The Beast on the Path

The four pressed on through the night without resting, hoping to return to Brekka Town as soon as possible.

Unlike on their outward journey, their purses were now full, and they were exhausted in body and mind. They wanted no further complications.

But on an adventure, the future was always unpredictable. The harder one tried to avoid something, the harder it often became to escape it.

Listening to the wolf howls rising all around them, Renato knew a fight was inevitable.

In the darkness, the gray-white mist seemed thicker still, further dimming their already limited view.

Bagg gripped his greataxe and muttered under his breath, perhaps praying. It was a language Renato had never heard.

Marcus was still praying softly. Drawing on his extensive religious knowledge, Renato recognized that he worshipped Chauntea-the deity of nourishment and growth.

Dropping their spoils, the four drew together, each watching a different direction while covering one another's backs.

The pack wasted no time. After a brief assessment, the wolves attacked.

On the Misty Path, hunter and prey often traded places. Failing to dispatch an opponent quickly could draw stronger predators.

As the howls drew closer, Renato watched for movement on either side while keeping his eyes on the gray wolf emerging before him.

Gray-brown fur covered its skeletal frame. Its belly was sunken, and each rib stood out clearly.

These wolves seemed to be in poor condition. Was it because winter was coming? Renato's thoughts wandered.

As though sensing his indifference, the gray wolf before him bared its teeth and growled, trying to draw his attention. Another wolf crouched low and slowly approached from the side. A clever beast-it waited until it was close enough before baring its fangs, coiling its body, and lunging!

Two days of adventuring, long marches, repeated battles, constant tension, and little rest had indeed left Renato exhausted. Yet he felt he still had strength to spare, nowhere near his body's limit.

Faced with such an obvious feint, he instantly thrust his longsword.

Seeing the blade coming toward it, the gray wolf actually opened its jaws, as though intending to crush the sword's point between its long, sharp fangs.

A beast was still only a beast. How could flesh overcome steel?

The finely decorated steel longsword sliced into the wolf's mouth, tearing open half its face. The wolf let out a whimpering cry and retreated, shaking its head.

With no time to finish it off, Renato sidestepped the other wolf's lunge and swept his sword back across its belly, opening a gash that spilled slick, still-twitching entrails.

The wolves retreated as decisively as they had attacked. After leaving several bodies behind, the surrounding pack withdrew like an ebbing tide at a long, drawn-out howl.

Once treated, these gray wolves' pelts would probably sell well in town, but the group had no time to deal with the carcasses.

Shouldering the spoils they had dropped, the four set off again. Yet whether drawn by the fresh wolf blood on Bagg or the stench of the giant spider's forelegs, a new hunter had already crept close.

Renato thought he had prepared himself mentally, but when a beast taller than a young elephant emerged from the shadows, he still sucked in a sharp breath.

It looked like some unnatural magical creation: a giant bear's body topped with an enormous owl's head, enlarged dozens of times over.

An astonishingly dense coat of coal-gray feathers covered its body. Two huge golden eyes fixed on the four, revealing nothing but a pure thirst for slaughter.

A crossbow bolt sank into the owlbear's thick feathers. A moment later, a deafening shriek rang through the Misty Path.

It charged. Its powerful hind legs drove against the ground, propelling its enormous body at a terrifying speed that belied its size. In an instant, it crossed the dozens of feet that had kept them safely apart.

Chosen as its target, Renato did not panic. With a nimble sliding step, he narrowly avoided the deadly pounce.

As he dodged, he drove his longsword into the owlbear's flank with all his strength. The blade pierced feathers, hide, and flesh before lodging between its ribs.

Something whistled through the air. With no time to pull his trapped sword free, Renato swiftly ducked, once again evading a swipe from the owlbear's enormous, razor-sharp claws.

The Military Billhook thrust like a spear, leaving several wounds of varying sizes in the huge beast's chest, while the greataxe sent feathers flying from its back. Yet against the owlbear's massive bulk, these attacks seemed utterly insignificant.

Marcus narrowly dodged a snap of its huge beak. Hearing the terrifying force behind that clack, Renato would have bet it could snap a horse's spine.

Bagg, positioned behind the beast, failed to notice it turning and was slammed hard enough to send him flying. Like Renato's longsword, his greataxe remained lodged in the owlbear.

Just like being tossed by a bull, Renato thought. He had no time to check on Bagg. Left alone against the raging owlbear, Marcus was like a leaf in the wind, narrowly escaping death again and again.

Unfastening the spiked mace at his waist, Renato stepped forward to meet it. Staring into those intimidating golden eyes, he swung the mace and smashed its head into the owlbear's upper arm!

Then Renato felt the ground abruptly vanish beneath his feet. Only the rush of wind remained in his ears, and his vision began spinning wildly.

Agony struck. For a moment, he could not breathe, as though he were drowning.

The pain paralyzed his muscles and nearly robbed Renato of the ability to think. He even felt the illusion that time had stretched out endlessly.

Only as the pain receded did awareness return to his body. Renato picked up the spiked mace beside him, worked his aching joints, and struggled to his feet to survey the situation.

The dull ache throughout his body was still fading. Renato knew this did not mean his injuries had healed; a surge of adrenaline was merely suppressing the pain.

At some point, Bagg had rejoined the fight. He held a shield in one hand, blocking the owlbear's attacks. The thick, iron-bound wooden shield was covered in dents and cracks, and a horrific gash across his chest streamed blood.

Marcus moved around the monster, keeping it occupied with his billhook. His expression remained resolute, but his arms were trembling with fatigue. Renato knew he would not last much longer either.

I can't let this drag on. I have to end the fight, or else...

His thoughts did not slow his movements. Renato charged at full speed, closing once more on the nearly maddened owlbear.

The owlbear lashed out with its claws. They punched through the thin iron sheeting with a dull crunch, sending a shower of wood splinters flying.

Even under such a heavy blow, the shield faithfully served its purpose and held together, but the impact still drove Bagg back.

The owlbear shook off Marcus's billhook at the cost of a strip of flesh, with bloodstained feathers still attached.

It stretched its neck, trying to crush Renato as he rushed before it. A crossbow bolt from afar struck its cheek at just that moment, briefly checking its movement.

Carrying the speed of his charge, Renato gripped the mace's handle in both hands and threw his whole body into the swing. He turned sideways, twisted at the waist, and poured every ounce of strength into that single blow!

The spike-covered mace head traced a short arc and struck the owlbear squarely on its enormous beak.

The yellow-black horn of the beak cracked all over, bursting off a large, curved fragment.

Clots of blood dripped down. The owlbear howled in agony, its massive head whipping to one side under the crushing blow.

It staggered back several steps and shook its agonized head, seemingly trying to rally, but then streams of white foam spilled from its mouth.

Foam seeped through the cracks in its beak, matting the feathers beneath its jaw and across its chest. Its enormous body began swaying uncontrollably, and its limbs gradually stiffened.

"It's poisoned! It's poisoned!" Joe shouted excitedly from afar. "Young master, kill it! Don't just stand there! Hurry!"

Renato ignored Joe's babbling. He had read about these vicious beasts in books: the closer they came to death, the more savage they became.

The nearly frenzied owlbear suddenly calmed. It paced slowly off to one side, tilting its head as it studied Renato.

In those golden eyes, Renato could discern no emotion, nor could he sense any bloodlust or madness.

Bagg returned to the fray after being driven back. The owlbear roared at him, and he gave no ground, answering with a furious stream of curses from the North.

Marcus readied his Military Billhook as well, preparing for the next attack.