The second bladebear’s territory wasn’t far. It was just a little bit to the south of where Tsem had planted his first glyph. That, unfortunately, meant that the part he’d been dreading since he’d solidified his plan was going to be upon him all the sooner.

  The thicker undergrowth here allowed Tsem to sneak around quite effectively. Despite that, it took him hours to track down his target, finding several piles of scat along the way. The smell wasn’t exactly pleasant, and examining the piles for freshness was not a task he was keen on, but each pile identified helped guide him, and for that, he was willing to do whatever he had to.

  The crunch of the bladebear’s passage announced it far before it came into sight. The sound nearly sent him fleeing. It was one thing to read the description of the beast’s size in the manual, but it was another to feel that bulk. It made him understand what he was up against. This was not the sort of demonic beast that he could potentially kill with his little knife, not even if he put himself in a heavily advantageous position. This was the kind of monstrosity that would tear him limb from limb with a single swing.

  Tsem held himself together. He had known that going into this. He knew he wouldn’t be facing up against this beast in the traditional way, and he didn’t have to. He just had to run all the way back to his formation and then right up to a second such beast. No problem. Except, of course, that the bladebear could and would outrun him. Also, not a problem. Sort of. He would be moving through the trees from branch to branch. The forest along his path was more than thick enough to do so. Easy. No need to panic. Perfectly safe. Tsem didn’t believe himself. Of course it was going to be recklessly dangerous, but any plan to hunt a demonic beast as a non-cultivator was going to have its risks. He just had to push through them.

  As he began climbing into the branches of a nearby tree, Tsem desperately wished he’d spent more time climbing in them as a kid. It had never been the kind of skill he’d expected his life to depend on. He reached a good perch and called out his roar of defiance at the hulking bladebear, whispering another line under his breath. “Come and get me.” It came out frightened and wilted to his own ears. His guts felt like they were clenched with tension.

  The bladebear turned, rearing onto its hind legs, and answered with a proper roar, one fueled by internal demonic qi. Tsem gritted his teeth against the noise, moving quickly along a branch. He had to leap through the air a short distance to grab an outer limb of the next tree, quickly scrambling up.

  The bladebear, already caught up below him, idly swiping in his direction. He was far too high for that to matter, he was out of range, even if it leapt and burnt all of its demonic qi. He was safe so long as he didn’t lose a grip or slip from the rain slicked branches.

  Unsatisfied with idly watching its prey, the bladebear ran full tilt at the trunk of the tree Tsem was moving through. The whole thing shuddered so hard that he briefly thought it would collapse. Fortunately, it didn’t, holding strong through the beating.

  Tsem resisted the urge to cling to his branch. Even through the wild swaying, he had to keep moving. The monstrosity, despite its bulk, could climb. Not quickly, but it could and would if it thought it could catch him. The world spun and shuddered around him, his foot slipped once, but he managed to make the leap to the next tree…and he caught hold of the limb he wanted.

  He was making progress, but the distance he had to traverse like this was intimidating to say the least. He had no real tricks to play though. There was nothing, no choice but to move forward, step by step, branch by branch. With each leap, the bladebear was waiting, already attacking the next tree, its bloodlust not waning in the least. Tsem slipped three times in the first minute, the shaking, the slickness of the branch, his own stupid clumsiness, they cost him. Each time, he barely managed to cling on by his fingertips and correct himself, one time falling a foot, barely grasping a lower limb. No step taken was assured.

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  The bladebear dashed ahead, drawing its stone claws across the tree Tsem was aiming for, sawing. He was forced to change directions quickly as he realized he wouldn’t make it through before the tree collapsed. When it finished, and Tsem was still making his way through an adjacent tree, the demonic beast bashed the remnants of the tree towards Tsem with a great shoulder charge.

  Trapped near the collision, Tsem took a quick leap, accepting a few scratches from passing branches to avoid the falling trunk. The collapsed tree stabilized partially, leaning against its neighbors. Tsem didn’t see that, he was already racing ahead, the bladebear roaring its frustration and bashing its way through trees.

  He wasn’t sure just how long it took, how many near fatal slips he made, but eventually he felt the formation’s welcoming qi and picked up the tether, following it as closely as the tree branches allowed. Beneath him, the bladebear continued after him, totally ignoring the territorial markings.

