Kael didn't go back to the trail.
That thing on the ridge, whatever it was, had moved like it owned the land. Heavy, unhurried. A creature that didn't worry about ambushes because nothing here lived long enough to try.
Charging after it would be suicide.
So Kael turned his back on it and walked the other way.
The land punished him immediately.
The snow thinned as he descended into a shallow basin, revealing slick black ice beneath. His foot slid once, hard enough to wrench his knee, and he barely caught himself on a jagged stone. He froze, his breath hitched.
A low rumble echoed miles or somewhere beneath the ice.
It took a full minute before he felt something.
Not sound... vibration.
Kael eased away, slowly, until the ground firmed again. His heartbeat stayed fast long after.
"Noted," he muttered. If he had fall, there would have been no trial to continue.
He moved slower after that. Watched the terrain. The land wasn't neutral—it was tensioned, like a drawn bow. Every careless step invited consequences.
The first lesser beast found him near dusk.
He had set up a makeshift camp by a ridge where there was a lake which surprisingly had not turned into ice from this frozen hell. He set up a camp to warm himself, warming himself with fire he made by rubbing two twigs over a pile of claw-chopped wood.
His stomach grumbled. But a empty stomach was better than death. he assured himself.
He had barely closed his eyes for a dozen minutes before a scent drifted past his nose.
He smelled it before he saw it.
Immediately he dispersed the fire with a log of wood by his side before he dropped, rolled behind a slab of ice-smoothed rock, and watched.
It crawled out from behind a ridge of broken stone, all hunched muscle and matted fur, its limbs bent wrong, joints popping softly as it moved. Its head was low, eyes pale and unfocused, but its nose twitched constantly.
The beast didn't charge.
It prowled.
Circling wide. Patient... Testing the wind.
Smart enough to hunt, Kael thought. But not smart enough to think.
He waited until it passed close—too close, then surged forward, shifting mid-stride.
His claws grew longer and sharper, his teeth elongated.
The werewolf burst out of him in a rush of heat and fur, claws biting into snow as he slammed into the creature's side. It shrieked, thrashing wildly as Kael dragged it down.
Getting upon the creature, he raised both arms up and slammed it on the beast's head denting its skull while the creature bit down on his forearm. He snapped and grabbed its head while using a claw swipe to rip out its throat with his other hand.
Warm blood soaked into the snow, steaming faintly.
Kael stood over the corpse, chest heaving.
No message appeared.
No reward.
Just the wind and the smell of blood.
And then—movement.
Kael turned slowly.
More shapes shifted in the distance. Two. Three. Maybe more.
The land answered violence with violence.
He didn't stay to count.
Kael ran.
—
Night fell hard.
The temperature dropped so fast it felt like being submerged in ice. Kael found shelter in a narrow cleft between two towering stone slabs, just wide enough to crouch inside. He blocked the entrance with packed snow and broken rock, then forced himself back into human form.
He was grateful all th training with The Circle had helped him master control of the beast blood.
The shift left him shaking as he had lost the warmth that his fur provided.
He huddled in the dark, arms wrapped around himself, teeth chattering despite the heat still bleeding out of his muscles. His injuries ached more now, no instant recovery, no warm rush to seal torn flesh.
This place didn't give second chances for free.
When he was sure he was alone, Kael closed his eyes and forced his thoughts into order.
Three days.
He'd already learned two things.
One: fighting recklessly would drown him in enemies.Two: the boss didn't need to hunt him. Not yet.
That meant he had time.
Time to learn the land. Time to turn it into a weapon.
Kael slept in short bursts, waking at every sound.
When dawn came, it brought no warmth—just pale light and clearer sight.
He moved again.
* * * *
The second day was worse.
The land changed as he climbed higher. The snow thinned, replaced by sharp gravel and frozen earth. Wind screamed between the cliffs, strong enough to shove him sideways if he wasn't careful.
He found bones.
Big ones.
Some were old, bleached white and half-buried. Others were fresh, red marrow still visible where something had snapped them cleanly.
None showed signs of a long struggle.
Kael followed the bones.
He skirted the edges, memorizing the landmarks and watching how the wind moved.
The smell grew stronger the closer he got, almost as if the creature passed through on a loose rhythm.
As he crested the ridge ahead, the wind shifted again.
Kael suddenly froze.
The scent hit him like a hammer.
Close. Very close.
He crouched low, peering over the edge.
Below him stretched a wide, open valley scarred by deep gouges in the earth. Claw marks raked across stone. Trees had been snapped like twigs.
And at the center of it all…
The boss lay coiled among the ruins of its territory, massive chest rising and falling slowly. Its hide was ridged, dark, etched with old scars. Horns curved back from its skull like blackened crowns.
It was feasting. Right there in its hand was another beast of its caliber.
But it was obvious at a glance who the true apex predator was.
Kael knew it instantly. He was not a match for this monstrosity. He needed a plan. And he needed it fast.
Behind him, the wind howled across the frozen land, carrying distant roars and the promise of blood yet to come.
The timer ticked on.
46:12:03