The size of a wolf, my ass!

And it was probably bigger than a regular bear, too. It was hard to tell with those freakishly long limbs, but it was definitely far larger than Luric had expected.

Also, and it had white eyes.

The lusrae was so black that all Luric could discern inside its outline were the two gleaming white eyes staring curiously at what was going on in the square.

That’s when Luric noticed it had something in its maw. Hanging by the neck, bloody and lifeless, was the fresh corpse of a man.

For the briefest of moments, the square had gone completely still, the horrific image rendering everyone too stunned to move. But Luric could already sense the collective terror that was about to rip through the crowd, sending people ricocheting in every direction, and making it harder for him to track motion should the monster decide to pounce. He had only a second before all hell broke loose.

“NOBODY MOVE!” he bellowed.

If there was one thing he could appreciate about the people of forest dependent communities, it was their ingrained sense of survival. People that are taught from an early age what to do and how to act should they ever encounter a wild animal; a bear or a wolf, or something worse. His words must have prompted that part of their subconsciousness that told them not to make sudden movements in front of a large predator. No one started running. Yet. They were shaking and whimpering, though.

Luric reached inside, where he found the energy bubbling and agitated, and allowed it to rise to the surface. He’d have to use much more of it than usual in order to be able to face something of that size. It seeped into his system, pulsating rapidly, and he felt his muscles grow and bulge, his bones lengthen and harden; these clothes would be ripped and stretched beyond repair, he noted angrily. He stopped just short of losing his human visage; Luric rarely went all the way with his transformation. He didn’t feel quite as in control when he was in that state.

With his eyesight enhanced, he could make out the tiny hairs on its back blowing softly in the light wind. So it had fur, just like Luric did when he was fully transformed.

The thing leaned forward a little, as if to peer at him, and opened its jaws wide enough for the body to slip out. Luric knew that the sickening crunch of flesh and bones would be too horrific for the people to handle and he had to make his move before the body hit the ground.

He charged, claws at the ready. Luric tore through the mass of frozen people gaping at the monster, adding as much speed as he could to gain velocity and then launch himself at the beast on the roof. The leap would be tricky, but if he got the takeoff right he should be able make it all the way to it. He hoped that taking the offensive so boldly would startle the monster and convince it to retreat. Luric could chase it off to somewhere where there weren’t as many people around.

But nothing had gone as planned today, and apparently now was not going to be any different.

Luric jumped and was already mid-air when he saw the monsters grab the edges of the roof, pull the rest of its body back like the string of a bow being drawn, and then slingshot itself right at him. Its mouth was opened impossibly wide, and those razor-sharp teeth posed to tear into him. Propelled like that, it could even cleave him in half. He couldn't evade the attack while in the air, so he had no choice but to try and shield himself as much as he could. He brought up one forearm as guard for his head and neck, and the other for his stomach.

They collided violently, and Luric felt those these teeth clamp down on his arms. He flexed his muscles to keep the fangs from going all the way through them. Bodies twisted and twirled until they crashed on the ground, and even then, the beast did not let go.

Both righted themselves at once, the monster shaking its head side to side trying to shred Luric's limbs off. Luric in turn gathered all his strength to push against the pressure of its jaws and force the maw apart. His arms were a bloody mess, but as long as the bones weren't broken and the muscles fairly intact, he was good. Adrenaline would stave off most of the pain until later.

It seemed like he and the beast were caught in a stalemate - it trying to chomp down, Luric trying to dislocate its mandible. From the corner of his eye, he saw it prepare to fling its long right arm at him, fingers clenched, and talons extended. He had no means to deflect that attack, so before it could start clawing at him, he leaned backwards as much as he could, and head-butted the fucker right in the snout.

He managed to startle the thing into letting go. It crawled back a little, blinded by the stinging pain and huffing loudly through its abused nose.

This was his chance.

Luric was on it before the lusrae could catch its bearings, and grabbed it by its short stubby neck. His right arm kept a tight lock on the throat while his left one went over its head to clutch the left lower jaw. He then pulled. Snapping the neck rarely killed them, but breaking the spine should at least render it motionless long enough for him to deliver the finishing blow.

