Jorghan dove to the side, hitting the ground hard and rolling to his feet. Pain shot through his injured ankle, but adrenaline pushed it aside. He focused his mana into a concentrated force and thrust his palm toward the creature.
A blast of energy struck the serpent's side, sending it crashing into a tree trunk.
The creature recovered quickly, hissing in rage rather than fear.
"Just my luck, what a damned world this is.
If only I weren't injured."
The serpent circled him warily now, recognizing him as a threat. Jorghan kept his eyes on it, hands raised and ready to channel another blast.
When the attack came, it was from behind.
A second horned serpent lunged from the shadows, striking at his back. Jorghan sensed it just in time to spin and deflect its attack with a hasty shield of mana.
The fall and his injuries were already taking their toll.
"Just fucking great!!" Jorghan cursed out loud, frustrated with the situation.
Now facing two of the creatures, Jorghan backed up until his shoulders hit a tree trunk. He couldn't run—his ankle wouldn't support a sprint through the uneven forest floor—and he couldn't keep fighting indefinitely.
The serpents attacked in unison.
Jorghan blasted one back with a surge of mana, then ducked under the other's strike. Its horns were embedded into the tree where his head had been a moment before.
He sprinted towards the fallen serpent and pulled off the horn with a lot of ease. He was physically a lot stronger thanks to his bloodline. And he wasn't using bloodline powers, not yet, he thought.
He knew it was just beginning and there would be a lot more coming.
With the pulled horns, he stabbed the other serpent and dragged the horn downwards, slicing the serpent's body. His small frame had become his advantage to move freely in this thick forest.
He stood before the dead serpents, his breathing heavy. He held the horn in his hand, staring at them.
The smell of blood was heavy in the air, mixing with the scent of the forest. He knew he had to keep moving before more predators were drawn to the scene.
The moon was veiled behind drifting silver clouds, casting the forest into a soft gloom. Twisting vines hung like serpents from towering, bioluminescent trees that pulsed with gentle light. Strange chirps and rustlings echoed through the foliage of the great jungle, the air thick with the perfume of alien flora and a hint of something… darker.
Jorghan, barefoot and wide-eyed with wonder and wariness, stepped through a tangle of glowing ferns. He continued his walk through the dense forest, looking out.
His tunic was ragged, his knees muddy, and in his left hand, he clutched a long, jagged horn, which he pulled out from the snake's head.
As he was walking, again, he felt it, a presence.
No, and not a single one this time.
But multiple signatures.
He looked right in front of him, in the darkness.
A low growl.
A pair of red eyes glinted from the shadows, and then another... and another.
From the thick underbrush, three monstrous beasts crept forth. They slowly came to the front, eyeing Jorghan.
Hyenas, but not of any natural order—these were darkfang hyenas. Their fur was coarse, black as coal, and shimmered faintly with ash-grey streaks. Their bodies were grotesquely muscular, easily twice the size of a full-grown panther, and each of their spined tails ended in a bladed bone hook—deadly and sharp enough to slice through stone.
The largest of them growled low, lips curling back over jagged obsidian fangs. Its red eyes locked onto Jorghan with a predator's hunger.
But Jorghan didn't flinch.
The air around him shimmered faintly.
Something stirred within his chest. His fingers tightened around the horn.
Then the beasts leapt.
With a cry not of fear but of fire, Jorghan sprang into action. He vaulted into the air, spinning like a dancer of flame.
The first hyena surged upward to meet him—and met only death.
With a roar, he brought the horn straight down, impaling the creature through the crown of its skull. Its red eyes went dim as it collapsed, limp, beneath him.
Jorghan didn't stop.
As the body fell, he kicked it off mid-air, launching himself toward the second beast. He twisted, landed with feline grace, and struck with his foot—a thunderous kick to the beast's side that sent it crashing into a tree with a sound like bones snapping.
But the third came from behind. Jorghan felt the rush of breath, the twitch of the tail, and the hunger in its snarl.
Too late? No.
He pivoted.
Spun low.
As the beast lunged for his throat, Jorghan shoved the horn into its mouth, driving it deep with both hands.
The creature screamed, a horrible sound that echoed through the forest.
With a mighty grunt, Jorghan threw it, sending the writhing beast tumbling into the one he had kicked earlier.
The two collapsed into a tangle of rage and pain.
But Jorghan wasn't finished.
He raised his hand, eyes narrowed.
A sphere of light formed in his palm—a swirling orb of pure fire, glowing brighter and brighter until it crackled with the energy of a storm.
Jorghan hadn't learned any offensive spells of that much power. It was just a basic spell, but it had a whole different effect compared to others, and it was because of his mana reserves.
The bullet of fire shot forth from his palm like a comet, streaking across the dark underbrush. It struck the beasts—then silence.
For one breath.
And then—
BOOM.
The explosion lit the jungle like a second sun.
Fire rippled through the trees, scorching leaves and sending flocks of crystal-winged birds fleeing into the skies. Smoke curled in lazy spirals. Ash rained down like snow.
Jorghan stood still, panting.
The horn dripped black blood. His bare feet were singed, but his eyes burned with the fury of a star.