All of them had their limbs either on them or near them. It seemed that the demon wasn't killing them for the food, but more just for the ‘fun’. This thing was playing with them, letting them run away, so they could get the thrill of the chase. It would miss its strikes on purpose: cut the tree’s trunks, leaving the traces on the ground, and watching their victims to dry out of blood.

  Liz was shocked by how many people had been killed already, and she dreaded even imagining how many more they wouldn't find in their hunt. They surely would be recovered by the hunter’s guild after, but now she only hoped that they would find the demon as soon as possible. Even if that was a lie that the Hat Man would let her kill it herself, she was sure he would be able to finish that thing.

  Half of the day had passed, and they still didn’t find anything but the dead participants. She had slowly begun to doubt they would find it today. She thought it might take more than one day, and if her companion was right, the demon might know the way to leave the forest and already be gone. Liz didn’t want to think about the worst-case scenario. She liked to think that they were very close to finding the monster.

  Amongst over a dozen dead bodies, they met along the way, they had found: a pack of dire wolves, one more dire bear, and a bunch of squirrels. They all ran away after one look at the Hat Mat, which made her wonder. Why did the animals never attack the demons? Was that because they could sense their immense powers, or because they thought of them as if they were another animal, but that didn’t make any sense. Animals have been killing each other throughout the existence of the world. Maybe they didn’t hunt them because they knew they couldn't eat them, like the demons, who could only eat human meat.

  No matter how much Liz protested, they took a break and made a quick campfire. The Hat Man had gone to hunt something for lunch, while Liz was just warming herself near the fire. She wore TT’s cloak now. It pained her to wear it, reminding her of him every time she looked down. His smushed face was flashing before her, his poor body drained out of the blood, the fear in his eyes was hunting her, and would probably continue to hunt her for the rest of her life. After TT, there was always the rest of the group: Luke, cowardly crawling away, with his legs shortened in the half. Leia hung on the wall by the sword in her chest. Han, poor child, sliced in half, his organs falling off in the middle. She didn’t want to remember them like that, but it was all she could see. Maybe in the future she would be able to get past that, but for now it was something she would have to live with.

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  When the Hat man came back, he had two dire quail in his hands. He skinned and cooked himself. All that was asked of Liz was just to eat. She knew there was no way for her to refuse. He would make her eat even if he had to forcefully put food in her mouth, and she didn’t want to test if he would actually do it. She did not doubt that he would do it.

  The cold-hearted idiot lived by some strange codex that only he knew. He was very adamant about doing some things properly, like never skipping meals, always brushing his teeth in the morning and before bed, and he probably also made his bed every day, but she had no way to check that. But other things didn’t bother him at all. It was like he was programmed to do certain things as a kid, and now he was following them through, no matter what. Not only did he do these things himself, but he made Liz do them also, like the world would end if she didn’t.

  Come to think of it, I never saw his face, maybe he is a child. His voice was low enough, but he was still maybe in the middle of his puberty. That would make so much sense. This is why he doesn’t care about people dying, because right now, he is just anti-everything. What if I’m actually following some arrogant kid?

  Liz knew she tended to get carried away with her imagination, so she brushed that off. It was hard to just sit around doing nothing when there was a demon running around, murdering people. But her companion didn’t seem to hurry at all.

  “I think it's time to go,” she said, trying to rush him.

  “Those bodies. All of them died not far after the first bodies we found. So, I think the only way for us to find the demon today is to wait. Maybe the thing stayed somewhere close this whole time, or if it returned for something.”

  “So, you think it might have left the forest, or is too far for us to catch up today?”

  “Possible, but it is also possible they heard the alarm and escaped. And if this thing doesn’t intend to leave the forest, it will come back for food.”

  “Then what is the plan?”

  “I think it would be best to stay near one of the victims and wait for the demon to come.”

  “But if it didn’t come, we would just waste the time.”

  “That is why it is risky.”

  Liz was thinking hard about what he said. The only downside of his plan was that if the demon didn't come, they would waste the precious time, but on the other hand, if it had already left the forest, they would wander in the forest for who knows how long and never find the demon.

  “Okay, let's do what you think best,” Lis said.