Ve was breathing so hard his chest felt like it was going to pop. He was running through a literal wall of white snow, and he couldn't see anything. He had Pippin tucked under one arm like a sack of potatoes.

  "Where are we!?" Ve shouted. He was actually panicking. He had lived his whole life as a scout, but this mountain was just a maze of bone and ice.

  Pippin wiggled in his grip. "Keep going! The base is in danger! We have to help Koro!"

  "I don't even know where the base is!" Ve yelled back.

  "Koro was the one leading us! I was just a guy following a giant!"

  I'm actually going to die out here just because I have no sense of direction, Ve thought. This is embarrassing!

  Then Pippin pointed a small, shaky finger toward a dark shape near a rock.

  "There! Someone is there! Run to them!"

  Ve didn't think twice. He sprinted toward the figure, his boots crunching loudly.

  "Hey! Over here! Help us!"

  The figure stopped and turned around slowly. Ve skidded to a halt, his jaw dropping so low it almost hit the snow. It was a cat in a red coat.

  A very familiar cat.

  "Lemony?" Ve gasped.

  "How are you... I thought you and Sissy were literal ghosts by now?!"

  Pippin looked at the cat with big, curious eyes.

  "Who is this? Is he a friend?"

  "He's one of the guys from the burial," Ve explained, still sounding shocked.

  "He's a Manul. A cranky one, usually."

  Lemony didn't look cranky right now. He just looked determined.

  "I'm heading to the Malphas' place," he said.

  His voice was steady, like he had found a new purpose.

  "The Malphas? His actual home?" Pippin asked.

  He looked impressed.

  "Do you even know where that is?"

  Lemony looked up at the sky, watching a few dark birds circle above the peaks.

  "I'm just following the crows."

  That is a terrible plan, Pippin thought.

  "I know where it is," Pippin said suddenly and sighed.

  "Years ago, Crysorgo took me there to analyze the monster. We wanted to see if we could find a weakness in its physiology. I can lead you right to the front door."

  Lemony nodded.

  "Lead the way."

  And so, the three of them started running, heading toward the heart of the mountain.

  ----------------------------------------------------------

  Back at the base, Sissy was struggling.

  She was dragging Crysorgo's heavy, lifeless body through the dirt. Her shoulder was screaming in pain from the stab wound, and blood was soaking into her feathers.

  Behind her, the surviving children were huddled together, helping her pull the old man's arms.

  She walked past the pile of burning bodies, her eyes stinging from the smoke and the tears.

  She didn't look back.

  She couldn't.

  "It's time," she whispered to the kids. We're finally leaving this place.

  As they got outside into the cold air, she saw a mess of red snow to the left.

  She saw Koro lying there, looking like he had been through a meat grinder. And next to him was the crushed, broken remains of Old Horg.

  Sissy felt a wave of nausea. She almost threw up right there. The children started to cry seeing the gore, thus Sissy acted fast.

  She grabbed Horg's mangled shell and dragged him toward the burning entrance of the base.

  "You deserve this," she muttered. She shoved the traitor's body into the flames of the home he had sold out.

  She turned to the children, her voice firm despite the shaking.

  "Listen to me! Get under those rib-bones over there! Use the extra clothes to cover yourselves! Don't you dare let the cold take you after we've come this far!"

  The kids scrambled to find cover. Sissy turned around and saw the Gunslinger standing across from the wolf leader.

  She was confused.

  They weren't even fighting.

  They were just... talking.

  She noticed the golden crest on the cat's chest. It was bright, even in the dim light.

  She walked closer, her hand on her wounded shoulder.

  "Who are you? Why are you even helping us?"

  The Gunslinger didn't even look at her. He just kept his eyes on the wolf leader, who looked terrified.

  "Just look at the side, lady. I've got this guy handled."

  Sissy stopped in her tracks. She felt a sudden, heavy pressure in the air. It was an aura so thick and sharp it felt like it was cutting her skin.

  This wasn't just a cat.

  This was something else entirely.

