His heart nearly froze in the face of the massive bat-like creature that had suddenly appeared above him, its body covered in a thick layer of matted black fur. Five sickle-like claws extended from the tips of its webbed wings in a mutation that Nolan had never seen on any of the bats that he had researched in his lifetime. The webbing of its wings was so thick that even the pillars of sunlight that occasionally penetrated through the forest’s ceiling were unable to illuminate the veins within the skin.

Nolan dodged to the side and kept on running as the monstrous bat smashed into the ground where he had been standing moments before. A heavy reverberation tickled his toes as his gaze connected with a set of slightly opaque, orangey eyes, like a grotesque imitation of a swirled creamsicle. What threw him off the most was that the face that stared down at him was that of a black bear, with canine teeth that protruded well past its scruffy chin.

Quickly, seal your ears!

With so much going on, his heart hammering within his chest and his back covered in cold sweat, Nolan couldn’t throw together a sealing arrayment with any confidence. Instead, he quickly stuffed his index fingers into his ears and continued on with the zigzag pattern that he had subconsciously employed as the beast perpetually zipped into the sky and then soared downward like a hawk targeting a rodent.

A terrible screech left Nolan’s head swirling with disorientation, though he quickly activated the Tranquil Void Step and put a fair bit of distance between him and his pursuer. He spied another roadblock up ahead, an even larger mass of branches and broken wood, and arrived just as Ian disappeared over the leafy mound with the others held tightly against his shoulders.

Fuck sakes, if I speed up anymore it’ll probably target the others.

An internal sigh shook his mind. Nolan, there are a dozen more of these bats within the area. I might have to take control for a moment.

A dozen? His heart sank. Are they as strong as this one?

Almost, though they all seem to be occupying their own area and most appear fast asleep within the treetops.

Then they haven’t demonized? He could tell that the one which was currently pursuing him had almost finished its demonization process, which would end once its eyes were dominated by an orange glow and its mind completely deranged with bloodlust.

Only one—there, in that dead tree up ahead!

Nolan dashed to the side as a terrible tremor shook the earth, his pursuer crashing into the ground with a flurry of blind slashes as it rampaged forward on its limbs as if it were a terrestrial creature.

He passed several rotting carriages along his way, many of which still contained their aged and weathered cargo and in some cases a number of discarded weapons. Up until this point there hadn’t been any telltale signs of unfortunate travellers meeting unfavourable fates, and yet the wreckage that he passed by became more frequent as he continued forward. Further chills ran down Nolan’s back as he wondered if these frightening creatures had been slowly expanding their territory southward along the ancient highway. He couldn’t help but suspect that he and his friends had crossed into this dangerous domain the moment that they bypassed the first roadblock of natural debris.

About a kilometre ahead stood a tall tree that was completely bereft of any vegetation, its bark white like a healthy birch, though the abundance of sprawling branches gave it a stark contrast. A huge black shadow hung from one of the uppermost branches, another bear-like bat that was slightly longer but much more robust than the one behind him, its wings folded around its body as its predatory gaze shifted to Ian and the others, who were about to pass by it. Its eyes held a devious glow of dark orange, its mouth emitting a light screech of excitement.

Looking at the monster that stampeded after him as if it were his last hope at survival, Nolan sacrificed three of his needles as he sent them whistling toward the creature’s face, which angered it enough to spur it into swifter motion. Thinking quickly he activated the Tranquil Void Step and entered into a massive leap, his body buffeted by strong wind resistance as he crashed into the pale bark directly beneath the idling monstrosity’s hanging figure. The beast shivered with anticipation at its hungry eyes settled upon him.

A chill ran down his spine as he watched two of his tiniest needles stab directly into the glowing eyes of the bat above him at the exact instant that he kicked off of the tree trunk in an explosion of fractured wood. He haphazardly tumbled through the air toward his friends, who continued to flee as the initial bat crashed into the spot where he had just touched upon. Terrible shrieks echoed throughout the valley as the two beasts began to battle one another in a senseless rampage that only a demonized creature could hope to entertain.

They didn’t stick around to discover which one of the monstrous bats would emerge victorious in the vicious battle.

What level were those things at? He wiped at the thick coating of sweat that covered his face as he awaited Uncle Grey’s response.

The third level of Integration.

Why couldn’t I sense them? When I made that jump I felt like a claw was about to shred my neck from behind. Jesus, my heart is about to give out.

Some animals have natural abilities that are unique to them. I can’t imagine your home world was any different.

He realized that his view of animals and demonic beasts was much too narrow. Suddenly the world seemed far more dangerous than before, the mountainous forests many times more foreboding.

While Nolan adopted the role of rearguard, Ian led the group as they sprinted down the roadway at Sean and Esteban’s maximum speed, around fifty-five kilometres per hour. Half an hour and over twenty-five kilometres later, the ancient roadway entered into a vast field where a massive amount of trees had been cut down and cleared out. They had encountered and killed over a dozen other dangerous animals throughout their frantic flight, so it was a great relief when they discovered another pocket of civilization hidden away within the endless mountains.

They took a break at the base of a large tree that towered high above those around it at the fringes of the forest. After confirming that the area was free of any threats, Nolan took it upon himself to climb to the top of the massive pine tree in order to get a lay of the land and was soon taken aback by a startling scene.

The valley before him was almost the same size as Ian’s homeland, and filled with dozens of tiny villages and small towns wherever the excess plots of land hadn’t been cultivated for agriculture. The closer settlements were filled with simple buildings of plain wood and faded stone, at least from the ones that Nolan could make out from his current vantage point.

He laughed to himself as the treetop swayed in the face of an abrupt breeze. If he could make out such a multitude of fine details from so far away, just how good would his vision become once he reached the Integration stage?

Unlike the Three-River Valley there was only one settlement within his view large enough to accommodate more than a thousand people, a sizeable city at the valley’s distant centre that looked as if it were comparable to Lowen.

Hey Uncle Grey, is there a barrier around this valley?

No.

Is there anyone I should be careful about?

I wonder.

Rather than jump down from the tree as he had planned, he paused with a look of slight annoyance. What do you mean, ‘I wonder?’ This is crucial stuff, man. I need to know.

Humph, it’ll only hurt you if I continue to coddle you. Unless you are facing imminent death, you are on your own.

What the hell is this? What about my friends? I might be fine if you jump in, but they might not be.

Then be prudent, my dear disciple.

Are you seriously—this is some shit right here, is what this is.

Call out as he might into the confines of his mind, the old ghost refused to respond. His mood ruined, he took a few moments to collect himself and then dropped down to a thick branch about fifty metres below. Two freefalls later and he stood alongside the others while they listened quietly to his report of the local topography, of an open settlement that lacked a barrier of any kind with no military presence visible from the top of the tree.

“Is this the place you were talking about?” he asked Ian.

“Unfortunately, I don’t think so. My mom once mentioned that the barrier that surrounds their mountain is much stronger than the one that was broken by those bastards from Towering Eaves.”

“Think it’s safe for us to cut through?”

“Safer than out here,” Sean breathed. He gave Esteban’s shoulder a hard squeeze. “My god, we need to cultivate, kid.”

The boy nodded, his face drained of all colour.

“Only one way to find out.”

They entered the sweeping valley at a slow trot, marking one of the smaller towns in the distance as a temporary destination. Apart from the fact that they were running low on rations, Nolan was intent on replenishing his stock of explosives and poison gas as quickly as possible. If he could find an alchemy shop somewhere within this unknown society then he would feel much more at ease throughout the rest of his travels.