Chapter 188: An Old Friend

It was late when Ann heard the snapping of a twig. She sat bolt upright. The tent was dark. Kat was twisting next to her, stuck in some dream that didn’t look pleasant. Rosalyn was still snoring softly.

Another snap.

Something was close.

She covered Kat’s mouth, and shook her awake. Kat sat up, and only her hand stopped the woman from shouting out loud. It took a second for her to figure out what was going on.

“I hear something,” Ann whispered. “Something getting closer.”

Ann’s ears twitched as multiple noises hit her at once. Growling, groaning, soft wailing, snuffling. Her tail fluffed and her hackles stood on end.

“Something bad. Get your gear. Quietly.”

Kat nodded and started putting her armour on as quickly as she could without making noise.

“Rosalyn, hey,” Ann whispered, waking the Druid up.

“Wuh? Whassamatter?”

“Something’s close. Warped, I think. Weird one.”

Rosalyn was immediately awake. She threw her robes over her head and in the next moment her staff was ready. “Think the other two know?”

“Not sure. We can hope.”

Ann started strapping herself into her own leather armour, fixing the helmet on last, and covering her face with the melting faceplate. Rosalyn helped Kat, which sped up the process over there. Sliding on her gauntlets, Ann drew close to the tent flap. A single claw pulled it back.

Nothing. At least not in front of the tent. The noises sounded like multiple creatures, but who knew with Warped.

“Clear. Gonna try to sneak over to Bren and Lucia,” Ann whispered.

“Be careful,” Kat said.

Ann slipped out into the night like a shadow. Black armour with grey fur on a black background meant she melted into the scenery. Whatever was coming for them was still out of sight.

Ann felt around where the tent flap should be on the nearly invisible tent and slipped inside.

Bren was still asleep, laying flat on his back with his hands on his chest. There was a considerable gap of ground before Lucia lay sprawled comfortably on her own bedroll.

“Hey, get up,” Ann whispered to Bren. “Something’s here. Definitely a Warped. Might just pass, but it’s sniffing around. Sounds like… a lot but in one spot?”

“Best be careful, then,” Bren whispered, donning his robes. He looked at Lucia and cringed before he spoke a command. “Wake quietly.”

Lucia’s eyes flew open, but she was deadly silent. Sitting up, she looked around, then took a long breath in through her nose. “Warped.”

“Probably,” Ann confirmed.

Lucia worked on getting her equipment ready for a fight. “How far?”

“Dunno. Couldn’t see it when I snuck over here. Sounds close, though.”

“The others awake?” Bren asked.

“Yeah, and ready. Sent me over here.”

“Good,” Lucia grunted. “Maybe pass by? Hope so. Fight, if not.”

“Pretty much the plan, yeah,” Ann said. “We’ll try to move it away from the tents if it’s aggressive.”

“A good strategy. The glade we are on the edge of should provide a suitable arena.”

“My thoughts exactly. Lucia, you ok to try leading it with Kat? You two can keep it focused on you pretty easily.”

“Yes,” Lucia nodded. “Rosalyn help?”

“Definitely. She’s going to do her thing. Once it’s past us, I’m going to just make sure nothing else is following it, then join the fight.”

“A good plan,” Bren nodded. “Kat would be proud.”

“Thanks. Now, let’s wait.”

Seconds dragged on like minutes, minutes felt like hours. Still, the snuffling sound got closer. Those eerie wails and chattering teeth, mixed with animal sounds. It was messing with Ann’s head just listening to it.

Discord, Waheela growled. Enemy. Tonight we hunt!

First, we get it away from our dens, Ann replied. Find out if it has more, then we hunt.

A cautious pack leader is one who lives long, Waheela rumbled in approval.

The sounds came right up to the tent. Whatever this thing was, it was huge. Way bigger than any of them. It bumped up against the canvas and moved on, sniffing its way to where the fire was. Ann heard snuffling and bony sounds as teeth clattered together while it ate. Everything she heard was terrible.

