The corpse only resembled a wolf in its shape. White furred wolves didn't exist this far south, as well, no other parts of its physique matched that of a wolf.
Its legs bent backwards and ended in talons. It had four eyes, all of which were a glossy black. Its snout was twice the length it should be, and the corners of its mouth extended to its neck.
The corpse was very clearly a ghast, and it wasn't the thing tracking him. The only haven present was its lack of movement. It was a corpse. However, it wasn't clear what killed it or how. No marks were on its surface, nor any noticeable strikes to its heart.
Maybe whatever was tracking Lukas had killed it. Maybe it died from poison or some type of internal rot. Or maybe it died from a natural cause.
'Can ghasts even die from natural causes?'
Lukas briefly became lost in thought. It was only for a moment, but he let his guard down. In the brief spell, the corpse lunged at Lukas' throat with its jaw.
Lukas was only barely able to block it, and even then it was perfect. One half of his neck was protected with his tachi, the other was protected with his arm.
The pain was the worst Lukas had felt so far. Fangs as sharp and narrow as needles plunged through Lukas' arm and into the surface of his neck. He let out a wail as the pain rushed to his head. He could've died that day, a fool who let their guard down.
But Lukas did not have the same vulnerabilities as everyone else. Even if he was overwhelmed with pain, the ghast couldn't move its jaw any more. So he had a single second for his thoughts to cut through the pain, and for him to remember his strength.
With a single sharp inhale, time accelerated around the syphoned air.
"Tor"
The pain vanished in an instant, and Lukas fell through the temporal realm. At least that's what Lukas had chosen to call it for now.
'What colour is this place? Is this what green looks like? Or maybe red?'
Then, he was back, looking down at the pitiful ghast. Instead of waiting, he took the initiative and plunged his blade down at the ghast's heart. He didn't let his guard down, not against the ghast, or the phantom stalker.
But right as his tachi was about to connect, the ghast pushed itself out of the blade's path. His one free strike had failed, now he had to battle.
The ghast leapt to its feet before it lunged at Lukas' neck again. The rows of needle-like fangs threatened to kill Lukas again. But this time, Lukas knew the dangers of the ghast's attacks, and so he did everything he could to avoid getting hit, even once.
Instead of attempting to block the ghast's jaw once it reached his neck, he grabbed his kusarigama and wrapped it around its maw. Once the chain wrapped around its mouth, he dashed to the side and pulled on the chain as hard as he could.
The ghast's jaw slammed shut and was bound in the chains of Lukas' kusarigama. Then, before the ghast could fight back, Lukas managed to tie the chain around the ghast's head in a way that made it difficult to remove.
He hadn't won yet, but he at least had the advantage. However, he now lacked his kusarigama and had to finish the battle with only his tachi.
The ghast dashed away from Lukas at an intense speed. But it constantly slammed into trees and fell on the ground when it tried to turn. Lukas gave chase, but even with the ghast's sloppy form, it still managed to outspeed Lukas.
Lukas continued to chase the ghast, but it seemed more fruitless with each passing second. However, as he chased it, he noticed something peculiar. The footprints seemed to resemble hooves now more than talons. To add to that, the number of times he had seen or heard the ghast fall or slam into a tree greatly diminished. It was changing, shifting its form to suit its current situation.
As the adrenaline wore off a little, Lukas realised he made a grave mistake. He quickly stopped, shuffled around in his pack, and pulled out a small whistle. He wasn't exactly in trouble, but he decided to call for backup just in case.
The whistle screeched through the forest. All the sound in the world around him ceased to be and only a ringing could be heard in his ears. It temporarily left him defenceless to the sound of something approaching. But luckily for him, nothing used this opportunity against him.
As the ringing subsided, he scoured the forest around him. He only briefly caught a glimpse of the ghast, it looked like a different creature altogether. It seemed to be circling him too. But then Lukas saw something worse.
His kusarigama lying in the dirt.