“I think we’re surrounded, but it’s hard to tell for sure.” Whispered Felicia warily while clutching her warhammer.

“My senses have been strange ever since we came to this place. There are strange sounds all around us and there is a lingering scent I can’t describe just out of reach. I feel certain this time, though.”

Fayde calmed down after his initial surprise and listened intently to Felicia’s warning. He had been so deep in thought that he hadn’t even realized that there was indeed a sensation of danger lurking in the area.

Even though his senses weren’t like that of the Beastkin, his power which stemmed from the Void had its own means of sensing the presence of living beings.

Fayde stood up slowly and unsheathed his sword, pulling Felicia over to him, “Guard my back, if we are surrounded we’ll have to fight our way out.”

Felicia nodded and stood back to back with Fayde. She gripped her warhammer determinedly and scanned the surrounding thicket of trees and dense foliage for any sign of enemies. She was nervous but her instincts as a warrior kept her on high alert.

Fayde on the other hand was much more concerned. His power had still not yet fully returned to him and he would have to rely on just his swordsmanship to see himself through any danger.

As a swordsman, he had reached a superior level of swordsmanship and could be considered to be as proficient as a top rank adventurer. However, due to the fact that he couldn't currently use his void power, he was greatly lacking in strength. There was only so much that could be done with just sword skills. He would need his void power to use his most powerful sword abilities.

Despite his skill in swordsmanship being somewhat lacking, his overall stats were relatively high. He could make up the difference in skill with brute force assuming his opponent was not only more highly skilled with a blade but also of superior strength. At least this was what Fayde hoped would be the case.

Noticing Fayde’s concerned look, Felicia nudged him with her elbow and said, “Don’t worry, I will protect you.”

Fayde could only roll his eyes although he did feel some comfort in her words. Felicia was a powerful warrior of her tribe and even though she wasn’t reliable for much, her strength was nothing to scoff at. Fighting was pretty much the only thing she was good at.

The depths of the forestlike jungle was dark, obscuring whatever lay within but an ominous presence could be felt lurking just beyond sight. Without warning, several pairs of eyes suddenly appeared almost as if they were glowing orbs illuminating the darkness.

There was a hint of ferocity within those glowing eyes which sent chills down Fayde’s spine. Given the circumstance and the fact that the two were already on edge, they couldn’t help but feel concern and a slight bit of fear.

The eyes were all around them now, drawing nearer, like a hunter slowly approaching its prey. Felicia and Fayde reflexively gripped the handles of their weapons even tighter. Their glances furtively dashed from one pair of approaching eyes to another.

“Monsters?” Whispered Felicia with uncertainty.

“I don’t know.” Replied Fayde through gritted teeth, “Aren’t you the one with night vision? What do you see?”

“It’s weird, I can’t see what they are. It’s like there is a haze obscuring my vision. It might be some form of magic, but I don’t know for sure.”

Fayde’s expression was grim, “Whatever they are, we can’t allow ourselves to remain surrounded. We need to break through and run. When I make a move, you follow me.”

Felicia nodded and readied herself to act, moving closer to Fayde until their backs were completely resting against each other.

As the obscured creatures drew nearer to the edge of the dense cluster of enormous trees, they began to emit a low growl which immediately caused Fayde to act.

Fayde dashed straight towards the direction where he felt the least amount of enemy presence. Felicia followed directly behind him initially keeping in lock step with his pace. However, she suddenly dashed forward with a surprising burst of speed which caught the enemy presence lurking in the dark unaware.

Even though Felicia couldn’t clearly see the enemy, she could still make out a hazy outline surrounding the creature that wouldn’t serve to hinder her attack. She swung her warhammer ferociously in a wide arc which just barely grazed whatever the creature was.

Despite being caught by surprise, the creature was still able to react with surprising deftness and was able to dodge the full brunt of the swing. Nonetheless, it was still forced back a short distance and stunned for a brief moment. This allowed Fayde and Felicia a window of opportunity to escape.

“Fayde, take my hand! You won’t be able to maneuver well enough while running in the dark!”

Felicia, without waiting for Fayde’s assent, grabbed his hand and forcefully pulled him along at a brisk pace.

The creature that had been grazed recovered from its momentary daze and stared angrily in the direction that Fayde and Felicia escaped to. It was about to chase after them but was stopped by another of its kind. A low growl left the mouth of the creature but it halted in place despite its anger.

“Why do you stop me?” growled the creature angrily.

“Our ambush failed, there is something strange about those two. Not only could they sense our presence, but it appears they might have even been able to see us.” replied the other creature.

“How is that possible? Humans don’t have that ability. How many countless Humans have we assassinated in the past? When have we failed? No one has ever escaped our clutches.”

“You should know better than me. That one actually forced you back.”

“Hmph! Luck…”

More of the creatures which had been lurking in the forest approached. They all cautiously glanced in the direction of the two they believed to be Humans, fleeing.

“I don’t think so.” said one of the others who approached silently. “I am not even sure if those two were even Humans at all. One of them especially seemed strange… the female. Either way, we failed. Our skills are meant for assassination, not open combat. Those two seemed to be somewhat strong.. I don’t think we could defeat them in a straight fight.”

“I agree, we will have to get some of the others.” voiced another one of the lurking creatures.

