Su Er staggered carefully back along the way he had come, using the sparse moonlight to find his bearings.
As he passed through a stretch of woodland, he stopped, his expression grave.
Just now, a rustling sound had been following him.
"Fang? Is that you?" Su Er called tentatively, but what answered him was neither Fang's familiar whimper nor his bark.
A wave of panic rose out of nowhere, and a voice seemed to urge him on.
Keep going. Don't stop. Go!
I can't...
On the path a short distance ahead, an enormous creature hidden in the darkness blocked his way.
Sharp pincers bristling with black spines dug into the soil, and eight fluorescent green eyes with vertical pupils gleamed ominously in the dark.
"Click... click..." It was the signal that the hunt had begun, and the excitement of finding prey.
Su Er recognized the creature before him at a glance.
An Acromantula! How could I have forgotten there were terrifying things like this on the outskirts?
Was there only one? If there was only one, escape might still be possible. Su Er drew his wand, surveying his surroundings out of the corner of his eye as he silently assessed whether there was a route that might let him escape alive.
During the short journey back, he had recovered a little magic, enough to cast one spell that was not particularly powerful, such as using Transfiguration to trap the spider briefly.
In the few short seconds he spent considering a plan.
Whoosh! Something cut through the air. Su Er's body instinctively swayed right, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw a pincer shoot past, grazing his face.
Su Er's pupils involuntarily contracted.
There's another one!
Two! Su Er's heart sank, but he had not yet despaired. If