Ingrit gasped in terror, his eyes fixed on the monstrous creature before him.
One of the beast's razor-sharp claws sliced through the air with a whistling menace as it lunged at him. Ingrit instinctively leapt back, only to slam against the cold, unyielding surface of the towering wall. Though he narrowly avoided the deadly strike, his reprieve was fleeting—his back against the wall meant there was no escape in sight. Desperate, he glanced sideways before darting left, his heart hammering in his chest.
He sprinted toward the dense forest, the only sanctuary he could think of. The beast, sensing his intent, spread its massive wings and launched into the air, pursuing him with unrelenting ferocity.
Cursing under his breath, Ingrit berated himself for his inability to fully control his powers. To manifest his devouring sphere of Dracid, he needed to close his eyes and focus—a process that took 20-30 seconds he couldn't afford. Worse still, any lapse in concentration would only delay its manifestation further. With the creature so close, attempting it now was suicide. His only option was to flee, find cover within the forest, and concentrate long enough to summon the sphere that could end this nightmare.
"What is this thing?!" he shouted, his voice shaky as he sprinted through the undergrowth.
The system responded in its usual calm tone:
[Casper: They are a type of beast that lures humans and other creatures with a harmless, adorable appearance. Once the prey approaches, they reveal their true, vile nature and devour them.]
"You could've warned me before it tried to kill me!" he snapped, his face twisting in frustration.
If the system had a physical form, Ingrit would have pummeled it without hesitation.
Finally, a sliver of relief touched him as the shadow of the forest enveloped him. "Yes, I made it!" he breathed, though the gnawing fear of whether he could actually defeat the beast lingered in his mind. With his current level, he could only summon two spheres per day, making every move critical.
The forest canopy thickened above him, obscuring the sunlight. For a brief moment, Ingrit felt hidden from the predator. But as the seconds ticked by, the beast descended into the forest, its glowing red eyes scanning left and right in search of its prey.
The dense trees shielded Ingrit from view, but not from the beast's senses. Snarling in frustration, the creature ground its jagged teeth, drool dripping from its gaping maw. Its roar tore through the air like thunder, rattling the branches overhead. The sound reverberated through the forest as it landed heavily on the ground, stalking forward with slow, deliberate steps.
Unluckily for Ingrit, the beast's keen sense of smell led it toward a massive boulder. Behind it, Ingrit sat cross-legged, his eyes squeezed shut, and his breathing steady as he focused on manifesting his sphere. He was close, the glowing energy almost fully formed in his hands. Still, he needed precious seconds more to complete it.
The creature sniffed the air, its head snapping toward the boulder. With a guttural growl, it charged like a feral beast, its eyes blazing with bloodlust. Reaching the massive stone, the beast gripped its edges and heaved with monstrous strength, tossing it aside to reveal Ingrit.
Ingrit's eyes flew open as the creature's teeth gnashed hungrily. With an earth-shaking roar, the beast raised the boulder high, preparing to smash its prey into the ground.
But just as the massive rock came hurtling down, Ingrit sprang to his feet, throwing himself forward with a desperate leap. He hit the ground rolling, narrowly avoiding the crushing weight of the boulder as it slammed into the soil with a deafening thud.
This was Ingrit's chance to strike. Finally, he had managed to fully manifest the sphere. Now, all he needed to do was hurl it at the vile beast's face. If this worked, everything would be over.
Wasting no time, Ingrit launched the glowing sphere toward the casper. His aim was true; the orb struck its face dead-on and began spinning rapidly upon impact.
For a fleeting moment, it seemed like victory was within reach. But as the beast opened its maw, something unexpected—and horrifying—began to unfold.
Instead of the creature being drawn into the sphere, the opposite happened. The beast began devouring the sphere itself.
"The hell!" Ingrit's voice cracked as he scowled, his confidence morphing into disbelief.
The beast, as if mocking his alarm, stood there unfazed. Despite its left eye being utterly destroyed, it showed no sign of pain or hesitation. The ruined socket leaked a dark, viscous fluid, but the creature hardly seemed to notice.
