Quickened steps they made their way back. Bjorn rarely made the stop to investigate another herb, and even then he didn't idle.
Sophia also stayed closer, not venturing out her way to observe something.
To calm himself Mikael had always a hand ready on his weapon, unsure if in time of need it would be of use.
"Something is not right." Leon then said, his head darting around nervously.
"I made sure to avoid out old tracks, as it could lead others on our path, but since we left the hunters corpse, I feel my hairs stand."
"Don't say that now." Sophia said in a suppressed voice. "I got the same, but couldn't perceive anything. Let's just move on, faster if possible."
Hearing her tense like that made Mikael and Bjorn nervous, both of them not feeling anything.
"Right, then let's speed up." he avoided a plant that drew his eyes in.
Mikael didn't say anything, staying closer to their protection target.
Another 10 minutes later Leon's breath got heavier, as if he walked up a mountain. He spoke less, peeked behind many trees and scanned even little marks he deemed suspicious.
"I don't like this feeling." Sophia said. "Stop trailing to far forwards, or to you want to offer yourself as a tasty, stupid prey."
Mikael now also had a cold feeling on his back, much like he got when looking at the eyes of that mysterious woman, or Jenny as she healed his arm.
The trees around them were looking unnatural dense, the light getting darker as the tops shaded the ground.
Mikael walked some steps behind Leon, so he noticed how slowly a shadow began to extend.
At first it looked like the tree crone moved with the wind, but when he noticed a pair of round reddish orbs above it, he knew it was something entirely else.
"Look out!" he managed to call out, drawing the eyes of all onto him. Leon was perceptive enough to see the object heading its way.
In a instinctive motion pared with training and experience he used his sheathed sword and his left arm to block the ambush.
The force of the impact send him flying, making a turn in the air and hit with the shoulder a tree trunk. A small cry of pain escaped him, and he held himself up using the healthy arm.
The other three could now clearly see what had attacked Leon.
Looking at a wide, fur filled muscular arm, on which end a massive paw with long, dark claws resided.
It attack having hit its target, the creature came out the cover of the trees.
The massive size of the creature made their breaths stop.
It stood there on its four limps, each one having long claws. The head as big as Mikael's torso, maybe wider, and with a shoulder height of over four meter made their legs shake, hands wet from sweat and fear for their very lives.
It had such a dark fur it seemed black, the red eyes looking at them with indifference and disdain.
He had long fangs growing out it mouth, it resembling a mixture of a bear and a boar.
"We are done." Mikael whispered, surprised to even make a sound.
"No running, fighting or pleading will save us."
"Pleading and escaping, no. But I'd rather fight then accept defeat." Sophia pressed through her clenched teeth.
Bjorn already sat on the ground, unable to avert his eyes, even making a sound.
The unknown monster made no sound other a growl coming from deep within its throat.
It walked towards them, leisurely as if it want to give them the opportunity to flee.
"Don't let yourself get fooled!" Leon's pained voice echoed between the trunks, waking Mikael and Sophia from their moment of consideration to maybe flee for real.
"It let all other creatures flee, making them split up and hunting them separated. If we divide now, we are screwed fo sure!"
With a fast but shaking hand she unsheathed her sword, Mikael readying his hammer.
"Get our client away from here. I try to distract it."
"You think you stand a chance?" Mikael said, shaking voice. He accepted he may die, weirdly calming him but still.
"Don't make me laugh. I said distracting, not defeating. And you come back here when he is a distance away. As a hunter we stick together, either until you remain or we all die." her words sounded harsh, but he knew she also wanted to live.
'If I stood there, I'd also want to have my comrades by my side. I already lost so much, my life worth less than the weapon I hold.'
He didn't reply, simply grabbing the frightened Bjorn by his armpits, dragging him away as fast as he could. As he looked backwards he could vaguely make out how Sophia moved, trying to make the monster follow her.
It still strode evenly paced, the corners of his mouth warped in a unnatural smirk.
Sophia tried to retain a certain distance from which she could strike, circling around the massive body. She saw something metallic coming out from the neck area, but her line of sight got quickly obscured by another palm.
