Cel stood frozen, staring at the empty entrance. His mind struggled to process what had just happened.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBVa8gVG1El
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMkGgpyNI9G
'He's... coming back?'110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWS4x8ot1Ns
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡklmdO9Nvz8
The stranger who'd appeared out of nowhere, who'd survived a whole year in this hellscape alone, had just left to get… what? Help? Supplies?110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZdXbnd0XsP
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0rEFc8AxXi
For him.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcinxTeuJsf
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0bc58Zk0Cx
A complete stranger.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwRmghBv4Xf
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoq5SAOlrBH
The absurdity of it struck him like a physical blow.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWLe9e50W6g
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDqCxwqVSvM
Cel's gaze dropped to Silent Moon, still gripped in his left hand. Four crescents pulsed along the blade's length with steady white light. He dismissed it with a thought, watching the weapon dissolve into moonlight threads that unraveled and vanished.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNo4pM8QU8q
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ57bFizm68Y
His wounds throbbed in rhythm with his heartbeat. Blood had soaked through Cinderward's fabric in several places, the divine armor unable to deflect damage already inflicted. His right arm remained dead weight, fingers refusing to respond no matter how hard he tried to move them.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡepTVlcvcB4
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ13OkhDjB9P
The silence pressed in around him, broken only by the distant whisper of settling ash and his own ragged breathing.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPcYZKa9OUI
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxoUQ4x2jWU
'Why would he help me?'110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZbc7WuAfHp
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAEWXtX7PP0
The question circled his mind without answer. Raven had been alone for a year. Had survived in a place where everything could get you killed. 110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHySmedjeft
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm6MxYVCTgk
And yet he'd walked away - not abandoning Cel, but to help him.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUnDHXNiNYr
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNMTs0X3OCg
It made no sense.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrzxn4s28Pr
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOUDNFInsIk
'What kind of person survives a year in the Hollow Realms and still cares enough to help a stranger?'110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNCtWhEuvlY
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgISlRaBGvd
The answer, he suspected, would reveal itself when Raven returned.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1PDIEcODRJ
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr7iCPfh6jF
If he returned.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoYz3ak7f2g
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwlwb8Akg7e
But dwelling on it wouldn't help. Not now.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBpfeG4Pqpo
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡubGl1yxn70
He needed information. Needed to understand what he was dealing with in this place.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVBqAg7XaRy
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTFAMJRWugZ
‘The Ledger.’ The thought came with sudden urgency. He'd unlocked it with his only coin.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI4gKtEOLZb
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW5gdoyXs0C
He reached inward - not toward his soul this time, but toward the bond that connected him to the Ledger of Nightmares.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRkuHOJzwlm
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8deEunNL5J
The response was immediate.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2Z2iMmqOM9
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXYSOystLIF
Moonlight bloomed before him - softer than Silent Moon's manifestation, gentler than Cinderward's wrapping radiance. The light wove itself into solid form, building from nothing with methodical grace.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2l0f4LFvsY
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj3nk3Tcq7w
A book materialized in the air before him.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiRyJnQitOp
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡooKfDgm1Ic
Leather-bound. Moderate size - large enough to be substantial, small enough to hold comfortably. The cover was worn black leather, unmarked except for faint silver filigree along the edges that caught the dim light filtering through the ruins.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNNpo0n1Gzb
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6wpC7ok1xL
It hung there for a heartbeat, suspended.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRkOk3Z5JXo
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzLtdBmIi8i
Then gravity remembered itself.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEm3LytQxzz
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLZwC9fsrB8
The Ledger dropped.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrCIwcqWhN1
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC9K8zksY9H
Cel's left hand shot out on instinct, catching it before it hit the ash-covered floor.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUWkCUmtxrk
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡicrjzmVdZu
He settled the book across his lap, his right arm remaining dead weight at his side. The leather was cool against his palm as he steadied it, worn smooth by what felt like centuries of handling.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyxA7IWBqpq
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTE0tQpwRKC
His fingers found the edge and opened the cover.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDPyzqjuCaX
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNSrtfZe1gS
The first page simply held the name: Ledger of Nightmares.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaNzWXhE55n
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHpuNDKk2vH
