Amy

“Are you sure we’re heading in the right direction?” Firanna asked, for what felt like the hundredth time - though it couldn’t have been more than a dozen times, in reality. “We’ve been walking for hours, and yet we’ve seen no sign of the beast.”

“I might not be useful for combat, but I can navigate you know?” May replied, a little huffy at the insult.

“I’m sure Lady Firanna didn’t mean to say otherwise,” Pauline said, taking the role of peacemaker. “It’s just that it’s really easy to get lost in these woods.”

“My father used to be a traveling merchant before meeting Mom,” May said. “He taught me how to navigate in the woods - said that I should never rely on hired guards to do that for me, since there was no telling if they’d take advantage.”

“Did he teach you how to hunt or track, too?” Firanna asked. “Surely there should be some sign of the beast if we’re nearing its territory.”

“There is,” May said, frowning. “Have you not noticed?”

“Noticed what?” Firanna scoffed. “How incompetent you are at leading us to this monster?”

“No. The silence. And also the fact that I haven’t forced us to stop and collect magical plants for over ten minutes now. Something has been eating everything and anything worth collecting.”

“Are you trying to say that we’ve already entered its territory?” I asked, suddenly keenly aware of just how silent it was. I couldn’t even hear any birds.

“Most likely,” May confirmed. “That said, I have not noticed any unnatural tracks. Usually monsters leave distinctive tracks from my understanding. Father mostly taught me how to recognize them so that I’d know how to avoid them, but I haven’t seen anything of interest at all.”

“Does that mean it’s smart enough to cover its tracks?” Firanna asked, frowning.

“That, or it isn’t leaving any, somehow,” May replied. “Perhaps it’s too light to leave marks on the ground? I don’t really know if monsters can do that.”

“They can’t,” Pauline said, quietly. She blushed when we all turned to her, before speaking up a bit. “We sometimes had to deal with monster attacks in the village. I never faced one directly, but I’ve heard the hunters talking about them. They only ever use magic to make themselves stronger and faster and the like. Mostly they rely on natural weapons - I’ve heard they can mutate in all sorts of ways, upon becoming monsters…”

“They’re like the beastkin then,” May said. “Unable to cast complex spells, or extend magic outside their bodies.”

“Isn’t that obvious?” Firanna asked, arching an eyebrow. “There’s a reason people compare the beastkin to monsters, you know - even the way they come about is similar. Though Beastkin destroy their cores on purpose, while monsters simply don’t know how to carve magic spells in the first place.”

“What about the second sort of spell crafting?” I asked, curious now. “I thought spells could carve themselves, if you want something badly enough to make it real?”

“They can,” Firanna said. “But only for humans - and dwarves, and elves and the like, I suppose, as well…”

“I heard it has to do with the soul,” Pauline said. “That’s also why Beastkin can stay sane, while monsters always turn aggressive and territorial.”

“They do?” I asked, surprised.

“Of course they do,” Firanna scoffed. “Why do you think they’re seen as such a scourge? Even creatures that are normally docile will turn upon you once they become monsters.”

“Right…” I murmured, frowning. “I suppose that explains why monsters are always hostile…” I hadn’t really given it much thought when I’d written them into the story - every monster the party fought was hostile, simply because they were monsters and it was a story. It made sense that there’d be an actual logic to it in this real world, though.

“So, to get us back on topic,” Firanna said, “we’re up against a creature that leaves no tracks?”

“Or one that can disguise them,” May replied, nodding. “Yes.”

“Wouldn’t there be signs of scuffed dirt or some such if they were just hiding them?” I asked, looking around us. “From the sounds of it, whatever we’re facing is either too light to leave a mark, or it’s… Well, I don’t know what else it could be, really. Maybe it just isn’t touching the ground?”

“Are you suggesting we might be facing a flying creature?” May asked, sounding more curious than alarmed.

“Maybe? I don’t really know. I guess it could also be something that travels through the trees?”

