Eldritch

 

"Archers! Shoot this thing down! We don't know what it can do yet! Let's deal with it safely from range." (A)

 

It's certainly weird that I can hear the same voice from in front and behind me.
A look into my internal radar shows that our group is extremely close to my position.

That's what I'm contemplating when suddenly a projectile grazes me.
It gets stuck in the bark of the trunk behind me and I discover it is an arrow.
It seems bows were also part of my castle's armory.

There's a small cut on my arm but the flesh already knits itself back together.
Now that I know the direction and can focus I can easily see the next arrow and dodge it before taking sufficient cover to be safe from further shots.

However, now there's an issue.
Kuri apparently somehow noticed that I am being used for target practice and becomes correspondingly upset, to put it mildly.
I'd say, the only reason why they didn't notice the black smoke yet is because everyone is currently focused on me.
Only a mental command can help here.

 

• "Kuri! Stop it this instant!"

 

"But they're attacking you!" (K)

 

Honestly, I don't like getting shot.
However, on the other side, those people have to deal on a daily basis with bloodthirsty monsters like the one that just jumped me.
Since I am responsible for the kind of life they lead it's a form of atonement for the problems I caused for them.
Even if it's not even bothering me.

 

• "Just hold back! This body isn't my real one, but just a spare. You don't need to worry about it."

 

At least Kuri listens.
I don't like ordering her around, as I always have this uncomfortable impression that it's some kind of spawn slavery.
Which is evil.
So I want to enable her to make her own decision.
Yet this has its limits when she's about to murder people for a situation I caused.
Well, and maybe in general as I don’t want to raise a mass murderer.

However, I notice something else.
This group comes dangerously close to a cluster of creatures.
I don't know yet what they are but I think I can assume they're monsters.
As I'm inclined to prevent any killing today I should take measures.

First, I need to get out of here.
The arrows aimed at me make this a bit difficult.
Nonetheless, I move into position.
My legs tense again and with all the strength I can muster I push myself away from this branch.

 

"There! It's on the move! Take it down!" (A)

 

Arrows are launched in my direction and some come quite close, but what takes me by surprise is the blast on the branch I was jumping to. Is Chiaki joining them?

Well, I haven't told her what I'm doing here and everything in this forest might claw her face off.
And then there's also her demon issue which might make her more prone to go for a "blast then ask"-approach.
However, right now it's annoying.

I can still catch myself and jump further into cover.
Then I move with my original body next to her, put my hand on her shoulder, and say as quietly as possible:

 

"Chiaki! Would you mind stopping your attempts to blast me to nirvana?" (I)

"You!? But... How? In which way? Why?" (C)

"I just can't right now! It's all a bit too much. Please just stop your assault." (I)

 

Fortunately, no one else notices this exchange since everyone is focused on my beast alter ego.
The downside is that I am under a constant barrage of projectiles.
But as they're moving closer I need to make my escape.

I jump to the next branch, expertly dodging all the arrows and bolts aimed at me.
But then I notice with my other body, that one of them aims in a way that he might hit me by anticipating my trajectory.
The only countermeasure I can come up with is simply to accelerate and be faster than the shot while jumping in an unexpected direction.

However, as I was in a hurry I forgot to target a branch for footing.
Instead, I make the split second decision to grow a tentacle out of the next tree and use it to swing myself further.
This grants me the much-needed distance from the assault and because I can now move more freely I can use this to escape even faster.

 

"It fled!"

"Damn, this might be a stalking type. Everyone, we'll chase it. Stay alert or it might attack when it sees a chance!" (A)

 

My own body can still hear their conversations very well.
And I don't like what I'm hearing there, but can't act out on this.

So I follow my initial plan and move to the monsters.
Yes, I know that's an odd decision, but I have to separate the groups.
And the people don't seem very inclined to negotiate.

Suddenly, Chiaki shoves me and I almost stumble from a tree, barely able to fix myself with my claws.

 

"What is this about? You were this... creature? Tell me what is going on. I want to know!" (C)

"Chiaki, what you're doing right now is very much akin to that one time we played this racing game and you moved in front of me and grabbed on to my pad. And I already reacted poorly back then. Just know that I'm trying to prevent trouble." (I)

 

Seems like that was enough for the moment, so I can start moving again on the other side.
As I'm quite fast I can stay ahead of the people.
Yet I'll have to quickly get done with this or the people might catch up.

