This time it was Sable’s turn to remain quiet as she let her partner handle the youth that continued to pester them with observations. Of course, she had realized that he was probably just wanting to mess with them, but frankly, they were on a schedule to keep. Well, no, not really, but Sable liked to think they were on one.

She paused in her walking to let Atreides have his fair share of bantering, not really paying attention to their conversation. Besides, something else had caught her focus, the low sound of heavy footprints quickly approaching them. Letting go of her partner’s arm, she tensed, narrowing her eyes in the direction directly ahead of them.

Whatever it was, it was big…

[color=ed1c24]“RE-Arch,”[/color] Sable muttered, summoning her daggers in hand. Her instincts turned out to be accurate. No sooner did she arm herself than the culprit charge out of the forest clearing, aiming its body right for them.

It was huge, impossibly huge. White, blinded eyes seething with age and time gleamed from the darkness as the massive creature raced on all fours towards the trio.

It took the form of an immense, black bear, with fangs that were stained crimson by the blood of the curious. Patches of hair were torn and strewn about from its hide, and both girls could make out the shapes of twigs, knives, mud, and the earth that clung to the creature’s mangled coat. Its left flank exuded a strange white color that contrasted with the thick, dark fur; upon closer inspection, Sable saw that half of the beast’s ribcage exposed to the open air for all to bear witness.

But that wasn’t the most interesting thing to her. As she leapt back from the rabid animal, she caught a glimpse of something shining in its left eye socket. Landing on a tree branch high above, she readied herself to jump back down and engage.

[color=ed1c24]“Atreides.”[/color]

The Taskmage would have known what she meant by the tone of her voice, slightly more excited than its usual drone.

A green amulet took the place of the bear’s left eye. A Legend Relic.

[center]~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~[/center]
The sun’s departure into evening was lost to those traveling in Rivenwood, given that they had other things to worry about. Miles away from the massive forest lay the ruinous cities of Rexicorg, where the shadows ruled supreme.

The campfire that Yern was heading towards was indeed not expecting any strangers tonight. They themselves were nothing more than weary travelers, staring in fear at something that glimmering in the dark, shining brightly in the fire.

A stone as black as ebony. A black Legend Relic.

As the fire continued to crackle, something inhuman hissed in the shadows. It didn’t take long for the travelers to hurriedly pack up their things and move somewhere else, preferably somewhere not so close to the ruins.

In the end, they chose to leave the black Relic behind. No payment was worth their untimely demise, and so the Relic shined without a mark in the flames. The hissing immediately ceased, its owner sensing another presence nearby.

Remaining silent, it retracted into the night, waiting and watching until Yern came into its view. The hunt was on.