As his mind sped up, Eli studied the creature whose mad crash through the undergrowth had slowed considerably. After running Hypermind continuously for a subjective month, his control had improved substantially. He no longer struggled with the ability but could even manage to vary the degree of power, making the world around him that much slower or faster depending on his needs. With all the energy he’d just pumped into the ability, the beast was now approaching at a more sedate crawl.

Considering his options on fight or flight, he tried to ignore the bubbling excitement in his gut, a part of him more than ready to test his recent training. After being locked away for so long within the simulacrum, experimenting while also suffering hundreds of sometimes painful fiery resets, something as simple as a one-on-one fight with some monster was refreshingly straightforward in comparison. Bash would give him some reach, but he wasn’t sure he’d use the weapon much with how massive this creature was. On the other hand, his Flamethrower should work well since few things enjoy a face full of fire. Even if that wasn’t as good, he could fall back on his newest trick. With the kind of range and lethality the metal spheres gave him, he was confident he could put this thing into the ground if necessary.

With it barreling through a few more trees, he finally got a good look at it with his normal vision. It was definitely noticeable, the creature's dark grey skin with red stripes not exactly blending in with the local brown and green vegetation. Assuming it was like other animals with similar markings, this thing was probably from somewhere with a lot of grey and red colors, which seemed pretty far from the middle of a verdant forest.

More details were revealed as it closed in, its mouth, neck, and front legs drenched in blood, likely from the carcass it had been feeding on. Eli also revised its dimensions upwards. Something the size of a rhino was terrible enough, but he realized it was more the size of a bull elephant, standing at least three meters tall at the shoulders. That was as far as the comparison went, though, with its six clawed legs, scales, long whip-like tail, and lizard head so different from Earth’s pachyderms. If the creature had sported wings, he might have thought it some form of a dragon, but even without the ability to fly, the thing could definitely move at a quick pace.

The creature finally pushed through the last of the bushes in the few moments that had passed while he studied it. Slowing down as its dark eyes locked onto Eli, its bloody maw opened to reveal far too many sharp teeth. Coming to a stop as its back legs dug into the forest’s soft soil, the creature reared while pulling its two front legs apart in some sort of challenging posture. Its head went back, and it roared, spittle flying as it recreated the eerie call he’d heard the night before, the tone ascending to a piercing pitch. He winced at the sound, but a notification pulled his eyes to his HUD’s chat window.

New Language detected

Analyzing...

High Speech of the Third Circle recognized

Installing language…

Installed

The words sat there for a few moments as Eli tried to comprehend what he was reading. His thoughts briefly flashed back to his first minutes on Lurra, when he’d watched the cultists chanting in the pouring rain with thunder crashing overhead. Their hands had been held up as if in supplication while some shithead in the same dark full-body robes was getting ready to sacrifice Dara. He’d then seen the same words about the “High Speech of the Third Circle” before their ugly yells were transformed into words. The pieces fell together, making him realize that Guide was simply reinstalling the same language, the prior version wiped by the reset.

“Who challenges me?” a sibilant voice asked, the creature’s earlier roars now translated by Guide. Eli looked back at the massive six-legged monster, but it was already dropping its front legs back to the earth with an audible thump. Its claws dug in, lunging forward, its bloody mouth opening as if to swallow him whole.

Even with the monster closing in, Eli considered his options. Since the dinosaur-looking thing could talk, it might be possible to reason with it. There didn’t have to be a fight, especially when he only wanted to pass through the area. He also didn’t want to get into the habit of killing everything crossing his path like some kind of murderhobo. Of course, all bets were off if he found out this thing was in league with those shitty cultists. Ultimately, he decided to try a little diplomacy over torching the thing and jumped to the side, easily evading the outstretched teeth-filled maw.

Rolling with the leap, he was already on his feet and pivoting towards the monster, bringing Bash around while keeping his eyes on the target. After missing him, the creature dug its claws into the soft earth, kicking up a fountain of dirt. Finally coming to a halt, it quickly turned, lashing the air with its long tail as it bellowed again.

“Fast little morsel. I will kill you!”

“Well, how about we talk before I smack you upside the head?” Eli yelled back, the words shifting until ugly sounds erupted from his mouth. He’d grown somewhat used to his translator changing his words so the Lurrans could understand him, but at least that was a language suitable for a human voice. This one was much different, the coughing and hissing more like noise from a pissed-off reptile.

Apparently, the nonsense meant something to the creature as it reared again, its dark eyes growing large with surprise. “What? Who?” it barked before its eyes narrowed on Eli again. “How do you speak my language, human?” it asked in the same hissing sounds, its head now cocked to the side in question. Its black tongue darted out, flicking the air like a snake before its front legs dropped to the earth. “No, something is wrong. You look human, but you don’t taste the same.”

“Yeah, I’m human, but a bit different from the local variety,” he answered, slightly relaxing his Hypermind to make the conversation easier.

The creature’s tongue flicked again, its eyes locked on Eli. “No power, but some type of human,” it said, the words almost quiet as if talking to itself. “Do you serve Torment?” it continued, raising its voice.

“Nope. I have no idea who or what that is, but now that we’re talking, how about you stop attacking me?” The creature hadn’t closed in again, but even from ten meters away, Eli wasn’t about to let down his guard. With the way it could move, its size, and all those teeth, underestimating it would definitely be a bad idea.

“If you don’t serve Torment, then you’re an enemy,” it said with utter conviction, hunching down as if preparing to charge again.

