The darkness slowly dissipated. Something wasn't right.
Kano felt it even before he opened his eyes. An inexplicable sense of unease, creeping across his skin with an unshakable feeling of danger. It wasn't like the fear of an enemy or the tension before battle. No, it was something deeper, instinctive, as though the world around him had changed overnight.
He opened his eyes.
Right in front of him—something huge, soft, smooth. He didn't immediately understand what it was until his brain pieced the picture together. His face was almost touching a giant bust. White hair, delicate, soft skin. An elf.
Kano quickly shut his eyes.
— "Am I dead? Is this paradise?" — the first thought that flashed through his mind.
Or worse... He could almost feel the image of Lenor forming in his mind, his sharp, piercing gaze burning into him as he coldly spoke: "I'll gouge out your eyes and erase your memory."
Kano swallowed the lump in his throat. Slowly, carefully, he turned his head to the left, hoping for a different sight... but the situation hadn't improved.
Beside him, curled up like a sleeping predator, lay another girl. Her figure was completely different. Flexible, perfectly balanced for an assassin. Muscles toned, but not excessive. Strong legs, but not gigantic. Her chest was neither too large nor too small. Balance.
Her face was calm, but with an enigmatic intensity. Ears! They were elven, but of a slightly different shape, shorter. A half-elf?
Suddenly, she spoke, still with her eyes closed:
— "If anyone finds out what you saw here, they'll find you torn to pieces in the cave."
Kano shot up, barely avoiding banging his head against a wooden ceiling beam.
— "What?!"
The elf also woke up. Her crystal-blue eyes sparkled with a soft light. She playfully ran her hand over Kano's head, making him shudder.
— "Good morning~"
Kano recoiled, as though her touch had been a lightning strike.
— "What am I doing here?! I was sleeping outside! How did I end up here?"
The girls exchanged glances. Their expressions said more than any words could. Clearly, they hadn't expected such a reaction.
The elf paused for a moment before answering:
— "When the storm and earthquake started yesterday, you were writhing in pain. We brought you here, and you passed out."
Her lips curled into a mischievous smile.
— "And then... Well..." — she glanced slyly at the half-elf. — "Our Kano is quite the heater on a cold night."
Kano froze.
His memory was a blank. He couldn't recall anything after the earthquake. But inside, something unknown seemed to be tearing at him. He felt like something had happened, but what? Why couldn't he remember anything?
The half-elf inserted coolly:
— "Enough with the games. We're packing up. It's time to move."
Her tone was detached, as if nothing had happened. She confidently grabbed her things and headed toward the door, leaving Kano in complete confusion.
A few minutes later, the group moved on.
But something had changed. Something wasn't right.
Kano felt every muscle in his body tense up. The sense of danger was sharp, like a knife, but the group continued moving forward. The path slowly rose upwards, framed by cliffs, and they unconsciously spread out, losing the tight formation.
Lianel, noticing out of the corner of her eye that Kano had fallen behind by a few steps, played her part perfectly. She sharply slowed her pace, gracefully stopped, and turned abruptly toward him.
— "You're so strong and mysterious, Kano..." — her voice was soft, but loud enough for others to hear.
Terron stopped suddenly, his brows twitching, fists clenching. Gelbrik glanced sideways at Kano, while Rudgard nearly choked on his surprise.
— "What?!" — Terron mumbled, tightening his grip on his sword until his fingers went white.
Lianel leaned in closer, her silver hair gently falling over her shoulder.
— "I've always appreciated those who silently do their work... It's so attractive." — Her fingers lightly brushed against Kano's hand, and her eyes gleamed with a mysterious fire.
Kano felt a heat rising in him, and he didn't know how to respond. At the same time, he could feel the eyes of the group on him. Terron nearly ground his teeth.
— "What is this farce?!" — he growled.
But Kano didn't have time to respond.
Because at that very moment, they saw the cave.
