"Dark Father, don't let me die like a chump in these stupid woods!" Lutz shouted before chanting a broken prayer on my left shoulder.

  "Don't let us die, boss man!" Klart screamed on my right. "I have too much life left to live!"

  "I'm not going to let you die!" The instant the words left my lips, there was a ripple of magical energy, and a tree exploded to my right. "Shit!" The force of the explosion sent me flying. I flew a good five or six yards before my feet found the ground again.

  "Damn, boss, that was crazy!" Lutz slapped my helmet. "Good work!"

  "Yeah, I try!" After a couple of shaky steps, I managed to find my stride again.

  Groaaaarr!!!

  The massive monster's roar shook the entire forest behind me, sending thousands of leaves fluttering to the ground, along with a few dozen branches and boughs.

  "P-r-iii!" Fluffy screamed from the top of my helmet. The little thing had clung to my helmet when I started running and hadn't let go since.

  "Hang on, little buddy!" If I had more arms, I'd cradle him like a football, but since I was just a regular two-armed man, he'd have to do his best to hang on. "I believe in you!"

  "R-rup!" Fluffy squeaked back.

  There was another wave of energy, and a tree behind me exploded, coating my back with smoldering wood and causing me to stumble.

  "Are you alright?!" Ro asked beside me.

  "I'm hanging in there, but we've got to do something!" I shouted back. "Otherwise, we're toast!"

  "I agree." Ro reached out for Na-Ya's hand and pulled her into a sprint. "Come on, love!"

  "I'm doing my best!" She responded.

  "You always do," He said back.

  "Don't any of you dare fucking die!" Vral roared from ahead. "You're not allowed to!"

  "No one's dying tonight!" Tristan shouted to my right.

  Cupping my hands over my mouth, I shouted, "Party up!"

  Willing the system to do the thing, I saw words appear in my head:

  Na-Tristan, Elf-Human Acolyte of the Tower 26, joins your party.

  Na-Ya, Elf Priestess of the Serpent 38, joins your party.

  Ro-Saleh, Elf Champion of the Lovers 43, joins your party.

  Tristan immediately started chanting in the Goddess's tongue beside me. A few seconds later, I felt a wave of energy, and a spell washed over her.

  [Armor of Faith]

  Her body was encased in glowing ethereal armor for an instant before it vanished.

  She started chanting again. There was another wave of energy as her second spell took hold.

  [Bless]

  A wave of pure white light washed over all of our bodies before it vanished.

  "That's what I have for now," She said. "I hope it helps!"

  "Thanks, Tris." I felt a little stronger. "Great work."

  "Thanks, love." She gave me a small nod.

  "My turn!" Na-Ya shouted as she began her own chant.

  [Eagle's Swiftness]

  Yellow light erupted from Na-Ya's staff and washed over us. As her magic took hold, all of us began running even faster than before. The world almost seemed to blur as we cut through the forest.

  "I'm saving the rest of my mana for healing," Na-Ya called out. "Tris, you should do the same!"

  "Will do!" Tristan shouted back.

  Boom!

  Another tree exploded to our left, filling the air with smoking shards of wood.

  "Damn!" Ro was thrown through the air before he struck a stump with his head. With a groan, he managed to wobble onto his knees before slumping back to the ground.

  "Whoa!" Frik shouted as he was thrown off Ro's shoulder, soaring fifteen feet before hitting the ground with a loud thump. Rolling like a barrel, he slipped under a bush and disappeared.

  "Ro!" Na-Ya screamed. Rushing to where he'd fallen, white light erupted from her fingertips as she began casting a spell.

  "Shit!" I ran over to stand guard over Ro, then turned to face the treeline. Looking down, I could tell he was out cold. Whatever this monster was, I couldn't see it, but I could feel it, and it was as black as night. Turning to Lutz, then Klart, I said, "Guys, you're gonna have to run now. I need to stand and fight." I drew my sword and held it between me and the treeline.

  "You got it, boss." Lutz leaped from my shoulder.

  "No!" Klart wrapped his arms around my head. "Don't make me!"

  "P-rii!" Fluffy shrieked from the top of my helmet. Lunging at the goblin, the little beast bit Klart's shirt and pulled him off my shoulder and onto the ground.

  Klart pouted. "Why?!"

  Just then, Na-Ya finished casting her spell.

  [Healing Light]

  Ro twitched, then pulled himself up to his hands and knees. "Thanks..." Shaking his head, he stood. "How long was I out?"

  "Only a few seconds," Na-Ya said.

  I saw movement in the darkness behind us. Stepping toward it, I pulled my shield off my back and held it between the monster and my family. "Come on, bastard. Let's go." I was done with running.

  "Alex, no!" Ro's voice was firm. "We can't fight it. Not yet."

  "Why?" I didn't dare look away from the trees. Based on where its aura was strongest, I could tell it was just out of sight, waiting. "We can't keep doing this. If we keep trying to run, it'll whittle us down." Nodding to Na-Ya, I said, "Cast [Light], Na-Ya."

  She nodded and began chanting, but Ro interrupted her.

