As the cool touch of concrete vanished, Bennan immediately stumbled forward and slammed into a tree.
Rubbing his head, he dropped into a sitting position.
Damn Spell didn't even give me a second to adjust this time.
He pushed himself back to his feet and looked around.
Trees surrounded him on all sides, dense foliage choking the forest floor. When he glanced upward, the limbs of the towering trunks wove together so tightly that not a sliver of sky was visible. No light pierced through.
So it must have been night.
And of course, there was the mist.
But that was a givin there was always the mist.
Bennan raised his hands and let out a relieved sigh as the cool vapors brushed against his skin. A wide smile spread across his face.
Thank goodness I was sent here.
He began walking through the trees, humming softly. A chill crept over him as his bare skin brushed against the damp undergrowth.
Though the Spell had been kind enough to send him into the mist, it had sent him naked.
And it was cold here.
Freezing, actually.
But that wasn't the mist's fault.
He wasn't quite sure where to go but that was alright, surely he'd be fine if he just continued walking.
⸻
After a while, he stepped into a wide clearing.
Harsh moonlight poured down from above, illuminating the vast open space. The mist glowed faintly beneath it, silver and pale.
Far ahead stood a large, dog-like creature.
Or perhaps one of its ancient ancestors his parents had once taught him about.
It didn't really matter.
The beast moved slowly through the clearing, almost as if in a trance. The moonlight filtering through the mist made its dark gray and red fur appear ethereal and ghostly.
As Bennan drew closer, the creature's head slowly turned.
They stared at each other.
For a long moment, neither moved.
Then the dog's eyes narrowed.
It growled low in its throat and suddenly slammed its head against the ground. When it raised it again, it shook violently, as if trying to clear something from its mind.
Then it locked eyes with Bennan.
The fur along its neck rose.
Bennan's smile faltered. His eyes widened.
He reached out, summoning his only Memory.
"What the—"
The beast lunged. It slammed into him with crushing force. Bennan barely managed to raise the Servant's Sword in time, the impact rattling through his arms as it met the beast's fangs.
Regaining himself slightly as the force waned, he stopped the remaining movement causing his body to hum.
In a burst of panic, Bennan dumped all his stored energy into his body and flung himself aside. The wolf's claws tore through the air where he had stood a heartbeat earlier, close enough that he felt the wind brush against his chest.
He swung down with the sword, but the wolf easily dodged and re-engaged, lashing out with a massive paw.
Gritting his teeth, Bennan clumsily raised the sword, throwing it in front of the strike.
"Alright… let's do it then!"
As the claws met his steel, Bennan activated his dormant ability. The wolf's eyes widened as the attack was halted completely.
Pain flared through him. More kinetic energy than he had ever trained with surged into his body, leaving a dull, burning ache in every muscle.
He gritted his teeth and released it all, his muscles and ligaments screaming in protest. Stepping forward, he slashed through the claws into the wolf's paw. The sword ran deep, traveling far up its leg before stopping.
A gruesome smile spread across Bennan's face.
"How do ya like that, you basta—"
Suddenly, he was sent flying. The wolf's other paw struck him hard, the sword slipping from his grasp and lodging in its leg.
The wolf froze for a heartbeat, fury burning in its eyes. It grabbed the sword with its teeth and spat it to the ground.
Limping, it slowly advanced toward him. Breathing heavily, Bennan struggled to his feet, clutching a deep gash in his shoulder.
He sent out a mental command, and the discarded sword vanished in a burst of sparks.
I'm done for… I don't have time to summon it again…
Refusing to give up, he reached his hand out anyway. Sparks danced around his hand as the wolf reared back to strike again.
It was over.