When I arrive at my destination I grow a bit anxious.
That's because I thought that the monster I'm looking for would be a bit less intense.
However, now I stare at something between a wolf and a stag which is so stupidly huge that even from a distance I have to look up.
It's far bigger than the demons I'm used to and full of muscles and huge claws.
The cat was already not so great, but this tops it by far.

But even more concerning is that around it many more critters gather.
For example the cats, but also something like crows, wolves, and some kind of monkeys.

Naturally, they're all nightmare versions.
The wolves have giant maws with too many teeth that seem to drip acid, the crows have blades attached to their wings and really long sharp fangs, and the monkey looks kinda rabid and some of them carry stuff like branches or stones.

But this all is not important right now as currently, a repetition of my last encounter or something worse is starting.
So I need to act quickly before that happens.

 

"Before anyone here does anything stupid: Stop!" (I)

 

I paid extra attention that nothing's at risk of falling to its death, but apparently, total paralysis can still mess with one's balance.
Yet as I was this time more prepared I catch all of them with tentacles before they as well end as bloody pulps on the ground.
And carefully lower them down.
At least everything is now calm enough for them to listen.

 

"Okay, now that I have your attention, I need to ask you to leave this area. If you stay here you'll clash with the people and I don't want this. And there's no problem with retreating further back. According to my weird sense, this forest expands forever in that direction so you have plenty of space to exist." (I)

 

This sense is kinda weird but I'm sure that it's accurate.
It's as if my awareness spreads like a shiver on the skin across this dimension.
And so I know that this forest is incredibly large.
It might be even bigger than Japan.
The other point is that it's somewhat alive.
This means, even if people would cut the wood it's just going to grow back.
Like this, they'll never truly endanger their habitat.

So, as they have no houses or burrows here it should be possible for them to change locations.

It might be unfair to force them to leave and not the people who are entering the forest but for now, this solution will have to suffice.
Also, I think that those animals might hear better than the human demon purgers.
Not that they have much of a choice.
Yet I feel quite bad about forcing someone to obey me.

 

"Ehm, just so you know, I don't hold any animosity or hostile intentions against you lot. It's just that I don't see any other solution." (I)

 

Hard to confirm a reaction if the other party is frozen in time.

 

"Okay, I'm going to stop stopping you now. If I do, I don't want you to freak out and run amok and leave in this direction. Fine? Okay, here we go." (I)

 

With a new mental command, I overwrite the stopping order.
While doing so I take special care that this will only make them regain their ability to move and not force them to move eternally in the direction I pointed them till their bodies stop working, since this would be kinda evil.
And don't even ask me how all this works.

I only know that somehow my commandment spreads.
How this works and what the underlying logic for this would be is far beyond me.
I'm working here purely on instinct and gut feeling.
The former not being the one of a typical living being but a twisted, sinister equivalent of whatever I became, and the latter based on organs that I probably don't even have.

However, now I'm at least sure I didn't compel them to destroy themselves.
Yet on the other side, I am not sure if it worked at all.

The reason is that they don't move.
But at least some of them twitch which proves that they're no longer stunned.
Especially the big stag worries me deeply the way he stares at me.
But I've no idea what's currently going wrong here.
Maybe I have to repeat myself?

 

"Ehm, you can go now. You heard me? Shoo, Shoo! That way." (I)

 

Right, seems like they got this.
Based on the fact that they all in the same instant rush like crazy in the direction I pointed them.
It's a true stampede and they won't let anything survive that crosses their path.
Foremost the big one lays waste to what's in his way.
He even runs straight through some smaller "trees" which don't survive the onslaught, rips through low-hanging branches, and... uh, squashes a monkey.

Seriously, I won't claim any responsibility for that!
It's their thing if they're going completely overboard with what I've told them to do.
Okay, I know that this is at best a weak excuse.

The big guy continues to waltz through his own associates.
Those of the smaller creatures which are unfortunate enough to find themselves within the stag's path don't have much time to regret it.
But the others aren't much friendlier.
Those who fall get stepped on and die quite gruesomely.

I seriously didn't intend this to happen.
Just why can't they listen like normal living beings?

Ugh, demons!