The growl hit me like a physical force, vibrating through my ribs. I turned slowly—club raised with arms gone stiff with adrenaline—and saw it.
The creature stood lion-tall, its body a nightmare of crimson and black. Spines like shattered obsidian formed a jagged crown around its head, framing eyes of liquid gold that held no pupil, no mercy—just hunger.
My breath died in my throat.
A sound like a sword being unsheathed cut the air as darkness pooled between its fangs, forming a blade of shimmering void. The heat coming off it made the forest air waver.
Every muscle in my body locked.
Then—
RUN.
Not a voice. Not a thought. Something deeper—instinct carved into my DNA, screaming through my blood with such force my bones ached. The club fell from numb fingers.
The beast moved.
Not toward me.
Around me.
Circling like I was already carrion.
I ran.
The forest blurred around me as I ran, my cheap running shoes slipping on the damp leaves. Every ragged breath tasted of iron and pine sap. The creature's shadow loomed just beyond the trees—sometimes left, sometimes right—herding me like some sheepdog. My sweat-drenched shirt clung to my back, the moisture-wicking fabric now a soggy second skin that reeked of fear and cheap detergent.
It struck without warning. One moment I was dodging between gnarled trunks, the next—impact. A massive paw sent me sprawling, my palms scraping across bark and bone-sharp twigs. I rolled just in time to see the creature's blade-muzzle gleam in the dying light, its obsidian claws kneading the earth like it was savoring the moment.
For twenty heartbeats, it let me believe I'd escaped. I crashed through a thicket, thorns tearing at my joggers, only to find it waiting on the other side. Its golden eyes glowed in the gloom as it took a single step forward—forcing me backward toward a clearing I hadn't noticed. Clever. Too clever.
My legs burned. My lungs were shredding themselves. The creature didn't even seem winded—its flanks rising and falling in steady rhythm as it toyed with me. Once, it feinted left just to watch me stumble right. Another time, it snapped its blade-muzzle near my ear close enough to shear off a lock of hair that drifted slowly to the forest floor.
Then I saw it—the stalagmite. A jagged spire of rock jutting from the earth like nature's own spear. The creature saw it too. Its nostrils flared, recognizing the danger, but its tail flicked in what looked almost like... amusement.
It wanted me to try.
My back hit the stalagmite first—the cold stone pressing between my shoulder blades like a knife. No retreat left.
The creature slowed its advance, crimson flanks heaving. It knew. Those molten gold eyes flicked from me to the stone spike and back again, its blade-muzzle dripping black saliva. A low, rattling purr vibrated in its chest. Amused.
It lunged left—I dodged right. Its claws gouged the earth where I'd stood, throwing up clods of soil. The stalagmite stood between us now.
A testing swipe of its blade. I ducked, feeling the *whoosh* of air as the void-edge split the space where my neck had been. My pulse hammered in my ears. Too close.
Round and round we went—the creature pacing, me shifting to keep the spike always at my back. Its tail lashed. My sweat made the rock slick under my palms. Every muscle screamed.
It gathered itself, hindquarters coiling. I saw the kill-strike coming—a full-force pounce to end this.
Now.
As it launched, I threw myself sideways.
The impact shook the ground—a wet *crunch* as the stalagmite punched through armored hide. The creature's howl split the night, its thrashing limbs churning the earth to mud. Ichor gushed, smoking where it hit my shoes.
I collapsed, watching as those golden eyes dimmed. The last twitch of its blade-muzzle came inches from my face before going still.
Silence.
Then—darkness.
Morning came like a slow blade. Sunlight filtered through the crimson leaves in jagged beams, one landing directly across my eyes. I jerked awake, my body convinced the creature's fangs were still at my throat. Its corpse loomed over me—impaled on the stalagmite, blackened ichor crusted around the wound. The stench of spoiled copper filled the air.
I scrambled backward before realizing I was moving, my hands slipping on damp leaves. Dead. It had to be dead. But my pulse still hammered against my ribs like a trapped bird. Up close, death hadn't made it any less monstrous. Its golden eyes had clouded over like dirty glass, but the way its jaws hung slightly open made my skin prickle. One clawed paw still twitched in some final nerve impulse.
"I actually did it," I whispered. My voice sounded foreign to my own ears.
The notification appeared without fanfare:
+120 XP
A laugh burst out of me—too loud, too sharp. "I expected more." The forest absorbed the sound like blood soaking into dirt.
New Quest: Food and Shelter
Reward: 15 XP
My stomach growled, but the thought of food turned my mouth dry. Not here. Not with its milky eyes still watching.
I backed away slowly, each step deliberate. Every shadow between the trees seemed to shift when I blinked. Every rustle of leaves sounded like that rattling purr. Only when