Cel stood frozen, staring at the empty entrance. His mind struggled to process what had just happened.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRhsgufQ7P3
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ3LRHJmlxF
'He's... coming back?'109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWSsxp8mFz6
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCZVxx1YnRo
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?109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfvPYItgmQr
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGNMd5pOdRx
For him.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvuAHmm6Jnq
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe3YOgQk5nb
A complete stranger.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡApeTr6QXol
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxP70ebJfG3
The absurdity of it struck him like a physical blow.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGy0o3W7HyP
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPc3KBfkjFM
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.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSu4ste5cgD
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ76pwNPPBbE
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.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtjObm2bY6K
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡANf1EQGGOF
The silence pressed in around him, broken only by the distant whisper of settling ash and his own ragged breathing.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ5p8bNmEBQ
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdV5NL0ySpG
'Why would he help me?'109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfcAgMW28EC
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡofwdQhtrlr
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. 109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa5z37WMlrQ
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2B0gCMFJaO
And yet he'd walked away - not abandoning Cel, but to help him.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrcssvH2AR9
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKPJdIunhDa
It made no sense.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPvlkDH5V7v
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmOFMXwjq39
'What kind of person survives a year in the Hollow Realms and still cares enough to help a stranger?'109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1venWdSy4r
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjxVTvX69VA
The answer, he suspected, would reveal itself when Raven returned.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRpleud0RBd
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtq90lPjzkW
If he returned.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFrSl16NoOE
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg5rLrOIom0
But dwelling on it wouldn't help. Not now.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Vz4jN3d1v
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBxQ14sNvcJ
He needed information. Needed to understand what he was dealing with in this place.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9HswjPHAjO
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeok4FiRYgp
‘The Ledger.’ The thought came with sudden urgency. He'd unlocked it with his only coin.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡelgXvpz8SR
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ54oh7oRFcw
He reached inward - not toward his soul this time, but toward the bond that connected him to the Ledger of Nightmares.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEEOOnHCXLW
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqDiCtRT6MR
The response was immediate.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0lLeNOTen2
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡobiLfp5wND
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.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLfNw9t97bi
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbGKkDP4KVI
A book materialized in the air before him.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ3mhgEJNSv
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz5PuevWe9v
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.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm3ILD0UxHb
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7DilKLTY9m
It hung there for a heartbeat, suspended.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvnoHHMQFsO
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6HmbX2zDzp
Then gravity remembered itself.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYA6575hrhN
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhs9TXDwWUt
The Ledger dropped.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfgtaYcVyzW
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcFFnIkKJ8S
Cel's left hand shot out on instinct, catching it before it hit the ash-covered floor.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQPG8OyDK74
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ85iBPzJrM1
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.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCfveL7WblY
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1A2ALybzrZ
His fingers found the edge and opened the cover.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnnbDMwnVQd
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkyN53InoBL
The first page simply held the name: Ledger of Nightmares.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpF9hkwawy6
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTV91QTPtGX
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.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMdAfUP6Qtp
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS6yFt4KRJF
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.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx820EryHfs
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMFbIO4o3sk
<Anathema: Ashclaw Ravager>109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJAL1V6bwxt
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2zRD8eqCuK
<Race: Creature>109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0es0tF2JKS
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRBLP6FsmSd
<Realm: Ashlands>109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVFWwqlzxPB
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgH9rijMmvz
<Blight: Infernal>109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu55DSET5iy
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlU1d7SkREB
<Behavior: Minimal intelligence. Operates on predatory instinct. Solitary hunter. Aggressive when threatened or hungry. No observed social structure.>109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡApvyFNw64H
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFVOVQvhqbs
<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.>109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHCFJy4OBIW
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhMlTnNirac
