Kassandra’s arrow shone with her Silver Eclipse skill. A simple touch from this arrow, and whatever demon this was would burst apart. It was her strongest skill. She had gained this after she achieved Rank 4. Over the last three weeks, she so desperately wished that she had this skill when Unokir attacked the castle, then so many of her friends wouldn’t have to die.

  One pair of eyes stayed put, hiding in the darkness of the trees, though the rest had left to attack the camp. She hoped that her warning was enough and that someone had awakened to meet this new threat, whatever it was.

  The monster’s eyes stayed low to the ground, no more than three feet off the ground, so she figured it wasn’t such a big demon. There was a shadowy bulk to the demon that gave Kassandra pause. The thing’s shoulders were massive. That was all she could see of the creature. She tried using Identify, and it didn’t work because it was mostly in shadow.

  Kassandra couldn’t take it anymore. She let loose an arrow. Her aim was true, and her arrow blitzed through the air, but the demon was faster. It jumped behind the tree, and her arrow missed. It slammed into the mossy ground, hissing as her skill burnt the grass around it.

  The demon growled louder. A guttural sound, and Kassandra couldn’t help but think she had heard it before, but couldn’t place it. Besides, that wasn’t important right now. She needed to deal with this thing and then help her friends.

  The sounds of fighting reached her ears as the camp must’ve been fighting this creature's companions. She had another arrow notched and ready before the demon even stepped out from behind the tree. She waited for its eyes to show, and she would drop it, but they never did.

  She frowned, searching the grove and all the trees, but found nothing. The demon was gone. She waited a few more moments, but then she heard the growling again and readied her bow, but the demon never showed itself. She had no option but to get off her boulder and go searching for it in the trees.

  She had a bad feeling about this. But she could either stay here while her friends fought the monsters themselves, or she could get down off this rock and help them, after killing her enemy first.

  If Rey were here, he would most definitely make some joke like this was how white people get killed in movies. She snorted lightly. If Rey were here, he would’ve seen this coming and informed us not to camp here. If we live through this, and if I ever see you again, I’m going to kill you.

  She stalked into the trees, keeping her eyes and ears open. The growling had stopped, but she could hear a faint, heavy breathing, but she wasn’t sure where it was coming from.

  Then suddenly, there was a padfall of heavy steps, as if something heavy was running for her. She turned to the sound, saw the glowing yellow eyes, and let her arrow fly. The demon rolled to the side, avoiding the arrow, and then was gone again.

  Kassandra had another arrow ready in a heartbeat. She looked around the trees, but she saw nothing. It was so dark here, thanks to the foliage above, that she could hardly see anything at all. So, she did the only logical thing she could.

  She ran.

  She ran towards the clearing in which they had set up their camp. That place at least had some light. Over here, this demon had the advantage as she was sure it had night vision. Someone or something was chasing her, she was sure, growling all the time—growls that were borderline roars, like those of its brethren that fought everyone else at the camp.

  It took her a few seconds to clear the trees and arrive at the camp, and when she did, she halted. For her friends were fighting a group of tigers was the best way she could describe it. But these weren’t like regular tigers. They had the orange-striped fur and the regular ferocious head, but they stood on two legs. Most fought bare-chested, wearing only pants, but some wore leather shirts or coats.

  [Baaghror (Exiled) - ?]

  Then she heard a deafening roar behind her, and she instinctively ducked and rolled away, which saved her life. The tiger or man-tiger or Baaghror had swiped its claws at her, which would’ve taken her head clean off.

  She shot her arrow, and this close, even this tiger wasn’t fast enough to dodge. Though it definitely tried, the arrow got lodged in its shoulder, making it cry out, which was practically a roar.

  The Baaghror’s eyes squinted in anger, and it vanished back into the darkness of the trees, and Kassandra didn’t know where it could’ve gone, and neither was she stupid enough to pursue it. She joined the others in the fight, which wasn’t going well by any standards.

  Ajay was bleeding heavily from his neck. Bahar was healing him, while he threw fireball after fireball from his hands, keeping the enemy at bay, but the Baaghrors were too fast for him.

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  Filomena didn’t have any better luck either. The only one of them holding their own was Sergei, as he fought two tigermen by himself and was actually pushing them back, but the problem was that he wouldn’t last long the way he was going. He had many bloody scratches along his arms and torso and was bleeding profusely. He would have to return to Bahar soon to patch up his injuries, or he would not be of this world.

  All of that wasn’t even their biggest problem. The biggest problem was that despite all their efforts, they hadn’t engaged all the Baaghrors. There were still a few pairs of eyes watching the fight from the darkness of the trees. If they didn’t kill the ones in the clearing quickly, then they would be done for.

  Kassandra drew her bow and aimed at one of the Tigermen that Sergei was facing. It was busy avoiding Sergei’s fist, so she aimed very carefully and let her arrow fly. There was a roar from the trees, but it was too late. By the time the Baaghror noticed, her arrow was sticking out of its throat.

