For the next few miles, the forest grew progressively more dangerous as they ventured deeper into the World Tree's territory. The ambient mana concentration had reached levels that could sustain creatures of significantly higher rank than those they had encountered previously.
Their first master-rank encounter came without warning. A massive two-headed hound emerged from the dense undergrowth, each head growling with independent aggression as it sized up the intruders. The beast stood nearly six feet tall at the shoulder, its muscular frame covered in dark, majestic fur. Both sets of eyes glowed with malevolent intelligence that marked it as far more dangerous than the crimson panther had been.
