A sudden shout startled Ryan out of his reverie.
What was that?
A few seconds later, a knock came followed by the door being pushed open, revealing the lean guard from earlier.
"Everything alright in here?" the guard asked, his voice oddly melodic.
"Yes. What was that shout outside?" Ryan replied."
"Nothing just playing around."
The guard stepped inside, closing the door behind him. "Actually I do need to tell you something."
Ryan took an involuntary step back, his heart beginning to race. Ryan's eyes fell upon a stain on the guards left leg. Blood, fresh blood.
"Who are you?" Ryan demanded, lifting his hand slightly.
The guard's lips curled into an unnatural smile, revealing teeth that seemed too sharp, too numerous. "Oh, Ryan," he purred, his eyes suddenly blazing a vivid green, "I think you know who I am."
Ryan's blood ran cold, his heart hammering against his ribcage as realisation dawned. The shapeshifter had followed them, infiltrating the very team meant to protect him. Its unnatural smile widened, revealing rows of needle-sharp teeth that glinted in the dim light.
"Ho-" Ryan began, but the word died in his throat as the creature lunged forward with inhuman speed, its form blurring as it crossed the small room in an instant.
"Lux!" Ryan shouted desperately, summoning a burst of light that exploded outward in all directions. The shapeshifter recoiled with a hiss of pain, its skin sizzling where the light touched it.
Seizing the moment of distraction, Ryan bolted for the door, his fingers scrambling for the handle. But as his hand closed around the cool metal, he felt a searing pain erupt across his back. The creature's claws raked through his shirt and into his flesh, leaving trails of fire in their wake.
With a cry of agony, Ryan wrenched the door open, tumbling out into the night. The cool mountain air hit his face as he stumbled forward, his voice raw with terror. "HELP!" he screamed, his desperate plea echoing through the camp. "IT'S HERE! THE SHAPESHIFTER IS HERE!"
The camp began to come to life. But they wouldn't be quick enough to stop the slow, heavy footsteps behind him, each one deliberate and menacing, it was savouring the moment.
"Haha, do you think those guards will help you?" The shapeshifter's voice was a terrible mixture of amusement and hunger.
Ryan's eyes darted around frantically, searching for any sign of help, but there was no one near him.
"No one's coming to save you, at least not in time." The shapeshifter's grin widened impossibly, its face stretching in ways no human face should. Without warning, it lashed out again, its claws slicing through the air towards Ryan's leg.
Ryan, who had stumbled to the ground in his desperate escape attempt, tried to push himself out of the creature's reach. But he wasn't fast enough. "ARGHH!" he screamed as the claws tore into his flesh, leaving deep gashes in his thigh.
Blood pounded in Ryan's ears as the shapeshifter began circling him, its form losing more and more of its humanity with each passing second. Limbs elongated, skin rippled and shifted, and those terrible green eyes blazed with an otherworldly hunger.
"How could you dare hurt me?" it taunted, its voice a nightmarish blend of tones. "Someone as weak as yo-"
In that moment, a desperate idea flashed through Ryan's mind. No better time to test it than now!
Summoning every ounce of strength and concentration he had left, Ryan thrust his hands out in front of him. "Lux!" he exclaimed, his voice ringing with determination and fear.
Time seemed to slow as Ryan poured all of his remaining mana and every single ounce of concentration into the spell, shaping it with a precision born of desperation. He could feel the power building, condensing into a sphere of pure, radiant energy between his palms.
The shapeshifter's eyes widened, its mocking expression faltering. It tensed, preparing to dodge, but Ryan was fast.
With a final push of will, Ryan launched the spell. A blinding light pierced the night sky, so bright it turned the darkness to day for a brief, brilliant moment. The orb of light streaked towards the shapeshifter with incredible speed, leaving a trail of shimmering energy in its wake.
The creature leaped aside, its inhuman reflexes propelling it to the side. But the spell was too fast. The spell slammed into the shapeshifter's thigh, exploding in a nova of searing light and power.
An unearthly shriek split the air as the shapeshifter was engulfed in the radiance. Its form writhed and twisted, caught in the heart of the magical conflagration. Smoke rose from its body as the light burned away at its very essence.
Ryan shielded his eyes from the intensity of the blast, his entire body trembling from exertion and fear. As the light began to fade, he lowered his arm, blinking away the afterimages that danced across his vision.
The shapeshifter lay crumpled on the ground, its body a charred and smoking ruin. But even as Ryan watched, he saw its limbs beginning to twitch, its flesh already starting to knit back together.
Panic surged through him anew. The spell had hurt the creature, perhaps more than anything else had before, but it wasn't enough to kill it. And now Ryan was completely drained, his mana reserves emptied by the powerful new spell.
As the shapeshifter slowly began to rise, its burned flesh reforming before Ryan's horrified eyes, a new sound cut through the night – shouts and running footsteps, growing closer by the second.
Finally, Reinforcements!
The shapeshifter, still regenerating, fixed Ryan with a gaze of pure hatred. "I'm taking you with me," it snarled, its voice a raspy whisper. Its charred body began to drag itself towards Ryan, leaving a trail of blackened flesh and ichor.
Ryan began to crawl away in an attempt to escape from the shapeshifter, but he was much slower. He could only watch in horror as the creature inched closer, its claws reaching out for him.
Suddenly, a commanding voice cut through the night. "No you aren't."
General Aldric strode into view, his eyes blazing with fury. Without hesitation, he thrust his hand forward, into the beasts head. Immediately it fell limp, lifeless.
Aldric turned to Ryan. "Are you alright?" he questioned, kneeling beside the young hero.
Ryan tried to respond, but exhaustion and blood loss were taking their toll. Darkness began to creep into the edges of his vision.