A dark opening in the cliff wall, from which a dead chill emanated. The air near the entrance was heavy, thick with something invisible but terrifying. It felt like this was no place for the living.
— "Something's not right..." — Rudgard muttered, furrowing his brows.
Gelbrik stared intently into the darkness. Something... was moving there.
Terron, forgetting about Kano, abruptly turned, his irritation turning into aggression.
— "Enough with this nonsense! We have a job to do!"
And it was at that moment, from above, from a ledge above the cave, something massive surged into the air.
THUD!
The manticore landed directly in the road between them.
The sound of impact shattered the air, sending dust and stones flying. Kano saw the enormous, terrifying creature—its dark hide, claws like daggers, and the snake-like tail that seemed to have a mind of its own. Its yellow, predatory eyes gleamed in the half-darkness.
The manticore slowly surveyed its surroundings, as if assessing its prey. Its lips curled into a horrific semblance of a smile.
— "DISPERSE!" — Terron roared, his sword leaping from its sheath.
Lianel instantly nocked an arrow, stepping slightly in front of Kano to shield him, while Sheila disappeared into the shadows. Rudgard, with a roar, raised his hammer-axe. Gelbrik held his spear, ready for the first opportunity.
Kano glanced at him with fearful eyes; this beast was enormous, his grip tightening on his sword.
— "Move out of its attack range!" — Terron shouted, feeling the deadly threat.
But it was too late.
The manticore swiped with its paw so powerfully that Gelbrik barely managed to roll out of the way. His spear slid across the monster's skin, leaving no mark.
— "Damn… its skin is harder than steel!" — he struggled to rise.
Sheila leaped to the side, swinging her blades, but her strikes left no mark either. The manticore seemed to mock them, simply standing and assessing her enemies.
Lianel fired four arrows in quick succession, aiming for its eyes. But the beast reflexively closed its armored eyelids, and all the arrows bounced off.
Rudgard let out a loud roar, lifting his hammer-axe in front of him, and stepped forward, attempting to strike at the beast's paw.
BANG!
He was thrown back, crashing into the rocks.
— "Can't pierce it that easily!" — pain escaped from his lips.
Terron drew his sword, glowing with magical energy, and struck at the side of the beast. His strike only sheared off a bit of its fur, causing no harm. But as he prepared to retreat to a safe distance, the manticore countered. He managed to jump back a little, but its claw grazed just above his knee. He was lucky his leg was still intact.
Still moving, he retreated to a safer distance.
— "Dammit, even magic?!" — the swordsman's eyes were filled with horror.
Panic clouded Kano's mind, paralyzing him. "This beast, or whatever it is, it's not goblins... I've never even seen a hint of it in any of my books."
Terron, injured, finally recovered from the pain shock and screamed toward Kano:
— "Throw the potion bag! I'm wounded!"
But Kano didn't even hear his words, as though they hadn't reached him.
Lianel, hearing Terron's voice, briefly stopped shooting at the manticore, unstrapped the potion bag from Kano's shoulder, and tossed it to him.
— "I shouldn't have brought the guy with us. He's just in the way, no help at all." — Terron muttered as he drank the potion.
Lianel also had her own thoughts on the matter. "Could Lenor have been wrong in choosing Kano?"
Meanwhile, a storm of thoughts continued to rage in Kano's mind.
"But no, Lianel and Rudgard weren't afraid of the beast, and they're ready to fight it, so I can't just stand here. Maybe we'll have a chance if we strike together."
Yet, despite his thoughts, Kano felt something more—like some magic was freezing him in place, amplifying his fear. This raw, primal dominance from the beast.
The manticore yawned, as if this whole confrontation was amusing to it.
The manticore bared its fangs in a menacing grin, its snake-like tail twisting, ready to strike. Its eyes glowed yellow with fire, and it slowly began circling, as if evaluating its prey.
Kano, still nervously standing behind Lianel, felt his helmet growing hot. It was as if the entire situation was pressing down on him, pushing him forward. He didn't understand it, but his body was already acting on its own.