He turned to the next page. Text filled the left side in black ink stark against yellowed paper. On the right, a sketch rendered in the same dark ink - simple lines, but detailed enough to be immediately recognizable.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhwc2LT3Tv0
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkUMafN0byu
The hunched posture, the elongated limbs ending in wicked claws, the angular head. This was the creature that had killed him when he first entered the Hollow Realms.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVe2bQ5JzfF
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7oqo7OBqgY
<Anathema: Ashclaw Ravager>110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmS3MM3RIFZ
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9Ge4ooH6Vm
<Race: Creature>110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAMykyMLiwA
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPrhXFxMEeP
<Realm: Ashlands>110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPsI2s2yyv9
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcow4UL929X
<Blight: Infernal>110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7vtSYSuifp
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBUqZcCqbDg
<Behavior: Minimal intelligence. Operates on predatory instinct. Solitary hunter. Aggressive when threatened or hungry. No observed social structure.>110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ3diD3m6Di
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3rh9B5r7UJ
<Hunting Pattern: Detects prey through heat signatures. Employs ambush tactics from elevated positions. Targets major blood vessels and load-bearing joints. Prefers wounding over immediate kills, exhausting prey through blood loss and fatigue before finishing the hunt.>110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXne5kn7zwv
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2sCy9LaYI7
<Territorial Marks: Claw gouges in stone surfaces at elevated locations. Dried blood trails leading to feeding sites. Bones scattered in characteristic patterns around den entrances.>110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKBMRPqjoso
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGv479Jz3pN
<Legacy: [incomplete]>110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIah7KATs8F
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBPdvJrTjJT
Cel stared at the words, memory flooding back with visceral clarity.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQRPQXVETPH
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyWXDByemSF
The creature had struck from above. Had torn through his back with surgical precision. Had let him bleed, let him crawl, let him suffer before delivering the final blow.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVqQ2t5fdvf
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW8Qr4LFyVZ
It hadn't been random violence. It had been calculated. Methodical.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡntAzrbZu0S
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH5g9yakiB9
'Heat signatures.'110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw61KlbPs7W
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Aqda199kE
That's how it had found him. 110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzbnX0KfYV8
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbHmYXU9KOv
Cel's jaw tightened. The information here could have saved his life. Could have warned him that the creature hunted by heat, that it preferred to wound rather than kill outright.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfgnlLXntn3
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnrcQeJdta1
Knowledge he'd lacked when it mattered most.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjTLEq499Vc
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ33zCX5Eq8s
His eyes caught on the Blight classification. Infernal. The word carried weight - a measure of corruption that ran opposite to Grace, the ranking system for divine artifacts. Where Grace measured how close something stood to the gods, Blight measured how far it had fallen from them.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5iWPczWUDX
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNth0h9k5M8
Infernal sat in third place of the ten tiers. Not the weakest corruption, but far from the worst. Cel's instructors had drilled the hierarchy into him years ago - Cursed at the bottom, then Profaned, Infernal, Defiled, and upward through increasingly nightmarish classifications until reaching Abyssal at the peak.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8gkYs9dSJ1
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx7oOEAX3iN
Each tier represented not just power, but wrongness. How thoroughly the Hollow Realms had twisted a creature into something that shouldn't exist.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUZAdIS7Kjx
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg4ZjRUm5ea
An Infernal-class creature could kill him. Had killed him, in fact. But even now, even with divine gifts, facing an Infernal-tier creature would end the same way.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLIP8ohi2Wz
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDid8512e8v
Cel let out a sigh and turned the page to the next entry.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2kgDEfrwur
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLv4FDbB3Ce
<Anathema: Endless Shambler>110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpMCtIWWRTl
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9o6cYeOCkU
<Race: Creature>110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcPRGgl2n9v
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6FCoXwUBVC
<Realm: Crystal Maze>110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhUrJNQRe5J
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU0gG2xHHsU
Cel froze.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBeSYtD060d
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiFNKdGKSWa
Crystal Maze.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpEeJIqEyth
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKy4r1BhLps
The words struck him like a fist to the sternum. His eyes scanned the rest of the entry rapidly:110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgJ8MDzdcpb
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYWJ757rOtf
<Blight: Cursed>110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr0bKumdYRI
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡODOcUiDRWN
<Behavior: Operates in loose packs with others of its kind. No intelligence remains. Driven by hunger and the compulsion to spread its affliction. Movement is mechanical and persistent. Does not rest. Does not tire. Does not stop.>110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡey0ZUJ1UwU
