'It's not that dark after all…' Ryan observed the forest around him in awe. The night, which should have been pitch-black, preventing him from seeing more than two steps ahead, was, in fact, strangely clear.
Ryan admired the purple sky above him and the forest that seemed frozen in twilight, even in the absence of a sun. 'It must be a trait of my species…'
Putting that aside, he silently went back to pulling the sled along the road, watching the sinister forest around him with tension. Ryan couldn't see any movement in the woods, nor any creature approaching them. Which only made it more terrifying.
After all, he knew there were cursed creatures around him.
But he didn't know where they were.
Step after step, he moved forward, tense. His body couldn't relax at all, and it felt as though his mind was slowly playing tricks on him.
Ryan saw figures moving through the forest. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught glimpses of shadows darting past him, but whenever he tried to look directly at them, there was nothing there.
The sound of rustling bushes, branches snapping beside him. And yet, there was always nothing.
[ Debuff: Fear is in effect. ]
Ryan fixed his gaze on the system message as he slowly raised his hand, which trembled uncontrollably. His legs felt like they would give out at any moment, shaking so violently that each step threatened to bring him down.
"Am I… afraid?" he wondered, looking at the empty forest around him. There was nothing there. Absolutely nothing, and yet Ryan couldn't stop trembling.
Another shadow passed through the corner of his eye.
Ryan clenched his shaking teeth. He couldn't tell whether it was his mind or something real.
He couldn't tell if it was just fear, or an attack.
However, before he could finish the thought, his entire body bristled. A shadow rapidly approached from behind him. Instantly, his doubts cleared as he chose to trust his instincts screaming in warning. He drew his axe and turned, striking in a sharp motion.
Sparks lit up the night as Ryan watched the axe collide with sharp claws, while the hollow skull of a deer tilted its head in curiosity. Thick blood oozed from its eye sockets and jaw as its mouth exuded an unmistakable stench of death.
Gritting his teeth, Ryan kicked the creature hard in the stomach, pushing it back and creating some distance as it growled in dissatisfaction.
Only then did Ryan truly realize what he was fighting.
The creature was gigantic, with thin limbs and a body so emaciated that its bones were visible in full detail. Wide, bloody claws extended from its wrists, and like the creature's fangs and horns, only increased the terror in the heart of anyone who saw it.
However, before he could finish processing it, the creature lunged again. Its claws rained down on him, each strike more lethal than the last. Ryan alternated between dodging and parrying, but it quickly became difficult as his arms felt each impact like an explosion.
His body, already trembling from the [Terror], shook even more from the force of the blows. At this point, it was only a matter of time before he made a mistake, and the abomination would seize that opening.
Ryan couldn't delay the inevitable.
Suddenly, his legs lost stability, breaking his stance and forcing him backward awkwardly, creating an opening that the abomination immediately exploited, diving forward with its rotten fangs.
"DIE!" the creature screamed as its jaws were about to tear Ryan's head off.
And yet, he smiled."Gotcha"
It was a feint.
His body twisted sharply, engaging the muscles in his back, and with tremendous force he delivered a heavy punch to the beast's skull, sending it flying sideways. Teeth and bone fragments scattered across the ground.
The monster was dazed for only an instant, and Ryan immediately took advantage of it, bringing his axe down swiftly to separate its head from its body.
However, before he could even process what happened, the creature's eyes flashed and it vanished.
Ryan quickly searched for it and soon realized it was circling him and his sled.
Its skull tilted to the side, observing him with curiosity, until suddenly it focused on the slave who had been silently watching the fight. Its skull tilted the other way.
"You're strong, you know that?" the aberration said slowly as Ryan locked eyes with it, not letting a single movement escape his notice. "I expected to have sunk my fangs into your soft flesh by now, but I'm frustrated."
Suddenly, it vanished again, forcing Ryan to search in panic before spotting it on the opposite side.
"You're strong, but not intelligent." The creature scratched its face, scraping its own skull. "Not intelligent at all." The sounds grew louder.
"I'm hungry! Very hungry!" the creature screamed, its eye sockets burning brighter. "My hunger is terrible, it's painful, and it only grows! Every moment wasted in this fight makes my hunger worse! My craving for flesh only increases! So stop fighting, stop making me suffer!"
Its eyes flared intensely. "Give me your flesh!"
Ryan gripped his axe firmly, watching in silence. There was nothing to say. As soon as the creature attacked, he would strike, either killing it or dying himself. That was simply how life was.
But then… unexpectedly…
The creature did not attack.
It continued circling them, scratching its skull more and more intensely. Ryan watched with narrowed eyes, tense.
"I'm hungry!" the creature roared again.
Ryan continued analyzing it in silence. The earlier clash had revealed a lot of new information. Now, he knew the creature was spectacularly fast and possessed overwhelming strength, yet its rotten bones were fragile. Taking this as a mental note, he said.
"That's unfortunate, wretched creature," Ryan staring at him. "But there's no food here."
The monster clenched its teeth so hard they audibly ground together. Its frustration only grew more and more, yet It didn't move forward.
"Just one! Give me one of you! That girl! Give me the girl!" it said. "She won't make a difference to you, she's almost dead, but she will satisfy my hunger. Give her to me!"
Ryan frowned deeply. "Why does it call him 'her'?" he murmured, but then shook his head.
"I swore to protect him. Therefore, I am his guardian. Unless you can kill me, there is no food here."
The creature laughed wildly in the forest. "You're her guardian? Then she is doomed to die! I am stronger than you. Once I attack, I will kill you both and feast on your flesh and drink your blood in total ecstasy."
Ryan met its gaze without retreating. "Yes, you are stronger than me. Every blow you struck made me tremble, and you would surely kill me if you attacked again. Even so, we both know that if you attack me again, I won't stand still and accept death. I will make sure to drag you to the grave with me. In the end, we both die and you gain nothing!"
The creature snarled fiercely, frustrated. "I'm also faster than you. I can dodge you, grab her, and take her into the forest before you can catch me."
Ryan didn't flinch. "Yes, you're certainly faster than me. But you're forgetting something. Carrying a body will slow you down. In the end, I will catch you, and I will kill you."
The creature snarled even louder in fury. "I'm hungry!" it kept shouting. "An arm! Just one arm! Give me that, and I'll leave you in peace!"
"I already told you," Ryan said firmly. "There is no food here."
He took a single step forward, preparing for the clash. "Do what you must or disappear, cursed creature!"
The creature screamed, assuming a combat stance with its burning eye sockets, preparing to attack.
Ryan readied himself, his sharp gaze fixed on the demonic sockets without fear.
The creature screamed once more, but Ryan did not waver.
At last, grinding its teeth…
It turned and bolted into the forest.
Fleeing.
"Miserable creature," Ryan said as he went back to pulling the sled, nonchalantly.