Gently, quietly, Ann pulled back the flap of the tent, letting Bren see what it was in their camp.

He went completely white. His eyes bulged, and he froze.

Ann let the flap fall.

“What?” she hissed.

“It… that should be dead…” Bren muttered to himself. “It couldn’t…”

“Couldn’t what?” Ann pressed.

“Dead. Went over the cliff. It was dead! Can’t be…”

“Bren, snap out of it. The fuck is that thing?” Ann asked. Gods, it was hard to keep her voice low with the fear creeping in.

“Back… shit, Arty. I’m so sorry,” Bren groaned quietly.

“Arty? Bren, make sense, or we might die.”

“The thing that killed Artyom, right before we found you.” He raised a shaking hand, pointing at the front of the tap. “That’s it.”

Ann felt every hair she had prickle. Something Kat and Bren had failed to kill in the past. The thing that had broken Kat’s arm and leg. They’d only gotten it away by sending it over a cliff.

“Fuck,” Ann cursed. “Lucia, watch him. Plan’s changed. We need to get that thing away and get the fuck out of here.”

Lucia nodded. “Terrified,” she nodded at Bren.

“No shit, Sherlock.” Ann regretted the rebuke, but she was freaking out as well. “I’m gonna go, get its attention and run it into the clearing. I can dodge it, hopefully, and keep it away while you all pack up and get the fuck out. Leave some kinda trail and I’ll catch up.”

Lucia nodded.

“Tell Kat I’m sorry for leaving her behind, even for a little bit.”

Another nod.

“Alright. Three,” Ann’s paws gripped hard soil.

“Two,” her gloves gripped the tent flaps.

“One,” she took in a deep breath.

Ann sprinted forward. She didn’t have time to stop. She didn’t know how fast this thing was, or if it’d even see her. Getting to the other side, then leading it away was her top priority.

“Hey, fuckface!” Ann shouted, turning on her paw. “Come and… oh fuck.” Ann had only heard it described a couple times. They hadn’t prepared her.

Facing her, ten eerily white skulls of assorted animals and people. Every one completely stripped of flesh, their ghastly grins stared into her soul, eyes glowing with white flames in their sockets. They clustered at the neck, but spread further back along its spine.

It had more legs now, twelve in total. A quick glance saw human, bear, some kind of deer, massive tentacles, and some she couldn’t even figure out what they were. Everything on this thing was either rotting or sickly looking. She saw bone sticking out of the thing’s side where ribs shouldn’t be. That wasn’t even the worst part. She was pretty sure the thing had wings wrapped tightly to its body. Ann prayed that it couldn’t actually use them.

A collection of chatters that hurt her ears issued forth as it challenged her.

Kat stepped out of the tent, ready to get into things, but Ann held up a hand, then pointed at the tent with Bren. Kat paused, then ran over to see what had happened.

“I heard you were ugly, but you’ve exceeded expectations,” Ann shouted, trying to sound confident. Her knees knocking surely wouldn’t give her away.

This thing… it is beyond us, Waheela growled.

Why I’m running the fuck away.

The Warped pawed the ground, four sets of arms dug grooves into the ground with fingernails and claws.

“You’re gonna have to come to me,” Ann shouted. “I’m not delivering this sweet ass to anyone but my girlfriends.”

She wasn’t sure if the thing even understood that what she’d said was a taunt. It didn’t matter.

It charged.

Dirt sprayed as it sped towards Ann at shocking speed. She barely ducked to the side, being forced to tumble out of the way.

It groaned horribly as it turned, teeth grinding from multiple skulls. It’d see the rest. Ann needed to move. Distract!

Doing just about the only thing she could at this distance, she shot the monster. Purple streaked from the barrel of her revolver and caught the edge of a skull. She was way out of practice.

“Fuck!” Ann cried, and bolted to her right, into the trees.

