A small forest surrounded the path, marking an entrance to another part of Coshire. Hitirus glanced up at the trees, looking how high up they went.
They reached for the skies, but weren't rivals to Olavin-Faa's. Hitirus sighed, then entered. Most traces of moonlight didn't make it past the canopy, turning the forest floor nearly pitch black.
Hitirus sensed something was off about the area. As if he was being stalked by something. He glanced around the area, trying to look for any danger.
Only to hear a loud roar, although, it didn't sound like one. It sounded more like powering up a generator.
"What the hell was that?" Hitirus gritted his teeth. He looked out in the direction of the roar, then focused solely on that point. "Come on, you ugly shitter... where are you?"
A massive log bashed against his core, crushing bones and stunning him. Hitirus didn't notice he was airborne now. Branches slapped him as he careened by.
Landing against a tree with enough force to shatter it. Hitirus collapsed onto, the ground, followed by the upper half of the tree. It landed on his stomach, before falling onto his head.
Two titanic feet trembled through the forest, leveling everything in its wake. Hitirus came back to life shortly thereafter, ready to pay the attacker back.
He pushed the trunk off, then rose to his feet. Eyes glaring in the direction of the predator. Hitirus growled, ignoring the fact that he was now a complete Scaler.
"It is nearly invisible to us, trust your nocturnal senses. But to fight this, we need to use its body as a battlefield and ride it like a good Abako," the Scaler whispered into Hitirus' mind.
The world went up in green for Hitirus, it was a Feral's nocturnal senses awakening. A green figure swung a tree trunk at him, clashing against his body.
"Argh, you..." Hitirus gritted his teeth.
He grappled onto the trunk before he flew off. The claws sunk deep into the bark, anchoring him in place.
"Brace!" the Scaler shouted.
As requested, Hitirus prepared for impact. The log slammed against the forest floor, shattering it.
"Now, jump!" the Scaler instructed.
Hitirus dashed through the forest, jumping from one piece of shattered trunk to the next. The creature continued to stalk Hitirus, wondering how he got such skills.
It reached out to him, only for Hitirus to grapple onto its wrist, then lung towards the back of its hand. The creature reacted by flicking its arm to the ground, hoping to throw Hitirus off.
Yet he still endured, taking the damage with no issue. It felt like the Scaler and him were working together to defeat the mysterious creature.
As it retreated its arm, Hitirus let go. Sending him higher over the creature. He unsheathed both sets of claws, then allowed himself to free fall onto its head.
The texture was similar to bark. Rough and dry. Which made Hitirus question how this beast looked like in sunlight.However, he was too focused to pay much attention to his thoughts.
Hitirus landed on its crown, then hopped. Picking up enough momentum to kick downwards full force. Branches and bark snapped, causing the same roar to erupt from its lungs.
It shook its head, knocking Hitirus off balance. It caught him as he tripped off, then it slammed Hitirus into the forest floor.
Bones cracked and organs ruptured. The impact left his head feeling like a beaten drum, he could even feel his heartbeats within his skull.
Adrenaline and determination filled Hitirus' veins, motivating him to rise onto his knees. The beast stomped on Hitirus, but he resisted the impact.
He gritted his teeth as his eyes grew red from blood, so did his shattered lower jaw. Dirt ached his open wounds, agonizing the tyrant.
"Argh... RAGH!!" Hitirus screamed. "COME THEN! KILL ME!"
The creature lifted its other foot, applying all pressure onto the same leg. Which resulted in its entire body mass to come crashing down on Hitirus. Turning him into a pile of gore.
It looked over the remains, checking to see anything edible. Yet nothing came up. The beast growled, disappointed with the results.
A distant whistle caught its attention, the sound of its natural prey. It took off sprinting in the direction of the whistle, eager to have its nightly feast.
Hitirus' body reconstructed itself a few hours later. He rose up from the death like always, checking over his body for any scraps or bruises.
"You became one with me," the Scaler came back. "We may have lost, but we are better than before."
"That's true," Hitirus said as he got up. "Help me find the bag, I dropped it somewhere."
Nocturnal vision came back to Hitirus on command, almost as if he mastered how to be a Scaler. Using it, he located the figure of the bag.
Hitirus opened it up, making sure everything inside of it wasn't damaged. The gifts were all in pristine condition, whereas the drinks and meals for him weren't.
"Something's looking at you," the Scaler notified.
Instantly after hearing the message, Hitirus picked up the bag and charged behind some trees. Hoping the cover would shield him from the beast's sight.
Hitirus discovered a hole within a trunk, big enough for him to fit into. He climbed inside, keeping the bag tucked up beside his chest.
The contents inside stabbed into his core, hurting him by the minute. Yet he endured, not wanting to give up his position by talking or screaming.
"You died. If I was chosen, we would've lived," a Melted Thawed taunted the Scaler.
"Yet he didn't choose you, so shut up! You Thawed are one in the same, never your own. Always hogging your Prophets and Oracles, for what?" the Scaler snapped back.
"That's enough, Scaler. Silence," Hitirus murmured.
As requested, the Feral went quiet. Letting Hitirus be alone with the Thawed. Yet the Thawed also left, realizing there was nobody to argue with.
For once, Hitirus felt at peace with himself.