Turning in the direction of the elder's gaze, he saw something...
…In that instant, panic surged through him, but he quickly forced himself to stay calm. Rooted to the spot, he scanned his surroundings, weighing his best course of action.
Calm and collected, he gazed at the unknown creature before him—its shadow loomed over the mountain peak like a dark omen. In that moment, jagged shards of tree bark shot forward at terrifying speed, tearing through the air toward him, the mysterious man, and the remaining candidates.
Thanks to his composed state, he reacted swiftly, leaping aside toward a large piece of wreckage from the shattered carriage and using it as cover. The mysterious man did the same, narrowly avoiding the deadly projectiles. But the others weren't so fortunate. But those still crawling on the ground, clinging to life or frozen in terror, were cut down instantly.
Of the five survivors—excluding Mortis and the mysterious man—two were slain in the onslaught, their bodies torn apart by the merciless attack. The remaining candidates, however, managed to react in time, escaping death by mere moments.
The mysterious man let out an angry roar, his voice cutting through the chaos.
"Everyone still alive, get on your feet, fools and run! Run as fast as you can! I'll buy you a moment—don't waste it! From this point on, you're on your own! If you want to live, then run without hesitation—think only of yourself!"
His voice carried a sharp authority, not out of concern for their lives, but as a calculated move. By urging them to flee, he could momentarily divert the monster's attention toward the runaways while he prepared his magic to slow it down for his own escape.
The lives of the candidates? Why should he care? Their survival was in their own hands from now on.
Hearing his command, the remaining survivors bolted down the mountainside, their only goal to reach its base.
But Mortis thought differently.
'Why should I turn myself into a moving target?' he reasoned. 'Better to stay put and wait for the right moment. Either until the magus creates his distraction, or I find my own opportunity to escape.'
With that in mind, he shifted his position, crawling to another piece of wreckage slightly farther away.
Meanwhile, Lethis while fleeing with the other candidates glanced back and saw what Mortis was doing. Realization dawned on him. Without hesitation, he stopped running and followed suit, ducking behind a separate piece of debris.
His decision proved to be right. Moments later, the two remaining candidates who had continued running were struck down, impaled by razor-sharp shards of bark.
A cold sweat ran down Lethis' back as he crouched in hiding. Had he kept running, he would have met the same fate as them. He would become just another piece of meat for monsters who lives the and feasted on. Now, though, he was still alive—terrified, but alive.
Mortis, on the other hand, never even turned to look. He already knew what had happened, and he didn't care at all.
'Let them die. If I'm the one who survives, then it was worth it. They should be honored that their lives were sacrificed for mine.'
His gaze shifted toward the monster.
At first glance, it looked like just another ancient tree—colossal and timeworn, standing ominously among its brethren. But it wasn't a tree. It was something else entirely.
Its thick, gnarled bark wasn't bark at all—it shifted and pulsed, alive in a way no tree should be. Vines slithered across its massive body, their tips glistening with needle-like thorns. Its roots didn't bury into the earth like a normal tree but gripped it, like claws digging into flesh.
And then, there was its head.
Elongated, like that of a wolf, but wrong—stretched too far, its jagged maw brimming with uneven fangs. Thick, green sap dripped from between them, sizzling where it touched the ground.
And its eyes—if they could even be called eyes—were deep, glowing pits of sickly green light, locked onto them.
Then it howled.
The sound tore through the air like a shockwave, rattling Mortis' bones.
His instincts screamed.
This wasn't just a monster. It was a natural abomination—something that couldn't possibly be defeated by mortals or low-rank magi.
Even the mysterious man flinched.
But then, without hesitation, he raised a hand. A massive fireball surged into existence, crackling with violent energy. With a sharp motion, he fired it at the creature.
Flames engulfed the monster. It screeched in agony as fire, its natural weakness, consumed its body. For a brief moment, it was entirely focused on extinguishing the uncontrollable fire that was slowly consuming it and turning it into a monster campfire.
