Chapter 2: Blood in the Thickets
DING!
[Quest Update: The Beast Emperor's Path Begins]
In the forest.
Lucas moved carefully now, Umbra trailing beside him like a silent sentinel. Every step through the underbrush was purposeful. The bond between them was still fresh, but already he could feel something deeper—a pull, a resonance in the space between thoughts. When Lucas slowed, Umbra matched him. When he shifted direction, the lion followed, silent and graceful despite his immense size.
{You're syncing faster than I expected,} the system voice—Angel—mused.
{Impressive. But don't let it get to your head. This world has a nasty habit of humbling the cocky.}
Lucas was about to respond when Umbra stopped, his hackles rising. The lion's nose twitched.
Lucas tensed.
"What is it?"
A soft rustle echoed from the thicket up ahead—too controlled to be the wind. Then he heard it: low voices, cruel laughter, and the metallic clink of weapons. Bandits.
He ducked low behind a fallen tree. Umbra slinked into the shadows. From his vantage, Lucas caught sight of them: six rough-looking men in mismatched armor, their filthy clothes adorned with bone charms and rusted buckles. Each had a leash in hand—tied to enormous, diseased-looking rat beasts, their red eyes glowing in the dim light.