Kirin weaved through the forest, running in between trees, avoiding roots, trying to evade death as best he could. Seth followed close behind him, and not far from them, the serpent chased with murderous intent. It didn't bother sliding between the trees, rather it smashed through them with its enormous body, the sheer size of the Serpent was enough to make a man barf in fear, its scales protecting it from any physical damage."I don't think... we can keep running from that thing" Kirin said, exhaustion and realization slowly overcame him, they couldn't leave the forest while that monster chased them unless they would endanger the lives of weaker humans in settlements not too far from the outskirts."Yeah, you're right" Seth responded, "Let's part ways for now to confuse the serpent" he panted, then ran towards his left, Kirin followed his right not knowing exactly where he was running, he looked behind him and his heart dropped to his belly.Of course, the serpent had locked its sigh

Seth stood up on a rock outcrop, he squinted his eyes trying his best to see as far as he could, their destination was the human settlements for now, so they could restock and get back on the mission."What do you see?" Kirin asked in excitement, more than Seth, he was so happy to have left the Blackened forest, never again would he go near a forest such as this, he wondered how many warriors had fallen victim to the coy traps those intelligent monsters made."It's not so far from here, a settlement but I don't see any people" Seth said calmly, "It's a bit unsettling" he finished, he calmed down from the rock and stood side by side with Seth."Well I'm sure they've spotted us and are just hiding" Kirin spoke, "Besides, if I was them and I spotted two men coming out from this damned forest, I'll hide too" he finished.Seth sighed deeply, "Well that settles it then, let's get on with it, shall we?" He began walking in front of Kirin, and Kirin followed immediately."How's your soul core

Seth watched Kirin walk away, his frustration heightened because he knew exactly what Kirin meant and felt, he had just wanted to avoid the responsibility of carrying the lives of children, if any of them died, their deaths would be on him, but unfortunately for him, he had a foolhardy friend that followed the desires of his heart."Wait, Damnit!" Seth cursed as he took a step forward, Kirin turned back with a smile as he saw Seth following him, he knew Seth wouldn't abandon him, that's just the kind of person he was.Lyda guided them down the mountain, she followed twists and turns that Kirin would have never known, that was the thing about the natives in a human settlement, they knew more about their land than even the animals that lived there, Kirin was grateful to have her help, they avoided almost every wild animal that could have posed as a problem to them.Soon enough they arrived at the village, the entrance looked eerie and quiet, there were no people around, neither did they

Seth pulled Kirin to his feet, dragging him away from the horde that began chasing after them."Kirin, I need you here right now, focus" Seth shouted, but Kirin kept looking at the thing that was once Lyda. How it casually walked away, unbothered by all the lives it had taken over, killed and maimed, his rage was so apparent it made his eyes red, bloodshot with anger."Kirin!" Seth shouted once more as he dragged his friend through the snow, the villagers began enclosing them slowly, Kirin forced himself to look away from Lyda, he had to survive, that was the only way he could ever enact his revenge on that monster.He looked around him and for the first time just noticed how close the villagers were to him, they all carried knives, sickles, clubs, pickaxes, anything that could be called a weapon was in their possession.He stopped dragging his feet and began running side by side with Seth, they ran through an alley way with several of the villagers after them, to make matters worse,

Kirin held his blade in place, using it as a medium to pour lightning into the Blood Vine, he could see some of the vines withering and dying, and he saw the discomfort on Lyda's lips, he knew he could win this, if only he had as much essence as he had wished, a vine attacked, lurching straight at him from behind Lyda.Kirin immediately dodged with lightning reflexes, pulling his sword out and jumped back the way he had come, standing by Seth's side."Calm down Kirin, save up your essence" Seth spoke slowly. "This is a battle of attrition" he looked at him, the sides of his lips tugged into a smile."So you think you can do that thing the Captain did before he passed?" Seth asked feeling a bit hopeful but Kirin shook his head."I won't be able to perform something like that. Not only are my essence reserves subpar, but my body could break down and implode if I make careless mistakes" Kirin scratched his head in embarrassment, he had remembered how Tharros had called down the lightning