Not the blind, raging panic of something that had lost all reason, the subtler, more dangerous panic of an animal that was strong and knew it and was suddenly not sure it would stay that way.
It let out another sound, lower this time, less aggressive and more unsettled, and launched itself at him with everything it had.
It seemed the creature had finally understood that whatever was happening to it, he was the cause.
Evan stepped into it.
He drew his sword, the silver blade, different from the dark one his clone carried, but no less effective, reinforced with mana and sharp enough to serve its purpose.
He met the charge not by dodging but by driving in close, beneath the range of its fire breath, inside the reach of its claws, where its size became a disadvantage rather than an asset. It snapped at him with its jaws, and he felt the heat radiating from between its teeth even with his head pulled back.