  He's actually a monster, she thought, her wings trembling. A good monster, maybe. But still a monster.

  Sissy looked at the cat for a second.

  She had so many questions, and her doubt was actually growing by the second, but she didn't have time to argue. She nodded and turned back toward the burning base.

  Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

  I have to find more survivors. There has to be someone else, she thought, her wings aching.

  She ran back into the smoke, leaving the two predators alone in the snow.

  Outside, the air was quiet. The wolf leader was sweating despite the freezing wind. He knew he was outclassed.

  "So, are you going to ask about that person again?" the wolf leader asked, his voice shaking just a little bit.

  "No," the Gunslinger said. He flicked a bit of ash off his coat.

  "I want you to tell me about someone else. A woman. A Lepus-kin with a scar on her left ear. Answers to the name Mara."

  The wolf leader blinked. He actually looked relieved to know something, but then his face fell.

  "I don't know where she is. I've never seen a rabbit with that name here. I'm telling you the truth."

  "I see," the Gunslinger muttered. He looked disappointed, his eyes casting a shadow over the snow.

  Suddenly, the wolf leader's ear twitched. He was wearing a small communication device, and a voice crackled through the static.

  Sir Lancelot is coming, sir. Arrival is imminent.

  The wolf's fear didn't disappear, but a nasty smirk grew on his face. Help was coming to the Peak. A real monster was on his way.

  ----------------------------------------------------------

  Pippin stopped and pointed at a massive hill of stone. It sat right in the center of the mountain's rib cage, looking like a rotten heart. The cave entrance was huge, lined with glowing crystal ores that looked like sharp teeth.

  "This is it," Pippin whispered.

  "Malphas' lair."

  He looked up at Lemony.

  "Why are we here? You're literally walking into a death trap."

  Lemony adjusted his red coat and smirked.

  "Even if the Leftovers escaped in the future, the cycle won't stop. New people will be thrown down here. New slaves will die in the snow. I want to kill the root of this mountain so nobody has to live like I did."

  Pippin's eyes went wide. He felt a spark of ebullience he hadn't felt in decades.

  "So... you actually want to kill a god?"

  "Yes."

  "Let's go then!" Pippin shouted. He was actually excited. He told Ve to move forward, but Ve was shaking. The Fear Aura was thick here. It felt like a cold hand was squeezing his heart.

  "I don't know about this, guys," Ve muttered.

  "The air feels... heavy."

  "I'm scared too, big guy," Pippin said, patting Ve's leg.

  "But we have to do it, for everyone."

  They stepped into the dark. It was pitch black until Ve found a piece of dry bone-wood and struck a flint. A small fire roared to life, lighting up the cavern. Lemony looked at him, genuinely surprised.

  "Where'd you learn to do that so fast?"

  "I lived in the Veridian Forest. You learn to make fire fast or you get eaten by things that don't like the light."

  As they walked deeper, Pippin started talking. He couldn't help it; his brain was suddenly working at a hundred miles an hour. And so, he began telling the information they found during the experiment decades ago.

  "Okay, first, Malphas doesn't speak," Pippin explained.

  "We think he's an ancient species, maybe a Void-Stalker or a Goliath Prime. But the real problem is his Heraldic Power."

  "Heraldic power?" Lemony asked.

  "Yeah. Most creatures get a crest from stealing DNA, but some are just born with it. It has layers. One is the passive layer, like an aura that's always on. Think of a bear-crest making someone's skin like iron without them even trying. For Malphas, his passive layer is the Fear Aura."

  Pippin's voice got more serious.

  "Biologically, it's fascinating. When you get close, his body emits a certain frequency that actually vibrates the liquid inside your inner ear. It triggers the amygdala in your brain to dump every bit of stress chemical you have. It makes your body think you're dying even if he hasn't touched you."

  Lemony stared at the tiny creature.

  "How do you know all this? Weren't you just a slave?"

  Pippin looked down, feeling a bit shy.

