As the first hesitant rays of dawn began to fracture the horizon, signalling the departure of night, Lysa, who had assumed the final solitary watch, gently roused the other members of the group from their shallow slumber. With the lingering anxieties of the deep night now dispersed by the emerging light, the group swiftly struck camp. They carefully secured their diminishing provisions to their backs and once more set out across the dew-laden expanse of the meadowland. Their journey towards their northern objective had, contrary to all estimations, taken considerably longer than anticipated; the designated timeline was now severely breached. Along the way, they had encountered exponentially more hostile creatures and chaotic pockets of fleeing monster herds than standard routes demanded. Finally, after what felt like an interminable trek across the boundless plains, they reached the periphery of the colossal Giant Tree Forest, a thick barrier of wood and shadow that marked the true initiation of their peril.
Upon Jax's resolute signal, the group wasted no time and began to advance into the deep shadows of the Giant Tree Forest. They transitioned from the bright, dewy clarity of the meadow into the dim, gloomy darkness shrouded by the fifty-metre-tall, colossal oak trunks. This forest ought to have been teeming with life, noisy with a high concentration of monsters; yet, unsettlingly, there was no sound whatsoever. The absence of routine danger gave way to a far more ominous silence. The creatures had not merely fled, they had entirely abandoned the forest. Although this situation was an undeniable signal of peril, Jax's leadership compelled the group to continue their journey and search deep within for the source of this abnormal migration.
Advancing further, the ground beneath their feet shifted to a soft and damp texture. This was no ordinary forest soil. A few steps later, Jax abruptly raised his hand, halting the group. Looking upon the scene before them, pure astonishment spread across every member's face: Right ahead, the savagely mutilated corpse of a gigantic predatory beast lay with its blood mixing into the earth. Moments later, it became clear that it was not merely one; there was another, then another, and soon countless carcasses... The group was confronted with a terrifying spectacle of carnage spanning a wide area. All the monsters in this section of the forest had been annihilated, as if massacred in mere seconds by an unseen, merciless force.
"Mora, are you sensing any traces of mana?"
"No, but my feeling is that someone has simply slaughtered all these creatures just for sport."
"Where did you come up with that?"
"It's quite obvious, Lysa. Look closely. Neither the mana crystals nor any valuable parts of the monsters have been harvested. Moreover, every single one of them died in agony and terror. Whoever did this must have done it solely to kill and to destroy."
"What do we do now, Jax? Whoever inflicted this upon the monsters might still be lurking around here. It is no longer safe to remain in the forest; we should leave immediately."
"You are right. We must return to the town at once."
The party reached an agreement amongst themselves and began retreating along the path they had used to enter the forest. Upon emerging from the dense foliage, they realised they had lost significantly more time within the woods than anticipated; the sun was already close to setting. Though highly reluctant, they established a camp approximately two hundred metres away from the forest's edge.
As they always did, Lysa relinquished the final watch as the first whispers of dawn blended into the air, gently rousing Jax, Ragnar, and Mora. The group, having struggled through the night, quickly gathered their makeshift camp; the urge to move was racing against the desperate need to retreat. The sun had not yet fully risen, washing the vastness of the meadow in a pale, violet light. Just as they were about to set off, the atmosphere suddenly grew heavy. The tall grasses on the ground began to shake violently, swayed by an invisible, suppressed force. The air was then torn apart by a piercing roar; this was not the snarl of a familiar predator, but the thunder of a primeval and insatiable rage.
Without warning, the figure that burst forth from the tall grasses transfixed the entire group. Towering over them like a six-metre giant, an unimaginably large threat stood before them. This was no normal beast; its presence evoked a power capable of uprooting and destroying an ordinary tree with a single claw strike. Beyond its sheer size, its appearance was terrifying: The hide covering its body resembled a toughened, dull, and thick plating of steel alloy; it was a mutated defence that looked impervious to nearly any weapon. The most terrifying aspect was its eyes, which gave the beast its name. Its eye sockets burned with a pure, crimson-red glow, radiating an intense hatred. The Crimson-Eyed Bear positioned itself directly opposite them, its legs braced; the dense, menacing aura radiating from its body shattered the stillness of the meadow.
Following moments filled with sheer terror, the Bear's attack was instantaneous. The colossal creature lunged forward with ground-breaking speed, bringing down a single, enormous claw strike upon the group. Yet, despite the Bear's velocity and immense power, Ragnar, the group's tank, exhibited the expected reaction: he successfully parried the strike by bracing his body behind his shield. The blow's terrifying force resonated with a potent clang across the meadow; although Ragnar managed to hold his ground, his shield was now on the brink of being crushed and shattered by the blow's tremendous impact. Deep cracks marred the shield's surface, and the metal shrieked with a dreadful sound.
Simultaneously, Lysa and Jax launched an attack towards the Bear. Jax swung his sword, aiming for the steely hide, while Lysa fired her arrow, targeting the Bear's crimson-glowing eyes—the creature's most apparent weak point. Regrettably, their efforts proved futile; the Bear's thick hide, resembling a hard steel alloy, absorbed Jax's sharp blade, preventing any significant damage. Even Lysa's arrow failed to pierce the bony structure around the Bear's eye, proving ineffective. However, these brave, desperate attacks were executed for a singular purpose: to buy time for Mora, the group's mage. Mora had begun preparing a potent spell capable of halting the Bear's destructive might.
Mora successfully completed her spell, channeling all her power and remaining mana; a deafening explosion tore through the air, enveloping the Crimson-Eyed Bear in a cloud of smoke and dust. The group, momentarily believing they had destroyed the Bear, were caught off guard as the Bear's immediate counter-attack ended their brief hope.
A monstrous claw shot out from the dissipating smoke, aimed directly at Lysa. Ragnar, in a final act of sacrifice, managed to parry the strike just in time. This act, however, caused his shield to shatter completely. Left without defence, Ragnar's body took the full impact of the Bear's retaliatory strike. Severely wounded by the sheer force of the blow, Ragnar was flung violently to the ground. Right beside him, Mora, drained of all the mana consumed by her spell, collapsed onto her knees from exhaustion.