Leon walked with purpose, the weight of Rhun's words pressing against his thoughts.
The Stone Maw. A place of visions, trials, and truths buried beneath centuries of beastman history.
It wasn't just a destination.
It was a challenge.
Jarek sighed beside him. "So, let me get this straight. First, we had to fight just to walk through this place. Now we're heading toward some ancient landmark where even more trials are waiting?"
Rhun grinned. "That is the way of our land. Strength earns respect. Only the worthy may seek the truth."
Jarek groaned. "Why can't you people just write stuff down in books?"
Kaelen gave him a look. "Because knowledge without struggle is meaningless."
Jarek muttered, "Yeah, well, struggling without knowledge is just dumb."
Leon ignored their banter. His eyes were locked on the distant horizon, where jagged stone formations rose like the fangs of some ancient beast.
The Stone Maw.
And something inside him told him—whatever awaited there would change everything.
---
A Land That Tests Its Travelers
The journey was far from easy.
The Trial Plains were vast, untamed. The deeper they went, the more Leon realized just how different this land was from the human territories.
Here, nature was not controlled—it ruled.
Beastman villages were not walled cities but settlements built into the land, blending seamlessly with the wild.
There were no kings, no nobles—only leaders chosen by strength.
Rhun led them through hidden paths, avoiding the more dangerous hunting grounds. But even then, they weren't alone.
Leon could feel watchful eyes.
Not just from beastmen.
Something else.
Something older.
---
The Hunters in the Dark
It happened on the third night.
Leon woke to the sound of movement.
Not Rhun, not Kaelen, not Jarek.
Something else.
His instincts screamed.
He grabbed his sword and stood. "Wake up."
Kaelen was already alert, his golden eyes scanning the shadows.
Rhun's expression darkened. "They found us."
Jarek groaned, still half-asleep. "Who? What? Why does this always happen when I'm sleeping?"
Then—a low growl.
From the darkness, figures emerged.
Not beastmen. Not animals.
But something in between.
"Ferals," Rhun muttered.
Leon gritted his teeth. He knew of them.
Beastmen who had lost themselves to their primal instincts. No longer part of any tribe. No longer bound by reason.
Just hunters.
And they were hungry.
---
A Battle in the Dark
The first Feral lunged.
Leon barely dodged, the creature's claws ripping through the air where his chest had been.
Rhun moved like lightning, slamming his fist into one's ribs, sending it tumbling.
Kaelen's daggers flashed, cutting through the darkness with precision.
Jarek, half-awake, swung wildly. "Why does everything want to kill us?!"
Leon had no time to answer. Another Feral charged.
He met it head-on.
His blade clashed against claw, sparks flying. The creature's eyes were wild, empty of reason.
But there was something else beneath the madness.
Something unnatural.
Leon's eyes narrowed. This wasn't just a loss of control.
Something had done this to them.
And whatever it was—it was watching.
---
Victory… But Not Without Questions
The battle was over within minutes.
The Ferals lay defeated, their bodies still and lifeless.
Rhun wiped blood from his knuckles, frowning. "They should not be this far north."
Kaelen crouched beside one, studying its form. "This is not natural."
Leon knelt, his fingers brushing against the Feral's skin. There was something wrong with it.
A faint energy. A corruption.
Jarek sighed, slumping against a rock. "Great. So not only do we have to survive the Trial Plains, but now we have mystery monsters to deal with too?"
Leon exhaled.
Whatever was happening—it wasn't just a random encounter.
This was a warning.
Something was stirring in the Beastman Continent.
And at the heart of it all—
The Stone Maw awaited.
---