It was at that inopportune moment that I heard a twig snap behind me. I spun, tentacles emerging from underneath my skirt as I did so, ready to strike - only to pause as I came face to face with a small hedgehog.

“Tense, are you?” Firanna asked, smirking at me.

“Of course I’m tense! We’re hunting a monster, in case you’ve forgotten - tense is the gentlest word to describe how I feel right now…”

Yes. Hunting a monster might sound fun on paper, but I’d already learned that this world was no game, no mere story - violence could and would be enacted on me, and if I were struck by something there was no guarantee that I’d get back up again. If it wasn’t for my own stupidity, locking my magic behind the need for mana potions, I likely wouldn’t have taken the risk - not even for the sake of Firanna’s love life, or Bridgette’s happiness. As it was, though, both their future and mine relied upon me pulling off a successful hunt.

So yes, I was tense. Tense, and aware of my surroundings in a way I usually wasn’t. Which is likely what allowed me to hear it - the faint creek of a branch, followed by a snap as something broke. I spun towards the sound, just in time to see a thick tree branch hit the ground - and then heard the thud of something landing on the forest floor behind me.

“Look out!” Pauline screamed, a moment before the impact hit my side, sending me skidding across the ground, until I was forced to come to an early stop by impacting another tree’s trunk.

I groaned, my side on fire, the whole world spinning. It was all I could do just to sit up - to see the creature that had hit me. Though what I saw made so little sense that I wondered for a moment if my head had gotten banged up as well without me noticing it.

The monster was a rabbit - or at least I suspected it had started its life as such. It had the long ears, and the sharp front teeth sticking out of its mouth, paired with big brown eyes and a pink nose. It was pure white, and its hind legs were clearly built for powerful jumps. It was much larger than any rabbit I’d ever seen, though - and longer, too, as if the torso had been stretched out and thinned. Its front paws, and the overall shape of its head, had more in common with a cat - or perhaps a tiger, considering its size - with big paws and long claws extending from it. It jumped even as I watched it, disappearing back into the canopy.

“What in the world was that?” Firanna demanded.

“A monster rabbit, if I had to guess,” May said, matter of factly. “It looks like it turned itself into its view of a predator - it might have had trouble with cats in the past?”

“Well, where did it go?”

May just shrugged.

Pauline, meanwhile, didn’t say a word - she just rushed over to me, and laid her hands upon my side. A moment later white light appeared, and I felt the pain begin to fade.

“Thanks,” I said, forcing myself to smile through the quickly fading pain.

“That’s what I’m here for,” Pauline replied, smiling in turn. It seemed a little strained, though, and slipped off her face a moment later as she bit her lip in concentration. “You got hit bad… but it should be-”

“Watch out!” I cried, as the canopy above our heads suddenly shook, and the beast leaped out, landing right behind Pauline. She turned to face it, but too late - the creature already had its paw lifted to strike.

Before it could hit, a force struck it, and a blossom of red began to spread from the icy projectile that had pierced through the creature’s side. It screamed - a far too human scream - and jumped into the canopy once again.

“After it!” Firanna screamed. “We can’t let it get away!”

“I’ve got it!” I volunteered. The pain had faded away completely, and Pauline’s light had gone with it. As such, there was nothing preventing one of my tentacles from shooting up and grasping a branch, pulling me up and into the trees.

At first, I saw nothing - not a hint of our prey. Then I caught sight of something - a splash of bright red blood upon the wooden branches. At the same time, something blurred, and the branch bent. My tentacles came up just in time to intercept a blow - though it still sent me flying, forcing me to wrap the tentacles about myself for protection in the split second before I made impact with another branch, snapping it in half and sending me and it tumbling towards the forest floor.

Again, something moved - something I could hardly see, peeking through the gaps in my tentacles. I kept my protections up, pumping the tentacles with mana to increase their sponginess, and when the impact came it bounced off of me, hitting a branch of its own before falling towards the ground.