  "I was a slave, yeah. But I used to read the books I found while cleaning. I got caught reading a medical journal in a vent, and that's why they threw me down here. Knowledge is a crime where I come from."

  Lemony felt a weird respect for the little guy.

  He looked ahead and saw a massive opening where the crystals glowed brighter.

  The air suddenly turned ice cold.

  The Fear Aura hit them like a physical wall.

  "He's near," Lemony whispered.

  They stepped into the massive chamber, and the fear was literally choking them. The air felt thick, like they were walking through deep water.

  Suddenly, the walls began to glow with a weird, pulsing light from the crystals, and they saw him.

  Malphas was sitting on the floor like a giant who was just bored.

  He was massive, with skin that looked like grey, cracked stone. He had long, spindly limbs and a face that was mostly just a huge, vertical mouth and deep, empty sockets where eyes should be.

  The Fear Aura was so strong it felt like a physical weight. Ve collapsed to his knees, his breath coming in short gasps. Pippin fell too, his small body shaking uncontrollably.

  Lemony felt his legs wobble. He didn't have his "Empty Shell" state to protect him anymore, so the terror was hitting him full force. But he grit his teeth and stepped forward anyway.

  "Stop!" Lemony said, his voice cracking.

  To everyone's shock, Malphas actually tilted his head, and the crushing pressure of the aura dialed back. It was still there, a lingering shudder in their bones, but they could at least breathe.

  "We're here to kill you," Lemony said, looking up at the monster.

  Malphas didn't move for a second.

  Then, his massive chest heaved, and he began to laugh. It was a loud, booming sound that made the crystals on the walls vibrate.

  "Let me kill you," Lemony said once the laughing stopped.

  Pippin, still trembling on the ground, shook his head.

  "Lemony, he can't understand you! He doesn't even speak!"

  Suddenly, Malphas slammed a single, massive finger onto the stone floor.

  CRACK.

  Then, he spoke.

  "???????????? ???????????? ???????? ???????????? ?????????????? ??????????????????????!"

  It wasn't a growl or a roar. It was a series of strange, melodic sounds that felt ancient and heavy.

  Pippin went completely silent. His eyes were wide, and he looked like he had just seen a ghost.

  "Pippin? You said he couldn't speak!" Ve hissed, trying to stand up.

  "It's not that," Pippin whispered.

  "I... I actually know what he's saying...."

  "What!?"

  Lemony and Ve said at the same time.

  "It was the book," Pippin said, his voice full of astonishment.

  "The last book I read before they threw me in here. It was a study on the ancient language of Aethel Primus. You see, the universal language of this continent, Creatian, is what we all use now. But a hundred years ago, there was this root language. Hardly anyone knows it."

  Lemony looked at the giant.

  "So what did he say?"

  Pippin wiped sweat from his forehead.

  "He said... I think he said: 'I have been wishing for death all this time.'"

  A death wish? Lemony thought. This god-beast has been waiting for someone to end it?

  Malphas spoke again, his voice echoing in the cave.

  "He says... everything in this world is boring," Pippin translated, struggling with some of the words.

  "And lonely. He says the only things he cares about are the birds."

  Lemony stepped even closer to the giant.

  "Every night, you follow the birds, don't you? You're looking for a way out, just like us."

  Pippin translated as best he could, his small hands gesturing wildly. Malphas slammed the ground again, but this time it wasn't in anger. He laughed, a hollow, sad sound.

  "He said yes," Pippin whispered.

  Lemony looked the monster right in his empty eye sockets.

  "We need your help. Come with us, help us get out of here, and I promise you... I'll kill you afterward. I'll give you exactly what you've been wishing for."

  Malphas let out one more booming laugh that shook the ceiling. Pippin nodded.

  "He says... yes. He'll do it."

  Ve and Pippin just stared at Lemony.

  They were terrified and confused, but they couldn't help but feel a weird sense of awe.

  This tiny cat in a red coat wasn't just a survivor anymore.

  He was making deals with ancient monsters.

  He's not just a Manul, Pippin thought. He's actually going to become a Godslayer.