The rain poured harder, the sheets of water blurring the world into gray and shadow.
Noah's breath fogged in the chill as he squared himself against the massive shape of the Void Tortoise.
The beast shifted, its shell shimmering faintly with violet lines. Its claws sank into the sodden earth with every step, carving grooves that filled instantly with rainwater.
Noah's heart hammered in excitement. Just one strike from the beast was enough to end him.
The tortoise lunged first. For a beast its size, its speed was wrong. Space seemed to cheat for it, the distance between them snapping shorter than Noah could track.
He flung himself sideways, mud exploding under his boots as a claw swept through the air where his chest had been. The strike cleaved straight through a tree, reducing it to splinters.
He didn't stop moving. He couldn't. He dashed through the undergrowth, cloak plastered to his back, every sense screaming at him to stay ahead.
