Chapter 18 — The Predator in the Mist
The marsh was silent, but the silence felt wrong.
Kael slowed his pace, motioning for the noble to crouch low. The mist curled around them like a living thing, thick enough to hide a hand at arm's length.
—Still behind you, Side confirmed. Closer now. They're not rushing you; they're stalking you.
Kael's eyes scanned the shifting haze. "How big?"
—Big enough to break you in half. Probably not bigger than the last one, though.
The noble whispered, "You mean the Marshbreaker?!"
A faint ripple disturbed the water ten paces away. Kael didn't answer. Instead, he slipped his sword from its sheath, its edge humming faintly under his grip.
The ripple came again — then stopped.
Kael crouched low, touching the marsh with his fingertips. Shadows spread from his hand like black veins through the water.
The mist thickened. Something massive moved within it, the faint outline of broad shoulders and horned silhouette sliding between reeds.
Kael didn't wait. He flung his blade into the fog. A metallic clang rang out, followed by an enraged bellow.
The creature burst forward, swiping with claws the size of scythes. Kael sidestepped, letting the strike pass before warping space around his right hand. He called his sword back through the distortion, the blade snapping into his grip in time for a follow-up slash.
The edge bit deep into the creature's forearm. It roared and stumbled, but the water slowed Kael's footwork. The noble scrambled backward, splashing loudly.
The creature's head snapped toward the sound.
Kael's shadow lashed upward, wrapping around its ankle and yanking hard. It fell sideways into the mire, sending a spray of black water across the clearing.
"Move!" Kael shouted.
The noble bolted into the fog, leaving Kael alone with the beast. The creature struggled up, water dripping from its jagged fangs. It lunged again — but Kael was already behind it, his movements fluid, the marsh's surface bending under bursts of spatial compression.
One strike to the hamstring. Another to the back of the neck. The final blow drove through the base of the skull with a crunch.
The beast's body twitched, then stilled.
Kael let it sink quietly into his shadow before retrieving a small pouch from his belt. He sifted through the damp reeds until he found a cluster of glowing marsh fungus. He pocketed them without explanation.
The noble reappeared from the mist, panting. "Please tell me it's dead."
Kael glanced at him. "If it wasn't, you'd know."
They kept moving, the marsh fading into firmer ground.
But the mist… followed.
—Another one's watching you, Side warned. Smarter this time.
Kael's lips curled into a thin smile. "Good. Let's see if it's worth keeping."
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