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqCvLvzX14c
<Hunting Pattern: [insufficient encounter]>110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡErZ4b8AQop
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtugYKAdwgX
<Territorial Marks: [insufficient encounter]>110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9LZQZaEO8V
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXgby2HmR89
<Legacy: [incomplete]>110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4QCJ0eAd2V
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwyIs3isFTI
The sketch showed a skeletal figure, crystal growths erupting from bone in chaotic patterns.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUAEoE0iLEW
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH5KieHrKIr
The crystal-crowned skeletons. The ones that had pursued him through those violet-lit passages, their movements mechanical and wrong.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG9R30jNg44
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0xqEuurLpR
But that didn't make sense.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjQE3lqnKup
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTewL8rVkZy
The trial had been an illusion. A test created by the Moon Goddess within his soul. Nothing there had been real - not the four suns, not the crystal formations, not the creatures that stalked him.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWPPk5cdAr3
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUSbZVuyIfu
So why did the Ledger list them as a real encounter?110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvqTUC1zJdG
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrhW6A0b69i
His brow furrowed. 110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZjR2YJX0FR
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTTz1jDIqQy
The question hung in his mind, unanswered and deeply unsettling.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOm2GMNBOGs
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcj0MobuWhs
If the creatures had been genuine rather than divine fabrications, if the dangers had been actual rather than symbolic, then what did that mean? 110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq1gcnt0dKW
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDf6xAp72Xd
He had no answer.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnMsfluLW3K
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ2ls4Azxk6
Cel's grip on the book tightened as he stared at the entry. The uncertainty gnawed at him, but dwelling on it wouldn't help. Not now.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOnbGgQYK0x
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUbT75Pvpk4
He turned the page, then another, skipping past more entries from the Crystal Maze. Whatever mysteries they held could wait. Right now, he needed to understand the threats in this realm - the Ashlands where he was actually trapped.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRQBieuC6gi
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNPp9GYmnm8
<Anathema: Perched Shadow>110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLH7Dvp2Iho
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpO3Ur0X4Vd
<Race: Creature>110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDwdi9VIP3F
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8zYTqpYwfN
<Realm: Ashlands>110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUbcKkpii50
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe5pUkpwnjV
<Blight: Defiled>110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmVZd6TErl5
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡej3mld2TVC
<Behavior: [insufficient encounter]>110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa9Kg3TEN6G
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRm79RM5DZ9
<Hunting Pattern: [insufficient encounter]>110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKMxpzwYNTN
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHIXSWEYmOv
<Territorial Marks: [insufficient encounter]>110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdZmUFyB8vc
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpNriuWUAav
<Legacy: [incomplete]>110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8nPknqA2rP
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9IpEUmcA3r
The right page was completely black. Not redacted like entry four - just solid black ink, as if someone had poured it across the paper and let it dry.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ372pEpz1AY
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhI3TSvdIcJ
No sketch. No details. Just darkness.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHR4R28d0x4
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuTuWyGzyNd
Cel frowned, trying to remember. Perched Shadow... when had he encountered that?110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPtaMjoWh8V
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq4w9Gw0WHF
Then memory struck.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2UgDX6fr8w
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpOpPJ0WyRd
The tendrils. The black mist that had erupted from the crack in the ravine floor when he'd first returned from his soul. The thing that had chased him through those narrow passages, forcing him to flee toward daylight.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqJM2lItgem
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0xFQds0PSj
He'd barely seen it. Hadn't fought it. Had only run until the dawn's light drove it back into shadow.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYefdBXxpyl
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVkj5KrQ5g5
'Insufficient encounter.'110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgRli1mpRpA
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvru5kLCQfR
The Ledger was telling him he hadn't learned enough. Hadn't seen enough to fill in the details.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoEqFjuMAaI
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDw0RRcczdz
But the Blight classification alone told him enough. Defiled. One tier above Infernal. One tier above the creature that had already killed him.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtL7JbmtWBY
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYmebb1UXxX
His throat tightened. He'd fled from something far more dangerous than he'd realized. If that smoke thing had caught him in those narrow passages…110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0BsA0EnT8d
