That Beast
The party moved at a crawl. The pace was painfully slow, yet no one voiced a complaint — not even Davie, who made no move to hurry the mercenaries at the front.
"It's too quiet."
One of the mercenaries muttered it under his breath, and he was right. The forest was still in a way that felt wrong. They should have heard something — the drone of insect-type demonic beasts, at the very least. As it was, the loudest sound in the woods was the mercenaries' own careful footsteps.
"Maybe they all ran off because we killed so many of them?"
Someone tossed it out like a joke. No one answered, and the speaker didn't seem to expect a reply. The party pressed on, deeper into a forest that only grew darker.
"Over there..."
The lead mercenary stopped and pointed. Scattered across the ground were the shredded carcasses of Giant Moths and other demonic beasts.
Joseph and the rest of the party fell silent. The sheer number of corpses rivaled everything they had hunted the day before. It was as if every demonic beast in the forest had been slaughtered overnight.
"Check them."
At Davie's order, a hunter mercenary stepped forward and examined the bodies. After a moment he looked up and nodded.
"Judging by the wounds, it was the same creature."
"Any other traces?"
"There's fur."
The mercenary held out a tuft he had found nearby.
"It's white..."
The party stared down at the small clump of fur in silence. None of them had ever heard of a white-furred demonic beast in this region. A few of the mercenaries, sensing something was off, suggested turning back — but Davie shut the idea down. They looked to Joseph for support. This time, he didn't respond. He was frowning down at the carcasses, brow furrowed.
This...?
Demonic beasts eating each other was common enough. Humans lumped them all together under one name, but they were distinct creatures — different species entirely. These corpses were different. They hadn't been killed by humans, yet there were almost no signs of feeding. As if the killing itself had been the point.
"A territorial dispute, perhaps."
Davie had come up beside him at some point, muttering the same thought under his breath.
"...Demonic beasts do that sort of thing?"
"Most of them are no better than animals. But the smarter ones will fight over territory now and then."
The words brought the black beast of Bari Village unbidden to Joseph's mind. The one that had attacked the villagers hadn't been trying to eat them, either.
It couldn't be...
Joseph's eyes flicked upward on instinct. There was no particular reason — after what had happened last time, he simply couldn't not check. Whether that was fortunate or not, he sensed nothing lurking above.
"We go deeper."
At Davie's word, the party pressed onward. They passed the site of the massacre, and some distance beyond it they found an entirely different set of traces.
"Looks like there was another fight here."
Shattered trees. Black feathers. Blood sprayed across the surrounding ground.
"Judging by the black feathers, a Cry Peeper was here."
Joseph nodded in agreement. The Cry Peeper corpse they had found near camp yesterday — Davie guessed this was where it had actually died. The unknown demonic beast had killed it here, then deliberately dragged the body all the way to their campsite.
Why would it do that...?
Joseph was scanning the surroundings when it happened.
A low growl rolled out of the darkness — a sound that seemed to vibrate through the organs themselves.
A chill raced down Joseph's entire body. It couldn't be helped. The instant he heard it, the old memory came flooding back: the exact sensation of facing the black beast. The ice-cold dread that had burned down his spine. The terror of death standing right in front of him.
Joseph slammed his staff into the ground. Three Mana Orbs flared into existence around him.
"Watch the perimeter!"
Davie had heard it too. He barked an order at his soldiers, and they raised their shields, forming a ring around Davie and Joseph. In an instant, a massive wall of steel stood around them.
"Where is it?!"
At Davie's shout, the soldiers whipped their heads around — but no one could give a clear answer. The forest was already thick with darkness; visibility was poor to begin with. And with the light radiating outward from the soldiers, it was even harder to see anything at a distance.
Joseph alone had his head tilted upward. He searched the faint light filtering through the leaves, eyes darting, hunting for a shadow.
"...It's above us."
The moment he muttered it, every eye turned skyward. A tall tree. Between the shadows of the leaves, a pair of slit pupils gleamed — sharp as blades. Joseph's gaze locked with those eyes.
In the same instant, the creature launched itself from the tree.
"Return!"
⟨ Return ⟩
Joseph chanted the spell at once. Two of the three Mana Orbs instantly unfurled into white walls before him. The first wall shattered with a sharp crack, and the creature that had been dropping toward his head was flung through the air.
Unlike the Cry Peeper, it didn't tumble across the ground. Thrown by the impact, it kicked off a nearby tree in midair and landed directly in front of the party.
"Formation forward!"
Davie shouted immediately. The wall of shields that had encircled them swung as one to face the front.
Joseph swept his staff and summoned two more Mana Orbs, spreading them wide. A soft glow bloomed through the dark forest — and in that light, the identity of the creature that had attacked them slowly came into view.
"A demonic beast...?"
One of the mercenaries sounded puzzled, and for good reason. It wasn't simply that a threatening animal stood before them. Its pure white fur caught the gentle light of the Mana Orbs and shone like moonlight.
