[POV Samo]
The cold water hit my face and brought a brief relief. We had been marching for over a day, and our destination was still far away. Beside me, Seras was also washing his face. Masala swam against the current, trying to catch a fish for lunch.
I felt like a stranger there. I couldn't understand how they managed to stay calm after so many deaths in the gorge.
"Aren't you worried?" I asked Seras, who was watching the warrior.
"Worried about what?" he replied, indifferent.
"About the people who died in Rhakan's attack."
He stopped looking at the water and turned to me.
"Don't misunderstand, of course we care. But what good would it do to keep dwelling on it? The dead are dead."
They were harsh words, but it was our new reality. In the comfort of home, danger was avoidable. On the front lines, it wasn't.
A loud splash broke the silence. The water exploded as Masala struck with her axe, drenching Seras and me. In the middle of the river, she held a massive fish by the tail and waved at us.
"She's quite strong," I commented.
"Lady Masala was trained from childhood to lead the clan," explained the mage. "As her 'shadow', I've followed her growth. She is the most powerful candidate I have ever seen."
Masala emerged from the water panting, dragging the heavy fish to the bank.
"Food secured. Shall we leave?" she announced.
We stood up. Seras went over to the luggage and tried to carry his backpack and Masala's at the same time. While I was getting ready, I heard a distant sound. Hooves striking the ground. Horses. The sound came from the road we were about to take.
"Did you hear that?" I warned.
The two looked at me in confusion.
"Hear what?" asked Masala.
Apparently, I was the only one who had heard it.
"It's nothing, I think," I dismissed it.
The dirt road was full of curves. We didn't cross paths with anyone else, only hares and deer. As the hours passed, the walk weighed heavy on our legs. We walked until we found a good place to camp: a natural clearing, set back from the main trail. We dropped our gear on the ground.
The sky began to darken.
"Why don't we rest here today? It's getting dark," Masala suggested.
"I agree," Seras said immediately. I just nodded.
We divided the tasks. Seras set up the tent and Masala cleaned the fish. I went to collect firewood. Breaking the dry branches was easy, but when I bent down to gather the pieces, I saw a movement. Behind a tree, there was a small creature, made of dirt and roots. I knew what it was. A Nirvana.
They were forest spirits. Shy, but they became aggressive if someone cut living trees or set the woods on fire. That must be why we didn't see any near Zielitz anymore. No one wants to pick a fight with a swarm of them. I heard low grunts, but they vanished into the shadows as soon as I tried to look at them directly. I smiled and returned to the camp.
"I brought firewood," I announced. "I also saw some Nirvanas in the trees. Is it safe to light a fire here?"
Masala seemed to hesitate, but Seras cleared the doubt.
"They only attack if we set the trees on fire. Rest easy," the mage informed us.
We lit the fire. Night fell and we ate the fish. Shortly after, Masala and Seras went to sleep and I kept watch. The heat of the campfire cut through the cold of the forest. I used the alone time to train. I concentrated my Aura, forming black threads in the air. I tried to expand them as much as possible. I managed to maintain ten threads, five meters in length. It was my new record.
I noticed that some Nirvanas were spying on me. It was easy to spot them: the firelight reflected in their greenish eyes. I tossed a leftover piece of fish toward one. The creature recoiled at first, but quickly advanced, grabbed the food, and vanished into the shadows.
Time passed and the forest grew quiet. Only the campfire crackled. Until I heard a scream:
"Help!"
The voice came from afar, muffled by the woods. You couldn't tell if it was a man or a woman.
"What?" I stood up quickly. The plea for help sounded again, now seeming more distant.
"What is that noise?" asked Masala, stepping out of the tent and rubbing her eyes. Seras was right behind her.
"I don't know, but someone is in danger out there," I replied.
"Could it be another survivor from the ambush?" Seras pondered. "Someone who fled and got lost in the forest."
I thought fast. It could be a survivor, but it could also be a trap. The chances were the same.
"Let's investigate, but stay hidden. Put out the fire, Seras. Grab your weapons and backpacks, just in case," ordered Masala, taking the lead.
While packing things up, I felt my backpack was heavier. Masala must have mixed up the pockets and packed her things in my bag again. I found it strange, but it wasn't the time to complain.
We entered the woods in silence, heading toward the crying and the pleas for help. Through the trees, you could already see the dirt road. I took a deep breath and smelled something different in the air.
"This smell is strange," I whispered. "Mint?"
The two looked at me uncomprehending. I followed the scent trail carefully. Behind a damaged tree, I found the source: the shredded body of a Nirvana. The strong smell of plants came from it.
"By the gods," said Masala, shocked.
"How did this happen to a Nirvana?" asked Seras. He knelt near the remains, analyzing everything with a clinical coldness.
"And suddenly you care?" I provoked, remembering what he had said earlier. Seras frowned.
"What are you talking about?" he asked.
I ignored the question and examined the damaged tree.
"These are deep, very precise cuts. They look like large knives. What kind of predator does this around here?" I assessed.
The mage pulled a heavy book from his robes.
"This forest is dominated by the Nirvanas. The encyclopedia says that large predators stay near the mountains of the Lofty Peaks. That's three days from here," he explained.
I stepped closer to the scratched trunk. The same mint smell was clinging to the wood. The strike that hit the tree was the same one that cut the Nirvana in half.
"I think we'd better go after whoever is calling for help," Masala suggested.
"Right," I agreed.
We walked slowly. The scream grew louder. The smell of crushed plants returned strongly, but I ignored it and kept moving forward. The woods were very dark. It was then that I saw a large movement to my right. I ducked instantly, pulling Masala and Seras to the ground with me.
"What is that?" I whispered.
"Over where?" asked Masala, squinting into the darkness.
I could see it clearly. It was a grotesque creature. It looked like a giant primate walking on all fours, but it had no neck or face. A single eye glowed like an ember at the top of where its face would be. The worst part was the mouth: a jagged hole ripped right into its stomach, filled with needle-like teeth. It was grinding the Nirvanas alive inside there. And the most terrifying detail: the human scream and the cry of despair weren't coming from any victim. It was the beast mimicking the sound to attract prey.
"An Owojo," diagnosed Seras. He was in a cold sweat and looked pale. "They don't belong in this region. How did it end up here?"
"Is it that much trouble?" asked Masala, gripping the handle of her axe.
"These monsters are terrible. They dispute territory with the Basilisks in the southern part of the continent," the mage explained, trembling. "Their biology is based on hunting only what they eat for the first time when they are born. Apparently, this one swallowed a Nirvana."
"If it only hunts Nirvanas, then we're safe, right? We aren't made of weeds," I deduced.
Seras looked at me, terrified.
"It's the exact opposite. They are extremely territorial and aggressive. It won't see us as prey, but as competitors trying to steal its Nirvanas. We need to get out of here. Now!" warned Seras.