“Enough! We will return for now and inform the General of our failure… and our doubts about this peculiar situation. I do not think that things were as we were told. I warned the General of that one’s lies. There may be more to this than we know. The General will make the decision.”

Although the others wouldn’t dare disobey orders, some were hesitant. Their hatred towards Humans was deeply ingrained in them and was not something which could be removed easily.

“Fine, we’ll inform the General and let him decide.”

The others no longer hesitated and the mysterious group of creatures ran off together in a different direction away from Fayde and Felicia. Their pace was extremely fast, much faster than any Human could move. The darkness of the forest was no impediment for them.

It took no more than twenty minutes before they arrived at a cave deep within the forest. The shame they felt for failing their mission caused them to hesitate before the entrance of the cave. None of them dared enter or even announce their presence although the one inside was fully aware that they had already arrived. One stood out among the group and approached the cave.

“I was in command of this mission and so it is my responsibility and mine alone. The rest of you don’t need to enter. Leave now.”

The others said nothing, instead fading away into the trees leaving only their commander to face the wrath of the General.

The sole remaining creature respectfully neared the entrance to the cave and called out humbly, “General, I have come to make my report.”

“Enter.” An ancient and powerful voice emerged from within the cave.

The cave was dark, there was no light to be found. As a matter of fact, there was no light ot be found anywhere in this particular fragment. It was perpetually dark, perpetually night.

The sound of an immense being shifting its position reverberated along the walls of the cave causing it to rumble and shake. A hot steam caused glistening pearls of moisture to drip from the surface of the cave and the occasional drip echoed in the darkness.

This did not disturb the creature nor slow its pace for it was accustomed to this environment and it knew very well who lay within the depths of the cave. It had the utmost respect for the powerful and great General who had saved their lives even at the cost of its own. Everything the General had done, was for their safety. They were like family, but what this creature feared most, was the disappointment it would soon face.

“Report.” The General’s voice once again echoed loudly throughout the cave.

“General… we failed, I’m sorry.” The creature could barely speak those words for it had never known a failure as great as this.

“How can that be? You and your kin are my greatest assassins. Killing two Humans is hardly a difficult feat. This was our only chance at survival. I told you how important this mission was! This was our chance to finally be free of this place!” The General roared angrily, causing his subordinate to quiver in fear.

The General remained quiet as its voice eventually faded and a deep sigh emanated from the depths of the cave.

“I’m sorry. My anger got the best of me and I grow weary. My strength fades and I am not long for this world. My last hope was to see you all free from this place. Forgive me.”

The mysterious creature rushed forward with a sense of urgency.

“No, my General, there is no need for you to apologize. Please don’t say such things. If it wasn’t for you, we would already be dead. If our fate is to die here, then what must be will be. We can’t ask for more, it’s not as if we hadn’t prepared ourselves for death in that ancient war. Also, it isn’t as if we have failed just yet…”

Finally reaching the innermost area of the cave, a wide open space was before it. A blazing flame filled the area and the light of the flames shimmered, reflecting off of the scales of an enormous black dragon.

Stepping into the light, the figure of the creature that had chased Fayde and Felicia finally came into view. The creature they had mistook for a monster was in fact a large black jaguar. Its graceful yet powerful form was on full display from the light of the scorching flames that bathed the inner cave.

The immense dragon lifted its head lazily and turned to look at the jaguar, smoke billowing from its nose. Its blood colored eyes stared intently at the jaguar before resting its head on the floor once more. It didn’t have the energy to keep its head raised for too long and its appearance was listless.

“Tell me what happened. Why did you fail?”

“General, this mission was strange. The Humans.. Well I am not even sure if they were Humans. Not only could they sense our presence, but at least one of them could see us despite using our stealth abilities. Also, the female of the pair was very strong. Laz almost took a blow from her weapon. If he had acted just a little slower, he would have most likely been seriously injured or worse.”

“Hmm… you say that they could sense you? How strange… “

Though the General listened to every word and responded, he barely moved. If not for the fact that he was breathing, one might not even realize that he was alive. His eyes were closed and even his voice had become much quieter and more calm.

The black jaguar jumped closer to the large dragon and its body began to shift and change. It roared in pain and rapidly, the body that had once been a jaguar, became that of a naked man. After the change was finished, the naked man kneeled before the dragon and pleaded with him.

“General, I told you that you shouldn’t trust that false god. That woman is despicable, you know that! I would rather die than do her will! Why must we…”

“Silence.” The dragon said somewhat forcefully before quieting once more.

“What choice do I have now that my life is coming to an end? We hid here for so long, but she found us and I no longer have the strength to protect you. I know very well what her disposition is, but I took the chance regardless.”

The dragon once again lifted its head slowly and looked at the man kneeling before him and sighed.

“Kerron, you have served me for a long time. Perhaps you are right, but we must be careful. Lead your kin and also bring Branz and his men along with you. Capture them, don’t kill them. I have sensed something strange since they arrived in this broken world. Maybe there is more to this, we should at least gather more information. As for the others, tell them to prepare themselves for the battle to come. Even if we don’t kill those two, we must not let her know the truth and go along with her plans for now.”

Kerron bowed his head and walked back towards the entrance of the cave leaving the dragon alone once more.