It grunted, its guttural growls reverberating like thunder, and started advancing toward Ingrit. As it moved, its maw slowly widened, revealing a pulsating light inside, an ominous white glow that intensified with each passing moment.
"You are kidding me!" Ingrit exclaimed, his face twisted in a mix of frustration and terror.
He had expected a tough fight but hoped his worst fears wouldn't materialize. Yet here he was, confronted with the grim reality of his situation.
"Not again!"
Ingrit knew what he had to do next. And, he was hardly happy about it. Because, he was sick of running. He had been running for quite a while now. But still, in order to survive he had no choice but to run with every ouch of his strength. After quickly turning the other way, he raised his right hand and aimed at the monster.
A burst of purple energy shot forth, rippling through the air like a shockwave. To his relief, the glow within the creature's maw flickered and vanished.
"It worked!" Ingrit whispered, a faint glimmer of hope lighting his features. His energy blocker had come through in the nick of time.
Without missing a beat, he sprinted away at full speed.
However, the beast was far from done. Instead of pursuing him directly, it roared, stooped down, and heaved a massive boulder into the air. With a bone-chilling whoosh, the enormous rock hurtled toward Ingrit like a meteor.
Ingrit turned his head slightly, catching sight of the impending doom. Summoning every ounce of agility, he sidestepped just in time, narrowly avoiding being flattened. The boulder crashed to the ground beside him, sending a tremor through the earth.
"That was too close," he muttered, his breath ragged. The image of his body crushed beneath that boulder sent a cold shiver down his spine. He swallowed hard, trying to steady himself.
But his reprieve was short-lived. Before he could fully process his narrow escape, the beast's massive left hand clamped around him like a steel vice. Its grip was crushing, every ounce of pressure threatening to pulverize him.
"Damn it!" Ingrit shouted, writhing in the beast's grip.
The creature's maw opened wide once more, and it began pulling him closer. The stench wafting from its mouth was unbearable—a putrid, acrid odor that made Ingrit's stomach churn violently. Unable to contain himself, he vomited, his body trembling as he struggled against the inevitable.
Ingrit's heart raced like a war drum, and his face turned ashen, yet surrender was not an option. Survival wasn't just a matter of will—it was a necessity. Summoning a desperate surge of resolve, he lunged forward, smashing his head against the casper's right eye with every ounce of strength he could muster.
The impact sent a shockwave through the creature, forcing it to loosen its grip. Seizing the moment, Ingrit repeated his assault, slamming his forehead into the same eye. Pain surged through him like fire, but it worked—the casper howled and recoiled, clutching its wounded eye.
The creature's retreat was not merely from pain; it was self-preservation. With only one functioning eye, the casper couldn't afford to lose its vision entirely. Blinded, it would be powerless, unable to hunt or defend itself—a fate worse than death.
Ingrit staggered to his feet, clutching his throbbing head. The creature's face was far tougher than it looked, and the blows had left him in agony. He winced, muttering through clenched teeth,
"That hurts!"
But he couldn't afford to dwell on the pain.
He glanced ahead—light shimmered through the dense forest, a beacon of hope. Without hesitation, he sprinted toward it, each step fueled by sheer desperation. The ground blurred beneath him as he neared the forest's edge. He plunged through the glowing exit, tumbling out of the darkness into open air.
The world tilted as he slipped and slid down a steep slope, the earth rushing past in a chaotic blur. Thankfully, the incline ended in a field of soft, green grass, cushioning his fall.
Gasping for breath, he looked back at the forest, drawn by a strange, reverberating sound.
At the edge of the woods, the casper writhed and thrashed. It slammed against an invisible barrier at the forest's exit, each attempt to cross thwarted by an unseen force. Again and again, it was repelled, its fury mounting with every failure.
Relief washed over Ingrit like a wave. For the first time since the encounter began, he allowed himself a moment to breathe. But respite would be brief—this was far from over. Rising to his feet, his pain forgotten, he fixed the forest with a steely gaze.
"I will slay you," he declared, his voice steady with determination. The battle wasn't finished. Not yet.