<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.>109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI7QuRBIC0e
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9asl5jJIQH
<Legacy: [incomplete]>109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfrAP8IBcUb
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeJLvwseAPu
Cel stared at the words, memory flooding back with visceral clarity.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3FnffjXq0q
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYHwJuG4stx
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.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCTplKUS3pr
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf7QXP3xzQH
It hadn't been random violence. It had been calculated. Methodical.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIOIgXhMlBZ
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAhVH9KKqic
'Heat signatures.'109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIaOsu7l424
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAzlZOOjjCx
That's how it had found him. 109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQJKEM9l75c
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgqtpGeoVN2
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.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxhmMk6NR1X
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyM4PNOGYTS
Knowledge he'd lacked when it mattered most.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQWIKNgaCDc
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL5TCXwSyYH
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.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5jjllQ7LTM
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUBvGtT6rOm
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.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdA5lu9BdfL
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX8bJMdkzQ9
Each tier represented not just power, but wrongness. How thoroughly the Hollow Realms had twisted a creature into something that shouldn't exist.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd3ysNK4wuF
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiptHQKfgyF
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.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoG45QoECOa
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTQx7LTSmUN
Cel let out a sigh and turned the page to the next entry.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBqr3Tku9By
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQmytht7Uix
<Anathema: Endless Shambler>109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4pDyhQVGCw
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWLiDB9hVff
<Race: Creature>109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKmg4ZoH2M4
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxumkV3iAW8
<Realm: Crystal Maze>109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1b3sYg6yeu
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZRSa1OsfJm
Cel froze.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7DTz8ZZCTj
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdatR0na69T
Crystal Maze.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm7Qe3sziSb
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdKFXbxiXGf
The words struck him like a fist to the sternum. His eyes scanned the rest of the entry rapidly:109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLMSDkxyX2m
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyauLlqY2L8
<Blight: Cursed>109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhWNwZNfR8J
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbuIz6BcDby
<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.>109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXn3b0l9SeA
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLp6LOpsXyY
<Hunting Pattern: [insufficient encounter]>109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGoq5753T4j
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡftt2lBo4Uf
<Territorial Marks: [insufficient encounter]>109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡReGtuSV8Nz
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJc5xUg1hO2
<Legacy: [incomplete]>109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwnPKuzfk3u
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUPig91Bx9P
The sketch showed a skeletal figure, crystal growths erupting from bone in chaotic patterns.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHp8CmUIhNm
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0Nq47SWoXZ
The crystal-crowned skeletons. The ones that had pursued him through those violet-lit passages, their movements mechanical and wrong.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4FemgS6nx9
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhYbFt3grKx
But that didn't make sense.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxZmwTtQsRO
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWIrmPnj52J
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.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4OTzA2ju0w
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc8Q2zcG4Ft
So why did the Ledger list them as a real encounter?109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUW6CvUYBqx
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhjg9apCKJ6
His brow furrowed. 109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxXa6J9O3SI
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU1B8bo3466
The question hung in his mind, unanswered and deeply unsettling.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB87ZYP0H3W
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4cBYPeAsWB
If the creatures had been genuine rather than divine fabrications, if the dangers had been actual rather than symbolic, then what did that mean? 109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoDKIdJSFmT
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfrWx2NVaSA
He had no answer.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZqCPTsVtzZ
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡghleARkIvC
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.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKDdvQ2sodL
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvX9gr7OZUf
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.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ41bvjkh15h
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwzR0ZfavZF
<Anathema: Perched Shadow>109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3IsoT72bjt
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIEgRXjHAwW
<Race: Creature>109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd0YXpQS3qe
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnKdYnnmTkI
<Realm: Ashlands>109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE1PT1CPAH2
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwI1Fd4BFKr
<Blight: Defiled>109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡynhqto4kAr
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwB2lntnBBs
<Behavior: [insufficient encounter]>109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzHHS8FTtW0