But again, the thing surprised him. Instead of tensing and resisting the sprain, he felt it go lax. It threw its entire weight to the side and rotated its body congruous to Luric's pull. To keep its spine aligned with the position Luric was forcing its head into. This was beyond instinctual, this was a calculated counter move that no dull-witted creature should have been able to comprehend, let alone carry out. This lusrae had understood what Luric was trying to do, and understood how to oppose it.

So not only was it larger than expected, more aggressive than expected, but also smarter than expected.

He had to end it. Fast.

The monster was now belly up and vulnerable, so he dislodged an arm to go for its exposed throat and rip it open with his claws. The beast was faster, bringing its large front appendages to cover and protect its neck. It then curved itself into a ball, and Luric found himself face to face with its powerful hind legs aimed at him. He got punted what seemed like halfway across the square.

Luric found his footing with far more difficulty then he'd have liked, vision a little blurry from the blow and loss of blood. But at least the lusrae didn't seem any better off. It scrambled to quickly roll back on its legs, and then lowered its head to glower at him.

There was a suspicious lack of barred fangs. Any other animal would have been showing teeth at this point, to warn and dissuade its assailant from coming closer.

Bright, white eyes were staring at him from within the monochrome blackness, and Luric couldn't help but feel like it was analyzing him. Sizing him up.

Slowly, it started to crawl towards him. It was only then that Luric got the first good look at its form. It had impossibly long and nimble front limbs with which it dragged its thick and compact trunk across the ground, one cautious stride at a time. Its hind legs were far shorter, and watching it maneuver itself around, Luric realized the thing resembled a wingless bat. It wasn't built for speed - not with those uneven legs - but for gripping and swinging around. It had hands rather than paws, and the only thing that could hinder its dexterity were those dangerously long and sharp claws. It wasn't the weirdest shape he had seen in a lusrae, yet watching it slink its way to him unnerved Luric far more than a frenzied charge would have.

But by far the most unnerving thing about it was its awareness.

It kept its eyes fixed on him, and stopped right as it came within striking distance of its longer limbs. Sure enough, it raised its right arm and coiled it like a scorpion’s tail, with four long talons at its end instead of a stinger. Luric prepared himself for the attack.

And the attack came, but not from where he had expected it.

Instead of the arm, he found himself the target of those fucking teeth again. Luric barely had time to jump aside as its head shot forward with lightening speed, it's gaping maw snapping shut just inches away from his stomach. Holy shit! How had it closed the distance so fast without him noticing it?

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Turns out it hadn't, at least, not all of it. The body hadn't moved, only the head. The thing could extend and retract its neck at will, incredibly fast and incredibly far. The bastard had saved this little idiosyncratic trick for last to use as a trump card. Moreover, it had tried to fool him, had deliberately lured his attention towards its claws, made him expect an attack from a different direction, and struck while he was distracted. It had almost worked. If it hadn't been for his enhanced senses and reflexes, he would now be missing half his torso and with no idea where it went.

You -you fucking piece of rat shit!

Not only had it thwarted absolutely every one of Luric's attempts, it also thought it could outwit him.

First Izver, now this.

At least Luric wasn't the only one losing his patience; frustrated that its tactic hadn't worked, the beast hissed and snarled, stomped its legs angrily at the ground. It was done with forethought, regressing to a state of pure anger and aggressiveness. It lurched forward, once more trying to catch Luric by darting its neck.

Luric had been hoping for this.

He didn't move away, and counted on his sense of precision and speed to time this just right. Just as the head was about to reach him, he rotated his hip and torso, and swung his right leg with all his strength. His knee connected with the side of the head, knocking it away with a loud crack. Luric hoped he had broken its jaw.

It was kind of hilarious how the neck wobbled as it retracted back in its gullet. The beast was swaying slightly from side to side; the kick had left it dazed.

Come on, go for it one more time. Let's see you try and make a fool out of me now.

