to love. The small prick was just enough to snap me out of that trance. All at once I returned to the battle. I was still sprinting toward the boss, though much closer to the monsters’ side than I was just a second ago.

I stopped in my tracks and leapt to the side, rolling on to the ground. I sprung up and turned toward the sensation. I saw a ball of goop land right where I had just been. I activated Eternal Shade right then and searched for what attacked me. It didn’t take long to find the single normal gecko monster. It stood above the body of a soldier. Its most recent prey.

Righteous anger flooded my chest as my hands tightened. I could kill it. It wouldn’t be a challenge. But I didn’t have time for small fry like this. I had a bigger task. I turned back towards the boss. But before I could, fear gripped at my heart. An echo of that dread from a moment ago stopped me from looking at the Red Striped Gexen.

Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

I whipped back around to the single normal gexen and pounced out of the shadow. I grabbed its side and latched down on it with my claws. It swung its tail at me but I hopped over the swing and dug my other hand into its side. Then let loose on its back, slashing out in frustration. The rush from Predator’s Bloodlust dulled some of the anger, but not for long.

I looked down at it after a minute. It was shredded. But I felt no satisfaction like I usually did from a kill. And I knew why. I still felt it, the boss’s beady glare still sat on my shoulders. But I couldn’t match its gaze.

I ripped into the gecko again, hoping for another hit of bloodlust, but it never came. Only a growing exasperation. I cursed myself. Was I not the peak of creation? Did I not have something to prove to haters that surrounded me in the city? Then why was I letting this single sickly looking gecko get to me so much?

Yet the fear held me back.

For all the berating I gave myself, I still could bear to face the monster again.

In another burst of frustration, I knelt on the ground and yelled into the air. I stabbed my arm with one of my claws, the pain releasing me from my paralysis. In the brief moment of clarity, I looked toward the boss. I planned on killing the monstrosity, that meant I needed to be able to even look at it. Hell it was still a hundred feet away…

However, when I finally looked over to where the boss sat and watched the battle, I found nothing. It was gone. Not a single trace of it actually. Even the silvery pools were gone.

“What?” I stammered out.

Then I felt a wetness crawl up my knee. I looked down. Pure silver covered my knee, and began to climb up the rest of my leg. I tried to jump away, but to no avail. The metallic liquid glued me to the ground.

My eyes followed its trail on the ground, they stopped at a foot. A pale, nearly see through foot. I could almost make out the veins pulsing throughout its leg. Finally I looked up, only to find a gaping maw coming straight for me. Its diamond shaped mouth doubled in size as it widened further, enough to swallow two of me whole with relative ease.

Shit.

It was all I could think of. I messed up. Why did I think I could take on a boss by myself? These were things Len had to go all out on. Len, the guy that bent fire itself to his will.

Well maybe I will get to see Terrence again. Wonder how he’s doing?

I closed my eyes.

“Don’t go quitting on me like that, kiddo!”

The words made me jump. My eyes shot open. A strange warmth came over me, effectively driving the fear from my body. Then in a split second, a plan came to my head.

I slashed out at the leather pant leg just above where the silver liquid covered it, just above the knee. It tore slightly, leaving a hole. I knew it would take a few swipes to cut through the leather proper, but this was enough. I reverted out of Tigris form, my body shrinking as my skin turned green. Once I fully shifted into Gremlin form, I turned on Fight and Flight. Hot musky breath smacked the side of my face. The world slowed down as I sped up, but even then the lizard's teeth headed straight for me with incredible speed.

I stuck my shrunken leg out of the hole in the pant leg. Once it was free, I dug both my feet into the ground and pulled myself as hard as I could away from the incoming jaws. The liquid kept me trapped, but I knew that was going to happen. The small tear allowed the pants to stretch. I just hoped it was enough.

Its jaws clamped down with a loud chomp, tearing through the rest of the pant leg. I went tumbling backwards, as the leather armor tore due to the boss’s bite.

I kept FnF active as I rose to my feet. The beast’s silver liquid was already coming for me, but I should be alright. I can move faster than it as long as my stamina held out.

I squatted down, getting ready to sprint away.

Yet just as I lifted my naked foot, something wrapped around it. I looked down and found the culprit: green vines.