[Ding! Killed an E rank Fire-Crested Lizard. 150 exp gained. +25AP]
The beast's body crumpled beneath Ash's final strike, its limbs twitching one last time before going still.
Ash stood over it, his claws dripping with blood.
It had ambushed him moments ago, springing from the underbrush with speed and bloodlust, but Ash had moved faster.
'Too bad you met me,' Ash thought as he wiped his claws on the grass before looking deeper into the forest.
Lushwood Expanse stretched out before him like a living maze. Trees breathed. Shadows whispered. The towering stone walls of Baltyr had long faded behind him as he had left soon after the talk with Zephiron.
The journey had only just begun.
Ash exhaled, his mind focused on his destination, the Umbral Nest.
The dirt path beneath his feet barely qualified as a trail. Root jutted out like veins from the ground, twisting and shifting beneath his steps as he was on the move once again.