But the monster wasn't budging, just staring at him. Analyzing again.

And then it let out a roar. A load, explosive howl that flooded the square, the whole town; Luric could swear it had bounced off the mountain ridge north of them with the way it echoed through the air.

The battle cry wasn't followed by an onslaught however, instead the monster turned around, scurried back over to the buildings surrounding the square, and with two long hauls of its front legs disappeared over the edge.

It was running away.

Luric was tired, wounded, and far from as advantaged over his adversary as he thought he'd be, but if he if he let it escape now, he might actually find himself even worse off the next time they fought.

Oh no you don't! And chased it.

He could go after it on the roofs, so as to keep it in his sight, but he suspected its built would give it an edge over Luric on the slippery and uneven canopy of tiles. He chose to run after it on the ground, keeping his ears focused on the thumps and clatter that marked the direction of its movement. Every so often, he could see sinewy limbs pop out over the ledge, debris from crushed bricks and slate raining down on him.

He cut through a narrow alleyway separating two houses and saw the length of it pass from one side to the other right above him. Seeing its underside stretch out to cross the gap gave Luric an idea. He sped up.

His plan depended on whether or not the monster was heading where he thought it was. They were in the southwestern part of town, and if Luric remembered correctly, this was the only district where the crowded constructions didn't devolve into vastly spaced huts and cottages before it met the edge of the forest. From here, it could swing its way from the roofs right into the line of trees and disappear among the thick foliage. It had to be cut off before then, and he ran faster to overtake the monster.

He reached the street just seconds before it did. The creature had to traverse it if it wanted to reach the forest, but the gap was too wide for it to simply hoist itself over it. It leaped, body and extremities extended along the trajectory, leaving its soft underbelly completely exposed and accessible. Luric was right under it. He bent down fast, until his knees were angled just right, and propelled himself vertically with all the force his muscles could provide. He impaled it with his claws, fingers going all the way inside its flesh and he hooked them to secure his hold even as they went barreling down. The beast hollered in pain, and it twisted midair to land on its backside. Luric was straddling it and he pushed his claws in even deeper to try and inflict as much damage as he could, maybe even reach down all the way to its spine and rip it out. But he couldn't penetrate as far as he wanted.

Underneath its skin, he found a thick, black, viscous substance and it felt like he had shoved his hands inside wet tar. He had seen black ooze come out of the wounds of other monsters before, but it had never been this though or dense. And stranger still, as he took out his hands, none of it stuck to him. He had no time to mull over yet another anomaly - the arms were moving to encircle him, and he was forced to catch each large spidery hand and push it away before he found himself trapped in its grasp. He became aware of his mistake far too late; now it was his body that was wide open.

His eyes met the colorless glimmer staring at him only for a split second before that open mouth was accelerating towards him again. He was so sick of those damned teeth. But he couldn't move to kick it away this time, so all he could do was pivot sideways to keep his head from being bitten off. It chomped down on his left shoulder instead and his ribcage was barely strong enough to keep the fangs from piercing his heart. Its clasp on him was good and strong and when that powerful neck whipped around, it lifted his entire body off of it, and flung him against a wall. The impact had him black out for a few moments and he came to just in time to see its hide disappear behind a corner. He peeled himself out of the rubble and staggered after it. But he could no longer run, and it took too much effort to drag his feet through the pain and exhaustion. By the time he reached the tree line, the monster was long gone.

He couldn't follow it in there. That was its territory, and he was in no shape to try and outmatch it while it had the advantage of familiar terrain. That thing was far too smart for his liking.

Luric had chased it off, but his aim had been to kill it on the first encounter; for him, this meant he had failed.

Shit.

As his body relaxed and adrenaline started to dwindle, the consequences of his recklessness were finally catching up with him, and they were bringing along their best friend: throbbing pain. Ow.

He dropped to his knees and tried to regulate his breathing. He couldn’t shift back to full human yet. Same as his strength and senses were enhanced when in this form, so were his healing abilities. These weren't wounds his human body could handle, and he had to wait for enough of the damage to be repaired before he could completely unwind. But maintaining this form and the accelerated healing was draining him of the little energy he had left, and he still felt the pain as acutely as any other normal person.

