[Author's note: Oct. 16, 2021]

This one has some violence against a monster in the first section and mentions of blood and injury, nothing too wild. I'll have a short summary at the end for those that want to skip that part (skip to the next section in this chapter -> this symbol ->  *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ) 

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The dangers of Hels went far beyond the NPCs that lived there. 

Sure, the helsians themselves usually presented danger - led by violence and the desire for power, but nothing compared to the mindless bloodlust of a stray helsbeast. 

They could be anywhere from a small 5 foot tall beast to a massive, towering 20 foot behemoth depending on the species. Sharp teeth matched with lengthy claws and overwhelming strength created a killing monster led only by a lust for food and blood. 

Bodies were never found in the forest.. maybe some scraps or trinkets left behind - but an NPC was a meal for the violent beasts, a meal that would not be wasted. 

That was why Evil Xisuma wasn't afraid to admit he was nervous. Helsknight was too prideful though, not that he'd admit that either. 

"Duck!" The knight yelled as the sharp, spiked tail of helsbeast swung over both their heads. 

Both men dropped down, barely avoiding the danger. The creature roared in fury, turning back towards the men with teeth bared. Hels stood and raised his sword, glaring down the monster. 

It was one of the larger beasts, at least 10 foot at the shoulder with a massive head filled with rows of sharp teeth. It resembled a dragon - almost - with a pointed snout and scaly body.  It's yellow eyes stared in pure animalistic instinct as it lunged once again. 

Helsknight rolled to the side, avoiding a swipe from powerful claws. He landed under the beast's stomach, and raised his sword with both hands, plunging it into the exposed belly. The beast let out another roar, shaking the earth beneath then. 

He rotated the sword slightly, listening to the crunch of scales twisting as the blade moved. Blood pooled around the injury, dripping down onto the man's helmet. 

Evil X took his chance, running to the beast with his own weapon out, a custom spear with a red blade, bright and sparking with electrical currents from his own magic. He jumped, pulling the spear back as he narrowed in on the beasts head. 

It was distracted by the pain in it's stomach and Evil took the opportunity to dig the spear directly into the beast's muzzle - sinking through it's soft palate and out the other side of it's mouth. 

With a pained rumble, the beast stomped back, nearly trampling Hels in the process. Evil waited a split second - balancing himself with the handle of the spear before tugging it back out, a trail of blood following the weapon. 

Hels ran out from under the beast, his blood-coated sword in his hand tucked close as he dodged the monster's feet. He prepped the weapon again, watching closely for the perfect moment to strike. Right as... 

The beast let out another roar, red pouring from the side of it's mouth. It's neck began to glow - a bright blue color as it summoned it's next magical attack. Both Hels and Evil took the chance, lunging to the exposed area. 

Hels brought his sword from underneath, stabbing the softer skin between the opening of two scales, they chipped away almost immediately, and Evil wasted no time to dig the end off his spear into the skin. A bolt of raw electricity traveled through the spear and through the beast, blood spattering out as it trembled and struggled to get away from the weaponry. 

It took mere seconds and the beast seized before crumpling to the ground, it's head only held up by the spear and Evil Xisuma's strength. 

The helsian panted, letting his magic sizzle out. He used the spear to knock the monster's head to the side with a hefty thump. 

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ

There was only a moment of silence before Hels let out an angered yell. 

While Evil looked proudly upon his fallen prey, the knight raised a hand, slapping the shorter man across the back of the head. Evil let out a shocked yell before whipping around - rubbing the back of his helmet with a pout, "What was that for?!" 

"I told you not to use any lightning before we got in this battle. Not all of us are immune to electricity you know!" 

Evil scoffed, "Isn't that what your stupid suit is for? I thought metal was supposed to protect you from currents, huh?" 

"Not if it has gaps in it, you idiot!" Hels yelled, the fire on his hackle sparked to life with rage. 

A beast roared in the distance, making both men freeze. The firey plume fizzled out in to a puff of smoke as the men glanced to one another. "We should move," Hels hissed and Evil nodded rapidly. 

The helsians headed away from the roar of the monster, heading towards a cave they had seen earlier, between the thick foliage of the betweenlands. It may have been the same cavern the beast they just killed had been taking shelter in. 

They passed over a small, blood-red stream, and Hels took the lead. "We should stay in the cave for a while, if we can get some of this Helsbeast's scent on us we might be able to steer other beasts away." 

Evil nodded absentmindedly, picking bits of flesh of the point of his spear. "I mean that sounds good. As long as we stay away from the body - I don't want to be caught during dinner time."

The two continued silently, ears perked and eyes dancing as they assured no danger lurked behind the mountainous trees and jagged terrain. The cavern came into view soon enough and Evil let out a relieved sigh. 

