Evren had set up camp in a clearing some distance away from the road. He still had plenty of time before the sun set, but he wanted to read up on goblins a little before it got dark. He filled a pot with dried potatoes, carrots, and jerky, along with some herbs, and set it above the fire he had built. As he read about the goblins, much of the information was just as he remembered. "Ah, I forgot to get the mana core from them!" he proclaimed as he got to the section that explained where to find the mana cores. "Oh well, I'll be sure to grab them the next time."
This was his first encounter with something other than a beast since he got into this world. He was glad he had spent time preparing for this journey. He was also glad that it was such a small group of goblins. The book he was reading said that a group of 10 or more could easily take down a party of five hunters. Goblins possessed a hierarchy of races within its species. Above the base goblins are the leader goblins: Commanders, Generals and Kings. Within the troops were ones that used slings to launch rocks, wizards that cast basic spells, and brutes that are larger and much stronger.
Above goblins were hobgoblins, who had similar roles, but were bigger in size and differed in color. In addition to the soldiers and leaders, hobgoblins had a special breed called "Red Caps". These were particularly troublesome monsters. They're smart, cruel, strong, fast and vicious. They're called Red Caps because they like to bathe themselves in blood and wear the scalps of their victims on their heads.
Continuing up in difficulty were orcs, ogres and trolls. Trolls in particular were especially troubling as they have an unparalleled regeneration rate. Fire and magic were needed to ensure a troll remained dead. An amputated arm can be fully recovered within an hour, and the severed arm itself can grow into another troll itself. A decapitated troll will appear to be dead, but it will regrow a head from the stump, and a body from the head.
It's believed that trolls are part sentient plant life, which would explain its ability to regrow from only parts. It would also explain why trolls are as flammable as they are. Even a simple flame will cause a troll to catch on fire which will eventually consume the troll completely if left unattended to. On top of that, their tall height, spindly arms and legs and flat head reminded Evren of what his original race was. That didn't mean Evren found them appealing, their appearance is as appealing as an orc's is to a human.
The sky began to darken, so Evren put away the book and ate his evening meal. He set some more wood on the fire and moved to the back of the wagon, away from the fire. Every night since he had left the town, he spent the first part of the night scouting the area for any signs of danger. He would move out to the maximum of his detection range, just enough to keep the wagon within range, and he would circle around the camp.
When he first started this scouting, he would only be able to go as far as he could while keeping the campfire in view. When he developed his extended range sensory field, he could go out farther, but he had to stop several times along the way as headaches would seize him. Now, he could almost do an entire lap, but the range had also extended out from what it originally was.
He found something tonight though, about halfway around the loop. He wasn't sure what it was, but it was large. He couldn't tell the shape, but he had a feeling that whatever it was, was larger than a bear. The camp and his self were downwind of whatever it was, so he started to move slowly in its direction. The moons weren't full, but one was giving off enough light to provide enough illumination for him to move.
As he approached the creature, he reduced the size of his sensory field. He knew from past experiences the sensory field could be sensed by some creatures. The creature couldn't tell from which direction the field originated, but they would be wary of an existence. When the creature moved, Evren would stop. After some time of remaining still, Evren would move again. When Evren got approximately 50 meters from the creature, he stopped. He still couldn't see it, but he could perceive it in greater detail now.
Its head was shaped somewhere between a goat and a wolf, with a pair of horns facing forward. The body was massive, with a hunched back and scaly hide. The front legs ended in claws like a cat, while the rear legs were more like a bird. There was also a leathery skin between the front and rear legs. At the back was a long thick tail like that of a snake. It was perched in a tree with that tail wrapped around the trunk of the tree. Its ears were constantly checking the area around it, trying to find what it perceived.
'Demon.' Evren thought as he put the image of the creature together in his head. Demons were monsters that were a mismatch of seemingly random creatures. They were the stuff of nightmares, strong, fast and filled with magical power that enhanced their abilities to extraordinary levels. Many could use magic, breathe fire or poison, or possess enhanced senses. A demon was something that could wipe out a town on its own, not something Evren wanted to provoke.
He stayed there, silent and unmoving as he monitored the demon. He wanted to leave that place, but he had to see what the demon was going to do. If he ignored it and went back to camp, it could move towards him at some point during the night and ambush him.
The demon stopped clinging to the trunk of the tree and stepped out on one of the branches with its taloned feet, its head tilted to the side. It turned itself around on the branch quietly, its tail firmly grasping the trunk of the tree until it had turned around completely. It hunched forward with its head still tilted but turned to the side. There it stayed for some time, occasionally it would twitch as if it was preparing to do something.
With an eerie silence, the demon spread its front legs, and unwinding its tail from the trunk of the tree, it fell out of the tree and began gliding through the forest air. When it reached a certain point, it pulled in its legs and dropped down towards the ground. When it landed, it had in its claws and talons a deer that Evren hadn't noticed. The jaw closed on the deer's neck silencing it before it could call out. A very stealthy kill.
When the deer showed no further signs of life, the demon began to eat. It was at this point Evren began to move quietly away from the demon. He reduced the strength of his sensory field as much as he could while still being able to sense the demon as he moved through the darkness. The demon had fed, Evren hoped a full belly would kill its desire to wander through the night, but he wouldn't take his chances. When Evren got close enough to the camp that he could sense the wagon, he picked up his pace and hurried back.
He immediately started to pack the camp up into the wagon. He had gotten a headache, but he didn't want to drop the sensory field yet, so he gritted his teeth as he packed. Once everything was packed, he dumped water onto the fire until it was completely soaked and pulled his wagon out of the camp. As he left, he stopped using his sensory field. His headache finally getting the better of him.
He would spend half the night traveling down the road to gain distance on the demon before stopping again for the night. When he found a clearing near the road, he scouted around it before setting up camp. When he returned to the wagon, Evren only set his bedding down under the wagon instead of fully setting up his camp. It was cold without a fire, but fortunately he had prepared for cold weather. He slept lightly in his armor with his sword nearby.