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ04P2CtXBUs
<Hunting Pattern: [insufficient encounter]>109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyQfX3eFMap
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKNqmpdOu0o
<Territorial Marks: [insufficient encounter]>109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA2SloPN7pu
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡanLzShlSIc
<Legacy: [incomplete]>109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZXfpxdXBTp
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVXii2LLWEE
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.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeZ1JwrsXgx
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmNgAhD4bBM
No sketch. No details. Just darkness.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYBh0YhQ6gw
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxeGaAHAQax
Cel frowned, trying to remember. Perched Shadow... when had he encountered that?109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdvKA0dHYUv
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbIagEGrCZu
Then memory struck.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGuqhjxAhtI
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHOLWA8JPiX
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.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzAhTGqRJ9r
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhCRSxmpv5i
He'd barely seen it. Hadn't fought it. Had only run until the dawn's light drove it back into shadow.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHin9dOhIPN
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ2CZzJo8DQ
'Insufficient encounter.'109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHLAOUinR7m
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkHYL6uQSVW
The Ledger was telling him he hadn't learned enough. Hadn't seen enough to fill in the details.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0KFaJ65b1k
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV21aP3lRj8
But the Blight classification alone told him enough. Defiled. One tier above Infernal. One tier above the creature that had already killed him.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ11qtUWpWvY
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyfhIrhiFal
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…109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbl9YV0SHQd
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP922dun40M
He quickly turned the page to the next entry.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ01DoOLozL4
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmBeatBE2Z3
<Anathema: Ashlurker>109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaybxSuK8G7
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAR8rkPArSM
Instead of reading further, Cel's eyes flicked to the sketch on the right page.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX7Foktn9Wj
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlA3PTsdepu
Recognition struck immediately.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbfgiNaN7dm
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIMbk9o4mtI
The serpentine body. The elongated arms ending in clawed fingers. The eyeless head with its circular mouth ringed in needle teeth.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVkN58AvMKC
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ1aXrsCigJ
The creature he'd killed. The one whose corpse still lay coiling a few steps away.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6qCfHDXm4T
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs1ygGyuQTO
His gaze snapped back to the text.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmicZ3MkoVp
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzlujfAB4SW
<Race: Creature>109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1RCahaStpR
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT38naQYTbC
<Realm: Ashlands>109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfYZionWtHm
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuXsvB4t7Pi
<Blight: Profaned>109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ60LI33xRg9
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzALzatgCSJ
Profaned. One tier lower than Infernal. Only one tier higher than cursed - the lowest rank.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp67bwA9TJI
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBCjskPxRep
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.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvaHNJqShOZ
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIo92HEBBSt
<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.>109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcgQ88xZUeF
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8jr2ovpQT2
"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.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv7WCVAF7qq
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡedUAaqV4Ru
Because he'd hurt it. Because he'd used it as a shield.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpyX13YmDzT
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa4Y7BgmKzk
<Hunting Pattern: Survives by scavenging carrion and organic debris. Detects threats and food sources through ground vibrations.>109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6aTuWF3vNP
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFK3XpRUNGp
Ground vibrations.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtfWAO0Tome
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyxwWUktxXd
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.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7Z9yX7wIXa
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHua6Na4yYD
<Territorial Marks: Extensive subterranean burrow networks. Surface trails of disturbed ash and earth. Scratch patterns on solid surfaces indicating structural testing.>109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡACE5JLQqRZ
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuvyf74pGGT
<Legacy: [incomplete]>109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrQftwXb7Bj
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ07gEeYNkq3
Simple. Accurate. Horrible.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU8z5lwwpKg
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0Vt3QUQXBf
Cel turned the page.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgbqU2EhQtY
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAMKf1JKSup
<Anathema: Tremorborne>109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡazqcCEevm8
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS3iOwN2qDg
His eyes flicked to the sketch. The massive segmented body, the circular maw ringed with concentric rows of teeth. 109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt0QPzoHpcF
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiLET8OAHYy
The worm. The massive predator that had swallowed him whole, that had nearly cooked him alive with its molten breath.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQDgaQ6FPna