  Tsem grinned to himself. He’d figured that was what it would do, but he would have felt awfully dumb if the beast had just turned around. By fortune, the second bladebear wasn’t far away, and Tsem felt a burst of hope rising in his chest. Things were going well.

  As if his thoughts had been heard, the bladebear below was consumed by still greater rage, looking up at him with such strong bloodlust that Tsem froze for a moment before catching himself and moving on, racing forward, tree after tree.

  He felt from the tether that he was incredibly close, and he grinned. That was when an earthen spike slammed through his bicep. It would have taken him in the chest if he hadn’t been hesitating to take a step over a particularly slippery-looking tree limb. As it was, Tsem’s world exploded with pain. He lost grip in his right hand immediately, and was very nearly thrown from the tree. He barely hung on, grabbing desperately for a stabilizing grip with his left, and biting his worn shirt through the pain.

  He looked at the wound and realized what had happened. The bladebear had detached one of its claws and flung it at him. He dropped down on his stomach as his mind told him the trick could be repeated. Just in time as another claw streaked over him. Tsem took the opportunity to throw one of his two remaining pills into his mouth. He doubted it would be enough to completely fix this kind of damage but figured it would at least help.

  With his body a smaller target now, the bladebear opted to rush the tree Tsem was in instead. An audible sawing ensued, and he realized he needed to keep moving. Screaming his pain to the mountainside, he moved on, focusing on where he stepped. Moving towards the tether.

  With a vicious grin, Tsem realized that the tether was starting to draw nearer. The second bladebear had heard the commotion. He made an awkward leap, managing to catch a limb with his one good arm, pulling it into his chest and scrambling forward.

  Having seen the bladebear’s final trick, he did his best to avoid presenting an easy line of fire, moving forward as quickly as he could. Perhaps two minutes later, the second beast came into sight letting out a challenging roar. I hope you win. Tsem thought. I hope you kill this thing. He knew it was vindictive, it didn’t matter which bladebear won, so long as one of them died, but he couldn’t bring himself to take the thoughts back.

  The two demonic beasts clashed at a sprint, rising to their hind legs, great maws roaring with fury, fangs showing. Their claws scratched at each other’s backs, searching for an angle to hit something vital.

  Tsem didn’t stay to watch, he had no interest in taking on the winner, one death-defying race through the forest was plenty for him. Plenty for a lifetime. I have to find a way to leverage this. If I keep trying things like this, I won’t survive long. He slunk away to the edge of his formation to do what he could for his wound and wait.

  Tsem was no healer, the best he could do was throw a basic tourniquet on his arm and let the pill do its work. Thankfully, he could feel it sending his body into overdrive, working to heal the injury. He’d have to see a healer when he headed into the city, no doubt, but it seemed the pill would keep him alive and prevent him from losing the arm. He silently thanked Da Kanuk again. His gifts continued to be a lifeline, though he knew that lifeline wouldn’t last much longer.

  It wasn’t long before Tsem felt the formation’s two strong tethers begin to separate, and he made careful note of which one was moving. He had no interest in getting anywhere near another live bladebear, but he was determined to put every bit of the fallen one to use.

  He waited for the survivor to get a good distance away before he dared to intrude. He actually felt the tether cut out as it left his formation from the south, and he gave a little groan. It seemed like the first bladebear had been the survivor. He vowed to not go anywhere near its territory again. No doubt it was holding a massive grudge against him now.

  Tsem did his butchering quickly, scared something would spot him out in the open. The carcass had been left in relatively good condition thankfully, and he was able to extract the demon core, a stone that, from his understanding, could be used by alchemists. He made sure to keep the pelt in good condition too, Kanuk had always done it that way, and Tsem assumed he had a reason for it. He took what meat he could as well.

  Everything he gathered went into a primitive pack Tsem had woven from needleroot. It was strong enough for his purposes, but he’d need to get a real pack once he could afford one. He didn’t bother returning to Valesin’s lair, instead taking his heavily laden pack and adventuring downstream. He’d stop to smoke the meat and rest soon. He was starving after all, but his real thoughts were on the next step for him. The city was waiting. It was time to see what his troubles could buy him.