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  "No, save your mana." Ro stepped forward and put a hand on my shoulder. "I know what this monster is. At least, I'm fairly sure I do. If I'm right, we can't handle it. Not in the dark, and not without time to prepare." His golden eyes fixed on mine. "We need to run for now."

  I half looked at him, and half looked at the thing in the trees. "You're sure?"

  "I am." He pulled on my shoulder. "Let's go. If we're lucky, we'll make it to that cave. If not, we'll just have to keep running."

  "Okay." I didn't like that plan, but I trusted him.

  "What the hell is this thing?" Vral snapped.

  When I started walking backward, Ro let go of my arm. "I think it's a wyrm." Shaking his head, he added, "No. I'm sure of it."

  "A wyrm?!" Ark hissed.

  Grort groaned. "We're dead... We're so fucking dead..."

  "A wyrm?" I inhaled slowly. "That makes no sense."

  "I fought one once, back when I was young, dumb, and on a sabbatical in the Noleian Empire." Ro locked shoulders with me and drew his sword. "It was a flame wyrm. It took twelve of us to put the thing down, and all but three lost their lives to do it." He frowned. "I'll never forget the sounds it made as it picked us apart. It sounded just like this thing does now."

  "Okay. We won't take any chances." What in the absolute shit was a wyrm doing in Istaera? They lived far to the east, in nations of Malrith, Nolei, and... Evron. "Gods damn it, Kasimir."

  "Do you think Kasimir put it here?" Tristan asked as she locked shoulders on my other side.

  "Who else could teleport a monster clear across Reial?" I asked.

  Just then, there was another wave of magic, and a tree exploded at the edge of Tristan's light. The air was filled with smoke and sawdust.

  By the time the smoke dust cleared, I couldn't feel the monster's aura in that direction anymore. "It's moving."

  Na-Ya made her way to us. "If it's a wyrm, does that mean it breathes fire?" She held her staff up. "I have something that can help with that."

  I shook my head. "Let's be sure, first. I don't want to waste your mana if we're wrong." Turning to the south, I said, "Everyone, pick a direction, and call out anything you see."

  As a team, we each turned and picked a direction to focus on.

  Vral appeared and took a position in front of me. "I'll be your eyes," She whispered and began looking everywhere at once.

  "Thanks, Vral."

  "Come on, idiots!" Vral shouted at the other goblins. "Close ranks with us, and use those eyes to help the blind see!"

  Speaking in low whispers, the goblins made their way to us and took positions in front of the others.

  For a long time, there was nothing. Wherever it was, it was far enough that I could barely feel it.

  After a while, Tristan cleared her throat. "Why would Kasimir do this?"

  I shook my head. "I don't know why he does anything he does." Was this part of the crystals? A test for me? Something else?

  "He's an asshole, that's why!" Vral snapped.

  Before I could think any more about it, I heard the sound of a deep, rumbling growl behind me.

  "It's here," Frik muttered to my right. Then, he pointed to the west, toward a large oak tree.

  Turning, I saw the barest glimmer of the monster's massive, scaled face at the edge of Tristan's light.

  "I see it." Na-Ya breathed. "Just barely."

  We needed confirmation. "Ro?"

  "Yeah..." His voice was low. "That's a wyrm. A forest wyrm, by the color of it."

  "Na-Ya, go ahead and cast that spell."

  "What element does it breathe?" She asked.

  "I think..." I tried to remember the wyrm entry.

  Before I could, there was a loud whooshing sound as the monster began inhaling.

  "Incoming!" Ro shouted, then grabbed Na-Ya's arm and pulled her away from the monster's attack.

  I grabbed Tristan's and Vral's wrists. "Everyone run!"

  All at once, the team scattered. In a few strides, I managed to pull the three of us behind the nearest tree. A few yards away, Ro and Na-Ya found a large rock to crouch behind, and Ark and Grort disappeared into the trees to the south. Fluffy leaped off my shoulder and disappeared up a tree, and the others were nowhere to be seen.

  Groooorr...

  The whooshing noise stopped, and in one massive, heaving breath, the wyrm exhaled.

  A wave of stinking, dense, clinging green gas filled the air around us. It absolutely reeked of some infernal mixture of bleach, flowers, and rotten vegetation.

  Everyone began hacking and gagging.

  "What—" Before she could get another word out, Tristan's hacking grew worse, until thick globs of blood sprayed from her lips.

  "Tris..." I pulled her close and forced her head into my cloak.

  She continued coughing, but her fingers wove into the fabric as she buried her face into me.

  "I—" Vral doubled over and vomited.

  "Vral..." I reached down and pulled her to her feet. Pulling her into my leg, I covered her with the rest of my cloak. "Cover your mouth..."

  She buried herself into my leg and wheezed.

  Out in the forest, the goblins were all choking and sputtering, and Na-Ya was retching terribly. From the faint image of him drawing Na-Ya close, I could tell that only Ro and I were able to weather the breath weapon, but just barely. While not as affected as they were, I still could hardly breathe.

  Vral pulled a handful of cloak to her face. "It smells... like our... old... pool..."