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxgkFla3kP4
<Race: Creature>109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ18gEvhNE76
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡclX6l7TzwO
<Realm: Ashlands>109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9i9UMBmOYA
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVXb3uAZUvC
<Blight: Defiled>109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSFjM2P9YMe
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrw090scb8n
Defiled. The same tier as the smoke thing. The same tier as something he'd needed to flee from rather than fight.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCCn7DICcFk
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXddG4VSiFn
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. 109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpllV44UbXR
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYdRTvu5lTb
How many newly blessed Chosen would be able to survive something like this? The thought should have filled him with pride.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXkD4q6h5js
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiSFXAI0XWS
Instead, it just made him realize how close he'd come to dying.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXDDeVOUb5g
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsSqJxheE2Y
<Behavior: Possesses extreme patience. Observes prey for extended periods before striking. Capable of tactical deception including feigned death or disinterest.>109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwtPNzg5eBd
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzMi2psQEgV
'Tactical deception.'109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg5Xxor6A2G
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz6Tgr5YVGJ
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.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZJmNnqqnw7
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4y2hHqN2ef
<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.>109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡriyzrKZuCJ
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvYn09EhKDG
Cel's throat tightened. 109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHsXsL8VpFu
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGnLtrdYNUR
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.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyR53z8SDXC
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡogHGVmpW2C
Luck. Pure, stupid luck.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn7xsqy5E1H
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMAFnvnuD5b
<Territorial Marks: Perfectly circular surface depressions marking emergence points. Obsidian fragments scattered across the ground mark its eaten debris expulsion.>109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiVdX00qSjs
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaWyRIZiOpD
<Legacy: [incomplete]>109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh2ekcpiFrl
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLohZWsRIiQ
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.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs9XI0oM9l0
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcNmG6oYJQv
The page began to blur at the edges. Cel blinked hard, trying to focus. But exhaustion pressed down on him like a physical weight.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM6xGC16aCV
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeO1UcKxxJY
When had he last slept? Not in the worm's throat - that had been survival, not rest. Not during the storm. Not since…109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ25leUTqnt7
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwvVGFLWVsS
Since the trial.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoLodToH9nc
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmHb8SqerXM
His eyes drifted to the next entry almost against his will:109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYf4r07AYIX
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuikLCaxCLP
<Anathema: Ember Stalker>109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBDVsQwE06G
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJUgmHWi1uF
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.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS8StiJ30r0
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOduNWEHMvK
The bird. The thing that pecked at the Ashlurker's corpse with those terrible teeth.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKEFPjq5gU2
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJpQOfcLc5K
<Race: Creature>109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡssMNLVoiG0
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwDV1gzIcsM
<Realm: Ashlands>109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVH920zylV4
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6wbDrPX7M0
<Blight: Cursed>109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGvvf7L1Huv
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKemRBzSgd7
<Behavior: [insufficient encounter]>109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNchMFwlm04
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPcWiBMp5oZ
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.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcibXC5Kn7n
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMpxE7P9nSw
His head drooped forward.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLzkcHkqeCG
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvWhFdt7Xmg
The book began to slip from his grip.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz111nwB8fA
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPiOrJQpPeX
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.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwVjenguj1t
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTjdJpBNiq9
But his body had reached its limit.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwSOHNb5VgY
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlmAxnpuVyZ
The Ledger fell from his lap, landing on the ash-covered floor with a soft thump.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtyvgxAGqmg
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEYK7rKFpbw
His head tilted back against the stone wall.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi9YE6BbF6e
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbmtiHdeElD
Just for a moment, he told himself. Just a brief rest while he waited for Raven's return.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCfXwjU5CnJ
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb6pXyc4Hab
His eyes drifted closed.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi3TzPgXOiz
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK8bGQAnQJz
And this time, when the darkness came, he didn't fight it.1234 copyright protection105ＰＥＮＡＮＡrEQcDN17cV 尼

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