— "Kano, don't do anything foolish!" — Lianel shouted, her voice trembling with anxiety.
But Kano was already moving. His movements were quick, instinctive. He noticed that his allies' attacks weren't doing any damage, but he knew there had to be a weak spot somewhere on this monster.
— "Block her path!" — he shouted.
Gelbrik and Rudgard reacted instantly: the warrior with the spear made a sharp lunge forward, forcing the Manticore to retreat, while the dwarf slammed his hammer into the ground with force, raising a dust cloud.
At that moment, Kano seized the opportunity. He jumped, using shards of stone as support, and with a twist in the air, he struck with his sword, aiming directly for the unprotected joint on the creature's hind leg.
The sound of the strike was dull, and although the blade didn't cut through the skin, the Manticore recoiled, her roar shaking the air around them.
— "You've angered her!" — Sheila shouted, dodging the snake-like tail.
Kano didn't back down. He knew he had to keep going.
Rudgard didn't manage to dodge in time.
THUD!
The Manticore's paw slammed into him with such force that the earth beneath him cracked. He was thrown toward the cave, his body tossed like a ragdoll. Stone fragments followed him, muffling his scream. The entire side of the ravine shook.
— "RUDGARD!" — Lianel screamed, but her voice was lost in the monster's roar. Every one of her arrows was imbued with magic from various elements she could apply to the tips—fire arrows did nothing, wind magic that increased speed and penetration could have killed a bear, but right now, the Manticore ignored them as if they were mosquitoes.
The Manticore snarled, not allowing anyone to recover, and suddenly flicked her tail forward. The snake-like tail bared its fangs, aiming directly at Sheila.
She leaped back but didn't make it in time. The tail hit her stomach like a battering ram, and she, gritting her teeth, held back a scream. Her body flew backward, crashing into a boulder with terrifying force. The impact didn't stop her—her inertia carried her rolling across the rocky ground toward the entrance of the cave.
When her body touched the gloomy shadow of the entrance, she disappeared inside, as if the darkness had swallowed her. Her daggers were left on the ground, gleaming in the light that still filtered through the ravine.
Kano saw it. He couldn't let this continue.
— "NO!" — he rushed forward, his blood boiling, muscles burning with tension.
Lianel was already standing, bow in hand, ready. Her arrows flashed in the air, but the Manticore, as if sensing the attack, tilted her head, and the arrows merely skimmed off her scales.
— "It's impossible… she's too smart," — Lianel whispered.
And at that moment, the Manticore turned her head toward her. Her yellow eyes flared, her paws tensed. She lunged!
Lianel didn't have time!
Kano acted on instinct. He managed to dash forward and shove her aside. In the last moment, he threw himself in front of the blow.
BOOM!
The massive paw of the Manticore collided with him. He felt his body consumed by a wave of pain. But he didn't fly backward.
His legs sunk into the ground, his arms straining. His body was ready for the blow, but most importantly—the helmet activated just in time!
As the Manticore's paw hit Kano's helmet, there was a deep, thunderous explosion, as if lightning bolts had collided in the air. The recoil was colossal.
The Manticore was thrown back with a force five times greater than her initial strike. She flipped through the air, uncontrollably rolling across the ground. Her massive body crashed into a rocky boulder at the edge of the road, causing it to crack loudly.
The earth beneath the Manticore trembled, and behind her, the dark abyss of a cliff opened up. Her claws instinctively dug into the earth, trying to stop her fall.
But that only made her angrier.
She no longer saw the group as her targets.
Now, she saw only Kano.
He gripped his sword, feeling his heart pounding faster. He knew now the monster would attack only him.
— "Fall back!" — he shouted, never taking his eyes off the enraged beast.
— "I won't leave you!" — Lianel answered.
— "Go! That's an order!" — Terron shouted.
