Crystal-back Bear

I moved deeper into the forest, following the path. The sound of voices carried through the trees ahead, rough laughter and the clink of metal on metal.

There they were. A group of bandits had set up camp in a small clearing, their stolen goods scattered around makeshift tents. I counted at least six of them, maybe more in the tents.

I slowly drew my blade. Then gave a nod to Rei, who hesitated for a moment before moving out to scout.

"I don't like this," Rei whispered as it drifted between the trees. "What if there are more of them?"

But it went anyway, circling the camp's perimeter. After a few tense minutes, it returned with information.

"There are six of them in total. Two are on watch, four around the fire. There aren't any traps that I could see, but there's a cache of weapons near the big tent."

I absorbed the intel, already planning my approach.

"Time to work," I said quietly and moved first, using the tree cover to get closer. The leaves crunched softly under my feet, but the bandits' own conversation masked the sound. When I was close enough, I activated Dash.

The world blurred. I closed the distance to the nearest guard in an instant, my blade finding the gap between his ribs before he could even register my presence. He dropped silently.

THUD!

The second guard turned at the sound, hand moving to his sword, but Wrath was already on him. Translucent claws raked across the man's throat, sending him stumbling backward into a tree trunk.

"What the hell—" one of the bandits by the fire started to shout, but I was already moving.

Quick Strike activated automatically, my blade becoming a silver arc that caught the bandit leader across the chest. He staggered, blood soaking through his leather vest.

The remaining three scattered, reaching for weapons. One managed to grab a crossbow, but Wrath intercepted him with savage efficiency. The bandit's scream cut off abruptly as my echo's claws found vital points.

I rolled sideways as a sword whistled through the air where my head had been. The blade bit into the ground, and I used the opening to drive my knife up under the attacker's guard.

The last bandit broke and ran.

But I let him go.

Six bandits, five dead, one fleeing to spread word that this route wasn't safe for their kind anymore. The message would be clear enough.

Wrath stood among the bodies, his form already starting to flicker as his energy depleted. "Efficient," he said with satisfaction before fading away.

Then I crouched beside the bandit leader's body, checking his belt pouch for anything valuable. Coins, a few gems, the usual loot from highway robbery. But there was something unusual tucked inside his vest, a scroll that pulsed with faint blue light.

"What is this?" I muttered, pulling it free from the dead man's clothing.

The moment my fingers made contact with the parchment, the glow intensified dramatically. Light erupted from the scroll like a miniature sun, forcing me to squint against the sudden brilliance.

The world around me began to warp and twist. Trees bent at impossible angles, the ground rippled like water, and the very air seemed to fold in on itself. My stomach lurched as reality shifted, pulling me into something that felt like falling through thick honey.

Then everything went white.

I opened my eyes to the sound of wind through leaves far overhead.

'What the hell?'

I was lying on my back in what looked like a completely different forest. The trees here were massive, easily three times the size of anything I'd seen before, with trunks so wide you could carve houses into them. Ancient bark rose like cathedral walls around me, and the canopy was so thick that only scattered beams of light reached the forest floor.

I sat up slowly, my head spinning from whatever had just happened. This definitely wasn't where I'd been fighting bandits. 

Rei and Wrath materialized beside me, both looking as disoriented as I felt.

"Where are we?" Rei asked, voice tight with anxiety. "This doesn't look like anywhere we've been before."

Wrath's bloodshot eyes scanned the towering trees with suspicious intensity. "Teleportation scroll. Had to be. But why would bandits have something that powerful?"

I got to my feet, brushing dirt and fallen leaves from my new cloak. The scroll was gone, maybe consumed in the teleportation.

The forest stretched endlessly in every direction.

Before I could make sense of where I was or how to get back, growls began echoing through the massive trees around us.

GRRRROWWWWL!

The sound was deep, coming from multiple directions at once. Heavy footsteps crashed through the underbrush, shaking the ground beneath my feet. Then they emerged from between the colossal tree trunks.

Bears. But not like any bears I'd ever seen or heard of.

These creatures stood nearly eight feet tall at the shoulder, their fur was mottled pattern of deep green and brown that had let them blend perfectly with the forest shadows. 

But it was their backs that made me freeze, crystalline spikes jutted from their spines like a row of jagged emeralds, each one pulsing with the same energy I'd felt in the air.

SNORT!

One of them exhaled through nostrils that glowed with faint green light. When its breath hit the air, frost formed in the humid forest atmosphere.

"Crystal-back bears," Rei whispered, its voice tight with terror. "I've never seen anything like them."

There were three of them, moving with the kind of coordinated intelligence that suggested pack hunting behavior.

Wrath's bloodshot eyes fixed on the largest bear. 

The lead bear reared up on its hind legs, revealing a chest covered in the same crystalline growths. 

ROOOOOAAARRR!

I drew my blade, knowing it was probably useless against creatures this size. But running didn't seem like an option, not when they'd already surrounded us in a loose triangle formation.

The lead bear charged first, its crystalline spikes gleaming as it barreled toward me. I activated Dash, blurring to the side just as massive claws swept through the space where I'd been standing.

Wrath went for the bear's flank, his claws raking across the creature's hide. Dark blood welled up, but the crystal growths seemed to deflect some of the damage.

"The crystals are like armor!" Rei shouted from where it cowered behind a tree root.

I rolled under a swipe from the second bear and came up with Quick Strike, my blade finding a gap between the crystal spikes on the lead bear's shoulder. The creature roared in pain and fury, green light flaring from its nostrils.

SLASH!

Wrath landed another hit, this time targeting the soft tissue around the bear's neck. Blood sprayed across the forest floor as the massive creature stumbled backward.

But instead of pressing the attack, the lead bear let out a different kind of sound, a high-pitched whine that echoed through the crystal spikes. The other two bears immediately responded, backing away from the fight.

The wounded leader cast one last look at us with those multifaceted eyes, then turned and crashed back into the forest. The other two followed, their heavy footsteps fading into the distance.

I stood there, sweat running down my face despite the cool forest air. "They're retreating?"

Wrath was already starting to pursue, his bloodshot eyes blazing with battle-lust. "Let's finish them off!"

"No," I said firmly, grabbing his translucent arm. "We don't know this territory. Could be leading us into a trap."

Wrath snarled but stopped his advance. "Coward."

Before I could catch my breath properly, a new sound reached us through the trees.

Howwwwwwwoooooool!

Wolf howls. Multiple voices joining in a haunting chorus that seemed to come from every direction at once.

Rei immediately pressed closer to me. "Please tell me those are normal wolves."

The howling grew louder, closer. 

"I don't think anything in this forest is normal," I muttered, tightening my grip on my blade.