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwFuGWEy29y
He quickly turned the page to the next entry.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡay6ss5CWxE
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCEPeGqUNRR
<Anathema: Ashlurker>110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4sONNB22B3
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCOr52HezyH
Instead of reading further, Cel's eyes flicked to the sketch on the right page.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYoKLGiUFuk
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGfHc0uwszZ
Recognition struck immediately.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvVFkuBB20R
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5jgu4rJ83G
The serpentine body. The elongated arms ending in clawed fingers. The eyeless head with its circular mouth ringed in needle teeth.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnCFNkw0ZEV
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcIGdL9Df1T
The creature he'd killed. The one whose corpse still lay coiling a few steps away.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ77qIg7A2RA
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqmhKF4DZkz
His gaze snapped back to the text.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn0Q6la7nEp
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3081aFq0dk
<Race: Creature>110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ07jEg2qbUz
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxjkevbGfEe
<Realm: Ashlands>110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1C86ACve4J
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB2LUbWtGMw
<Blight: Profaned>110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPMxOhWtVYq
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzkMT1xKpzV
Profaned. One tier lower than Infernal. Only one tier higher than cursed - the lowest rank.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHQSD1rrvrS
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS7yxqOGVVI
No wonder he'd managed to survive the fight despite his injuries and lack of skill. The Ashlurker had been weaker than what he'd already faced. Dangerous, yes - but within his ability to overcome with enough desperation and luck.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5igOmonred
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ63hZeVj3RX
<Behavior: Possesses poor threat assessment capabilities. Flees from bigger creatures. Functions on pure instinct without higher cognitive processing. Injury triggers permanent fixation on the source, overriding all survival instincts.>110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6he2NOwmKR
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvGU0iBOC94
"Poor threat assessment." The phrase almost made him laugh - bitter and sharp. The thing had followed him into a storm that could have killed them both. Had pursued him with single-minded fury while death approached from behind.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6GyasyWeKk
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvA2B1E5LsB
Because he'd hurt it. Because he'd used it as a shield.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAEqS0urPDh
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlnMZg7LqAW
<Hunting Pattern: Survives by scavenging carrion and organic debris. Detects threats and food sources through ground vibrations.>110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4aD1H3938i
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpa1ea85HcT
Ground vibrations.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0qCFDa9VHo
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡChSzqS7SkV
The memory clicked into place. That eyeless head hadn't been a weakness - it was an adaptation. The thing didn't need eyes when it could feel every footstep, every shift of weight through the earth.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh6e6Xtr804
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡodVkN6F2Y9
<Territorial Marks: Extensive subterranean burrow networks. Surface trails of disturbed ash and earth. Scratch patterns on solid surfaces indicating structural testing.>110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNJkHnAZM34
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsrP2NYIkzI
<Legacy: [incomplete]>110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXiDZh4k31E
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB7PwmE2Yyg
Simple. Accurate. Horrible.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCXGQeVwIdW
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIXDT0AePkC
Cel turned the page.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6MyKGxmqYF
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXMfhk4PnaB
<Anathema: Tremorborne>110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeMVXKd6Vcp
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6l6qOk1ZwR
His eyes flicked to the sketch. The massive segmented body, the circular maw ringed with concentric rows of teeth. 110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCYyImpu5q9
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzVMYCKD6Wb
The worm. The massive predator that had swallowed him whole, that had nearly cooked him alive with its molten breath.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYzyBQYQZrX
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoecabuWBSh
<Race: Creature>110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYNGsWz1jZI
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡILu7Fezux4
<Realm: Ashlands>110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnPCM5ICXqd
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZcPbLWbavs
<Blight: Defiled>110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKSM6bTXz4l
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnlFaTL8fkn
Defiled. The same tier as the smoke thing. The same tier as something he'd needed to flee from rather than fight.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfKf3OOGQRd
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVadElq0uqV
His hands tightened on the Ledger's edges. He'd survived being swallowed by a Defiled-class creature. Had carved his way through its mouth while trapped in its gullet. 110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIa6eu5wm02
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3th64p3EqB
How many newly blessed Chosen would be able to survive something like this? The thought should have filled him with pride.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrMXcw7A0s9
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoZaJD7uME0
