In times like these, when things are beyond dire, a prince on a white horse would usually come to save the day.

  Great!

  …On paper, that is. But who could even fulfill that role?

  Would it be Ori?

  Nope - he was busy being brutally tortured by the King of Nether.

  Then, would it be Kaela?

  Definitely not - she was busy getting mauled to death by a horde of demonic beasts.

  So, did that mean our two loner friends were destined to die today?

  Sure seemed like it, but… The number ‘two’ was, inherently, a misconception.

  After all, there was another loner in the picture; one who’d been biding his time within the cursed Red Zone forest for many days; one who’d been forgotten by even Ori, and most importantly; one who had the power to turn things around.

  A many legged fella covered in sturdy scales, with a jaw of chilling mandibles and, despite its three meter length, a rather friendly disposition.

  It was, of course, none other than Ori’s pet. The sepulcher, named simply ‘Sepulcher’.

  A ridiculous name, kinda like a dog named ‘Dog’, but expecting any more from Ori would’ve been foolish.

  And, well, it’s not like beast himself cared for his name. Matter of fact, Sepulcher only cared for one thing:

  For the first time in nearly a month, which felt even longer to our little guy with his rudimentary perception of time - Sepulcher sensed Ori’s presence.

  A thick coat of demonic essence permeated the forest around him, spreading further still with every passing second.

  However, within that flood of essence was a uniquely distinct trace of something else. Not quite human, yet not quite demon either.

  Sepulcher was certain. If he traced the source of this essence, he would surely run into Ori.

  *Kiiieeeek!*

  After letting out an excited shriek, loud enough to make a human bleed from the ears, he sped off into the distance.

  ***

  Sometimes, very rarely, you see something so batshit insane that you’ve gotta start doubting your own eyes.

  That was how Kaela felt right now.

  Just moments ago, a horde of demonic beasts was on her tail. That part, naturally, hadn’t changed.

  Yet, for some unknown reason, one of the beasts was protecting her.

  It leaped through the air, crashing into one of the demons that was biting into Kaela’s thigh.

  What the… Are they fighting for prey?

  Thats what she thought initially - a bit hard to believe, as such cases had never been documented before - but it sure as hell seemed more plausible than the alternative.

  *Roar*

  *Growl*

  Two more starved demons attempted to leap at Kaela, but once again-

  *Kiiieeeeek!*

  -The centipede-like creature jumped in front of them, shielding Kaela with its body before ruthlessly tearing the nearest few demons apart.

  The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

  Yeah, I’m not stupid enough to still doubt it. The thing’s trying to protect me. But, uhh, why..?

  The turn of events left her so dumbfounded that, for a moment, Kaela even forgot about her earlier desperation.

  As she was lost in thought, the growls of nearby beasts lessened, prompting her to quickly look around.

  I see, that makes sense.

  Actually, it makes no sense at all. Ah, whatever!

  The centipede creature was noticeably stronger than the average beast, so the latter subtly stepped back.

  Certainly didn’t mean they were retreating, though; if anything, it looked like the demons were sizing up their next target.

  Gotta act quick, then. Strong as this thing may be, it won’t be able to take down even a quarter of the demons.

  Plus, we actually need them alive for our plan.

  Kaela nodded to herself.

  Guess I’ll just run, same as before. The strange demon can be my distraction, to make space.

  With her fingers crossed, in a figurative sense, she stood up.

  Or rather - she attempted to stand up before promptly plopping back down with a pained exclamation.

  ”Oof!”

  The big centipede eyed Kaela, startled by the noise that left her mouth.

  Kaela heeded it no mind, her thoughts elsewhere:

  Okay, so I can’t move because my legs are completely wrecked.

  …Now what?

  *Boooom!*

  Far off in the distance, another explosion echoed.

  Having become used to the sounds after hearing them for the past twenty minutes, intermittently, Kaela didn’t so much as flinch.

  Her face simply crunched up.

  Ori’s still fighting for his life. Argh, I gotta do something too, or I’ll feel so damn useless!

  *Kiek?*

  Suddenly, the centipede beast made an unusual noise, its head cocking in the direction of the explosion.

  Its eyes, if the gemstone looking spheres around the mandibles even qualified as eyes, emitted a dim red glow. It didn’t last long - a second at most - but that was enough to tell.

  That thing just used essence detection. What kind of demon even knows how to do that?

  Kaela’s expression changed to one of astonishment.

  Is it trying to detect whose essence that is?

  Before she had the time to mull over that thought, the centipede made another startlingly sharp move; it pressed its whole body low to the ground, legs digging into the hard ground as if it were sand.

  It was like…

  Like it’s preparing to sprint away…

  Wait, sprint away?! What about me??!

  Just when that thought crossed Kaela’s mind, the beast abruptly paused and slowly turned to face her.

  Then, in a freakishly human-like manner, it tilted its head as if in thought.

  The gesture was so unfitting for a demonic beast that a shiver snaked down Kaela’ spine. Or, perhaps that shiver was for another reason entirely.

  An ominous premonition, of sorts.

  W-Why are you looking at me like that..? What is-?!!

  *Kieek!*

  ”Kyahh!!”

  Out of nowhere, the centipede dashed towards Kaela and, giving her no time to react, snatched her by the collar while letting out its trademark screech.

  Kaela’s vocal cords produced a noise she didn’t even know she could make.

  But, as much as she wanted to burrow her head in embarrassment, the rapidly shifting scenery left her with no space of mind to reflect on such things.

  Her legs were dragging across the ground, leaving more and more scratches.

  Wind howled, blasting her in the face with so much pressure that her eyes began to water.

  ”Aaahh, what the fuck?! Slow down! Please..!”

  The centipede didn’t react. Actually, it almost looked like it sped up further in protest.

  Well, it might have interpreted Kaela’s shouts as a call to hurry up. Who knew what was on this demon’s mind, really?

  ”Urghh, fine! Let’s do this!!”

  For whatever reason, the massive centipede was determined to reach the source of those massive explosions.

  Why it grabbed Kaela along for the ride was a whole mystery in and of itself.

  Regardless, if that’s how things turned out - Kaela was determined to make the best of this shitshow.

  It took her a little while, but eventually she managed to get into a more comfortable position atop the beast.

  …Relatively speaking.

  Through the shaky ride and clumps of earth kicked up by the centipede’s legs, Kaela just barely managed to sneak a glance backwards at the monster wave.

  They were, fortunately, still following closely behind. Not quite at the speed of her current ‘mount’, but fast enough to not fall behind.

  Finally, Kaela felt a glimmer of hope reignite. It was not without a level of suspicion, though; against all sense of logic, a random demonic beast rescued her in a moment of utter despair.

  Now, if that’s ain’t suspicious… Hah, who cares? I’m riding a massive fuckin centipede! This is so sick!!

  The corners of Kaela’s lips naturally turned upwards - she was, after all, an adrenaline junkie through and through.

  Simultaneously, she began giggling with an exceptionally offputting expression on her face. The sadistic kind.

  What kind of reaction will Ori have, I wonder? The great me, atop a, uhh… a great ‘stallion’!

  Sure, whatever. I’m not as pedantic as a certain Threadripper.

  Still, all that giddiness never distracted Kaela from reality; Ori was in danger, and Kaela’s life hinged on his survival.

  Thus, exciting as it was to ride atop a demon, Kaela forced herself to reign in those emotions. Perhaps later down the line - once they’d escaped Nether and found a peaceful pub to chat at - stories of their respective fights could be shared.

  Now, however, was not right the time.

  I’m coming to save ya, friend. Just hold on a little longer.