  There was a surprised expression on his face, then his eyes rolled over into his head, and he dropped to the ground with a heavy thud.

  [+1 Dexterity]

  [You killed a Baaghror (Exiled) - E+6]

  Its partner, which was facing Sergei, paused for just a moment, and Sergei slammed his fist into the tiger’s face. The monster went flying and crashed into a tree.

  A fireball landed on it, and the walking tiger caught on fire. It quickly rolled on the ground to put out the flames. By the time the fire went out, another two fireballs were coming his way. But then the Baaghror showed its speed, jumping into the trees and seeming to meld into the darkness.

  Kassandra thought it was a camouflage skill. Sergei didn’t get a moment to catch his breath as another tigerman jumped out from the trees and fell on him. This one stood almost eight feet tall and even towered over Sergei, which was saying something as he stood close to seven feet himself.

  But Kassandra had no time to help him out this time as her assailant from the forest returned. He fell on her back and kicked her towards the bonfire. She would’ve gone headfirst into the fire, and that would’ve been the end of her if not for Ajay and his quick thinking.

  He shut off the flames just before she crashed into the smoking logs. It prevented her from getting any severe burns, but it plunged the clearing into near darkness, giving their enemy the advantage.

  Kassandra rolled off the logs. “Light the fire again! They can see in the dark.”

  Ajay nodded, or so she thought. The next moment, the logs were lit again, and the clearing was washed in an orangish light.

  But it was too late. The tigers had taken advantage of even that slight moment of darkness.

  Sergei cried out as the Baaghror he was facing yanked its bloody, clawed hand out of his chest. The gentle giant fell to his knees, and he was gone by the time his head hit the ground.

  “No!” Kassandra cried out.

  Since he was a demon, that was it for him. There was no coming back. He was done for. Wiped out of existence. That was not a worthy end for a man such as him.

  Kassandra's hands shook with anger. Before she even knew it, she had her bow drawn and let her arrow fly at the tiger that killed Sergei. It raised its bloody, clawed hand and protected itself. The arrow went through his hand, and he didn’t even grunt, let alone cry out in pain.

  He brought his hand down and pulled out the arrow as if it were nothing but a splinter. These things were not demons. If they were, then the tigerman would’ve burst apart. Kassandra hated that her skills weren’t so effective on creatures such as this monster.

  Filomena cried out as she was thrown to the ground, and the big tigerman stood over her, ready to finish her off.

  “No!” Ajay cried as he ran to her, but in his haste to reach Filomena, he left Bahar unguarded.

  A Baaghror jumped from the trees and lunged for the doctor, and in a swift motion, he had his massive hands around the back of her neck. And he squeezed.

  “I’ll kill you if you harm her,” Kassandra seethed, as she drew her bow and aimed it at the tigerman.

  “Stop,” A heavy, guttural voice declared.

  At first, Kassandra didn’t know who could’ve spoken, but it was the Baaghror with the bloody hand.

  “This has gone long enough,” he said. “If you wish to continue this fight, then we will kill every single one of you, and no amount of threats can change that, little girl.”

  That one comment alone almost made her turn her bow on him and show him who was the little girl, but Bahar had no fighting skills. She needed protection.

  “You attacked us,” Kassandra replied, eyes and bow still trained on the tigerman that held the squirming doctor in his grip.

  “Because you invaded our home,” said the leader. “This grove and the plains beyond are our territory. You humans always think everything belongs to you, so we decided to teach you a lesson.”

  There was a long silence that followed, where no one spoke, and no one moved.

  “Lower your bow,” the Baaghror commanded.

  Kassandra didn’t. She stayed put, while her mind raced to come up with a strategy that could help them get out of this mess.

  “Don’t be prideful,” the Tigerman said. “We can be merciful. Lower your bow, leave our territory, and never return.”

  That gave Kassandra pause. She looked to the others, who nodded, before she finally looked to the leader. “You mean it? We can go, and you will not attack us when our backs are turned.”

  “I will not,” he replied. “My word is my bond.”

  With no other choice, Kassandra lowered her bow. It was either she take the tiger at his word or face utter decimation. She wished once more that Rey was here. He would know what to do.

  “Though you will have to pay a price for daring to defile my home and raising a hand against my kin.” He nodded to his comrade, who held Bahar.

  The Baaghror twitched his meaty hand and snapped the doctor’s neck, killing her instantly.

  “No!” Filomena screamed.

  Ajay dashed to the doctor without a care in the world about what the tigers would do, while Kassandra could do nothing but watch, numbly.

  Rey was wrong. The doctor met her end, just as he had predicted. He had said a group of Tigerman would kill her, and that was precisely what had happened.

  The future had played out just as he had seen, even without his involvement.