The thing in front of her reminded her of a really big crocodile with a long snout and rows of teeth. It’s body stretched behind it, covered in scales and flickering with the same wisps of darkness as the Torusinth. It roared so loud pieces of rock fell from the ceiling. Kass fell to her butt in fear, momentarily stunned in shock.

She snapped out of it quickly though, scrambling away just in time. The new monster’s head swept to the side in a flash and its jaws snapped shut where she had just been. The beast didn’t stop there though and lunged at her with its powerful legs, easily covering the distance between them in an instant.

She did the only thing she could, acting on newly acquired instinct. She used Dash. Mana drained from her and her body immediately accelerated, blasting across the open floor of the cavern. As soon as it had started it stopped and she skidded to a halt, kicking up dust. But it had been enough. Behind her the beast seemed slightly confused, opening and closing its mouth as if wondering where its snack went.

In the brief moment of respite Kass used Identify. The window entered her vision and she quickly scanned its contents as she turned to run.

Identify Activated

Jagursaw Wraithling

Level Unknown

Health Unknown

Weaknesses: Unknown

Abilities: Unknown

Predator.

That sure as hell makes me feel better. Shit. Out of the corner of her eye she spotted the Torusinth in the dim light. Without a sound it dipped its head and charged straight at her. No pounding vibrations? No sound at all…an ability? Whatever the answer was, she didn’t have time to find out. It didn’t take long for the monster to cross the distance, even with her running at full speed it was easily catching up.

Just as Kass was about to cast Dash once more, the Torusinth suddenly swerved to the side. With a glance over her shoulder she watched as the bull-like beast slammed into the Jagursaw, catching the thing midair and driving its tusks into the underbelly. Both monsters crashed to the floor, rolling and thrashing in a tangle of limbs. Kass realized the Jagursaw would have probably caught her with that leap had it not been for the Torusinth.

Is it protecting me? It didn’t make any sense. Why would this beast protect her? No...they’re fighting over me….

Kass continued to hightail it away from both creatures as they fought, hoping to escape while they dealt with each other. But her hopes were in vain. Although the two were battling each other, they were only doing so because of her. After slashing the Torusinth with its sharp claws and pushing it away, the Jagursaw leapt at her again. It flew through the air, wobbling like a fish out of water.

Kass had to dive to the side in order to dodge the big monster. It flopped to the ground hard and bounced slightly, the momentum carrying it further to the side. It didn’t seem too bothered by the impact and spun quickly, looking for her.

Kass on the other hand had it much harder. The only option had been to roll, and in the heat of the moment she didn’t hesitate to do so. When she impacted the ground and felt the sharp jolt of pain rush through her though, she knew she had made a mistake. Dizzy with pain she grit her teeth and, after popping back up to her feet, continued running in the random direction she found herself running in.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

Her dislocated shoulder was now looking much worse. The skin around it was cut deeply and was now oozing a clear liquid as well as blood. Kass was pretty sure she saw bone when she looked at it. She looked at the sword still held in her good hand and then at the glossy blood upon the blade. She felt sick just seeing it, but knew she had to keep moving. Note to self...rolling with a sharp sword is not recommended.

The two beasts were grappling again, slashing and goring in a vicious combat. They rolled over the ground, smashing into the large rocks at the edge of the cavern, some even breaking into pieces under their weight. A headbutt and a kick with its six powerful legs freed the Torusinth from the other monster, sending it crashing into the wall.

The big beast rolled to its feet and targeted Kass who was now running towards the tunnel she started in. When the beast charged, she knew she wouldn’t make it and so she stopped and faced the oncoming beast. She was tired of running anyways. Tired of things chasing her. Tired of the pain it all caused.

To hell with it. She was tired of being tired. If the end came then so be it. She knew the sword asked her to save it or keep it away from whatever these things were, but why was all of this suddenly her responsibility? She was just a random girl from some small town. A random girl. Not a hero. Even the ‘powers of destiny’ didn’t think she was good enough to be a hero.