She heard it starting up. Thumping of hands and legs on the ground as it got its bulk moving. Fuck. What was she going to do? She was fast, but this thing was way faster, and she needed to buy way more time.

An icicle the size of her head flew past her cheek. Magic? It couldn’t use magic!

A glance over her shoulder confirmed that was very, very fucking wrong. Runes glowed on a human skull, green? It opened its maw, and a gob of acid was vomited directly at her.

Ann hooked the bark of a tree with her claws and changed directions. It hurt her shoulder, but she’d avoided way worse. Acid sizzled in the snow behind her as she continued her mad dash.

She had to think. Think of something that she could do to keep this thing occupied and come out alive. Fade Away was probably her best bet for when it was time to get out, but that wouldn’t help her now.

Ann threw herself to the dirt as her hair began to lift skyward. Lightning crackled overhead, followed by deafening thunder.

Ann was already scrabbling to her feet. The thing didn’t need to stop to cast. This blast had come from the antlers of a deer or elk. Regardless, it kept barrelling towards her.

Kat had dealt with the thing by using its momentum against it. Maybe she could do that? Just keep up dodging and switching back on it? No. Magic in the mix made that so much harder. What was worse, she still didn’t know if the monstrosity could fly.

Chattering bones called out to her in a morbid cacophony. She swore it was taunting her.

So much hatred, Waheela snarled. It was wounded once, by your packmates. It seeks their blood. Yours will be an appetiser.

Not helpful right now!

Right!

Ann chucked herself to the right as a spike of stone rose from the ground directly in front of her. Stumbling, she continued her mad sprint.

Tree?

Can push it down, burn it.

Cave?

Acid, flood it. No good.

Fuck!

Ann felt her legs and lungs burning. She needed to do something to slow it down. Changing directions had made it possible to stay ahead, but if they got onto a straightaway, the thing could outrun elk. She stood no chance.

Remmi. What would she do?

“Punch it where it fucking hurts,” Ann heard her mentor’s voice laugh.

Well, it was early, but she needed a better look at this thing. Waheela might be helping her a little, but she wasn’t anything more than shooting down bad ideas. Using one of her three charges, she broke line of sight with a tree trunk, used Fade Away, and climbed with her claws.

The monster skidded to a long stop, claws and fingers digging fissures. Ann watched it closely. Skeletal heads fanned out, watching all angles around it.

It seemed to have a singular spine, but that was so heavily protected, she couldn’t do anything about that. She could deaden or disable an arm or leg, but it had twelve of the damn things. She doubted losing one would even slow it down. Those two down, she checked the wings. They rustled now and then, but didn’t unfurl fully. Wings like that would have a crazy amount of blood pumping through them, but this thing was a Warped. Tearing those up would just piss it off while it killed her. It could probably just regenerate them anyway.

At that moment, Ann saw something. A bright white line in the creature’s hide. Was that… a scar? How the hell did this thing get a scar? Warped healed by regenerating. They wouldn’t have scars. Fuck, this thing might not play by those rules. Everything she thought just went out the window. Getting those wings was absolutely the biggest target. If it couldn’t just grow the things back, she’d tear them to shreds and book it. Maybe the bleeding would slow it down. Either way, it wouldn’t let it fly. She really needed that.

Preparing on her perch, she grew out her claws as far as they would go. Long blades extended from her fingers, the gauntlets melding to them perfectly. She wouldn’t be using a smite for this. No cauterising the wounds this time. She was riding pretty high with her Libido at 160, but she could manage that. No Predatory Sensuality, though. Last thing she had was A Fistful Of Love. It didn’t seem to share the burning effect of Smite, so it should work.

Her paws gripped, nails digging in. Ann flew like a silent missile downwards. In the brief moment of weightlessness, she thought how useful that falling skill would have been.

A chattering skull, smaller than the rest, and very human, turned to face her. Black runes. Clouds of acrid smoke billowed towards her, but she couldn’t change direction. Ann closed her mouth and tried not to breathe it in.

