-Callia-

  Waking up in the morning was a relief. Our hole seemed to have done the trick and kept us hidden from the creatures of the night. It seems through the night my brother realized I was running low on arrows. The quality left a lot to be desired, but using strips of bark cut from the tree we had dug under, he made a bunch of pointed sticks and gave them a simple durability rune. That was something new I should practice when I get back to town.

  Learning runecraft might be more than I was willing to commit to, but mastering enough to restock even inferior arrows outside towns would be invaluable. He also fixed Reesia’s gear from the fights with smaller monsters on our way here.

  With everything in hand, the moment we opened our shelter, I darted across the clearing with a nocked arrow, ready to confront anything lingering outside. However, instead of the chaotic blood baths of the previous day, I see what appears to be an exodus of monsters fleeing south. While some take the opportunity to fight, most seem to be running with everything they have.

  Callen and Reesia also follow me out, and the three of us watch briefly as the tide of monsters passes us.

  “Something spooked them! We need to clear out before whatever it is gets here!”

  Callen snaps us out of our confusion, and I start jogging at what Callen considered a sprint. Without worrying about the monsters around us, we make great progress and rapidly travel the coastline. When we saw the Wither Tree sitting on its island outside the bay of Port Town, we knew we were in the final stretch.

  That’s when things go wrong. While the animals were fleeing, the carnivorous plants were feasting, and in our haste I missed one of the natural traps in our path. I have no time to react as a vine wraps around Callen’s leg and yanks him off to a thicket to our right. Reesia and I whirled to face our opposition, a handful of arrows whizzing off to strike the vines binding him.

  The vine was joined by another dozen as a pot-shaped plant emerged from the bush. The extra vines deflected the arrows with ease and began to advance on me and Reesia. Reesia broke into a sprint, cutting through a tentacle in her path with great effort before another lashed out, knocking her a step back. I pulled my knife, and, like Reesia, charged into the fray.

  Callen managed to stop himself from being swallowed by projecting his bubble shield, but it wouldn’t hold long as a number of vines wrapped around trying to constrict his bubble. Reesia was forced to a stop as several vines began grappling her, and she focused her effort on resisting. All this while I dived past the first vine, slipped out of another's path with millimeters to spare, and flashed right up against Callen’s orb. Swinging with all the force I could, my daggers severed one, two, and then a third vine.

  It responded by violently tossing Callen away and flailing with the remaining vines. With fluid grace I swung from one vine and ducked under others like a dancer but guided by instinct and agility. I made it to Callen, who was unconscious with blood matting the back of his head. He wasn’t unconscious from mana this time. Reesia and I put distance between us and the vine monster, and I felt my panic deepen as the back of Callen’s collar began to redden.

  Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

  “Go, Callia! We’re close enough, and the monsters are gone! Callen needs a healer; I will follow behind!” Reesia doesn’t hesitate seeing Callen’s condition and pushes me ahead.

  “I’ll come back for you!”

  She gently mounted Callen onto my back, and I set off at a full sprint, bursting out every ounce of energy I had. I raced forward like a living motorcycle, weaving between trees and jumping over the monsters that had escaped before us this morning. Some tried to interfere with us, but at this moment none of them could match me. I instinctively pushed another 10 points into strength. (Strength represents muscle power; dexterity is control. Strength will increase output, and dexterity increases precision. I stumbled briefly with the sudden boost in leg output, but my instincts took control, letting me adjust on the fly.

  Ahead I see a team of soldiers and run right past them, leaving only a short warning.

  “A tide of monsters is coming; warn everyone outside!”

  I don’t have time to consider their response, as moments later I see the edge of the wall. I jump up to the side of a tree and spring off onto the branches above. Rapidly I ascend until I’m nearly as high as the wall itself. There is a gap between the wall and outside, but I hit it at full sprint with nothing held back as I leap the gap. I skid across the top of the wall and reach down, anchoring myself and forcing a grip onto the flat surface. My fingers dig into the stone but are also skinned from the drag.

  I slide to a stop just before I slide off the far side of the wall. I wheeze briefly before forcing myself back up. I ignore the pain in my fingers as I rapidly do a controlled descent down the wall and into the town. The moment I hit the ground, I’m pushing myself back into motion. I jump up from the streets and run along the roofs with a clear shot to the hospital. The impact of each jump shattered the building behind me, but I made it to the hospital, and before I can even explain the situation, Crescent is already taking Callen.

  I gasp and wheeze as another healer reaches for me. I grab their hand and force myself to pass on one more message before the adrenaline and boosts fade.

  “Reesia, . . . behind 'wheeze' the monster cough horde. Please, help!”

  I see the healer nod and grab a nearby guard. My ears are ringing and vision is spotty as I lower myself to the ground, my strength abandoning me. I feel myself being caught before I hit the ground.

  Declaring War

  Mother Bear continued her march through the night. She wasn’t particularly fast for a being of her power, but what she lacked in speed she made up for in persistence. The monsters of the night knew better than to interfere, and she tracked the murderers to the coastline. From there they turned south, following the coast. Mother Bear warily looked out from the beach. There were monsters that even she didn’t dare challenge out there, but it seemed this time was safe.

  Without delaying further, she picked up her pace travelling south. The small monsters that like to use the shore as a safe zone from the bigger monster territories fled from her as each step made the ground tremble and announced her passage.

  All through the night her journey continued, and the monsters fleeing before her accumulated into greater numbers, forming a tide of refugees, all of which were more concerned with acknowledging her territory than feasting on each other. Her prey was close; she could feel it in her blood, and a sense of rage and anticipation built up. However, she also felt the presence of a rival. The flower of the stone garden had been a being she had never truly confronted before. They had both accepted and respected each other's territory. The flower had never had anything Mother Bear cared about, but now she felt it.

  The flower was weak. Incredibly weak. Its territory had receded to the bare minimum, and that wasn’t all. The flower was connected to the cub slayer. Before, Mother Bear was content to ignore the flower, but now she knew who she had to destroy. A bellowing roar echoed through the forest as she announced her challenge to the flower and warned the others to stay away.

  She wasn’t just walking anymore; this wasn’t just vengeance anymore; this was a challenge, a declaration of war, and all the monsters that respected Mother Bear rallied to her command, changing the tide of refugees into a swarm of ravenous soldiers. It was then that Mother Bear found the first of those who had slain her cub. Malicious delight filled her eyes as she ambled at the tiny being. Mother Bear planned to make it suffer thoroughly, and only when regret filled it would she let it die.