Davie's sword was out of its sheath in a flash. He dropped into a low stance.
"The moment it charges, open a path."
He meant to burst through the instant the creature threw itself at the shields. But contrary to Davie's expectations, it didn't charge. It simply held a low crouch, watching them.
No — watching Joseph, specifically.
"You..."
Joseph was doing the same. He couldn't even form a proper sentence as his eyes raked over the creature.
...It's definitely that one.
The beast that had attacked him in Bari Village. The black beast that had handed him the Holy Relic. Its fur had somehow gone from pitch-black to pure white, but there was no mistaking it. It remained crouched, staring at Joseph in silence.
"What the hell are you doing here?"
Davie turned, brow faintly furrowed.
"What do you mean by that?"
Joseph didn't answer. More precisely, the words didn't even register. His hand went to the cloth wrapped around the head of his staff — he'd kept it covered the entire time they'd been in Caladon, not wanting to draw unnecessary attention. He tore the cloth away, and the glowing orb at the staff's tip was laid bare.
The party looked back and forth between the white beast and Joseph, thoroughly confused. What was this demonic beast? Why was the mage suddenly doing this? And what in the world was that thing on his staff?
"Hold formation!"
Davie's bark snapped their eyes back to the front. As the Holy Relic on the staff glowed faintly, the beast simply watched it. Then, slowly, it rose from its crouch. The soldiers raised their shields again.
Joseph looked from the beast to the Holy Relic and back.
"...Hold on."
He swept his staff and floated a Mana Orb into the air, then sent it drifting slowly toward the beast. It wasn't a particularly meaningful gesture. He simply had the impression that the creature was trying to confirm something.
As the orb approached, the beast brought its face to it — then started sniffing, the way animals sniff each other.
"What...?"
Davie muttered in disbelief. There were humans standing right in front of it, and yet not a shred of hostility. He dropped his combat stance and turned to Joseph.
"Mage. Are you... acquainted with that thing?"
He stumbled over the words, awkward even as he said them. Only then did Joseph slowly nod.
"I know it, yes... but I don't exactly understand it myself."
"What is that supposed to mean? You know it, but you don't?"
"It's... a long and complicated story. Not the time."
Judging by its behavior, it didn't seem hostile. But considering what had happened before, they were hardly on friendly terms.
Then the beast, which had been nuzzling the Mana Orb, lifted its head — and sat down right there on its haunches.
Joseph frowned at the reaction. Whether it was handing over the Holy Relic the first time or sitting there now, he had no idea what this thing was thinking.
...Is it waiting?
Joseph considered for a moment, then called his three retainers.
"Take the lead."
"...Yes, sir."
They stepped in front of Joseph, looking thoroughly bewildered. Their faces said they had a dozen questions, but this wasn't the time. Unlike the last time, when he'd hidden behind a shield, Joseph approached the beast himself.
As he drew near, the beast slowly rose. It turned, glanced back at him once, and started walking.
"...You want me to follow?"
He felt ridiculous even as he said it. Talking to a beast that wasn't even human. Naturally, it didn't answer.
I can't make sense of this.
Joseph looked back at the rest of the party. Davie still looked lost, trying to process what was happening.
"Would it be all right if I stepped away for a bit?"
"...Will you be all right?"
"I think so."
He wasn't letting his guard down, of course. If the beast suddenly turned on him, he had no intention of going easy. Unlike last time, he had real offensive tools now. A surprise attack might be another story — but he had no intention of just sitting there and taking it.
"...I'll wait exactly half a day. If you're not back by then, we return to camp."
"Understood."
Fortunately, Davie didn't seem inclined to stop him on a whim. Joseph turned and set off after the beast, his retainers with him.
The retainers walked ahead of Joseph looking more tense than they had when they'd first entered the forest. Their shields were trembling faintly — they were gripping them too hard. Joseph started to say something, then shook his head. He couldn't get a clear read on the situation himself. Anything he said right now would be meaningless.
They went deeper into the forest, and at some point the beast turned around again. It looked at Joseph, then at the retainers in front of him, then back.
"...They're fine."
The beast looked away from the retainers and headed toward a particular tree. Joseph couldn't identify the species, but it was withered far more than the trees around it. The beast scraped at the base a few times with one massive paw, then looked at Joseph — and leaped up into the branches.
"...Does it want us to dig there?"
Derik asked, looking completely dazed. His expression said he had no idea what kind of experience he was currently having. Joseph considered, then nodded.
"We should at least check what's there."
The retainers edged toward the base of the tree, keeping a wary eye on the beast.
"Th-there's something here."
Derik called Joseph over. Sure enough, there was something there — a pitch-black stone.
"...Isn't that just a black rock?"
Auk asked, looking puzzled.
The beast in the tree let out a rumble. That, apparently, was the point.