As Shiro held them both hidden behind the tree, the sound got closer and closer. The ground trembled with each step. And then, suddenly—
It vanished.
The footsteps vanished. There was no sound. The oppressive silence that followed was somehow worse. Shiro quickly looked back, and there was nothing—only massive, steaming footprints in the muddy ground where the beast had just been.
Shiro turned and looked directly at Arien, his voice a low, urgent command.
Shiro: We are leaving. Now.
Even after Shiro said that, Arien didn't dare move a muscle. Her eyes were wide, locked not on Shiro, but on something behind him.
Shiro, seeing that Arien wasn't moving and was staring past him, felt a cold dread settle in his gut.
Shiro: Is it behind me?
He asked Arien. And Arien slowly nodded. Shiro knew he was done for. Well, if he was alone, he could try something, but with Arien, he was at a massive disadvantage.
Shiro slowly turned around and saw it.
Its face was directly level with Shiro's, close enough for him to feel the static making the hair on his neck stand on end. Its eyes were pools of swirling, captured lightning. It was a terrifying fusion of a white-furred wolf and a living storm cloud, the size of a heavy wagon. Its fur constantly crackled with static electricity, and the air smelled of ozone and wet earth.
Shiro: Arien, don't move. I think it can't see us.
And just then, the Stormclaw Monarch took a single, deliberate step back. A flicker of blue-white lightning spawned in the air beside its shoulder.
Shiro, abandoning all pretense of stealth, grabbed Arien by the arm and lifted her up.
Shiro: I'm wrong. It sees us. RUN!
Just as Arien and Shiro turned to sprint in the opposite direction, the beast vanished again—not with movement, but by simply disappearing from sight, the sound cutting out instantly. Shiro suddenly spun around, his eyes scanning the empty clearing. The beast was gone.
Arien was trembling, her breath coming in short gasps. She couldn't even find the strength to draw her katana.
Arien: What is that? I've never heard of a beast like that.
Shiro pulled Arien close to his side and drew his long katana, the steel ringing in the heavy air.
Shiro: Stay near. And follow me. We need to get as far away from water as possible.
And like that, Shiro, holding Arien with one hand and gripping his katana with the other, started running back toward where they remembered the teleportation gate being. As they ran, dodging roots and leaping over puddles, Shiro explained between ragged breaths.
Shiro: That was a Stormclaw Monarch. A rare magic beast. And it's not possible for it to be in the Grimwood.
Arien, pushed to her limit, could barely handle the punishing speed Shiro was setting.
Arien: I-I ca-
Shiro: I've only seen it one time before. It has the ability to control weather—well, lightning. And with its speed, it's more like—
As they ran, they suddenly burst into a large, open clearing. No trees, no water puddles, just a flat, rocky expanse of dead ground.
Shiro: ...while it has light blue and white mixed fur.
And then Shiro suddenly stopped dead. Arien stumbled, trying desperately to catch her breath. Then Shiro pointed his katana straight ahead, at something standing in the very center of the clearing. When Arien looked up, that was when she saw it again.
Arien: You are kidding, right?
The wind blew, stirring its fur, which drifted like mist and cloud. It stood, waiting.
Shiro: An AA-class Beast. And it looks majestic.
And then Shiro took a deliberate step forward, placing himself between the beast and Arien, who remained on her knees on the ground, unable to stand.
Shiro: Arien. Go to the guild and request support.
Arien: Wha-
Shiro: Tell them a Stormclaw Monarch was spotted. There's no telling if I can take it down, but I'm sure I can hold it in this place long enough for you to escape.
Arien: Wa-wa- what are you saying? Aren't you coming? We can both escape if we run.
And then Shiro stopped. He turned his head just enough to look at her over his shoulder.
Shiro: You can't outrun that thing, Arien. We need at least an AA-class adventurer.
He said that with a forced smile on his face. He was clearly trying to hide his emotions, but Arien saw through it. Then, Arien stood up. She wiped away her tearful eyes with a furious swipe of her sleeve.
Arien: You better stay alive till I come back. You hear me?