'Freaking fast beast!' she thought as she already let her legs tilt, rather falling to the ground than properly dodging.
She felt the wind pressure, the heat it generated by simply waving its arm.
"Hahaha, what tell I'll tell when I survive this." she laughed, bolting backwards to gain some distance again. She landed on her back, made a roll backwards and came to a stop on her knee, seeing how the creature turned its body interested in her direction.
'Maybe getting hit would have been better.' she lamented sarcastically, seeing the now standing figure of Leon, leaning on the tree.
Leon also looked back, his eyes wander to the neck where he could observe the same metallic object Sophia saw.
'There it is!'
He tried to move his arm, only to find out he could not move his shoulder.
Without hesitation he rotated it forcefully, and after a quick pain his joint jumped back into its place.
His arm hurt like crazy, but thank to Mikael's warning, his quick reaction and mail he wore underneath, he sustained no exterior damage, at most a big bruise.
He walked towards the bear like thing, trying to sneak in its dead spot.
Sophia retracted their eye contact, afraid to show this creature his state, slowly retreating away, crouching in case she needed to escape.
They continued their little charade, she backing up, the monster playing by stepping a bit closer each time and Leon sneaking to a favorable position.
'Give me a damn sign already!'
Sophia sweated bullets, her already breathing heavily only by backing up and keeping her attention.
'I have no good angle. It will notice me the moment I get a step closer.'
Knowing he couldn't let her handle any more of this pressure, he attempted a risky attack.
His sword pointed at the rectum, a weak spot of many creatures. To his surprise his weapon did not connect, and his view was now green instead of the black like fur.
'You stupid, degenerated piece of...!'
Her tensed up legs catapulted her upwards, higher than what a normal human should be able to jump.
In her field of vision Leon was signaling slightly his next move, and she immediately made one plan.
'Jump!'
In case he failed, the monster would either rush to her or turn around and defend. If he succeeded, it would be distracted and hesitate. She believed that, hoped that it would play like that.
Her field of vision saw the growing black mass as she already jumped, making her heart overtake itself.
Her jump was still a bit too low, gracing the head of the creature and rolled on its back, her skin getting scratches from the fur and as a finish landed hard on the ground.
As surprisingly fast as this monster was, it's momentum couldn't be stopped like that. Missing the intended target, not expecting the easy prey to put up such resistance, it ran purposely into a tree, making it snap. This left the monster not unwounded tho, it having problems putting all its weight on the front paws. Not that it mattered much.
Leon ran over to Sophia, helping her stand up. She was wide eyed holding herself up, supported by her shaking hands, kneeling on the ground.
"Holy shit I want to do that again." she said, adrenalin rushing through her.
Leon couldn't refrain a pained smile.
"You fell on the head as a baby, didn't you?"
Mikael in the meantime escorted Bjorn to a place he deemed safe enough, ensuring they would come back.
"In case we don't, hope we will at least make this beast return to where it came from."
Bjorn sat in the hollow trunk of a tree, silently looking at the small body that tried to calm him down.
He couldn't say anything, no words leaving his throat as he tried to.
He simply gave Mikael a tube, it containing some kind of powder.
"What use has that?" he asked, taking it with a suspicious eye.
Bjorn pointed to his eye, managing to squeeze out a word.
"Blind!"
Nodding, Mikael put that tube into his small bag after wrapping it with a cloth.
"Thank you. Pray for us."
He ran back as fast as he could, jumping over sticks and stones, weapon in hand in case he needed it immediately.
He saw both of them still alive, just as Leon made his attempt and she dodged.
He felt a stone falling of his heart, walking up to them just as they had their small exchange.
"You really came back? Got some balls."
She used his shoulder to heave herself up, brushing away some blood that ran down her jaw.
"We have to make it give up on us. Just long enough to leave Nodan and report to the Guild. A higher ranked team then will take this thin on." Leon said, gesturing to them to fan out.
"In case of a charge, we can't let it get us all at once."
'How should we chase away this monster, it is far above our league.' Mikael said as he walked to the side, looking without blinking at the lightly limping four meter tall death furball.