Deep woods in the middle of the night. A place where nobody would want to be, nor should be, especially after hearing rumors about people being brutally killed in these parts. But stories like that only lure in youngsters looking for thrills, brave warriors trying to play heroes and people like me - hired to take care of this mess.
So here I am, riding my horse with only the torchlight illuminating the path. I pretend to be a traveller that just tries to get to the other end of the forest as soon as possible. In reality I just want to attract all the attention on me. I hope that whoever, whatever lurks here will take the bait AND that I'll succeed on my mission. I don't want my heart to be ripped out and eaten like the poor victims before me.
I think that's enough wandering. I fake tiredness and stop to make a campfire. Once the fire cracks in front of me, I sit and lean back against a tree, my hand resting on the crossbow that I'm hiding under the cape. I wish I could relax, but I have to keep my senses sharp. My life, and the lives of the unfortunate souls who'll enter here at night are at stake.
* * *
Deep woods in the middle of the night. Up there in a tree, a pair of glowing eyes stare at a man who sits in front of a campfire. The clouds clear and the moonlight illuminates the mysterious creature crouching on a tree branch. The shape looks humanoid, but that's the only thing that can be compared to a human. The color of the skin and the eyes, the thorny vine-like appendages wiggling on the back made it clear that this is not an ordinary person. And not a friendly one at that, as it licks its lips with a predatory look on the face.
It's been a while that someone dared to enter the woods at this ungodly hour. And on top of that, someone as well built as this man. The creature grins, revealing its fangs. This will be quite a feast. It wipes the drool off the corner of the lips with the back of palm. It can already taste the warm, juicy flesh of his heart in its mouth. But as much as it wants to rip that beating organ out of his chest right away, it has to be careful.
The creature knows that a man of this size and build is usually someone who is able to defend themselves. A warrior, paladin or a hunter in which the latter has the advantage of sharp instincts. It gets especially dangerous if they can use magic. In that case it has to be patient and plan its moves carefully. Not that it minds though. The urge of feasting is strong, but taking its time and playing with the prey, especially by inducing gradual fear to it made the heart tastier. And when they beg. Oh, when they beg to be spared. It's like an appetizer before the main course. When the fear twists the face, the paralyzed body trembles and the voice breaks in tears - it pleases the monster's sadistic tendencies all the more.
The moon hides behind the clouds again - it's time to take action. The monster grabs a nearby branch and breaks a piece of it, making sure the snapping sound is loud enough for the man to hear. He does react to it and tenses up, looking instantly in that direction. He doesn't budge when his eyes scan the area, but it's too dark to see anything. The way he holds his hand under the cape picks the shady person's interest. He has a weapon ready, no doubt about that, but the question is what kind of weapon does he wield? The creature descends the tree, making sure to be as quiet as possible. It grabs a stone half the size of its palm, and positions itself in a place where it can see the man clearly.
A toss. The stone lands in the bushes somewhere to the right of the tree he was leaning on, making a rustling sound. That was enough to put the traveller on his feet and instantly draw the weapon. He points a crossbow at where the sound came from and fires without any warning.
Now that's scary. He doesn't care if it's a friend or foe. Well, a friend wouldn't try to sneak up on him, so granted, his moves were calculated. Before the creature can finish its thought, a new bolt is already locked and loaded, ready to fire at the slighest movement. From the gleam of the silver head, there's a possibility it's an enchanted bolt. Highly dangerous to an unholy monster like him. There's no point in engaging in a direct fight in that case. All it can do is wait, until the fatigue will get to the man and he'll eventually fall asleep.
The creature leans back making itself comfortable, its gleaming eyes fixed on the man. Soon. All the things I'll do to you, it thinks and a cocky smile appears on its face.
* * *
Dawn. The sky gets gradually brighter, the first rays of sun started to shine through the trees already. The early birds start to sing, greeting the new day as per usual.
He didn't go to sleep. Neither of them did.
The staring contest continues still, although not as intense as it was before. The man leans against the tree with a tired expression, holding the crossbow close to his chest. He didn't let his guard down all this time. The creature on the other hand has a bored expression, supporting the head with the palm against the cheek. Now that the colors returned to the world, one can see that the monster has the shape of a short man with black hair and dark gray skin, his clothes simple and black. All that in complete contrast to the traveller who was tall with beige hair, caucasian skin and light colored attire. Both of them sigh at the same time.
What a bummer.
* * *
I get up. There's no point in waiting any longer. Whatever tried to approach me few hours ago may be long gone. Or maybe I hit a vital spot as I fired that one bolt? Earlier I didn't bother to check what it was, suspecting a trap, but now that I can see my surroundings, I should be fine... and those enchanted bolts are expensive, so I better get that one back. I keep my weapon ready just in case, and approach the bush, then carefully push the twigs out of the way. Nothing to see aside my stray bolt lodged in the ground. I sigh and pick it up. I have mixed feelings. I'm disappointed that I didn't manage to hunt the beast, but at the same time I'm glad I survived. I would definitely notice anything suspicious in case someone else would be attacked that night. But everything was dead silent, aside the crackling fire, my heavy breathing and the random noises that put me on the edge.
I yawn and rub my eye. I need some rest. Time to get out of this damn forest and find an inn to stay at. I comfort myself with the thought of crashing on a cozy bed and burying my face in a fluffy pillow, but my stomach reminds me of the other basic thing any mortal needs to do. It translates to "get some food, man". I don't really feel like cooking anything right now for various reasons, so I grab a sandwich I packed earlier for the way. I take a bite and prepare to leave.
* * *
The demon is no longer there. It retreated the moment it saw that the traveler started to gather his stuff. However, it's not like it gave up. The fun is about to start, as a plan forms in his head.
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