Shiro: Yaaa. Who do you think I am?
And then Arien started running, her legs pumping as she fled toward the distant shimmer of the teleportation gate.
Shiro watched her go for a split second before turning fully to face the Monarch. He stretched his arms and neck, rolling his shoulders as if preparing for a workout.
Shiro: Now then. Let's get real, Monarch of the Stormclaw.
The beast took a step toward Shiro, a lightning spark igniting the air with each footfall. Shiro tightened his grip on his katana, his knuckles white.
Shiro: Ash.
All the thing turn to ashes.
And then the Stormclaw stopped for a brief moment, tilting its great head. But then it started walking toward Shiro again, completely unaffected.
Shiro: No effect. Really?
And then Shiro tried to run toward the beast, closing the distance in a blur.
Shiro: You are difficult to fight...
As they got closer, the beast raised its massive front paw, claws like curved daggers of bone, and struck at Shiro mid-air.
Shiro: Toenails!
He struck the beast's paw with his katana while holding it with both hands. A flicker of thunder spawned at the point of impact, the shockwave rippling outwards. The force of the parry sent Shiro skidding backwards.
Just as Shiro landed on the ground, he heard a howl. It was not far, but not close. It was like it was everywhere, vibrating from the very air. And then the beast disappeared again. Shiro looked around frantically, but the beast was nowhere to be found.
Shiro's mind quickly processed one terrifying possibility: the beast might have given up on him and decided to follow Arien. Then, a single, heavy drop of water landed on the back of his hand. He looked down at it, then slowly raised his gaze to the sky. His eyes flew wide open.
While looking up at the suddenly dark, swirling clouds gathering with impossible speed, Shiro started smiling, a wild, desperate grin.
Shiro: What the fuck is this.
Meanwhile, Arien.
Running. Through the trees. Through puddles. Arien was giving her all, her lungs burning, her legs screaming. As she ran, Shiro's picture came to her mind—his forced smile, his tense shoulders.
Arien: Stay alive. I'll come back with help.
Just as she neared the glowing arch of the teleportation gate, she saw two other adventurers coming through it, one was wearing the same academy outfit as them. looking bored and casual. Arien rushed toward them, her uniform mud-splattered and torn. She skidded to a halt.
Arien: Help, I-
She didn't finish it. She remembered what Shiro said: they needed at least an AA-class; bringing lower classes would only cause more deaths.
Arien: Please! Inform the guild that a Stormclaw Monarch—an AA-class beast—was spotted in here!
The Man: What-
Arien: I can't go! Please! Tell them to send the strongest they have!
The Man: What, you're claiming a Stormclaw Monarch? Here? You're a student, right?
Arien: Please, I'm begging you!
The man didn't believe Arien at first, but seeing the pure, raw terror and desperation on her face, he turned to his friend, his own expression turning grim.
The Man: You better be telling the truth.
And just as both of them leapt back through the gate to raise the alarm, Arien turned around. She looked back into the dark heart of the Grimwood, her heart clenching.
Arien: Shiro...
And just as she said that, Arien started running back toward the direction where she had left Shiro. As she got closer, a drop of water fell from the sky. Then another. And as she ran further in, it got faster. Cold, heavy drops began to hammer down through the canopy.
It was raining.
And then Arien's mind raced through something Shiro had said.
Shiro: It has the ability to control weather—well, lightning... we need to get as far as possible from water.
A full-blown, unnatural storm was breaking over the Grimwood.
And just as she burst back into the rocky clearing—
Arien: SHIROOO!
Then she saw it. Shiro was in the middle of the empty ground, on his knees, supporting himself only by his katana driven point-first into the earth. He was looking down. And in front of him, standing triumphant, was the Stormclaw Monarch.
With Arien yelling his name, the Stormclaw Monarch turned its attention toward her and started to walk her way, slowly, majestically, through the pouring rain.
And then, Shiro coughed. A splatter of blood hit the wet ground between his hands.
Shiro: Where the hell do you think you're going, fuckface? I am not dead yet.