Knowing that I don't have the time to try and grab my pen, I pull Katropis from my waistband and hold it steadily in front of me, waiting for the Thing to strike.

It doesn't.

For whatever reason, it just slowly turns around to look at our group, staying virtually in the same place. The Thing stares relentlessly at us, it's eyes cold and calculating, almost as if it's trying to find the weak link.

The only problem is, we don't have a weak link. Everyone in our group has a weapon, everyone is battle trained, everyone is brave, and every single one of us is prepared and ready to fight.

But the Thing doesn't know those facts.

It fixes it's gaze upon Jeannie, flicking it's toung. Her bow is out, at the ready. Despite her being armed, the demon lunges at her, it's mouth open.

Jeannie just manages to sidestep the raging beast. If she'd been even half a second late, she'd be lying on the ground.

The monster is injured now, but angrier than ever. One lesson I've learned in life is that no matter what, even if a demon is injured, if it's angry it can be stronger than ever. That's just the case right now.

The Thing's eyes blaze with destructive rage as it turns on us, hissing. It attacks again, this time aiming for Frank. Frank is ready though. He transforms into an eagle and swoops away into the trees before the beast can do anything. He'll come back in a few moments, when the time is right for him to strike unseen. I know his strategies.

The monster cocks it's head with confusion for a moment as Frank disappears, but it recovers quickly and leaps at me. I stumble back and attempt to maim the Thing with Katropis, but I drop the blade as soon as I swing my arm. Since I don't have a weapon I can get to, I do the only thing I can think of.

I shadow travel.

I reappear seconds later, back on safe ground, ready to fight, but everyone else has already got it under control. Frank and Ivan are distracting the demon while Jeannie remains hidden behind a tree, an arrow cocked and ready to fly while Nick is about to throw his knife. Will is on the other side of the clearing, a bow in hand (I don't know where he got it from, though). The beast lunges one last time at Frank, hissing it's fury. It nearly gets Frank, but Jeannie's just quick enough. Before the Thing has reached Frank, she's lodged an arrow in it's throat. The wounded beast disintegrates on the spot, leaving only a heap of ashes upon the ground.

Jeannie smiles, then remembers the deer that the Thing was eating and rushes over to it. She kneels down and places a hand over it's heart, then pulls back, a glazed, angry look forming in her eyes.

"Dead." She announces, her voice quivering.

I walk over to her and grab her arm, helping her up. "Come on," I say, "We need to keep going. There are other monsters in these woods, I'm sure of it."

Will meanders over. "Come on Jeannie. It's time to leave."

Jeannie nods, and we continue on our journey, making our way out of the woods peacefully, without encountering another monster.

But the peace, and our luck, is not to remain.