The beast lunged.
Not like an animal pouncing. Not like a predator on instinct. No—this was deliberate. A joyful, exaggerated motion like a stage performer leaping through a curtain.
And it moved fast.
Kivas barely registered the motion before it was already in front of her, that grotesquely human head barreling straight toward her face with a sick grin plastered across it—its wide, violet eyes shining with hungry delight.
She jumped back.
Hard.
Her wings flared for balance, and she lashed out—sword swinging wide in a chaotic arc, not out of training or discipline, but out of sheer primal panic.
Kivas barely hit anything, but all of her wild swinging was imbued with power.
The beast however, didn't flinch at any of them.
Instead, it laughed.
"HAHAHAHA! What a jump! What a swing! It's been so long since I saw something so funny! And delicious!"
Kivas gritted her teeth, heart hammering inside her chest like it was trying to escape.
It had intelligent, she thought, eyes darting for anything around her—cover, escape, divine salvation. It could talk. The beast thinks. It understands humor. It's not just a monster.
Maybe this monster could be reasoned.
Or maybe it could be tricked.
The beast continued, circling her slowly now, savoring her trembling posture.
"Mmm… Look at you. Such a fine-looking snack. I've tasted all kinds of treats. But you? You'll be a party in my stomach. I can feel it already!"
It licked its lips.
Kivas felt a surge of icy sweat crawl down her spine. But behind it—another thought was surfacing.
She swallowed hard and took a step back. Then forced a smile.
The most awkward, lopsided, surely-I'm-lying kind of smile.
"Uh… actually," she said, lifting her sword slightly, "you might want to reconsider. I'm not exactly… edible, in the most generous sense."
The beast blinked once, clearly amused.
"Oh?" it said, voice a syrupy drawl. "Why's that?"
"I taste awful," Kivas said, nodding with far too much enthusiasm. "Like, really bad. You wouldn't enjoy it at all. Bit poisonous, too. Bad batch. Expired meat. You name it. I carry all sorts of yuck and stink when a tongue touches me. You'd regret it."
The beast stopped its pacing. Its smile widened.
"Oh ho ho! A lying snack! That's even richer!"
It lunged again—slower this time. Just enough to let Kivas dodge, then another swipe. She ducked, her wings nearly getting clipped. Dust burst from the soil as its claws tore through the ground beside her.
Too close. Too damn close.
"You lie well," the beast said between laughs. "But you lie to me? Do you know who I am?"
"Nope," Kivas muttered, skidding back on her heels. "And I'd love to keep it that way, actually!"
She danced backward again, trying to grind the gears of her mind until she heard something.
The idea struck like a spark behind her eyes.
Her expression changed—into one of forced exasperation. She puffed her cheeks and frowned, letting her voice drop into something low and bitter.
"Fine. You're right."
The beast tilted its monstrous head.
"Oh?"
"You caught me." She sighed and held up her free hand. "You're too smart. You saw through it~"
Then she did something mad.
She held the sword up, reversed the grip, and brought the tip to rest gently on her wrist.
The blade was pressed enough for a drip of blood to feed the cinquedea, eventually trailing and hurrying to the ground.
"Look. If you really want to know… if I'm poisonous or not. I'm willing to make a deal. I'll give you a taste."
The beast leaned closer, suspicious.
"Hmm…"
"You get ten seconds," Kivas said, keeping her voice firm. "You eat this—my hand—and if you don't start bleeding out your eyes or vomiting eldritch ooze or dying a dramatic, horrible death within ten seconds, you can eat the rest of me. Simple, and easy, right?"
Kivas smiled wide.
Too wide.
Mimicking the beast's former manic grin.
She could feel the shift. The beast's expression didn't change much, but something behind those eyes flickered.
Doubt.
It stared at her hand. Then at her eyes. Then at the sword against her wrist.
"You think I'm a fool," it said, almost casually. "You think I'll eat your cursed limb and let you run away while I writhe on the floor?"
Bingo.
The fish ate the bait.
Kivas kept smiling, but her heart was racing faster now.
The beast chuckled, slowly nodding its big, grotesque head. "Yes, I see it now. You'd let me take a bite, and then flee. Sacrifice one part to save the rest. Clever… Clever!"
Kivas let her eyes widen in mock surprise.
"Wha—how did you… damn it!"
She lowered the sword with a huff and kicked the dirt.
The beast roared with laughter.
"HA! I knew it! You can't outsmart me! I've eaten fools who tried. I've eaten a genius who prayed. No one is cleverer than me! I—"
It stomped forward with a grin that seemed to stretch wider than before.
"—don't even need to eat you. I'll just play with your body after you die. Tug the wings off first. Then maybe wear your ribs like a crown."
Well, at least it no longer attempted to eat her.
"Well, try at me then~!"
The beast huffed.
"Bratty fool!"
The moment it lunged, she dove aside. Again.
The paw hit the ground, just barely missing her, but this time—it stuck.
The beast snarled, trying to rip it free.
Kivas didn't waste it.
She turned, dug her heel in, and stood her ground.
Her blade leveled—sharp, tight, breathing with her pulse.
And then it lunged once more.
That massive, horrifying face opened wide.
It was going for the bite.
"Hmmph!"
Wings extended. Legs coiled. She flung herself back with every ounce of force she had—and at the same time, swung her cinquedea.
The blade sang through air and flesh alike. There was an impact. A flash of resistance. A splatter of something not quite red.
And for the first time, the beast did not laugh.
It recoiled, hissing.
The grin was gone.
Its face bore a shallow, bloody gouge—barely deep, but jarring.
It bled.
Kivas panted, her stance faltering just slightly, but she didn't lower her sword.
The beast growled low, and its violet eyes gleamed with something new.
Not amusement.
But rage.
"How dare you!" The beast roared. "The pain you sow is the pain you reap!"