From his perch on the cliff edge, Aziel watched the bizarre scene unfold below, his mind struggling to comprehend the creature that had emerged from the boulder.
The swift, brutal attack on Jonas, the strange transformation, the unsettling human head atop the monstrous body – it was almost too much to take in.
"Blackie," Aziel whispered, his voice tight, "what... what is that thing?"
"That, Aziel," Blackie's voice replied calmly in his mind, "is a Crazy Beast. And judging by its ability to mimic that boulder, it's one that possesses magic."
Aziel blinked. "Wait, Crazy Beasts can use magic? I thought they just... smashed things and screamed nonsense."
He remembered the bear-like one he'd encountered before, the one that called him 'Papa'.
It had been strong and terrifying, but it hadn't turned itself into a rock.
"Most rely on raw Miasma manipulation for physical enhancements or brute force," Blackie explained. "But some, particularly those that survive longer or are exposed to unique Miasma concentrations, develop specific magical abilities. It's rare compared to Mana users, but it happens. Those abilities often tie into their physical mutations, like this one's camouflage."
"So, magic makes them more dangerous?" Aziel asked, thinking back to the ranking system Blackie mentioned.
"Correct. A Crazy Beast with a specific magical ability is often ranked higher than one of similar size and strength without magic. Their unpredictability increases substantially. This one blending seamlessly with the environment allowed it to ambush Jonas easily. That kind of tactical advantage elevates the threat."
Aziel processed this. Another layer of danger added to an already chaotic world.
Below, the creature shifted its weight on its spindly legs. Its human-like head swiveled, its wide eyes still fixed on the unconscious Jonas.
Aziel felt a surge of impulse to jump down, to do something, but caution held him back.
Rushing in didn't seem like the wisest plan. He needed to see what it would do next.
As if responding to his thoughts, the Crazy Beast extended one of its thin, sharp-tipped insectoid legs. The limb carefully hooked around Jonas's right ankle.
With a faint buzz from its dragonfly wings, the creature lifted slightly off the ground, just enough to begin dragging Jonas's large, limp body across the rocky clearing.
It moved slowly, deliberately, its human head still wearing that unnerving, wide-eyed stare, now directed forward as it began to drag its captive away from the base of the cliff.
"It's taking him somewhere," Aziel murmured.
"We need to follow them, Aziel," Blackie urged. "Quietly. We don't know its full capabilities yet."
Decision made, Aziel quickly located the top of the makeshift stone staircase Jonas had created just minutes before.
He moved cautiously, stepping onto the first stone projection. Keeping low and using the cliff face for cover as much as possible, he descended, his eyes never leaving the retreating form of the Crazy Beast and the helpless Jonas being dragged behind it.
He reached the bottom, landing softly on the stony ground, and immediately moved into the shadow of a large boulder, peering around it to track their path.
The creature continued its slow, buzzing flight, dragging Jonas deeper into the forest.
Aziel took a steadying breath and began to follow, sticking to the thicker patches of trees and undergrowth, moving as silently as he could.
**********
Dr. Hana's consciousness returned slowly, dragged from a fuzzy darkness by a persistent, throbbing pain at the back of her head. She groaned softly, a low sound lost in the stillness.
Where was she? Why did her head hurt so much?
The first thing that registered wasn't sight, but smell. A thick, cloying odor assaulted her nostrils – the unmistakable, stomach-churning stench of decay and old blood.
It was a smell she knew from dissecting animal carcasses for study, but this was… stronger, more pervasive, and tinged with something uniquely foul.
Her vision swam into focus, adjusting slowly to the gloom.
Shapes began to solidify around her.
She wasn't outside anymore. Rough, uneven rock surfaces surrounded her, suggesting she was inside some kind of enclosure, maybe a cave.
She was lying on the cold, damp earth floor.
Panic started to prickle at the edges of her awareness.
She tried to push herself up, to sit and get her bearings, but a sharp, agonizing pain shot through both her legs.
She gasped, looking down.
Her legs were bent at unnatural angles below the knee, the bones clearly broken.
A wave of nausea washed over her. Bile rose in her throat.
Desperately, she tried to move her hands, intending to assess the damage, perhaps attempt to use her limited healing magic. But they wouldn't budge.
She looked at her arms and saw that both her hands and wrists were pinned firmly beneath a large, heavy-looking stone. It wasn't a boulder, but it was substantial enough to trap her completely.
Tears welled in her eyes, blurring her already dim vision.
Trapped. Injured. Helpless.
She instinctively tried to summon her healing magic, focusing her will, channeling the pool of Mana within her towards the searing pain in her legs and the crushing pressure on her hands. A faint, pale green light flickered weakly around her injuries, offering a tiny spark of warmth, but it did little to mend the shattered bones or ease the profound ache.
Her abilities insufficient against such severe trauma.
The light faded, leaving her in consuming pain and darkness.
Panic tightened its grip, cold and sharp. She was truly stuck.
She forced herself to breathe, trying to quell the rising terror. Hyperventilating wouldn't help.
She needed to understand her surroundings.
She scanned the dim cave.
It was larger than she first thought, stretching back into deeper shadows where her eyes couldn't penetrate. Water dripped somewhere nearby, the sound echoing eerily in the enclosed space. There was no sign of an exit she could see from her position.
As her eyes adjusted further, she noticed them – scattered across the cave floor were bones. Bones of various shapes and sizes.
Some looked animal, but others… others looked disturbingly humanoid. Skulls with empty eye sockets seemed to grin from the shadows. Ribcages lay broken and discarded.
The sickening smell intensified as she realized its source wasn't just old blood, but rotting flesh and decomposing remains.
Fear turned icy in her veins.
What kind of creature lived here? Where did the smell truly emanate from? Her gaze traveled upwards, following the uneven cave walls into the oppressive darkness above.
And then she saw them.
Not far above where she lay, impaled on long, crudely sharpened wooden stakes jammed into crevices in the rock floor, hung several bodies.
They were unmistakably human, or what was left of them.
Some were mere skeletons, picked clean and bleached white by time and unseen scavengers. Others were more recent, their flesh in horrific states of decay, skin stretched taut over bone, ragged clothing clinging to wasted forms.
The sharp stakes pierced through their torsos, holding them aloft in a grotesque display.
A strangled cry escaped Dr. Hana's lips. Her breath hitched, her heart hammered against her ribs so hard she thought it might burst.
The raw horror of the scene washed over her, overwhelming her senses, shattering her composure. Her mind recoiled, desperately trying to block out the sight, the smell, the chilling implication of her own predicament.
This place… this smell… the trapped feeling, the looming, horrific death… it was all horribly familiar.
The terror wasn't just for her current situation; it clawed up from a deeper, darker place within her memory. The gruesome display mirrored nightmares she thought she had buried long ago.
The trauma from her past rushed back, threatening to pull her under.