I hit the floor at an angle, a rolling tube of tentacles. One of those shadowy limbs stretched up, though, grasping a tree’s branches and halting our movements, pulling me back up into the air again. A moment later I was in position, sitting on a thick branch and staring down at the monster that had given me so much trouble.

It was transparent. Not quite invisible, but perfectly clear, making it difficult for my eyes to catch. The effect wore off even as I watched, though, white fur seemingly rippling its way back into reality as the creature growled at me and prepared for another pounce.

“Come at me,” I taunted, raising my tentacles as a shield - but the creature didn’t do as I asked. Instead, it’s jump carried it horizontally, far beneath the branches, to another tree - which it then bounced off of, heading towards my unprotected rear. With limited ability to turn on the branch, I hurriedly brought tentacles up to protect my backside - tentacles it clawed through, tearing them apart before I could reinforce them. Its momentum continued carrying it forward, and its jaws opened, those sharp incisors ready to catch at my flesh - only to come up short as another icy projectile slammed into its stomach, halting its momentum and sending it tumbling back towards the ground.

I breathed a sigh of relief, which soon turned into a wince of sympathy as I saw it land hard upon the ground, the icicle that pierced it shattering beneath its weight, and doing who knows what to its insides in the process.

Despite what must have been considerable pain, it got back to its feet, snaring at Firanna as she strode towards it. She raised a hand, aiming to launch another icicle at it, and it tensed, ready to dodge.

What it wasn’t ready for was me landing upon its back feet first, my tentacles wrapping around its waist even as I impacted its spine. It tried to reach the restraints with its claws, but the angle was bad. It tried to jump, moving to dislodge me, but one of my tentacles struck it on the head, weighted by lead to give it mass. The creature roared again, but that only gave me an opportunity to wrap a tentacle about its neck, pulling its head up.

Firanna didn’t miss the opportunity - the icicle she shot out struck straight through the creature’s neck - and then continued going, hitting me squarely in the stomach and sending me stumbling back a step.

“Amy!” came a horrified cry - Pauline’s, I realized, faintly as I wobbled on my feet.

I couldn’t breathe. There was something sticking out of my stomach. I was cold. I couldn’t breathe.

I stumbled, falling off the creature and landing towards the ground. I hardly noticed the additional pain. I was still trying to catch a breath - trying to force my lungs to work through the pain and the cold.

Footsteps came as someone ran towards me, and I felt something inside me break - not a vital part of me, but the icicle itself, shattering into a million pieces as Firanna let out a curse.

“Amy!” Pauline said. “Stay with me! You’re going to be alright!”

I nodded - or tried. I couldn’t move my head properly. The world seemed blurry. The various colors smudged. Despite it all, I could see Pauline’s face clearly, the worry clear on her lips.

I wanted to tell her not to be concerned. That I’d be fine - and even if I wasn’t, that it would be just one less burden for her to bear.

I opened my mouth, but all that came out was a gurgle.

“Hold on,” she said, holding her hands against my wound. Light poured out, banishing my shadow tentacles. Forcing me to close my eyes. I could feel my flesh knitting itself together, the world coming back into focus even from behind my closed eyes.

“You’re going to be fine,” Pauline said, sounding relieved.

I coughed up another bit of blood.

“Just close your eyes for a second,” Pauline advised me. “The healing can take a lot out of you.”

I nodded, sitting on the ground. I didn’t open my eyes. I could feel my consciousness fading, as a wave of tiredness washed over me.

“You’re going to be fine,” Pauline repeated.

I would be. I knew that. So long as Pauline was beside me, I’d be absolutely fine.

I was still tired, though - and growing more so by the moment. Soon, I knew my consciousness would fade.

Before it could, I opened my lips - forcing the words out. “Thank you…” I said. “Do you think… Bridgette… will like the rabbit?”

Whatever her response was, I didn’t hear it.

I passed out.