  She wasn't wrong.

  We'd had a small above-ground pool back on Earth. It smelled almost identical to the chlorine tablets I used back then.

  Rooooaaaa...

  Another wave of chlorine mist swirled around us, then the sound of flapping wings filled the night air overhead.

  "Acid..." Na-Ya coughed. "I've got... this..." Na-Ya choked the words out, then chanted a weak, faltering chant.

  [Endure Elements]

  A wave of magical energy washed over us.

  I could immediately breathe again.

  Loosening my grip on the girls, I asked, "Are you two alright?"

  "Yeah..." Tristan coughed a wet cough.

  "I'll survive," Vral wiped heavy tears from her bloodshot eyes.

  "Ark? Grort?"

  "We're alive," Ark called out, her voice hoarse.

  "Barely, "Grort added.

  "This is hell!" Klart screamed.

  'Ri ri!" Fluffy said from a branch above.

  "I hate this." Vral reached for her daggers. "We should fight."

  "I don't know about that." Even with Na-Ya's spell, one breath weapon nearly took out most of our party. This thing was strong. Really strong.

  "You know I hate running like a damn scared animal!" She stomped her foot. "I want to face off against this thing on our terms!"

  "Vral, I know, but this isn't the time. We'll find it, though." I knew we would.

  To the north, there was a loud thump, and the ground shook.

  "Damn it!" Ark shouted. "It cut us off!" She appeared next to us. "Now what, boss?"

  "How did it know where we were headed?" Grort rasped behind her.

  Frik appeared at the edge of the clearing to the west and marched to us. "It knows the direction we're running and likely already has seen the cave." He wiped the tears from his cheeks. "No wonder the damn thing was so hard to track. It's going from ground to air to hide its tracks."

  Ro and Na-Ya made their way to us. Shaking his head, Ro asked, "Can you use [Recall] to get us out of here?"

  It wasn't a bad idea. As much as I hated leaving the monster out here to continue being a threat, it wasn't like we could beat it out here right now. It might be wiser to find it another day, when we were more prepared. "I'll try."

  [Recall]

  You may not use the [Recall] skill when monsters are nearby.

  "Great..." Figured.

  "What happened?" He asked.

  "I can't do it right now." I couldn't help but clench my jaw. What were we going to do? Giving everyone a once-over to make sure they were all okay, I asked, "What do you all think we should do?"

  Everyone looked at one another.

  "You're the leader," Tristan whispered to me. "You should decide."

  "Pi-pi-ri!" Fluffy chittered as it jumped back onto my shoulder. Grabbing my cloak with its teeth, it tugged on me.

  Looking at the little critter, I asked, "What are you trying to say, little buddy?"

  "P-r-ri!" It tugged harder, then jumped off my shoulder and ran a few steps before turning back and twirling. "Pri!"

  "Do you want us to go that way?" I asked the little thing.

  "Ri ri!" It nodded vigorously.

  Could Fluffy actually speak?

  A large branch cracked nearby, and something slithered by us from my right.

  "Dark Father's knees! It's right behind us!" Lutz screamed from behind me. "We gotta go!"

  I decided. "Team, we're going northwest." I pointed in the direction Fluffy had been pulling me.

  "Where are we even going?!" Vral asked.

  "I don't know," I answered. "But Fluffy knows." I didn't know how I knew that Fluffy knew that, but I knew it all the same. Somehow.

  "He's a beast!" Frik shouted from my left. "How can he know anything?!"

  "I don't know, but I trust him!" I said. I knew it sounded dumb as hell, but I just did. I had a good feeling about him. "Let's move out!"

  Right when everyone started moving, there was another deep inhalation from the shadows nearby. Then, a wave of green gas started filling the forest around us.

  "Now!" Ro broke into a sprint, with Na-Ya on his heels. "Move!"

  "Hold your breaths!" I shouted just as the gas washed over us. While it didn't burn nearly as badly as the first time, it still made every inch of my skin itch and my eyes burn.

  Turning, I saw the massive wyrm's face appear in the gloom behind us. Whirling my entire body, I threw my shield with everything I had.

  [Shield Throw]

  The shield cut through the air like a bullet and slammed into the monster's eye.

  With a scream of pain, the wyrm whipped its head around, shattering several boughs as it swatted at its face with its little malformed limbs.

  Not wanting to lose the opportunity, when my shield snapped back to my hand, I threw it again, this time directly at the tree trunk nearest to the wyrm's writhing body.

  [Shield Throw]

  The trunk shattered, causing the entire tree to fall on top of the wyrm.

  GROOOOOAAARRR!!!

  The monster's screams shook the entire forest around us. The trees bent and shuddered. Bushes writhed and twisted. Even the moss seemed to move, clinging to us as we ran past. It was like the entire forest was coming alive.

  "Damn, boss!" Vral's eyes were sparkling back at me. "That's my man!"

  "Go!" As much as I enjoyed the compliment, now wasn't the time. Doing my best to catch up with the others, I felt Fluffy leap back onto my shoulder, and together, we disappeared into the night with the others.