We were woken up by a terrifying roar. Are you forling serious? The apparently did not like us getting away. Several trees we could see were shaking from the tantrum it was throwing. I know they’re determined at times, but this is not good. Nil’s face looked like a he was trying not to cry; the two of us stood up quietly taking several deep breaths. Nil summoned his sword, as we scanned around us.

We should talk mentally for now. Nil told me, scanning around for a plan.

I can’t believe it followed us down here. I replied as Nil clearly began focusing.

Why didn’t it leap off the cliff? Nil inquired. What was going on in that head of his?

It likely couldn’t stop the fall. excels at movement and manipulating distance. I informed him. What do we do?

Why would it bother chasing us? Nil asked. Nil was scheming. What’s there to scheme here? We weren’t tricking it with our current resources.

They are tenacious; it apparently doesn’t want to give up on eating us. I conceded. What could we possibly do?

Nil sighed before using to move us. What’s the best way for us to survive? Nil’s waterway theory was at least a preliminary objective. I’m useless against the . Who arranged this? How did they track this beast down? Letting Nil conserve as much strength as possible for when we had to escape it was definitely the strategy. How many times can we manage it? I did not want to test. We resumed the direction we were walking yesterday, trying hard to make no noise. The forest air was surprisingly dry as we walked. Every so often we could hear the rummaging around, looking for us. It bellowed once in a while. We encountered nothing else as it kept tracking us. Why? Why does it want us so badly? Each time we heard it, my blood turned to ice. My throat was getting a bit parched as we marched. We walked through the forest trying to keep quiet. Nil looked at me, before using and returned with two pitcher plants. What? He drank from his while handing me another. Oh. Is this safe? Nil was looking at me like we didn’t have time to spare. He’s not wrong.

Are you sure it’s a good idea? I inquired, a tad skeptical of how good of an idea this was.

No clue. We’ll die of dehydration faster than we’ll die if it’s not safe, most likely. It’s a calculated risk; it should just be rainwater. Nil confessed. It wasn’t like we had many alternatives for water.

Fine. I sighed as I drank the water.

It was not a bad idea. We have no idea how long it will be until we find some form of civilization. Even as we walked, I could tell Nil’s mind was running a mile a minute. It’s amazing how long he can focus. His eyes were intense. We need some method of either losing the . I walked up to him and rubbed his back. Nil jumped a little, looking at me.

Why are you doing that? Nil probed, seeming confused.

You look tense. What can I do to help? I answered. We needed some form of plan. But. What? We were stranded in a forest with an apex predator on our trail. The fact it went down the cliff after us was not a good sign.

I don’t know. I’ve read up on because of Lux, but I’m not sure what can be useful. What and you know. Nil explained. He was clearly trying to think of something.

I was never good at this kind of thing; I wish I could think of a scheme or plan. Unfortunately, the thought of an and us being stranded was really getting to me. I knew Nil’s scheming and planning ability exceeded mine, or at least would eventually. I was assuming he possesses the skill already from what he did to Grisbane. What would we do if it found us?

I have for when we encounter others, for locating nearby beings, and for attacking. The others are a bit more utility oriented. I explained. Nil was nodding as we kept walking.

What about your ? Nil checked. I wish I could tell what was going through that head of his. His ability to think made me more curious about Earth.

I’ve learned . I can do basic support with my current body. I answered. I knew my limits and remember how to cast much stronger , but I didn’t think one of us crippling ourselves is a good idea.

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Are there any countries or people in the Ahzen Forest? Nil inquired. It was likely our best bet finding someone here. The might be aggressive, but it wasn’t that stupid.

Elves live somewhere in the forest. If I recall correctly, they lived in the southern portion. They are fairly secretive and dislike outsiders. We shouldn’t rely on finding them. I told Nil, trying not to sigh. Elves didn’t like outsiders from what I remembered. We also had no idea where in this forest we are.

Fine. Can you tell me more about the ? Nil requested. We were now navigating around some treacherous roots.

What do you want to know? I checked. Nil and I froze for a brief moment as we heard a massive roar. It’s getting closer. How close that roar made us both go pale.

