chapter 14

"So, is the Quilveir the most beautiful animal in the forest or in the whole world?"

"It is the most beautiful animal in the world, at least among terrestrial creatures. I'll show you a picture of it someday."

Darius nodded, trying to grasp the concept.

A whole day had passed since Darius agreed to meet Cedric's grandfather to obtain the map, and since then, he had been engrossed in an ongoing conversation with Cedric. He asked about various aspects of this world, carefully avoiding questions that would reveal too much ignorance, making sure not to appear uninformed about the world ,Those questions will have to wait for the future, although some answers couldn't help but pique his curiosity, leading to more questions about the runic letters, the political situation, the culture, and anything that crossed his mind, even if Cedric didn't know the answers.

At some point, Darius worried that Cedric might be annoyed by the barrage of questions, but he seemed happy to engage in conversation and talk. It appeared that he enjoyed dialogue and exchanging words, so much so that Zaleel reminded him to focus on finding prey.

He felt embarrassed about slowing down the duo due to his sleeping habits every four hours. He considered offering his assistance but hesitated, he realized that it was an imitation to prove the ability to handle responsibility. As a result, Darius decided to reject the idea to avoid causing any annoyance.

Instead, he suggested helping carry any spoils they hunted. After some contemplation and convincing them of his strength, the duo agreed. This motivated Cedric to search for a larger and better prey than the deer he initially aimed to catch. Eventually, they came across a creature that Darius had never seen before, even from his limited perspective. It resembled a larger version of a feline, slightly bigger than a lion, with straight horns pointing skyward and a small face in proportion to its body. It had long, sharp fangs, and Cedric asked multiple times if it was edible.

The thing that made him feel most comfortable was his claim of being physically strong, even stronger than his old human body. Although he wasn't very weak as a human and could perform tasks like construction and carpentry, he was certain that his maximum strength was lifting 100 kilograms (220 pounds) for half an hour before getting completely tired. However, now he could drag a body weighing no less than 200 kilograms for over an hour. although he felt mentally drained afterward, he was indeed several times stronger than his old self. This newfound strength made him feel much safer, even if he didn't know the average strength in this world precisely.

Suddenly, a hand grabbed him on the shoulder, and Cedric's voice pierced his ears, "We'll reach the small waterfall soon, where I'll try to search for the trace of the roe deer while Zaleel guards you." Darius nodded in acknowledgment as he dragged the prey along until they got close enough to hear the sound of the flowing water. When they arrived, they stopped to enjoy the sight, although Darius couldn't fully appreciate the view, which only deepened his sadness. However, he could at least enjoy the sounds, from the rushing waterfall to the chirping insects and birds. But all of that came to an end when he heard Zaleel's scream, causing him to look around cautiously. His eyes fell upon a creature in the opposite direction,

If it could even be called a creature.

A creature with its right foot missing, left trunk absent, no left hand, left side of its chest, and part of its left head

How could such a deformed being even survive?

The mere appearance of its threads made Darius's soul recoil in horror, let alone its actual form. What on earth could this thing be?

He had a hypothesis, but even considering it made his soul tremble with revulsion and fear of both the creature and the world.

But before concluding his hypotheses, and under a mixture of his ability to track thread movement, instinct, and intuition, Darius pushed Cedric away with his hand, using the force to lean sideways. Meanwhile, Zaleel screamed at the same time and used his claws and wing flaps to pull Cedric further.

In that frozen moment suspended in empty space, a shadow akin to Nasnas passed just a few meters away from them, resembling a cannonball. Darius's eyes tried to follow it as its speed decreased, coming close to them.

At the same time, in a frozen moment, amidst the void created by Darius's push, a shadow resembling Nasnas passed by. Just a second ago, it was standing a few meters away, like a cannonball, while Darius's eyes tried to track it until its momentum slowed down at a short distance from them.

When Cedric grasped what had happened, he shouted loudly, "Nasnas!" Darius didn't understand the language, but just the name confirmed his fears. The consequences of this discovery multiplied his concerns about the world.

"Damn !" Darius barely avoided another lunge and the Nasnas's attempt to touch him, preventing him from thinking clearly or panicking.

No matter the version of the Nasnas or the legend it emerged from, letting it touch him was never a wise option. Before he could turn to confront the Nasnas after evading its attack, he heard the sound of an arrow breaking the silence. He saw Cedric already drawing his bow, launching an assault on the creature that narrowly dodged the attack before steadying itself on its single foot.

This time, Darius didn't hesitate before drawing his sword from its sheath, keeping a close eye on the Nasnas's movements.

At some point, Darius had taken an interest in folklore and read about this creature. He came across conflicting accounts, but most of them confirmed that its touch could instantly kill you.

Some stories described it as melting flesh upon contact, while others claimed it turned victims to dust or separated their souls from their bodies. Regardless, the underlying message remained the same: never let the Nasnas touch you.

Despite Darius being a mass of metal, he might survive the first account, but the second and third would almost certainly be fatal for him. He didn't want to become a test subject to find out if the touch that melts flesh could dissolve metal as well.

Another arrow pierced through the air towards the Nasnas, who attempted to leap towards the archer. However, Darius wouldn't allow it and swiftly cut off one of the creature's sides, targeting its strongest weapon

hand.

But his speed wasn't enough to reach the Nasnas before it leaped. Yet, he managed to scratch it slightly, allowing Zaleel to assist Cedric in avoiding the attack. Darius didn't stop after his first strike but immediately lunged for another attempt to bring down the Nasnas before it could regain stability. However, the creature quickly changed its target to Darius, seeing him as the greater threat due to his previous attack.

In a scene where both of them lunged towards each other almost simultaneously, with no room for any sword slashes, Darius thrust his sword in an ascending motion, similar to the technique used against him by his first adversary in this world to bring him down. However, without having a hand to guide the attack, the direction was unstable. Despite that, the attack partially succeeded as the sword pierced through the right ribs of the Nasnas, causing it to howl in pain resembling a screech.Without hesitation, Darius's hand judged the sword's hilt, transforming the upward thrust into a downward stab, pinning the Nasnas to the ground with the blade's edge firmly fixed into the earth, securing the creature with it. Immediately after, Darius stepped back, avoiding the touch of the Nasnas. When he was sure that the creature wouldn't escape the grip of the sword, he looked around for a way to immobilize its arm. At that moment, he noticed an arrow piercing through his hand, reminding him of his companions who approached him to witness the creature struggling on the ground, trying to break free.

Cedric placed his hand on Darius and said, "Thank you for the rescue. This situation was unexpected, but at least we got our second prey. The villagers will be delighted with its meat."

Darius opened his imaginary mouth to respond to Cedric's initial words, but he couldn't utter a word when he heard the rest of what Cedric said.

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_Creature: Nasnas

_Race: Nasnas

_Intelligence: Close to humans (they possess their own language)

_Personality: Shy in some legends and malevolent in others

_Abilities: Shape-shifting (according to myths), deadly touch, high jumping and leaping abilities

_History/Lore: It is said to be the result of a union between a human and a demon, where the visible half of its body is the human side, while the unseen half is the demonic side. This is why it remains alive with only half of its body and possesses the ability to kill people by mere touch.

_Place of Origin: North Africa in general.

_Occupation: Lunch for humans.

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