Mortis' eyes widened. 'Magic... real, actual magic.' Even as he fought for his life, a part of him was mesmerized. He had lived in a world of cold logic, high-end technology, and scientific precision, where energy was harnessed through circuits and machines. But this? This was raw power, shaped by will alone.
'Incredible…'
But he had no time to admire it.
'This is it! This is my chance!'
Snapping back to reality, Mortis turned and sprinted down the mountain at full speed.
The mysterious man did the same.
Lethis, seeing them run, followed suit.
But the monster recovered far quicker than expected. It let out another thunderous roar, sending a shockwave through the air that made all three of them stumble.
Fortunately, by now, they had already gained further distance. The effect was weaker than before.
They ran without stopping, their legs burning, lungs screaming for air. Only once they were certain they had lost the monster did they allow themselves a moment of rest.
Spotting a cave along the mountainside, they darted inside.
The moment they collapsed onto the cave floor, all three let out simultaneous sighs of relief.
For a while, silence reigned.
Then, the mysterious man spoke.
"We managed to escape, but who knows if it's tracking us even now…"
Mortis was the first to respond, carefully choosing his words.
"Sir, even if it is, traveling through this forest at night would be suicide. We wouldn't make it to the bottom before nightfall, and if we leave this cave, we may not find another safe place like this."
The man nodded.
"You're right. We'll spend the night here. Both of you, gather wood for a fire and find some food. None of us want to freeze or starve to death, right?"
Mortis nodded.
"Yes, sir. We'll return soon."
Signaling for Lethis to follow, he carefully stepped out of the cave. The two moved cautiously, collecting fallen branches and gathering whatever fruit they could find, never straying too far.
When they returned, they handed their supplies to the mysterious man. He wasted no time—stacking the wood, igniting it with a flick of his fingers. Flames roared to life, casting flickering shadows across the cave walls.
"Come closer," he commanded. "We need to stay warm."
The three of them seated themselves around the fire, soaking in the welcome heat. Though they sat together, there was an unspoken tension. Each was wary of the other. Only the mysterious man seemed more at ease—after all, if he wanted to, he could kill them both before they even had the chance to resist.
He divided the food between them, then continued.
"Once the sun rises, we'll move immediately. That thing may still be hunting us. We survived by luck once—I don't intend to count on it again."
The fire crackled. The plan was set.
One by one, exhaustion took over, and they drifted into sleep.
All except Mortis.
He remained awake, his eyes darting between his two companions and the cave entrance.
He wouldn't sleep.
Not with the possibility of backstabbing.
Not with the chance of an ambush.
Not while that thing still lurked in the dark.
|>>======|✦|======<<|
As the first rays of sunlight fell, they gathered the remaining food and left the cave.
They made their way down the mountain, but soon, faint tremors rumbled behind them.
All three of them had the same thought.
'No way… it's really following us.'
The idea of fighting the monster was pure insanity. A suicidal decision. If that was their only option, they might as well kill themselves right here and now. The truth of this was painfully clear to all of them.
But at that moment, a thought struck Mortis.
"How is it still following us?" he asked, his voice edged with frustration. "Even after all the distance we put between us and it?"
The mysterious man and Lethis turned to him. The man narrowed his eyes, contemplating the question in silence before speaking.
"The beast has tracked us this far despite the distance," he said slowly. "That means there are two most probable possibilities. Either it's intelligent enough to predict where we're headed… or it's following the scent of blood on us."
Mortis considered this and nodded. "Then what should we do? We just need a slight distraction—something to delay it long enough for us to reach the bottom of the mountain."
The mysterious man's lips curled into a chilling smile.
"Whether it's tracking us by scent or intelligence, we can delay it at least for a while. The only thing we need to do… is kill one of you two and make it as bloody as possible."
Silence fell between them.
Then, almost in perfect sync, the mysterious man and Mortis turned their heads toward the perfect candidate.
The only one who hadn't spoken the entire time.
The only one who hadn't been part of any of their conversations.
Lethis.