Anything we can use to get away at minimum. We aren’t going to have a cliff to leap off of each time. Nil clarified, taking a few deep breaths as we continued our hike.

They have armor like fur. As you saw, lightning fast. They possess immense, brute strength. Nearly all possess . I began. Nil grimaced at that. It definitely was the worst thing we could have found.

Why are they so bad for ? You said immune, but what gives them immunity? Nil asked. His face was barely keeping it together.

Their endless rage. An possesses some of the highest mental fortitude of anything on Tenebrae. Similar to Lux, it knows that can deal with what its natural cannot as far as is concerned. Their iron will is the problem. I explained. Nil was shaking for a moment as he composed himself. Our prospects are grim.

So, their only weakness is they are not smart? That thing was not stupid, but that’s seriously the only weakness? Nil pressed, clearly looking for some silver lining.

They live only in this forest, which is massive. To be clear, this forest might be larger than Speranza. Most people don’t come in deep enough to encounter them. It’s one of the least known and is known for its combat prowess. I informed him. What little hope was in Nil’s eyes seemed to be dwindling.

Then how did someone know where to send us to encounter one? Nil probed. Actually. That’s a great point. How did someone know where to find one?

Someone was meticulous. I retorted, realizing Nil had a great point. That was a chilling realization.

Are there any other ideas I had? A I came up with? Or is it just ? Nil inquired. What is he thinking of?

Maybe? When it came to your enemies you stuck to the basics or used that you hid the mechanisms of. I told him. His face sank. I wished I could give him some good news.

Nil went silent for a bit. He’s not seriously considering fighting it, is he? I was jarred from wondering what Nil could possibly be thinking as the roared near us again. Just great. Nil grimaced but kept us walking forward. What could he be plotting? Do I interrupt him or let him think it through? We walked at a brisk pace, moving forward as much as we could. Why? Just leave us alone. We walked for another ten minutes until I felt it. A bone chilling stare. My skin crawled. Nil instantly grabbed me, turning to face our adversary; his eyes were glowing already. The was glaring at us, looking furious. Nil tried something. I felt his was expended a little bit, but the roared in fury and launched itself at us. It seemed much angrier than before.

That failed. Nil grumbled as he used to get us out of the way.

You aren’t seriously thinking about fighting it, are you?! I roared at him. Nil’s face was all the answer I needed.

On the fence about it. My best bet at defeating this thing is while I’m rested. What can we do to avoid this thing? Nil retorted. He was obviously shaking. To be fair, so was I.

I. I don’t know. I confessed. But this was suicidal. How could we possibly win?

We don’t have a lot of options. I’d like to test the water. Nil explained as he took a few composing breaths.

What did you test? I checked. Nil looked a bit dismayed.

Could I its heart out of its chest. Current answer, we need to run for our lives. Nil told me. No wonder it’s angry.

Brilliant deduction. I snapped. Nil sighed as he kept his eyes on our monstrous opponent. Could we outrun this thing?

Unfortunately, the had little intention of waiting around. It slammed its hand into a nearby tree, shattering it. In a smooth motion, it flipped the tree, ramming it through everything nearby before throwing it like a spear at us. Nil simply to the side. It descended upon us where we landed, as Nil already prepared . The monster jumped over it, launching itself nearly twenty feet into the air. Nil quickly cast again, turning it to hit the . The beast kicked off a tree, landing about twenty feet away from us. Why did it bother dodging? Nil let out a deep breath as the roared in frustration at us. He’s not seriously considering this, is he? I tried grabbing Nil to run, but he was planted firm. His face looked beyond determined. What could he possibly be thinking that would let us win?

Nil, this is insanity! I snapped at him as he glared at our monstrous foe.

No battle is won before it’s fought. This may not be as hopeless as you think. Nil retorted with a frightening amount of confidence. Had he lost it?

Nil, we need to flee. I insisted, trying to get him to move.

Luna, we have to try something. I don’t think we can evade this thing and I’m pretty sure if I try getting us over the cliff it’ll catch us. I’m hoping if we fight back enough it’ll not risk harm and go for easier prey. Most predators don’t like things that can hurt them. Nil explained, sounding much more composed.

That’s a crazy theory! You have no idea if you’re right! I spat at him as the lunged after us.