As soon as he did, a head poked out from the surface of the water near the cave. Both helsians jumped, readying their weapons. 

It was just a small thing, much smaller than the beast they'd just fought. It had a face resembling a cod - and seemed rather pathetic in comparison. 

The men relaxed just slightly and Evil chuckled, "Kinda looks like Grian don't you think?" 

Hels hummed, "It's got those same beady eyes, yeah." 

The water sloshed as the beast rose more. A small cod-head attached to a horrifyingly grotesque, lizard-like body. It still wasn't taller than the men - but the janky scales and long claws made it a threat nonetheless. 

"Ohhhh," Evil let out a worried noise, "It doesn't look like Grian anymore!" 

"Really? I think it looks just like him." 

Hels ran towards the beast with his sword blazing, he let out a battle cry as he gained distance and the beast let out a weak gurgled roar, water pouring out of its mouth. 

The knight stepped closer and slammed the blade down on the beast's neck, slicing clean through. He paused, as the body toppled lamely to the ground. Evil walked up behind. 

"Huh, that was easy," he said. 

Hels put his sword back into the sheath, "Mhm, that's my favorite kind. These little ones don't stand a chance against the monster we took down. That's why they all decide to come out once the big man is gone." 

"Cowards," Evil scoffed. 

The two entered the cave, enjoying the sweet cool air and comforting darkness. Hels began to light a torch as Evil slipped off his bag, laying it down near one of the walls. He slid down next to the bag and began to dig through it. 

"Could use some light over here," he glanced up to Hels. 

The man rolled his eyes. He took a breath and released a small blaze of fire, the unlit torch in his hand flickered to life. He passed it over to Ex before lighting another for himself. 

Evil fished a couple of healing potions out of his bag, both in small vials - much smaller than the bottles players used - but healing magic was a lot harder to come by in this dimension. Every bit counted. 

As Helsknight explored a bit further back in the cavern, Evil clicked off the armor on his arm. It was damaged - and he hissed as the dry air hit his now exposed skin. A gash tore through his arm from the battle and he cringed. 

He dripped a small amount of the liquid onto the cut, letting the potion do his work to the wound. It closed just slightly and a small amount of relief traveled down his arm. He let out a sigh and wrapped the wound, glancing up to Hels. 

The man placed his torch against the wall, and walked back over. "Caves empty," he confirmed, "and small. I don't think that big helsbeast was here, coulda been that little one." 

Evil shrugged, "Doesn't bother me. Protection is protection. Can you block the entrance?" 

The knight tilted his head, "Are we staying here for the night?" 

Evil latched the armor back over the bandage, "I'd like to. That fight was exhausting, what was that? Our sixth beast today?" 

Hels walked to the exit, placing some old cobble over the small opening, "Something like that." 

He walked back over and plopped down on the other side of the cave, armor rattling as he did. He took of his helmet and let out a sigh, enjoying the cool air and the weight off his legs. The two relaxed into the silence, simply letting the sound of the wind in the trees fill the air. 

Ex shuffled slightly, "How do you think Grian is doing?" 

Hels opened an eye, looking to the smaller male, "I don't know. Probably fine, why?" 

"You know, just thinking. Wondering about what may have happened to everyone else. You don't just wake up every day in the middle of these woods with no explanation."

Hels raised a brow, crossing his legs. "Isn't that how we all got here? Just waking up in the worst biome known to man?" 

Ex scoffed, "Sure, but we always spawned near a server! Near safety! You and I have been around this forest.... what? A thousand times? There's no server nearby. As far as I'm aware, we're in the middle of nowhere, and we're going to DIE out here. It's been a week! And we've seen nothing!" 

Hels nodded nonchalantly, leaning back on his wrist, boredly agreeing with the explanation. 

"What's to say that didn't happen to everyone else? Sure, we're, like, the strongest helsians on the server - and heat immunity certainly helps - but everyone else may be dead by now!" 

Hels frowned, "What? Don't be like that." He sat up, placing his hand on his knee, "I told you, this crap has Xelqua written all over it. We were targets, man," he leaned back again, "Xelqua just wanted us gone. Out of the picture." 

Evil blinked, "What's that supposed to mean?" 

"I'm convinced Xelqua sent us out here, so he can do... whatever he's planning. The server is alive, and I'm not going to die until that bastard gets what's coming." 

There was a lapse and Ex knocked a stray stone towards the cave's door. "You think we're gonna make it back?" 

The knight nodded, "Eventually. Revenge has no time limit - Xelqua does." 

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[Author's note: Oct. 16, 2021]

The summary! Hels and Evil fought a monster and won because Evil used his lightning magic, nothing crazy, I just know some people don't like that level of violence. I'll have those warnings in each chapter before anything akin to that :3