Chapter 22: In The Forest
The forest seemed alive again, but not in a way they liked. Every leaf that moved, every branch that creaked under its own weight, every breath of wind against the treetops was now a disguised threat.
There was a metallic smell in the air—not the natural, rain-rusted kind, but the artificial kind carried at the waist of men.
There was something sweet and sickening, as if the scent of cheap magic was trying to cover the real odor of sweat, dried blood, and tanned leather. Kaela sensed all of this even before opening her mouth.
Her sense of smell was her guide. And at that moment, the guide screamed for her to run.
But she couldn’t run all the time.
Her paws were covered in mud and sticky leaves. The accumulated weight on each muscle ached deeply, as if nails had been driven into her tendons.
Ahead, Nyssa was dragging herself at an irregular pace, her plops growing slower and more sluggish.
The slime could barely maintain a stable form—her silhouette wavered between feminine and amorphous every minute, as if the effort to maintain a "desirable" appearance had become impossible. And indeed, it had.
They had been fleeing since Kaela smelled it in the forest. From the moment she instinctively knew they were being hunted.
Not by the hunger of a natural predator. But by the greed of men. The bounty of five hundred coins was no joke.
The entire town had gone mad with that promise. And loose monsters... were money in the form of living flesh.
"I can’t... anymore..."