Food

Savannah gave me a dirty look as she pulled the bar out of her bag. She didn't want to take the gun off me to eat. She struggled to open the bar one handed as she kept the gun trained on me.

"Do you want me to open that for you?" I held out my hand quietly, "That way you can keep the gun on me."

"How do I know that you're not going to eat it?" Savannah snapped.

"It doesn't do much for me," I scanned the trees for movement quickly, "I burned through the other two way to fast to waste my time by eating another. Besides I already ate."

"What did you eat?" Savannah stared at me tensely.

"Four Sneks," I refocused on her, "Meat is just about the only thing that does it for me."

Savannah handed me the bar. I turned, and sat on my haunches as I opened it quickly. Handing it back just as quickly.

"Does Ethan know about all this?" Savannah took a bite of the bar as she waited for my response.

"Yes," I turned to walk ahead some more, "He actually knows a lot more than you do."

"Why didn't he turn you in?" Savannah's footsteps behind me kept me alert.

"He's people phobic," I looked at her over my partially extended wings, "Literally afraid of people. He's actually more relaxed around me than the rest of the people at the school."

"More relaxed around a big monster like you than people," Savannah gave me a funny look.

"I wasn't this big to start with," I went on high alert, "Somethings watching us."

Savannah looked around quickly, but she didn't take her gun off me. I switched to infrared, and saw the group of dog like creatures surrounding us. I bared my teeth growling quietly. Savannah flinched, and moved to step away, but she was already to far away. The dogs weren't going to attack me first.

I was bigger, and obviously stronger than Savannah to them. She was the weak wounded one compared to me. The dog things made their move. They jumped at Savannah, and I jumped at Savannah flaring my injured wings as I used them to block the dogs from getting her as she took off running. I'd known she was jumpy, but I thought she'd at least be able to tell that I was trying to help her.

My bag fell to the ground, and I roared as several different sets of teeth dug into me. I bit into the first dog that got within my range, and cast freeze zone as well as white out. All of the closest dog things were frozen to death near instantly. Now that they couldn't see where they were going clearly I had the advantage. I darted through my spell killing every single one of them quickly.

They were group hunters. Stronger than the Sneks individually, but not by much. There were eleven of them total. I ripped out their crystals quickly as my spell dissipated. Throwing them down the hatch as I collected them.

11 Jekyls killed 440 xp. 11 mana crystals absorbed 110 xp. 550 xp awarded. 845/800 xp until level 9. Leveling up.

I didn't have time to meditate the pain or glow of my level up away. I needed to get to Savannah, and the longer I waited the higher the chances of her being dead when I found her. I grabbed my bag as I rushed past it. Tossing it up quickly, and catching it in my mouth. It wasn't easy to run on all fours with the bag in my hand so my mouth was the only easy option I could use without hindering my mobility.

***

I'd run when that creature jumped at me. I didn't care if it was supposedly Wyatt. There was no way that thing wasn't out to kill me. A full blizzard suddenly burst into existence off behind me. It was probably that things spell.

I kept running as it roared behind me. I was a daughter of one of the four greats after all. Someone would come for me if I managed to find somewhere to hunker down, and survive. I ran down a hill quickly. He was faster than me so I couldn't stop until I was sure he wouldn't be able to follow me anymore.

I tripped. Loosing my footing, and rolling all the way down to the bottom of the hill. I collided with a big rock at the bottom, and pain shot through me. I rolled onto my belly, and slowly pushed to my feet. The rock had hit me right in the middle of my back so it hurt to move as I forced myself to my feet slowly.

Something big hissed somewhere behind me. I saw the cave the instant I looked back over my shoulder, and the creatures big red eyes within. It slithered forward slowly. It's stone grey scales, and the fact that it was a snake gave away exactly what kind of beast this thing was. A Basilisk.

It's head was as big as my entire torso so it had to be at least two hundred feet long. It's mouth came open, and the fleshy red of its mouth with those big fangs at the front was all I needed to see to know that I was going to die. It's black venom started to drip from those eight inch fangs as it hissed at me again. That black venom sizzled quietly as it turned the fallen leaves it touched to stone. I could feel my limbs start to shake as I clung to the gun in my hands.

I'd traded one monster for a far worse one. The Basilisk rose it's head up until it was about fifteen feet in the air. The whole time all I could do was stare at the Basilisk as it got ready to kill me. I was shaking terribly as I waited for it to kill me. There was no point in running.

In a warm climate like this the Basilisk would catch me in no time flat. I was dead no matter what I did. I couldn't even close my eyes as the Basilisk got ready to strike. The Basilisk struck, and I was flung backwards with force, but I landed softly. Too softly.

Well considering the fact I should be dead. I'd blinked the moment the Basilisk struck, and hadn't seen what had happened in the moment it struck.

"Are you trying to get yourself killed?" I recognized his voice the moment I heard it.