Instead, it just made him realize how close he'd come to dying.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcxLFAYgpS9
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡerInGt3NAM
<Behavior: Possesses extreme patience. Observes prey for extended periods before striking. Capable of tactical deception including feigned death or disinterest.>110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcs2SbKZefj
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡER9VGtLXsc
'Tactical deception.'110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoSasPHBN3Q
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcHnpOS799C
The words settled in his chest like ice. It hadn't been ignoring him after devouring that first creature. It had been pretending to ignore him. Lulling him into believing he was safe while it waited for the perfect moment to strike.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwwJlMt8RxD
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKLoTMloq9h
<Hunting Pattern: Remains buried beneath ash and earth for extended durations. Detects prey through ground vibrations. Erupts from below with precise timing to engulf prey whole. Extreme internal heat and corrosive digestive fluids prevent survival of consumed prey.>110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMuvsUf3elQ
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNZnUFdE5pw
Cel's throat tightened. 110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ13KW6RwIn
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXluCqqlYHy
The molten breath. He'd survived only because he'd carved out those teeth. Created a space to hide. Used another creature as a shield.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzZcbfLf1Du
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH4vS3Jj2rO
Luck. Pure, stupid luck.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ14RXpcZtcr
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFT22B8rp7s
<Territorial Marks: Perfectly circular surface depressions marking emergence points. Obsidian fragments scattered across the ground mark its eaten debris expulsion.>110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡshyy0jYh0y
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi8YceaBz7C
<Legacy: [incomplete]>110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI1kzgBd92L
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiGh2dPgwfT
Cel's chest tightened as he stared at the sketch again - at that impossibly large form that showed just how close he'd come to being nothing more than a meal.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZZ43ajJG5R
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEOVoeYJNBh
The page began to blur at the edges. Cel blinked hard, trying to focus. But exhaustion pressed down on him like a physical weight.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz5pQ7osZNT
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBNz4NYPPOC
When had he last slept? Not in the worm's throat - that had been survival, not rest. Not during the storm. Not since…110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2L0yhVXYQG
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH4uRs2vo8V
Since the trial.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTz7o0gGiPI
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq9tLzRJ1IK
His eyes drifted to the next entry almost against his will:110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMO0X7cbH9A
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoJ1jFiLckV
<Anathema: Ember Stalker>110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnJbzqj8C3i
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT0537Cb2Vk
The sketch showed a bird-like creature. Body proportions wrong - too long, legs too thin, neck bent at angles that shouldn't exist. A beak lined with serrated teeth.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtJU0HNrzJx
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF5KglpMCKM
The bird. The thing that pecked at the Ashlurker's corpse with those terrible teeth.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWJ0fnJOZNj
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ37aGvhKWDr
<Race: Creature>110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgOnIwZVYvX
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡupUPLl2UOO
<Realm: Ashlands>110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIw7AO35uv1
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2Yk1rlxqr3
<Blight: Cursed>110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0cmYg1yPcZ
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq6hFNeU8iU
<Behavior: [insufficient encounter]>110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI6Z7xpoGHV
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZDvnYQdUWr
The text swam in his vision. He tried to focus, tried to read the rest of the entry, but the words kept sliding away from him like water through his fingers.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjzdBlHAu9K
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0C9s38XhEC
His head drooped forward.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpnLLtqEIc5
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGefH2sxsrr
The book began to slip from his grip.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfYRNdKaMQU
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ17d9uFX8fS
He should dismiss it. Should stay alert. That stranger - Raven - could return at any moment. The bird could decide he looked more appetizing than the corpse. Another predator could wander into the ruins.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuU2GsQzJ6q
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWwggeotTai
But his body had reached its limit.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡblMUmYz0le
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4kn2261rQS
The Ledger fell from his lap, landing on the ash-covered floor with a soft thump.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVIO9m1ZoHh
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaynPPEoAEG
His head tilted back against the stone wall.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGE4ATQBaTP
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAJzWxrx0Gx
Just for a moment, he told himself. Just a brief rest while he waited for Raven's return.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhZNGwo94u5
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwk4FlEwKmB
His eyes drifted closed.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcO1j4jsNJX
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkZpdIeDI4j
And this time, when the darkness came, he didn't fight it.1234 copyright protection106ＰＥＮＡＮＡ80VN9UnlGM 尼

216.73.217.128