The Manticore screeched, scraping her claws along the ground, waiting. Then, she exploded into motion, charging directly at Kano.
This fight was just beginning.
The Manticore lunged again, her massive body cutting through the air, sending dust and stones flying. Now, she saw only Kano. Her paws, claws, and snake-like tail—all moved in unison, designed to destroy.
Kano managed to dodge, but even his sharp side-step didn't fully save him. One of the claws grazed his shoulder, tearing through his clothes and flesh. The pain seared through his body, but he didn't stop.
— "Speed... it's accelerating!" — he gasped, rolling across the ground.
The Manticore didn't give him a moment to rest. It instantly changed its trajectory, launching its snake-like tail forward. Kano saw the movement at the last moment—he made an incredibly sharp leap back, and the snake's fangs snapped just inches from his throat.
THUD!
The tail struck the stone, shattering it where Kano had just stood.
He rolled, quickly springing to his feet. There was no choice. He had to attack, though exhaustion weighed heavily on him, and the fear of battle was slowly fading.
Kano rushed forward, his sword flashing in the last rays of the sun. He saw the Manticore preparing for another leap, but it didn't anticipate a counterattack. His blade sliced across its chest, but...
Sparks!
The sword slid across its scales, leaving no mark.
— "You've got to be kidding me..." — Kano hissed, leaping backward just before its paw could crush him.
The beast didn't stop. It drove him back, forcing him to retreat. Kano dodged, slid, used every inch of space, but he knew—one more hit, and it was over.
He had to think faster.
And then...
A cry sounded from the side. Gelbrik!
The warrior with the spear had tried to make his way to the cave when the Manticore suddenly turned on him. Kano had already started to help, but then came the blow of betrayal.
Terron, the swordsman leading the way, shoved Gelbrik right under the Manticore's claws!
— "What are you doing?!" — Kano caught the moment, his eyes widening in fury.
Gelbrik didn't even have time to react—the shadow of the Manticore fell over him. She raised her paw, ready to tear him apart, but at the last moment...
Kano crashed into her with all his might!
THUD!
He struck her in the face with his sword, forcing her to stagger back. His legs barely held him on the ground after such a blow, but he knew—it was the only chance.
— "To the cave! Now!" — he barked, grabbing Gelbrik and pushing him toward the cave entrance.
Gelbrik was gasping for breath, but he managed to pull himself up against the rocks. Kano shouted after him, "I'll kill you, bastard!"
Terron was already retreating down the road toward the city. One thought was spinning in his mind: "I'll tell everyone they were weak, and I'm the only one who survived the battle with all those monsters. Only the strongest survive... and I'm that strongest!"
The Manticore was seething. Her yellow eyes glowed with hatred. She rose onto her hind legs, spreading her wings, preparing for the final leap.
— "She won't let us escape!" — Lianel screamed.
Kano, standing at the entrance to the cave, felt the moment.
Without wasting time, he shoved Lianel into the cave. She vanished into the darkness without a sound, as if swallowed by the abyss itself.
When the Manticore leapt at them from above, Kano thrust his sword straight into her open maw, but one of her teeth pierced his arm! Kano held his breath but continued pressing the sword into the beast's mouth.
GGRRRRHH!
Gelbrik, still with some strength left, rushed forward and thrust his spear into the creature's throat.
The Manticore growled, but her body was already uncontrollably falling…
Her paws still tried to strike, moving erratically, like in agony. She no longer controlled her body, but instincts forced her to continue the attack.
Kano instantly understood the danger. He positioned his head to take the blow, knowing that his helmet would withstand any attack. A loud crash echoed when the Manticore's paw hit the armor, and the shockwave sent her flying back.
But Gelbrik...
The beast's tail struck him in the chest with such force that survival was impossible. His eyes widened as he tried to inhale, but only a strangled wheeze escaped his throat…
The cave couldn't withstand such pressure. Kano, Gelbrik, and the monster's body—all of them tumbled down into the dark abyss opening before them…