He sat down to rest while his flesh recovered, but not once did he take his eyes away from the edge of forest.

This wasn't how it was supposed to be. It shouldn't have gone like this.

Out of all the scenarios he had pictured in his head, not one of them had him waddling through the streets of Runrick in a state of bloody ruin. He had healed away the worst of the damage, but he still looked and felt like he had lost a tussle with a meat grinder. But as battered as his flesh was, nothing could quite compare to the massive blow his pride had taken.

He had come here with the intention to show off, to flaunt his superiority in the miserable faces of the denizens of Runrick, and he had paraded himself around like a peacock during mating season. Not only had he gotten his ass thrashed thoroughly all over town, the people he hated would now get to see him in this sorry state.

How had this happened? One moment everything was going his way, the other it was...not.

First of all, the lusrae should have never ventured within the bounds of the town after last night. His presence alone should have made sure of that. It was one of the first tactics he had learned when training under Mr. Visloc. Lusrae stay clear of Blighted if they can sense them. For one of their missions, they had been tasked to find and kill a man-eating spider-demon, but as it had several lairs strewn across the vast expanse of Oalchar city, it kept eluding them for days. He and Mr. Visloc had separated to cover as much of the city as possible and spread their scent all over. In trying to avoid him and Mr. Visloc, it got driven back until it all it had left was a meager quarter of the city, and finding it afterward was a cinch. Between the long walk to the inn the night before, and his excessive meandering today, enough of his scent should have wafted around to warn it that a new top dog was in town.

But instead of keeping it away, it had attracted it. In his overconfidence, he had just assumed the creature would be way weaker than him; that it would be too scared to come anywhere close to where he was. The monster had sought him out because it had known it could take him.

It hadn't been wrong.

And second of all, why hadn't his senses warned him of its approach?! His insides always went haywire when a hostile lusrae was nearby, yet he had felt nothing all the way up until he had laid his eyes on it the first time. Had he really been so distracted by Izver that he couldn't feel that thing until it was practically upon them. Or maybe his alarms had been going off like they were supposed to, they just got drowned out by all the turmoil he had to deal with today. Nelle, Slatrim, Sivale. Mr. Carshtin, Baliger, Izver. Yes, he had been agitated the whole day, he had just mistook the cause behind it for severe annoyance.

He could hear Mr. Visloc cackling in his ear.

His mind turned to the poor bastard whose corpse was now lying splattered in the square. Who had it gotten on its way to him? Did Luric know the person? It might have even been someone who he had met today, if it was his scent that coaxed the monster out.

He froze!

Sivale?

He felt himself go numb with worry. What if that thing had followed him around all day; had seen Silvale walk with him. He shouldn't have allowed his friend to leave alone. He let his vengefulness and anger dictate his actions, turn him into an inattentive, self-absorbed imbecile, and because of him Sivale might now be-

He caught the sound of frantic footsteps and rapid breathing. Someone was running towards him. Darting from behind a house and stopping dead in his tracks once he saw Luric, was Buck. His eyes widened in surprise, and then widened even more in horror when saw the number the thing had done on him. Their gazes met for a moment, but neither said anything. Luric knew he was supposed give a snide remark, but it was hard to concentrate with the wave of nausea that had just come over him. Maybe Buck had seen who the monster had killed and was here to tell him. Accuse him of what a shitty job he was doing. That it was all his fault.

Another pair of steps, and then Nelle barreled right into Buck. “I told you not to run so fast, I can't -” And then she saw him. She had every right to be angry with him, and he was fully prepared to receive her criticism, and more; what he wasn't prepared for, however, was the open concern she was showing him now. “Are -are you alright?” No scorn, no blame, just concern.

One more person flailed into the picture, and stopped next to them. Right there, severely out of breath and pale-faced, was Sivale.

The surge of relief was far more than his abused and exhausted body could handle, and his legs finally gave out under him.