“I’m sorry Whisper. You put your faith in the wrong person…” Kass readied herself for what was to come, only having a few seconds.

The beast was almost upon her when she finally burst into motion. Although she had fought back whatever the blade had created inside of her when she was fighting the Urun, the sword skills still remained. She used them now. Her mind was alive with information, calculating each and every move she made. Even each and every move the beast made.

She ran directly at the beast, prepared now for battle. In her good hand she held the sword in a relaxed grip she knew to be correct. Her other arm hung loose at her side, bouncing with each step and causing pain and still oozing its bloody mixture, but she didn’t pay it any attention. There wasn’t any more time for pain.

As soon as the beast lowered its head to either eat or gore her, Kass slid to a stop and pivoted left. The rough ground ripped up her feet and she now left bloody footprints as she ran. The beast ran past, not having predicted her movement. It also skidded to the side, trying to redirect its momentum.

Even with six legs the Torusinth lost traction and fell to the earth, its legs giving out beneath it. Kass closed in right behind, taking advantage of the prone monster. It too was bleeding from several wounds. Deep gashes from the Jagursaw lined its body, coating its thick hide with blood. The beast scrambled to get up but Kass reached it before it could.

With a yell of her own Kass jumped and slashed Whisper across the back of one of its legs, high as she could. The blade easily cut through the soft tissue and sunk in deep. Its momentum hardly slowed before it ripped out the other side in a spray of blood. Kass landed and quickly moved back from the frenzied monster. It kicked at her small figure but she danced away.

The Jagursaw stirred by the wall as the Torusinth struggled to its feet. It finally made it but one of its front legs failed to support any pressure. Now crippled and more than angry the beast turned back to face Kass. The size difference was laughable, but the monster no longer viewed Kass as an easy snack.

It came at her again, slower this time, but still at an impressive speed. It made next to no sound as it barreled towards her. It was an odd thing to see such a large animal move so quietly. It seemed unnatural. Almost as unnatural as it is to think of myself holding a sword...ha. She grinned slightly and dove out of the way of the large animal.

As she came up she lashed out again with the blade, scoring a hit on the lower portion of a limb. Not quite as devastating, but it was still something. Again the beast fell, but this time Kass didn’t follow up. She rested her hands on her knees, out of breath. Who knew fighting giant things would always be so exhausting…

She looked up and found that the Jagursaw had made it to its feet now. She stood to ready herself but then sighed with relief as the monster pounced on the bull-like beast. It’s long crocodile snout snapped across the Torusinth’s neck and then it began raking its claws against its back, trying to find purchase.

Kass began backing away, for the first time feeling forgotten in this fight. She went slowly at first but picked up speed as she went. She kept her eyes on the two monsters as best she could while making sure she wasn’t going to just run into another toothy monster. The Jagursaw still clamped down on the neck of the Torusinth, but the elephant bull was strong. It pushed to its feet and ran at the wall, swinging its head a second before impact.

The Jagursaw lost hold of the back of the big beast, and its body swung towards the wall, its mouth still locked tight around its enemy's neck. The body whipped around and with a wack was smashed into the wall with great force. The tusks of the Torusinth followed, bringing with it the rest of the big beast’s momentum.

A sickening crunch resounded throughout the cavern and a wail escaped the dying beasts mouth. The Torusinth smashed it again into the wall with a roar and then flicked its neck, sending the crushed and broken monster flying. It landed near Kass with a splat, finishing the beast off. Its blood began to pool underneath its body, too much for the ground to soak up.

The Torusinth looked in the beasts direction and easily spotted Kass, who was doing her best to tiptoe away. It roared again, weirdly sounding somewhat triumphant to Kass’ untrained ears. Oh great. Kill the beast, get the prize...woo look at me a delicious victory meal. She sighed and thought about checking her health and stamina. Feeling pretty low right now.