Her claws sank in deep, spearing through wing and into the thing’s tough hide. As she pulled her weight down the creature’s right side, aided by her momentum, she realised she’d fucked up. Fistful required a fist. Fuck it, good enough. Rogues Do it From Behind and Go for the Throat triggered simultaneously, boosting her damage further. Gouts of black blood geysered from the wounds, but Ann couldn’t stop to admire her work.

A tentacle arm whipped towards her, attempting a grapple. She slid out of it, slick with blood. Two hands tried to bash her away, but they were slower than she was used to with Remmi, letting her evade with ease.

Purple light pumped into her left fist as she angled her approach. A slight ringing in her ears whined as she held the spell ready.

A storm of magic erupted from four heads simultaneously. A chunk of ice hit her side, but Ann was able to use the earth pillar that was supposed to pummel her skyward as a barrier. She hit hard and knew that her health was taking a beating. She’d be bruised as hell tomorrow if she survived. Water poured her direction, but she outran the flow, angling to her right. Not yet. Lightning flashed into the water, but the combination was useless if she wasn’t in the water.

Now.

She sprinted forward in a blur as Burst of Speed propelled her at supernatural speeds.

An elk skull at the very front of the monster turned to look at her, opening its mouth to cast something.

With a satisfying crack, her glowing fist made contact with its forehead. Divine light burst forth into the creature, and the skull exploded.

Ann didn’t look back to see if what she’d done had given her time. She used every bit of speed she had to run. Faster. Faster! Wind whistled in her ears, her tail streamed out behind her. This was her element. Racing through the forest.

Waheela howled in her soul, and she shared her joy.

Burst of Speed ran out. She kept going.

Her legs were getting tired. She kept running.

Her lungs pleaded for rest. She kept pushing.

It wasn’t until she found a rocky outcropping full of splintered tree trunks and shrubs, that she thought about stopping. She made one final dash behind the mess, used Fade Away for the second time, ran a bit further to leave tracks, then did her best to jump all the way back to the rocks. As fast as she could, she dug her way into the pile. Being as tall as she was, that wasn’t easy, but she managed.

Ann couldn’t control her breathing. She was too winded, too exhausted. Her lungs screamed for air, and they would get it. She prayed that the thing wouldn’t notice her. That it’d follow her false trail and barrel on. She prayed the hardest she’d ever prayed to Orenous that this thing was smart enough to follow tracks.

Rumbling approached, and Ann froze. Every instinct in her body was on high alert. Panic. Fear. Waheela whimpered in her mind. Any other time, and she’d have mocked the wolf. Right now? She wanted to whimper, too.

Through a gap in the branches, she saw the creature rush up… and barrel past.

Ann let out a sigh of relief, her lungs not happy with being denied oxygen again.

It stopped and turned.

Ann’s everything froze. She watched with eyes unable to blink as the creature ambled back her direction. It was slow, with its skulls to the ground. Smelling.

Fuck. She didn’t have anything to deal with something that could smell her. Even if she did, her scent would be all over these trees. She hadn’t had time to change her fur or hair.

A crack in the woods. The creature alerted, rising up to a terrible height on its many legs, skulls craning to see what had made the noise. Apparently more interested in that, it charged back into the woods.

Ann lay there, covered in sticks and dirt. Her body hurt, her mind was struggling to keep up with what had just happened.

We wait. Wait until it is safe. Then return to the pack, Waheela instructed.

Didn’t think you’d be so helpful, Ann laughed in her mind.

Survival, Waheela growled. You should have taken my power, duelled the creature.

This was better. Better for everyone.

Not for you, pup. Reckless. Foolish, Waheela snarled. It wasn’t anger, though. Well, it was, but not like she hated Ann, but more that she was scared? Weird. Once you have your breath, we track the pack. Find them again.

Yeah, Ann agreed. She settled into her hiding spot, moving a branch that was poking at her back, and waited.

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