Figuring it was time to get a bit more serious with his threats, Eli stored Bash away. “How about you calm the fuck down,” he suggested while cupping his hands before him. After the recent storm, he didn’t think the chance of a forest fire was too high, but he also didn’t want to risk it if he didn’t have to. With that in mind, he aimed for a spot away from the local vegetation and a few meters to the side of the creature, sending out a thin jet of swirling flames. The beast ducked away, its eyes widening while its tongue waggled madly at the air.

“Ready to talk? I don’t want to torch you, but I’ll defend myself,” Eli continued, stepping to the side while keeping an eye on the creature. A quick glance over his shoulder didn’t reveal any threats nearby, and he breathed a little easier, knowing another one of these things wasn’t sneaking up on him.

The monster seemed to have a coughing fit, the sounds erupting from its toothy maw akin to a faulty kettle full of hissing and whistles. Eli needed a moment to realize the thing was laughing, its large shoulders heaving with mirth. Leaning back and lifting its front claws again, its face distorted into something approximating a smile which was disconcerting to see in such an inhuman visage.

“Threatening a Raskala with fire?” it asked, more hissing laughter following its words. Its tongue tasted the air again, the black organ flicking for a bit longer even as its eyes narrowed again. “No power, but you create fire from nothing. A human, but not. Understands the true language but is not a servant of Torment. So many mysteries in one so small and puny,” it muttered, taking a couple of steps closer, but paused when Eli raised his hands for another blast.

“Look, we don’t need to get violent. I’m just trying to go that way,” he said, gesturing with a cocked head to the nearby trail. “But don’t be so quick to dismiss my power – I’m betting I can get it hot enough to burn you,” he said, turning one hand up. With barely a thought, a fountain of red flames with an orange center sprouted centimeters above his palm. Another moment, and he made the fire intensify with pulsing power that shifted into a roaring blue inferno. Smiling at the magic he’d created, he turned his grin on the six-legged dinosaur, wondering if it would pick up on the hint. “Wanna test my theory?” he finished lightly, as if unconcerned with either choice. After all, even if his Flamethrower ability didn’t work on this thing, a mini cannonball betwixt this monster’s eyes should thoroughly get his message across.

The creature stood there for a few moments but finally settled for another laugh, though it also didn’t come any closer. “So the little human wants to use our trail?” it asked before dropping its backside to the earth. Its head went back, roaring, the ascending note making Eli’s ears ring. “Intruder!” The word appeared in his chat just before the creature’s voice said the same thing, translated for his ears. Only moments later, an incoherent roar sounded in the distance behind him, from deeper within Eld Forest.

The monster’s eyes narrowed on Eli again, growling with its teeth bared before its words were translated. “Boruta is dead, killed weeks ago by some humans. Only that fact keeps me from devouring your flesh, trespasser. Consider it my way of honoring the deed, but the next human entering our land will meet a more gruesome fate.”

More answering roars sounded behind Eli, perhaps only a kilometer away, though it was hard to judge from within the woods. There had to be an entire herd of the damn monsters out there. It made him nervous, with his back exposed, and he started to sidle towards the trail. All the while, he kept his eyes peeled on the massive monster staring his way, even as the cries approached.

“The Accord is no more,” the creature continued with its hissing voice. “Safe travel through our territory is over, and you’d do well to leave. Now.” There was more of the hissing laughter. “Unless you’d like to meet my family. Perhaps one of them is hungrier than me?”

“No, I think I’m good,” Eli said, closing in on the trail, though now turned to slightly face back towards the approaching racket. This creature’s family wasn’t traveling quietly, the crashing thunder of their approach making him a little concerned. He had little doubt he could take this thing in a straight-up fight, assuming it didn’t have any hidden tricks, but a half dozen more was another story. Even when he felt the trail’s more rigid surface under his sandals, he kept his eyes on the monster, nervous that there was some trick. But the creature simply laughed again before bounding away into the trees, toward where it had been feeding earlier.

Figuring that a quick retreat was better than holding onto his remaining dignity, Eli pushed more energy into Hypermind even as he turned to run down the trail. He was only a few strides in when he almost tripped but caught himself and stored the sandals away with a thought. Now with bare feet slapping into the hardened earth, he continued to flee back to Blood Boulders.

While periodically checking over his shoulder to ensure he wasn’t being stalked, he thought about what he’d learned from the recent conversation. Assuming the creature hadn’t lied for some reason, things had obviously changed since he was here last. First, and most concerning, he couldn’t go the same way to the manor. Trying to force his way through a pack of those monsters seemed like a dumb idea, especially when there was no guarantee that there weren’t worse things beyond them.

A second issue revolved around how much time had passed. Fluxi had mentioned a nasty time-dilation field while reviewing his background. And while it felt like no more than a few days had passed for him, that six-legged monster had said Boruta died weeks ago.

As far as he saw it, a couple of scenarios immediately leaped to mind. First, the time between the death of Boruta and Eli showing up in the shrouded prison space for the Trial of Might might have been weeks long. Of course, that also led him to question just where he’d been during that intervening period. On the other hand, time could somehow pass more slowly here on Lurra, which also agreed with Fluxi’s words. Regardless of which was correct, it still meant that a hell of a lot more days had elapsed than he could account for.

Minutes later, he slowed as he came out of the trees to find the standing stones right where he’d left them. Not wanting to waste more of the day, he jogged south past the cultists’ gravesite again, quickly finding the stone road cutting through the trees.

More of the eerie calls sounded, and he turned back to see a few massive grey and white lights milling at the tree line where the forest opened around the standing stones. They bellowed again, their sounds untranslated, but he figured they were different versions of threats and taunts thrown his way. At least they weren’t coming any closer as he continued down the stone road, periodically looking back to ensure they weren’t following.